Out of Control Pricing of Second Hand Models

[redriveraviation]

The purpose of this forum is to have a friendly and civilized place to discuss model aircraft. That's it. Nobody is trying to spark an argument here. The purpose of this thread is to have a nice, general assessment of the 2nd hand market. Each and every one of us comes from a different background thus we have a different standard of what we're willing to pay for a 1:400 model. I respect anybody's opinion on what they are willing to spend. As long as somebody respects me and my values, I respect them and their values. Richard had an opinion that the 2nd hand market has some very high prices and the majority of the collecting community would likely agree with that assessment. No arguments are to be had about the prices of these models. I wish the 2nd hand prices would come down, it is unfortunate indeed.

 

[747438]

The eBay user(s) who horde 5-10 new releases (noticeably Aeroclassics and NG's) and then put one model up for auction (one after the next one finishes) to rapidly inflate the market value and decrease the supply are the cancer of this hobby! Noticed is especially with the recent Aerounion releases and NG TWA/DL widget tristars. Pain in the a$$. Thankfully found both Aerounion's for a reasonable price.
One in particular ended one early 1 day before auction end due to no bids, asked about and to make an offer and was shoved away.

 

[redriveraviation]

Indeed, very unfortunate, I don’t get why people choose to do it in this hobby…

 

[Purpleplane]

Indeed, very unfortunate, I don’t get why people choose to do it in this hobby…

Me too. It's a shame when greed takes over.

 

[747438]

Indeed, very unfortunate, I don’t get why people choose to do it in this hobby…

Some sellers think they can become millionaires by flipping diecast airplane models, and use it as a steady income. Funny thing is if you offer the seller (tristar250) an offer even at MSRP he will still call you a cheapskate.

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[Redrado]

I don’t get much second hand old models, but when I look for some specific ones my eyes can’t believe it... specially when looking on the infamous eBay! I usually just look for some Panda and older Iberia models, out of my known retailers, and sometimes buy them if they’re at current retail price or slightly higher (and with decent shipping). Prices are absurdly high in most cases, I still can’t believe how I got the rare ones for normal prices. I understand the higher price of very rare Iberia models (DC-10, A300, CRJ…), but they’re still too high for me and for most people. The issue comes when they aren’t even rare, I just think on new people on the hobby looking for models, what will they do?

I saw this listing on eBay of I model I have released last year, thank god it has a 5% sale… also what is the point of listing models as limited editions, aren’t they all?

 

[redriveraviation]

Hm, very interesting...

 

[Steinar]

I have replied earlier in this matter. Today I searched on Ebay for offered Icelandair and SAS models for sale. My collection consist of many of these models. Some prices are really cracy. On one hand I could feel rich, but on the other hand I would never buy these prices. So still, this is up to the buyer. I would NEVER accept these ridicoulus high prices.

 

[Purpleplane]

I have replied earlier in this matter. Today I searched on Ebay for offered Icelandair and SAS models for sale. My collection consist of many of these models. Some prices are really cracy. On one hand I could feel rich, but on the other hand I would never buy these prices. So still, this is up to the buyer. I would NEVER accept these ridicoulus high prices.

I completely agree. Sometimes it's just TOO much.

 

[FunnyDrivr]

I actually think the inflation can be good it makes models "rare". Increasing the price makes more desired models be purchased by people who need them most and when you sell a model for an inflated price you are making more money then what you maybe bought it for. inflation for models can be good in reason 1K for a delta CRJ900 is too much but $100 is reasonable.

 

[Mark22]

Rare and sought after models being more expensive is normal and not something we can prevent. Is it a good thing? For sellers yes but for buyers no, because it's not about who wants it the most, but who has the biggest budget.

 

[Midwest]

A silver lining about models appreciating in value is it helps preserve more of the older models as the owners know they are now valuable. Some collectors will often neglect or handle models they don't believe to be worth all that much unlike what they would with a model that's worth $60+ usd, this is especially important when the models get older and they often times need more care to keep in good condition. So in a way it helps keep more of them around.

For those into cars in the US, you may remember when many of the 90s/00s BMW M cars were very cheap and they were getting beat into the ground by the owners and not receiving the necessary maintenance and essentially mechanically totaling the cars. Now that those cars have appreciated considerably in recent years, they are finally starting to get the maintenance and care they deserve as owners are preserving them. So far fewer are being neglected and more will be available to those who want them years from now, same with the appreciated models.

 

[Adrian]

I actually think the inflation can be good it makes models "rare". Increasing the price makes more desired models be purchased by people who need them most and when you sell a model for an inflated price you are making more money then what you maybe bought it for. inflation for models can be good in reason 1K for a delta CRJ900 is too much but $100 is reasonable.

