Model Prices Swap Meet VS Ebay?

[kitbash1]

I go to the two model shows / swap meets in the Toronto area, Group 25's MegaCity show and the Exeter show and swap in Ajax. I find that you can get better deals on kits in the last 45 to 30 minutes of the day. No one wants to take home any more kits then they have to at closing. I find that Ebay is getting too expensive on shipping. So I try to stay away from buying kits from them, unless it's something that I really want bad. Such as the 1/12th Tamiya Lotus 49 kit that I'm looking for to finish off my 1/12th F1 collection. So my choice would be the swap meets for kits as well as my LHS for the newer releases.

Edited March 23, 2013 by kitbash1

[jbwelda]

it has gotten to the point at the NNL West anyway where the kits at vendors stalls that i want are the same kits that i have wanted from them for multiple years and the reason they still are carrying around the kit and i am not building it is they want 5X what any idiot would expect to pay on ebay. the bargains are few and far between at swap meets and mostly involve non-selling current releases someone has scored for cheap and is turning over.

[hooterville75]

One day, I would love to go to a Swap meet. None around here though!!!

Have gone to Carlisle Pa Car shows and found deals on Kit's & Promos!!

I will have to remember that. I live forty minutes from Carlisle. Actually am involved with a wrestling club that is located in Carlisle. Never knew they sold models at the Carlisle Car shows. Thanks for that heads up.

[chevyfever2009]

I dont know of any swap meets around here that sell models i use ebay as a seller and buyer i never buy the first one i see of a kit i look through the listings i have gotten a lot of kits a really fair or cheap prices as shipping goes anything you order whether it be for your 1:1 or watever you order it for you pay shipping just part of life and part of the hobbie your in

Or message the seller and ask them if there is any other shipping option avaiable, ive don it several times and got cheaper shipping then what was qutoed on there auctions

Edited March 24, 2013 by chevyfever2009

[Luc Janssens]

This past week I bought a parts kit off ebay, while my winning bid was within my projected budget, the shipping costs were much more then what I expected.

Did USPS double their rates for international shipments?

10 years ago, I used to buy in bulk and shipped via surface mail, that were the good ol' days....

Another thing I don't understand, everything new these days is made in China and the currency exchange rates Dollar vs Euro, is favorable to us, yet, a $25 (20 Euro) US kit here, is hovering near the $40 mark (30 Euro)

Why can't International distributors have their stuff shipped directly from China? (now the merchandise goes via the slow boat to the West coast, then trucked to the mid west, stored, trucked to the east coast, again boat, trucked, stored, and then retail.)

From my past life in lean manufacturing, my task was to eliminate waste, to reduce costs, now international buyers, are paying more fro moving the stuff then the actual value of the kit, and taxed on that waste too.

Edited March 24, 2013 by Luc Janssens

[TheRX7Project]

What I do is go to ebay, search for "items ending soonest" in the "model kits- automotive" section, and set the price limit to $5. Even if I pay $10 shipping it's still cheaper than buying a kit locally.

[mikemodeler]

If you are looking for some current or new releases, check out Tower Hobbies (Plastic-Models.com) as they have a free shipping promotion going on right now. I like to find stuff locally and try to support my LHS whenever I can, but realistically there are things I have to order online due to a lack of selection.

I have yet to use eBay, although I visit there all the time to get an idea of what kits are going for and what is out there.

[Daddyfink]

ebay and kit shows both have their place in this hobby. For the sellers, shows are a great way to quickly clear out some stuff and ebay is a good place to get the most out of a sale, if you let it sell at a fair market price and not and inflated "buy it now" price.

What irks me is when show sellers ask "that is what they are selling for on ebay" prices. My answer to them is usually, "then put them on ebay!"

For buyers, shows offer a great way to stock up on kits selling cheaper than current LHS prices. I know we should support our LHS', but when you can buy three kits for the price of one, all is fair. As for ebay, it is a great way to find some pretty rare stuff, but, be ready to pay for it if it comes down to that.

You mileage may vary!

[niteowl7710]

This past week I bought a parts kit off ebay, while my winning bid was within my projected budget, the shipping costs were much more then what I expected.

Did USPS double their rates for international shipments?

10 years ago, I used to buy in bulk and shipped via surface mail, that were the good ol' days....

Another thing I don't understand, everything new these days is made in China and the currency exchange rates Dollar vs Euro, is favorable to us, yet, a $25 (20 Euro) US kit here, is hovering near the $40 mark (30 Euro)

Why can't International distributors have their stuff shipped directly from China? (now the merchandise goes via the slow boat to the West coast, then trucked to the mid west, stored, trucked to the east coast, again boat, trucked, stored, and then retail.)

From my past life in lean manufacturing, my task was to eliminate waste, to reduce costs, now international buyers, are paying more fro moving the stuff then the actual value of the kit, and taxed on that waste too.

