Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: 3 fingers on February 20, 2016, 12:18:41 PM
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Do people really pay those prices? Or is just chancers on there,not just oop metal miniatures but even current plastic box sets are over priced.
And some of the metals that have had paint removed look like they were dipped in a acid bath and had most of the details removed as well,unless it's poor phone camera pics, lol
Either that or I'm just to tight to pay them. o_o
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Ahh... this old chestnut. What's deemed an acceptable price will always vary from one person to another. The market dictates the values though and those incredibly highly priced BIN's might sell once in a while but they can sit around for ages (months or even years!). It's all supply and demand and the desirability of some things has increased over the years as more people seek to collect them. Anyone who wants old figures (especially Citadel) at a bargain basement price is probably in the wrong game these days. It's also worth looking at how much people are paying for brand new models because much of the time there's not much difference between that and what you might pay for something from 1988 on Ebay (although I'm well aware that some people are of the opinion that old equals worthless ::) ).
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No I can understand some of the older stuff is getting harder to find so commands more money,but some of the current stuff and they are charging way more than even Gw are.
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lol
I don't think I'm going to be building a rogue trader ork army or playing genuine dark future game to relive the 90s just yet ;)
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even current plastic box sets are over priced.
Yup. Ebay is why I look closer at Triple Helix.
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get it gold plated and encrusted in diamonds just because you can?
I wish people had that mindset for their miniatures, would combine work and hobby nice and lucratively.
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No I can understand some of the older stuff is getting harder to find so commands more money,but some of the current stuff and they are charging way more than even Gw are.
I've not really looked too closely at current GW stuff on Ebay recently. You can guarantee that the second anything goes out of production though someone will list it at at least twice the price. It doesn't surprise me that some sellers just put stupid price tags on things in the hope that they get a sale though. I'm convinced that's the mentality behind some of the sellers of old models who put very high BIN's on models. The most ridiculous thing I've seen though is from buyers in auctions for currently available items who end up bidding up to the full retail price, or higher. It's a funny world. ;D
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eBay ceased to be a place to find bargains years ago, now it is just a succession of "storefronts" all selling the same stuff at the same discount rates.
It is not just the OOP or "super rare" figures that are prone to overpricing. I have been watching "15mm Prussian Napoleonic Painted" as a search to add units to my army (I hate painting Prussians) but have been finding prices increasing to well over £2 per figure for absolute crap. Sellers are either overpricing or really have no concept of what actually merits a "well painted" tag.
Between that and the requirement to use the eBay shipping/customs function (seriously...$24.78 to ship a $1.49 plastic clicky figure) my purchases are now very rare events rather than the standard practice they were 2 or 3 years ago.
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Most the miniatures I bought have been cheap/realistic price,but that was when I got back into the hobby,so when I joined here.
I been wanting to find some (natives) for my frontier planet setting and decided to buy new ones as will be cheaper in long run.
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I used to buy on e-bay when most sellers were individuals selling their surplus but when the prices went up as shops took over I stopped even looking.
However, I have bought quite a few models recently on e-bay to make new or reinforce existing units for the games set in Middle Earth that our grandsons have begun to play. The figures are a mix of GW and other makes as proxies, mostly plastic. The majority have been bought as "small collections" which means that they are often reasonably priced and frequently cheaper than buying particular figures. It also means that we have surplus figures to practice paint schemes or provide parts for conversion.
On e-bay bids I decide what I'm willing to pay and make a single bid. I do not make additional bids.
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Remember also that ebay is subject to a huge number of "automatic listing" bots software programs. A lot of large warehouse style suppliers have stuff that scans keywords, sales values etc. and automatically lists and relists products. It's why when a product dries up you'll see a software program suddenly spike to $700 for something that's $100 new. It's crap software and it handles a lot of the big stores listings.
That, coupled with the big Oldhammer push is going to drive a lot of stuff up.
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My never completed OOP 1970s Ral Partha Goblin Army is being currently completed step by over-priced (to some) step with no regrets.
I pay what I feel is necessary when the figures are available. But I do have a limit on even those. The prices should not exceed the current retail price of "like" figures existing today (which I estimate by WAG as $3.99 each) by more than 25% except in extremely rare cases. So call it $5 each (plus dreaded shipping) for a "25mm" figure.
My OOP Goblin and Dwarf Der Kriegspieler armies of the same status depends on the whim casting of the current IP/Mold owner (not on Ebay ever anymore) and may never be completed but that doesn't mean I have abandoned hope. Prices are more reasonable than many on EvilBay thank God. it is more a matter of waiting for the figures I need to be cast.
The Free Market is not "free" despite some wishing it so.
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Yeah; I feel the 'golden age' of ebay, at least for miniatures has come and gone...
