eBay for Parts, What Do You Buy?

[Skip]

Last night as I was perusing eBay I got to wondering how many others here scavenge eBay for extra parts and bits for model projects too.

What kind of model parts, bits and bobs do you usually look for on eBay?   What kind of pricing to you shoot for?  

(Yeah we all know there is that one crazy guy who thinks his parts are made of unobtanium, we are Not Discussing Him, at all!)  

Then there are the "Breakers" you know the ones who buy any kit they can get their hands on, old or new and part them out.  Do you buy from them?  I know some are bothered by them, does it bother you enough to not buy the part you need for a project or kit missing that piece?  

While we're discussing Breakers, has anyone pieced a kit out that way, did you make enough to cover your time and the price of the kit?  I'm really wondering if most of those sellers actually sell off the whole kit or in the end are stuck with the junk no one wants, plus do they really end up making a dime or two?

[Skip]

I usually search mostly for the specific parts I'm looking for, per project.  There are some parts like specific types of wheels, tires and maybe extra engines that I look for to keep as stock on hand for future projects.  Pricing, I try to find the most reasonable, then go with the proxy bid with the most I'm willing to pay for the item.  I win some and lose some that way but I won't pay stupid prices just to win the item either.  I find in that respect its best to be patient and wait those who gotta have it now out.  For me that plan normally works.  I don't normally bother with the junk yard sales even if there are a couple of parts I'm looking for.  I've already got my own junkyard!

Breakers, nope they don't bother me a bit.  Most of the time it's cheaper than buying the whole kit for a couple of parts.  I sort of have my "favorite" Breakers whom I've dealt with multiple times enough that they're on my favorites lists.  If it was a part from some ancient kit I was looking for ID buy it from a breaker as well, as long as I could get the parts needed to finish the project.

Parting out kits, I've done it a couple of times with kits I knew were missing parts.  I've bought too many "open complete" kits with one or more undisclosed missing parts that I won't pass that mess onto someone else.  Seems every time I've parted something out I almost always end up with parts that won't sell, stock seats, weird parts, rear ends,,,  I bought a supposedly complete sealed (with tape) Monogram Orange Hauler that was missing most of the body and the hood scoop, seller refused to admit that the kit wasn't complete.  So broke it up, pretty much all that sold was the engine and frames, so no from my perspective I didn't make money.  I kept the whitewall pie crust slicks tires and wheels; on all the auctions for the rest of the kit everyone asked if I still had the tires and wheels?  That's all they wanted too!  Didn't make a dime!

Edited October 12, 2016 by Skip
iPad autocorrect, incorrect

[ChrisBcritter]

Depends on what I need for a project. I've had to Frankenstein several of my projects together; sometimes I'm looking for stock parts to replace damaged/missing/custom ones and sometimes I'll pick up wheels and tires to upgrade. I have a couple sellers I like that I check regularly; they have reasonable opening bids and the price goes up - or not - from there. And I'm fine buying from "breakers" - let's face it, some used parts are usually gluey due to their nature - like, say, the rear bumper, taillight lens and chrome insert on the '65 Dodge Monaco. I passed on some used ones that were too rough and got NOS parts. Wheels/wheelcovers are like that too - in many cases, used ones have tire melt, so I try to go with NOS.

[Snake45]

I mainly look for rebuildable "complete" models or distressed promos. Though I did recently buy a couple whole AMT original annual C2 Corvettes because I needed a number of specific "extra" parts in each. Got my money's worth in all cases.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I mainly look for rebuildable "complete" models or distressed promos. 

Yup. Those and "parts kits", incomplete but with the major stuff I want for a particular build. Because I hardly ever build what's called "out of the box" anyway, getting every last part means very little to me...unless it's something like a Pocher, and even then, I'll take something missing a few bits if I know where to get them and the price for the full kit is right enough. I'll also buy out of production parts-packs, the odd PE detail bits or decals, and Japanese wheel / tire sets.

I WILL buy a complete kit on occasion just to get a single part (I recently bought an open-door Revell '57 Nomad just to get one intake manifold) and the rest of it either gets tagged with ideas for a future endeavor, or joins the stockpile of parts-donors.

