http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/7.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net
I'm sat here going through this months finances and it aint looking good so I'm thinking of what I can sell and would like some advice.

first up, flea-bay. is it better to sell as an army or split into units?

What sorta thing sells well on ebay? does 40k or WFB sell better and which things in particular?

I have some really old classic stuff from the 80s

Minotaurs like this (this one and others from same range)..
[img]http://www.solegends.com/citjour86a/cj86ap24c34minotaurlord-02.jpg[/img]

and Realm of Chaos champions like these..
[img]http://www.solegends.com/citcat89/c890219chaosbeastmen-02.jpg[/img]

are they worth anything? if not I'll not ebay them as I'm quite fond of them.

Do non GW minis sell? I have some beautys from the likes of Heresy but dont know if they'll go for a pittence as they are not official GW.

I also have stacks of these fellas, worthless now?
[img]http://www.solegends.com/citcat88/4301eldar-02.jpg[/img]

Please help, any info will br great, I'm not jumping ship, just need some cash for boring stuff and have boxes of minis sitting there.

cheers in adv

ps just seen this on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/the-sabbat-worlds-crusade-collectors-edition-book-rare_W0QQitemZ290223723682QQihZ019QQcategoryZ90944QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

thats gotta be a little optimistic? is that book particularly rare?


]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/281856.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/281856.page GMT HH book is especially silly, that's £30 new and is still available everywhere.

As for your stuff I wouldn't say any of it was especially valuable, though you never know. I'm not really an expert. What sort of prices are you expecting?

Do you have the guy in the top left of the second pic?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282010.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282010.page GMT OOP eldar you have, I'd be interested in at least taking a look at them.

I've been liquidating my stuff over the past few months, and I've learned a thing or two. First: almost nothing will sell for what you think it will. Some things will be higher, some lower, but eBay, even with a seven day auction, is lightning in a bottle. If 3 people each want a lot, the price goes realy high. If two of those bought a similar item last week, the price for guy three is lower.

For really old and rare stuff, things so rare there's not a lot of traffic on eBay, prices are very hard to judge. Keep in mind that truly OOP (as in, haven't been available in any retail form for at least a few years) will almost always got a for a few bucks a peice, and frequently will go for more.

Maximizing eBay profit isn't that hard, there are a few rules to follow, and then after that it's mostly experience:
1) Always take good pictures and provide complete descriptions/inventories. If a buyer knows exactly what's in there, he'll bid more.
2) divide what you're selling into sensible lots. Individual figures have too high overhead (fees and shipping) to make money on anything not propainted or insanely rare. OTOH, giant lots will generally go for far less then the sum of the parts because hardly anybody wants everything in a lot. Ideal lots are squads, individual vehicles, etc.
3) As a general rule, the ranking of sale price, highest to lowest, goes like this: Propainted > NIB > Well Painted > STripped > Primed > Poorly painted. This rule is more flexible for competent paint jobs in codex schemes.
4) Armies that are decently painted an tied together will sell for more than the sum of the parts, if, and only if, the army is completely playable and includes a currenly hot build.
5) Get free priority boxes from USPS, and for smaller items use First Class and ship in Trading card boxes (they're about 50 cents each in bulk)
6) Shipping to other countries is a hassle, but it's a great way to make more money and have more bidders.
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282019.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282019.page GMT oop eldar.
To answer your question I think I have ALL of the eldar shown, most muliple times. I also have others from the same time such as the then odd looking d cannon and the all metal bikes., a lot was released as "Space Elves". ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282056.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282056.page GMT oop eldar.
To answer your question I think I have ALL of the eldar shown, most muliple times. I also have others from the same time such as the then odd looking d cannon and the all metal bikes., a lot was released as "Space Elves". [/quote]

I have sold a lot of stuff on ebay so I will share some advice.

1. October and November are really good months to sell stuff. People getting ready for Christmas and the holidays don't seem to mind spending stuff. And after Christams until about March seem to be pretty poor times to sell stuff.

2. I have found that almost everything I listed sold for at least what I listed it for and usually more. The key to this is knowing what something is worth and not overpricing it. It is better to underprice something then to have a starting price that is too high. Remember you want to get bidding started.

3. Indiividually each of those old metal miniatures is probably about 3 dollars but you need to consider how you are going to sell them. As singles you need to offer a very good rate for combining auctions. Remember they are only worth about 3 dollars apiece so you can't charge much more then $.50 cents for combining auctions because you will drive people away. Now as larger lots (say perhaps 5 miniatures) you will probably guarantee you sell all of them but you may end up getting less per inidivdual model.

4. Painted miniatures can be tricky. You really need to evaluate your painting honestly. Even ok paint jobs will often sell for less then the original cost of the miniatures. You are really only guaranteed to get good money back if you are actually a good painter. So if your painting isn't good you may just want to strip those miniatures down and sell them like that. I can not stress this point enough as it can really cost you some money. Just because you spent a lot of time and effort to paint your miniatures doesn't mean you are going to see any return on it.

