Don't know if this is the right thread. Sometimes with my horde armies I'll look on ebay for models that are base painted so I can start painting them from there but you'll find people that obviously don't even water their paints or have never even heard of lining etc. selling their models for the most steel ball inflated prices like 3 times or more than the retail. Are there any good sites where you can buy base painted models etc. I mean ebay really is ridiculous for 40k you'll get people trying to sell a box set of something like 'here is an opened box set of mega nobz, I'm only selling them for the same price as you could get in GW, but with 3 pound for postage on top' bwahaahahaha Before commenting this has nothing to do with me wanting cheaply done models money isn't an issue, its being able to find models on ebay that are not painted as base models (which are terrible for even being just based) and priced at showcase models lol

You want someone to build and base-coat your mins, then sell them to you at less than retail?

Good luck.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:
Sometimes with my horde armies I'll look on ebay for models that are base painted so I can start painting them from there but you'll find people that obviously don't even water their paints or have never even heard of lining etc. selling their models for the most steel ball inflated prices. Are there any good sites where you can buy base painted models etc. I mean ebay really is ridiculous 'here is an opened box set of mega nobz, I'm only selling them for the same price as you could get in GW, but with 3 pound for postage on top' bwahaahahaha

You could try the Dakka Swap Shop. Obviously quality will vary (I've done some sales myself, and my work is... Painfully average, at best) but you can get pics ahead of time, so you know what you're getting.

Edit: Also, as the poster above me pointed out, that's gonna sell for a premium.

 Excommunicatus wrote:
You want someone to build and base-coat your mins, then sell them to you at less than retail?

Good luck.

Who said I wanted them for less than retail. That bit was just an example of how ridiculous ebay is.

 Excommunicatus wrote:
You want someone to build and base-coat your mins, then sell them to you at less than retail?

Good luck.

I think his point was that people have poorly painted minis on there for 3x retail.

He's not saying how much he's willing to pay for base-coated only minis.

 Horst wrote:

 Excommunicatus wrote:
You want someone to build and base-coat your mins, then sell them to you at less than retail?

Good luck.

I think his point was that people have poorly painted minis on there for 3x retail.

He's not saying how much he's willing to pay for base-coated only minis.

Exactly. If they are based they have to at least be well-based, not lumps of un-watered down paint labeled 'pro painted'

What you’re looking for is commission painting; there is a pinned post in the Dakka swap shop forum on the current members that do commissions; frontline gaming do a solid job, I’ve painted for them before going separate ways, Cosmic UK based painter does a great job imo, there are many others showcase their recent commissions you can contact for a quote. Though anyone worth a damn is usually booked, you’ll have to beg them to squeeze you in their time frame.

Go to a FLG and ask around. At least here in the bay area, there are a ton of pros that'll do it

You're in the UK though so that doesn't help you much.

 Big Mac wrote:
What you’re looking for is commission painting; there is a pinned post in the Dakka swap shop forum on the current members that do commissions; frontline gaming do a solid job, I’ve painted for them before going separate ways, Cosmic UK based painter does a great job imo, there are many others showcase their recent commissions you can contact for a quote. Though anyone worth a damn is usually booked, you’ll have to beg them to squeeze you in their time frame.

Doesn't take talent to base though, so I wish there were a site where people sold their models, but were accurately labeled/priced, I just don't have a lot of time anymore for painting. Wondering if there was a bridge between ebay and commission painters.

Just a little bit of advice. If someone is calling themselves a pro painter....they probably aren't a pro painter. If the guys says he's okay - then he might be worth considering.

99% of the "pro painted" stuff I've seen on the internet looks like trash.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Big Mac wrote:
What you’re looking for is commission painting; there is a pinned post in the Dakka swap shop forum on the current members that do commissions; frontline gaming do a solid job, I’ve painted for them before going separate ways, Cosmic UK based painter does a great job imo, there are many others showcase their recent commissions you can contact for a quote. Though anyone worth a damn is usually booked, you’ll have to beg them to squeeze you in their time frame.

Doesn't take talent to base though, so I wish there were a site where people sold their models, but were accurately labeled/priced, I just don't have a lot of time anymore for painting. Wondering if there was a bridge between ebay and commission painters.

Doesn't take talent, but it's a long process to cut out of sprue, assemble, and prime models. Like, for a squad of 10 guardsmen it would take me ~3 hours to do. if I charged $20 an hour to do the work, you're looking at $90 for a squad of primed and assembled guardsmen, which is a bit steep.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:
Doesn't take talent to base though

Apparently it does, given how many complaints you've just made about people not being able to do it to your standards. There is no easy way around it, you're going to have to commission someone to do the work and pay them for it.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Big Mac wrote:
What you’re looking for is commission painting; there is a pinned post in the Dakka swap shop forum on the current members that do commissions; frontline gaming do a solid job, I’ve painted for them before going separate ways, Cosmic UK based painter does a great job imo, there are many others showcase their recent commissions you can contact for a quote. Though anyone worth a damn is usually booked, you’ll have to beg them to squeeze you in their time frame.

Doesn't take talent to base though, so I wish there were a site where people sold their models, but were accurately labeled/priced, I just don't have a lot of time anymore for painting. Wondering if there was a bridge between ebay and commission painters.

Ah, what you are looking for is low end commissions; look at BlueTable painting or local gamers who are just starting out to paint miniatures. In order to find the best value and painted miniature in your budget, you have to do your own homework, no one knows what you’re looking for better than yourself.

Even though this is the Information Age and you can find anything on the internet, if there's this theoretical medium ground exchange site, and it doesn't show up on the first few pages of a google search, then it's so niche/small that it may as well not exist due to the difficulty of finding it. And I'm inclined to believe that no such site exists (but the NSFW parody of it definitely exists). Beyond dredging ebay looking for models of sufficient paint quality, I don't think that the solution you're hoping for exists at this moment. The closest I can think of is commissioning someone to basecoat a batch of models for you at a lower rate than what they would charge for fully painted models--although I have a hunch that, in order for it to be worth it to the painter, the commission fee(s) would not carry the degree of discount that one would hope for.

People listing models on eBay have an incentive to list things as being pro-painted, it attracts more interest. Doesn't mean it looks good, it's just a label.

While Dakka is a good place to find good commission painters, might I suggest your FLGS?

 techsoldaten wrote:
People listing models on eBay have an incentive to list things as being pro-painted, it attracts more interest. Doesn't mean it looks good, it's just a label.

While Dakka is a good place to find good commission painters, might I suggest your FLGS?

Keep in mind some Dakka commission painters may not deliver. I (stupidly) took a commission request, and like 1/2 squads into it realized I bit off way more than I could chew, that i was basically working for slave labor wages for the time it would take / money I agreed on, and wouldn't finish in anywhere near the time I quoted. I apologized, refunded the guy all his money + shipping costs, mailed him back all his models, but I still wasted a bunch of his time and now he has a bunch of half finished minis.

I mean I intended to do a good job, but it just didn't work out, and I screwed up. Commission work can be a crapshoot because you might get a guy like me who gets in over his head

 Big Mac wrote:
look at BlueTable painting

OP is looking for basic painting commissions, not trash sold at high-tier prices by a scammy owner whose explicitly stated refund policy is "first rule is never give the customer their money back".

 Horst wrote:

Doesn't take talent, but it's a long process to cut out of sprue, assemble, and prime models. Like, for a squad of 10 guardsmen it would take me ~3 hours to do. if I charged $20 an hour to do the work, you're looking at $90 for a squad of primed and assembled guardsmen, which is a bit steep.

