I need a recommendation.

[Fat Brian]

You might want to try Reddit. The sub r/modelcars skews pretty young so it may be a better market for import kits. 

[Mike 1017]

  On 3/16/2023 at 12:29 AM, ctruss53 said:

I want to thin down my stash. We are not allowed to sell kits here, I know this. Where is the best place to sell kits? I asked an admin before I posted this and they said this was ok. As long as I don't sell kits here.

eBay is asking for like 13.25% so while that is probably the best option, I don't feel like giving them that much money.

I am not on Facebook, so Marketplace is not possible.

I think I might try Etsy, they only take like 6% commission. But I am open to other suggestions.

 

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I have been thinking about this lately If I were to donate my collection to Goodwill, I would get a Tax deduction form, from them and itemize each and everything down to Hot Wheels. Depending what the IRS would do with this charity donation is any body's guess. How much would Tax deduction $ come to?

Todays bright idea

Mike

[stavanzer]

  On 3/16/2023 at 5:13 PM, ctruss53 said:

I have a few small SUVs.

I'll post up some trade posts.

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Cool!

[stavanzer]

  On 3/16/2023 at 6:05 PM, Mike 1017 said:

I have been thinking about this lately If I were to donate my collection to Goodwill, I would get a Tax deduction form, from them and itemize each and everything down to Hot Wheels. Depending what the IRS would do with this charity donation is any body's guess. How much would Tax deduction $ come to?

Todays bright idea

Mike

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Talk to your Tax Guy (or Gal).

With the general deduction as high as it is now, Itemizing only works if you have lots of deductions.

I've tried this and it didn't work for me.

But, every situation is different.

[CapSat 6]

I have been selling a few on eBay. I was blown away at the new fee structure - no wonder the cost of almost any kit there has gone up dramatically! It does seem the new business model there is to list high and keep relisting. 

I have one 20 year old kit that is unbuilt but missing a few non-critical parts listed right now. No takers for weeks. I reduced the price but still with shipping, it’s not worth what I’m asking ($8, plus $11 shipping- it’s probably a $12 kit at a show). I just keep forgetting to take it down. I’m probably going to take it down and offer it as part of a lot (see below). 

On the other side of that coin, I looked at a similar kit (not the same kit, but same vintage and relative value) at a model show this weekend to see the price. The seller had $20 on it. It’s a kit where it’s maybe $12-$15 all day when mint; his had all of the parts taken off the trees and bagged up so you couldn’t see them, and some assembly was started. I would have given him about $8 for it. 

You could always get a table at a show. Tables usually run about $30-$50 each from what I remember, although that could vary. You could also try a local car show, a toy show or flea market. Model people do seem to come out of the woodwork for this stuff. It will have to be priced right to go all at once. I have only ever seen people sell through everything they have in a single show when it’s priced low. Just remember that if somebody thinks you have something priced too high, they usually won’t tell you that. They will probably just quietly put the item down and wander away. 

I think the approach to take would be a tiered one. Sell the good stuff on eBay, and price it accordingly. The common/ cheap stuff- well, if you have any snap together kits, give them to some kids you might know. I’m sure some kid would enjoy a model, even if it is the only one they ever build. 

The other cheap/ common stuff you have- perhaps group it with like items, get rid of some sprues and boxes, price it inexpensively, and offer as parts of lots on eBay. Or go the show/ flea market route. 

Near me, there are some used toy shops. They sometimes buy up kits and resell. Whenever they get kits, they sell them pretty quickly. They price them pretty much at retail (or more if vintage), and people grab them. Just like any other reseller, they offer about 40% of what they are worth, or worse if they don’t know what they are worth. All resellers will do this, as they have costs for checking the contents (their labor), putting it on the shelf (rent, utilities for a store or storage) or marketing it (ads or eBay), it sits for awhile and eventually they get what they want for it, or they don’t and they have to reduce the price. 

Generally speaking, the less time you want to spend on pricing, marketing/ listing/ selling/ shipping, the less money you will get back for them. Having somebody buy the whole collection will usually net less money, because usually they’re buying to resell.

Some resellers will tell you that your stuff is too common, or there is no demand, or it’s too new. Sometimes they are just looking for vintage stuff, or some for example might just want hot rods and muscle cars, and want nothing to do with sports cars (or the other way around). 

So- do you want to sell it fast or get the most for it? Usually one precludes the other.

