The post regarding stashes has me thinking. I have 30 or so kits I’d like move out. If I could sell them-- great. I would also donate some as long as they go to a good cause – and not to someone that will turn them around for a profit on my dime.
Recently, I attempted to sell a kit on Ebay-- to get my feet wet. My experience was not good. I had a bidder willing to buy, only to have another bidder offer much more. When time came to buy it (the higher bidder) – it was complete silence. The guy stiffed me. I reposted it-- again-- a person offered way more than my asking price. I write the guy if this is a serious bid and it was again … complete silence. I tell ya. I suspect the guy had the same kit for sale and he was doing all he could to torpedo my sale. I am not savvay with the games played there and I basically just let my sale expire.
That very possible what happened on eBay. You might look into reporting that bidder as a shady customer due to those antics. I know that there seem to be folks there who corner the market on particular kits, then offer them up for ridiculously high prices for the same kits. I realize that is capitalism at its’worst, but it’s also annoying. You can also offer up your kits at a “buy it now” price, once you figure out a price that you’re willing to accept for the kit. That will reduce the likelihood of such shenanigans.
Another option is to find modeler oriented sites such as Scalemates or Kitmaker, which allow sales on the forums, and post your kits for sale there.
Hey Stik, thanks for responding. If I had known better, I would have accepted the first offer. He seemed legit. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. I went against my instincts.
I did report the guy to EBay. I heard boo back from eBay. Maybe they acted on him, maybe not. I will never know.
Buy Now is exactly what I hoped and tried to do. That would have made this so much easier. Here is the thing. The eBay system would not allow me to post it as such. It forced me into the bidding game. I did some searches on that and from what I gathered, eBay will not allow you to use that option until you estblish a selling track record. Shaking my head.
Tal Afar Dave who is on here off and on is a teacher at a military school for boys and does model building with his students. I donated a dozen or so kits a while back.
I’ve had success on ebay selling kits, but I rarely do it.
I’m like you, trying to downsize my stash to help with the cost of college for two kids.I haven’t tried any on-line sites like ebay or others. I’ve sold a lot of kits as a vendor at local contests and by word of mouth. If you’re thinking of donating kits, there is an organization that accepts kits for service men and women overseas and for vets who are home recovering from injuries that would gladly accept your kits too.
Hi Bakster, I’m surprised TB hasn’t responded yet LOL. Far as donating goes, I’m sure he can help with that. I’ll probably talk to him tonight/tomorrow, if he hasn’t seen this today I’ll bring it to his attention.
A great deal can become a bad deal. Recently, someone on a model site was looking for a tank kit I had. They probably go for $40, I said I’d sell it for $30 and tossed in photoetch I had for the kit.
He’s getting a deal and I’m getting rid of a kit I’ll never get to…if the buyer was in the US.
Shipping to Canada is $22 for no insurance and $43 with insurance.
So, now it’s $52 or $73 for a kit worth $40 with a $6 PE set. That’s not a deal.
Beware of folks who don’t list their state or country.
And if they don’t want insurance. Once it leaves our borders, it’s out of the post offices’ hands. If they say they didn’t get it, you’ve lost the kit and the cost of shipping and the money paid.
You’d be better off throwing it in the garbage than sometimes trying to ship overseas. You’d still be out the kit, but you wouldn’t have wasted time and money mailing it.
Rob-- yeah-- that is what I was afraid of. What a shame that a person can’t reliably and safely sell things to recoup a little. And at the same time-- another person gets what they want. All that you noted plus what I have already experienced makes it not worth the effort.
That does sound shady. I’ve never sold anything on ebay, and I’m not really into it. With my few experiences buying on ebay, I’m doing good just to get what I actually ordered. I’d be leery of selling overseas too, for the costs. There’s always the local route, you could get a vendor table at a show. But I reckon it depends on the size/location of the show and the time involved.
I have successfully sold 25 or 30 kits over the last year and a half on Ebay, I just throw the listings out there as a buy it now and let them revolve until they sell at the price I want or I get a fair offer. From my recollection, one must have a score at a certain threshold to qualify for the buy it now ability, but it is score as either a buyer or seller. I don’t think it is a very high number either.
I have only had one issue to date which was actually my last sale. It was partially my fault for not paying attention, and something went off with their system. One of my original listings from way back when some how had the box dimensions and shipping weight reset from what I had measured out when the listing recycled automatically…I ended up having to eat the extra 16 bucks in shipping cost since the Airfix Wasa definitely does not fit in a 7x7x5 box.
It was a decent lesson in that I shouldn’t completely trust the Ebay system.
My real qualm is in their fees. Getting a little pricy for the privilege of unloading things I can do without.
I’m just saying, use some caution. There are plenty of up and up people. I would just suggest sticking to stateside before venturing into overseas sales. And beware when entering into a deal with someone who doesn’t throw out where they are located before you even contact them.
Overseas always means multiple trips to the post office to determine shipping, get the forms and then to mail it out. Whereas stateside, you can grab a priority mail flat rate box, stick it in and send it off in one trip.
I wish I could get access to the buy now function. The whole bidding thing is beyond me. Maybe I will post another model and see what happens. Can’t hurt.
You may not even need that. If there is a local IPMS, AMPS, or other model club in your area, contact them about offering up your kits for sale at a meeting sometime. Both of the clubs where I was a member back in Orange County had occasional non members show up at meetings with boxes of kits to sell. It’s like putting road kill out for the crows… [;)]