Kit prices, disappearing kits, and shipping costs.

General Discussion General Modeling Discussion
1

Hi everyone.

This isn’t a complaining post, rather a post about noticing things lately that I hadn’t noticed until the last few months.

For the last 20 years or so I have focused on a narrow area of model car building that I really enjoy.

I have plenty of what I need in my model car kits, but noticed I had robbed a few pieces from several kits I decided to work on, and so went online, Ebay, to find those parts.

Kits that were always there before, and plenty of pieces - NOTHING, or the prices had gone through the ceiling!

Not complaining at all, just surprised. The prices and the unavailability of what was at one time cheap and numerous, caught me off-guard.

I had been living in my own little world of what I liked to buy and build, but hadn’t looked at 1958, 59 or 60 Chevies for years, and many others styles for years, sometimes 10 years or more when there was a ton of everything I wanted, and I had a bunch of them for all my customs I built.

Then when I started looking online at other kits I had, they were just gone. There was nothing!!!

I was finally able to find the parts I needed and bought a few extras to “Squirrel away” as probably in a few months or maybe a year, what I needed would be gone.

I am a dinasaur for sure in this hobby, and thought everything I ever needed would always be there for me - SURPRISE SURPRISE.

I can’t believe much of what I enjoyed to build or buy for parts are either gone, or the parts are astronomical in price now.

What do the younger builders do now???

And with the price of shipping gong through the roof, what to people do??

Shipping can cost more than a kit many times. Nearly $20.00 in some cases.

I wonder how people can stay in the model building hobby.

Anyone have any thoughts??

2

Hi;

As you know; I have had the same problem with model power yachts and a line of Revell’s and Life Like’s passenger ships. Even a few Imaii. But, Aurora Fuggedaboudit!

I did finally find the Aurora gem, badly assembled and missing parts. Almost$900.00 bucks. Not on this boy’s budget!

3

There’s no doubt that eBay has changed a bunch. The level of participation by individual sellers has gone down dramatically, leading to the lack of selection and higher prices that you mention. It’s my opinion that the cost of shipping has a whole lot to do with it; it’s hard to justify $15-20 shipping for a $10 kit, or even a $40+ kit, and from the seller’s point of view, it’s hard to sell a kit with that much shipping cost. Listings that once got several bids are lucky to get one or two, unless the item is really rare or very much in demand.

My answer is patience as either a seller or buyer. I figure it will take more than one listing to get what I think is a fair price for a kit from my stash and sometimes I’ll just end it after three or so weeks with no bids. As a buyer, I look for vendors who price things realistically and try to take advantage of combined shipping whenever possible. I also lurk; keeping kits in my Saved Searches and checking often for that rare bargain.

There have been several attempts to set up kit exchange sites, none of which have been very successful to my knowledge. I’d be real interested to hear about any that are working well.

4

As one who recently started using Ebay to try and thin the stash, I can tell you shipping isn’t cheap, and neither are the boxes for an individual seller. Sure you can get a USPS flat rate box, but a car kit I sold ended up being $15+. Another massive kit I sold ended needing a custom $20 box from the UPS store, and cost $55 to ship.

Then Ebay and Paypal take their 12% cut…

At this point I am just trying to break even on the kits after the shipping and fees.

The days finding a steal on Ebay are basically gone, unless you are extremely patient.

5

I have done well with diffrent ebay stores,even with shipping I best some regular on line hobby shops

6

i think the last of the great American modeling companies (Revell-Monogram) going out of business put a big hiccup into kit availablity along with one of the major distributors in Squadron/MMD going out of business.

7

Do you think a sudden 50% jump in min. wage might have something to do with it?

8

What 50% jump in minimum wage?

Minimum wage is still only $7.25 per hour.

At this point, at least as far as I know, that jump in minimum wage was just a proposal and nothing more… in fact, it’s not even something that seems to be seriously discussed anymore in the actual political arena; the issue seems to live on only on the ‘news’.

Corporate profits are the highest that they have ever been…ever… along with corporate CEO’s pay packages to the tune of millions of dollars for… one man. No way are these companies going to allow a much higher minimum wage to become law; that would mean higher labor costs and therefore less profits for themselves.

9

I tend to buy kits already started to keep the price down being a pensioner. I’m in the UK and I saw a kit at a very reasonable price on ebay USA but the shipping costs has gone up from $27.95 to $42.95!

So no sale!

10

Quite a few states have increased that in the past several years. Some even to $15. We’re pushing $13, the highest of 3 tiers in the state.

All the shipping companies, including USPS have raised rates as well, to cover the majority of those increases.

Those of us on fixed income really find the bite all around in everything we have to purchase on a daily basis.

11

I do not know what the young ones will do. We, other modelers, have been lamenting this for a long time. I remember when video games started coming out in the early 80’s. Now, this. Modeling has always been a small market. The cost of postage is something I’ve never been worried about as I am lucky to have a very well stocked hobby shops nearby. I’m an older guy who bought a lot of tank and a/c kits many years ago. My children are in their forties, my grandkids are young adults, they never really got into the hobby. They do other things that keep them selfs busy. Personaly, I just go down to my basement and go to my own hobby shop, a dream come true, and be very happy!

12

Will there is still the model shows to make a purchase. Always found the best deals at model shows and there is no shipping charges. I am lucky that the shows in San Antonio and Austin are a short drive for me.

The best deals were when the dealer brought the wife and she would rather accept a low ball price than packing the kits up and taking them back home…LOL.

Marcus [B]

13

Fed min may still not be changed yet, but some states have gone to fifteen, and many big businesses have too. There is a labor shortage in many parts of country.

14

I love this. Nice way to put it.

I’m in the same situation as you and love it.

I’ll get a favorite old rare unbuilt kit out, sit down, and open the box and enjoy all that adrenaline running through me, as I go through all the pieces and that oh so BEAUTIFUL CHROME.

I’m a "BLING FREAK. [Y]

Just going through the parts will give me a RUSH

15

Ebay is out of control with their new regs and fees driving lots of sellers including me away. Those that remain have to inflate their numbers to offset those fees and shipping costs.

Once in a while you can find a reasonable deal on there but the pickings are slim.

16

Have you looked into FedEx rates? I recently shipped a huge box containing a 1/32 Tomcat commission and ran $60 for three day service and no damage. Way cheaper than USPS or UPS.