Switch Theme:

Best Way to sell a 30k army?  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in us
Rogue Daemonhunter fueled by Chaos






Toledo, OH

I bought, built, and painted a reasonably sized Emperor's children force a few years ago. Between moving twice, the switch to 8th edition, and other factors, I haven't really played it much. I'm not looking at some unexpected bills, and I'd like to sell it. Looking at eBay, there does seem to be a healthy market for fully painted armies, but given that my marines are on 25mm and my painting is solidly tabletop but not stunning, I wonder if I'm better off selling them by units. I suppose I could split the difference and list the full army for what I'd like, and then if it doesn't sell, split it up. However, I'm curious what people's experience is. Some pictures are under the spoilers below.

Spoiler:






   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Ottawa Ontario Canada

I've got a lot of experience selling painted armies, if you post really well executed pictures and stage/pose the army well you'll do ok. The second you split it off, a lot of perceived value goes away because it's now very likely just about saving money for the buyer by buying used.


Photography wise, if you treat it as sort of a visual inventory of what the army comprises and thoroughly document it by posting pics of each unit/squad in addition to a global army pic, generally cleanly ranked if possible and well spaced for delineation it helps a lot in increasing perceived value. Best strategy, set the army up cleanly for the global shot and once you're happy with how it looks "on parade" so to speak, then you can go in and get a shot of each unit. Front to back/right to left from unit to unit until you've got a pic of everything. Here's an example of that method with a friend's guard army https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-7463-59031_Lutnit%27s%20Guard%20Armies.html





Ebay is notorious for people posting literal piles of stuff in one 640x480 picture and wondering why it's not selling. Similarly you'll see beautiful armies with a high asking price but like 1-5 pictures.

Auction style actually works pretty well if you're willing to risk it going for less than ideal price. If you put a "buy it now" option on your auction and make it 20-50% higher than the starting bid price, it almost certainly won't sell for the buy it now price but it will very likely get an early bidder because they're fearing someone else will just "but it now".


Biggest reason to sell it all together is assuming it gets used its nice to have one more fully painted large army in the game, it's always nice for it to go to a good home.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2020/01/14 19:14:32


Do you play 30k? It'd be a lot cooler if you did.  
   
Made in us
Rogue Daemonhunter fueled by Chaos






Toledo, OH

Yeah, that's pretty consistent with my experience. I think the 30k crew would be willing to pay a bit of a premium (over primed/poorly painted) for a decently painted army.
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Ottawa Ontario Canada

 Polonius wrote:
Yeah, that's pretty consistent with my experience. I think the 30k crew would be willing to pay a bit of a premium (over primed/poorly painted) for a decently painted army.


Agreed, a lot of people value having a painted army, any painted army. Tabletop standard is fine.

Take the pics regardless of if you're sold on ebay yet or not, because they'll likely be just as useful to post locally first before trying ebay.

HH stuff here goes really really fast if its clear what it is, rarely have to put it on ebay unless is a sizeable lot.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2020/01/14 19:18:18


Do you play 30k? It'd be a lot cooler if you did.  
   
Made in au
Dakka Veteran





 Crablezworth wrote:
I've got a lot of experience selling painted armies, if you post really well executed pictures and stage/pose the army well you'll do ok. The second you split it off, a lot of perceived value goes away because it's now very likely just about saving money for the buyer by buying used.


Photography wise, if you treat it as sort of a visual inventory of what the army comprises and thoroughly document it by posting pics of each unit/squad in addition to a global army pic, generally cleanly ranked if possible and well spaced for delineation it helps a lot in increasing perceived value. Best strategy, set the army up cleanly for the global shot and once you're happy with how it looks "on parade" so to speak, then you can go in and get a shot of each unit. Front to back/right to left from unit to unit until you've got a pic of everything. Here's an example of that method with a friend's guard army https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-7463-59031_Lutnit%27s%20Guard%20Armies.html





Ebay is notorious for people posting literal piles of stuff in one 640x480 picture and wondering why it's not selling. Similarly you'll see beautiful armies with a high asking price but like 1-5 pictures.

Auction style actually works pretty well if you're willing to risk it going for less than ideal price. If you put a "buy it now" option on your auction and make it 20-50% higher than the starting bid price, it almost certainly won't sell for the buy it now price but it will very likely get an early bidder because they're fearing someone else will just "but it now".


Biggest reason to sell it all together is assuming it gets used its nice to have one more fully painted large army in the game, it's always nice for it to go to a good home.

Mate, thanks so much for this post, it's relevant to me right now as well.