Steep but fair? Look, model assembly takes time, and time = money. I'm in the same ballpark - I'd say 15min to cut, clean and assemble a standard trooper model, more if I'm painting in subassemblies. So even if you find someone willing to work for minimum wage (that's $14 CAD/hour where I am), that's $35 smackers for 10 models, and then there's basecoating (depending what you mean by basecoating, if you mean priming and a single primary color, add another 30min (total, I'm assuming the use of airbrushes for this stage and including post-spray clean-up and such), so we're up to $42 CAD plus cost of paints expended.

If basecoating means blocking out the main colors (no shading or highlights), probably another 15min per miniature, so another $35 and you're up to $77 CAD for a squad of 10. And if you're hiring a service, that' means someone above the painters is often taking a cut, so you're probably up to around $100 for that squad! And that's with people making minimum wage for what amounts to semi-skilled labor, truly pro paint work would be skilled labor and charging a lot more.

The point is, manage expectations. Even assembling and priming an army can take dozens of hours and should cost at least as much as the army is worth at retail, though the newest (i.e. most expensive) stuff from GW can probably be done for less.

It's going to be tough to find exactly the models you want already assembled and painted to a decent standard, typically you'd have to buy the models yourself and send them to a commission painter just to make sure you're getting what you want. And the cheaper the service is, the less likely it is that the painter is experienced with commissions as opposed to someone with good intentions just trying to be a nice guy but biting off more than he can chew like Horst is saying.

Looking for anything particular?

Something like Marines can usually be base coated with a spray can if you aren't particular to a GW Specific colour.

 techsoldaten wrote:
People listing models on eBay have an incentive to list things as being pro-painted, it attracts more interest. Doesn't mean it looks good, it's just a label.

But does it? I know whenever I see a listing labelled as 'pro-painted' my automatic assumption before even looking in detail is that the paintjob will be awful. I think I would assume higher quality if a listing didn't use that phrase.

 Xenomancers wrote:
Just a little bit of advice. If someone is calling themselves a pro painter....they probably aren't a pro painter. If the guys says he's okay - then he might be worth considering.

99% of the "pro painted" stuff I've seen on the internet looks like trash.

That seems to be true everywhere, even here it's exactly like you said. Stay away from people that define themselves pro-painters.

 Peregrine wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:
Doesn't take talent to base though

Apparently it does, given how many complaints you've just made about people not being able to do it to your standards. There is no easy way around it, you're going to have to commission someone to do the work and pay them for it.

Point taken.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Likan Wolfsheim wrote:
Even though this is the Information Age and you can find anything on the internet, if there's this theoretical medium ground exchange site, and it doesn't show up on the first few pages of a google search, then it's so niche/small that it may as well not exist due to the difficulty of finding it. And I'm inclined to believe that no such site exists (but the NSFW parody of it definitely exists). Beyond dredging ebay looking for models of sufficient paint quality, I don't think that the solution you're hoping for exists at this moment. The closest I can think of is commissioning someone to basecoat a batch of models for you at a lower rate than what they would charge for fully painted models--although I have a hunch that, in order for it to be worth it to the painter, the commission fee(s) would not carry the degree of discount that one would hope for.

Would be good if it did, I think they'd be a market for it.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 John Prins wrote:

 Horst wrote:

Doesn't take talent, but it's a long process to cut out of sprue, assemble, and prime models. Like, for a squad of 10 guardsmen it would take me ~3 hours to do. if I charged $20 an hour to do the work, you're looking at $90 for a squad of primed and assembled guardsmen, which is a bit steep.

Steep but fair? Look, model assembly takes time, and time = money. I'm in the same ballpark - I'd say 15min to cut, clean and assemble a standard trooper model, more if I'm painting in subassemblies. So even if you find someone willing to work for minimum wage (that's $14 CAD/hour where I am), that's $35 smackers for 10 models, and then there's basecoating (depending what you mean by basecoating, if you mean priming and a single primary color, add another 30min (total, I'm assuming the use of airbrushes for this stage and including post-spray clean-up and such), so we're up to $42 CAD plus cost of paints expended.

If basecoating means blocking out the main colors (no shading or highlights), probably another 15min per miniature, so another $35 and you're up to $77 CAD for a squad of 10. And if you're hiring a service, that' means someone above the painters is often taking a cut, so you're probably up to around $100 for that squad! And that's with people making minimum wage for what amounts to semi-skilled labor, truly pro paint work would be skilled labor and charging a lot more.

The point is, manage expectations. Even assembling and priming an army can take dozens of hours and should cost at least as much as the army is worth at retail, though the newest (i.e. most expensive) stuff from GW can probably be done for less.

I don't mind paying for value, I've bought a 10 man ork squad for 3 times the retail and it wasn't much more than a base coat but it was well done. I just wish instead of commissions there was a website where you could just have browse and buy like ebay, but ebay is either full of gak paint jobs or over inflated prices. If it was managed by a website, they people that buy in or advertise it could price value etc.

 Bellerophon wrote:

 techsoldaten wrote:
People listing models on eBay have an incentive to list things as being pro-painted, it attracts more interest. Doesn't mean it looks good, it's just a label.

But does it? I know whenever I see a listing labelled as 'pro-painted' my automatic assumption before even looking in detail is that the paintjob will be awful. I think I would assume higher quality if a listing didn't use that phrase.

I too avoid such entries on eBay typically because I'm looking for models to strip anyway, and such overinflated self worth leads to higher pricing on eBay. Why would I want to pay extra for a "pro-painted" model that I'm going to strip down? I'm looking for stuff that's used but fairly priced, and the "pro-painted" keyword is usually a red flag.

Don't forget that eBay takes a nice cut of whatever you sell.
With the cost of materials, packing, boxes, and the time it takes to paint something, it's no surprise you don't find anyone worth their salt selling on there anymore.

I used to take commissions and sell on eBay. But it's not worth the trade off in time for money. At least what gamers expect to pay, which is about 10% of minimum wage for highly skilled labor.

Now I don't bother painting stuff for anyone else.

My suggestion is if you don't have the time to do some thing, but you really want it done, you find the time.

Good luck OP. But I really don't see your search yielding much.

A&A

 Ghool wrote:
Don't forget that eBay takes a nice cut of whatever you sell.
With the cost of materials, packing, boxes, and the time it takes to paint something, it's no surprise you don't find anyone worth their salt selling on there anymore.

I used to take commissions and sell on eBay. But it's not worth the trade off in time for money. At least what gamers expect to pay, which is about 10% of minimum wage for highly skilled labor.

Now I don't bother painting stuff for anyone else.

My suggestion is if you don't have the time to do some thing, but you really want it done, you find the time.

Good luck OP. But I really don't see your search yielding much.

I think 1st tier models are waaaaayyyyy under priced in the GW community, its a shame what these people make but for bare minimum based models the money isn't that bad. If the money was better I would love to do commissions but I'd never get my own models painted, plus it isn't a good idea to turn your passion into a job, I used to be a tattoo artist, I can't stand the sight of a tattoo machine now.

eBay UK is so bad i’ve given up buying anything that isn’t still on the sprue. The number of sellers that have ruined models then want 3x retail saying it is pro painted is laughable.

phillv85 wrote:
eBay UK is so bad i’ve given up buying anything that isn’t still on the sprue. The number of sellers that have ruined models then want 3x retail saying it is pro painted is laughable.

Yeah ebay is so badly controlled, I refuse to sell on there. Plus when something doesn't arrive I get the money back straight away, so many scumbags that will wait until the case is closed and then just take the money without even sending you anything in the first place. Bought a sisters repressor off someone in America, never got it back, or the money, Ebay doesn't give you any advice, being a nice person you think sure you've had problems with the post, I'll just wait for you to send another and then bam you are out of 100 quid etc. I sent the guy a letter saying Karma will catch up on you. Don't know how a person could do that, scum isn't a strong enough word.

