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I've been on the net for a good few years now and until recently didn't bother with ebay. However, as I wanted certain models in metal it was my only option to get these. Also there are quite a few old models from various ranges that I want so I'm bidding even more! The reason for this post is I've noticed a few things that have made me laugh. A lot.

1) The first thing is the sometimes insane value that some sellers put on what is basically a 35mm lump of metal; even more than GW used to do! I'd understand it if these models were rare, but they are not! For example there is currently a Sanguinor metal model for sale at the rather modest sale price of £900.00. Now, either this model is solid gold or platinum, the seller is not clear but he obviously thinks it will sell.Good luck. We're all counting on him.

2) Now I know it is up to the individual to charge whatever they want, but I think some people are losing touch with reality,perspective. When you consider that most of us when we buy from ebay/other sources of second hand stuff, the objective of our purpose in buying the model is to add it to our armies. So 9 times out of ten the newly purchased model is going to take a bath in Dettol,simple green, fairy powerspray etc. We don't care what the paint job is! Its going to be removed!

3) 'Pro-Painted'. This has to be the silliest statement on ebay to try and sell minis . Its repeated like some kind of mantra, seemingly in the hope that us the buyers will take a blood rush and offer up ridiculous amounts of money for this wondrous work of art. Am I missing something here? Do we have celebrity professional painters lurking in our midst that we never hear of? I'm all for people making a bit of money when they sell but seriously you are overestimating things if you think a lick of paint allows you to charge multiples over the original retail price of a model. Remember; they're not rare! The paint job might be but the model is not!

4) What makes me laugh the most is the bizarre photos that sellers think are ok. The description might say '5 Ultramarines' but all I can see is a fuzzy blue blob. Though with any luck the photo might be up the right way(I hope) so there is more chance of making something out. Can you not take a few pictures until you get a reasonable one and not post the first fuzzy one you take? If you can't make out what you've taken a picture of, the chances are we won't either!( P.s. If I need a fuzzy blue blob at least I'll know where to get it!)

This is not a truly serious post. It really isn't. Its just a new to ebay user's skew whiff view on his travels round ebay and the bizarre things I've seen. Don't get upset, comment if you like!
Really bizarre.

I think you'll get a kick out of the Ebay Follies Thread!

I agree with your points 1-4, as I see those issues often. I also laugh at how much some people charge for shipping. By the time you add that to the price, you're sometimes exceeding retail...

What I find sillier(IS that even a word?) is the people that bid on the Pro-Painted high shipping items.

1) The first thing is the sometimes insane value that some sellers put on what is basically a 35mm lump of metal; even more than GW used to do! I'd understand it if these models were rare, but they are not! For example there is currently a Sanguinor metal model for sale at the rather modest sale price of £900.00. Now, either this model is solid gold or platinum, the seller is not clear but he obviously thinks it will sell.Good luck. We're all counting on him.

Sometimes its a honest mistake, at other times they might put it up for the "lolz" during free listing days.
Metal counterpart are indeed more sought after than finecost because they can be stripped easily without harm. This is important for 2nd hand market.

2) Now I know it is up to the individual to charge whatever they want, but I think some people are losing touch with reality,perspective. When you consider that most of us when we buy from ebay/other sources of second hand stuff, the objective of our purpose in buying the model is to add it to our armies. So 9 times out of ten the newly purchased model is going to take a bath in Dettol,simple green, fairy powerspray etc. We don't care what the paint job is! Its going to be removed!

False, not everyone buys to fill up their army. Some buys painted ones to HAVE an army, others are fine with purchasing something that is painted so they dont have to do it themselves.

3) 'Pro-Painted'. This has to be the silliest statement on ebay to try and sell minis . Its repeated like some kind of mantra, seemingly in the hope that us the buyers will take a blood rush and offer up ridiculous amounts of money for this wondrous work of art. Am I missing something here? Do we have celebrity professional painters lurking in our midst that we never hear of? I'm all for people making a bit of money when they sell but seriously you are overestimating things if you think a lick of paint allows you to charge multiples over the original retail price of a model. Remember; they're not rare! The paint job might be but the model is not!

