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What do I need to do to sell unbuilt models


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If you don't mind the work of selling them individually, you can make a post in the Buy/Sell section here. People tend to group them by scale, and then just list what you have including manufacturer info.

 

People can make offers, or you can set asking price. Typically, buyer pays shipping costs and you can provide estimates if required. If you're not sure what to ask for a kit, take a quick look at other sellers in the US are selling the same kits for. 

 

If you're hoping to sell them all as a group, that could be tougher, but less work for you if you're not in a rush.

 

Good luck! If you end up selling here, I look forward to seeing what catches my eye!

Edited by Specter1075
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If there is a local hobby shop, you might approach them. They might agree to take your models on consignment and sell them. This gives them merchandise on the shelves at not cost to them. If they accept this premise, agree to a mutually agreeable percent ratio. A lot depends on what models you have and who might want them.

 

Also..model meets, club meetings, contests, check buy/sell on ARC etc..

 

HTH

 

Bob

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Bob  Beary,

We moved from Houston to a remote location in Liberty County. There are zero model or hobby shops around here. Just deer and feral hog hunters. There is no interest on the local face book pages. The people out here just don't build plastic models.

 

After learning this I told my wife I want to find somebody who likes to build models and will find an interest in what I have collected in the past 40 years. She asked why I did not go online to the airplane center and ask. So, here I am.

 

Spector 1075,

  I do not mind selling them one at a time. I believe two or three probably saves postage. I guess I will try the Buy/Sell section.

Just for catching your eye, how about a

 

Factory sealed  Academy 1/72 KC-97G Flying Boom Tanker  Kit FA183-18000  for $35.00

 

Dennis

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Hi Dennis!

 

I hope you'll find a good home for them all. This is a good community to be part of either way. The Stratotanker is definitely a cool kit! I don't tend to build much in 1:72 but I never say never. I'll keep an eye out for any threads you post and I'll give all them a look! 

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Just don`t expect to get a ton of money for your kits. Try to give the buyer a sweet deal say if he buys more. The longer you sit on your unwanted kits the more time it will take to free yourself of them and time is more important when you`re retired. I remember i once got an Academy B-29 parts sealed from an ebayer somewhere in Texas for $22 plus shipping. I knew this guy just wanted to move on and not sit on his kits for ages trying to get an acceptable price. What is more worth, your time or your kits?

 

Seasons Greetings from Norway !

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is followup on original post.

 

Have inventoried most of the models and separated them by scale, except for rockets and missiles. Those are some odd scales. I am about to begin listing them, but I am a little nervous, having never done this before. 

 

Does anybody know how to use the PayPal Me feature ?  I am set up, but cannot seem to figure out the procedure.  I know that will be easier for the purchaser. 

 

Note to Breadneck,

  I have tried to set a discount price on everything I want to sell. I have generally looked at my original cost and knocked off 40 to 50 %. Some even more. I am not sure what the cost to mail these things so I have generically stated $6.00  S&H.  I know the USPS charges by weight, gird and distance, so I will have to pack each order and go buy postage before I will know the cost.

 

Dennis

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Hi Dennis,

 

If you give people the email address associated with your Paypal account, that would be enough for them to send money to you. For your safety, do not mail anything until you're sure the money is in your account. Another thing to be mindful of are the Paypal fees. People will be able to send payments without fees, but then have no guarantee/insurance if the kit never reaches them. Ask people to pay using "Goods and Services" so that everyone is protected. Google says that the fees are 40 cents USD per transaction, plus 2.9% of the value being sent.

 

If your Paypal account is active, you should be set. Have you gone through the process of linking it to a credit card or bank account so that you can access the money sent to you?

 

With regards to shipping, you may put yourself in a hole with a guaranteed cost. Its usually safest to say that shipping is at cost, on the buyer. It opens it up to foreigners like me. 🙂

Edited by Specter1075
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Reply to Ben Brown:  I had thought $6.00 would suffice for most individual boxes, but I do see your point.  So I will replace the fixed S&H with "buyer pays shipping". Thank you for the guidance.  Dennis

 

Reply to Spector 1075:  My PayPal account is "married" to both my credit card and my email. I am just not understanding how it works. If I follow Ben Brown's advice I will not know how much S&H to include in the total price. Not too excited about the 2.9% of the total transaction considering I have already marked all of the models down 40 - 50%, but I guess I will have to bite that bullet because MO's cost the buyer money and they also have to be mailed. I need to go find my "big boy pants". Thank you for your guidance.  Dennis

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I have shipped built models. Its not just about packing peanuts around the model. You have to make a jig that holds it secure, that is expensive. Then the mass of the model, multiplying the cost. The prices for shipping ended up being more then I charged the guy to build the model in the first place.

 

I still build for others but no longer ship. The buyer has to come to me and pick the model up. I got tired of having to repair all the tails, landing gear and weapons the broke off once the post al workers got a hold of the package.