Even if people are just base coating minis you're not gonna get them at affordable prices.

If someone is buying 10 GW models for £30 they'll probably want to get at least £50-60 for the time and trouble painting them. That's not including the cost of boxes, bubble wrap, postage etc.
Your looking at £70 for 10 little dudes

ValentineGames wrote:
Even if people are just base coating minis you're not gonna get them at affordable prices.

If someone is buying 10 GW models for £30 they'll probably want to get at least £50-60 for the time and trouble painting them. That's not including the cost of boxes, bubble wrap, postage etc.
Your looking at £70 for 10 little dudes

Its not about affordability its about value for money.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:
Even if people are just base coating minis you're not gonna get them at affordable prices.

If someone is buying 10 GW models for £30 they'll probably want to get at least £50-60 for the time and trouble painting them. That's not including the cost of boxes, bubble wrap, postage etc.
Your looking at £70 for 10 little dudes

Its not about affordability its about value for money.

And if you want best value, you're better off avoiding having to pay for labour costs. It's not as simple as materials and quality. It's also about time, human labour, and the charge of "not doing it yourself".

It's why nearly all DIY projects are cheaper to do than hiring someone else to do it.

If you click on something that says 'pro-painted' and are disappointed when it isn't, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale that might interest you.

Adverts are all a thin tissue of lies. They call it 'puffery', but they're lies.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:
Even if people are just base coating minis you're not gonna get them at affordable prices.

If someone is buying 10 GW models for £30 they'll probably want to get at least £50-60 for the time and trouble painting them. That's not including the cost of boxes, bubble wrap, postage etc.
Your looking at £70 for 10 little dudes

Its not about affordability its about value for money.

Cheap
Fast
Good

Pick two.

Guys, he's already stated he's willing to pay for labor, he just wants something that's not complete garbage for his money.

Are you talking base coated as in I just ran my airbrush over it once with one color or having the model blocked out. If you want the first one its probably going to take me about 30min-5hours per model depending on what I am working on. Then it depends on how many you want me to do. Say you want me to do 10 cultists with just a once over air brush. based on the above that is about five hours of work. If I charge minimum wage $7.50 that still comes out to about close to $40 of just labor fees. But guess what I am not going to charge minimum wage because I value my time I am going to charge you closer to $20 an hour because I got bills to pay. That ends up being close to $150 for materials and labor cost. And that is just for the once over with an airbrush to base coat. If you want actual colors blocked in that is going to probably be double that since I am painting to barely under table top quality.

 John Prins wrote:
Guys, he's already stated he's willing to pay for labor, he just wants something that's not complete garbage for his money.

It doesn't really come across that way. It's true that he/she says that he/she is willing to pay for labour, but everything else he/she says indicates that he/she wants his minis assembled, primed and basecoated well, quickly and impossibly cheap.

And it's apparently everyone else's fault that he/she can't find that.

Perhaps it is just me misinterpreting, or maybe it's poorly worded. Delvarius doesn't appear to have ever had a thought he/she didn't immediately post on Dakka.

Why don't you post a picture of the quality you're looking for?

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

Its not about affordability its about value for money.

Students are what you're looking for.

They will work for beer money. If they've got a plastic crack habit to feed then even more so.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Excommunicatus wrote:

 John Prins wrote:
Guys, he's already stated he's willing to pay for labor, he just wants something that's not complete garbage for his money.

It doesn't really come across that way. It's true that he/she says that he/she is willing to pay for labour, but everything else he/she says indicates that he/she wants his minis assembled, primed and basecoated well, quickly and impossibly cheap.
And it's apparently everyone else's fault that he/she can't find that.

I'm not getting that. All of the comments about things being too expensive are all about things that are just awful and essentially worth nothing being sold at prices that would be fair for decent-good.

I think the reason a service like this doesnt exist is that the price people would want to pay wouldnt really be enough to make it worth it for the painter / assembler.

I bet you could find someone if you search through commision painters, some of the newer ones might be happy to cut you a good deal.

Blue table painting was one of the worst suggestions I have ever read though, do not go there, those folks could easily feth up a base coat.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:
Don't know if this is the right thread. Sometimes with my horde armies I'll look on ebay for models that are base painted so I can start painting them from there but you'll find people that obviously don't even water their paints or have never even heard of lining etc. selling their models for the most steel ball inflated prices like 3 times or more than the retail. Are there any good sites where you can buy base painted models etc. I mean ebay really is ridiculous for 40k you'll get people trying to sell a box set of something like 'here is an opened box set of mega nobz, I'm only selling them for the same price as you could get in GW, but with 3 pound for postage on top' bwahaahahaha

you are absolutely 100% correct on this dude, the sheer amount of pure "pro painted" garbage on Ebay is staggering.

You'll generally be paying at least twice as much for table top quality painted models vs NIB, possibly more.

Anybody who is offering painting services will simply need to charge at least that to make their money back for their time and materials.


Take a box of 10 tactical marines. Its going to take at least 3-4 hours total to paint them to a reasonable table top standard. Just color on all the different surfaces, cleaning up the lines and mistakes, etc... No decal or freehand work.

$40 for the miniatures themselves. 4 hours of work at say $14 an hour gives us $56. $10 for the actual paint. $106 for a 10 man Tactical squad is eminently reasonable for tabletop quality. And we'll probably have to add shipping too unless you live close enough to deliver and pick them up yourself.


Now of course. Buying miniatures second hand is not a good idea if you are looking for "Pro-painted". 99% of the stuff is definitely not propainted. Unless there are high quality pictures you are probably getting scammed, and even then you might still be. If you want actually well painted stuff, even just tabletop quality, you should have it commissioned yourself.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Rayvon wrote:

Blue table painting was one of the worst suggestions I have ever read though, do not go there, those folks could easily feth up a base coat.

Is BTP even still around? After the Chaos Dwarf lawsuit they kinda shriveled up. They still accepting orders?





If you want recommendations, there is this guy.

https://figurepainters.com/services/

I personally know him. Excellent all around. Though it seems that his lower level services are currently unavailable.

This is a miniature I had him do for me.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Ghool wrote:
Don't forget that eBay takes a nice cut of whatever you sell.
With the cost of materials, packing, boxes, and the time it takes to paint something, it's no surprise you don't find anyone worth their salt selling on there anymore.

I used to take commissions and sell on eBay. But it's not worth the trade off in time for money. At least what gamers expect to pay, which is about 10% of minimum wage for highly skilled labor.

Now I don't bother painting stuff for anyone else.

My suggestion is if you don't have the time to do some thing, but you really want it done, you find the time.

Good luck OP. But I really don't see your search yielding much.

I think 1st tier models are waaaaayyyyy under priced in the GW community, its a shame what these people make but for bare minimum based models the money isn't that bad. If the money was better I would love to do commissions but I'd never get my own models painted, plus it isn't a good idea to turn your passion into a job, I used to be a tattoo artist, I can't stand the sight of a tattoo machine now.

But my passion is my job - painting minis.
I've just managed to weaponize it and pay myself a decent wage without having to take commissions or sell my stuff. I paint 5 or 6 models a year as prizes for contests I run and the rest of the models are all mine.

It's a matter of leveraging your time and hobby so you can make a good trade of your time for money.
I still love looking at painted minis, even though I paint for money.

Check out Frontline gaming painting. They have a large gallery, and are really high quality. I've had a lot done from them. They can also purchase the product for you. They are a bit pricey though, just keep that in mind.