5. Do not charge an outrageous handling fee and be upfront about the handling fee. I usually charged an extra $1.50 plus an additional $.75 for each auction won. I felt this was fair and never had anyone complain. But no matter how much you decide to charge make sure you are very clear about the conditions.

6. When you ship always get delivery confirmation. If you are paid through paypal this is the only way to protect yourself. I passed the additional $.55 off to the customer. Again this was very clear in my adds.

7. Be honest about what you are selling. Especially the condition or any damage that has been done.

8. Take very good pictures. If people can't see it they are less likely to buy it (or if they do they will pay less for it).]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282098.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282098.page GMT GW stuff on eBay this year. OOP and "classic" stuff does have a market -- if you are lucky you can get some good money for it (maybe not more than you spent in the first place, but it's cash.) I would give the following advice.

1. Split the figures into sensible collections -- a unit, a related group (I flogged two sets of Squat Command) and so on.

2. Take a decent photo and describe the figures accurately. If they are still in print, mention the current cost and contrast how cheap yours are.

3. If the figures are well painted make this a virtue. If they are only primed or badly painted, you have the choice of stripping them yourself or say how they can be stripped.

4. Include the required bases.

5. Check the market before you put yours on. Do a search for your figures, you may find a very similar collection has sold recently and there are disappointed bidders. I got rid of a bunch of Judge Dredd stuff that way -- I found the just closed auction, contacted the losing bidder and alerted him to my auction. Then I put my figures up for a Buy Now price the same as what he missed the other lot for. If you put it on as a standard auction, list it at a low price but beware if there are not a lot of bidders you could lose out.

6. Once the stuff is sold make sure you pack it nicely and despatch it quickly. Keep in touch with your buyers -- it helps to build a good reputation.

7. Always do registered delivery on big sales and overseas sales. There is no protection from eBay, PayPal or the Post Office if your shipment gets lost, if you do not have the registered delivery.

8. Good luck!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282108.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282108.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282152.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282152.page GMT
for some reason when I post from work it claims I'm American, I'm not I'm up in Newcastle.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282161.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282161.page GMT ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282172.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282172.page GMT
Sorry I dont have that one, I'll have to take pics of the chaos champs I have cos theres others thats arent shown there.

Whitley Bay? Well I can't say much bad about the place, I actually work nearby in Shiremoor and am a fan of the Whitley Warriors.

I just went hunting thru my spare room which is chock full of minis and the first thought was "Aha! Chaos Dwarfs! I know they go for a bit".

Now I've dug them all out I was overcome with the desire to paint them and have started on them and I now dont wanna sell them.

God I'm useless]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282208.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282208.page GMT
[quote=Polonius]like this: [u][b]Propainted[/b][/u]> NIB > Well Painted > STripped > Primed > Poorly painted. [/quote]
"Propainted", to me (and MANY other people I know/have talked to), is the first sign to skip that auction. Everybody and their mother thinks their stuff is "propainted" and they list it as such. Generally, I have found that either;

A) The seller is lying. He put "propainted" in the title to garner more hits.
B)The seller is stupid. The models are not very good or table-top standards at best. Either way, I can paint better than most "propainted" auctions I see. I am no where near a "pro."
C) The miniature is actually painted to standard that exceeds most people's skill with a brush. This truly is a professional-lookign paintjob.

In all three cases, "propainted" is a death sentence for your auction, in my book. Even in the case of 'C' above, the model is likely too expensive to be worth it for me. I prefer to paint my own stuff anyway...


SO, yeah. That's my $0.02.



Ghidorah]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282232.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282232.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282249.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282249.page GMT
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282410.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282410.page GMT
It also takes us back to bad old days of eBay, when people would bulk buy Cd-roms full of crappy programs, and list them endlessly on ebay for like, $7. The auction title usually looked like "676 PROGRAMS-GAMES!!!!! CD-ROM!!!! CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Seriously though, don't insult your audience. The people buying OOP GW figs off of eBay know what they're buying and know how to buy on eBay. Tricks and smoke and mirrors won't help you.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282664.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282664.page GMT

Polonius, good point about cheap. tbh it wouldn't put me off bidding, but I always feel a little insulted (mainly in titles of advertisment threads - "eBay woodelves cheap!!!" etc).]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282668.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/282668.page GMT
am gonna try and scrape through the month without selling too much or stuff I still like. Maybe some of the vast horde of 360 games can go. My problem is I never trade them in so theres over 50 of the bleeders sat on a shelf!]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/283873.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/283873.page GMT Just to reinforce my previous statements about "propainted" in auction titles, this guy has the subject line as:
[quote=crimson-fenix]Warhammer - PRO Painted High Elf Army lot (2000 points)[/quote]

and, as if to legitimize his claim of "PRO painted" minis, he adds in the description:
[quote=crimson-fenix]...and PRO Painted (Professional tattoo artist - 5 years experience)[/quote]

Because weilding a tatto gun is SOOOOOO much like weilding a Windsor & Newton 0000.








