Too poor to have an opinion?

[Graham Boak]

Nothing new but often repeated.  What is worth pointing out is that the cost of the hobby is much more than the cost of the kit alone.  Whereas the prices of glues brushes and simple tools, even magazines have probably not gone up disproportionally, there are expensive "new" items such as airbrushes, compressors, fancy fillers and glues, punches, clippers, fancy tweezers, shaped files, paint mixers...  You can no longer buy your kits locally, within walking distance, but transport costs have to be added, and you need a computer (of some kind) which doesn't come cheap.  Yes, some of these things are used for other purposes, but their cost has to be taken into account in any reckoning.

[Giorgio N]

8 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

Nothing new but often repeated.  What is worth pointing out is that the cost of the hobby is much more than the cost of the kit alone.  Whereas the prices of glues brushes and simple tools, even magazines have probably not gone up disproportionally, there are expensive "new" items such as airbrushes, compressors, fancy fillers and glues, punches, clippers, fancy tweezers, shaped files, paint mixers...  You can no longer buy your kits locally, within walking distance, but transport costs have to be added, and you need a computer (of some kind) which doesn't come cheap.  Yes, some of these things are used for other purposes, but their cost has to be taken into account in any reckoning.

 

This is very true and sometime the cost of paints and tools can be higher than the cost of kits. It should be said that while we have seen a huge increase in the offer of specialised expensive tools, we have also seen the cost of many other tools massively decreasing thanks to the availability of cheap imports. Airbrushes are an example, when I started in the '80s the cheapest airbrush I could hope to find was in the £40-50 range, today I can get a Chinese copy of something for £20 including postage. Or I can get a H&S Ultra for £60, that is considering inflation more than 3 times cheaper than the '80s equivalent while being a much better airbrush. Compressors were even more expensive, today there's plenty of cheap Chinese options that still work pretty well.
The same can be said for many other tools, my first set of files costed a fortune compared to the kind of stuff available today in places like what was Maplin (I've yet to come to term to the end of this chain..) and weren't any better.

[ckw]

6 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

there are expensive "new" items such as airbrushes, compressors, fancy fillers and glues, punches, clippers, fancy tweezers, shaped files, paint mixers

True but most of these are entirely optional. As in all hobbies there are plenty of companies who will exploit the belief most people have that they will do better if only they had the latest ... Not that fancy files etc. don't have their place, but they are certainly not required. In some areas I would say prices have come down in real terms - for example Chinese airbrushes and compressors have made these an affordable accessory to many more people than 30 years ago (when I bought my first outfit at what seemed like vast expense).

 

I wouldn't count computers (and most people have a smart phone anyway) as it is their wide spread existing use has allowed companies to shift to online sales. And of course the ability to shop online has made it much easier to find bargains and used items, so I think we'd have to count that towards a reduction in modelling costs. You might as well say you have to include the cost of a car/public transport to get to a real shop. 

 

Cheers

 

Colin

 

 

 

I

[JohnT]

33 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

Nothing new but often repeated.  What is worth pointing out is that the cost of the hobby is much more than the cost of the kit alone.  Whereas the prices of glues brushes and simple tools, even magazines have probably not gone up disproportionally, there are expensive "new" items such as airbrushes, compressors, fancy fillers and glues, punches, clippers, fancy tweezers, shaped files, paint mixers...  You can no longer buy your kits locally, within walking distance, but transport costs have to be added, and you need a computer (of some kind) which doesn't come cheap.  Yes, some of these things are used for other purposes, but their cost has to be taken into account in any reckoning.

1 hour ago, Duncan B said:

Is this something new or are more of us just noticing that prices are increasing faster than our incomes at the moment? I can remember lusting after models (the plastic kind!) that I couldn't afford in my childhood, teens and into my twenties and now that I am effectively retired I am once again in that position. I think any hobby can be as expensive as you want to make it if you must have the top end items of that hobby. We live in an age where there are some spectacular kits being released but there is also such a choice of models available now that modelling on a limited budget isn't impossible and we aren't limited to buying only what's available in the local model shop in the way that we were back in the black and white days (please do keep buying in your local model shops if you have them though as they need your support).

