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Posted

I was wondering if anybody would know the value of this kit: Its a Hubley metal kit # 4857 Model A Town Sedan

Thanks in advance for any input

Posted

Try a Completed Items search on eBay for the specific kit you have and you can see what others like it sold for.

Posted

But Ebay is not a good place to see what a value for anything really is, remember, you have greedy sellers and stupid buyers on Ebay

It will give you a good ball park though, and thats what it should be taken as

Its kind of like the Barrett Jackson auctions, what the cars sell for their do not reflect what the value of the vehicle's really are, no auction reflects the true value

But Casey does have a good idea, check the sold listing's

Posted

But Ebay is not a good place to see what a value for anything really is, remember, you have greedy sellers and stupid buyers on Ebay

It will give you a good ball park though, and thats what it should be taken as

Its kind of like the Barrett Jackson auctions, what the cars sell for their do not reflect what the value of the vehicle's really are, no auction reflects the true value

But Casey does have a good idea, check the sold listing's

So who decides the "true value," if not the marketplace?

Isn't ebay a perfect place to see what a particular item is selling for? If ebay is not a good place to see what the true value of an item is, then what is a good place to find a model kit's "true value?"

Posted

But Ebay is not a good place to see what a value for anything really is, remember, you have greedy sellers and stupid buyers on Ebay

It will give you a good ball park though, and thats what it should be taken as

Its kind of like the Barrett Jackson auctions, what the cars sell for their do not reflect what the value of the vehicle's really are, no auction reflects the true value

Value is different for everyone, which is why these "What's it worth" questions have no definite answer, so the only way to help is to try and show what similar kits have sold for. Ken still needs to compare condition, location, etc. of each sold item to the one he has, but it'll give him a decent idea.

Anything is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it when it's available to buy.

Posted

So who decides the "true value," if not the marketplace?

Isn't ebay a perfect place to see what a particular item is selling for? If ebay is not a good place to see what the true value of an item is, then what is a good place to find a model kit's "true value?"

Selling for yes

Posted

So if a kit is selling in a particular range, then that's what it's worth. What it's selling for on the open market is what it's worth. That's how "worth" is determined... by the price an item is selling for.

Posted

So who decides the "true value," if not the marketplace?

Isn't ebay a perfect place to see what a particular item is selling for? If ebay is not a good place to see what the true value of an item is, then what is a good place to find a model kit's "true value?"

I was not dissagreeing with what Casey said, I know better then that

WHat I am was trying to say is, and failed I guess, is that you can get a selling value of say a model kit on Ebay, does that mean that is what the true value of a kit really is, no, because if someone wants something bad enough, they are going to pay whatever they feel like paying.

So at times, model kits can sell for 1x or more then what the value could really be

Thats all that I was trying to say

Posted (edited)

So if a kit is selling in a particular range, then that's what it's worth. What it's selling for on the open market is what it's worth. That's how "worth" is determined... by the price an item is selling for.

Really, I had no idea :huh:

Edited by martinfan5
Posted (edited)

I would look for one or two of them on ebay that are being sold in auction form and add them to your watch list untill they end. it will give you a good ideal about how much it might be worth. Or you can watch a few that have been listed with the buy it now option and see if and how long it takes the seller to sell the. 3rd option would be find sombody that has the model kit price guide book.

Edited by jw78z28
Posted

3rd option would be find sombody that has the model kit price guide book.

The problem with printed price guides is that they are literally out of the date the day after they're printed. Prices fluctuate over time, and any price listed in a price guide is only valid as of the publication date. A much better way to gauge an item's current value is to see what that item is selling for on the open market.

Posted

I seen one that was unopened still shrink wrapped go for around $20 a couple weeks ago im building a friend of mine his model t delviery truck he bought new back in the day same maker

Posted

Value can be relative. So, that Hubley kit could have been your dad's and to you it has great value.

However, if you are talking $, then you want to know what the market value is, or how much of something is the other thing worth exchanging for. In the case of the Hubley car mentioned, Casey's idea of searching COMPLETED listings on eBay will tell you EXACTLY what the market value is. There is no way anybody can say that eBay doesn't reflect market value - that's what eBay is, a market. Listings for items still for sale are worthless indicators of market value - and are biased toward the high end because you still see them for sale (they are prices too high and don't sell).

Posted

Value can be relative. So, that Hubley kit could have been your dad's and to you it has great value.

However, if you are talking $, then you want to know what the market value is, or how much of something is the other thing worth exchanging for. In the case of the Hubley car mentioned, Casey's idea of searching COMPLETED listings on eBay will tell you EXACTLY what the market value is. There is no way anybody can say that eBay doesn't reflect market value - that's what eBay is, a market. Listings for items still for sale are worthless indicators of market value - and are biased toward the high end because you still see them for sale (they are prices too high and don't sell).

Depends on whether you're looking at auctions or "buy it now" prices. An ongoing auction will sell to the highest bidder, a "buy it now" type of listing may not sell at all. The best way to determine an item's worth is to look at what an item is selling for... as in completed sales, like you said.

