Cost Of The Hobby

[JPickettIII]

Good Afternoon,

I have been a member for a bit, but have not posted too much. I love this site (great pictures, great advice and great cars) and love just getting lost in it. Because of this site, I have received a new passion for r/c cars. My collection has grown from a Wild Willy II to now: an Academy Galaxy Buggy (mostly new built. Just needs cleaning, painting and stickers), an original Grasshopper (just needs stickers, paint, cleaving and new front tires), Marui Hunter (needs new body, new bumper, paint and stickers), an Academy Road Runner I (needs body, wheels, paint and stickers), a Frog (needs total restoration), another Grasshopper (needs total restoration) and original Clod Buster tires (start of restoration). I have no ideal where to start and I love it. Anyway, back to why I wanted to put in a comment. I love R/C cars. I love going to EBay to see what is out there (for my next car to get in line to be restored and to find parts for my current cars) and to daydream. However, there is a problem that I have with the bidding on EBay. I see a car or a part that I want or need and find it for a great price. Let us say the starting price is $.99 and the sale duration is six days. I look and then put into my "Watching" queue for EBay. I go back a few hours later and everything is still good. I go back the next day and then there are four to five bids on the item. The price is now forty to fifty dollars. Then there is the shipping that in some cases can be severely outrageous. Now, I know that I am not the only one that wants the item or items. I also know that the people that are selling the items are trying to make some money, but the prices I think are getting a little out of hand (as well as some of the shipping quotes). I know that when we see an item (let us say a set of tires for a Grasshopper) and say to hours selves that we must have this. Then we jump and put a bid on the item, then the next person sees that a bid was put on and then the cycle repeats it self, the next thing you know, the item reaches a very high price. Now while this is good for the seller this is bad for the average working person. (I know that many of the people on this site are average working people with families.) The reason I say that this is bad is that the hobby (I feel is getting a little out of hand, price wise) and this is making it harder for a lot of us to get the cars that a lot of us drooled over in the Tamiya or other catalogues (Super Shot, Avante, Bruiser, Grasshopper, Fox to name a few) because of the high dollars that these cars get because people are jumping to bid with out waiting. (Now I am not saying that some of the rarer cars do not deserve to have a higher price tag attached to them, but some of the prices that I see on EBay are outrageous.) I will wrap up now (because I do not want to ramble) and say that I feel that we could make the hobby more affordable. If we see something on EBay, we should look at it put it into the Watch queue and then bid on it in a few days. I would like people to make money when selling their items, but when the average person is kicked out of the running in a hobby he loves, it can be frustrating.

Thanks for letting me speak a piece.

Later,

John

[Power Surge]

Your post is understandable John, but you have to realize that's how it works. A part is only worth what people are willing to pay. And you are talking about parts for old outdated cars that are now collector items. These parts are not abundant, and serious collectors will pay stupid amounts of money for proper parts. Usually when you see a part for .99 cents and no reserve, it's a part that the seller KNOWS is going to be bid high. They know that it's not going to sell for .99 cents and they lose their shirt on the deal. Another ebay method is have a really cheap buy it now and then high shipping. It may seem like a ploy, but it's really just a strategy people use to get you interested in the part. You wind up paying the same as paying more for the part and less for the shipping.

Ultimately, ebay is a great resource for parts, of any nature. It's basically free world wide marketing. Think how difficult it would be tracking down rare items without ebay. I used to look in magazines and send away for mailing lists on rare car parts (real car parts) for classic car restorations. Now, it's as easy as popping on the internet. The downside to ebay, is that parts that were once thought to be rare and brought good money, are now worth much less since everyone and his brother has them laying around and throws them on ebay.

It's a double edged sword but in the end, it's the CONSUMERS that set how much parts sell for.

[HunterZero]

I hate to say it, but it has nothing to do with greedy sellers, and everything to do with rarity of these items, and demand from buyers who have deeper pockets. The prices that vintage RC parts go for on eBay are indicative of rarity, and what the market is willing to pay. The buyers in the market for these rare vintage items set the price.

A price that may seem outrageous to you is the 'going rate' for many of the more serious collectors here, given the age of the items we're talking about, rarity and scarcity. And believe me, this site features some pretty serious collectors.

On the scale of things, the prices that the majority of Tamiya kits and parts go for is actually quite cheap, compared to some other collector hobbies. Yes, certain kits and parts do go for silly money, but most kits and parts are quite reasonable. There are lots of cars that Tamiya produce that can be had very cheaply, as they are relatively common, and don't attract serious collector attention.

