eBay, Old Kit, Parts & Pieces Pricing, Who's to Blame?

[Tom Geiger]

 

In many ways those auction services have done more harm for the hobby than good.  

One where the seller is more than willing to take as much of your money as you're willing to part with for the privelage of winning the auction!

I also disagree.  I think eBay has made the hard to find things accessible.  I've found it both in model cars and my stamp collection.  Nobody ever said you had to pay a high price for something.  I think most of us have matured enough to know if we don't win an auction, that same item will come along soon enough.  My game is that I set up a search for things I want. eBay sends me an email when ever one pops up.  I set a number I want to pay, put that into my snipe software and walk away. If I win at my price great, if not there will be another one in a week or two.  I've managed to fill in most of my annuals at prices I was pleased to pay.

And for selling, eBay works for me.  When I sell things to friends, I tend to give stuff away. I'm a softie!  I like to put my things up on eBay, it's anonymous and I get whatever the market dictates.  Sometimes I win, sometimes not so much.  And I'm willing to take as much as the high bidder offers!  That's the American way... and of course I reinvest it!

[FordRodnKustom]

I also disagree.  I think eBay has made the hard to find things accessible.  I've found it both in model cars and my stamp collection.  Nobody ever said you had to pay a high price for something.  I think most of us have matured enough to know if we don't win an auction, that same item will come along soon enough.  My game is that I set up a search for things I want. eBay sends me an email when ever one pops up.  I set a number I want to pay, put that into my snipe software and walk away. If I win at my price great, if not there will be another one in a week or two.  I've managed to fill in most of my annuals at prices I was pleased to pay.

And for selling, eBay works for me.  When I sell things to friends, I tend to give stuff away. I'm a softie!  I like to put my things up on eBay, it's anonymous and I get whatever the market dictates.  Sometimes I win, sometimes not so much.  And I'm willing to take as much as the high bidder offers!  That's the American way... and of course I reinvest it!

Agreed Tom. Which sniper program do you recommend? Are the free ones any good? TIA.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I don't bother with a sniper program.

I just bid the highest amount I"m willing to pay, & leave it at that.

 

Steve

[gtx6970]

As a rule,

I dont bid till the  very end anyway. I'll bid a touch above  what I really want to spend . If I win , great. BUT If I dont win it, so be it ,,,,,, I feel I didnt really want to pay that much for it anyway .

Especially if its hard to find item . I guarentee there WILL be another one soon enough . Case in point. I was looking for a clean builder 1958 Buick. But they kept going over my max budget of the $75  range. I just kept watching for one and sure enough I got one, For far less than my max budget. Another one is .I got a near mint unbuilt 59 Edsel kit for about what I clean builtup sells for .

You just HAVE to be patiant and leave your emotions at the sign-in page

2nd,,,,,,I dont bid til the end  because I dont want to have the sellers buddies  run my bid up only to max it out  to see my max bid. I've been down that road several times only to have them retract there bid then THEY snipe it at the end

 

As far as Ebay a good thing or not.

Without it, I wouldnt have a tenth of my stash . ( my wife might thnk that might be a good thing )  Me personally I like it,,,you just have to use it to YOUR advantage ( see bold comments above )

Edited December 24, 2015 by gtx6970

[Craig Irwin]

It's a lot like the real car hobby, some people cut up cars that others would build, but that one that gets parted may save 4 or 5 others.

[Tom Geiger]

Agreed Tom. Which sniper program do you recommend? Are the free ones any good? TIA.

I use eSnipe.com

i believe they have a free trial but it is a paid service. Cheap enough, I buy $10 worth of bid points maybe once a year. You only pay if you win an auction and it averages out to something like a quarter an auction.

[Art Anderson]

In all this discussion:  It seems to me to bear in mind that nobody should be "blamed" for what they do with model car kits or old builtups they might have and decide to turn into cash--that's an old saw of an argument that gets beaten to death, not only in our scale model building world, but in the 1:1 world of cars as well.  After all, is not any model car kit or part in the possession of each and every one of us here a matter or our own property?   Yes, it is.  And to somehow declare or at least intimate that just because Smith has the kit/part, and Jones wants it, does not, in my considered opinion, change that fact.

