Advice: '57 Ford Custom 2-dr sedan kit Revell -- $55 too much for an open-box unbuilt?

[Wickersham Humble]

Just checking: is $55 with shipping included too high for a Revell '57 Ford unbuilt kit?  Or, does anyone have one they want to swap?  My daughter and hubby are building one 1/1  (5.0 Ford, A/T, etc.) and since I'm painting it, I'd like to surprise them with a model, as alike as I can make it.  'Battle Ship Gray' if you can believe that; hope I can intice them into getting some striping done!  She and my wife are doing the seats, etc. Very plain, as it was a 6B business coupe from Dearborn; but their doing a back seat just to be practical. 

My best trade item is a Hubley SSJ Duesenberg metal kit, complete in the box, but I think it's worth a bit more than the Ford...    Wick

[Leo64]

Now a days that seems to be the going price with a lot of places, especially eBay.  I've seen some really high prices for shipping on eBay, like $25.00 for a regular size kit.  Occasionally you might find a good deal, but for most of the kits I've bought the cost with shipping has been about $45+.  If the kit hasn't been out for a few years, then most sellers think it is a collectors item demanding a higher price, supply and demand I guess.  I shipped a large flat box Tamiya kit from AZ to CA in an oversized box with signature and it was just under $18.00, so I don't really get the really high shipping prices, but if they are a business I can see the added cost of boxes, packing material and such adding to the cost.  I think it is because of all the fees eBay is charging, and Paypal if you are using them too.  Sometimes if you do an internet search you might get lucky and find a small shop somewhere that has it for a good price and decent shipping cost.  Another is if you have a model or toy show nearby that has a swap meet, that will save on the shipping.  I don't think I have one of those kits in my stash to trade, the last one I remember I had I did as a Give Away build for the NNL West quite a few years ago.  I decided to be different and build it as a sleeper car and painted it Olive Drab, so the Battle Ship Gay might not be so bad.

Steve A.

[rattle can man]

I was looking for one the other night, but the prices are too high for my budget. I was thinking of swapping the Gasser parts under an Edsel.

[stavanzer]

Sadly $55.00 sounds about right. A little bit High, Mebbe, but not by much.

The Hubley Duesenberg is worth more than the kit is, IMHO.

[Wickersham Humble]

Yeah, I guess; this Ford was the cheapest today on ebay, because, I suppose, it was 'open, but complete.'  If I swapped the Deusy, I'd expect something to sweeten it up.  I have the 'original art' AMT '59 ElCamino (missing optional Cad engine) that I'd gladly trade, however. Shipping is the killer.  I recently got a Olds resto retailer to cut his $18 ship charge in half by moaning that the product was a dozen small hub-cap clips (at $7 each!) which came in a tiny box.

Funny, it's my gal child who's most into hands-on car resto, tho my son likes restomod cars; is getting Dad's '51 Chevy 2-dr (350, T-5, R&P, discs, A/C, etc. soon as I can finish it.  I hope they drive the wheels off of them!  Daughter wants to rebuild an early I-H Scout next; lucky her hubby is a gear head and welder!  They're kids, but in their forties now!  Wick

[ewetwo]

I tried using eBay but they wanted to set the shipping price. Which was way higher than it was going to cost me to mail a kit. So I just use Marketplace and Craig's List now. Stuff doesn't sell as fast but I'm in no hurry to sell stuff anyway. And yes. You have to block the people who get mad and nasty when you won't except $5 for a kit. But whatever.

[Wickersham Humble]

Everybody's seen products online that have a bargain price but the shipping (so called) is ridiculously high; one used book (Perry Mason paperback, not really collectible) was about five bucks, but the shipping was over twenty!  The way the game is played, I suppose?  On the opposite side, I used Marketplace to sell some 240Z parts a few years ago, and they put a five dollar shipping price on a forty-pound item that I advertised for thirty bucks; lots of unhappy customers there!  I'll try craigs and MP and see!  Thx! Wick

[ncbuckeye67]

You can always look on Amazon (if you haven't already). Etsy may also be an option.

[Maindrian Pace]

Local model kit show/swap meet. These are usually $25 or less.

[Mark]

A lot of the online sellers are trolling for a buyer.  They've got the item, they're dangling it out there trying to find one person who has to have it NOW.  Putting it out there with a high price doesn't cost much if anything, they can just let it sit there and wait for someone willing to pay their price.

[Mike 1017]

Mark,

It really comes down to if you think it is worth it. I have stopped buying any model kits that are over $30.00. Hobby Lobby has their 40% off but the in- stock kits are pretty much the same old same old 

Mike