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As some of you guys know, I do commission work. While this is a good way of getting some extra cash, it also means I have to work towards very tight schedules, something that is hard to do when you have an incredibly hectic life. So, I am considering setting up an eBay store and selling painted models there. This way, I can work on my own schedule, and paint every model up really nicely.

BUT, I have some questions for my fellow dakkites:

1:What kind of models should I start selling? Should I go with Space Mehrenzz, like everyone else, or should I find myself a niche, such as Xenos like Dark Eldar?
2: This question ties in with 1; should I start out with Hero figures, or Units? Going with the Dark Eldar, should I start by selling a unit of Wyches, or a Raider?
3: What would you be willing to pay (USD) for a model like the ones below?



[url=http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/191497-Chaos%2C%20Marauders%2C%20Warhammer%20Fantasy.html][img]http:

I am looking forward to your answers, buyers and sellers alike!

Thanks!
_Tim?

I'd expect around £15 for the orcs, perhaps £20 for the outriders. Maybe £10 for the gobbo. If the quality's what it appears to be. Better lit photos would help.

winterdyne wrote:I'd expect around £15 for the orcs, perhaps £20 for the outriders. Maybe £10 for the gobbo. If the quality's what it appears to be. Better lit photos would help.

Ouch. 20 pounds converts to $35 USD, which is what it would cost to buy the models in the first place. And yeah, the quality is better in person. I am going to have to work on my picture quality, if I do end up going the eBay route.

_Tim?

If you're serious about turning this into a little side-business, I'd go for painting character models mostly.

The problem with painting units is that there's a very poor time-money turnover. For a character, however, people may be willing to splurge. The other problem is unit options: you can kit out a IG Veteran squad 10 different ways. A Tactical Squad can have 30 or so different weapon options.

The one way to make money off of painting *units* is actually to paint full armies using techniques that other people can't do for logistical reasons. Next Level Painting, for example, utilizes airbrush techniques to do entire armies in probably a weekend or so. Not to bash Next Level or anything, but with the airbrush companies you're paying for a specific style that is conducive to painting entire armies: it's fast, looks cool and table-top, but is definitely not a high quality showcase finish.

That said, these are probably the only people making above minimum wage in the commission business.

Some_Call_Me_Tim? wrote:

winterdyne wrote:I'd expect around £15 for the orcs, perhaps £20 for the outriders. Maybe £10 for the gobbo. If the quality's what it appears to be. Better lit photos would help.

Ouch. 20 pounds converts to $35 USD, which is what it would cost to buy the models in the first place. And yeah, the quality is better in person. I am going to have to work on my picture quality, if I do end up going the eBay route.

_Tim?

If you are buying models to resell painted you should be buying from a discount seller. 20% off is easy to find, 30% off isn't too difficult either. And I agree to stick to characters only.

Another problem as I see it, is that the "Master painted" crowd on ebay has earned such a bad rap in the wargamming community that you'll be fighting against a existing buyer prejudice against painted models.

Ma55ter_fett wrote:Another problem as I see it, is that the "Master painted" crowd on ebay has earned such a bad rap in the wargamming community that you'll be fighting against a existing buyer prejudice against painted models.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Warhammer-40K-Pro-Painted-Space-Marine-Whirlwind-/250858397787?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6853605b


no idea what you are talking about...