In the world of real collector cars, for years restorers cannibalized sedans, limousines, even town cars to restore what they saw (decades ago) as the more desirable roadsters, speedsters, phaetons.  The same was true of the all-black Model T's of 1917 and later--parts cars for brass era T's.  The end effect of course was that those who wanted to restore that famous old chauffeur driven town car, or that Model T sedan that looks just like the one in Great Grandpa's photo album becomes just that more difficult to do.  And in result, a considerable aftermarket industry sprang up to supply the needed bits and pieces.

With model cars, I've been seeing tables of parts of model car kits ever since my first Super Model Car Sunday swap meet in 1981--it's been going on that long!

As for putting those up for auction on eBay--consider this:  When eBay took off for real back what, about 15yrs ago now? it became the largest auction venue the World has ever seen, bar none.  It opened up the possibility of being able to acquire that model car kit from years ago to literally hundreds of thousands of modelers (we on message forums like this are, by comparison, only a small fraction of model car builders!) who never get the chance to make it to a model car show or swap meet for all the reasons one can imagine.

As with any auction--the final price paid is a pure function of supply and demand:  The more people who are after a particular item, the higher the final bid is going to be--that is always the case.  Sometimes it can get insane--is any Ferrari REALLY worth $52 Million????????--but on the flip side, there have been, are right now, and will be again in the future, bargains to be had, even for that "rare" model car kit or piece that one needs in order to finish a project.

Patience can be a real virtue in all this--just as patience with a model car project is often essential.

Art

[junkyardjeff]

I am glad some kits are being reissued so I can afford to build one,I will not pay much more then 25 dollars for a kit and I have bought some parts off ebay for kits that are not in production since I did not want to wait for possibly years to find parts cheaper. I am lucky to have a new hobby shop that opened up this year that I can get parts so I do not buy much parts off ebay now.

[89AKurt]

I'm guilty.
I'm in full-auto obsession mode now.  I just received a kit that I wanted last century.  Found some pages from a mail order catalog in a file, saw something I wanted way back then, and found it is difficult to find.  What I did get cost a fortune, but I have it, and I might just build it to piss off the rabid collectors.  When was the last time you saw a decent Mercedes C111 at a contest?

[magicmustang]

At $14.99 for a part and with an average of 80 parts (?) per kit the pajama part dealer could make over $1200 a kit, potentially. I just try to filter out the parts dealers.

That being said. There was a saying at our model club by the swap meet dealers:  "You will soon forget what you paid for one, but you will never forget that you don't have one".

Edited December 16, 2017 by magicmustang

[Mike999]

5 hours ago, Draggon said:

I've only been on ebay for about 10 years but things have changed. It seemed to me that it used to be folks that loved model cars would sell spare vintage parts at mostly acceptable prices...

I've been on eBay since 1999 and have the same memory.  For a long time "Toy Models & Kits" seemed to be mostly people who were active in the hobby.  Outrageous prices sometimes showed up, but those were outliers and easily ignored/laughed at.  Nowadays those types seem to be all over the scale model category. 

But I can still get some good laughs out of eBay.  I just saw an MPC Gold Rush van listed for only $179.99. But WAIT! That's 10% off the original price of  $199.99!!! Whatta deal!

A quick look at eBay "Completed Items" shows several Gold Rush vans have recently sold for between $20-30.  I did better than that, and bought one at a local flea market for $10, still sealed. 

I think that's what surprises me the most about these sellers.  They seem to think we're too stupid to look at "Completed Items," and figure out the real fair value of the kit or parts.

 

[peteski]

On 12/16/2017 at 7:57 PM, Mike999 said:

 They seem to think we're too stupid to look at "Completed Items," and figure out the real fair value of the kit or parts.

 

Neah, that has nothing to do with this.  Those sellers know exactly what those kits are worth and how much kits sells for.  They simply don't care. They keep listing and re-listing their item for the outrageous price hoping for a fool to buy it.  They can do this because their eBay account allows them to list without paying any fees and re-list the item, also for free. So they just let it ride for months or years at a time.

While not a plastic model kit, I have been watching a 1:64 scale American Graffiti '77 T'bird model listed for $130!! https://www.ebay.com/itm/291025513310   This listing has been active for about 3 years now (yes, you read it correctly)!  This is all while in the meantime get notified of the same model being listed and sold in eBay for around $10 - $30 all the time (I have an automatic search set up). When I first encountered that listing (years ago) I contacted the seller pointing them to a listing with the identical model which just sold for $20 and asked them what makes their model worth $130. As expected, I got no reply.