I would presume it's the same reason that Asian kits and Revell AG kits are $35 or more here in the States. Revell & Round 2 aren't making kits for International Sales, they're making them for domestic (or North American - Canada/U.S./Mexico) consumption. The middle man has to make a living too!

[Tom Geiger]

Did USPS double their rates for international shipments?

10 years ago, I used to buy in bulk and shipped via surface mail, that were the good ol' days....

Yes, USPS has been in financial trouble forever and has been upping rates to try to make up some of the losses. I too used to ship the old International ground rate, which really went space available air, since I don't believe mail has gone by boat for a long time. They eliminated that rate some time ago, leaving the International Priority as the only choice and it is expensive!

Our basic stamp price has been creeping up annually, now at 47 cents. When I did the NNL East mailing I noticed that the International (and Canada) postcard rate changed to be the same as the letter rate. That was a big hike. And now USPS is adding premiums to odd size envelopes that can't be run through the automatic sorting equipment. All trying to get their deficit down.

They are also consolidating the major sorting centers. The one in Eatontown, NJ, where my bro-in-law works, is closing down. He doesn't know if he'll be moved to the one in Trenton, NJ (an hour drive) or if he will lose his job. The cut backs over the years are such that he has 25 years on the job, and he is one of the less senior guys and winds up on 3rd shift.

The post office also wants to eliminate Saturday mail delivery, and government is fighting them, saying that their charter says they would always provide it! From where I sit, it makes sense. The same mail would get delivered on Monday.

[carrucha]

I prefer to buy discontinued kits at the swap meets. I only turn to ebay for stuff I can't find at the swap meet.

[robertw]

I find shipping costs are the deal breaker for buying from eBay. Often shipping is double or triple the cost of the model.

I agree with you Rob. On ebay you're usually buying one model and when it costs as much to ship one as several it defeats any benefit of using ebay. I'm already missing not having Model Express as a source for new and especially old kits.

[Art Anderson]

This past week I bought a parts kit off ebay, while my winning bid was within my projected budget, the shipping costs were much more then what I expected.

Did USPS double their rates for international shipments?

10 years ago, I used to buy in bulk and shipped via surface mail, that were the good ol' days....

Another thing I don't understand, everything new these days is made in China and the currency exchange rates Dollar vs Euro, is favorable to us, yet, a $25 (20 Euro) US kit here, is hovering near the $40 mark (30 Euro)

Why can't International distributors have their stuff shipped directly from China? (now the merchandise goes via the slow boat to the West coast, then trucked to the mid west, stored, trucked to the east coast, again boat, trucked, stored, and then retail.)

From my past life in lean manufacturing, my task was to eliminate waste, to reduce costs, now international buyers, are paying more fro moving the stuff then the actual value of the kit, and taxed on that waste too.

Luc,

You'd be surprised to find just how much merchandise is transshipped across the US on a daily basis! The city I live in in Indiana is on one of the major transcontinental railroad routes--I see trainloads of ocean-going containers headed for the US east coast daily, where they are loaded onto container ships bound for Europe and the UK. It's faster and cheaper than shipping via the Panama Canal still (but who knows once Panama gets finished with their massive reconstruction of the Canal to accommodate the super-sized container ships now in service, especially since Maersk and other shipping lines are now constructing even larger container ships).

But trust me, large bulk shipments of products from the Far East generally don't get broken down in the US, and then trucked to the other coast for forwarding on to Europe. They go by the container lot, from the West Coast across the US to the East Coast, then get shipped to you folks.

Art

[1930fordpickup]

Try going to swap meets that sell car parts and such. We have a few around here and I can almost always find kits there. It might just cost you a few bucks to get in the door.

My brother like to pin a note on his hat for what he is looking for. His says, Wanted 61 ford Falcon parts. This has worked a few times for parts but will always get the attention of the people around him. .

[Fabrux]

Canada Post has gone far beyond ridiculous to ludicrous (they've gone plaid!) with their shipping rates. I just recently purchased a kit on eBay from a seller in BC. It was cheaper to get it shipped to my US PO box than it was to my door!

The only local show I've been to so far is my club's show, and the vendor's area doesn't usually have a lot of automotive content. There is another show about 1.5 hours away from me that I keep meaning to go to, but it is held at the same time as the biggest east cost car show and I'm sure the traffic is ridiculous...

[martinfan5]

As for swap meets and model car shows vis-a-vis eBay--well, at a show, the "dealer" is gonna ask the price he wants, and the buyer may haggle--perhaps they come to a price, perhaps not (pretty much the way the guys on Pawn Stars do it too), where if at auction on eBay, it is an auction, subject to bidding by whomever, however many bidders take a swing at it. So, the price at one venue versus eBay can vary a lot, in both directions at times.

Art

Using "Pawn Stars" as an exapmle may not be a good idea, all the stuff people bring in are props that the prducers give people waitning inline outside the store, and all the haggeling is all scrpited, the only real thing about the show is that is flimed inside the pawn store, and the employees are real, everything esle is all Hollywood