I second (third) the suggestions of going to local game stores and asking people if they'd take on the job for you. Try and find someone who you know a bit and know can meet the standard you want, and who would like the opportunity to get some extra money.

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:
Even if people are just base coating minis you're not gonna get them at affordable prices.

If someone is buying 10 GW models for £30 they'll probably want to get at least £50-60 for the time and trouble painting them. That's not including the cost of boxes, bubble wrap, postage etc.
Your looking at £70 for 10 little dudes

Its not about affordability its about value for money.

And if you want best value, you're better off avoiding having to pay for labour costs. It's not as simple as materials and quality. It's also about time, human labour, and the charge of "not doing it yourself".

It's why nearly all DIY projects are cheaper to do than hiring someone else to do it.

Are you that petty. Let it go. I never made any statements about wanting it done cheaper, the thread is about people posting gak on ebay and calling themselves 'pro-painters'


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Excommunicatus wrote:
If you click on something that says 'pro-painted' and are disappointed when it isn't, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale that might interest you.

Adverts are all a thin tissue of lies. They call it 'puffery', but they're lies.

I don't click on them, you don't have to you can see the bad painting from the thumbnail, its the sea of 'pro-painted' that;s annoying.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Formosa wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:
Don't know if this is the right thread. Sometimes with my horde armies I'll look on ebay for models that are base painted so I can start painting them from there but you'll find people that obviously don't even water their paints or have never even heard of lining etc. selling their models for the most steel ball inflated prices like 3 times or more than the retail. Are there any good sites where you can buy base painted models etc. I mean ebay really is ridiculous for 40k you'll get people trying to sell a box set of something like 'here is an opened box set of mega nobz, I'm only selling them for the same price as you could get in GW, but with 3 pound for postage on top' bwahaahahaha

you are absolutely 100% correct on this dude, the sheer amount of pure "pro painted" garbage on Ebay is staggering.

Exactly, everyone on this thread is jumping to 'you have to expect to pay to get labour costs' completely missing what the OP actually said. Glad someone can read.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:


Are you that petty. Let it go. I never made any statements about wanting it done cheaper, the thread is about people posting gak on ebay and calling themselves 'pro-painters'.

Now, you see. This is a well trodden path as ACK-SHOE-ALLY they're technically telling the truth. Are they selling the models for money- yes or no?

They're providing a service in exchange for goods, ergo a professional. But, as we all know this hobby has it's own definition of what "professional" is that doesn't always sync up with the definition. If you're in this hobby long enough you should know what it means in the context of our hobby so there's no excuse. It has been going on since eBay has been a thing.

Ruin wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:


Are you that petty. Let it go. I never made any statements about wanting it done cheaper, the thread is about people posting gak on ebay and calling themselves 'pro-painters'.

Now, you see. This is a well trodden path as ACK-SHOE-ALLY they're technically telling the truth. Are they selling the models for money- yes or no?

They're providing a service in exchange for goods, ergo a professional. But, as we all know this hobby has it's own definition of what "professional" is that doesn't always sync up with the definition. If you're in this hobby long enough you should know what it means in the context of our hobby so there's no excuse. It has been going on since eBay has been a thing.

Yeah actually read the definition: 'engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as an amateur.' the definition can also be about its proficiency and if you can't paint you are an armature many amateurs can still get paid for what they do. Yeah its a well trodden path, so is bringing up things that have already been talked about lol I feel like talking about it again, you obviously are not, you're just here to act like an ass and show that you 'know its a well trodden path, aren't I great' I've been collecting since 2nd so go peddle that somewhere else where other people might be impressed. trying to impress people with how long you've been in the hobby. There is nothing impressive about it, its a child's hobby we should be ashamed of how long we've collected lol

So you've been collecting since 2nd ed. and are only just realising now, in 2018; that pro painted does not mean that in our hobby?

Delvarus Centurion wrote:Are you that petty. Let it go. I never made any statements about wanting it done cheaper, the thread is about people posting gak on ebay and calling themselves 'pro-painters'

But you're asking for "value for money". What kind of value do you expect? Look, I fully understand people making misleading comments about their work being "pro-painted" and charging for that "pro-painted" level, but you asked for base painted models. I want to understand what you actually expect to pay for assembled and based models.

Serious question: I've got an £18 unit of Cadians. I've assembled them according to the box art, and undercoated them using a spray can in your preferred colour (let's say Chaos Black). What is "value for money" here? Is it just the price of the unit from GW, just pre-assembled and ignoring all the time I've taken to build and spray them? Is it the price of the unit, PLUS labour costs, which could be almost double or triple the price of the unit themselves? Is it lower than that bare minimum, and means that I'm selling something for cheaper than what it took from me to make it?

Please, tell us what "value for money" is.

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

Delvarus Centurion wrote:Are you that petty. Let it go. I never made any statements about wanting it done cheaper, the thread is about people posting gak on ebay and calling themselves 'pro-painters'

But you're asking for "value for money". What kind of value do you expect? Look, I fully understand people making misleading comments about their work being "pro-painted" and charging for that "pro-painted" level, but you asked for base painted models. I want to understand what you actually expect to pay for assembled and based models.

Serious question: I've got an £18 unit of Cadians. I've assembled them according to the box art, and undercoated them using a spray can in your preferred colour (let's say Chaos Black). What is "value for money" here? Is it just the price of the unit from GW, just pre-assembled and ignoring all the time I've taken to build and spray them? Is it the price of the unit, PLUS labour costs, which could be almost double or triple the price of the unit themselves? Is it lower than that bare minimum, and means that I'm selling something for cheaper than what it took from me to make it?

Please, tell us what "value for money" is.

Like Ruin already said ITT-

Cheap
Fast
Good.

Pick two. You simply cannot have something that is all three.

As the thread has got a bit sidetracked here's some food for thought:



I believe that explains why some call their work pro-painted without being professional in quality.
(ps you can replace stupid with ignorant)





As for where to find pro painted undercoated models I do recall that there was an ebay group providing such a service at least a year or so back. I used to find them when hunting for tyranids every so often. So it is or has been out there, but I've on idea as to the quality or skill of their mould line leaning and assembly and spraying and I've no recollection of the prices as I just wasn't interested in what they were offering.

So it has been and might still be done. Thing is most people who get to a stage where they want pre-painted, typically want not just the undercoat but all the layering and details on top. It's probably hard for a company to charge a fair rate for undercoating and assembly only because the clean and assemble phase is quite tome consuming. When it comes with a pro paint job most assume its all the painting that takes the time, but good mould line cleaning can take a fair while too. I think its just a boring and ahrd product/service to market compared to the full paint job.

 Grimtuff wrote:

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

Delvarus Centurion wrote:Are you that petty. Let it go. I never made any statements about wanting it done cheaper, the thread is about people posting gak on ebay and calling themselves 'pro-painters'

But you're asking for "value for money". What kind of value do you expect? Look, I fully understand people making misleading comments about their work being "pro-painted" and charging for that "pro-painted" level, but you asked for base painted models. I want to understand what you actually expect to pay for assembled and based models.

Serious question: I've got an £18 unit of Cadians. I've assembled them according to the box art, and undercoated them using a spray can in your preferred colour (let's say Chaos Black). What is "value for money" here? Is it just the price of the unit from GW, just pre-assembled and ignoring all the time I've taken to build and spray them? Is it the price of the unit, PLUS labour costs, which could be almost double or triple the price of the unit themselves? Is it lower than that bare minimum, and means that I'm selling something for cheaper than what it took from me to make it?

Please, tell us what "value for money" is.