Also, just for our viewing pleasure, here are a couple of pics of this [url=http://cgi.ebay.com/Warhammer-PRO-Painted-High-Elf-Army-lot-2000-points_W0QQitemZ130217083065QQihZ003QQcategoryZ45364QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem]PRO painted army[/url] by this gifted painter/tattoo artist:

[img]http://i2.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/eb/bd/8eeb_1.JPG[/img]

[img]http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/eb/bd/9071_1.JPG[/img]

[img]http://i22.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/eb/bd/93a7_1.JPG[/img]


So, yeah. For anyone reading this, unless you've taken Gold or the Sword in a Golden Demon (or are comparable in skill), don't waste our time with "pro painted." You just get laughed at on forums...



Ghidorah]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/284957.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/284957.page GMT [img]http://www.snoopbloggyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/mr-cool-ice-1.jpg[/img]

and in an attempt to keep it on topic, if you are selling stuff on ebay then the best way to drive interest is to pimp it on forums as much as possible. If you have a lot of unplayed xbox (and other) games, or unwanted DVDs, then that is usually a better thing to sell first of all as they are easier to get back if you regret it 5 years later.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/284982.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/284982.page GMT
One thing I would also recommend, which might seem silly, is that you really are careful with your title. eBay thankfully recognizes 40k and 40,000 as the same thing, but "Warhammer" and "Warhamer" are not. I have gotten some dirt cheap minis by virtue of searching for misspellings.

Also, I really agree that painted miniatures do not really merit much attention unless they are both really good, and in a color scheme that matches what I have. Something like a greater daemon can be pretty much whatever color it wants and it is fine, but a squad of marines painted up in a day-glo orange color scheme is of no use to me, or at least not more than primes/bare plastic.

Something I would recommend as well is putting a link to the figure one either GW's site, or someone's site that has a nicely painted copy. I don't think there is anything wrong with that legally, though I could be wrong. The reason though is that looking at baremetal in a smallish eBay picture sometimes leaves a lot of questions in my mind as to what it actually looks like. I don't even buy off the Warstore without finding a bigger picture somewhere online if I can. Now, things like "Space Marine Squad" probably don't need that, but "Rogue Trader Era Eldar Exarch" probably does.

Good luck man! ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285106.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285106.page GMT
Additionally, now that negative feedback can't be left for sellers, has anybody actually had any luck with a feedback abuse claim with eBay? I had a buyer neg me for not including flying bases in a lot of tau drones when they weren't mentioned in the decription or included in the picture. I reported him, but I haven't heard back yet from eBay (this was 4 days ago already).

Until just recently I've had nothing but great experiences on eBay, but I've had one buyer be a total dick, and another who is either pissed at USPS and will take it out on me, or is just working me for free stuff.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285205.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285205.page GMT

Ghidorah]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285320.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285320.page GMT
Ozymandias, King of Kings]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285345.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285345.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285483.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/285483.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/A_Guide_to_Selling_Miniatures_on_Ebay]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286220.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286220.page GMT
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WARHAMMER-SPACE-WOLF-LORD-LOGAN-GRIMNAR-PRO-PAINTED_W0QQitemZ300220034013QQihZ020QQcategoryZ44124QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286348.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286348.page GMT
the 'pro painters' haven't caught on yet as far as we can tell.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286357.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286357.page GMT
That is a Prince August balrog with the whip clipped off. it is NOT an oop bloodthirster of Khorne.

Yeah that booster of unpainted Pig-Iron kolony troops are "buy it now" at ten bucks cheaper than you'd see from retail(and that's nice) but for some reason YOU told me they were Forge world deathkorps of Krieg. There are no eagles or lasrifles or heavy weapons or powerswords/chainswords. They are not made of resin. They are not hyperdetailed (though they are anice). It's okay to put a suggestion of what you feel they "might" be good for in the notes but why lie to me? If you lie about what you've got then surely you've at least considered lying to me about other things (like whether or not you plan to send me the thing when you get the money!)

If you don't know what something is then describe it in general terms. "Big multi-part horned winged flaming demon with sword and broken whip" is fine. "WW1/2 germanic inspired sci-fi Soldiers with boxy rifles, greatcoats, stahlhelms and gas masks" is fine.

