🛒 Buying
How do I pay securely?
All payments go through Stripe (card, Bancontact, Apple Pay). Funds are held until receipt of the item is confirmed.
What is the delivery time?
3 to 5 business days on average, depending on the seller. The exact timeframe is shown on each listing.
What if I don’t receive my order?
First contact the seller via messaging. If there’s no response within 5 days, open a dispute from your “My Orders” area. Our team handles every request within 14 days.
Can I get a refund?
Yes, in the cases covered by our refund policy: item not received, not as described, or withdrawal for professional sellers (14 days).
🛍️ Selling
How much does selling cost me?
Listing is free. A 6% commission is charged only on a successful sale. See the pricing page.
When do I get paid?
7 days after the buyer confirms receipt. Automatic payout via Stripe Connect, every 7 days.
How do I activate my seller account?
Sign up, then complete the Stripe Connect verification process (ID, IBAN). Verification within 24-48h.
🗂️ Creating a listing
How do I use "Fill in from your box"?
Click the "Fill in from your box" button on the listing creation page, then photograph the front of the box. Our system automatically looks up the reference in our database of 40,000 items and pre-fills all the fields: manufacturer, name, scale, network and era.
- Take the photo in good light, avoiding glare on the box
- Frame the whole front with the reference clearly visible
- Check the details, then add your photos, condition and price
💡 If the box isn't recognised, use reference auto-fill or fill in the fields manually.
How does reference auto-fill work?
In the "Reference" field of the form, start typing the number (e.g. 37297) — suggestions appear in real time. Select the right model and all the technical fields fill in automatically.
The reference is found on the box, under the model's chassis, or on your purchase invoice.
💡 Our database covers the main brands: Märklin, Roco, Fleischmann, Piko, Arnold, Jouef, REE, L.S. Models…
My reference isn't in the database — what do I do?
- Try it without spaces or dashes (e.g. 73141 instead of 73 141)
- If the reference still can't be found, fill in the fields manually — it works just as well
- Report the missing model via the Contact page — we add them regularly
How do I take good photos for my listing?
- Neutral background (white, light grey) to make the model stand out
- Natural or soft light, no direct flash
- All angles: front, back, underside, details, original box
- Close-ups of any flaws — transparency builds trust
- At least 3–4 photos, ideally 6 or more
💡 Listings with 5+ photos get on average 2× more messages from buyers.
What should I put in the description?
- Condition: never out of the box, used on a layout, a few scratches?
- Operation: tested? Lights, sound, smoke?
- Decoder: analogue or digital? Brand and reference?
- Included accessories: manual, cables, couplers, extra wagons?
- Box: present and in what condition?
💡 The more complete your description, the fewer questions you'll get — and the faster you'll sell.
How do I set the right price?
- Check the price chart on the model's page — it shows actual resale prices observed on TrainMarket
- New in box: 70–90% of the original price. Heavily used: 30–50%
- A discontinued or limited-edition item is often worth more
How long does my listing stay online?
Listings stay active until sold or manually removed. You can pause, edit or delete a listing at any time from My Account → My Listings.
My listing was rejected — why?
- Off-topic item (TrainMarket is dedicated to model railways)
- Photos missing, blurry or poor quality
- Description too short
- Clearly incorrect price
You'll receive an explanatory email. Fix the listing and it will be reviewed again within 24h.
How do I use "Fill in from your box"?
Click the "Fill in from your box" button on the listing creation page, then photograph the front of the box. Our system automatically looks up the reference in our database of 40,000 items and pre-fills all the fields: manufacturer, name, scale, network and era.
- Take the photo in good light, avoiding glare on the box
- Frame the whole front with the reference clearly visible
- Check the details, then add your photos, condition and price
💡 If the box isn't recognised, use reference auto-fill or fill in the fields manually.
How does reference auto-fill work?
In the "Reference" field of the form, start typing the number (e.g. 37297) — suggestions appear in real time. Select the right model and all the technical fields fill in automatically.
The reference is found on the box, under the model's chassis, or on your purchase invoice.
💡 Our database covers the main brands: Märklin, Roco, Fleischmann, Piko, Arnold, Jouef, REE, L.S. Models…
My reference isn't in the database — what do I do?
- Try it without spaces or dashes (e.g. 73141 instead of 73 141)
- If the reference still can't be found, fill in the fields manually — it works just as well
- Report the missing model via the Contact page — we add them regularly
How do I take good photos for my listing?
- Neutral background (white, light grey) to make the model stand out
- Natural or soft light, no direct flash
- All angles: front, back, underside, details, original box
- Close-ups of any flaws — transparency builds trust
- At least 3–4 photos, ideally 6 or more
💡 Listings with 5+ photos get on average 2× more messages from buyers.
What should I put in the description?
- Condition: never out of the box, used on a layout, a few scratches?
- Operation: tested? Lights, sound, smoke?
- Decoder: analogue or digital? Brand and reference?