[Casey]

On 12/16/2017 at 6:51 AM, magicmustang said:

At $14.99 for a part and with an average of 80 parts (?) per kit the pajama part dealer could make over $1200 a kit, potentially. I just try to filter out the parts dealers.

It's easy to use eBay's advanced search and enter "-ONLY" (for example) to filter out the bulk of certain sellers' listings, or "-decal" if you don't want to see any listings with those words in the title, etc. You can always use the price range limits, too, which are helpful if you are looking for one part and don't want to pay $14.99 for it when a complete kit would cost only a few dollars more.

Ultimately, it's completely up to each buyer and seller to set the price they are willing to pay or ask for, but like most things, if you are patient you will eventually find what you're looking for, and at a price you are happy paying.

[Mike999]

AIEEE! RUN!  Insane eBay prices are spreading GLOBALLY, like a World Zombie Plague!!!

Checking "Ending Soonest" this morning, I saw a listing for Tamiya kit #35023.  That's the 1/35 scale kit of the BMW and Zundapp German WWII solo motorcycles (without sidecars).  That kit has been around since the 1970s. It's very common and several are nearly always available on eBay.

A seller in Japan offered the kit with FREE SHIPPING.  And an asking price of $144.11!

Uh-oh.  Looks like a couple of American sellers also got infected with the World Zombie Greed Bug.  A seller in Chicago was asking $180 for the same kit, while another in Indiana wanted $75.00 + $8 shipping. 

Reality Check:  the kit recently sold for $3.35, and it took 4 bids to even get that price.  Another one went for $6.99 with only 1 bid. 

Sheesh.  I guess Peteski is right above, when he said these sellers "simply don't care" and are looking for "a fool to buy it."  I just find these outrageous prices fascinating.  I can imagine Mr. Spock, glaring at eBay and mumbling, "Totally illogical."

[peteski]

8 hours ago, Mike999 said:

Sheesh.  I guess Peteski is right above, when he said these sellers "simply don't care" and are looking for "a fool to buy it."  I just find these outrageous prices fascinating.  I can imagine Mr. Spock, glaring at eBay and mumbling, "Totally illogical."

EBay created this problem by not charging listing fees or the starting bid amount fee (like they used to, back in the earlier days of eBay).  If nobody buys their overpriced item, the seller can just re-list the same item over and over (for years) with no cost incurred.  If eBay still had the old pricing structures, the seller woudl have dish out some money every time the item was listed and re-listed.  Nobody in their right mind would be listing stuff for outrageous prices.

[pjtoys]

"EBay created this problem by not charging listing fees or the starting bid amount fee (like they used to, back in the earlier days of eBay).  If nobody buys their overpriced item, the seller can just re-list the same item over and over (for years) with no cost incurred.  If eBay still had the old pricing structures, the seller woudl have dish out some money every time the item was listed and re-listed" 

 

ebay really is not like totally free to list. really  it would be nice but your statement is not exactly correct as there is plenty of ebay fees to pay so please stop spreading false information about ebay fees 

not exactly sure but NON store sellers get something 50 free listings per month after that it is like 30 cents a listing

but jmho if you are only listing 50 or less items a month say $10 n under you are just wasting your time and effort n  are better off to throw it away or sell it at the flea market.  in some cases sellers actually pay thier buyers and ebay/paypal to buy thier items.  

 

i  recently checked 1 of 99 cent start  price foolish money losing time effort wasting wannabee part time hobby part sellers lol he listed  like 232 items for start 99 cent price in last 3 months n only sold 42 items for a total of less then $50 for all last 3 months of sales

232- 150 free listings =82 listings that he paid 30 cents a item to list =  $24.60 n listing fees + another $5 in fvf on those total sales of $50

+ u got ebays 10% on shipping cost  n paypal also gets  2.9 % fees on total of payment n the shipping cost too

+30 cent per item transaction fee = 30 cents x 42= $12.60

 

lets see $12.60 + $24.60 + $5 =$42.20   n that is not counting whatever the 12.9 % total of the shipping amount that ebay n paypal like to steal/take for doing do nothing at all in n anyway n shipping the few items he sold 

