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Hiya Dakkadakka,
I don't know where to put this topic, sorry
Anyways, I was wondering that what makes up a models worth? If you were to sell a used model here, on the forums, would you charge more for paint job or less?
Does stripping a model before selling increase it's value?
Assembled/Disassembled?
Sorry for asking somewhat unimportant questions/out of place. Thanks

Depends on the quality of the paintjob, many people will want to paint a figure themselves so see a painted figure as a drawback so will pay less for it. Usually any painting on a figure decreases value until the paintjob reaches a fairly high standard, then it increases the value of the model. If you paint at Golden Demon standard the base value of the model is dwarfed by the amount people are prepared to pay for it.

For general value on miniatures there is rarity and demand. Some ranges of figures are more popular than others and some particular figures were produced in smaller quantities.

Well, the value of a mini depends in part whether it's sold to a gamer, or someone looking for a piece for their art collection. Some other considerations:

1) Game value: Is the mini still usable in a game? Some models may be obsolete because the wargear or model no longer is supported by the latest rules.

2) Rarity: some minis are limited runs, such as the Games Day minis. Obviously you can expect to pay more if there are only a few models in existence.

3) OOP: Out-Of Print minis weren't intended to have a limited run, but either sales dried up, the company is no longer running, the mould is no longer usable, or the model was discontinued because a newer model replaced it. OOP models are more valuable to the right person.

4) Painted; depends on the quality, which is subjective to a degree, Generally it's worth more if it's better than the buyer could produce for themself. If it's on sale because it's painted, then conversions can boost the value.

5) Quality; Again, subjective. Some models are just fugly. But if you can find someone who wants it for nostalgic reasons you can still get rid of it.

6) Stripped/poor paint-job that can be stripped: Generally worth a lot less than new. It means more work for the purchaser to get it cleaned up. Don't expect to get a lot for it. Same goes for poor conversion jobs that need to be ret-conned.

So, Rackham Confrontation minis are very valuable right now, because the company stopped producing them and the quality is generally quite high. Even a poorly painted one will get interest, because it's getting harder and harder to find their models.

Trying to sell stripped space marines will net you considerably less than you paid for them.

Any of that help?

Yeh Thanks, I have some current-up-to-date chaos daemons, though I don't think alot of people play daemons.

Roughly speaking these are the "grades" of stuff selling secondhand on eBay and so on.

Mint in box -- Worth about 75% of GW retail cost. You can get MIB stuff from Malestrom etc for 80 to 85% of retail, postage free, and have a guarantee.

New on sprue -- Probably worth a bit less than MIB, maybe 70% of retail.

Clipped off sprue (bits) -- This can be a bloody nuisance if you don't have the instructions. Consequently, it's worth less than New on Sprue, maybe 60% of retail

Assembled and bare – this can save the buyer a lot of work.OTOH you lose the chance to pose the models and choose the wargear. 50-60% of retail.

Stripped – better than primed as it saves some work. 50-60% of retail.

Primed – some people want a different colour of primer. 40-50% of retail.

Painted – value depends on paint job. Some people will offer 40 to 50% of retail on the basis they are going to strip the models. Really well painted stuff can go for well over retail.

Collectable OOP models are a different matter and can sell for 80-100% of equivalent retail whatever state they are in.

That is my experience.

Painted plastics are also worth less than painted metal. Metal can be stripped to like-new pretty easily, but plastic stripping has inspired pages and pages of debate.

Agree though that you need to put in in the perspective of you can buy New in Box for 80% of retail from any number of reputable on-line dealers.

That said, I've seen some truely remarkable pricing decisions in the Swap thread. Not sure if they're being optimistic or are planning on haggling.

60% of retail seems pretty common.

Primed – some people want a different colour of primer. 40-50% of retail.

I avoid primed like the plague, many i have received have been primed in some sort of radiator spray paint and ruined.

I watched that 'standard' army colour schemes like cadian if they are painted the same colours to a responable standard like GW's example ones are sell well as fit in existing armys without looking out of place.

I have also heard of "primed" meaning that in fact the original scheme of the army was just primed over, leading to excessive paint build-up.

As always, buyer beware. If you are looking to buy some stuff off ebay, I recommend listening to a podcast called The Eternal Warriors; a recent episode (I think it was 12) had a great discussion on the pros and cons of buying stuff from there.

Wow. This is a very broad, open-ended question. From a metaphysical standpoint, a model is worth nothing more than you are willing to pay for it. Bottom line. Something I learned in my college classes was a phrase that I carry with me EVERY day of my life:

"Value is user-defined."

What determines the value of a brand new minivan? Is it the amount of cupholders? Whether or not there's on board navigation? A certain gas mileage or horsepower? What is considered 'value' to one prospective buyer may be seen as frivolous or unnecessary to the next. It all depends on what you value.

Is that unit worth $142? Not to me, but another person may very well define that as a good value and cough up the money (perhaps on the way to his psychiatrist).



King Ghidorah