Like Ruin already said ITT-

Cheap
Fast
Good.

Pick two. You simply cannot have something that is all three.

Didn't ask for all three, said nothing about being cheap. Only that gak painted models 'should' be cheap.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

Delvarus Centurion wrote:Are you that petty. Let it go. I never made any statements about wanting it done cheaper, the thread is about people posting gak on ebay and calling themselves 'pro-painters'

But you're asking for "value for money". What kind of value do you expect? Look, I fully understand people making misleading comments about their work being "pro-painted" and charging for that "pro-painted" level, but you asked for base painted models. I want to understand what you actually expect to pay for assembled and based models.

Serious question: I've got an £18 unit of Cadians. I've assembled them according to the box art, and undercoated them using a spray can in your preferred colour (let's say Chaos Black). What is "value for money" here? Is it just the price of the unit from GW, just pre-assembled and ignoring all the time I've taken to build and spray them? Is it the price of the unit, PLUS labour costs, which could be almost double or triple the price of the unit themselves? Is it lower than that bare minimum, and means that I'm selling something for cheaper than what it took from me to make it?

Please, tell us what "value for money" is.

And did you see the comment where I said I payed 3 times the retail for models that were no more than based, but were well done. No you like other people just want to turn this into a gaking match. You haven't even read the thread, because you wouldn't have asked that question if you did. You have a bee and your bonnet because we've had another argument before. so anything I'll comment I'll have you trying to find something negative about it like the other two. This happens all the time. This is why I just abandon threads a lot of the time, isn't worth the time.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Grimtuff wrote:
So you've been collecting since 2nd ed. and are only just realising now, in 2018; that pro painted does not mean that in our hobby?

Its never been an issue for me, I've heard the pro-painted memes but I've only as of this year started to buy painted models and have realised how bad it is, so I made a thread about it.

Delvarus Centurion wrote:
Didn't ask for all three, said nothing about being cheap. Only that gak painted models 'should' be cheap.

So your attitude is Good+Fast-Cheap. Nice.

But what kind of price are you thinking about? I just want to know what you mean by "value for money". Because value for money can imply very different things - it could be simply paying for all services rendered at face value, or it could be getting the product without factoring any of the labour costs involved.

And did you see the comment where I said I payed 3 times the retail for models that were no more than based, but were well done.

Yes, I did. But I want to know if you expect better than that. Which is why I'm asking what you think is "value for money".

No you like other people just want to turn this into a gaking match. You haven't even read the thread, because you wouldn't have asked that question if you did. You have a bee and your bonnet because we've had another argument before

Previous arguments mean nothing - this is a completely seperate thread. I don't care what's happened before, I just want clarification on what you're after in this one.

Yes, I know that you want well done models, but at what price is what I'm asking. You've bought some Orks before at three times value, but I want to know if that's something you'd be prepared to consistently pay. Please, instead of pinning antagonism on anyone you've had an issue with before, could you just answer some questions?

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

Delvarus Centurion wrote:
Didn't ask for all three, said nothing about being cheap. Only that gak painted models 'should' be cheap.

So your attitude is Good+Fast-Cheap. Nice.

But what kind of price are you thinking about? I just want to know what you mean by "value for money". Because value for money can imply very different things - it could be simply paying for all services rendered at face value, or it could be getting the product without factoring any of the labour costs involved.

And did you see the comment where I said I payed 3 times the retail for models that were no more than based, but were well done.

Yes, I did. But I want to know if you expect better than that. Which is why I'm asking what you think is "value for money".

No you like other people just want to turn this into a gaking match. You haven't even read the thread, because you wouldn't have asked that question if you did. You have a bee and your bonnet because we've had another argument before

Previous arguments mean nothing - this is a completely seperate thread. I don't care what's happened before, I just want clarification on what you're after in this one.

Yes, I know that you want well done models, but at what price is what I'm asking. You've bought some Orks before at three times value, but I want to know if that's something you'd be prepared to consistently pay. Please, instead of pinning antagonism on anyone you've had an issue with before, could you just answer some questions?

I don't want well done models as in master pieces, I just want models where the painters actually follow good painting techniques like 'watering paints' . You don't want to know what price I expect, a lot of commissioners will charge twice the retail for based models and I will pay more, so yeah previous arguments do matter 'to you'. If I'm willing to pay that why would I expect cheaper models, I mean come on. I wouldn't have paid for them in the first place if I didn't think they were value for money.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

Delvarus Centurion wrote:
Didn't ask for all three, said nothing about being cheap. Only that gak painted models 'should' be cheap.

So your attitude is Good+Fast-Cheap. Nice.

But what kind of price are you thinking about? I just want to know what you mean by "value for money". Because value for money can imply very different things - it could be simply paying for all services rendered at face value, or it could be getting the product without factoring any of the labour costs involved.

And did you see the comment where I said I payed 3 times the retail for models that were no more than based, but were well done.

Yes, I did. But I want to know if you expect better than that. Which is why I'm asking what you think is "value for money".

No you like other people just want to turn this into a gaking match. You haven't even read the thread, because you wouldn't have asked that question if you did. You have a bee and your bonnet because we've had another argument before

Previous arguments mean nothing - this is a completely seperate thread. I don't care what's happened before, I just want clarification on what you're after in this one.

Yes, I know that you want well done models, but at what price is what I'm asking. You've bought some Orks before at three times value, but I want to know if that's something you'd be prepared to consistently pay. Please, instead of pinning antagonism on anyone you've had an issue with before, could you just answer some questions?

I don't want well done models as in master pieces, I just want models where the painters actually follow good painting techniques like 'watering paints' . You don't want to know what price I expect, a lot of commissioners will charge twice the retail for based models and I will pay more, so yeah previous arguments do matter 'to you'. If I'm willing to pay that why would I expect cheaper models, I mean come on. I wouldn't have paid for them in the first place if I didn't think they were value for money.

i know a few that sell models professionally for their day jobs, and none of them uses actual techniques such as wet blending, feathering, etc.. for something they are making just for sell (the ones that i know at least dont). Like SM Primaris units for an example. They will get a Box, airgun them, a nice highlight and paint the eyes/symbols, everything is a base color and then 1 highlight (gun and Shoulders are painted off the model). The goal is to get that unit down in 2 hours, with getting the Box set for 30% off, the 2 hour to paint it and asking for 10-20$ more more, they can make up to 18-20$ an hour (remember they still need to pay for supplies, space, taxes, etc..)

Everything they do is to be as fast and as cheap as they can.

Many "above" average painters see this and think they can do it and post on ebay instead of having a professional website.

 Amishprn86 wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

Delvarus Centurion wrote:
Didn't ask for all three, said nothing about being cheap. Only that gak painted models 'should' be cheap.

So your attitude is Good+Fast-Cheap. Nice.

But what kind of price are you thinking about? I just want to know what you mean by "value for money". Because value for money can imply very different things - it could be simply paying for all services rendered at face value, or it could be getting the product without factoring any of the labour costs involved.

And did you see the comment where I said I payed 3 times the retail for models that were no more than based, but were well done.

Yes, I did. But I want to know if you expect better than that. Which is why I'm asking what you think is "value for money".

No you like other people just want to turn this into a gaking match. You haven't even read the thread, because you wouldn't have asked that question if you did. You have a bee and your bonnet because we've had another argument before

Previous arguments mean nothing - this is a completely seperate thread. I don't care what's happened before, I just want clarification on what you're after in this one.

Yes, I know that you want well done models, but at what price is what I'm asking. You've bought some Orks before at three times value, but I want to know if that's something you'd be prepared to consistently pay. Please, instead of pinning antagonism on anyone you've had an issue with before, could you just answer some questions?