I guess I am lucky that I can still afford the luxury of choosing to have a hobby, even if it is tailored to fit my current cloth. I know there will always be folk worse off than me that are having to make much harder choices.

 

Duncan B

 

Graham - you forget aftermarket to fix manufacturers errors in the list 

 

Duncan - all very true.  HPH stuff for a start.  Mind you as retirement beckons I look at the stash and think its at a size where I will never build them all and I wont have the build time left to me being SABLE so why not flog off 6-8 larger value kits and get a 1/32 Border Models Lanc after all?  

 

I think the problem is that as technology progresses what we see and therefor expect becomes more sophisticated and therefor more expensive.  The "wonder" kit of today hugely surpasses the wonder kit we all gasped at of twenty years ago.  And how many of us would convert an old 1/72 Airfix Defiant into a target tug version using a block of shaped balsa and dope and talc mix as filler?  I tried that following Alan Halls article in Airfix magazine way back when.  Didn't work but didn't stop me trying to make an F8 meteor from the Frog F3 (IIRC) using the same technique.  Was I happy - yes.  Would I be happy with that today - no way.  cest la vie

 

PS Dont worry Duncan.  Your lusting secrets are safe from Mrs Duncan with us on here 

[Graham Boak]

40 minutes ago, ckw said:

True but most of these are entirely optional. As in all hobbies there are plenty of companies who will exploit the belief most people have that they will do better if only they had the latest ... Not that fancy files etc. don't have their place, but they are certainly not required. In some areas I would say prices have come down in real terms - for example Chinese airbrushes and compressors.

 

I wouldn't count computers (and most people have a smart phone anyway) as it is their wide spread existing use has allowed companies to shift to online sales. And of course the ability to shop online has made it much easier to find bargains and used items, so I think we'd have to count that towards a reduction in modelling costs. You might as well say you have to include the cost of a car/public transport to get to a real shop.

 

Even a cheap compressor and low-quality airbrush are more expensive than brushes.

 

Yes. I would include a proportion of the cost of a computer/mobile phone/car in this hobby or any other that required the use thes3 items.   It certainly would be fair to otherwise include transport cost, but as a teenager I could get Airfix, Eagle, Frog and Revell kits by shank's pony.  Later, remove Eagle but add Matchbox.

 

As for the benefits introduced by these technologies, consider the losses too.  Local shops at the head.

[Jonners]

38 minutes ago, JohnT said:

And how many of us would convert an old 1/72 Airfix Defiant into a target tug version using a block of shaped balsa and dope and talc mix as filler?

Bizarrely, perhaps, I wouldn't mind giving one of Alan Hall's 'old school' conversions a go - balsa, talc and dope included. Perhaps it would make for an interesting Group Build... I've occasionally considered his Airfix Scout-to-Wasp conversion (stand fast his suggestion of using 4 Airfix Hudson tailwheels), but now even those basic Scout kits are like rocking horse proverbial! Back to @lasermonkey's original point, I suppose.

[ckw]

12 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

Even a cheap compressor and low-quality airbrush are more expensive than brushes.

Of course and there is absolutely nothing wrong with using brushes. But these days it appears that most modellers think they have to have an airbrush, and that contributes to the perception of the hobby as expensive. 

 

20 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

As for the benefits introduced by these technologies, consider the losses too.  Local shops at the head.

Yes - can't argue with that, and of course that's not restricted to modelling. But that's a whole different discussion. In terms of the actual expense of the hobby to the modeller, computers - or more specifically the internet - has made it less than it otherwise would be. On the broader point, I think the Internet is the biggest cultural change since the invention of the printing press and it has simply not been around long enough to assess whether or not it is a 'good' or 'bad' thing. There have only been short term gains and losses. The true answer will become available in 100 years or so.

 

Cheers

 

Colin

[Graham Boak]

I did his Wasp conversion, but with two Seahawk nosewheels and two from Herons.  Modern modelling is more expensive but I that's not counting the cost of four Hudson kits for one Wasp!  if I was doing another, there is a modern aftermarket set - still needs that Scout though.