- Included accessories: manual, cables, couplers, extra wagons?
- Box: present and in what condition?
💡 The more complete your description, the fewer questions you'll get — and the faster you'll sell.
How do I set the right price?
- Check the price chart on the model's page — it shows actual resale prices observed on TrainMarket
- New in box: 70–90% of the original price. Heavily used: 30–50%
- A discontinued or limited-edition item is often worth more
How long does my listing stay online?
Listings stay active until sold or manually removed. You can pause, edit or delete a listing at any time from My Account → My Listings.
My listing was rejected — why?
- Off-topic item (TrainMarket is dedicated to model railways)
- Photos missing, blurry or poor quality
- Description too short
- Clearly incorrect price
You'll receive an explanatory email. Fix the listing and it will be reviewed again within 24h.
🔔 Alerts
What is an alert?
An alert automatically sends you an email as soon as a matching item is listed for sale. No more manual checking — TrainMarket does it for you. Alerts are completely free and unlimited.
💡 Good items sell fast — the alert notifies you in real time, ahead of other buyers.
How do I create an alert?
In My Account → My Alerts, click "Add an alert" and fill in one or more criteria:
- Exact reference — to track a specific model (e.g. 37297). Fields auto-complete just like with a listing.
- Category — for a type of item (Steam Locomotive, Tank Wagon…)
- Network — for a specific railway network (SNCB, SNCF, DB…)
- Keywords — for free-text searches on the listing title
💡 Combine several criteria to refine your search — e.g. "Steam Locomotive" + "SNCB" to only get Belgian steam locos.
Reference-based alerts auto-fill automatically
In the "Exact reference" field of the alert, start typing — suggestions from our database of 40,000 references appear. Select the model and the other fields (network, scale…) fill in automatically.
💡 The match is exact: you'll only be alerted if a listing carries precisely this reference.
How soon after listing do I get the email?
The notification is sent as soon as the listing is published. In practice, you'll receive the email within 1 to 5 minutes — with photo, title and price. One click is enough to view the listing.
I'm getting too many notifications
- Choose a precise subcategory (e.g. "Steam Locomotive" rather than "Locomotive")
- Add a specific network to filter further
- Replace a generic keyword alert with an exact reference
💡 Several precise alerts work better than one broad alert.
I'm not getting any notifications
- Check your spam folder and add contact@trainmarket.be to your contacts
- Check that the alert is active in My Account → My Alerts
- If your alert is very specific (rare reference), no matching item may have been listed yet — it will activate automatically once one is
How do I edit or delete an alert?
In My Account → My Alerts: click ✏️ to edit the criteria, or ✕ to delete an alert you no longer need.
💡 Once you've found and bought the item, remember to delete the alert so you stop receiving unnecessary notifications.
What is an alert?
An alert automatically sends you an email as soon as a matching item is listed for sale. No more manual checking — TrainMarket does it for you. Alerts are completely free and unlimited.
💡 Good items sell fast — the alert notifies you in real time, ahead of other buyers.
How do I create an alert?
In My Account → My Alerts, click "Add an alert" and fill in one or more criteria:
- Exact reference — to track a specific model (e.g. 37297). Fields auto-complete just like with a listing.
- Category — for a type of item (Steam Locomotive, Tank Wagon…)
- Network — for a specific railway network (SNCB, SNCF, DB…)
- Keywords — for free-text searches on the listing title
💡 Combine several criteria to refine your search — e.g. "Steam Locomotive" + "SNCB" to only get Belgian steam locos.
Reference-based alerts auto-fill automatically
In the "Exact reference" field of the alert, start typing — suggestions from our database of 40,000 references appear. Select the model and the other fields (network, scale…) fill in automatically.
💡 The match is exact: you'll only be alerted if a listing carries precisely this reference.
How soon after listing do I get the email?
The notification is sent as soon as the listing is published. In practice, you'll receive the email within 1 to 5 minutes — with photo, title and price. One click is enough to view the listing.
I'm getting too many notifications
- Choose a precise subcategory (e.g. "Steam Locomotive" rather than "Locomotive")
- Add a specific network to filter further
- Replace a generic keyword alert with an exact reference
💡 Several precise alerts work better than one broad alert.
I'm not getting any notifications
- Check your spam folder and add contact@trainmarket.be to your contacts
- Check that the alert is active in My Account → My Alerts
- If your alert is very specific (rare reference), no matching item may have been listed yet — it will activate automatically once one is
How do I edit or delete an alert?
In My Account → My Alerts: click ✏️ to edit the criteria, or ✕ to delete an alert you no longer need.
💡 Once you've found and bought the item, remember to delete the alert so you stop receiving unnecessary notifications.
⚙️ My account
I forgot my password
Click “Forgot password” on the login page. A reset email will be sent to you.
How do I delete my account?
From “My Account > Settings > Delete my account”. In accordance with GDPR, all your data is erased within 30 days.
Can’t find your answer? Contact us.