I've never parted-out a kit for money, but it's been nice to be able to trade or give away a part occasionally to another modeler who needs something I'll probably never use, or probably never even miss.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[Maindrian Pace]

Praise be the breakers! I buy from a guy who breaks new kits, like 2 sets of 4x4 frame and running gear from the AMT Ford F-350 Firestone kits and a Revell Torino 429 CJ engine, and from another guy who breaks old kits, like a Johan Comet body. And neither of them are He Who's Name Shall Not Be Mentioned. I had a Johan Comet pro stock kit that was 100% complete except for the body, and that kit wouldn't have been much good without it. So I found that seller on ebay, and bought the body for something like 16 bucks. It's molded in weird Johan green instead of weird Johan blueish-green, but now it's complete!

[slusher]

I like to buy parts I need from kit breakers. You need those guys when you mess up parts or have a warped body or frame. I have bought kits for a part but I don't unless I have to because money is hard on SS. I do keep extra parts so I can help others......

Edited October 13, 2016 by slusher

[gtx6970]

With the old annuals stash I have. A lot of them needs this or that ( mostly stock wheel covers ) So I am always looking over there lists.

I'll buy from Floyd426 ,,,,,,,A LOT.  As he is local to me and I can run up and grab my purchases as time allows .  He's been doing it a while and he told  me he can usually double his money as opposed to selling off the kit as a whole. Its extremely rare he buys a single  individual kit,,,he prefers to buy  whole collections and parts them out. When I was there last maybe mid August he had bought like 30-35 cars in one hit earlier this  past summer ( Bought them off Ebay )   Nothing produced after about 1970 ,,,, in fact most of them were late 50s to early 60s annuals .

 

And no I've never parted out a kit. Usually isnt worth my time. But I have no problem with any of the ones who do.

[Sixties Sam]

I buy most of my kits from ebay (cheaper than the LHS (Hobbytown)), and have bought several resin bodies to combine with my parts box stuff. Got a couple $5.00 glue bombs that I rebuilt, and a couple sets of wheels/tires. I look for cheap buy it now items, or auctions about to end with no bids, and get some items pretty cheap! Yes, I'm a tightwad!

Sam

[StevenGuthmiller]

I WILL buy a complete kit on occasion just to get a single part

I will also do this occasionally.

I recently bought a badly distorted '61 Olds promo just for the wheel covers.

Of course, there are some other parts gained in the process that turned out to be valuable.

The grille, tail lights & steering wheel will most likely be used on a resin build.

I've also bought things like a complete, customized '61 Ford Sunliner just for the clean interior tub.

The rest of the model was traded away.

 

Steve

[Skip]

The other thing that I have started buying a couple I of years ago is resin parts from, B-N-L, olmandowntheroad - AKA Altered States Models as well as a few others.  I like this format for buying resin, much of the time you see the part you're buying, it arrives quickly a it's already cast before the auction began.  Once or twice I have had a seller/caster who cast the parts after the auction, but the wait wasn't much longer than an extra day or two.  There is a ton of Jimmy Flintstone's stuff there as well.  So far I haven't got bit on any of the resin I've bought on eBay, hopefully that trend continues.

[Sport Suburban]

I constantly watch eBay and buy parts that I need for many projects. I have a lot of annuals that I have restored and about 50 more that I plan to restore so parts are nessasary. Many of these have had the custom parts installed so finding the stock parts can be difficult. I have purchased 2 to 3 built ups to get all the parts I need to build one. Then I have resold the extra parts or packaged them together fore someone else to use. Sometimes I get ahead finacially sometimes I don't but I rarely keep track.

One example that I think I did well on was a MPC 70 Firebird Formula 400. I bought the built kit for $50. It was built with most the stock parts but had the custom daisy wheels and drag tires on it. I restored it but sold the original custom wheels for over $20 on eBay.

I have sold many parts too but never started with a complete kit. If they are MPC or Johan I usually make money. Revell and AMT I usually use to trade as they don't do well on eBay. I have also taken gambles on old kits that are not advertised well. I bought a 68 Cougar kit that was unbuilt. The seller had 6 pics of the box and one of the contents in the box. I placed a bid for a little over the opening bid that I thought was fair. Nobody touched it but had lots of views. I ended up with a kit that was missing a few custom parts and one taillight. So I scored on that one as I was trying to restore another built up 68 Cougar but had spent more than I did on the gamble kit after a few actions getting pieces.

