UNpainted vs painted and amateur cash grabbing conscience

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**El_Gostro**

I ve been saving money to get some painting equipment and start completing the unpainted stuff that makes up 95% of my gallery here at Dakka.
Originally my idea was that once I finished painting these conversions I d try to sell them through my local amazon stand in or on E bay.
But after seeing the quality and ability of other people work at this forum alone and in other places,I feel a certain conscience nag at trying to make a profit out of my very visible begginer's work.
I've also had some practical doubts as to wether prospective buyers would rather buy the things unpainted and give them the chromatic flory (or redemption) they deserve of if they d rather have a (what I think at best I can manage) tabletop quality product I believe they could easily achieve themselves?

I DID work with those asshats at Midgard models and I really don t want to act similar to them in any way,so I appeal to thee,the people of wargaming...
What should I do?

**Honersstodnt**

I would always rather buy unpainted... to the point where I wouldn't even consider buying a painted model, unless its at a SIGNIFICANT discount from list, to make it worth my time to strip the paint and do it up in my chapter's colors.

**mLuds**

I think most people would prefer the models unpainted, unless of course they are extremely well painted, but even then they will want it to fit in with the rest of their army.

**jbunny**

If I can afford to buy a whole painted army to decent standards then I don't mind. If i am buying one unit then i have to clean and repaint so it matches the rest of my army.

**El_Gostro**

Hmm,methinks i ll post in the swap shop then
I could really use the extra buck if I find anyone interested in the stuff I don t wanna keep ...

(shameless lie: I d love to keep all my stuff but argentinian economy isnt exactly the best right now)

**kronk**

I won't play with anything that someone else painted. The only exception is if a good friend of mine painted it for me and gave it as a present.

If I buy a painted/primed mini on ebay or a shop, I immediately strip it (if it's a small figure) or re-prime it, if it's a vehicle.

No exceptions.

As for what you should do, I can't tell you. Not everyone is as particular as I am.

**Kilkrazy**

I have bought several painted armies.

Imperial Romans 15mm I had painted to my spec.
Ditto for 6mm Russian 1812. (My eyes aren't good enough anymore to paint 6mm)
Old Kingdom Egyptian 15mm which I am going to shade and varnish.
Aztecs 25mm which I am going to strip and repaint.
Tyranids which I am stripping ATM in order to convert and paint. The Nids were good enough to field as an army but I need to convert them to snake creatures to fit my theme.
I also have a number of armies I painted myself.

You can sell painted armies but people are usually going on eBay for a bargain.

If you want to make any money out of painting it is best to do it to order.

Here is an example:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/15mm-Napoleonic-British-Army-/350337158497?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&hash=item5191b8cd61

The guy waits for you to buy the army then he gets the figures and paints them.

This allows him to not stock up the figures in advance, and he has your cash before he starts to work.

He has been going several years and has great feedback so it is working for him.

[ul]The other important thing is not to make your figures too good.[/ul] Realistically, if you try and paint to a very high standard it will take too long and you won't make any money.

You have to practice until you can get the figures to a decent wargame standard quickly and without too much effort. This means getting good at priming and basecoats in one sweep, plus simple and effective use of dry-brush, edge highlights and washes/shades.

People who want to buy painted armies to play with either don't have the skill or the time to get them to good wargame standard, so that is a niche you can fill.

**Thunderjaw**

I generally never buy painted models... I have zero problems commisioning paint work done, but it's always complete armies and then only if the painter is available for future additions. On a couple of occasions I've bought a single pre painted miniature, but those were one off figs that were done to an exceptionally high standard. If I'm buying a squad or assorted stuff I strip it and paint it to match... matching is very key.

**El_Gostro**

Hey peeps thanks for the feedback!!!

So if I wanted to sell for example my Quixos conversion

I'd prolly make a better profit selling it unpainted?

I still want to learn how to paint,but right now making a profit is a primary concern...(I take your words on the matter like Gospel Master KillKrazy)

**1-UP**

I think Killkrazy has excellent advice.

Painting rank and file troops is a losing proposition becaues folks won't buy stuff at a premium if it clashes with their established theme.

You will probably do better with smaller/elite/special units painted with a somewhat generic or universal theme. They're a bit more forgiving in integrating them into an army.