It used to be a virtual treasure trove, where real bargains on rare and OOP miniatures were to be found. And with a sniper program, it was a pretty easy and stress free experience overall.
Then a couple of things really messed it all up (well for me anyways); the incredible price hike in trans-atlantic postage, and the discovery of Ebay by 'the companies'.
I remember when GW's big hat Chaos Dwarfs were hella cheap on Ebay. Then there was either a temporary shortage or rekindled interest and, I believe, a couple of sellers started buying them all up. And I mean all. In no time, the market prices started to skyrocket and for a short time, those particular sellers made a killing, feeding their stock to a ravenous market. Prices have never returned to 'normal' for those ranges. It was the beginning of the end I suppose...
Inbetween though, there was this period where individual sellers would put up crap painted miniatures as 'pro-painted', as it was evident that 'pro-painted' was a popular term, but I think that, at least when that began, most sellers were genuinly clueless about what they were selling. the exact same reason why there were such bargaihns to be found.
Nowadays, I almost exclusively use the 'Buy it now' function, probably because I've become lazy, but also because I will at least know the market value of the item I'm after and can compare it more easily (as opposed to the research previously required).
For the actual bargains though, it still pays to turn to the local auction site; Marktplaats. It's got a crap bidding system and is not regulated as as well as Ebay is, but there are loads of people on there who are either clueless or looking for a quick buck, so good deals can still be found, which satisfies the hunter in me... :D
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it's not 'overpriced' if someone is willing to pay for it. and eventually someone will. ebay is nothing compared to stubhub.
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For the actual bargains though, it still pays to turn to the local auction site; Marktplaats. It's got a crap bidding system and is not regulated as as well as Ebay is, but there are loads of people on there who are either clueless or looking for a quick buck, so good deals can still be found, which satisfies the hunter in me... :D
Marktplaats is the place to be in the Netherlands to pick up nice stuff for next to nothing. Made some great deals over the years. Don't do eBay anymore.
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Nowadays, I almost exclusively use the 'Buy it now' function, probably because I've become lazy, but also because I will at least know the market value of the item I'm after and can compare it more easily (as opposed to the research previously required).
Sometimes I look at the inflated prices on 'buy it now - or nearest offer' items and wonder what the reaction would be if I offered a pound.
it's not 'overpriced' if someone is willing to pay for it. and eventually someone will. ebay is nothing compared to stubhub.
When I looked for Island of Blood rat ogres, on and off, I noticed there were badly painted examples from a couple of sellers, priced about £15-17 each. When I say I searched on and off, I mean I'd forget about rat ogres for weeks or months. When I looked again, the same badly painted models would still be there.
... and I just looked again, long after the IoB bits-splitters have dried up, and most if not all of those individual rat ogres are still there.
If they've been sitting around this long, I don't think it's just me being a penny-pincher. Maybe someone'll buy them, eventually, but that's some holding out, just to grasp a couple of extra quid.
Sometimes I think that if people are so confident in the value of their minis, they should stick a small starting bid on and watch it skyrocket. Or not. In the meantime, I have a nice big bagful of rat ogres to be getting on with.
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Don't get me started on the poorly painted stuff on ebay... lol I understand the metals, if you sell them cheap - someone will strip them. Plastics are a bit harder. I am a bit shocked at the prices some people want for primed and poorly assembled stuff (often more than the box from a retailer).
I do love the "pro-painted" tags used on anything. Some look as if the owner's dog dipped his tail in paint and smacked the table as he walked by..."pro-painted" my lily white ass. :D
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I am a bit shocked at the prices some people want for primed and poorly assembled stuff (often more than the box from a retailer).
I honestly think it's because they think they've added value to the minis by doing the 'hard work' for you. Everyone knows the point of GW minis is whatever special rules are attached to them, not in trying to make them look good. (Though lest I be seen as GW-bashing outside the designated area, there's a bit of a different 'game token' attitude in some non-GW gaming circles, too)
Also reminds me of one guy I saw on ebay, selling bits of his not-very-well prepared GW collection. In the descriptions, he set out to justify his high asking prices because he'd already spent so much buying the merch from GW, in the first place.
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Reminds me of my days selling cars...
"But I put this dirt cheap floppy plastic body kit on it, and some sweet imbalanced fake chrome wheels...that makes the car worth like, way more!"
"Nope...you just killed the resale value. The bubble gum metallic paint doesn't help your case either..."
"Yeah, but the paint's custom..."
lol
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"Nope...you just killed the resale value. The bubble gum metallic paint doesn't help your case either..."
"Yeah, but the paint's custom..."
lol
Thats a brilliant idea - consider it stolen. If I ever put any of my tat, painted, on ebay, I will completely not bother with OOP or Pro Painted nonsense.
'Custom paint Job'' every single one!