That said - I think that right now is a tremendous time to be in the hobby, with Tamiya re-releasing lots of interesting vintage kits, including brand new SRB kits complete with blister packaging that only 12 months ago would have cost you thousands of dollars to buy as a new boxed kit. Many of Tamiya's best, iconic kits have been reissued, and are available at a fraction of the collector prices they were commanding.

Another example, Frog body sets used to go for around $200 before the Frog was reissued. C and H parts were very expensive, occasionally heading towards $100 each. Now, you can get a reissue body and decals very cheaply, if you don't mind the differences in the sponsor decals. And the C and H parts are very cheap and plentiful. You can get the entire car for less than the price that the bodyset was going for.

If you want to see serious money, go and look for new Bruiser parts on eBay...

- James

[turbowop]

The market decides/warrants the price. Whether people bid right at the beginning or at the end of the auction, they're going to pay what they think said part is worth. Usually, those that wait until the end of the auction are the ones that have the excessive money to spend anyway, killing the chances that the early dreamers think they have at getting a collectible item for way cheaper than market value.

[mcovalsk]

I think you are confusing "cost of the hobby" with "market price". If a Vintage worth US$1500, will not lower the price just because you don't want/can pay the price. Which is the idea: men don't bid here because I want to get the kit for US$400.

Cost of the hobby would be, the average money I have to spend to get a RC car ready to run, we say US$150 more or less, then you are talking about valuable vintage pieces, you don't have to buy them if you don't want and still going on with the hobby. More offer less price, vintage is rare and you will find for a kit 5 or 6 yearly for 30-40 buyers then is absolutely logical the prices going up, as each year there are less rare kits.

I'm just telling that you look inexpert around this, hunting and patience is the trick to get good kits to a lower price.

Good luck!

[Missile]

everything on ebay is like this.. all you can do is only bid what you are prepared to pay.. remembering that the later you place your bid the less chance you give to someone else to bid on it

eventually you will get that bargain.. they are most definitely there

[Wild Willy Speed Shop]

Yeah It is an expensive hobby, always has been though, still cheaper than full size counterparts thats how I justify it anyway.

Having said that Im about to enter a bidding war for a m38 box currently on ebay, this could get out of hand.

[yellowscott]

As others have said it's all market driven & yes prices do get out of hand but that is why ebay is so successfull. They arer tapping into human frailties & they know it. I know this as I have a bit of an addiction for ebay & compulsive buying that I have never experienced before in other facets of my life. I found the best way to bid on ebay is to not even bid in the days leading up to the end of the auction as this just pumps up the price unnecissarilly(this also gives people time to reconsider their last bid & bid again or for the seller to get his mate to put a bid in for him to bump the price up because he is seeing some people showing some interest. As a matter of fact I think that most auctions that have bids put on them in the lead up are false bids or ebay newbies as experienced ebayers I wouldn't think would bid in this period. As you would know common sense does not come into this hobby & people get carried away after a rethink & will bid beyond their original limit if they have had time to think about it)but to make up your mind the maximum amount your prepared to pay for the item & bid in the last 8 seconds. If you win, good! If you loose, it wasn't meant to be! If you really want it bad & have too much money, bid high & blow everyone else out of the water!! It is like a game of poker. Don't show your hand untill you have to & by then it's too late. Just my 2 cents & how I bid/win. Nothing new I'm sure.

[bakaguyjean]

Good Afternoon,

I have been a member for a bit, but have not posted too much. I love this site (great pictures, great advice and great cars) and love just getting lost in it. Because of this site, I have received a new passion for r/c cars. My collection has grown from a Wild Willy II to now: an Academy Galaxy Buggy (mostly new built. Just needs cleaning, painting and stickers), an original Grasshopper (just needs stickers, paint, cleaving and new front tires), Marui Hunter (needs new body, new bumper, paint and stickers), an Academy Road Runner I (needs body, wheels, paint and stickers), a Frog (needs total restoration), another Grasshopper (needs total restoration) and original Clod Buster tires (start of restoration). I have no ideal where to start and I love it. Anyway, back to why I wanted to put in a comment. I love R/C cars. I love going to EBay to see what is out there (for my next car to get in line to be restored and to find parts for my current cars) and to daydream. However, there is a problem that I have with the bidding on EBay. I see a car or a part that I want or need and find it for a great price. Let us say the starting price is $.99 and the sale duration is six days. I look and then put into my "Watching" queue for EBay. I go back a few hours later and everything is still good. I go back the next day and then there are four to five bids on the item. The price is now forty to fifty dollars. Then there is the shipping that in some cases can be severely outrageous. Now, I know that I am not the only one that wants the item or items. I also know that the people that are selling the items are trying to make some money, but the prices I think are getting a little out of hand (as well as some of the shipping quotes). I know that when we see an item (let us say a set of tires for a Grasshopper) and say to hours selves that we must have this. Then we jump and put a bid on the item, then the next person sees that a bid was put on and then the cycle repeats it self, the next thing you know, the item reaches a very high price. Now while this is good for the seller this is bad for the average working person. (I know that many of the people on this site are average working people with families.) The reason I say that this is bad is that the hobby (I feel is getting a little out of hand, price wise) and this is making it harder for a lot of us to get the cars that a lot of us drooled over in the Tamiya or other catalogues (Super Shot, Avante, Bruiser, Grasshopper, Fox to name a few) because of the high dollars that these cars get because people are jumping to bid with out waiting. (Now I am not saying that some of the rarer cars do not deserve to have a higher price tag attached to them, but some of the prices that I see on EBay are outrageous.) I will wrap up now (because I do not want to ramble) and say that I feel that we could make the hobby more affordable. If we see something on EBay, we should look at it put it into the Watch queue and then bid on it in a few days. I would like people to make money when selling their items, but when the average person is kicked out of the running in a hobby he loves, it can be frustrating.

