Have you sold, or considered selling your entire collection?

[Dave Roof]

Gentlemen,

I've been giving this a lot of thought over the past few days and wanted to know if any of you have done it.

I am currently sitting on about 300+/- kits. Not a lot compared to some, I know. The last kit I built was a 1/24th Revell VW Bug for a customer at the local Hobbytown (A fun build that took all of three days!). The last kit before that was over 10 years ago.

Of the 300 or so in the stash, there are about 50 that I either can't get again, or I wouldn't be able to get again without spending a small fortune. The rest can easily be replaced if needed. One of the problems I have is never being able to decide on what to build (like a woman with a closet full of clothes that never has anything to wear)! My hope is that if there is no 'stash', it may be easier to actually sit down and build a model. The attempted plan is to buy and build one at a time.

Have any of you done this, and if so, did it work for you?

[gonzalo]

Dave,

I actually did that. About two years or so ago I decided to sell off my entire stash. My intention was to build one model finish it then buy and build another. That lasted for about 6 months. Slowly but surely I started buying kits again and the only thing getting built was my stash. I fell into the trap of I must have this kit now or I watched a movie or documentary and decided I wanted to build that or this. The good news is my current stash is nowhere as big as my last one. I have realized that I have a problem. Some may not consider buying plastic kits a problem but it can be an issue. I realized I had a problem when I started buying kits that did not really interest me. I do not know why I did it. So, now I started building my kits. It turns out they are a lot more fun being built than being inside cardboard boxes. I also decided to sell of part of my stash as well, sometimes I give stuff away!This time however, I am not selling it all at the same time, cold turkey usually doesn't work. So now I build, enjoy, relax, and sell and occasionally buy.

[Rex]

Dave, I "sort of" did this once. I sold off all of the non-USN/USMC kits in my stash, in order to concentrate on just one theme. Then I gradually bought all of the USN/USMC subject kits I "needed",,,but, I had to get all of them at current prices, I had missed a bunch when they were available at regular prices.

If you do try this,,,,,look at your stash, and make sure the ones you keep are the ones made of "never will see them again" (unobtanium)

Because of the way I did it,,,,,,,I still don't have an RM coded RF-4B in my stash, to fill out the set of USMC Phantoms, even though Hasegawa did one of their boxings of this unit.

Of course, I have Tiger Moths again, and an F-15E, etc,,,,,,they will creep back in again.

Just be extremely picky about which ones you sell off, and which you keep.

Heck, I've bought so many kits from you that I thought you were already selling your stash.

[jester292]

Sold of my entire "stash" once (about 50 kits). Once I started selling a couple here and a couple there, it started to feel good, and almost liberating to be out from under it. I liked watching my savings grow. I bought a couple rare kits with the money, and then vacationed in Prague.

Aaron

[yardbird78]

I have never sold the entire stash in the past, but I am seriously considering it now. I have about 350 to 400, mostly airplanes. I am 70+ years old and will never get more than a few of them built, so I should sell them and not force that job on my kids.

[habu2]

Don't take this personally but...

Your problem isn't your stash, it's you / your head. You need to adjust your mental attitude towards building, not towards your stash.

I say this with sincerity because I have had the same problem. I also know that if I had a stash of only one kit I couldn't / wouldn't make time to build it right now. Maybe later, but not now.

I also anticipate / fear the remorse from letting go of a kit that may seem replaceable now but may not be in the future. A bird in the hand if you will. Or maybe that's just me rationalizing...

There will come a time / age when I will have to face they will never get built, but I'm not there yet.

[Scooby]

I've been downsizing, it takes time. I have roughly 200 kits left. I only have the most prized kits left that do have value. If I started selling my 1/48 Hasegawa Skyhawks I'd be rich.

I'm seriously considering only building 1/32 Tamiya kits, they are a pure joy to build and have restored my desire to build. If I switch to 1/32 I'd only have 20 kits in the stash, all Tamiya

No duff, I sold 25k on eBay last year, I made a goldmine on decals. There were a few threads on various forums in regards to some of my decals that sold for $150 plus. I didn't make the people bid and was surprised by what people were bidding. At one point I did a completed auction search for 1/48 decals. I filtered them by price from highest to lowest. At one point my auctions were 35 of the top 50.

[Thommo]

Mine are all Matchbox kits - I would be selling our children's inheritance :o

Either way, they are not amused :lol:

[Kurt H.]

It is a daily struggle.

I have had a few purges on ebay in the past, and later on went out and found the same kits again. At one point I had to keep most of my stash in a storage unit and was really dismayed at the fact I was paying $90 a month just to store them. I even tried to connect with The rare-plane detective when he was going to be in town. I just wanted the kits to go away.

Sometimes I feel like If I could snap my fingers and have my stash gone, I would. Other times I embrace my stash and planning upcoming projects. My problem is I will binge on buying kits of a given type, then my interests will shift and I am on to some other subject.

I am about to embark on another great eBay purge, I took 3 moving boxes of assorted kits from my father who is downsizing and moving far away... the kits are mostly raffle prizes from years of us going to shows and buying lots of tickets. They just sat in his basement for years.

But yeah, I have aspirations of being able to finish kits as quickly as our friend phantom, then the stash will go away properly.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Kurt H.

[cag_200]

My stash begun to grow when the internet started and payments could be made easily.

The modelshops are disappearing, the one I had in Eindhoven town shut its doors for good.

In the past I had to spent my earnings to furniture and decorading the place.

Later I started to save some extra, and bought a kit once and then.

I love my kits ;)/>

Mayby I will experience the modeller-fase of "let go" but still have the "need" for speed.

Edited March 2, 2016 by cag_200

[nerdling]

Recently I've been considering culling the stash as well. My wife and I recently moved to a new place and after unpacking the stash I began to realize that a vast majority of the kits just didn't hold much interest for me anymore. Mostly stuff that I found for dirt cheap or got in a lot of other kits. I'd rather have fewer kits that I'd want to build instead of a huge amount of kits that will just sit there.

[adamitri]

Dave.... your collection probably has more of a selection than your local hobbytown. I know my stash does. I am getting ready to get rid of most of the kits i dont want or started and have no desire finishing. Some stuff i plan on selling others i am donating to the VA Hosp in San Antonio. I just wish it wasnt 90 miles away. I feel your pain though. Modelling has changed so much with the invention of the internet. Make a web page or FB page, do an inventory and sell what you dont plan on keeping. And from one vet to another... thank you for serving.

[jinmmydel]

I sold my entire armor stash last year when I realized I no longer had interest in building any of it. I've also sold off most of my small scale junk 1/48 and lower because it just doesn't interest me anymore. I have no problem, really, with buying and hoarding kits. I don't build them as fast as I buy them, but I have no problem building. Now, my buying has slowed down significantly now that a lot of what I'm building is sent to me free. So, as I have less time for "personal" builds there's just not as much a reason to stash. I'm also more particular about what I buy. I'm sticking to high end kits, and stuff that I've not seen lots of negative stuff about re: fit and engineering, etc.

[Janissary]

I consider myself to be a minimalist so when my stash went up to 5 kits, I panicked and got rid of 3 of them in a hurry. I was down to 2 for a while, received a free kit from Tan Model, so now I have 3 in the stash.

Having only a handful helps me envision the things I want to do with them in more visual detail. Every now and then, I create an image in my head about what each one should eventually look like, and research online when the time permits, long before I start the build. With a large stash, I can easily see myself losing this sense of inspiration, and each model becoming more of a chore to get through rather than fun.

So,

[k5ikl]

I have never sold the entire stash in the past, but I am seriously considering it now. I have about 350 to 400, mostly airplanes. I am 70+ years old and will never get more than a few of them built, so I should sell them and not force that job on my kids.

I am exactly in the same boat with Yardbird. It's time I do something to the effort of

trying to unload a whole bunch of the 300+ in my closets so my kids don't get stuck with

having to sell them.