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Sometimes I look at the inflated prices on 'buy it now - or nearest offer' items and wonder what the reaction would be if I offered a pound.
I don't mind the BIN's and best offers in general. They tend to fall into one of three categories: Market value, a bit higher than market value but not ridiculous, and then the eye rollingly insane prices. A model that's generally worth £3 - £4 being sold with a £5 BIN isn't bad in my opinion but a seller who lists it for £10+ is rather taking the piss.
When it comes to making a best offer, if you put in a joke offer you simply wouldn't get a response. Which brings me onto my own pet peeve. When dealing with big sellers there's a tendency for them to completely ignore even a reasonable offer if it's not quite what they are willing accept. No attempt at the back and forth of offer and counter offer they'll just ignore you until your offer expires. It's usually if you try and get more than 10% knocked off the price but 15% and 20% are hardly 'joke' offers yet still some sellers won't engage.
Sometimes I think that if people are so confident in the value of their minis, they should stick a small starting bid on and watch it skyrocket. Or not. In the meantime, I have a nice big bagful of rat ogres to be getting on with.
Some sellers do that but I've got to be honest if I was selling genuinely pricey models I'd be a little anxious about letting something possibly go for 99p. ;)
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For me it depends on how much I want it.....there are, for example, 4 codes left for me to collect in the old Dragontooth P range....can't find them anywhere...I have to assume they were limited release at the end of the companies' trading life......if I see them I will go higher than I would if I was just starting to collect the series...I'd like to finish the set. Also, wine plays a big part in my hobby purchases..... :D
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Also reminds me of one guy I saw on ebay, selling bits of his not-very-well prepared GW collection. In the descriptions, he set out to justify his high asking prices because he'd already spent so much buying the merch from GW, in the first place.
I'm always amused by the seller who thinks that they can justify passing all sorts of 'value' onto the buyer. Somebody's time spent listing items, packing them and going to the post office, plus the expense of petrol and parking does not add any value to a model. I've seen people list all of these things on the auction pages as a way to justify their prices. They're the people who like to have a massive list of conditions and information about who they will and won't deal with attached to their auctions. I saw one seller who had some models at a reasonable price but he stated that he didn't offer combined postage because it costs him time and money to pack everything and then drive into town to post stuff. Because it's reasonable to request £20 to post a handful of models within the UK! lol
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My mum worked as a dog trimmer for a few years. She likes to tell a story about how some customers wanted to sell their dogs, they had a nice calculation of how much they had spend on feeding and housing the dogs, which clearly should be paid for by the new owners. Sure they might have been some sort of pure-bred, but they were 12 years old and incontinent.
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Years ago, I sold both my GW Undead and my Skaven Army on ebay (and good riddance). Both were fully painted, and painted pretty badly. My first ever painted minis. I'm talking mint-green clad Skaven, or snowy white skellies. I started the auctions at 1,- EUR, because that was the cheapest way to sell.
People absolutely rushed me with their offers! I made a very decent profit, even though any LAFer would have stripped the paint off these minis first thing. Or accused me of Behaviour unworthy of a Wargamer. It was unbelievable.
What I'm trying to say is: it's not only the sellers who're bonkers. A lot of people who buy on ebay are just as crazy. People pay ludicrous prices for badly painted minis. Especially if it's GW.
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What I'm trying to say is: it's not only the sellers who're bonkers. A lot of people who buy on ebay are just as crazy. People pay ludicrous prices for badly painted minis. Especially if it's GW.
Bear in mind though that your 'bad' paint jobs may be miles better than someone else's best efforts and a complete ready to go army might appeal immensely to those people.
Or maybe you had a lot of OOP models that all got stripped and resold for twice the price. ;)
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Bear in mind though that your 'bad' paint jobs may be miles better than someone else's best efforts and a complete ready to go army might appeal immensely to those people.
That's a charming thought ;)
Or maybe you had a lot of OOP models that all got stripped and resold for twice the price. ;)
And now I feel a bit uneasy...
;)
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Little example of what I meant was the nurgle rot ringer sorcerer on eBay there's one at £14.99 and another at £24.00 and cheekily asking £1.20 postage, on a miniature that's only £8.20 new from GW itself? Chancers!
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Little example of what I meant was the nurgle rot ringer sorcerer on eBay there's one at £14.99 and another at £24.00 and cheekily asking £1.20 postage, on a miniature that's only £8.20 new from GW itself? Chancers!
It pays to keep an eye on GW's web store too as sometimes things reappear that might have been OOP. Both buyers and sellers aren't always aware of what's available.
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Stone-Cold-Lead, E-Bay is totally automated these days. BIN offers come with a minimum ( set by the seller); anything below the minimum does not notify the seller. That is most likely why you got no response. Next time I advise you send the seller an email.