Thanks for letting me speak a piece.

Later,

John

Just buy the Re release Tamiyas.

[Wandy]

LOL, no offence mate but your post just seems to be you having a rant saying "how dare other people outbid me on ebay!"

If you think the prices are bad now it's just as well you weren't collecting around 3-4 years ago as I have found the prices for most parts have dropped, with a few noteable exceptions.

Dont even consider getting into vintage Tamiya collecting if you want to do it on a small budget, it simply aint gonna happen.

[cubsfan2009]

A few years ago I couldn't afford to get my vintage Hotshot running again. If I could find the parts they were just ridiculously expensive, but now with the re-re's everything has come down in price and my HS is a runner again.

Other than the rare collector parts most other prices are reasonable and some are even bargains.

[SKIPP]

unless your hobby is checkers,

there all expensive.

skip

[Olly_Lunchbox]

Yeah It is an expensive hobby, always has been though, still cheaper than full size counterparts thats how I justify it anyway.

Having said that Im about to enter a bidding war for a m38 box currently on ebay, this could get out of hand.

Why don't you let me know what your maximum bid is so I can get a higher one in now and save all that last minute nail biting

[Wild Willy Speed Shop]

Now that is a clever idea. unfortunatly the auction has ended, I was prepared to pay $170 inc shipping (Uk to Aus) and this was only the box mind you nothing else. still missed out by $1 because the auction ended at 4am. dissapointed to the max becuase I very rarely see M38 box's for sale.

[oldie]

Ebay is the main reason I can enjoy the hobby again (and of course this and other sites). welcome to the free market, if you want really cheap parts maybe you have to go to house clearance sales and general second hand shops where you may be the only person who knows the value of R/C stuff then resell it on ebay so you can afford the parts you need. The other good thing about values is Tamiya can see that there still is a demand and so will rerelease stuff.

[1Zook]

still missed out by $1 ...

Is it just naivety that causes people to say this ? I doubt very much that the bloke who beat you actually bid just one dollar higher than you. He probably bid $100 higher than you. But it only takes $1 to beat you. Ebay increases each bid amount (every time a bid is made) based on the previous number of bids and size of bids - it doesn't take the current bid immediately to your highest bid amount does it?

[SteelRat]

The hobby can be expensive, but remember ebay isn't your only resource for spare parts. I've found our very own TC can be an absolute life saver for getting elusive bits really cheaply, with the added bonus that you can trust the people here a whole lot more than a faceless ebay person.

Additionally there are always going to be certain kits that have a high demand for parts because of their popularity, but it's worth bearing in mind that you can get some good deals if you do searches based on less popular cars that share the same chassis. For example, try and find parts for a King Blackfoot, and you will pay a good deal more for those than you will for a Bush Devil, which is exactly the same truck with a different body shell and pink wheels.

Of course all this you will only find out by trial and error .. but I'm spending a whole lot less on stuff on my second year in the hobby than my first one!

[Olly_Lunchbox]

Now that is a clever idea. unfortunatly the auction has ended, I was prepared to pay $170 inc shipping (Uk to Aus)

That is true for your reply although the auction was active when I asked and when you advertised it everyone on the forum.

I'm surprised you didn't win it as it only went for £46.00 which I thouht was less than $170.00, or is the Australian Dollar that weak?

[taliesin]

Is it just naivety that causes people to say this ? I doubt very much that the bloke who beat you actually bid just one dollar higher than you. He probably bid $100 higher than you. But it only takes $1 to beat you. Ebay increases each bid amount (every time a bid is made) based on the previous number of bids and size of bids - it doesn't take the current bid immediately to your highest bid amount does it?