[JohnT]

8 minutes ago, Jonners said:

Bizarrely, perhaps, I wouldn't mind giving one of Alan Hall's 'old school' conversions a go - balsa, talc and dope included. Perhaps it would make for an interesting Group Build... 

Now that’s not a half bad idea there. It could have some interesting outcomes and be a huge bit of entertainment as well. Prizes for best and worst in show as it were 

[ckw]

1 minute ago, Graham Boak said:

still needs that Scout though.

That's the other problem and in this respect some of the modelling community is it's own worse enemy. By stashing kits (sometimes multiple copies) demand starts to outstrip supply, the kit becomes artificially more valuable, and because of that, it encourages more to do the same in an expectation of every increasing value. Viscous circle. I suspect this might influence pricing on shorter run kits with the manufacturer knowing that a limited run of a desirable item will be snapped up by collectors as an investment.

 

Nothing against collectors - collecting kits is I guess as valid a pastime as collecting stamps. But it does introduce a sort of conflict within the community where one group sees the value of the kit being in the unmade version, the other being in the build process and completed item. It seems that the value in the former will outstrip the value of the latter. We may get to the point that seems to exist with collectable figures which have such a high value for 'mint in box' that it is hard to justify giving one to a child to play with.

 

Cheers

 

Colin

 

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

you need a computer (of some kind) which doesn't come cheap

I think there’s a hidden cost to modellers related to the arrival of the internet. I now see so many models built by other people, which are a lot better than mine. I want to emulate these, and the internet kindly provides tutorials and advice in plenty. This always seems to involve spending money on paint, tools, new tool kits, and aftermarket. What a fortunate coincidence that the internet kindly makes spending on these things very easy for me. 
 

In the olden days, if stuff wasn’t in my local hobby shop, I didn’t know it existed and didn’t miss it. I didn’t know that my models were awful and didn’t care. Aftermarket didn’t really exist so I made stuff for myself. Easy when I  didn’t have any references to tell me I was wrong. 
 

I love the hobby now and I loved it then. It’s certainly changed a lot, but so has everything else. It’s costing me more but so is everything else. Say lavvy!

[Graham Boak]

Given short production runs and no guarantee of later availability, modellers (not just collectors which I think a small proportion of the market) have to "buy it when they see it" for fear of it not being available when the current worktop has been cleared.  I'm not sure how the unavailability of 50-year old kits actually affect the current manufacturers' approaches: the decline in the number of modellers would seem to be a more likely reason.

[ckw]

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

I'm not sure how the unavailability of 50-year old kits actually affect the current manufacturers' approaches:

Its not the 50 year old kits that are the issue, its companies working to the collector mentality - I've certainly noticed more 'limited edition' kits these days. If collectors are prepared to pay a premium for these, then everyone suffers. I totally get the desire to buy a kit before it sells out because you want to make it, but pure collectors are buying multiple copies hence inflating the value.

 

This is certainly happening (people have said they are doing this in this forum) but the scale at present is unclear. But once any commodity is assigned a value above its price, the price will sooner or later increase to match the perceived value.

 

Cheers

 

Colin

[lasermonkey]

Many thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. I honestly didn't expect that this would run to three pages. I'll try to answer some of the questions raised.

 

Modelling to me isn't just building a kit. Any kit. My return to model making in the 1990s after a fairly long hiatus was prompted by reading a book on local aviation history, and that still feeds the bulk of my modelling interests. I also only build 1/72. I know there are other scales, but I just can't do them. The bit of me that is "on the spectrum*" cannot entertain the thought of mixing scales. A tiny bit of me is envious of those who have a purer love of the hobby and just enjoy building whatever kit they fancy, but it is a very small bit!

 

I know there are bargains to be had, even with my self-imposed restrictions, but I'm really limited to eBay. There are no nearby model shops any more and I don't have the transport to attend model shows. There was a time that I used to stock up on kits at airshows, but I if I went to an airshow now, I'd have nothing left to buy kits with! So, with eBay being pretty much the only option available, I spend at least two hours every day (really) going through all my searches. Bargains don't hang around long and you have to spot them before anyone else. You also have to have the money at the time.

