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Made in fi
Fresh-Faced New User






I've been wondering why did the prices of used Games Workshop miniatures sold on Ebay get so high at the end of the last decade? Back in the early 2010's I scored some really sweet deals on Ebay, like a 90's era blood thirster for less than 10€ with postage included. Less than 10 euros! Since then the prices have skyrocketed and sellers now have the nerve to sell incomplete miniatures for ridiculous amounts of money like in the case of this included picture.

So how did this happen? Did the sellers form a cartel to raise the prices, knowing how hungry we are for OOP minis? Of course this may sound like unnecessary bitching about the principles of supply and demand but it seems like there's no competition on low prices. I just wish I could buy used minis on the prices I used to

[Thumb - Keeper Of Secrets.jpg]

   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

During Corona lockdowns GW's production was fully shut down. During that time almost the entire stock of models that were on sale were sold. The retail market for stores that were active was stripped bare.

Basically a freak situation resulted in a massive shutdown of supply and a massive rise in demand as lots of geeks were sat at home, not spending money on fuel in the car or going out and thus - got on with some hobby stuff.



You also have had more people coming back from time away with fond memories of the older models; older models which have a finite supply and thus that helps drive up the price.


Furthermore metal models keep value really well because they are pretty durable, pretty tough and very easy to paint strip without risk (heck you can leave them in many paint strip solutions for years and it won't harm them). So they are super easy to recycle for a new owner.




So you've basically got an ideal sellers market. Limited supply, high and generally rising demand and of those who are returning many are older adults who have more money to spend and are thus willing to enter the bidding wars for models. Which drives up the apparent price which means any "instant sell" models will also enter the market at a higher rate when people look back at previous sale prices.


So I don't think there's a conspiracy, its just your simply supply and demand situation.

Plus don't forget the further back you go with ebay the fewer people who are aware and willing to trade on it as buyers. So it was easier to score a great deal because fewer people were looking.
These days you almost have to search for common spelling errors in a listing and cross your fingers someone lists something under a slightly wrong name "Greater Demon of Slanesh" instead of Slaanesh" so that it doesn't get attention.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in gb
Malicious Mandrake




To be honest it does sound like "oh woe is me..."

There's no cartel, though I'm sure some folk have seen some of the really silly prices listed and thought - "well, why not...?"

Supply & demand IS an issue... I bought a Dogs of War army piecemeal having only discovered it after GW stopped making it. My limit at the time was £30 per unit, but many went for more. Now, years later, the supply is much more limited, with (as far as I can see) the same units going for £50 - £100.

Of course I'd love to buy stuff cheaper - who wouldn't? Try a compare with say - a Mars bar, a car, a weekly food shop. I'm pretty sure they've all gone up too...
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Yeah plus some models are also popular - the Diaz Deamonettes sell for stupidly high amounts as they are really popular sculpts


Honestly you'd think Gw would keep an eye on ebay and put old stuff that's popular back into production. Of course when GW does old castings they do one run over 1-2 weeks which means its a real pain if you're not around them to notice or don't have the money.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in fi
Fresh-Faced New User






Thanks for your answers and yes, this is definitely a case of "oh woe is me!" Guess I'll just have to adapt to the high prices of miniatures as well as everything else. The 2020's just simply suck.

Also, if you read some old White Dwarf magazines you may notice how GW itself back in those days had sometimes really sweet discounts like "Three blister packages for the price of two!"
   
Made in fi
Locked in the Tower of Amareo





You even had examples of people using those in tale of 4 painters

2024 painted/bought: 109/109 
   
Made in gb
Walking Dead Wraithlord






Good thread. I was thinking of doing a similar one.

People have lost the plot on OOP stuff.
People are genuinely trying to charge £8-9 for a single horse head for WHFB HE dragon princes horse... Utter insanity.

This isint even a gripe.. its like you can actualy buy an entire unit box BNIB for about £70
I've been dabbling in flipping stuff since I got back in the hobby a number of years ago and its never been this insane.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/13 15:39:30


https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/772746.page#10378083 - My progress/failblog painting blog thingy

Eldar- 4436 pts


AngryAngel80 wrote:
I don't know, when I see awesome rules, I'm like " Baby, your rules looking so fine. Maybe I gotta add you to my first strike battalion eh ? "


 Eonfuzz wrote:


I would much rather everyone have a half ass than no ass.


"A warrior does not seek fame and honour. They come to him as he humbly follows his path"  
   
Made in fi
Locked in the Tower of Amareo





Reminds me of foot and mounted khamul easterling going for same price minus shipping as 3 named nazguls from gw...

"some" metal tax

2024 painted/bought: 109/109 
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut






 Argive wrote:
Good thread. I was thinking of doing a similar one.