One last thing to think of is: how well do you deal with people? You could be the type to get a table, sell some stuff and actually have some fun doing it. Or you might just get tired of stupid questions really quickly. Would you be up to getting the table and dealing with the public? Most potential buyers are pretty good, but sometimes you will get some people that are tough to deal with.

Think about what you really want to achieve. If you want to wring every dollar out of what you have, it will take time and effort. To sell it quick, you would probably have to sell it cheap. Or you might be able to shoot the middle. 
 

 

[CapSat 6]

Chad, I did just reread and saw what you have. Your best bet might be to either hook up with a local model club, find some members that like the same kinds of kits, and offer them for sale there, or…

…find a car show that is heavy on imports (for instance, if you are into Japanese cars, find a car show that has those, or European cars, etc). 

it seems like the 1:1 car show people walk in an entirely different lane than modelers do, and when they actually see models of “their” cars, they really respond positively. Maybe give that a try this spring and summer. 

[ctruss53]

  On 3/16/2023 at 10:35 PM, CapSat 6 said:

Chad, I did just reread and saw what you have. Your best bet might be to either hook up with a local model club, find some members that like the same kinds of kits, and offer them for sale there, or…

…find a car show that is heavy on imports (for instance, if you are into Japanese cars, find a car show that has those, or European cars, etc). 

it seems like the 1:1 car show people walk in an entirely different lane than modelers do, and when they actually see models of “their” cars, they really respond positively. Maybe give that a try this spring and summer. 

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ALL of my kits are uncommon, even the ones I want to sell. The problem is finding people that want them. They are odd cars in the eyes of Average Joe Car Modeler.  I was thinking about a local import car show. That could be a good place to try.

[imarriedawitch]

Any Aoshima D1 Grand Prix cars?

[ctruss53]

  On 3/17/2023 at 12:07 AM, imarriedawitch said:

Any Aoshima D1 Grand Prix cars?

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I have the purple Wonder Haruyama A31 Nissan Cefiro

[imarriedawitch]

  On 3/17/2023 at 12:34 AM, ctruss53 said:

I have the purple Wonder Haruyama A31 Nissan Cefiro

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Those are nice kits. I had to look it up as I hadn't seen if before.

[Mike 1017]

  On 3/16/2023 at 6:24 PM, stavanzer said:

Talk to your Tax Guy (or Gal).

With the general deduction as high as it is now, Itemizing only works if you have lots of deductions.

I've tried this and it didn't work for me.

But, every situation is different.

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We do itemize our tax returns I will do a test run and see what happens.

Thanks

Mike

[Bill Eh?]

Chad, I saw your kits listed in the trade section. It immediately caught my eye, because you mentioned Japanese flat box. The Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota were all interesting. So were the Honda Civics.

When I go to a show, I am mostly looking for Japanese kits. Even here, north of the border, you need to attend a reasonably sized show to even find vendors selling Japanese kits. If I find a vendor, but they are asking something near retail, or even higher at a collector value, I walk away. Yes, I am looking for a bargain, but not a buck or two bargain. I am looking for something that might be 20 - 30% below retail. Selling kits at a show is not typically about making money. Yes, some rare kits might actually make you some money. Most times you will only recoup some of what you paid for a kit initially. Those are just my thoughts.

[ctruss53]

  On 3/17/2023 at 4:47 PM, Bill Eh? said:

Chad, I saw your kits listed in the trade section. It immediately caught my eye, because you mentioned Japanese flat box. The Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota were all interesting. So were the Honda Civics.

When I go to a show, I am mostly looking for Japanese kits. Even here, north of the border, you need to attend a reasonably sized show to even find vendors selling Japanese kits. If I find a vendor, but they are asking something near retail, or even higher at a collector value, I walk away. Yes, I am looking for a bargain, but not a buck or two bargain. I am looking for something that might be 20 - 30% below retail. Selling kits at a show is not typically about making money. Yes, some rare kits might actually make you some money. Most times you will only recoup some of what you paid for a kit initially. Those are just my thoughts.

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Yeah, I am not trying to profit from these kits. But selling them has to be worth it or why bother.

Thanks for the compliments on the kits. My whole collection except for a few here and there are flat box, Japanese kit, and 90% are older out of production kits. A couple of them might actually be worth something, but most of them are just worth retail or less.

[Bugatti Fan]

Problem many have is over pricing second hand kits. I went to a local model show here in the UK and one guy hired a table and sold all his unwanted kits at knockdown prices. His mission was to get rid of a pile of stuff cluttering his place up. Table was cleared by the end of the day. A win win situation. He got rid of all his unwanted stuff and punters got a bargain or two (or three or four)!