 

The global pandemic has brought many more people back into the fold, but this presents problems for the modeller on a budget. It has pushed prices up. With demand being higher than usual, prices have risen accordingly and people are paying considerably more for older and often poor kits than you might realise. Airfix Stirlings, for instance, are going for £30 and up! Now, I did get one recently for £12 all-in, but that was a fluke and may have been down to a less than confident description. Want a Revell Halifax? Good luck! Even the Matchbox ones are expensive. How long this will last, I don't know, but right now, it has very much impacted what's available to me.

 

I'm not necessarily after the latest and greatest kit. Serviceable is good enough for me. If it's accurate in outline and not too much of a pig to put together, it'll do. I know for some, detail is everything, but I'd choose a better shape than a tricked-out wheel well any day of the week, if it came to it. I'm of the approach that if it doesn't look right from three feet away, there's no redemption. I'm not one for aftermarket goodies either, apart from decals and canopy masks, unless it's a conversion set for an otherwise unobtainable version. With prices for resin aftermarket (understandably) being comparatively high, it's not something I buy unless I'm really lucky.

 

I build to themes which are part of a collection. I wouldn't build a kit that wasn't going into that collection, so selling it once complete isn't really an option. And being a starter and not a finisher doesn't help matters! I'm sure it would be fine if all I wanted to do was feed a building habit, but it's rather more complicated than that. You might think that I'm my own worst enemy, but if you are on the autistic side, there are things you have to put up with and frustrating traits that you can't get over. It is what it is. I am aware of how infuriating I can be to my nearest and dearest.

 

Most of what I buy now is second-hand, apart from Airfix Spitfires and Eduard MiG-21s**. But I'd soon get bored if that's all I did, and I absolutely love Spitfires. The price of Arma kits (for example) is creeping up and I suspect that even the junior boxing of the P-51B will be more than I can justify. With there being nothing in the way of local shops, postage has to be factored in and this can make many kits prohibitively expensive. Same with paints and glue. Sometimes my month's modelling budget has to go solely on a small parcel of paints. It may seem daft, but running out of a tin of black paint is horrifying these days, because the cost of buying a single tin is ridiculous. There's just nowhere local I can get them.

 

I'll finish by going back to my original point, and something brought up by @Jonners: what can we do about it? Probably not a lot. About the only thing I do have left is my voice. In my experience, things never got better by keeping quiet about it. Things do change if enough people shout. It might be annoying to those unaffected, but they may well end up benefiting in the long run. And as we have been told that several manufacturers do read the threads on Britmodeller, it's not just whistling into the wind. Maybe. Hopefully.

 

Cheers,

Mark.

 

*not just a  light-hearted excuse.

**the Eduard 1/72 MiG-21s really do represent extraordinary value for money and IMHO, set the benchmark for quality vs price in 1/72. Shame that Eduard seem to have given up on the scale, as they could so easily be the leaders in it.

[Swamp Donkey]

Mark

 

I’ve been following this thread and wasn’t sure if I should respond, but I will. You say in your original post ‘there but for the grace of God’, which really hit home with me. It’s many years since I’ve been ‘skint’, but when I was living just East of London I was volunteering for a homeless charity (and still need to do the same up here). My point being, there is very significant proportion of people seeking help through little or no fault of their own, but due to a rotten set of circumstances at the wrong time. The amount of ex service personel was shocking. I sincerely hope your lot improves, I honestly do

 

SD

[Dave Swindell]

36 minutes ago, ckw said:

Its not the 50 year old kits that are the issue, its companies working to the collector mentality - I've certainly noticed more 'limited edition' kits these days. If collectors are prepared to pay a premium for these, then everyone suffers. I totally get the desire to buy a kit before it sells out because you want to make it, but pure collectors are buying multiple copies hence inflating the value.

Colin

I don't see your logic here Colin

Model companies don't care who buys their models, as long as somebody buys them. Doesn't matter whether it's little johnny sticking it together in an afternoon, a hobbyist or  enthusiast building it or stashing several, or a collector buying one of each, as long as it sells.

Higher prices for limited editions are more to do with the higher costs per unit than charging a premium price to a collector.