Also why is there always such astronomically high shipping ? How is it ever going to be a bargain if you require that the buyer pay through the nose for supposedly super ultra-fast mega deluxe courier shipping?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286530.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286530.page GMT
Also why is there always such astronomically high shipping ? How is it ever going to be a bargain if you require that the buyer pay through the nose for supposedly super ultra-fast mega deluxe courier shipping?[/quote]

Some of it is simply greed, to wring a few more bucks out of somebody by hoping they don't see the shipping cost before bidding. Some of it is simply folks who eyeball shipping and tend to guess high, so as not to eat the cost. Some of it is an attempt to recoup eBay and paypal fees, which are in no way inconsequential. Finally, some of it is just asshats being asshats.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286535.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286535.page GMT
Also why is there always such astronomically high shipping ? How is it ever going to be a bargain if you require that the buyer pay through the nose for supposedly super ultra-fast mega deluxe courier shipping?[/quote]

Generally its to do with the amount of time it takes to pack it and ship it as well as the actual shipping fee, plus there are paypal fees, the fact that shipping is a standardised cost etc

I always have a surcharge with my shipping because alot of the time it can take quite a while for me to actually carefully wrap up the minis individually in bubble wrap and get them to you in one piece, that time could be spent studying, working on comissions etc.

then again people don't come to me for cheap bargains so I can't speak for that part of the ebay crowd

[quote] (like whether or not you plan to send me the thing when you get the money!)[/quote]

thats what the feedback system is there for guy. Regardless, I'm p sure scammers on ebay find more lucurative markets than second hand miniature selling]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286670.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286670.page GMT
And wrapping ten or so figs "well" is about three minutes work at most assuming you have opposable thumbs. It's less when the stuff is already in a box or blister. The item really ought to be ready to ship just as soon as you put it on e-bay for sale.

Other than hard to find stuff ebay is mostly ABOUT bargains for most people. Otherwise people'd order from the the wasrstore or some other retailer or leave a wanted add on a trade site.

I think Polnius has the right of things . May he forever be on the look out for the careless ire of morose Hamlets.

BTW I got ripped off by a guy in Canada who was selling a VOID 1.1 box through an e-bay store. I left bad feedback. His rep is like totally ruined now with 3% bad feedback and all he got for it was $50. Sucker! I really took him for a ride! He didn't know who he was messin' with! ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286674.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286674.page GMT
And wrapping ten or so figs "well" is about three minutes work at most assuming you have opposable thumbs. It's less when the stuff is already in a box or blister. The item really ought to be ready to ship just as soon as you put it on e-bay for sale.
.[/quote]

Sorry but this just isnt true in the case of painted miniatures, especially when selling a squad or platoons worth.

And again, feedback is feedback. People dont build up a big rep on ebay only to throw it away for chump change. if a seller has 200+ positive feedback they are pretty trustable, this is coming from somone with over 600 transactions on ebay and is a power seller who has had his fair share of scams attempted at him.

[quote=palaeomerus]
BTW I got ripped off by a guy in Canada who was selling a VOID 1.1 box through an e-bay store. I left bad feedback. His rep is like totally ruined now with 3% bad feedback and all he got for it was $50. Sucker! I really took him for a ride! He didn't know who he was messin' with! [/quote]

3% neg feedback is actually considered pretty high on ebay, anything below 97%, especially if they recieved it as the seller, tends to make me suspicious. The only problem I find is buyers feedback is also thrown into the same category which sucks because i've had a couple crappy sellers leave counter feedback for me because I was unimpressed with their service.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286676.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286676.page GMT I re-organized/consolidated the wiki article on this subject to make it flow a little better instead of a big list of bullet-points, and I added a few of my own nuggets of advice.

Mainly, I talked about the time of week/day to start/end your auction (since that wasn't covered) and my feelings about charging extra on the 'handling' charge (I'm for it).


Check it out here:

[url]http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/A_Guide_to_Selling_Miniatures_on_Ebay[/url]

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286701.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286701.page GMT
Sorry but this just isnt true in the case of painted miniatures, especially when selling a squad or platoons worth.

[/quote]

Yes it is. A platoon is around forty figs so you are all the way up to twelve minutes now. I've shipped stuff. Tissue paper + bubble wrap + tape doesn't take very long for each figure then you wrap all of them in foam(sort of roll them up in it and put that in bubble wrap in the box it goes with crumpled paper to brace the corners. It works fine and doesn't take very long. I've shipped stuff back home that I bought and painted while traveling. Packing is not really worth big $ nor is it some obscure artisans that justifies big $.

[quote=HF]

And again, feedback is feedback. People dont build up a big rep on ebay only to throw it away for chump change. if a seller has 200+ positive feedback they are pretty trustable, this is coming from somone with over 600 transactions on ebay and is a power seller who has had his fair share of scams attempted at him.

[/quote]

That's a wonderful platitude but not really worth much ultimately. And people DO build up a rep on small stuff and then chuck it for a big score and then make a new account to do the whole thing over again. Books have been written about the e-bay scammers and how they operate. Nor do scammers avoid figurines as small potatoes. Some even sell fake sketches of comic arstists software boxes etc. What a scammer considers a big score varies but it does occur and e-bay and their feedback system do nothing really to prevent it.