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1 hour ago, Dennis in Houston said:

Reply to Ben Brown:  I had thought $6.00 would suffice for most individual boxes, but I do see your point.  So I will replace the fixed S&H with "buyer pays shipping". Thank you for the guidance.  Dennis

 

Reply to Spector 1075:  My PayPal account is "married" to both my credit card and my email. I am just not understanding how it works. If I follow Ben Brown's advice I will not know how much S&H to include in the total price. Not too excited about the 2.9% of the total transaction considering I have already marked all of the models down 40 - 50%, but I guess I will have to bite that bullet because MO's cost the buyer money and they also have to be mailed. I need to go find my "big boy pants". Thank you for your guidance.  Dennis

Dennis EBay will calculate the shipping for you. When a bidder buys your model you will print a shipping label that is generated by eBay and all you have to do is tape the label to the package and you are good to go.  Ebay will also release the funds from the sale to your PayPal account after a few days. 
 

it’s very safe and secure for you and saves you from calculating shipping because eBay knows where the buyer is located.

Edited by Vaildog
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Hi again, Dennis.

 

If you have linked your credit card to your PayPal account, then PayPal will have the ability to send funds to it, and to deduct from it when you make purchases. It's also possible to link to your bank account, which may be preferable since you will be receiving money. You will have to tell Paypal to deposit funds whenever you so choose; PayPal will not do it without your say-so. Your PayPal account can hold a positive balance. If you make purchases online, you can use said balance towards those purchases.

 

I wouldn't worry about paying fees. Most buyers are prepared for those things, along with shipping costs, and those should not come from your pocket. It's reasonable and normal that buyers pay for those. Of course, it's your call, but I don't want to see you come away disappointed with the experience. 

 

Definitely keep asking questions as they come up. People here are very good about helping!

 

 

Edited by Specter1075
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As far estimating the shipping costs. Once I have a seriously interested person who wants to buy the kit, I find a box that it will fit in with packing material. Then, if you have a postage scale, weight it, if not guesstimate its weight. Measure the box and then go to the USPS website. They have an area where you can enter the zipcode of the recipient (and yours), the size of the box and its weight. It will then give you a list of the various shipping options and their cost. Its not always 100% accurate. Depends on how much rounding up the teller does when measuring and weighing your package. I usually round up the size and weight and usually I am close enough, though sometimes I end up paying a little more than I asked for. I don't have a scale, but don't sell that often. If you are selling a lot of kits, a postage scale might be a good investment. They can be had for about $20 on Amazon.

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A few months ago I was in a similar position to you. I sent some emails out to some of the shops that offer to buy complete collections.
Some of the replies I got was nothing short of astounding as to how much they seem to think they are worth.

 

It seems they offer about 10-20% of their value if you were to sell them on a site like ebay yourself.

An example would be I was offered close to £5 each for the Hasegawa F-111F kit, I am working my way through over 100 of them on ebay and they are going for about £50 on average.

 

Sell them yourself

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Reply to ElectroSolder: I won't mention the name of the business that offers to buy and resale models, but I did try to do a listing back in October. I went as far as sending a complete list of what I had available and received an offer for a bundle of models. I was instructed to securely pack them and mail them to the store. They would then inspect them and eventually send me the funds electronically. I was a bit puzzled with this arrangement. There was no 1/2 down, or reimbursement of shipping and handling fees. After weeks of consternation, my wife suggested "the model website" and so here I am.  Thank you for your reply. Dennis

 

Reply to Mstor: What you described is what I have considered doing. I suppose $20 for a postage meter will be an investment for future use and will save me many trips to the post office. Thank you for the heads up.  Dennis

 

Reply to Vaildog: My wife and I seriously considered setting up an eBay sellers account, but we are both skittish about such things, so that was never a serious consideration. But now it may have to be reconsidered if things do not go well here at ARC. I prefer ARC because it feels like family and I believe who ever does buy the models will take good care of them and they will not end up at a garage sale or someone's burn pile. Thank you for your suggestion.  Dennis

 

Reply to phantom:  I will be guilty of over packing. I have seen what can happen to a model when simply wrapped in shipping paper and sent via USPS.  My wife and I have been collecting boxes since Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays and have even accumulated a fair amount of bubble wrap and peanuts so the sold models will be protected from the perils of postal transit. LOL.  Thank you for your guidance.  Dennis 

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3 hours ago, Dennis in Houston said:

...My wife and I have been collecting boxes since Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays and have even accumulated a fair amount of bubble wrap and peanuts so the sold models will be protected from the perils of postal transit. LOL.  Thank you for your guidance.  Dennis 

If you go to the USPS.com site, you can order Priority Mail shipping boxes for free. I just got another 25-pack of the 15"x12"x3" (O-1095s) last week. Good size for models, but they have all different sizes. Your local PO probably has some to get you started. Just NEVER get/use the Flat Rate boxes - the shipping on the smaller Flat Rate is $14 and goes way up with the larger sizes. Models don't weigh enough to justify using them. Flat Rate is for heavy stuff only; USPS advertises them on TV because of all the suckers who don't know better. Regular Priority Mail is fine for models.