If nobody bought kits for the stash or a collection, kit sales would drop dramatically, those limited editions would disappear and your standard kits would now be the limited editions, prices would rise and choice would diminish, followed by a hike in second hand prices due to lack of supply.

The current vast choice and relatively cheap prices of some kits is largely available to kit builders because of collectors and stashers, who in turn provide a steady supply to the second hand market

[wellsprop]

@lasermonkey are you on Facebook?

 

I've managed to score some ridiculously good deals on various model kit selling pages, often buying kits at 1/2 to 2/3rd the going price - simply becuase someone had decided to thin their stash.

 

Ebay is usually where I would choose to sell kits for a higher price as some careful planning and good timing can lead to good money. That said, I've had one or two bargains from ebay. 

[Tim R-T-C]

Within niche hobbies the concept is called FOMO - fear of missing out - the need to buy something as soon as possible to ensure they have it, even if they don't expect to build it for some time.

 

I think this accounts for more sales than 'collectors' or speculative resellers because even when products are not billed as limited editions, many kits are only likely to get a single production run, especially outside of the mainstream suppliers and topics. I have a number of Miniwing's 1/144 resin aircraft - if you look at Hannants, even when new they often only have 5 in stock so I will buy one straight away if it is of interest, rather than waiting until I have a build slot.

 

Buying for speculative resale seems very risky in our hobby when many products are not licensed (as opposed to say movie tie-in collectables) so, even if one firm releases a limited edition super T-34 that people buy up to resell, there is nothing to stop someone else doing the same topic next year and then any hoarded limited editions lose most of their value.

 

If anything, the instant demand that FOMO creates is good for the hobby because small suppliers in particular often fund one project with revenue from the last and if it takes 2 weeks to sell out a stock versus 2 years it makes cash flow a lot more predictable.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Tim R-T-C

[jackroadkill]

11 hours ago, Duncan B said:

Is this something new or are more of us just noticing that prices are increasing faster than our incomes at the moment?

Aye, there's the rub.

[Jon Bryon]

Some random memories of kit prices:

 

In 1993, a Hasegawa 1/48 F/A-18 cost £45. 

 

In 1994, the original 1/48 Airfix Bucc was released at £14.99.

 

In 2005 (17 years ago!), the Trumpeter 1/48 Vigilante was £50, and it's not a very good kit.

 

Time goes by, prices go up, and rose-tinted spectacles get darker.

 

Jon

[sardaukar]

I only really started modelling at the end of 2020 and 1/72 armour at that. I have noticed on ebay that the opportunities of getting a bargain have diminished over that time frame, I blame this largely on postage costs. For almost any kit you are talking small parcel so that is 4 or 5 pound and that doesn't often work. For larger more expensive kits you have more scope to actually get a bargain.

 

Last year at Telford I picked up a couple of OOP short run kits for about £8 each which I knew went for 3 to 4 times more than that on ebay, I was quite surprised and said so to the vendor, he replied that he didnt sell on ebay because he wanted to make some money. This is interesting because it proves the reality that ebay exists to make ebay money, not the vendor and not to save you the customer money. It also means there are good local options out there, if you are lucky enough to live near one.

 

Yes the internet is great but like anything else during early phases it was cheap but now it is established that isn't always the case, your pretty much have no choice with most local model shops out of the way and internet retailers can charge more even if they claim they are cheap. Modelling aside but amazon is no longer my go to for the cheapest household stuff that it used to be.

 

I think the solution is to try and plan purchases ahead and do it in bulk, that means kits and paints etc there are plenty of retailers that have a free postage threshold, I wont name any names but there are a few. Also take advantage of any seasonal sales.

 

As an aside apparently Brexit caused ebay to start enforcing 20% VAT charges on all foreign imports including China although I dont believe China was ever a part of the EU. I dont want to get into politics and it is against the rules. However ebay really? You are just enforcing 20% extra on all foreign purchases and ebay are you really feeding that all back to HMRC? 