I don't want well done models as in master pieces, I just want models where the painters actually follow good painting techniques like 'watering paints' . You don't want to know what price I expect, a lot of commissioners will charge twice the retail for based models and I will pay more, so yeah previous arguments do matter 'to you'. If I'm willing to pay that why would I expect cheaper models, I mean come on. I wouldn't have paid for them in the first place if I didn't think they were value for money.

i know a few that sell models professionally for their day jobs, and none of them uses actual techniques such as wet blending, feathering, etc.. for something they are making just for sell (the ones that i know at least dont). Like SM Primaris units for an example. They will get a Box, airgun them, a nice highlight and paint the eyes/symbols, everything is a base color and then 1 highlight (gun and Shoulders are painted off the model). The goal is to get that unit down in 2 hours, with getting the Box set for 30% off, the 2 hour to paint it and asking for 10-20$ more more, they can make up to 18-20$ an hour (remember they still need to pay for supplies, space, taxes, etc..)

Everything they do is to be as fast and as cheap as they can.

Many "above" average painters see this and think they can do it and post on ebay instead of having a professional website.

They do water their paints though. No base painted models are going to have blending etc.

@ OP:

So, model, assembly, base colours, no highlights, at 3x retail?

For example, a ten-man box of tacticals @ $50 CAD, purchased by yourself for $150?

Or are you looking for washes and highlights included in the $150? Are you looking for specific models / factions? Are you hoping for shipping to be included?

 greatbigtree wrote:
@ OP:

So, model, assembly, base colours, no highlights, at 3x retail?

For example, a ten-man box of tacticals @ $50 CAD, purchased by yourself for $150?

Or are you looking for washes and highlights included in the $150? Are you looking for specific models / factions? Are you hoping for shipping to be included?

No just base painted, but done well like water the paints that are used rather than clumps of paint that take away the detail. I've already stated this multiple times. Shipping costs a few quid I'll except that not included. Its not a money issue for me, just a time issue, all I was commenting on is the state of some of these models that are clumpy and awful on ebay that are priced like models that are showcase quality. Some of these models If I bought them I would literally have to strip and re-base them and then start painting.

What are you looking for in terms of models? There are some models that’s reasonable for like most basic marines, but that would be tougher for something like Orks where there are more textures and colours to work with, you know?

If the point of the thread is just to state your disappointment that there’s no defined “pro-painted” standard on eBay, that’s fine, but if you’re looking for something specific someone might be able to help you out if you let us know what you’re looking for.

 greatbigtree wrote:
What are you looking for in terms of models? There are some models that’s reasonable for like most basic marines, but that would be tougher for something like Orks where there are more textures and colours to work with, you know?

If the point of the thread is just to state your disappointment that there’s no defined “pro-painted” standard on eBay, that’s fine, but if you’re looking for something specific someone might be able to help you out if you let us know what you’re looking for.

Its fine I've had people message me who do good work. The only reason I'm still commenting is to defend myself lol

I think most people were seeking clarification, but I guess to each their own.

In the future, if you let people know you’re just venting and not looking for advice, people may not bother seeking that clarification.

 greatbigtree wrote:
I think most people were seeking clarification, but I guess to each their own.

In the future, if you let people know you’re just venting and not looking for advice, people may not bother seeking that clarification.

Like you most people were, some were just being asses.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 greatbigtree wrote:
I think most people were seeking clarification, but I guess to each their own.

In the future, if you let people know you’re just venting and not looking for advice, people may not bother seeking that clarification.

Like you most people were, some were just being asses.

Maybe if you collected your thoughts before posting and were more coherent then maybe this wouldn't happen?

 Grimtuff wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 greatbigtree wrote:
I think most people were seeking clarification, but I guess to each their own.

In the future, if you let people know you’re just venting and not looking for advice, people may not bother seeking that clarification.

Like you most people were, some were just being asses.

Maybe if you collected your thoughts before posting and were more coherent then maybe this wouldn't happen?

With you it always happens, you just look for threads to be an ass. You always just post useless sarcastic gak and try to shut down discussion on threads. Like I'm an ass when I have to be and people can't stand me because I'm arrogant and abrupt but you're just by default an ass you actually get a kick out of just gaking on people and you know it. When you make a comment everyone rolls their eyes back and sighs. You get giddy when you think of a reason to gak on someone and which makes you look like an oracle of 40k even though everyone knows what you're going to say lol Its exhausting. The only person that is impresses by you is yourself.

Delvarus Centurion wrote:I don't want well done models as in master pieces, I just want models where the painters actually follow good painting techniques like 'watering paints' . You don't want to know what price I expect, a lot of commissioners will charge twice the retail for based models and I will pay more, so yeah previous arguments do matter 'to you'. If I'm willing to pay that why would I expect cheaper models, I mean come on. I wouldn't have paid for them in the first place if I didn't think they were value for money.

Thank you for the response. Glad we got somewhere.

Disagree with the bolded though. I want to know what kind of price you'd be willing to pay, because that does depend a lot on what kind of quality you should hope to expect for it.

greatbigtree wrote:I think most people were seeking clarification, but I guess to each their own.

See, you seem to think that, but apparently anyone who's disagreed with Del before instantly has some kind of permanent vendetta against them. Not just looking for more information about part of their issue in the OP.

Gents, please ratchet down the hostility. Thanks!

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

Delvarus Centurion wrote:I don't want well done models as in master pieces, I just want models where the painters actually follow good painting techniques like 'watering paints' . You don't want to know what price I expect, a lot of commissioners will charge twice the retail for based models and I will pay more, so yeah previous arguments do matter 'to you'. If I'm willing to pay that why would I expect cheaper models, I mean come on. I wouldn't have paid for them in the first place if I didn't think they were value for money.

Thank you for the response. Glad we got somewhere.

Disagree with the bolded though. I want to know what kind of price you'd be willing to pay, because that does depend a lot on what kind of quality you should hope to expect for it.

greatbigtree wrote:I think most people were seeking clarification, but I guess to each their own.

See, you seem to think that, but apparently anyone who's disagreed with Del before instantly has some kind of permanent vendetta against them. Not just looking for more information about part of their issue in the OP.

Not at all, if you read the thread instead of accusing me of expecting cheap models then I would have gladly answered your question. No where in this thread have I stated what I expect to pay so why would you say that I was expecting too much?

"So your attitude is Good+Fast-Cheap. Nice." I mean how did you come to that conclusion when I said money wasn't an issue? I literally posted this before you said all this "Its not about affordability its about value for money." If it was an honest mistake because you never read the thread than no problem but why you would just go to accusing me of something I never even said or expressed is obviously going to seem like you are holding something against me for the other post.

 Peregrine wrote:

 Big Mac wrote:
look at BlueTable painting

OP is looking for basic painting commissions, not trash sold at high-tier prices by a scammy owner whose explicitly stated refund policy is "first rule is never give the customer their money back".

Are they even still around? He went underground last I heard after the whole Chaos Dwarves fiasco.

Just wanna support the OP and say the good/fast\cheap (pick 2) triangle doesn't apply here.

From the off he has had 2 points:

1) models assembled and blocked in to a basic standard (not boutique quality, not super fast, doesn't have to be cheap either).

And

2) there are many poorly painted models sold at inflated prices that make it difficult to find reasonably painted models AT ALL.

OP's complaint seems to be he can't even pick one out of the speed quality price triangle let alone two!

Sadly OP I don't have great fingering and struggle to even block in neatly, so I can't offer you any assistance. Good luck in your quest!