Can you please expand upon what you mean with the buy it now/ bid thing? I'm not so familiar with eBay. Why would a buy it now option encourage a bid? even if they bid on it could it not still just be bought out anyway? also, only 50% higher? Isn't the main goal of the auction to raise the price?

Genuine questions from a noob at selling stuff, to someone who clearly has a good understanding of this - thanks heaps for your time.
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Ottawa Ontario Canada

 Nitro Zeus wrote:
 Crablezworth wrote:
I've got a lot of experience selling painted armies, if you post really well executed pictures and stage/pose the army well you'll do ok. The second you split it off, a lot of perceived value goes away because it's now very likely just about saving money for the buyer by buying used.


Photography wise, if you treat it as sort of a visual inventory of what the army comprises and thoroughly document it by posting pics of each unit/squad in addition to a global army pic, generally cleanly ranked if possible and well spaced for delineation it helps a lot in increasing perceived value. Best strategy, set the army up cleanly for the global shot and once you're happy with how it looks "on parade" so to speak, then you can go in and get a shot of each unit. Front to back/right to left from unit to unit until you've got a pic of everything. Here's an example of that method with a friend's guard army https://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/images-7463-59031_Lutnit%27s%20Guard%20Armies.html





Ebay is notorious for people posting literal piles of stuff in one 640x480 picture and wondering why it's not selling. Similarly you'll see beautiful armies with a high asking price but like 1-5 pictures.

Auction style actually works pretty well if you're willing to risk it going for less than ideal price. If you put a "buy it now" option on your auction and make it 20-50% higher than the starting bid price, it almost certainly won't sell for the buy it now price but it will very likely get an early bidder because they're fearing someone else will just "but it now".


Biggest reason to sell it all together is assuming it gets used its nice to have one more fully painted large army in the game, it's always nice for it to go to a good home.

Mate, thanks so much for this post, it's relevant to me right now as well.

Can you please expand upon what you mean with the buy it now/ bid thing? I'm not so familiar with eBay. Why would a buy it now option encourage a bid? even if they bid on it could it not still just be bought out anyway? also, only 50% higher? Isn't the main goal of the auction to raise the price?

Genuine questions from a noob at selling stuff, to someone who clearly has a good understanding of this - thanks heaps for your time.





The idea of an auction is basically pure value, what someone is willing to pay. An auction will have to have a starting price/bid. You can add what's called a "buy it now" option with a price higher than the starting bid, they either "buy it now" for that price or place a starting bid. The earlier people bid the better price you can expect.

Let's assume you're selling some one of a kind army that you think will be quite in demand, a "buy it now" option might even sell it because someone with the finances on hand might just wanna scoop it up before anyone else does (they see value and rightly assume others will soon see it as well), Just like GW with limited releases, the fear of losing out is powerful if its something you really want.


there are beautiful armies on ebay for thousands and they tend to stay there for months, realistically it's the stuff you can get for 300-1200 range that can move in 7-10 day listings but good pics are everything. The more you hope to get the longer stuff might sit for sale.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/01/15 07:56:16


Do you play 30k? It'd be a lot cooler if you did.  
   
Made in us
Unhealthy Competition With Other Legions





United States

My experience aligns pretty closely to CrablezWorth’s. I would note two things in addition to a lot of photos and the auction vs buy it now stuff.

First in an auction type listing you can also set a minimum amount that has to be reached before your listing will actually sell. This can give you some security in knowing that your models won’t go for anything less than that amount. Sometimes it can dissuade people from bidding I think, other times it might create a midterm bidding war as two people try to hit the minimum bid amount.

Second, a detailed description of what you are listing is almost as important as a lot of well done photos. People want to know exactly what they are getting so for instance saying 10 marines for sale is ok, but saying, 9 Tactical Legionnaires with bolters, and sergeant with powerfist and Melta Bombs is better. Also be sure to note if you have any limited edition, rare or classic models in the listing. I can see from the army photo in the OP that you have at least a few classic rhinos there. A detailed description helps head off any potential misunderstanding down the line that could lead to a refund request.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/01/15 15:39:37


13th Stor-Bezashk and Ezurum Fusiliers - Army of Dark Compliance Plog -

SoCal Open Horus Heresy Narrative Event FB Page

“Victory is not an abstract concept, it is the equation that sits at the heart of strategy. Victory is the will to expend lives and munitions in attack, overmatching the defenders’reserves of manpower and ordnance. As long as my Iron Warriors are willing to pay any price in pursuit of victory, we shall never be defeated.” - The Primarch Perturabo, Master of the Iron Warriors 
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Another important thing - be sure to note any faults or breaks in the description. I would also document them in photos, not just to show up front, but also as proof of condition before you post them.