Jerry

[TaiidanTomcat]

The short answer is yes I have considered it, and many variations in between.

A lot of good suggestions on this thread, like selling for quality over quantity. like so many people the stash becomes more of a burden than a help. I spend my bench time organizing and managing it instead of building. Retain your tools and research material for the most part (<-- true even if you get rid of the whole stash)

Dave my suggestion would be to set a standard like culling 1/3 of the stash or set a quota (I vowed to sell 500 dollars worth of kits). list The kits you least like. put them here on ARC, You will get lots of bites. see how you feel. repeat if necessary.

[galileo1]

... With a large stash, I can easily see myself losing this sense of inspiration, and each model becoming more of a chore to get through rather than fun.

Wow, you seriously nailed my feelings exactly!! I "only" have 50 kits in the stash but every time I come to build something, I look at the stash and I simply don't have the will to pull out a kit from it. I then I ask myself, "dude, wasn't that the reason for buying all these kits? You know, to pick whatever you want?" Not so, it's become a chore just getting something from the stash. It has gotten so bad that every time I want to work on something new I end up looking online and browse for kits to buy. I may have to try selling my stuff too and see how it goes.

Problem is though, I'm afraid I'll never be able to buy again some of kits I have in there. Something to think about for sure.

Rob

Edited March 2, 2016 by galileo1

[Whiskey]

I did it a couple years ago and I almost hate myself for it. I just wanted to get rid of everything because I was tired of hauling my stash every time I moved (Army) and it was taking up space. So finally I just said screw it, someone come buy this from me. I let it all go for like 4 or 500 bucks. I say I hate myself because I had 2 of Joseph Osborn's AH-1S modifications in 1/32 and 2 of Floyd Werner's completely new resin AH-1F kits in 1/48. Plus I remember I had 2 Paragon OV-10 kits that I found for a what should have been a crime's worth.

Anyway I have built up a small stash in my closet that my wife is kinda pissed at me about cause well, it costs money lol. But I will forever regret getting rid of those rare kits that I did like an idiot.

[kenlilly106]

To add to the part about keeping hard to replace items, one thing to consider (and I have in regards to a bulk sell off) is that if you have kits that are easy to replace are you willing to pay today's prices for them if you replace them? Especially if you've had them for a while before the prices went up.

Ex: I bought a lot of Hasegawa 1/48 F-14's a decade or so ago, I got them for $30-40/ea. If I replace them today I'll spend at least $10-15 more for each one. So for the time being I'll keep them.

Ken

[zerosystem]

Then there is the issue of getting paid for what you sell and in turn spending it against your plans...on new kits.

[Dave Roof]

Thank you all for your input. I have actually decided to liquidate the stash and not look back. To make things easy, I'm only going to list 10 kits at a time until I work through everything I want to part with. The Atlanta IPMS show is on the 19th, so I'll be taking most of it there. Several years ago I had over 2600 kits and realized that none of them are really missed, nor have I regretted selling them off over a number of years. I'm pretty confident the current stash won't be missed and I won't have any regrets this time around either.

[TaiidanTomcat]

Then there is the issue of getting paid for what you sell and in turn spending it against your plans...on new kits.

My method. DOH!

[habu2]

This is so true, I can really relate to that bit of philosophy... :(

[Ryan Hothersall]

I could never sell my stash, but I recently had to sort out my book collection.

My main problem was that I'd acquired a lot of pictorial history of flight type books which essentially had the same information in them, as the shelves were double stacked which made finding things increasingly difficult.

I kept books that are relevant to what I build (Soviet & Russian) jets, books about airliners and airlines and weather books.

[jpk]

Like Rex after years of collecting, really just a lot of impulse buying, I decided to concentrate on my real core interest, 1/48 post war USN subjects. I sold off my collection of old Monogram 4 star kits as well as other subjects to narrow the collection down. Now, aside from just a couple of kits outside my primary area of interest, my collection is virtually all USN subjects in 1/48.