…word is with all the increased inspections on and transportation costs associated w/items shipped over from Asia, we can expect an across the board price increase of 15 - 20 percent on kits.
When they came up with the saying “There is nothing certain except death and taxes” they left out inflation.
There’s always ebay…
Sorry for a dumb question, but…why would ebay make a difference? Even if you buy off ebay from someone here in the states, it still had to get to that seller from the manufacturer in Asia. So if your seller had to pay these crazy new shipping/handling costs to get it in the first place, they’re just going to tack that on to their selling price in order to not lose money. So even if its only coming to you from a neighboring state, you’re essentially paying for it being shipped all the way from Asia as part of you’re winning bid, right?
Sorry if that’s not how it works, but that’s how I always thought it was.
Ian, because in many cases, the starting bid for the item is like, $0.99 or something similar. Usually $9.99 in a lot of cases.
And people will be cleaning out their stashes as they do now, so if you can wait a while for a newer release, you might be able to score it cheaply.
I’ve picked up some year-or-two-old releases for sometimes $10-15.00 below “first glance” prices.
[#ditto]
The smart shopper who is willing to wait can do well on e-bay. If all is well you can save 25% off good internet prices.
Rounds Complete!!
Thank goodness for the stash. See, this is reason enough to have one: Price increases. Best to get them when you can at bargain prices.
I agree ebay is great. I do most of my “shopping” there. As long as I stay away from new releases until the buzz wears off, I can score at great prices. Hence the stash has grown alot since I joined the forums.
I’ve actually done quite welll buying kits off of ebay. I said that I wouldn’t, but found myself checking things out, the prices, and jumping at some items. I’ve actually had to back myself away from ebay for a minute. I don’t have a huge stash, but I need to just not buy anymore kits for awhile. Now, if I see something that I just can’t pass up, then I may make an exception. [:D] [(-D] Oh what’s the use! Ebay’s a good deal for adding, and adding, and . . . . !
There are other ways as good as ebay, too. But as always, the patient man is favored.
The whole importation increase from Asia makes Monogram look all the better. Time to bring your money home, folks.
Whereas I used to turn to the US for a lot of stuff, now I purchase more and more from SE Asian shops and Europe. Postage is much cheaper.
I can get Dragon 1:72 kits for US$9 plus around US$15 for a box that holds 5-6 such kits. Here, Dragon 1:72 armour retails for nearly US$18 a kit.
Mind you, there are exceptions as I just purchased a reissue Colonial Fleet Viper from Sprue Bros.
cheers
Mike
Any of those shops have websites?
Any suggesstions on where else to shop, along with ebay?
Here’s one…
http://www.spruebrothers.com/
Or, as my wife would say…
“There’s always your stash…!”
While I agree with this sentiment, it would be nice if Revellogram and AMT/Ertl would step up the quality and content of their kits. When I compare a Revell or AMT auto kit to one from Tamiya, Hasegawa or Trumpeter I can easily justify the added cost to myself.
Alas, AMT/ERTL are out of the A/C model business. RevOGram isnt bad and when you consider the cost out the door, can hardly be beat.
BUt, it matters the size of your wallet and your willingness too absorb price increases. Me, I will always look for “The Good Deal” and rely on building to make up the differences in “shake and bake” options.