[quote=HF]
3% neg feedback is actually considered pretty high on ebay, anything below 97%, especially if they recieved it as the seller, tends to make me suspicious. The only problem I find is buyers feedback is also thrown into the same category which sucks because i've had a couple crappy sellers leave counter feedback for me because I was unimpressed with their service.[/quote]

Yeah. Like I said before. Feedback really isn't much of a defense against anything and really doesn't inhibit much bad behavior or even indicate bad behavior. It's not much of trustwarthy barometer of anything. Good people have undeserved bad feedback and bad people have great feedback until they can cash in on that trust and then $ trumps rep because rep can be built up again under a different name or store selling more nicknacks.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286723.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286723.page GMT
So, consider us all aware that you find:
1) Handling charges outrageous.
2) eBay full of scammers.

Can we avoid a giant thread about the evils of ebay now?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286727.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286727.page GMT


Yes it is. A platoon is around forty figs so you are all the way up to twelve minutes now. I've shipped stuff. Tissue paper + bubble wrap + tape doesn't take very long for each figure then you wrap all of them in foam(sort of roll them up in it and put that in bubble wrap in the box it goes with crumpled paper to brace the corners. It works fine and doesn't take very long. I've shipped stuff back home that I bought and painted while traveling. Packing is not really worth big $ nor is it some obscure artisans that justifies big $.[/quote]

you pack painted minis in tissue paper? wow, just wow.

adding a 5 dollar surplus to your shipping charges for the time it takes you to go out buy the boxes, pack the items, fill out the customs forms and take them to the post office is far from unreasonable, especially for people who time is an issue.

[quote=HF]
That's a wonderful platitude but not really worth much ultimately. And people DO build up a rep on small stuff and then chuck it for a big score and then make a new account to do the whole thing over again. Books have been written about the e-bay scammers and how they operate. Nor do scammers avoid figurines as small potatoes. Some even sell fake sketches of comic arstists software boxes etc. What a scammer considers a big score varies but it does occur and e-bay and their feedback system do nothing really to prevent it.[/quote]

actually the kind of people that use small sales and then turn to scamming generally only have around 10 - 20 feedback. somone with 300+ transactions with a high ratio of positive feedback isn't going to throw that away for 50 bucks.

You also do realise that Paypal pretty much insures transactions under 400 dollars for buyers to the point of completely disregarding the sellers input unless they have registered post? If a buyer wants to claim that the seller didnt send the item, and the seller doesn't have a registered postal document saying he did, the buyer WILL get their money back, regardless of the truth.

[quote=HF]
Yeah. Like I said before. Feedback really isn't much of a defense against anything and really doesn't inhibit much bad behavior or even indicate bad behavior. It's not much of trustwarthy barometer of anything. Good people have undeserved bad feedback and bad people have great feedback until they can cash in on that trust and then $ trumps rep because rep can be built up again under a different name or store selling more nicknacks.[/quote]

Yea, you're right, all us ebay sellers with good reps are actually just waiting for YOU, Palaeomerus to buy our stuff so we can overcharge you for shipping and then not send you the item and laugh manically at our annual supervillain conference at mount doom at your pitiful negative feedback.

Seriously your attitudes towards ebay is pretty paranoid and buyer oriented. There has to be an equilibrium, and as somone who consistently buys and sells on ebay I think its reasonably well maintained.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286742.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286742.page GMT
Ozymandias, King of Kings[/quote]

Personally I am slightly suspicious of any seller with hundreds of 5 star transactions. From my experience on eBay and Amazon Marketplace, I have got bad feedback from a buyer losing an auction, and because the person who bought the item couldn't test it as it was a gift.

It's practically a miracle to do that many trades and not run into someone unreasonable.

As for delivery confirmation, you have to balance the extra cost against the value of the item. In the UK, registered delivery is only 70p but it's £3.50 extra for overseas deliveries. This adds a lot to the postage which may discourage bidders. Don't bother offering it as a option because the bidder will often not take the option, and PayPal considers the seller responsible for delivery unless you have registered post, so you will be the loser when an item fails to arrive. (Or perhaps, "fails to arrive"...) ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286786.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286786.page GMT
So it's not always about packaging, it's about crossing your fingers and hoping that whoever is buying didn't notice how much you're charging for shipping.

And it is fairly easy to scam someone on ebay, though it isn't a pit of evil. A friend of mine ordered a "Petrucci" special edition guitar, over 800 €, and he received it chipped. He sent it back, the guy repaired it and re-mailed it ASAP. I sincerely doubt that anyone who has acquired a high number of positive feedback will throw it all away for the meager sum of 50 euros, dollars etc.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286816.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286816.page GMT
Buying Minis on Ebay

There are three reasons to shop for minis on warhammer: looking for a deal, looking for rare and oop stuff, and fetching a fully painted army and/or units. These things often overlap, but it's important to keep in mind why you're shopping on eBay, for example when buying OOP Metal Eldar Jetbikes, you won't ever find a deal on eBay. Since they're annoyingly rare, however, it's one of the few places you'll ever find them for sale.

