Ebay prices

[3 fingers]

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,
Either that or I'm just to tight to pay them.

[stone-cold-lead]

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  ).

[3 fingers]

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.

[3 fingers]

 
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 

[Vermis]

even current plastic box sets are over priced.

Yup. Ebay is why I look closer at Triple Helix.

[YPU]

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.

[stone-cold-lead]

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. 

[robh]

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.

[3 fingers]

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.

[dadlamassu]

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. 

[Elbows]

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.

[Conquistador]

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.

[Daeothar]

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...

[pistolpete]

it's not 'overpriced' if someone is willing to pay for it. and eventually someone will.  ebay is nothing compared to stubhub.

[Za Zjurman]

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...

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.