This guys has some nice deals on ships: http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/soperjr_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ
I just bought Tamiya’s 1/350 USS Missouri for $50.00 from him.
It is hard to tell without knowing what his price reserve is. The price seems to be high compared to Hobby Lobby with 40% coupon, not to mention the shipping.
I looked at the Yamato as an example, and the New Jersey. I’m guessing your 'Mo was the same. Starting bid $ 30, Buy it Now for $ 65. There’s one $ 40 bid on the Yamato, which didn’t meet the reserve, and you paid $ 50 which probably was close to the reserve. His shipping is $ 10 which is probably $ 2 or 3 high, but he does have to go down to the post office. The Yamato is available on line for $ 53 plus shipping. So you pay $ 60 one way or the other.
It all seems ok so long as you can’t find it online for less. One thing I noticed, and it’s not necessarily a negative- the descriptions are all the same except the name of the ship and a word or two. Sometimes that creates a little wiggle room for the seller if you’re not happy.
And they seem to be out of their wrap, plus the NJ box was crushed a little. So you just have to figure out what your risk factor is worth, but hey, thanks for the info. I’m going to bid on one and see what happens.