Looking for Deals

this is why most people shop on eBay: to get some of that dirt cheap internet sales all the kids are talking about. At any given point there are literally thousands of GW auctions, providing plenty of choice. The good news: there are some great deals to be had. The bad news: none of those deals involve NIB product.

eBay has an undeserved rep for hosting tons of dirt cheap auctions on brand new GW merchandise. Five years ago, this was more true, but with the elimination of Outrider discounts, the cracking down on discounting by US stores and webstores, and GW making it tougher to open a retail acount, new GW product tends to hover between 15-25% off of retail, once shipping is factored in!. "Polonius," I hear you say, "I can order anything off of TheWarStore for 20% and free shipping!" My response is to simply shrug my shoulders. I did a half hearted search on eBay for complete auctions for Tac squads, and the NIB squads sold for between $29-$34, after shipping.

The point is that eBay is not a really good place to grab NIB stuff. Bigger auctions, with multiple boxes and/or army deals, can be better deals, but in general the new stuff is simply too expensive.

So where are the deals?

There are some great deals to be had on eBay, but they involve large lots of used minis. With Superclean and some patience, all metal models and many plastic models can live again, despite the hideous paint job of the previous owner. I've had Falcons with literally three layers of paint clean up nice and neat. Keep in mind that many plastic multi part models can be poorly assembled, which is far more difficult to fix then a bad paint job.

When buying used lots, research for a long time before you buy. Nearly everything comes up pretty often, and a little patience can save you a lot of money. Add up, in your mind, what you would pay for each item in a lot. Don't be afraid to value models at little to nothing if you don't want them. If you can resell any models from the lot, either to friends or back on eBay, include the projected sale price. Once you price out a lot, place your bid and walk away. There are many schools of thought on bid sniping, but my approach is simple. I make an offer, based on what I'd pay for the lot. If somebody is willing to go 50 cents higher, then I have to assume they'd go 5 dollars higher, and I let them walk with it.

As I alluded to above, a great way to build a big collection and bitz bin is to buy lots. Don't be afraid to drop $50-$300 on giant boxes of stuff. Salvage some, keep the best, and re-sell the rest. Between eBay and Bartertown, I bought giant lots and sold the excess and I ended up with more money and 4000pts of eldar. It's a fair amount of work, but If you enjoy wheelling and dealing, it's a lot of fun. (To be fair, I fell into one of the greatest GW opportunites of my life. A guy on B-town wanted to liquidated, and was travelling near where I live. I was able to get a drop off, save on shipping, and buy a huge lot of 2nd ed stuff for a few hundred bucks. The lesson: be on the lookout for good business opportunities.)

One final note: eBay is a good place to find big lots of good used stuff, but it's not the only place. Bartertown has a rep for people putting ridiculous price tags on marginal product, but there are some deals to be had. Local message boards are a good place to find out who is selling their army, and Dakka has a swap shop right here.

Buying Rare and OOP GW

Ebay isn't just the biggest game in town for this stuff, it's pretty much the only game. Wether it's OOP harlequins or NIB Gamesday minis, eBay has it. There's not much to talk about with regards to it. If you're a collector, you know what you want, and you know what you're willing to spend. Have fun, and try to keep the spending reasonable.

Important Note: Dupers exist, and they sell on eBay. For OOP stuff that's relatively common (praetorians, 2nd edition troops, etc.) most of the stuff is probably legit. The rarer a model, however, the more likely it's not a bona fide. There's a funny story about how there have been Sgt. Centurius models sold on eBay then were ever produced. I don't know if it's true, but it's certainly possible. If you really want a model and dont' care if it's original, then bid away. If you want to make sure it's real, only bid on stuff that comes with original packaging.

Buying Painted Minis

The hobby is full of folks who don't like to paint, and ebay is full of painted armies. If you want to play right away, it's a good place to get painted models for less than retail on new models. Shop around, ask for plenty of pictures, and buy the insurance when you ship it. It might not be exactly what you want, but it'll be a lot cheaper than hiring a service.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286931.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286931.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286943.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/286943.page GMT
So, consider us all aware that you find:
1) Handling charges outrageous.
2) eBay full of scammers.

Can we avoid a giant thread about the evils of ebay now?[/quote]

What is supposed to be reasonable about saying that feedback just works (when it doesn't) and "packing is hard like rocket science dude!" ?

" It's a marketplace. there is some risk. There are a few mechanisms for minimizing or insuring that risk, but sometimes bad stuff happens. "

That seems like ebay in a nutshell to me. It acknowledges the risk involved nicely.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287026.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287026.page GMT


Yes it is. A platoon is around forty figs so you are all the way up to twelve minutes now. I've shipped stuff. Tissue paper + bubble wrap + tape doesn't take very long for each figure then you wrap all of them in foam(sort of roll them up in it and put that in bubble wrap in the box it goes with crumpled paper to brace the corners. It works fine and doesn't take very long. I've shipped stuff back home that I bought and painted while traveling. Packing is not really worth big $ nor is it some obscure artisans that justifies big $.[/quote]

[quote=HF]

you pack painted minis in tissue paper? wow, just wow.