You know when you have been beat by just a few cents though, like when your max bid is $50 and a bid in the last few seconds wins for $50.01. Now THAT is crushing. Had the winning bid been more, surely the bid increment would have been higher, say $1 or such. Not sure how this works, but I suspect your bid and the higher one must come in almost simultaneously and the slightly higher one wins, but I'm just guessing.

A friend once told me Ebay was 7 days of previewing and 10 seconds of actual bidding. I made the mistake of saying that I was winning a bid and he pointed out that you are never winning until the bidding is over because the real action takes place in the final few seconds. He said the only way to really not stress was to bid the absolute max you were willing to pay and then check the results the next day to see if you won. I used to sit at the computer and hit the refresh button every 2 seconds to see if I was "still winning" or if I needed to make a last ditch bid. Haven't done that in donkey's years.

[Wild Willy Speed Shop]

Yeah i wasn't checking the thread that regularly tho. and yeah 1 aus dollar is like .55 pounds i think, so 46 pounds was like $86 dollars or thereabouts. ($70 was shipping) i was going to bump it up again which yes would have won it but it finishing at 4 am i missed out. Didn't set the max bid straight away as i was trying to save and thought i had it at that.

And with the $1 thing i realise that but i was set at highest bidder for a while and if someones max bid was higher it would have informed straight away, right?

[Gamester]

If you add up all the RC cars I have built over the years it would literally be thousands and thousands of dollars. It is a very expensive hobby, but aren't they all? Like already mentioned, it is still cheaper than the full scale hobby, which I also love. It is a passion that draws money, but it is very rewarding IMHO. I hope to help make the hobby a bit cheaper with my new website (see my signature)

[BeetleLover]

I've been in this hobby seriously for the last 6 years or so and as far as hobbies go I would argue it's a relatively inexpensive hobby if you are patient and take the time to assemble your collection having networked, traded like crazy and have invested a lot of time in restorative work!

When I was 11 a Falcon NIB was $200 kiwi dollars, 19 years later I managed to get another one for $500 kiwi dollars... admittedly that's gone up 250%. I earn what I would consider to be a middle of the road income and compared to age 11 my income has gone up 6000%. Admittedly there are a few more responsibilities now but I should be able to afford a couple more cars now than when I was 11 which is awesome!

I've spent $17,000 US dollars over 6 years on this hobby but again I would argue that an 18 year old with his first full time job can go out there and spent the same amount on tick for 5 years on a car that will be worth perhaps half of that by the time he's paid it off. I'm not suggesting Vintage RC as an investment, fact is ultimately I'm really happy if my entire collection on average just holds it's value, you win some, you loose some and many of the large collections you see on TC weren't just about forking out big dollars but are built up over quite some time.

If you really want it you'll have to either save, do something to increase your income, work out an alternative or compromise on the level of finish or have a semi completed car sitting there for a couple of years waiting for that ellusive part that is missing. OR alternatively just pay the market price as dictated by Ebay and be happy that you have the something you've always wanted that might have been hard to find and right now!

[oldie]

You know when you have been beat by just a few cents though, like when your max bid is $50 and a bid in the last few seconds wins for $50.01. Now THAT is crushing. Had the winning bid been more, surely the bid increment would have been higher, say $1 or such. Not sure how this works, but I suspect your bid and the higher one must come in almost simultaneously and the slightly higher one wins, but I'm just guessing.

A friend once told me Ebay was 7 days of previewing and 10 seconds of actual bidding. I made the mistake of saying that I was winning a bid and he pointed out that you are never winning until the bidding is over because the real action takes place in the final few seconds. He said the only way to really not stress was to bid the absolute max you were willing to pay and then check the results the next day to see if you won. I used to sit at the computer and hit the refresh button every 2 seconds to see if I was "still winning" or if I needed to make a last ditch bid. Haven't done that in donkey's years.

That's the only way I bid now, stops you from getting carried away and buying stuff you don't really want,mostly I end up paying quite a bit less than I was prepared to as well.

[Vipfreak]

That's the only way I bid now, stops you from getting carried away and buying stuff you don't really want,mostly I end up paying quite a bit less than I was prepared to as well.

I think you also have to know the value of what you're bidding on too. I've lost a lot of auctions in the R/C arena (guess I'm a real nOOb in this stuff)because I didn't know what I was walking into as much as I thought. If you got a dumbass that's not on a budget or sane amount though (yeah, I realize it's hard to guage but that's the only thing I could come up with to explain it)... it's a lost cause.

[moxyuk]

fully understand where you are coming from in this hobby like most you have deep deep pockets or work on a budget.

but you just have to wait for that bargin to come along as they do

try carboots/ attic sale / local paper i have had a few tamiya s from this

even a nice ta-01 escort

cheers