Automatically Appended Next Post:

nareik wrote:
Just wanna support the OP and say the good/fast\cheap (pick 2) triangle doesn't apply here.

From the off he has had 2 points:

1) models assembled and blocked in to a basic standard (not boutique quality, not super fast, doesn't have to be cheap either).

And

2) there are many poorly painted models sold at inflated prices that make it difficult to find reasonably painted models AT ALL.

OP's complaint seems to be he can't even pick one out of the speed quality price triangle let alone two!

Sadly OP I don't have great fingering and struggle to even block in neatly, so I can't offer you any assistance. Good luck in your quest!

Cheers, though there are well painted models on ebay just not the models I was looking for, its the see of 'blob painting'I was commenting on.

Delvarus Centurion wrote:Not at all, if you read the thread instead of accusing me of expecting cheap models then I would have gladly answered your question. No where in this thread have I stated what I expect to pay so why would you say that I was expecting too much?

I didn't accuse you of that? I was asking what kind of thing you classed as "value for money". I read the thread, but I didn't see anything that gave me an answer of what you meant by "value for money".

Yes, I know that you dislike poor quality models that are horrifically marked up in price by some "pro painters", and I've seen that you're willing to pay three times the price for some well done Orks, but I just wanted an answer as to what you think "value for money" is. In my experience, "value for money" means that either the product is being sold at exactly what it should be, and everyone else isn't, OR, it means that someone somewhere is losing out.

I mean how did you come to that conclusion when I said money wasn't an issue? I literally posted this before you said all this "Its not about affordability its about value for money." If it was an honest mistake because you never read the thread than no problem but why you would just go to accusing me of something I never even said or expressed is obviously going to seem like you are holding something against me for the other post.

Look, I'm not accusing you of anything. Just after some understanding of what "value for money" means. My apologies, but I'm not out to offend here.

nareik wrote:Just wanna support the OP and say the good/fast\cheap (pick 2) triangle doesn't apply here.

From the off he has had 2 points:

1) models assembled and blocked in to a basic standard (not boutique quality, not super fast, doesn't have to be cheap either).

This is where I wanted to discuss, about what kind of standard that is. Do other colours affect that? What if the colours aren't the exact shades OP wants? What if the person paints slowly, and this marks up the price by a lot?
These kinds of things I wanted to know.

2) there are many poorly painted models sold at inflated prices that make it difficult to find reasonably painted models AT ALL.

OP's complaint seems to be he can't even pick one out of the speed quality price triangle let alone two!

Which I sympathise with, but I just want to know what kind of price they'd pay for a certain thing. I gave an example, an £18 box of Cadians, built to OP's specification to a good level, and just undercoated with a spray can, with the person doing the modelling doing, hypothetically, minimum wage.

 Big Mac wrote:
What you’re looking for is commission painting; there is a pinned post in the Dakka swap shop forum on the current members that do commissions; frontline gaming do a solid job, I’ve painted for them before going separate ways, Cosmic UK based painter does a great job imo, there are many others showcase their recent commissions you can contact for a quote. Though anyone worth a damn is usually booked, you’ll have to beg them to squeeze you in their time frame.

Back in 2015 frontline completely hosed me on a Wood Elf commission over $2k. They subbed out my commission and then I got my stuff back with mold lines. Things may have changed since then, but I'll never give them business again, nor would I recommend anyone take a chance.

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:

Delvarus Centurion wrote:Not at all, if you read the thread instead of accusing me of expecting cheap models then I would have gladly answered your question. No where in this thread have I stated what I expect to pay so why would you say that I was expecting too much?

I didn't accuse you of that? I was asking what kind of thing you classed as "value for money". I read the thread, but I didn't see anything that gave me an answer of what you meant by "value for money".

Yes, I know that you dislike poor quality models that are horrifically marked up in price by some "pro painters", and I've seen that you're willing to pay three times the price for some well done Orks, but I just wanted an answer as to what you think "value for money" is. In my experience, "value for money" means that either the product is being sold at exactly what it should be, and everyone else isn't, OR, it means that someone somewhere is losing out.

I mean how did you come to that conclusion when I said money wasn't an issue? I literally posted this before you said all this "Its not about affordability its about value for money." If it was an honest mistake because you never read the thread than no problem but why you would just go to accusing me of something I never even said or expressed is obviously going to seem like you are holding something against me for the other post.

Look, I'm not accusing you of anything. Just after some understanding of what "value for money" means. My apologies, but I'm not out to offend here.

nareik wrote:Just wanna support the OP and say the good/fast\cheap (pick 2) triangle doesn't apply here.

From the off he has had 2 points:

1) models assembled and blocked in to a basic standard (not boutique quality, not super fast, doesn't have to be cheap either).

This is where I wanted to discuss, about what kind of standard that is. Do other colours affect that? What if the colours aren't the exact shades OP wants? What if the person paints slowly, and this marks up the price by a lot?
These kinds of things I wanted to know.

2) there are many poorly painted models sold at inflated prices that make it difficult to find reasonably painted models AT ALL.

OP's complaint seems to be he can't even pick one out of the speed quality price triangle let alone two!

Which I sympathise with, but I just want to know what kind of price they'd pay for a certain thing. I gave an example, an £18 box of Cadians, built to OP's specification to a good level, and just undercoated with a spray can, with the person doing the modelling doing, hypothetically, minimum wage.

Okay no problem then.

For ten orks just base painted no washes no work other than building them and basing, I minimum i'd expect them to go for would be 40-60 pounds even though I've paid 50 at times with more than just base painted. If I can get 10 orks just painted then even if I was paying £60 which might be a bit expensive the time I save painting them is priceless to me, especially because I collect every main faction other than tau and collect even more sub factions. Like I said it isn't a money issue for me, anyone that could see my Titan and FW collection would know that, its the ridiculousness I've seen on ebay that annoys me. Like you'll see a unit you are looking for priced at what you'd expect or more and and they look like those memes of 'water your paints' the person hasn't taken any time, just slopped paint on them and expects to charge what actual commissioners (Gordon) pay for.

And I say again, this is 2018- you claim to have been playing since 2nd ed yet people misusing the tag of "pro painted" on eBay is a revelation to you. In 2018.

 Grimtuff wrote:
And I say again, this is 2018- you claim to have been playing since 2nd ed yet people misusing the tag of "pro painted" on eBay is a revelation to you. In 2018.

Nope. It isn't a revelation, any more questions that I have answered you want me to repeat? See to me playing since 2nd isn't impressive to me unlike you and I've only been on Facebook/40k forums for a few years because I was out of the game at the end of 3rd edition till 6th, so even if I didn't know I would had a reason, I was partying and getting loaded I wouldn't have cared what pro-painted meant lol

nareik wrote:
Just wanna support the OP and say the good/fast\cheap (pick 2) triangle doesn't apply here.

From the off he has had 2 points:

1) models assembled and blocked in to a basic standard (not boutique quality, not super fast, doesn't have to be cheap either).

And

2) there are many poorly painted models sold at inflated prices that make it difficult to find reasonably painted models AT ALL.

OP's complaint seems to be he can't even pick one out of the speed quality price triangle let alone two!

Sadly OP I don't have great fingering and struggle to even block in neatly, so I can't offer you any assistance. Good luck in your quest!

He's picking speed first - going on eBay and buying something that already exists is pretty fast. Getting one point on the triangle is pretty easy. If you're willing to buy practically anything, cheap and fast is easy enough, too. But the OP doesn't just want two points of the triangle - he wants to buy already painted, ready-to-ship models (that's speed), painted exactly how he wants (quality), and with "value for money" (cheap). He wants all three points. It's a totally unrealistic expectation.