 

Having said all the above I dont know any hobby that has an online presence where you wont find complaints over pricing. The games workshop warhammer/40k scene has regular discussions over price but then GW own the IP and can charge pretty much what ever they want and as a result the community can be quite toxic at times. I like scale modelling because in the majority of cases no one owns the IP to history in comparison and its generally a nicer more mature bunch of folks.

 

I imagine volume of kits sold are down on what it was back in the 60s, 70s etc and that means higher prices to recoup costs these days. Good luck on getting kids these day away from a PS5. I'm well into my 40s now and been a video gamer all my life. Video games give the possibly of being that pilot or that tank crewman in your favourite vehicle that building a model wont give you short of joining the armed forces.

 

Companies are aware now that their customers have wallets of all sizes and so they produce a range to target people at different price points, basic vs limited editions etc. They are also going after the established in work hobbyist that has a decent disposable income and who will pay pretty much whatever for their fix of plastic crack.

 

Anyway it is what it is and I hope everyone has the means to get some benefit out of this great hobby.

[Tijuana Taxi]

Only recently joined this forum and until then I never realised the intricacies these days of model kit building.

My interest was reignited a couple of years ago when my wife bought me a model kit for Christmas.

Unbeknown to her it was well outside my comfort zone of building Tamiya AFV's as a young adult.

That was many moons ago back in the days of Military Modelling magazine and Humbrol Authentic range enamel.

 

I can see from the various sections on here just how the scene has evolved especially with all the add on extra parts.

The standard of kits looks to be very high although i don't recall the ones I built being that bad, long while ago though.

Since my reintroduction I have gathered up some of the necessary tools of the trade and hopefully know how too.

Also seem to be accumulating what I believe is commonly known as a stash, these mainly received as presents.

 

This finally brings me to my point, why do modellers buy so much that they will never build especially with rising costs?

Many on here appear to be of advancing years and projects seem to outweigh available time by quite a large ratio.

If all those never to be constructed kits remained on the shelves funds would be plentiful for the ones that are really wanted.

 

Where do all these unloved boxes end their days, charity shops or the tip when their estates are sadly dealt with?

I know when my mother died unexpectedly in a RTA that I found so much that just needed clearing in limited time.

From that experience I am acutely aware of leaving so much for my daughter to sort out, wife's cooking books alone will keep her occupied for long enough.

Already i'm feeling inward pressure to get some of my backlog built, mildly OCD with tasks that need doing and its not a pleasure.

 

My main hobby is photography and that has a similar buying culture referred to by the afflicted as GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

Looking at my own kit revealed lenses that would likely never be used so a thinning out process began.

Some of the funds raised went towards the kit I wanted for scale modelling, a good result all round.

 

Saying that I have found most of the merchandise which includes everything involved to be comparatively reasonably priced.

From memory I recall paints, airbrushes/compressors (which I could never afford) and other bits to be quite pricey.

Maybe that was from having limited funds back then or perhaps proportionately they were more expensive.

 

All the above notwithstanding I am really enjoying the making part when I can just concentrate on that alone.

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Tijuana Taxi

[Tim R-T-C]

9 hours ago, sardaukar said:

.

 

As an aside apparently Brexit caused ebay to start enforcing 20% VAT charges on all foreign imports including China although I dont believe China was ever a part of the EU. I dont want to get into politics and it is against the rules. However ebay really? You are just enforcing 20% extra on all foreign purchases and ebay are you really feeding that all back to HMRC? 

 

.

 

I think you might have just slightly misunderstood the way imports work!

 

eBay charging and collecting import tax is required by UK law.

 

If anything it makes importing small orders easier in my eyes at least, because you pay in full at point of order and avoid the risks of surprise bills and courier charges later.

[Giorgio N]

A couple of comments on second hand kits and their costs: I totally agree with the OP view that the cost of these kits have increased considerably over the last few years, particularly on Ebay. Yes, bargains can still be found (like that £12 Stirling) but it's getting harder and harder every day.

I can see a couple of reasons for that...one is the increased interest toward older kits. When I started there were already some OOP kits that were very sought after, for example some Frog kits of '50s British aircraft. Modellers wanted them because they represented subjects that were otherwise unavailable and once other kits of the same subjects appeared, their value dropped (Later many of them reappeared under several brands and today most are easily available, often for little money). There were of course already some "holy grails", those kits that were so rare that some modellers wanted them just for this reason. They were however generally exceptions.