 

lets just say he charged $5 shipping x42 items sold = $210 s&H that he got x 12.9 %  s&H FVF free=$60.09 more n ebay/paypal fees

u do the math if u want but sellers like him are so very foolish n or both must not ever done the math because if they did they would not sell on ebay at those el cheapo prices

but on a grand total of $50 in sales for 3 months of sales, it actually cost that seller $60.09 + 42.20 = $102.29 n fees to make only a total of $50 in sales not to mention his time effort to take pics, make up the listings, etc or having to have  or buy  boxes packing materials tape etc  .  besides the free recycled boxes i get  i do buy like 5 different sizes of new boxes peanuts  bubble wrap  n tape  too lol you cannot recycle tape

hell even free boxes /recycled from various stores have costs time effort involved n getting them.  because i have never had anyone drop off boxes at my warehouse or my home either. it costs me gas time effort wear tear on me n my car = then storing them n my warehouse too n thats a actual cost too because i pay rent for my warehouse

really this is just downright 100% foolish way to sell on ebay n  lol are actually paying the buyer n ebay/paypal for the privilege of selling your stuff

u really cannot make $$$ on ebay selling stuff for under $10 cheapo prices n even especialy more so on under $5 items

 

ebay is not all that easy to sell on n it sure is not free or  or all that cheap to sell on 

 

if u really think it is then list 100 or more items, sell them cheap n see if u still think so after couple months

[pjtoys]

"the seller can just re-list the same item over and over (for years) with no cost incurred "

 

really there is actual costs incurred on ever item  relisted  by me or other sellers unless they never list more then 50 items a month n do not have a ebay store

just 1 of my recurring costs that i have to pay ebay is $300 month, for the ebay store fee n trust me that is actual recurring cost to list or relist items every month

[pjtoys]

"Nobody in their right mind would be listing stuff for outrageous prices. "

lol i may not be lol  but really why n hell not not if a seller can get those prices more power to them i say.  we live in the usa n its still a free market country

i have plenty of buyers even at my prices  n many repeat buyers too

 

i say nobody in thier right mind woulkd do all the work n would sell for el cheapo prices n lose money like the seller  i posted n thats  just 1 example of a seller on ebay above too there is plenty others too that r really clueless as to how much $$$ they lose

https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_ssn=pj-toys&_sop=16

[pjtoys]

Posted way back in dec by RIP  Harry

 

Posted December 22, 2015

I agree with what Art said as far as "parting out" kits and selling the bits separately. The person who owns the kit (or the parts) has every right to sell his merchandise as he sees fit. It's his stuff. You may not like the idea; you might not do things that way as a matter of principle... but you can't really fault the guy for doing whatever he wants to do with his property. If you disagree with the idea of parting out a kit, the best response is probably to never buy parts that are being sold that way.

posted tom geiger

Posted December 22, 2015

On 12/22/2015 at 5:25 PM, Daddyfink said:

There is no one to blame. The market exist, you can participate in it or not. 

Why is it always a blame game? Makes no sense. 

BINGO!   Totally agree.  The cranky guys are just ticked that they didn't think of it first!   

 

Posted December 22, 2015

  On 12/22/2015 at 5:25 PM, Daddyfink said:

There is no one to blame. The market exist, you can participate in it or not. 

Why is it always a blame game? Makes no sense. 

BINGO!   Totally agree.  The cranky guys are just ticked that they didn't think of it first!   

Posted December 22, 2015

On 12/22/2015 at 5:25 PM, Daddyfink said:

There is no one to blame. The market exist, you can participate in it or not. 

Why is it always a blame game? Makes no sense. 

BINGO!   Totally agree.  The cranky guys are just ticked that they didn't think of it first!   

[pjtoys]

On the subject of who is acceptable to receive an obsolete kit, I agree, that's really not my place to say.

I personally cringe a little when someone chops up a vintage kit & customizes it, but that's just my issue.

I have no say over what a person does with "their property" once it's in their hands, & that's the way it should be.

If you want to sell them at astronomical prices, part them out, or bury them in your back yard for that matter, that's up to the individual.

I believe we still live in a free country.........or at least some semblance there of.

 

Steve

 

 

One thing to keep in mind here, it seems to me:   While someone else's practices when marketing old kits on say, eBay, may disappoint, even anger others, whatever it is that person is offering up is his/her property.  When last I looked, anything that I own (or you all own!) is your's to do with as I (and you) wish, with no questions optional (barring anything illegal or immoral).