Pink Horror wrote:

nareik wrote:
Just wanna support the OP and say the good/fast\cheap (pick 2) triangle doesn't apply here.

From the off he has had 2 points:

1) models assembled and blocked in to a basic standard (not boutique quality, not super fast, doesn't have to be cheap either).

And

2) there are many poorly painted models sold at inflated prices that make it difficult to find reasonably painted models AT ALL.

OP's complaint seems to be he can't even pick one out of the speed quality price triangle let alone two!

Sadly OP I don't have great fingering and struggle to even block in neatly, so I can't offer you any assistance. Good luck in your quest!

He's picking speed first - going on eBay and buying something that already exists is pretty fast. Getting one point on the triangle is pretty easy. If you're willing to buy practically anything, cheap and fast is easy enough, too. But the OP doesn't just want two points of the triangle - he wants to buy already painted, ready-to-ship models (that's speed), painted exactly how he wants (quality), and with "value for money" (cheap). He wants all three points. It's a totally unrealistic expectation.

Speed has nothing to do with it. If you sell on ebay you can take as much time as you want to paint them. If they are on there the seller still has to be realistic, painting a unit without even watering your paints is unrealistic especially when other sellers can paint well and still sell on ebay for the same amount as these other people. And its a free market no one is making them do it quality doesn't just apply to the hard working. I'm fine paying a commissioner but like I said I've only started buying painted models so I went to ebay and was shocked at what I saw, at the shear volume of blobbyness all of whom sell at the same price as people that know what they are doing, or even more than them. You think selling a unit that would make a good 'pro painted meme' for the same price as people selling on there that actually spend time to do a quality job. Those people get by, why shouldn't the blob painters be held up to the same quality or are you one of them blob painters? If you have to strip the models you bought in order to paint it, I think that is what you call unrealistic. I wouldn't care if they said these are £10 more because they are on ebay, I'd pay that tax, like I've said; must be about 10 times now, price isn't the issue, its only an issue for blob painters.

I mean look how well these are painted for which are cheap as chips and these aren't just base painted:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Warhammer-40-000-Space-Orks-Boyz-Mob-844/352348989028?hash=item5209a2e664:g:iZ0AAOSwWFFa8GaN:rk:15:pf:0

and then look at these nearly the same price:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RAR-10-Gorkamorka-Boyz-der-Space-Orks-METALL/123010217321?hash=item1ca3faf569:g:h00AAOSwKJtaocST:rk:25:pf:0

How can the last one ever think he could compete with the first? First dude seems to be making a living. But you seem to think the last one is what you should be buying, because its 'fast', but you're right that one was painted at light speed.

There's a big problem with your examples there. You can't compare miniatures available right now with miniatures that has been OOP 15+ years.

 Gargantuan wrote:
There's a big problem with your examples there. You can't compare miniatures available right now with miniatures that has been OOP 15+ years.

No ones going to pay money for Gorkamorka models well painted or not lol

Dude edited his message 19 times....

 mokoshkana wrote:
Dude edited his message 19 times....

That's modest for me. Everyone knows I edit a lot, its not news. I even edit this.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Gargantuan wrote:
There's a big problem with your examples there. You can't compare miniatures available right now with miniatures that has been OOP 15+ years.

No ones going to pay money for Gorkamorka models well painted or not lol

I'd pay for the unpainted.
Very charming characterful figures.
Don't see the problem here?

ValentineGames wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Gargantuan wrote:
There's a big problem with your examples there. You can't compare miniatures available right now with miniatures that has been OOP 15+ years.

No ones going to pay money for Gorkamorka models well painted or not lol

I'd pay for the unpainted.
Very charming characterful figures.
Don't see the problem here?

What I mean is that you aren't gonna pay a premium because they are old or rare.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Gargantuan wrote:
There's a big problem with your examples there. You can't compare miniatures available right now with miniatures that has been OOP 15+ years.

No ones going to pay money for Gorkamorka models well painted or not lol

I'd pay for the unpainted.
Very charming characterful figures.
Don't see the problem here?

What I mean is that you aren't gonna pay a premium because they are old or rare.

Actually yes.
Old metal GW models retain quite good value on ebay from what I've seen - esp in the UK where the market is far smaller for secondhand supply than, say, the USA.

Metal is dead easy to paint strip and fairly tough too so it lasts a long while which makes it ideal as a second hand material for models. So I see a fair few do keep good value. Rarer models, esp those that are not even in production in any form any more can go for even more than they were at retail once and some classic sculpts sell for a lot (look up the old Deamonettes they can be quite well over £10 each!)

Plastic and resin sell a little worse as they are not as durable nor simple to paint strip (use the wrong stuff or for too long and you can melt/damage them).



So yep some out of production stuff is going to sell at a decent value, not just because its limited, but because its also easy to work with and desirable. Of course it varies, some stuff is just not going to sell and some is going to sell very low priced.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Gargantuan wrote:
There's a big problem with your examples there. You can't compare miniatures available right now with miniatures that has been OOP 15+ years.

No ones going to pay money for Gorkamorka models well painted or not lol

I'd pay for the unpainted.
Very charming characterful figures.
Don't see the problem here?

What I mean is that you aren't gonna pay a premium because they are old or rare.

Yeah.... people do, and i have many times. Some of the older models are amazing and are not being made anymore, or are in failcast.

 Amishprn86 wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

 Gargantuan wrote:
There's a big problem with your examples there. You can't compare miniatures available right now with miniatures that has been OOP 15+ years.

No ones going to pay money for Gorkamorka models well painted or not lol

I'd pay for the unpainted.
Very charming characterful figures.
Don't see the problem here?

What I mean is that you aren't gonna pay a premium because they are old or rare.

Yeah.... people do, and i have many times. Some of the older models are amazing and are not being made anymore, or are in failcast.

All depends on the model. Some models are really old and not worth anything really, however the old space wolf, wolf priest model with the re-breather for instance or other limited edition models or early grey knights etc..

Crazy talk. The 2nd edition grey knights are gorgeous charming models oozing character.

Heck if you want to see old model sell at a high value look at what prices out of production old metal minis sell for new in the box! They can command a very respectable price!

Not just rare for being out of production but for being untouched (or mostly untouched) since being sold!



Of course it all comes down to the buyer, some dislike any old models and others love them. Other times people like to own retro stuff from armies they have. I bought an old metal Zoanthrope the other day, the very early kind where it was walking with claws and hoofed feet. Great little model and always wanted one but never got one - till now!

ValentineGames wrote:
Crazy talk. The 2nd edition grey knights are gorgeous charming models oozing character.

I said they would reach a high price.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Overread wrote:
Heck if you want to see old model sell at a high value look at what prices out of production old metal minis sell for new in the box! They can command a very respectable price!

Not just rare for being out of production but for being untouched (or mostly untouched) since being sold!



Of course it all comes down to the buyer, some dislike any old models and others love them. Other times people like to own retro stuff from armies they have. I bought an old metal Zoanthrope the other day, the very early kind where it was walking with claws and hoofed feet. Great little model and always wanted one but never got one - till now!

Never liked the old Zoanthrope, the old 2nd edition Carnifex and Hive Tyrant are amazing models.

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:
Crazy talk. The 2nd edition grey knights are gorgeous charming models oozing character.

I said they would reach a high price.

After editing yes

ValentineGames wrote:

 Delvarus Centurion wrote:

ValentineGames wrote:
Crazy talk. The 2nd edition grey knights are gorgeous charming models oozing character.

I said they would reach a high price.

After editing yes

Just made it clearer, obviously if they were limited edition models they are going to be expensive.