Scale. Here's what I use - https://www.amazon.com/ACCUTECK-W-8250-50bs-Digital-Adapter-Silver/dp/B00SMHWZ42/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=digital+scale&qid=1579106189&sr=8-13  Cheap and effective; best $16 I've spent for shipping supplies.

With a scale and a tape measure, you go to "Calculate a Price" on usps.com and get an estimate. Shipping has gone way, way up; it's not $6 anymore. I sold a bunch of kits last month on Facebook (Scale Model Graveyard Auction group); shipping was around $7-9 for very small kits and $11-16 for big ones. 

USPS will pick them up at your house for free. Just go to "Schedule a Pickup" at usps.com with the quantity and total weight. Unless you like hauling them to the local PO and shooting the breeze with the Postmaster. I used to do that when I lived in a small mountain town.

Paypal. Make sure your customers only pay by Goods and Services, NEVER Family and Friends. For one thing you can't print a shipping label within Paypal if they pay by F&F. and you will have to copy/paste transfer all the info to the usps.com site.  Also with G&S you have some protection in case they claim they didn't receive it.

Good luck and happy retirement.

Bob at Sierra Scale

Edited by sierrascale
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Reply to Bob at Sierra Scale: Wow, thank you for the much needed assistance. I just purchased the meter from Amazon, so I should be able to do the listings next week with semi accurate postage info and be ready to start selling. I just hope there are buyers wanting what I have.  Dennis

 

Reply to Vaildog: I am not skeptical of eBay, just skittish of trying to get set up and all that they require. Specter 1075  summed up our hesitation, but actually my wife and I are closer now to dipping our toes into the eBay pond because we have other things that we would like to sell.  This part of Texas is just hunting, fishing and ATV riding in the swamps. I believe this experience will probably set things in motion. We will see.  Thank you for asking.  Dennis

 

 

 

 

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35 minutes ago, Dennis in Houston said:

Reply to Vaildog: I am not skeptical of eBay, just skittish of trying to get set up and all that they require.

 

 

 

 

I used to do a lot of eBay selling, but their fees have gone way up, around 13% now, so I quit and only use Facebook now - specifically, The Scale Model Graveyard group, which has tens of thousands of members.

 

They have weekend auctions, from Friday 10pm EST to Sunday 10pm EST, so it's not dragged out. Direct sales (non-auctions) on weekdays. Best part - no fees! (well, you still have the Paypal fees, of course ). Just be sure to read their rules carefully. And then read them again. And again. There are lots of rules and it's easy to get muted or banned, but overall it's a easy way to offload kits. Easy to list items (much easier than eBay). Easy to add photos too. You have to fiddle with using FB Messenger after the auctions to msg the winners and give them your Paypal address and the total, but you'll get the hang of it.  Lots of old fogeys will tell you to avoid Facebook, but it's the easiest method I've ever used, and I've been selling models since I rotated back from Japan in 1985 with over 1000 kits. In those days, I had to put an ad in the FineScale Modeler classifieds and corresponded with buyers using mail. Took forever.

If you decide to use the Graveyard, let me know and I'll help get you started. One of the admins on the Graveyard group travels all over the South and buys bulk lots of kits, and he's also in Texas, so you may want to go that way. You won't make as much money but it would save you a lot of time.

Bob at Sierra Scale

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Start small. Sell a couple of kits and see what works/doesn’t for you.  Adjust as you see fit. You don’t need to have it all figured out on Sale #1

 

.

 

Edited by habu2
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I agree with Habu. Make a quick post in the Buy/Sell portion of this website, listing a handful of kits with what you want for them, and see how it goes. That would be the quickest way to garner interest and test out Paypal. People here will be more inclined to help you out and/or be patient while you get thing sorted than they will be on eBay.

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Reply to habu2 and Specter1075:  I did intend to start small, at the low end of the price spectrum, to get my feet wet and to avoid being over whelmed and to not alienate potential buyers. I linked my PayPal.me account to my bank this morning and I used the link to Amazon provided by SierraScale earlier today to order the postal meter. It should be here Monday.  I have spent most of the day sorting all the models by scale and noting their shelf location in my inventory spread sheet.

  In doing so I came across two boxes of 1/48 and 1/72 planes that my wife bought at a yard sale 14 years ago. Everyone of them has something missing, so I'm thinking a group of 13 at 1/48 scale for about $45.  Is it routine to try to sell a group of models together for a super low price, or should I just list them at a separate price ???  I know it will be a whole lot easier to ship them in these two boxes.   I am very grateful for all of the responses and assistance.  Dennis

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