People have lost the plot on OOP stuff.
People are genuinely trying to charge £8-9 for a single horse head for WHFB HE dragon princes horse... Utter insanity.

This isint even a gripe.. its like you can actualy buy an entire unit box BNIB for about £70
I've been dabbling in flipping stuff since I got back in the hobby a number of years ago and its never been this insane.

To sort of run defence for high priced stuff; I've been selling some of my old Necromunda models. If I sell a metal ganger for, say £5, then deduct postage (£1.09 large letter), packing materials, ebay's cut, time and materials to strip it, maybe a new base, I'm making maybe £2-2.50 profit, which is barely worth my time to be honest.

I can totally understand why some prices are so high.



   
Made in us
Ultramarine Chaplain with Hate to Spare






To add to that, the price of new GW models is totally insane. True, I just bought an OOP metal apothecary for $20, but the current primaris Apothecary is A: ugly and doesnt match my army, and B: $38!!!


And They Shall Not Fit Through Doors!!!

Tyranid Army Progress -- With Classic Warriors!:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/743240.page#9671598 
   
Made in us
Fresh-Faced New User




California

 Hotzenplotz wrote:
I've been wondering why did the prices of used Games Workshop miniatures sold on Ebay get so high at the end of the last decade?


I think part of it is an increase in the popularity of early Warhammer (1st-3rd for Fantasy, Rogue Trader/2nd Edition 40k). I just picked up 40k, but honestly I'd rather have an all-metal army for 2nd than the new stuff; only reason I didn't is lack of other players.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/14 03:08:10


 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

 Argive wrote:
Good thread. I was thinking of doing a similar one.

People have lost the plot on OOP stuff.
People are genuinely trying to charge £8-9 for a single horse head for WHFB HE dragon princes horse... Utter insanity.

This isint even a gripe.. its like you can actualy buy an entire unit box BNIB for about £70
I've been dabbling in flipping stuff since I got back in the hobby a number of years ago and its never been this insane.


The problem with parts is its a highly wasteful enterprise. Certain parts from models will always be popular and sell out fast. Other parts will generally never sell save to that person who breaks/loses that part now and then. Add on top that GW doesn't sell trade to parts stores, so those parts stores have to either get lucky grabbing secondhand kits or buy retail priced kits. The costs on them thus get very silly to the point where, honestly, now if you want more than a couple of parts in a kit its just easier and cheaper to get the whole kit and add the bits you don't use to your own bits pile than it is to pick up the individual bits.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Supply and demand.

Someone might want an army of models from yesteryear. An actual army can be bought relatively cheaply, as a lot of people get into the hobby, but move on to other things relatively quickly. Their stuff goes in a cupboard or attic, and years later is dusted off, and whacked on Facebook, eBay or a Car Boot Sale for a relative pittance.

But, being owned by a youngster, that army is in relatively bad condition. Snapped lances, missing heads/arms etc.

And that’s where you need Bitz to patch it up.

Now the given Bitz themselves may not be rare as such, as untold thousands will have been made. But, the trick is finding them on the market. And perhaps perversely, the more common a given unit was, the greater the competition for that particular bit, as it’s more likely others will be looking for it as well.

There’s also the oddity of GW ending its Bitz service around 2006ish, because it just wasn’t cost effective. And since their drive to plastic? It’s just not something doable at all. With metal, it was at least possible to spin out a cast, post out the Bitz ordered, then melt the rest down. Far from cost effective, by doable. Plastic? Not at all.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Further on my “armies in a cupboard” argument?

Not only has GW had quite the resurgence over the past few years, and indeed the pandemic (it’s a bloody flexible hobby when you can’t really go anywhere!), but they’ve also started to appear in the news and media..

Folks returning to the hobby are likely also digging out their old stuff, and some will be patching it up, putting further demand on bits and pieces of yesteryear.

Dragon Prince horse heads are particularly interesting here, because due to their design and the materials, they were always kind of easily separated (metal head, plastic boy. A flat socket join with just super glue to hold it in place). And once separated, easily lost. And that didn’t require a particular level of carelessness. And unlike the tails (forever snapping off) they’re kind of important bits to have if you don’t want your army looking crap.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/14 08:13:55


   
Made in us
Infiltrating Broodlord





United States

 Hotzenplotz wrote:
I've been wondering why did the prices of used Games Workshop miniatures sold on Ebay get so high at the end of the last decade? Back in the early 2010's I scored some really sweet deals on Ebay, like a 90's era blood thirster for less than 10€ with postage included. Less than 10 euros! Since then the prices have skyrocketed and sellers now have the nerve to sell incomplete miniatures for ridiculous amounts of money like in the case of this included picture.