I have seeing tons of counter argument for this. There are some people out there that claims "because I paint as my job, it is my profession, thus makes my work pro painted"
I would counter that counter with "usually when people paint as profession they have certain achieved standard, because you should at least get better through tons of practice through work right? "

4) What makes me laugh the most is the bizarre photos that sellers think are ok. The description might say '5 Ultramarines' but all I can see is a fuzzy blue blob. Though with any luck the photo might be up the right way(I hope) so there is more chance of making something out. Can you not take a few pictures until you get a reasonable one and not post the first fuzzy one you take? If you can't make out what you've taken a picture of, the chances are we won't either!( P.s. If I need a fuzzy blue blob at least I'll know where to get it!)

No, Im sure the seller dont think its ok. Blurry photos are usually a tell tale sign of something is wrong ( usually too many layers of paint under the primer, bad gluing, bad assembling )
masked by the photo by the seller on purpose. So if I want to buy something that is not clean unpainted plastic, I'll be careful about the photo.

This is not a truly serious post. It really isn't. Its just a new to ebay user's skew whiff view on his travels round ebay and the bizarre things I've seen. Don't get upset, comment if you like!
Really bizarre.

Not just limited to ebay, I see it all the time on dakka's swapshop as well. I used to take my time to point out the price gouge, masking the 5 layers of paints under a new primer claiming its 1 coat and priced even higher than NIB items,
counterfeit miniatures, but the mods have decided that was "drama" despite it been facts.

One good thing about Ebay, though. Most of the sales on there evidently confirm me as an "official professional painter" when I never knew I was, because I could do better than most of those paintjobs with a good solid buzz going.

Also, shipping can be actually high, especially for painted items ( ok , if the seller think the work is important to them).

Assuming its in the same country ( looking at the 2 USA posters above ) the shipping fee can go up if:
it has tracking, insurance, and whether it was carefully packaged with foams and paddings.

There is also possibility of it been high ( this is not set by the seller but rather the postal service ) e.g if you buy something from Poland.

1) the high price is sometimes just a trap for the unwary, but I believe there is a technical reason for it to do with mulitiple listings, fees and stuff.

2) You might not be bothered about the paint job but there are people who don't or won't paint and it is a useful way of getting painted armies. Besides if you don;t want painted figures, why aren't you bidding on the boxed stuff or the sprues? You are less likely to get broken models.

3 + 4) I realise you are mouthing off for humorous effect, but to repeat some people want to buy painted models. Pro Painted is a terrible way to advertise your painted models, as the term is debased, but if you get the right pictures, have a good rating and feedback, people are perfectly willing to pay good money for painted models.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

jbunny wrote:What I find sillier(IS that even a word?) is the people that bid on the Pro-Painted high shipping items.

Actually when I see high shipping costs with painted items, it is a sign to me that the paint job is actually worth paying for - as it should mean you are paying for insurance, recorded delivery and the items being well packed (if not you are just inviting negative feedback).

There's a good reason to have stupidly high priced minis. Supposing you're a commission painter. You don't want to sell your (truly) well-painted miniature on ebay, most likely it will not sell too good. So, you list it anyway but price it in $900. If someone actually buys it - excellent. If not - hundreds of interested buyers will view a listing with an advertisement of your service and consider ordering a paint job from you. And it's free, because you only pay if you sell.

Gnawer wrote:There's a good reason to have stupidly high priced minis. Supposing you're a commission painter. You don't want to sell your (truly) well-painted miniature on ebay, most likely it will not sell too good. So, you list it anyway but price it in $900. If someone actually buys it - excellent. If not - hundreds of interested buyers will view a listing with an advertisement of your service and consider ordering a paint job from you. And it's free, because you only pay if you sell.

Someone give this man a cookie!

@Slipstream: I gotta say man, a lot of your points here seem to be made simply for laughs/based on lack of experience and knowledge. There is serious math and thought behind the high prices people charge for painted miniatures. For one, they are catering to a totally different customer base than you are a member of: people who don't have the time/patience/skill/experience to paint their own models and thus are willing to pay a premium. Also, these sellers have to allow for all of eBays fees and charges. And once you add on the cost of good packaging, insurance, and tracking information, shipping can get very high, be it international or domestic.