Posted

Ok even then, you may not get the true value

Here is an example

Fujimi tool set, you can buy it from HLJ for US $9.21

On Ebay, the completed listings have that same kit selling from $26.75 down to $13.99, so tell me, what is the value of that kit?

So even the cheapest sold listing is $4.78 more the what a online hobby store is selling it for

Again, not disagreeing with whats being said here

Posted

I think we're talking about old, out-of-production kits, not something that you can still buy from the store.

Ok, good point, bad example, but part of it is still valid right , the final selling price can vary, so in all seriousness, how to figure out the value ?

Posted

Ok, good point, bad example, but part of it is still valid right , the final selling price can vary, so in all seriousness, how to figure out the value ?

If we are talking about an item that is not being manufactured anymore, and is only selling on the secondary market (that is, not being sold any longer by stores as an item in production at a retail price), the best way to determine its value is to see what prices that item has sold for on the secondary market. And ebay is probably the single biggest secondary marketplace in the world, so seeing what the item has been selling for on ebay is the perfect way to determine its value. You look at several sales, take an average of the price the item sold for, and you have that item's current value on the market.

Does that mean that amount is etched in stone? No, prices will fluctuate over time... but taking an average of several prior sales of that item will give you the best possible idea of what that particular item is worth on the market today.

Posted

I was wondering if anybody would know the value of this kit: Its a Hubley metal kit # 4857 Model A Town Sedan

Thanks in advance for any input

I will stick to the topic...and be happy to answer your Question..the best i can.

I just sold one last week...for $30.00 Sealed...

But there is No Value.."Persay" in Model Kits.....It all depends on what one will pay.....I have Kit(s) that are said to be valued $200 / $300 ea...but Ha....

Posted

Strictly speaking what the "winning" bidder pays for an item in an e-bay auction is not what they think it is worth, it is one bid more than what the second highest bidder thinks it is worth.

Posted (edited)

Ebay will give you a range of what the kit is worth to each individual buyers. use it as a guide and nothing more.

I tried to buy several kits at a swap meet over the weekend , some were over priced and when I tried to wheel and deal several sellers reply was ' thats what I can get for it on ebay' ( I wanted to ask then why not sell it there and avoid paying for the swap space here )

Just because it sells for $100 one day doesn't mean they all will.

Case in point, I just bought a Heller early 30's Alfa Romeo for less than $20 delivered.

I did the sold search for the same kit and it's sold anywhere from $8 to $40

I used to sell parts for Mopar muscle cars on Ebay , and one time a set of wheel lip moulding screws ( yes just the screws ) sold for $45 for a pack of 35 screws . Something tells me they 'all ' aren't 'worth ' that. just what 2 people were will to pay .

Edited by gtx6970
Posted

Just because it sells for $100 one day doesn't mean they all will.

Case in point, I just bought a Heller early 30's Alfa Romeo for less than $20 delivered.

I did the sold search for the same kit and it's sold anywhere from $8 to $40

That's why you have to look at several sales and take an average. You can't look at one sale and say that's the value, because one may have sold for an unusually high (or low) price. You have to take the selling price from several sales and figure out the average selling price to get a more accurate estimate of "value."

And even then, the number you come up with is not some value that's set in stone. Selling prices fluctuate over time. The best you can do is get a fairly good estimate of what any particular kit is "worth" on the open market, based on what that kit has been selling for recently.

Posted

Not that I'm claiming to be any sort of an authority on kit sales, but I have collected data on the MPC/AMT GM squarebody truck kits from end of December until now and the trends are quite interesting. The most common kits sold are the Fall Guy kit and the later AMT re-issue. The Fall Guy kit goes anywhere from $25.49 to $159.99 with the current average being $75.83. However, there was a period of about a week where a number of kits went for around $30-50. Same thing with the AMT version: price range of $16 to $64, average of $38.50 but this time the price fluctuates significantly. Three kits ending on the same day went for $22.99, $45.00, and $51.75.

When trying to figure out what your kit is worth if you're trying to sell it it is best to collect as much data as you can and price accordingly. If you want to sell it on eBay, check the completed listings going back as far as you can and get a feel for what it is selling for. If you want to sell it at a swap meet, price it according to the eBay average but you will be beaten down a bit as that is the nature of swap meets!

Something to consider with those smarmy swap meet folks that refuse to budge on the price because "that's what they'd get on eBay": remind them that they have to pay to list the item and if they use PayPal there's another fee on top of that. Sure they could sell that kit for $35 on eBay but they'll probably only see $25 out of that transaction. If you offer them $30, they might take it!

Posted

That's why you have to look at several sales and take an average. You can't look at one sale and say that's the value, because one may have sold for an unusually high (or low) price. You have to take the selling price from several sales and figure out the average selling price to get a more accurate estimate of "value."

And even then, the number you come up with is not some value that's set in stone. Selling prices fluctuate over time. The best you can do is get a fairly good estimate of what any particular kit is "worth" on the open market, based on what that kit has been selling for recently.

Oh, so true! I checked on the sold prices of the kit in question; it's all over the board, from down around $10 to up around $80. Most examples are somewhere in the $20-$30 range. Not sure that I'd pay that but then I'm not a huge fan of Hubley metal kits. :)

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