Buy High & Sell Low!

The thought first crossed my mind as I was stuffing kits into the 10th or 11th moving box. That stash pile was still there. Dark and ominous it was staring me in the face. I had barely put a dent in it.

“Why am I keeping these things? “

I know, I know… the stash thing is a full subset to this hobby of ours…collecting kits is a legitimate pursuit… happiness is a healthy stash… DON’T JUDGE ME!… and yada yada yada. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with stashing models and this is not a shaming piece. I can only speak for me and I was having a hard time justifying this pile of unbuilt kits. Or, to be more precise, I was finding it hard to come up with reasons to keep all of them.

Before my recent move, I maintained a modest stash for years. Some were ‘must have’ kits. But yeah, most of those kits were bargain buys with dubious build intentions. There were many projects that, for whatever reason, just didn’t get off the ground. And others? Well, there were other kits that I thought I wanted to get to, but… reasons.

I finally taped up that last crate and marked “BASEMENT – MODEL KITS” on it. As I walked it over to its 15 big boxy sisters, I made a decision. There was going to be a fire sale. I was going to go for it. No, it wouldn’t be the full monty – as I was (and remain) still very partial to several of these beauties. But the initial plan was to cull the model stash down to 25 of my most wanted and most likely to-build kits.

And here is where we modelers have to face some tough truths. 

They say letting go is the hardest thing to do. I am here to tell you that sticking to your guns is a little harder. Actually, if you just rip them off the shelf like a crusty old bandage, the culling gets easier as you go on. I began the stash massacre early one evening and this is what worked for me:

• Understanding and moving on from the sunk cost fallacy
• Being ruthless & honest about the likelihood of building the kit within the next 3 to 10 business years.
• Knowing that for most, if not all of these kits, I can always buy any one of them again if I need to.
• I kept repeating “If I have not built it in 3 years, I probably won’t ever build it.”
• Accepting that changing tastes or losing interest is a natural part of any hobby. What might have interested me years ago doesn’t need to be a chained to me forever.

It didn’t take long to designate some 55 kits for assignment. But that was only the first step.

Then came the million-dollar question: How do you price these things? And here is where we modelers have to face some tough truths. The model kit collection that I have somewhat carefully curated over 10+ years was of extreme importance to me. I spent a lot of time with these models: adding to the pile, pulling them down on occasion, pawing through them, and planning future builds. They have been with me for years and up until recently, they were highly valued by me. But as a collection, these kits will have little importance to anyone else. Plastic curios do not appreciate in value. They certainly have no intrinsic value. Of course, there are some Wingnut Wings exceptions – but these are exceptions. Otherwise, as these kits age, the more likely they will be superseded by better kits.

Another thing to consider is that any sale of ‘pre-fondled’ kits is competing for hobby dollars with newer, shinier, and shrink-wrapped kits with all their hype, excitement, and gushing ‘in-box’ reviews. There will always be better kits out there and let’s be honest, people prefer to buy new things. That said, those same people might settle for used kits if they are getting a deal. So, let’s talk about what a ‘deal’ is.

A few years ago when I attended a local club swap meet, I heard the best piece of plastic re-selling advice from one of the most active sellers that day:

“When it comes to selling kits: Buy high and sell low!”

Terry Jones – model making legend and walking encyclopedia of all things Ferrari and LeMans

Terry is a visionary. You should listen to him. Here’s my advice for implementation. When you make the ‘for sale’ pile, try to think of these kits like you would an old girlfriend who is just not working out: Once the decision is made, they need to be gone. And I mean gone. What I am trying to say is if you really want to move these things, you have to price them to go. Otherwise, they all find ways to creep back into your life and hang onto you forever. Yuck.

When it comes to plastic, “rare” doesn’t necessarily translate into value. Sometimes it is the opposite.

In my case, I kept things simple and rock bottom: $25 for 48th scale single engine props; $30 for duals. Oh sure, there were a few outliers – bigger kits got bigger prices and the ones I knew would sell for more got a bump as well. But those were the exceptions. Could I have sold them for more? Maybe, but I didn’t want to babysit them all summer.

I hear you asking: “But what about negotiation room? Did you build that into the price?” Normally I’d agree with that strategy but, few people actually haggle these days. In my experience, modelers just move on if the price is too high. When I did get the odd haggler, I was willing to make a deal on multiple kits but otherwise, I politely declined.

“But what about my ultra-rare gems?” You really have to think about that. How many times do you see that guy pack up all of his kits after sitting 8 hours in the vending room at a show? You know, that guy who priced his 40-year-old 72nd props at $30 a pop, and no one so much as stopped and looked? Sure, each of those kits might be “Rare” and “Out of Production” but they are also superseded by practically anything else on the planet. When it comes to plastic, “rare” doesn’t necessarily translate into value. Sometimes it is the opposite.

With the kits culled and the prices set, I ended up selling almost all of them within ten days. This was done through a combination of Facebook Marketplace and an in-person swap meet held at the Hobby Centre. And you know something? Not a prang of regret seeped in. No second thoughts. No nightmares or cold sweats.

It was rather freeing, actually.

Last thing

Are you thinking of that stash and maybe culling the herd a little? Or, maybe you’ve already released your kits back out into the wild. Either way, I’d like to hear about your strategies and experiences.