To our customers:
We have been dealing with LGB, LGB Toytrain, and LGB Aster for 20 years. Increasingly we see that people buy from sellers on Ebay and then are surprised that the description didn’t fit the received product. For example an Aster engine is made out of brass and parts or the chassis can be bent if dropped, potentially rendering the engine useless. Parts are often broken off on rolling stock from all three product lines, and some sellers prey on buyers unfamiliar with the product.
And what does Ebay Protection mean? Are you being reimbursed for your own time you have to spend fixing the issue? Are you being reimbursed if you need the product professionally restored, including the 2-way shipping charges? Either way, the sellers often fight the claims and if the product shipment was not insured, then the risk of shipping damage is on the side of the buyer, not the seller. Many don’t know that the risk transition is called Ex-Works (once the seller hands the package to the carrier, the buyer takes all the risk). To make matters worse, while you might be able to insure USPS shipments, FedEx and UPS only accept declared value which means they will attempt to prove that the product was not properly packed, again placing the risk on the buyer.
Finally, even if you get money to restore your product, all parts might not be available and there are possibly hidden risks when buying a used engine including:
NOTE: Risk estimates are for parts only and do not include labor charges.
The only way to ensure enjoyable LGB time is with brand new factory released Rolling stock. New is always more affordable than used. My experience is in 80% of the time it is not worth it.