[Modelbuilder Mark]

I would be interested in a list. I too wish there were at least a section that would allow posts, I get that it would not be ideal to have to contend with purchase disputes.

 

[bobthehobbyguy]

Sorry but  I think there are plenty of places to sell. I get the issue with ebay. However there is facebook and local shows, or maybe local clubs or even other forums. You have to consider it is going to take some effort to sell and some cost to sell depending on the venue.

The moderators already have enough on their plate and don't need to have to deal with complaints from bad sales. Besides the audience here isn't as big as hebay or Facebook or other venues. 

 

[ctruss53]

  On 3/17/2023 at 7:23 PM, bobthehobbyguy said:

Sorry but  I think there are plenty of places to sell. I get the issue with ebay. However there is facebook and local shows, or maybe local clubs or even other forums. You have to consider it is going to take some effort to sell and some cost to sell depending on the venue.

The moderators already have enough on their plate and don't need to have to deal with complaints from bad sales. Besides the audience here isn't as big as hebay or Facebook or other venues. 

 

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So you didn't read the thread.

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 3/17/2023 at 7:44 PM, ctruss53 said:

So you didn't read the thread.

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What...you're supposed to actually read threads?

Dude...this is the internet in 2023.  

[bobthehobbyguy]

I did read the thread.

You don't want to sell on eBay because of the fees.

Local shows don't work because of the costs and no guarantees of sales.

The only reason that people want to sell here is there is no cost. However selling here is not going to happen because of the headaches for the mods even if it is by pm and would be worse if openly allowed.

That leaves two options. Facebook market( no fees), trading for different kits, or doing nothing.

[ctruss53]

  On 3/17/2023 at 8:07 PM, bobthehobbyguy said:

I did read the thread.

You don't want to sell on eBay because of the fees.

Local shows don't work because of the costs and no guarantees of sales.

The only reason that people want to sell here is there is no cost. However selling here is not going to happen because of the headaches for the mods even if it is by pm and would be worse if openly allowed.

That leaves two options. Facebook market( no fees), trading for different kits, or doing nothing.

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So you missed the part where I said I don't use Facebook.

[ctruss53]

I'm not against fees.  I am against outrageous fees.

eBay is over 13% commission, and they take that 13.25% out of your shipping fees too. But at the same time they want you to exactly calculate shipping through them. So they are basically saying here is what shipping costs, oh, but you have to give us 13.25% of that so you actually have to pay for part of the shipping even though you are asking the buyer to pay for shipping.

And I said a table at a model show was out of the question because Average Joe at a model shows wants a deal of the century on a muscle car from Revell or AMT. I have Japanese kits of Japanese cars and while my asking prices are reasonable, they are not bargain basement. So I get zero sales from tables at model shows.

A forum would be a great place to sell. I can understand why admins don't allow it, but all they have to do is ignore PM's from disgruntled buyers and sellers. Buying online is at your own risk.

Oh well.

[ctruss53]

  On 3/17/2023 at 8:07 PM, bobthehobbyguy said:

I did read the thread.

You don't want to sell on eBay because of the fees.

Local shows don't work because of the costs and no guarantees of sales.

The only reason that people want to sell here is there is no cost. However selling here is not going to happen because of the headaches for the mods even if it is by pm and would be worse if openly allowed.

That leaves two options. Facebook market( no fees), trading for different kits, or doing nothing.

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And your signature fits.  I'm putting you (a troll) on ignore.

[Ace-Garageguy]

  On 3/17/2023 at 8:26 PM, ctruss53 said:

I'm not against fees.  I am against outrageous fees.

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If you decide to test the waters on Etsy, let us know in a non-selling kind of way.   

[bobthehobbyguy]

That your choice but it limits your options. However people can't expect the board to change the selling policy because of the choices that they make. I know you said you didn't have an issue with no selling but it's the way others seem to think.

Edited March 17, 2023 by bobthehobbyguy

[Lunajammer]

  On 3/17/2023 at 8:26 PM, ctruss53 said:

And I said a table at a model show was out of the question because Average Joe at a model shows wants a deal of the century on a muscle car from Revell or AMT.

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You may be referring to NNL North in May? If table price vs. transactions is a concern, maybe you could split table cost/space with another modeler and see what kind of a response you get without paying the full price. The extra body would also free you up to still get time to wander through the show.