[/quote]

I believe I said " Tissue paper + bubble wrap + tape " and added " wrap all of them in foam" then added " put that in bubble wrap and pad the corners of the box with crumpled packing paper".

It seems you felt the need to truncate that to "tissue paper" for a really lame gotcha. Lol n' stuff.

[quote=HF]

adding a 5 dollar surplus to your shipping charges for the time it takes you to go out buy the boxes, pack the items, fill out the customs forms and take them to the post office is far from unreasonable, especially for people who time is an issue.
[/quote]

Uh huh. Sure. Whatever. Three minitues a squad.

[quote=HF]

actually the kind of people that use small sales and then turn to scamming generally only have around 10 - 20 feedback. somone with 300+ transactions with a high ratio of positive feedback isn't going to throw that away for 50 bucks.

[/quote]

Actually This guy had over 250 transactions and my negative feedback had almost no impact on his rating. Actually he ripped me for $50 and posiibly others for all I know. Where do you get all these scamming rules that the scammers seem to not actually follow?

[quote=HF]
You also do realise that Paypal pretty much insures transactions under 400 dollars for buyers to the point of completely disregarding the sellers input unless they have registered post?
[/quote]

Paypal actually said there was nothing they could do for me.

[quote=HF]

If a buyer wants to claim that the seller didnt send the item, and the seller doesn't have a registered postal document saying he did, the buyer WILL get their money back, regardless of the truth.

[/quote]

Uh huh.

[quote=HF]
Yea, you're right, all us ebay sellers with good reps are actually just waiting for YOU, Palaeomerus to buy our stuff so we can overcharge you for shipping and then not send you the item and laugh manically at our annual supervillain conference at mount doom at your pitiful negative feedback.
[/quote]

Yeah. I 'cause said that n' stuff. Giggle.

[quote=HF]

Seriously your attitudes towards ebay is pretty paranoid and buyer oriented.
[/quote]

Yeah. Imagine that, me being a buyer who was burned and found out how useless the protections are. Why, it's practically a non-sequitor.

[quote=HF]
There has to be an equilibrium, and as somone who consistently buys and sells on ebay I think its reasonably well maintained.[/quote]

Obviously I disagree on the reasonably maintained part. I'm not saying everyone is a thief but beither is everyone honest. High shipping costs are still high shipping costs however they are rationalized and feedback isn't really worth much as means of consumer defense.

I'm not sure what to do with a call for equilibirum. I'm just reporting my experiences in the face of someone naysaying them with boiler plate faq notes that did not materialize in real life. It seems kind of strange to hear a demand that my experience conform to some aesthetic principle of balance given the circumstances.

I'm not going to demand that you cease being comfortable with ebay but cleaerly I'm not comfortable with ebay and won't become more comfortable with it due to a series of the same old stuff I heard BEFORE I was ripped off.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287035.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287035.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287048.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287048.page GMT
Welcome to the internet. We hope you have a pleasant stay.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287050.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287050.page GMT ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287054.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287054.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287061.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287061.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287065.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287065.page GMT
In fairness, Btown does let you actually trade minis, which is a nice thing the few times it comes through. You can also find some amazing bargains if you're willing to take a few risks. I use Btown, but it's more like the local resale shop I poke into to see if there's anything cool. I do most of my business on eBay.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287086.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287086.page GMT
Edited for my pitiful grammer ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287087.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287087.page GMT
Edited for my pitiful grammer [/quote]

I'm not slamming B-town. It frustrates me sometimes, but the good deals there are unbeatable. One big difference is that eBay lets the market set the price, while Btown relies far more on buyers and sellers determining their own value. If you know what you want, and what you'll buy/sell for, B-town can save you some fees. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287137.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287137.page GMT

Actually This guy had over 250 transactions and my negative feedback had almost no impact on his rating. Actually he ripped me for $50 and posiibly others for all I know. Where do you get all these scamming rules that the scammers seem to not actually follow?
[/quote]

[quote]BTW I got ripped off by a guy in Canada who was selling a VOID 1.1 box through an e-bay store. I left bad feedback. His rep is like totally ruined now with 3% bad feedback and all he got for it was $50. Sucker! I really took him for a ride! He didn't know who he was messin' with! [/quote]

which is it

so your one neg feedback on a 250+ transaction profile equates to three percent? wow you carry alot of wieght on e bay

[quote]Yeah. I 'cause said that n' stuff. Giggle.[/quote]

dude, irony, please read up on it

[quote]Paypal actually said there was nothing they could do for me. [/quote]

having been on both ends of the paypal claims dept numerous times i know that they handle things as per a described code, so either you aren't telling us everything about your case or you are just making it up to support it.

[quote]
Uh huh. Sure. Whatever. Three minitues a squad.