So how did this happen? Did the sellers form a cartel to raise the prices, knowing how hungry we are for OOP minis? Of course this may sound like unnecessary bitching about the principles of supply and demand but it seems like there's no competition on low prices. I just wish I could buy used minis on the prices I used to



If you had a model, and could sell it for 10 bucks or 50 bucks, you'd pick the 50 bucks.

If customers will pay you 50 bucks, that is what you are going to get.

Econ 101.

Ayn Rand "We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality" 
   
Made in us
Veteran Knight Baron in a Crusader





Pandemic drove demand in a couple ways. One, people sitting around their houses with nothing to do but finish old kits. Two, lots of gaming stores were closed so people looked to ebay and started picking up their favorite models of yesteryear. If you can't meet anyone for games, that's the perfect time to paint up some legends models you won't use on the tabletop anway. Three, with death seemingly staring people in the face, many people have developed more of a "you only live once, might as well enjoy it" philosophy. I've seen lots of people finally splurging for that big ticket item they've been wanting for awhile. New Porsches and Ferraris, classic muscle cars, Rolexes, vacation to France, etc. A lot of people got a nice tax advance from the government and used it for non-essential items. Then you have inflation from supply chain issues which has driven up prices of everything from milk/bread, gasoline, travel, shipping, and that trickles down to the used market. When a new 911 has a $100k markup at the dealer, used ones are going to go up. When new GW models are more expensive, OOP models are going to go up.
   
Made in us
Nasty Nob




Crescent City Fl..

I've viewed selling armies and models like this. I don't sell locally for what I want I cut discounts. No one has any money everyone wants a discount and expects a "friend price". If I want to make money or rather make what I want for something I put it on line. The market is larger and reaches people who, if they want it, can afford to pay what I am asking or get very close to what I want.
Always ask for more than you want so you can come down on the price.

These prices online also reflect how many of what ever is available as well as what other people are also asking for the same things so these prices are what "you" are willing to pay as well as very basic market research, ie skimming through ebay listings to see what other people are pricing the same things at.

And if they are out of print of out of production then the value, or at least the price goes up.

Honestly though if you can get something 3d printed that is basically the same thing it's probably the better option if what you want is out of your price range.

The weird thing is I have more than 300 Ork boys and am not looking forward to attempt to sell them as I have no expectations anyone wants Old Ork boys now, at least not for anything close to the modes price I would put on them.

My friend who flips armies every few months, because he's got to have a new competitive army, tells me how people nag at him over the prices and how hard it is for him to get close to what it cost him to buy those armies. He operates at a loss constantly because he over pays and buys way too much every time.





Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh and i will add that in the past I have bought whole armies or lots just to get at the handful of models I wanted just to resell the rest as soon as I could, or trade them if that was possible. Some times buying an entire army is actually more cost effective, prior to 2018 anyway. I have no idea if that hold up still in 2022.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/14 15:58:34


Sigh, Yet another doomed attempt by man to bridge the gap between the material and spiritual worlds 
   
Made in us
Storm Trooper with Maglight






A good part of it is also the fact that 6th/7th edition of 40k, the game was hemorrhaging players and people were just selling stuff left and right. Once 8th edition came the situation reversed with an influx of new players and prices raised up. Combine this with the fact that most modern GW kits are super expensive, and people selling older things can raise up the prices due to limited stock and *still* being comparatively cheaper than or equivalent to the modern version of the models.

Back in 2015/16 I got tons of old Stormtrooper and Kasrkin and Steel Legion etc models for reasonably cheap prices. Now? I see auctions for smaller groupings of the same models for double or triple what I paid. A combination of new players + limited numbers of the things in circulation. I expect the Kasrkin prices to decline to more sane levels when the new plastic kit comes out, but the others will probably remain high.
   
Made in us
Rogue Daemonhunter fueled by Chaos






Toledo, OH

I pretty much agree with all of the comments above, although the prices had been trending up even before the pandemic. On the whole, the answer is week one econ: increased demand, and flat or even dwinding supply. As more people pour into the hobby, there are more people trying to buy armies used. that increases the prices, and as army prices rise, so do unit, model, and parts prices.

A lot of GW stuff is truely out of print as well, meaning that it can only be bought second hand. I also think eBay really cleared out a lot of the more notorious recasters, which further limits supply.

Finally, on top of the stimulus money that burned holes in everybody's products, 90s GW stuff is spiking now for the same reason 80s toys spiked in price: the people that had the stuff as kids finally have enough money to buy what they always wanted. I've sold plenty of stuff for prices that made my eyes water, but the buyers have been really happy. At the end of the day, if you buy a single model for $50, and then spend ten hours painting it, and its' what you really want, that's better than dropping fifty bucks at a bar.