Today it's different, today there are more people who are looking specifically at older kits, be it for collecting or because they want to relive the "good old days". This clearly pushes prices up as even if most of these kits were made in the thousands, the supply is in any case limited.

The second reason is that the internet  today allows everybody to know what the value of something could be. Today many see that there is interest in old kits, they can see websites dedicated to collecting them, they can see specialised shops selling these same kits... in this way many people who used to sell these kits as old stuff have realised how they can sell them at much higher prices. This is something that does not only appkly to ebay, it also applies to model shows and even flea markets, there are more and more dealers who increase their prices on the basis of the collectability of a kit and its perceived value. Even if sometimes this collectability is only in the mind of the dealer...

Separate from the problem of prices but an element that makes older kits less convenient is the matter of postage, particularly international. One of my mantras with old kits has always been that the same subject that is very sought after in a country may well be worth nothing in a different country. I well remember how when Classic Airframes stopped production their Hornet in the UK fetched crazy prices while in those same times shops here in Italy were trying to flog them to whoever would take them. I remember buying one for £20 here when £80 was considered a bargain in the UK. In the same way I managed to buy some rare Italian subjects in the UK for prices that I could not hope to find here.

Unfortunately now international postage rates make all of this very complicated, particularly after Brexit. That old Airfix kit may still be cheaper in say Germany or italy, however having it delivered often means that any saving is lost.

 

Now is there something we can do ? Not easy really, we can't hope to change the minds of those who absolutely want that Matchbox kit because they built it when 11 and they would spend £30 for a kit that used to retail for £1.50 40 years earlier. And of course we can't hope to change international postage rates as these will only go up for various reasons already discussed. Best we can do is keep our fingers crossed and keep hunting for bargains.

Of course bargains can still be found even on Ebay, personally I also think it's worth expanding the search to other potential sources. Some large shops sometime have good sales, may be worth checking them. In some countries there are also other sites dedicated to the sale of second hand goods, it may be easier to find bargains on these sites.

Then there are places like flea markets and charity shops... I love flea markets and I've actually found a lot of good bargains there. Now today even at flea markets there are dealers who know well the collectability of certain kits and will try and ask pretty steep prices however at the same time there are many who will not. Often kits sold at flea markets will have beaten boxes and this alone is a good point to raise if the dealer is asking too high a price. Of course there is the risk of having missing parts, so a good check of what's in the box is always good practice !

Charity shops are similar and generally they can be even cheaper. Again boxes may be worn and the content should always be checked.

Of course this is only possible a flea market or a charity shop is available in the area. I have the "luck" of living in the suburbs of a large city so public transport will be sufficient to reach a number of such places. I also live close to where one of the largest flea market of the region used to be located and this made it easier for me, others may not be in the same situation. If you have something like that available, do not underestimate what can be found at a flea market ! Yes, most times it will be old Airfix and Revell small kits, often there will be no kit at all, but other times it's possible to find some gems ! Among the kits I've seen (and sometimes bought...) at flea markets are things like Special Hobby kits, the Amodel La.250 or even a 1/48 Hasegawa Sea King... this one for £12 ! Not always guaranteed to find something but worth a try

Edited January 20, 2022 by Giorgio N

[sardaukar]

43 minutes ago, Tim R-T-C said:

 

I think you might have just slightly misunderstood the way imports work!

 

eBay charging and collecting import tax is required by UK law.

 

If anything it makes importing small orders easier in my eyes at least, because you pay in full at point of order and avoid the risks of surprise bills and courier charges later.

 

Well there is the law and then what actually happens. I used to quite regularly buy individual kits from China prior to this and rightly or wrongly never had to pay any import charges. Not so attractive now with 20% added on.

 

I get the whole level playing field with UK retailers however I'm generally buying stuff it is otherwise impossible to get in the UK, like FlyHawk or S-Model kits.

 

Ebay now doing blanket collection is fine however I'd hate to think that with some creative accounting practice that 20% ends up going straight to Ebay's profit.