Help! New to the "model car" industry

[modelsinpville]

Hello, I am new to this hobby and have inherited thousands of plastic model cars and airplanes and do not know how to appraise them. I would like to sell but need more information and help. Is there a website that I can go to to find out what each model is worth???

I would appreciate any help and info I can get

thanks and look forward to hearing from someone.

modelsinpville

[imatt88]

Katherine,

Wow, thats quite a haul. Are they built or unbuilt? You can try eBay to get an idea what some of the kits might be worth.

Depending on what you have (old vs new), who knows..

Maybe post some pics here, there is a TON of old school modelers that have a wealth of information that might be helpful..

Good luck,

Cheers, Ian

Edited February 19, 2012 by imatt88

[Foxer]

That's a tough one. What they are worth is what someone is willing to pay. You might try ebay to get an idea what individual kits are worth unbuilt.

[Austin T]

Just start posting Pic's of auto stuff,lot's of people here usually know the value of it.

[Erik Smith]

It depends on what you want the value for. If you are going to sell the whole thing, then don't bother looking at each kit and trying to figure out the total - find a buyer and get an offer. Buyers of large lots don't care that this kit is selling for this much on eBay right now - they want the kits for resale and can't sit down and go through and value every kit.

If you are trying to find out how much each kit is worth to sell online (other than at auction), you will have to look up each kit AS A COMPLETED LISTING on eBay. So many times you will hear "oh, this kit is going for $$$ on eBay right now", when, really, that is one seller who has listed the kit for 2 years and never sold it. Search completed listings - this will tell you how much something sold for and how much something didn't sell for.

If you want to know what it is really "worth", put it on eBay, start it at 99 cents, and see where it goes. That is what I always do, because that is the only true way to get a value on it (what is anyone willing to pay for this kit right now).

Googling the kits and using the highest prices you find will inevitably lead you to having the kits for sale for a long time - that is why you can find the high priced kits on the internet - they are not sold.

Oh - also - if you are going to sell locally, don't expect the same return as on an eBay auction. eBay is a huge, global market. Craigslist type selling will be lower selling prices due to the lower demand.

Edited February 19, 2012 by Erik Smith

[XJ6]

Hello.... I am located in Sacramento.... I would be willing to help you on the Kits.....I have experience in the value of Model Kits....I had worked closely with River Side Hobbies ....prior to the store closing on Dec 24, 20011

You seem to have acquired a rather large collection on Model Kits...Good For You....Now for the most part there is really no "Great" value in model kits, however there are some kit's that are much sought after...Collector Kits..and what have ya.

If you would like any advice....or perhaps if you would like to arrange a buyer for the kits...i may be able to help you..

Be Careful...get a Fair Price...Most important Find out what the "True Value" is of the Model Kits that you have inherited....

I have sent you a PM (private message) look up at the Top Right hand corner of the page and you will see notifications...you will find more detailed information on your request.

Please feel free to contact me...Happy to answer any questions....Don

Edited February 20, 2012 by XJ6

[diymirage]

A very popular way to "unload" these is selling them in groups of 4 or5

this will help keep shipping down and if you put one hard to find kit in with three common ones you wont get stuck with a bunch of undesirable kits

Being a mopar man myself I wouldn't mind buying several mopar kits (of the lesser pedigree) for maybe 5-8 dollars a piece

That's a low price but keep in mind im talking about the common kits here

Feel free to shoot me a private message if you feel inclined to set a deal up with me

[Rob McKee]

A quick way of getting them on screen is to take photos of the stacked boxes. If you post them in this site I am sure you won't have much of a problem selling them.

[XJ6]

PM ( private message ).....Sent..

[heatride]

Hello, I am new to this hobby and have inherited thousands of plastic model cars and airplanes and do not know how to appraise them. I would like to sell but need more information and help. Is there a website that I can go to to find out what each model is worth???

I would appreciate any help and info I can get

thanks and look forward to hearing from someone.

modelsinpville

After so many years in business (Not Models) I would HIGHLY recommend for you to take your time . Do your research and ask more then one source

for there input . If you can sale them with the mindset each model has its OWN price you will probably do a lot better then I will take X amount for the

entire lot . If you have the time and can post pictures on here there are people (and I am not one of them) that can and will tell you that

you have a highly collectible or just a average model.

[Jantrix]

After so many years in business (Not Models) I would HIGHLY recommend for you to take your time . Do your research and ask more then one source

for there input . If you can sale them with the mindset each model has its OWN price you will probably do a lot better then I will take X amount for the

entire lot . If you have the time and can post pictures on here there are people (and I am not one of them) that can and will tell you that

you have a highly collectible or just a average model.

Good advice. As far as car models go, a general rule of thumb is that a good portion of the older kits (1950's-70's) featured artwork based on the model and NOT a photograph, the boxes were also a bit heavier (thicker) cardboard than more recent ones. I'd first separate out those kits and save them for last. Then separate them by manufacturer. Several companies are no longer doing models or completely out of business and their models might be more sought after. When you do get ready to sell them, do so in lots of 2-5 kits. More people are inclined to spend $20-$50 dollars than $100-$200 on kits, especially these days. Good luck with this Katherine.

[Inky]

I am not much help on the pricing but when and if you decide to sell them I would be interested in seeing the planes you have. Also looking for a few cars, pickup trucks and semi trucks too. Good luck.

Edited February 22, 2012 by Inky

[sjordan2]

Hello, I am new to this hobby and have inherited thousands of plastic model cars and airplanes and do not know how to appraise them. I would like to sell but need more information and help. Is there a website that I can go to to find out what each model is worth???

I would appreciate any help and info I can get

thanks and look forward to hearing from someone.

modelsinpville

I think we need to hear from the original poster about how many of these models are in kit form in the boxes, and how many are built. This is very vague. As mentioned above, a good overall photo of what's involved here is necessary.

[Erik Smith]

I think a picture(s) would pretty much mean a flood of "oh, I can take that 62 Galaxie off of your hands for, say, $30" type of posts and PMs.

Like I said above, if the OP wants to know what each and every kit is worth, you can search completed listings on eBay. None of us has more insight than the actual market.

It would be helpful and time saving to quickly rule out common kits though - and just look up kits that are truly worth spending time on researching.

Also, as far as grouping kits for sale - if you want the maximum profit per kit, don't group collectible kits. It's okay to throw a few common, similar kits into a lot, but I have found through selling and buying that group sales are not greater than the some of their parts.

Finally, this is going to be a time consuming, large task that will take you longer and be more work than you think if you are going to sell kit by kit. I have purchased lots of up to 700 airplane kits and checking each kit, photographing (good photos are a MUST!), listing, shipping, dealing with complaints, etc. takes a long time. It was fun for me as I enjoy just looking at old models, but after awhile, I was like "oh gosh, open box, take pictures of kit, list, repeat" x 700...

[heatride]

Finally, this is going to be a time consuming, large task that will take you longer and be more work than you think if you are going to sell kit by kit. I have purchased lots of up to 700 airplane kits and checking each kit, photographing (good photos are a MUST!), listing, shipping, dealing with complaints, etc. takes a long time. It was fun for me as I enjoy just looking at old models, but after awhile, I was like "oh gosh, open box, take pictures of kit, list, repeat" x 700...

Erik somehow I missed your first post , seems to me your the kind of person

they need to talk to .