Utter cr*p! Inflation means people have more important things to spend their money on and don't " need" expensive models and increasing the prices out of selfish greed is only adding fuel to the fire! Pricing of any item is always down to supply and demand. If collectors won't pay these ridiculous prices, there is no choice but to reduce the price or it will not sell.

 

[Jazajia]

A silver lining about models appreciating in value is it helps preserve more of the older models as the owners know they are now valuable. Some collectors will often neglect or handle models they don't believe to be worth all that much unlike what they would with a model that's worth $60+ usd, this is especially important when the models get older and they often times need more care to keep in good condition. So in a way it helps keep more of them around.

For those into cars in the US, you may remember when many of the 90s/00s BMW M cars were very cheap and they were getting beat into the ground by the owners and not receiving the necessary maintenance and essentially mechanically totaling the cars. Now that those cars have appreciated considerably in recent years, they are finally starting to get the maintenance and care they deserve as owners are preserving them. So far fewer are being neglected and more will be available to those who want them years from now, same with the appreciated models.

It doesn't do me any good how many, say, Landor Concordes are out there being well-taken care of if no one will sell me one for less than $60

Utter cr*p! Inflation means people have more important things to spend their money on and don't " need" expensive models and increasing the prices out of selfish greed is only adding fuel to the fire! Pricing of any item is always down to supply and demand. If collectors won't pay these ridiculous prices, there is not choice but to reduce the price or it will not sell.

Or stop making them

 

[Xabgoddy]

This is absolutely true, ESPECIALLY ON EBAY! The prices are extortionate, i don't know if it is because i live in Australia or something else but sellers are charging up most of $200 FOR A SINGLE MODEL. IT IS RIDICULOUS.

 

[OscarBravo992]

This is absolutely true, ESPECIALLY ON EBAY! The prices are extortionate, i don't know if it is because i live in Australia or something else but sellers are charging up most of $200 FOR A SINGLE MODEL. IT IS RIDICULOUS.

Yep… EBay AU is really bad at the moment. Greedy sellers that often hold lovely and highly sort-after models for years before listing them and everywhere. Sometimes I have no choice but to buy from them, but I mostly try and look for alternatives. Often I find myself ordering from retailers overseas because even with shipping it is cheaper than eBay AU. Hopefully things will improve, although I don’t have my hopes up.

 

[AKlein707]

Obviously the author of this post never read the definition of RETAIL Stores!!
I know exactly who the author is referencing, and he is angry at the shop in question for refusing to sell a model to him BELOW their acquisition cost! Seriously!! While there are many, what the Brits would refer to as "boot tradesman", who literally sell out of the trunk of their car with zero overhead costs, there are many brick and mortar establishments, including the one being referred to by the author, who operate a walk-in, brick and mortar shop in Tacoma, WA. This shop has to pay rent every month, whether they sell a model or not. They also need to pay utilities, salaries, and for packing supplies when they do mail order. To accept your credit card, they need to pay bank fees too! I find it very shallow for this thread to have been started, because the author couldn't buy a model for $30 from the shop in question, who paid close to $30 to acquire said model, including SHIPPING costs!! The author of this thread should be ashamed of himself for going down this road!!
As for Ebay hoarders, AeroClassics and many of their dealers have a policy in place of not allowing anyone to buy multiples of any new releases.
I personally monitor aeroclassicsdirect.com orders, and if someone goes in when the new releases are announced and attempts to purchase multiple units, their order is cancelled by yours truly.
There are many Ebay crooks out there, however, there are also a few good Ebay outlets who advertise fair prices.

 

[Irish]

I honestly don’t think that people should be allowed to determine there own “values” to models, there’s no “official” value to each models except it’s MSRP or what someone is willing to pay for it. And especially what I hate is when people try to give silly excuses and just straight up BS as their reason for overpricing a model, just say that you want more for that model, I don’t wanna hear “oh it’s worth that much blah blah.” That’s my take.

 

[Purpleplane]

I honestly don’t think that people should be allowed to determine there own “values” to models, there’s no “official” value to each models except it’s MSRP or what someone is willing to pay for it. And especially what I hate is when people try to give silly excuses and just straight up BS as their reason for overpricing a model, just say that you want more for that model, I don’t wanna hear “oh it’s worth that much blah blah.” That’s my take.

I agree completely.

 

[OscarBravo992]

I honestly don’t think that people should be allowed to determine there own “values” to models, there’s no “official” value to each models except it’s MSRP or what someone is willing to pay for it. And especially what I hate is when people try to give silly excuses and just straight up BS as their reason for overpricing a model, just say that you want more for that model, I don’t wanna hear “oh it’s worth that much blah blah.” That’s my take.

Yep, I also agree.