Kit Collection Buyer Ads in FSM

sounds like capitalism to me

(Offensive statements to follow)

Just suppose the wife is about to buy the farm...

"Hon, do you mind if I bury you in empty model kit boxes? You are going to be cremated anyways..." "SLAP"

All jokes aside, the motive is wrong if one is buying kits for their "collectible value." I buy kits because I plan on building them (although at the rate I am accumulating kits, it's fairly evident I will not finish my back log (at last count about 3k) in what years I may have left.)

"I'll be cremated with my kits. Please don't even ask."

Let me know the address... I'll be there....

rich

Having dealt with collectors in the past, selling old comics from the 40s and

50s and 45 rpm records, I've come up with this solution for my family. I've used Excell to inventory my collection, with what I've paid for the kits and what they're worth according to several different collectors' price lists. Having said that, my wife is going to donate the models to various Boys' and Girls' Clubs, and also the local Veterans' Hospital. Then she is going to use that value sheet against our taxes for that year. It should make quite a dent for her, and I'll go easy knowing that maybe, just maybe someone else is going to pick up on my addiction. My wife knows that whatever I haven't gotten to will be there to help her out and she's comfortable with giving some kids the chance to start doing something creative. My 2 cents.

-- John ___ __[xxx]__ (o - ) --------o00o--(_)--o00o-------

The history of things that didn't happen has never been written - Henry Kissinger

Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it. --Publilius Syrus

That statement comes for First Century Rome; it holds true today.

-- John ___ __[xxx]__ (o - ) --------o00o--(_)--o00o-------

The history of things that didn't happen has never been written - Henry Kissinger

The age old question, what's it worth? The age old answer, what will you give for it?

I think of this in the same way I think about having too much insurance... I don't want to give my wife reason to bump me off. ;-)

Tom

Mine knows whoever goes first is just outta luck. ;-)

They arrested a community college president here a while back for having vast quantities of weed in the house, far in excess of what his family could possibly use themselves. I had to think sure, that makes sense, but I know modelers and railroaders who are compulsive hoarders who can never have enough and can't stop, even when facing bankrupcy or divorce. After that I could see how the same obsessive hoarding affliction could easy apply to this guys "hobby" and his stash could possibly be not meant for distribution.

Tom

Oh, hell! Now you tell me! I've had it backwards all these years!

Art

How many bags of Fritos did he have? Kim M

If you want to make the most money from your collection, you should sell it yourself. But a lot of people don't have the time or want to put up with the aggravation of either selling it at a show or eBay or classifieds. If you fit into that category, then a "recycled hobby dealer" is the way to go. It's all gone in one fell swoop. Different vendors will obviously offer various amounts depending on quality of collection (older vrs. newer, scale, condition, etc.), what they might already have in stock (if a vendor is sitting on a couple of a certain kit, he usually doesn't need a third, no matter how "valuable" it might be) and market conditions. A good example of changing market conditions would be old Aurora WWI kits. Twenty years ago, they were very desirable and easy to sell. (Mostly to people who wanted to BUILD them, by the way!) Today, many of the subjects have been re-kitted by other manufacturers in much better quality, so the demand for those kits has dwindled.

Beings I do this for a living, I'll explain my though processes when buying collections.

First, remember that as a retailer we can already get anything that's current for 40 - 50% off from a wholesaler. And, we can buy just what we want or need, or that we know will sell or have a buyer for. If I want only a few certain kits, there's no reason to buy a thousand to get to them. So for me to buy those 1000 recent kits from you, there has to be incentive to do so. That usually comes in a lower price, or other terms.

Something else about buying collections... the first 25% will usually sell easily, the next 50% will take its time and the last 25% you'll have to give away. That's why it's important to try and figure a price that will allow the buyer to make back their investment in that first

25% or so. Otherwise, you're sitting on a lot of dead money in plastic. (In which case, it again becomes wiser to pick and choose items.) Obviously, the quality of the collection and my percieved ability to move it can adjust that percentage, but that's an average.

The "least desirable" collections that I'm offered are those that are heavily 1/72 aircraft. Much that's been made has been re-released a million times. Plus it seems like most disposal lists are filled with them, so you usually end up with a lot of backstock. There's very little after market in most Airfix kits for example. 1/48 is better. Armor and especially ships are good because 19 out of 20 disposal lists will be aircraft. Rather than figuring on all the values of individual items, some dealers try to work out an average price per item and multiply it by the quantity. Generally, the larger the collection, the lower the average price, because there's probably more fluff. Say you have a collection of 1000 kits... small scale stuff you can probably figure $1 - 3/kit, 1/48 $2 - 5 and 1/32 & 1/35 $3 -

1. The better the quality of the collection the higher the average price. Realize this is for the average collection that I usually see on disposal kit lists, and conditions can obviously vary.

Another thing to consider is acquisition costs. If a vendor is buying your collection, he has a price in his mind that the collection is worth. Shipping or pick up is usually not additional, but needs to be figured into that price.

While some less-reputable dealers might try to low-ball you, if you deal with someone who has a reputation to maintain, you should be happy with the results. Just remember that price variances can usually be explained by each vendors particular need for the collection.

I hope I've answered a few of your questions. If you have any more, feel free to e-mail me direct. Some other vendors might do things with their own spin, but I think most of what I've outlined is true for most kit dealers.

Jeff Garrity Rare-Plane Detective

One would think but there are far more times that the older kits have gone unbidden whilst I have sold stuff that was close to being pitched. I'm also amazed at the number of built and partially built models that I've sold. E-bay tends to leave me scratching my head.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

I can't imagine why foreign coins have no interest for collectors. So they don't have any intrinsic value, they're still items that were once manufactured and circulated. Shucks, some people are wild for buttonhooks but they have no use any longer.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

no intrest in modrn foreign stuff. but gold, pattern and rare stuff does well from anywhere. and ancients have gone through the roof. common bronze roman stuff has gone from 2-3 bucks to

200-300. i collect sheldon variety large cnts and bust halves...or used to. i can't afford a larhe cent in anything above au anymore. i used to collect swiss hunting thalers.....can't touch them now. all the best foreign stuff i had went to drs. it blows.

Just to pick your brain, Jeff- How about books and magazines? I have collections going back to the 60s. Kim M

Sometimes I just missed out on the timing.

I had a Trimaster Fw 190 D and put it on ebay with a reserve of $40 no one wanted it. Traded it to my brother, he puts it up two weeks later, and final bidding stopped at $80 Man was I bummed.....

"Only a Gentleman can insult me, and a true Gentleman never will..."