Uh huh.[/quote]

what is the point of these posts? E-noise?
]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287196.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287196.page GMT Warhammer,
warhamer,
40k,
white dwarf,
citadel

but what other search terms do you tend to use to find things?]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287207.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287207.page GMT http://www.fatfingers.co.uk/

it will search for all misspellings of stuff, so type in "warhammer" and it will show any listings for...

warhamner,warhanmer,warjammer,wargammer,warhsmmer,wsrhammer,warhammrr,warhammwr,
earhammer,qarhammer,warhimmer,wirhammer,uarhammer,warhammee,warhammmr,warhaamer,
warhhmmer,warrammer,waahammer,wwrhammer,warhammerr,warhammeer,warhammmer,warhammmer,
warhaammer,warhhammer,warrhammer,waarhammer,wwarhammer,warhamm er,warham mer,warha mmer,
warh ammer,war hammer,wa rhammer,w arhammer,warhammre,warhamemr,warhmamer,warahmmer,wahrammer,
wrahammer,awrhammer,warhamme,warhammr,warhamer,warhamer,warhmmer,warammer,wahammer,wrhammer,arhammer

which can turn up some bargains]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287229.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287229.page GMT GW category, and view everything ending in the next day. Sometimes there are some bargains.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287253.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287253.page GMT GW's online store open in another window. If find it helps to make certain which edition that "Space Marine Codex" is when the seller doesn't specify, or see if random models are really what they are. Even honest people make mistakes when they don't know a game, and since a lot of the best deals seem to be of the "I am closing my game store" or "My bastard husband left me for a 13 year old" types, it often helps to see exactly what you are getting, and what the retail price would be.

Also, I find that concentrated Simple Green takes apart most multi part plastics pretty well with some soaking. It seems to dissolve or at least weaken super glue to the point it just pops apart. Sort of annoying on a tank with a bad paint job, but nice for those inevitable marines posed stabbing themselves in the junk.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287956.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/287956.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/288022.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/288022.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/288183.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/288183.page GMT The previous owner was a messy assembler, and it showed.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/288225.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/288225.page GMT ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/288398.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/288398.page GMT


Yes it is. A platoon is around forty figs so you are all the way up to twelve minutes now. I've shipped stuff. Tissue paper + bubble wrap + tape doesn't take very long for each figure then you wrap all of them in foam(sort of roll them up in it and put that in bubble wrap in the box it goes with crumpled paper to brace the corners. It works fine and doesn't take very long. I've shipped stuff back home that I bought and painted while traveling. Packing is not really worth big $ nor is it some obscure artisans that justifies big $.[/quote]

you pack painted minis in tissue paper? wow, just wow.

adding a 5 dollar surplus to your shipping charges for the time it takes you to go out buy the boxes, pack the items, fill out the customs forms and take them to the post office is far from unreasonable, especially for people who time is an issue.

[quote=HF]
That's a wonderful platitude but not really worth much ultimately. And people DO build up a rep on small stuff and then chuck it for a big score and then make a new account to do the whole thing over again. Books have been written about the e-bay scammers and how they operate. Nor do scammers avoid figurines as small potatoes. Some even sell fake sketches of comic arstists software boxes etc. What a scammer considers a big score varies but it does occur and e-bay and their feedback system do nothing really to prevent it.[/quote]

actually the kind of people that use small sales and then turn to scamming generally only have around 10 - 20 feedback. somone with 300+ transactions with a high ratio of positive feedback isn't going to throw that away for 50 bucks.

You also do realise that Paypal pretty much insures transactions under 400 dollars for buyers to the point of completely disregarding the sellers input unless they have registered post? If a buyer wants to claim that the seller didnt send the item, and the seller doesn't have a registered postal document saying he did, the buyer WILL get their money back, regardless of the truth.

[quote=HF]
Yeah. Like I said before. Feedback really isn't much of a defense against anything and really doesn't inhibit much bad behavior or even indicate bad behavior. It's not much of trustwarthy barometer of anything. Good people have undeserved bad feedback and bad people have great feedback until they can cash in on that trust and then $ trumps rep because rep can be built up again under a different name or store selling more nicknacks.[/quote]

Yea, you're right, all us ebay sellers with good reps are actually just waiting for YOU, Palaeomerus to buy our stuff so we can overcharge you for shipping and then not send you the item and laugh manically at our annual supervillain conference at mount doom at your pitiful negative feedback.

Seriously your attitudes towards ebay is pretty paranoid and buyer oriented. There has to be an equilibrium, and as somone who consistently buys and sells on ebay I think its reasonably well maintained.[/quote]


just had to add this, came across some of HFs auctions on ebay and thought id delve deeper, for someone who was critical of other people packaging and defended his high p&p costs, his feedback states...

[quote]Badly packed, not sealed, items all broken and parts missing. Seller unhelpful . nickinox ( 60) 09-Apr-06 20:51
Reply by la1n74 (10-Apr-06 03:48):

Item was packed just fine, buyer wants to blame me for the australian postal
Follow-up by nickinox (10-Apr-06 11:51):

Tissue paper, an unsealed box, a few bits of padding is not "very well packed".[/quote]

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/296313.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/296313.page GMT http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/296318.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/210978/296318.page GMT