My friend just picked up a dread that was painted to what I would consider a high table-top quality. Basecoats, washed, some rudimentary highlighting and a little bit of detail work (a white spec in the lenses, although they were not particularly well done otherwise). Lines were clean and it looked nice, just no blending or anything advanced. He still picked it up for $10 less than retail.

Painting and hoping isn't such a hot way of selling unless they're literally works of art. Painting is still a sellable service though, I just think Killkrazy has hit the right business strategy on the head.

Note that you SHOULD have some nice examples for your portfolio made up so people know they're paying for something with value.

**LunaHound**

El_Gostro wrote:I ve been saving money to get some painting equipment and start completing the unpainted stuff that makes up 95% of my gallery here at Dakka.
Originally my idea was that once I finished painting these conversions I d try to sell them through my local amazon stand in or on E bay.
But after seeing the quality and ability of other people work at this forum alone and in other places,I feel a certain conscience nag at trying to make a profit out of my very visible begginer's work.
I've also had some practical doubts as to wether prospective buyers would rather buy the things unpainted and give them the chromatic flory (or redemption) they deserve of if they d rather have a (what I think at best I can manage) tabletop quality product I believe they could easily achieve themselves?

I DID work with those asshats at Midgard models and I really don t want to act similar to them in any way,so I appeal to thee,the people of wargaming...
What should I do?

Hi again !

There are 3 main different types of customers you'll bump into.

Modeler and Painters
Collectors
Players

They differ greatly thus its always abit hard to sell ,

Modeler and painters prefer things untouched because they view assembling + painting as part of the fun process.

Collectors. These are easier to satisfy , and generally dont mind buying the WHOLE army aslong as they have uniformed look + decent paint job.

Players. Picky.. on units they need. When facing these type of customers , its best to split up the units... so you get the maximum profit from the units
they need , without the price dragged down by units they dont need.

I have no luck in selling my painted items anymore. I dont think they look bad , but still no one buys them.
It always discourages me because now it feels im always going to be stuck with them , unless i sell them at a loss.

So yes im on same boat as you i think :x

**El_Gostro**

Will do 1-up!

For now I ll just assemble some unpainted stuff that isnt too shabby and see how it goes
(I still plan to be honest and post about clumsy quality when such is the case)

**LunaHound**

El_Gostro wrote:Will do 1-up!

For now I ll just assemble some unpainted stuff that isnt too shabby and see how it goes
(I still plan to be honest and post about clumsy quality when such is the case)

I have tons of impulse buys , and i cant stand them sitting in their box...

I tell myself ok have fun assembling them and maybe they'll be used in a game someday...
but nope -_-

But i do a very careful job on assembling + getting rid of mold line and such...
i suppose i should mention that if i ever decide to sell them , maybe some people will appreciate the effort and pay more ( wishful thinking >.< )

**Brother SRM**

Selling unpainted is where it's at. 99% of people will strip it, and if it's painted it will usually sell for less on eBay and the like.

**LunaHound**

Brother SRM wrote:Selling unpainted is where it's at. 99% of people will strip it, and if it's painted it will usually sell for less on eBay and the like.

Yes exactly , which is why alot of gamers dont paint if they dont have to.

While lots of painter , hobbyist will deny the such reasoning...

**MajorTom11**

Yup, if you are any kind of good at it yourself, buying painted is extremely tough to do, most stuff that goes on sale as 'pro-painted' barely qualifies as tabletop in my books.

I have bought a few painted minis, but they have been between 50 and 150 bucks per mini, mostly by GD winners such as Pedro Rufo. Part of the reason is that to me there is no reason you can't appreciate and enjoy other peoples work, even if 'you could do it yourself'. The main reason though is to study the finished products in real life and adjust my techniques accordingly. It's nice to set the bar and challenge yourself to meet or even exceed the pieces you collect.

People like me would be the hardest to satisfy, but also willing to pay for it too. The key with commission anything is to manage expectations... under-promise, over deliver.

**El_Gostro**

I see definitely see the wisdom

Well,I guess when i get back tome tonight I will begin deciding which of my unpainted conversions (99% at this point) is going to the marketplace...

Most of these bear my amateur signature mark (insulting excesses or coatings of dry glue) but I will make sure to include that in the description.

]

One last question: Some of my convs are almost made for scenes or dioramas (EG;Dramatic pose),do these sell well unpainted too?