Question about my old kits.

[3gear]

Hello, I wanted to ask the group about some things. I have been out of the hobby for a number of years, My 1:1 VW Hobby took over my time and budget. I am also moving soon to a smaller place; that being said I will need to clear out all of my unused hobby stuff. Sadly this includes my modeling kits. I am aware that this forum only deals in trading. What I am looking for is assistance in getting realistic pricing for what I have. I will make an inventory and take photos. I would also be interested in any recommendations as to where the best place to offer the kits at. I did see www.emodelcars.com, but it did not look like it gets much traffic, however yall would have a much better idea than i would. I'll be away this weekend, but I'll start on the inventory on Monday. I appreciate the help.

Thanks,

Marc

[jbwelda]

best thing to do is do your own research on ebay.

another option is to put them on ebay for a relatively low starting price and allow the audience to set their "value". if you are set on getting rid of them this will probably be the most efficient way and most will find their true value.

jb

Edited November 7, 2014 by jbwelda

[GeeBee]

There are places that do buy up model collections, but not knowing where you are, I can't recommend any to you, the other choice is of course eBay I might be Able to help with prices, etc just drop me a PM.

[Casey]

Search on eBay for the kits you have, then click the "Completed item" option in the left-hand column to see what they actually sold for and their specific condition. eBay is a pretty good indicator of what each kit sells for, and it's tough to beat a worldwide audience.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I second Casey's eBay "completed item" search advice. If you just pull up live auctions, prices are all over the board, and some of the asking / starting points are just plain stupidly high. But the completed auctions will show you just what people are willing to actually pay.

[1930fordpickup]

Your timeline for sales also makes a difference to how you move these. How many you have to move. People that buy collections will give you a number per kit.

[Greg Myers]

You lose. Yeah, sad but true, unless you are willing to spend more, on time and effort with the Ebay route. Selling the lot to a collection buyer is a losing proposition, as they also, are in it for the profit, and the price they offer has to reflect their profit margin in their resale.

[High octane]

You could always send them to me, and that way free up the space that you need.

[Casey]

You could also contact a local New Jersey club or there's always craigslist. I know on the Milwaukee area cl there's always an ad running from someone looking to buy kits.

[chunkypeanutbutter]

This guy near me has a Craigslist ad. Judging by his wall of old kits, I'd say he has money on hand to buy kits.

https://maine.craigslist.org/tag/4705477527.html

[Snake45]

To get the most money out of your kits, I would go with ebay. Even then, don't expect to get what they are actually worth. Prices vary greatly. I've bought many kits and buildups for half of what they were actually worth. I've also seen kits and buildups sell for twice of what they were actually worth. You're still taking your chances. I had a Monogram '66 Chevelle (black with flames) on my watch list go for $42 plus shipping! Well over double of what it's worth. It all depends on who wants it and how much they're willing to spend.

All true, and this statement could lead to an interesting discussion on the definition of the words "worth" and "value."

I'll start: Any given item is worth exactly what someone will pay for it at any given time.

[Erik Smith]

All true, and this statement could lead to an interesting discussion on the definition of the words "worth" and "value."

I'll start: Any given item is worth exactly what someone will pay for it at any given time.

Exactly. Models have very little inherent value. They are only worth what somebody is willing to pay. NOBODY CAN TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT A KIT IS WORTH BECAUSE NOBODY KNOWS!! It changes every minute.

If you are selling rare, older, sought after kits (the first two don't always mean the last), then there is no bigger audience than eBay. Plain and simple. More buyers equals a higher price. There is absolutely no venue that can come close to eBay's magnitude. Love or not, that's the way it is.

Fees? You bet. About 10% from ebay and PayPal. But I guarantee you will lose more than 10% selling them any other way - be it CL, as a lot, or even setting up your own website.

If you have easily available kits - your best bet is as a lot.

[2000-cvpi]

This is just a hunch, but I Google'ed the zip code the op has for a location, it's in New Jersey.

[3gear]

Thanks for all the info guys. It looks like the best bang for the buck will be on ebay. I only have about 30 kits, nothing extraordinarily rare. Still, I'll post the list once I pit it together. And yes, I am in NJ :-)

[Greg Myers]

30 kits.