[Mark]

I've bought some parts and decal sheets, sold some also (but that's well in the past).  I've gotten better deals at shows, though: at a recent one I picked up several good decal sheets (missed a couple too) and a number of good parts.  AMT '61 Bonneville rear bumper, never used, plating like new, neither of the extension pieces broken off (if you have one of these kits, you probably know what I'm talking about here).  Two bucks...way cheaper than a Modelhaus piece (though I wouldn't mind going that way if it were still an option).  At the shows, I'm usually poking through the parts boxes first...already got too many kits anyway.

[FordRodnKustom]

I mostly use ebay to buy vintage build ups for restoration and vintage parts lots. Once and a while I'll pick up an "older" complete unbuilt kit if the price is right. With my extensive kit and parts collection I have no need to buy any individual parts from any of the current sellers. I find them to be overpriced anyway and especially after shipping is added in.

[Johnt671]

I've bought a couple of motors, a hood scoop collection, and some wheel and tire sets I wanted there. I don't have a big spare parts collection yet. I'd be happy to pay a reasonable price for part that I've lost from a kit. I just hate the thought of wasting a kit to get one or two small parts that I somehow lost.

[Fat Brian]

I did a lot of business with one lady from Texas who was listing a lot of semi truck stuff until she tried to cheat me on a Revell K100. I've also bought a few junkyard lots when there was something interesting in them, I picked up most of a livestock trailer and a the very early Peterbilt sleeper for cheap.

[CometMan]

Mostly kits that I missed from when I was "between" model building periods, or salvageable re-builders if an unbuilt kit is too expensive.

[Psychographic]

I used to look at junkyard lots, but haven't seen any that float my boat lately. As for parts, I'll look if there's something I need, and am willing to only pay about a 1/4 of what I could get a whole kit for. Anything more and I might as well buy a complete kit and have parts for other projects.

 

 

[landman]

I bought a few engines to use in my engine shop diorama. Little did I know that is extremely dangerous. It has developed into a full blown addiction. But I'm having fun.

[Tom Geiger]

Sometimes you have to laugh!  A while back I was piecing together a '72 Chevy because I had a full size Chevy for every year made except this one.  I had a  short shot resin body, several parts on a '73 extra junker I had were common.  I found a pair of bumpers on one auction and grabbed them.  Then I needed the interior bucket for a long time. Modelhaus didn't make it so I set an eBay search agent for it.   Finally one appeared, complete with dash and steering wheel (parts common to the '73 I had) and front seat.  I over bid and over paid for it.

About a week later a complete '72 low rider built up appears on eBay... Buy It Now for the same price as I paid for that interior bucket!  So I hit that button too.  

 

[slusher]

I bought a few engines to use in my engine shop diorama. Little did I know that is extremely dangerous. It has developed into a full blown addiction. But I'm having fun.

I bought engines to haul in the back of pickups. I like when you post the engines you buy.

Sometimes you have to laugh!  A while back I was piecing together a '72 Chevy because I had a full size Chevy for every year made except this one.  I had a  short shot resin body, several parts on a '73 extra junker I had were common.  I found a pair of bumpers on one auction and grabbed them.  Then I needed the interior bucket for a long time. Modelhaus didn't make it so I set an eBay search agent for it.   Finally one appeared, complete with dash and steering wheel (parts common to the '73 I had) and front seat.  I over bid and over paid for it.

About a week later a complete '72 low rider built up appears on eBay... Buy It Now for the same price as I paid for that interior bucket!  So I hit that button too.  

 

Tom, been missing those old builds you buy to save as is..

[Tom Geiger]

Tom, been missing those old builds you buy to save as is..

I have one enroute from eBay now.  I'll post pix when I get it!

[landman]

I bought a few engines to use in my engine shop diorama. Little did I know that is extremely dangerous. It has developed into a full blown addiction. But I'm having fun.

Here's what the addiction looks like so far.

 

[slusher]

Here's what the addiction looks like so far.

 

Impressive collection Pat. You have been real busy. 

[carrucha]

I use ebay to get missing parts.  A few months ago I needed a 1959 Ford Galaxie dash to use with Jimmy Flintstone's 1959 Ford wagon so I bought a whole interior from a guy who broke up a vintage 1959 Ford Galaxie kit.

Edited October 16, 2016 by carrucha