Kids look at GW compared to a video game or trip to the movies. Adults look at GW compared to a set of golf clubs or a long weekend getaway. Once your leisure budget reaches five figures, you stop worrying about $100 now and then.
   
Made in us
Incorporating Wet-Blending






General reasons *on eBay* why a price may be "insanely" high. :

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Insanely-high-prices-Please-explain/td-p/27352976

Crimson Scales and Wildspire Miniatures thread on Reaper! : https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/103935-wildspire-miniatures-thread/ 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Ohh one I forgot - price creep.

When you've a limited supply a lot of people who are putting an item up for sale will search ebay and check the current listed prices for that item. They will generally then pitch their price based on those prices - pricing at the high end if they want profit over a fast sale; pricing at the low end if they want sale over profit.


The issue is if the supply is really limited the abnormally high prices can be the only ones that are left from time to time. So new stuff entering gets pushed toward those higher prices. Then before you know it those prices "are" the defaults. At least for buy-outrights.

Checking sold listings not just active can bring this value down, but it can still creep up. Especially for out of production models that have no active consumer price to hold things down (and even then I've seen people get into a bidding war and pay more for things sold on the GW website)

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in us
Boom! Leman Russ Commander








I have a complete Kasrkin army...6 troop squads etc. Plus a lot of extras, and special weapons etc.

A year ago I bought 4 more squads for 50 each.

All of a sudden prices jumped.

So I flipped them for 200 each.

Now I wish when I had worked for the company I had bought more at 25.

With the plastics coming, I am seeing prices coming back down.


.Only a fool believes there is such a thing as price gouging. Things have value determined by the creator or merchant. If you don't agree with that value, you are free not to purchase. 
   
Made in ie
Sinister Chaos Marine




Its gotten a bit crazy now. Im always on the look out for old metal Commisars but so far havent found one at a price Id be happy paying.

Ive bought more stuff off Facebook groups in the last year or so than off ebay. It also doesnt help that since Ebay took charge of the shipping the prices to ship from UK to Ireland are stupidly high, often costing more than the model itself.

 
   
Made in gb
Lord of the Fleet






London

Not just eBay, seen Troll Trader recently?

Not even enough for a full squad
   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut




An additional thing I’ll add is in the UK there’s a lot more people(who aren’t really involved in the hobby) buying and reselling items on eBay. I’ve found good cheap deals for Warhammer in Charity Shops, FB marketplace and Car Boot Sales. People outside the hobby have picked up there’s a decent bit of money to be made with Warhammer on eBay and are cutting into it now.
   
Made in us
Walking Dead Wraithlord






 Valkyrie wrote:
Not just eBay, seen Troll Trader recently?

Not even enough for a full squad


wow.. what the actual eff..

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/772746.page#10378083 - My progress/failblog painting blog thingy

Eldar- 4436 pts


AngryAngel80 wrote:
I don't know, when I see awesome rules, I'm like " Baby, your rules looking so fine. Maybe I gotta add you to my first strike battalion eh ? "


 Eonfuzz wrote:


I would much rather everyone have a half ass than no ass.


"A warrior does not seek fame and honour. They come to him as he humbly follows his path"  
   
Made in gb
Lord of the Fleet






London

 Argive wrote:
 Valkyrie wrote:
Not just eBay, seen Troll Trader recently?

Not even enough for a full squad


wow.. what the actual eff..


Or you can get a Traitor Commissar for only £90 or an Ogryn and his hounds for the low low price of £180!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2022/08/18 16:06:06


 
   
Made in gb
Malicious Mandrake




Troll trader always seems to have a (to me) bizarre mix of good and insane prices.....
   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut




Prices are definitely on the up but it's worth remembering the price you see on eBay, especially a Buy It Now price, may not be what something sells for. Insane prices are nothing new. Just because someone thinks a random OOP metal Wood Elf archer should go for £20, doesn't mean it will.

Obviously the rarer something is the more expensive it's likely to be. I think there's probably also an element of more and more people realising what they're selling and how much it should cost. Five years ago it was pretty common to see lots of GW stuff for sale from people who clearly had no idea of its value but both eBay, and sellers in general, are getting more savvy about how much to ask for.
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

stroller wrote:
Troll trader always seems to have a (to me) bizarre mix of good and insane prices.....


Don't TT do both sales of stuff they've bought and then sell as well as things being sold on the behalf of others? Some of those higher prices could be prices set by a customer selling through TT.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in gb
Malicious Mandrake




They COULD be .... but... the back story doesn't matter to me too much.

I'd assume they'd also say something to the customer like "well .. if you insist.. you MIGHT get lucky at that price....but don't hold your breath...."

For "assume" read "complete guesswork" of course...
   
 
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