And, that goes with such things as the model car kits and related stuff we all want to enjoy.  If that means that someone is willing to "part out" a kit, even to the disgust or down right anger of others, it seems to me that is that seller's right to do so; and thus not really worthy of criticism based on the premise that someone else has been deprived of the opportunity to buy that kit (or old builtup) intact for themselves.

In short, I am reminded of that old and trite cliche' from my boyhood years, which while probably not quite correct, goes "Possession is 9-points of the Law"--which old schoolboy pronouncement does seem to support what I said immediately above.  I may well be as disappointed that someone else is parting out a desirable old model car kit that I'd love to have to build--but it's his, not mine, and it's his decision as how best to dispose of it for cash.

Art

 

posted December 22, 2015

haven't read every post or opinion... (but will probably wish I had...)

The seller who parts out a kit (hopefully one already started or missing parts, but if not that's OK) makes five people happy, that's five projects that can be finished - the seller who sells the kit only makes one person happy.

Price is what a buyer and seller agree - so no blame

Posted December 23, 2015

You can blame the buyers or the sellers, or you can blame everyone or no one at all. It's all just the market operating as it was designed to operate. This is a hobby, it is not a life altering event if we don't get a kit or part we want! If you don't like a price someone is asking, don't pay it!! There are quite a few hobby dealers as well as companies in the real world that I don't like their prices or their business practices, I simply do my business with someone else without making any waves.

 

2 years later n all the posts are still on point

[pjtoys]

RE "The seller who parts out a kit (hopefully one already started or missing parts "

do you even realize how many sellers straight out lie about a opened kit. or are too lazy to check a kit

 

or LOL pull the top of the kit box n look n they say ohh  it looks complete

 

about 80% of the kits that i part out r missing parts or damaged in some way, yep i do part out old sealed complete kits too.  why not just like with real cars the parts are worth more in total then the whole kit is

 

at least 30% of the kits  that i buy  on ebay are from sellers who r either clueless about models or flat out liars

last week i bought 6 kits that were suppose to be complete from one of those little ole lady clueless sellers

but guess what all 6 kits have issues missing and or damaged parts no decals etc i got them cheap but they were suppose to be complete but all 6 kits had issues

n i was going to list them as open kits but not now

but for most parts kits like them are not worth all that much as a kit  but the parts are worth more $$$$  then if i was to sell them as kits  so yep they r get parted out now

 

i could always send them back not as described but thats just more wasted time effort too n all for nothing when  i can make lemonade out of lemons

[highway]

1 hour ago, pjtoys said:

"Nobody in their right mind would be listing stuff for outrageous prices. "

lol i may not be lol  but really why n hell not not if a seller can get those prices more power to them i say.  we live in the usa n its still a free market country

i have plenty of buyers even at my prices  n many repeat buyers too

 

i say nobody in thier right mind woulkd do all the work n would sell for el cheapo prices n lose money like the seller  i posted n thats  just 1 example of a seller on ebay above too there is plenty others too that r really clueless as to how much $$$ they lose

https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&_ssn=pj-toys&_sop=16

I find it so funny that you even have any buyers, are they really that clueless!?!?  I also find it funny that the link is to your store, and thanks for a few perfect examples of how laughingly ridiculous your prices are!   

1. Dually Stepside bed from the MPC Super Dualie Six wheel Chevy Pickup $39.99. I just recently picked up a SEALED KIT for about half that! 

2. Chevy 1996 C1500 and C3500 grille $19.99. Since I have at least 6 different kits that contain this grille, that must mean I got one great deal on then all since I might have $40 in the kits and promos that have this grille!

3. Windshield and rear window from the AMT Ford F350 Destroyer monster truck $499.00! If just the glass from my kit is worth this much, I can retire from the complete kit!! 

The most laughable example I've ever ran across was the rear window for the 1/16th scale Revell 87 Pontiac Trans Am GTA not long ago priced at $5000.00! REALLY!?! $5000.00!?! I COULD BUY A REAL REAR WINDOW STILL CONNECTED TO THE GTA FOR THAT MUCH!!

[Xingu]

Unfortunately, I knew this was going to end badly when this thread got resurrected. For the last time -- a person can do whatever they want with there items. But or don't buy, the choice is yours. Stop complaining about it here. This has been going on for YEARS. Nothing is going to change, no matter how wrong you think it is. If I see any other comments in other threads, they will be be removed. Please do not make me ban folks for something as stupid and childish as this.

This thread is locked.