You basically want to provide, in photos, as much details as you can without overwhelming nor confusing a person; but you want them to view things just like they would if they looked at your army in person.




Also if you're not looking to sell on ebay get on Facebook. Whilst I've sold a good amount through forums, a lot of people are on FB now more than they are forums. It can mean that you reach a much bigger market. I'd wager there's likely a USA and general HH trading group on FB as well - suddenly you're in a group advertising directly to an interested market wanting to buy your models.
It might not mean you sell them for more, but it might well mean that you sell them a lot faster, esp if you're selling things as a whole army.




Note - selling a whole army you might get people ask if you can hold them for them for X period of time whilst they raise the funds to purchase. It's purely your choice if you agree to that or not. If you do be sure that you're happy with the army selling in at least double the time they allocate (because if it all falls through you've got to find someone to buy again). It helps to keep your advertisements up during this time, but to put "trade pending" or another notice to inform those looking at it that your trade might be going through soon; but you're keeping the ad up (though typically not bumping it) for casual viewing. It also means if everything falls apart you don't have to make the ad again, just edit it and bump it up.
When dealing with someone asking you to hold items for them for a while its good to check in with them every so often. Eg if they want to wait two months you'd want to check in with them every couple of weeks or so.

What this helps ensure is that you and the other person remain in open communication. If the ask you to hold something and then you can't contact them for a whole month chances are they've moved on and forgotten or are unreliable*. You'd be in your right to send a "are you still interested if not I'm putting it back up for sale" post after that kind of communication breakdown.
Similarly it also helps prompt them to make sure that if they change their mind you know sooner rather than on the day when they go "Oh yeah I had a car repair and I've not got the money so I'm not getting them now"

Again you're not pestering them, just politely contacting them to make sure they are still interested.




In general the higher the price the longer you'll have to wait to sell something. Higher price is a slower sale; meanwhile if you want or need faster you can go to places that sell on comission or a store that deals in second hand. You'll get a fast (often pretty instant) sale; but you'll take way less than market value (cause they are going to sell it on and want to profit).

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/01/15 15:59:54


A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in us
Rogue Daemonhunter fueled by Chaos






Toledo, OH

okay, great advice all around. I sell frequently on FB and ebay, but this threat is an overall treasure trove of good selling tips.

My main concern was if I should sell as a whole army, or break it up, and while I'd normally break it up, I think 30k and being fully painted means I should sell whole.
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Ottawa Ontario Canada

 agurus1 wrote:
Second, a detailed description of what you are listing is almost as important as a lot of well done photos. People want to know exactly what they are getting so for instance saying 10 marines for sale is ok, but saying, 9 Tactical Legionnaires with bolters, and sergeant with powerfist and Melta Bombs is better. Also be sure to note if you have any limited edition, rare or classic models in the listing. I can see from the army photo in the OP that you have at least a few classic rhinos there. A detailed description helps head off any potential misunderstanding down the line that could lead to a refund request.


A description is good but I've moved away from writing an itemized list and towards a "visual inventory" style, you can caption pics if needed but generally speaking other than a the global army shot, each shot should be specific enough to show the unit/models without confusion. I used to worry about bad buyers and scammers but then I realized they're not going to scam a bespoke large army, they're go after a hard drive or a cellphone. Best thing I've found is to limit the auction to north america, haven't had any issues.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Overread wrote:
Another important thing - be sure to note any faults or breaks in the description. I would also document them in photos, not just to show up front, but also as proof of condition before you post them.


Just list the "item" (army) as in used condition, if something is broken, fix it or don't list in the main photography, have it as a "bonus bitz" or whatever at the end so it doesn't confuse the buyer. You want to be up front about the army's condition but good pics should allow the buyer to judge the condition for themselves.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Polonius wrote:
okay, great advice all around. I sell frequently on FB and ebay, but this threat is an overall treasure trove of good selling tips.

My main concern was if I should sell as a whole army, or break it up, and while I'd normally break it up, I think 30k and being fully painted means I should sell whole.



You have enough to break it into two but I'd still sell it as one, less stress than figuring out how to split it and you focus on just taking a bunch a good pics.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2020/01/16 00:39:23


Do you play 30k? It'd be a lot cooler if you did.  
   
 
Forum Index » The Horus Heresy
Go to: