Draggon Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I like ebay. One has to be patient, and realize that almost everything comes back around. I have seen these roadster chassis speed equipment packs go for over $30. I had this in my stash, and got a second one last week for $1.99. Heck in my neck of the woods coffee at Starbucks is $2.25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunajammer Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I don't see the problem here, and I don't see why so many people are bashing ebay. Personally I like ebay too. I've made good, carefully considered purchases. The problem is that there are so many sellers with... um... exaggerated "free market" prices cluttering your browse that you feel like you're just wasting your time. The problem is the patience it takes to pool through all the pages of items that you know will never sell. But that's not ebay's problem. On a side note, ebay is a great research tool. I've learned as much about kits by looking at ebay ads as I have by reading articles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highway Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I have to agree too, I don't see what everyone's problem is with ebay. I've gotten deals on there too, and as someone else said earlier, you just have to shop around. I'd been wanting the old Revell "Midnight Cowboy" for years, but never found one that seemed to be less than $100, but since I have found 3 complete kits, one still factory sealed, for around $25 a piece. At the time I bought the factory sealed kit, there were a couple other factory sealed selling for $75 to $100 each! I shopped, I found, I bid, and I saved money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I rather enjoy seeing the gougers panic when a reissue is announced and they try to unload their original stuff for unreasonable money anyway because they know if they don't do it before the reissue hits the shelf, they'll be screwed. The 1:24 Revell GMC stepside was announced a few weeks ago and now Ebay is chock full of the original Monogram kit that the gougers were hanging onto hoping to make a killing on. I'm pretty fond of that as well! I have noticed the opposite though- for a more common reissue, if the kit is coming back again, possibly with new or retooled parts, earlier versions of the kits seem to decrease in price a bit when news of the upcoming reissue gets out. That's the time when I like to strike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terror Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 If you live where I do your only other choice for kits is Kinney drugs and I have all 6 of those.lol This town can't even support a grocery store.Taxes high, income low,N.y. pffft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 It's human nature to want the highest price for your stuff. And if there are people willing to pay outrageous prices, well, so be it. It's called the free market. Seller can ask whatever price they want, it's up to the buyer to either accept the price, or look elsewhere. I don't see the problem here, and I don't see why so many people are bashing ebay. Ebay doesn't tell the seller what price to charge, and doesn't force anyone to buy anything. All they do is offer a service (yes, for a fee... because ebay isn't Santa Claus, it's a business) where buyers and sellers can meet. The rest is up to the buyers and sellers. I agree with Harry. The only gripe I have with sellers is the varying postage, anywhere from $ 12 - $40 for the same size package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FASTBACK340 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) I see the same mindset on some automotive forums. Guys buy, say a Challenger.... and proceed to complain about the cost of parts. They expect everyone to give stuff away (or at least VERY cheap...) so they can restore a car that's worth half the price of their house.... I've searched e-Bay looking for specific kits: original issue Hemi under Glass, `68 Barracuda annuals, clear Red Polar Lights Ghost Cuda funny cars, and so on. This is the kind of stuff you'll never see at a swap meet, and I've searched NNL East....MASSCAR.....Toledo....etc. Sometimes you have to dance with the Devil to get what you want. Now, what did I paid for my wants? Does it matter? I got what I want and thank God I can afford a mindless purchase like that once in a while. Although I did want to stuff a Hemi into my barracuda when it went together, my pockets were deep enough for a warmed-over small block. So I stopped dreaming and worked with what I could afford. BTW: The guy selling the `68 annual for $450? I've offered to sell him a half dozen for half that amount each. I guess it wasn't a good enough deal for him.... Edited November 25, 2011 by FASTBACK340 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker589 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Free market economy -10-15 years ago - eBay was the best example of it. I'm pretty sure Craigslist is the current best example - unfortunately its too random is quite hit and miss. eBay is still the place to go (if a swap meet isn't available) for what you want. People only pay what they think the item's value is. I browse eBay for entertainment. If you think some of the prices on Model stuff is bad - do some searches for real cars and parts - some of them are real knee slappers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian ashton Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 There are always some deals to be found. I just got a '75 Dart Sport original issue built up, mint box for $15 shipped. The prices on new releases are what really shock me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelmartin Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 Ebay is great even with all the increases in fees and attempts to keep people from communicating with each other through Ebay. They wipe out e-mail addresses if you try to send it to a seller. You only get it for the buyer after the auction is done. I still get around it though. I will not ever bother getting a table at any swap meet again to sell off kits ( I will to market my Aardvark Models line but that is different). The table usually costs a chunk and the expense of traveling and the bother of setting up, packing it up when done and trying to sell to a very, very limited number of people walking buy your table. To me it is a bad joke compared to Ebay where I can do it all in my Pajamas and reach a world-wide market who is willing to pay fair prices. I have found great stuff cheap and got great prices for stuff I almost tossed. When I sell, I start my prices low to get people going. They feel invested in it and don't want to lose it if they are outbid. I only put higher prices on when I don't want something I really like to go too cheap. It all averages out in the end. Sometimes you get less than you want, sometimes people go crazy bidding it up. People love buying a "lot" of kits. Stuff I can not get a bid for separately will go for almost retail when I put it together with 2 or 3 other kits. It's funny when I do a search for Bugattis and find Monogram T35s going from $9.95 to $99.95. often right next to each other in the listings. I saw an IMC Little Red wagon kit listed for $205. It was there for three years!!!! I find that most crazy prices are the result of lack of knowledge. Monogram Classics go for $10.00 to $25.00 routinely. Then you get someone who thinks it is real treasure and tries to get up to $100. for them. I have seen a few listed for $129.00! The listings that are there forever are from people who have Ebay stores. The listings cost little but they have to pay a monthly fee to have the store. It was $25. a month. It is worth it if you have an actual income producing business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 I've been buying old kits from eBay since '97...it's got infinite selection, infinite variety...will always find more kits there than at any show I'd go to. Never really had any problems either. And most if not all sellers use PayPal now, so no more money order nonsense... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagoneer81 Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) Ebay exposes us to the absolute best and the absolute worst attributes of a Free Market Society. In other words, "It takes all kinds". You get crooks, conmen and trustworthy people... You just have to know your limits. I sold for several years and eventually will start selling again. Ebay is like a Bazaar in an old, off -the-beaten-track colonial city... It's buyer beware, know what you want and constantly keep your hand on your money pouch... I get a good laugh out of the seller who pieces out current production kits for astronomical prices... His intended market has to be people who may be new to the hobby and not know the things us more experienced builders know. I know this; He makes sellers like me look better and better as time goes by. I always start the bidding low for reasons already covered, I am timely with shipping and have even refunded part of the shipping fee when the shipping charge was overestimated. (That one will really make you popular...) Regardless of buying or selling, I only use PayPal. Their fees are worth the piece of mind you get if you ever have to deal with a dispute or claim... As far as buying, it's no different than buying anywhere else... (I usually won't buy from a seller with a feedback score of less than 95%, unless I go back through his feedback and see that it may not be all his doing...) Buyer beware, research what you're looking for, comparison shop and don't pop on it until you're sure it's what you want... I've gotten $100.00 kits for bids of $9.99 plus $10.00 shipping... The deals are still out there, you just have to shop around. Edited November 25, 2011 by Wagoneer81 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Appetite Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 The main thing that bothers me about sellers is , even though I've come across a few honest people...they wont leave feedback until you do. that bugs me, I did my part and paid in a timely fashion, never more than 5 minutes after winning or Buying it Now..that makes me believe they're waiting to see if you leave negative feed back, so they can do the same. I'm pretty sure that's the case as I've purposely omitted feedback a few times and to this day haven't received it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelmartin Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) The main thing that bothers me about sellers is , even though I've come across a few honest people...they wont leave feedback until you do. that bugs me, I did my part and paid in a timely fashion, never more than 5 minutes after winning or Buying it Now..that makes me believe they're waiting to see if you leave negative feed back, so they can do the same. I'm pretty sure that's the case as I've purposely omitted feedback a few times and to this day haven't received it I think everyone is really casual about leaving feedback. I find only about 20-30% of buyers leave feedback. Most do not give a Cr&p about giving feedback. I give feedback as soon as I receive something and when I ship something. I just sold about 50 items in the last week , left feedback for every buyer and I bet I only get less than 20 feedbacks! It used to be worse but now Ebay does count multiple wins from one bidder. I have had quite a few people I bought from leave feedback as soon as I pay for it. I think people who are actually running a business through Ebay do a lot better job on feedback. Their livelihood depends on it. I buy a fiar number of bicycle parts and the feedback is usually pretty quickly given. Maybe it is just model car guys??!! Edited November 25, 2011 by Modelmartin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinfan5 Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 (edited) Here is another thing to remember, now I am not sticking up for the bad sellers on ebay, but ebay charges so many fees to sellers, for example, I sold a phone a few months back, I did it as a buy it now, and bid, but to get the phone to sell faster I offered free shipping. I sold the phone for $130, after ebay's fees and paypal's fee's I got about $100 or so for the phone. On side not, I thought this was funny, I was looking for a kit on there tonight, and the seller had it listed at $19.99, but in one of the pics of the kit, was the Hobby lobby price tag for $14.95 Edited November 26, 2011 by martinfan5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelmartin Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 , I was looking for a kit on there tonight, and the seller had it listed at $19.99, but in one of the pics of the kit, was the Hobby lobby price tag for $14.95 I just sold an original issue Airfix black box 1/32 Renault Dauphine and Austin Mini for $80.00 each. The original price tag was still on one box. Drum roll.....................Thirty seven cents!!!! The guy dug them and gave me great feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Kucaba Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Sellers can't leave negative feedback.All they can do is leave a comment about your negative feedback.It doesn't affect your score so what? I left neutral feedback because I thought the seller misrepresented the contents(amount) of the paint I bought. It was funny really as the more he griped, the stupider he looked. Some people on the bay even e-mailed me about it and decided not buy from him because of his actions. And I did e-mail him first to see if he wanted to do anything about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyBad Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I've had perty good luck there. I have received 2 packages that were meant to go elsewhere and I Kindly sent them on their proper way. Received great feedback from one and None from the other one.. At least they both refunded my the funds to reship. I did have one bad experience by bidding on a model without looking closely at the pics. I got a box full of parts but no model body. Part my fault for not looking at the pics better and noticing they don't know anything about models and part their fault for not saying it was a box of parts. O well. lesson learned and well remembered. I bid cheap and I keep a Sharp Eye on shipping charges (lil boogers), just trying to keep the economy going... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FASTBACK340 Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Common sense is required for e-Baying. Good deals are to be had. HINT: Do a search and misspell items you want. Bless the illiterate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bandit1 Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 Common sense is required for e-Baying. Good deals are to be had. HINT: Do a search and misspell items you want. Bless the illiterate... COOL IDEA! ill try that here in a sec! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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