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junkmunki

Mad prices for vintage stuff

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As a collector, I sometimes have to pay a high price to get the rare items that I want, but I have noticed a trend where people are just asking ridiculous prices for some stuff. I think a lot of it is driven by the ebay effect, wherepeople ask massively inflated prices, and although the item doesn't sell, other people see it and think that's what the item is worth.

I recently contacted another TC member about some items that he wants to sell, but the prices were way too high, so unfortunately I couldn't buy, and it made me wonder if the age of the collector could be coming to an end as a result. People are entitled to ask whatever price they want, but if the item won't sell, then it's just pointless.

I do still find stuff around the world that is priced sensibly, but it's getting harder....

When I look at my collection which I have built up over many years, if I was to go by the prices that some ask, I could sell my collection and retire!

J

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I couldn’t agree more. I was only looking this morning and rolling my eyes at the inflated prices for average NIBs with ‘Vintage’ or ‘Rare’ labels seemingly doubling the price I’d be prepared to pay for them. I feel like messaging them and saying, ‘You’re having a laugh, mate!’

I rather assume if they started bidding at 99p with no reserve the market might agree. 

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I find it a two-way street. A lot of people want too much for what they have but nobody wants to pay reasonable prices at times either. I've had a Madcap for sale that I dropped in price down to $65. Its not perfect but its complete, just put in radio gear and drive or restore.  To me, that seems like a fair price for a complete, unbroken model that hasn't been re-released. What I got was offers ranging from $20-40.  Maybe I'm honestly unreasonable though.

On the other hand I was all set to purchase a Kyosho truck on a local trade site. I was completely willing to pay the asking price. The seller pulled the ad as we were communicating (as well as the rug out!). He had a sudden fit of greed and decided he'd make more of a killing posting it on Ebay. Thanks for wasting my time and getting my hopes up.

I think, as stated in the past, a lot of non-RC enthusiast ("antique dealers" if you will) have discovered our little hobby and intend to ring every dollar they can from it. Of course, there's also the fool trying to sell a stock, used Super Clod Buster for more than a new one because his is "rare" or "vintage" for anybody that can't perform an internet search to price-check it.

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It’s tricky to decide what is reasonable vs what you want to pay. 
 

some nib kits from the 90’s or 80’s can be worth several thousand dollars, particularly rare kits that where high end in there day. 
 

For something like that, I look at what a re re of that might cost if it happened (assuming at that point it hadn’t) then double that price given there is no re re. Anything more than that is probably unreasonable. 

Many of those mostly metal chassis vehicles when and if they are  re released they can be + $500usd in today’s money. 
 

Sometimes a body or kit that was highly popular  and far from rare in its day can be worth way more than a rare kit that was unpopular in its day. Chances are it was popular then, it’ll be popular now, and when we talk NIB 20-30 year old kits, your talking 40-60yr old blokes that coulda had one back in the day but didn’t, and now are cashed up to the hilt (compared to 30 years ago anyway) and want one regardless of price.

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1 hour ago, Saito2 said:

I find it a two-way street. A lot of people want too much for what they have but nobody wants to pay reasonable prices at times either. I've had a Madcap for sale that I dropped in price down to $65. Its not perfect but its complete, just put in radio gear and drive or restore.  To me, that seems like a fair price for a complete, unbroken model that hasn't been re-released. What I got was offers ranging from $20-40.  Maybe I'm honestly unreasonable though.

On the other hand I was all set to purchase a Kyosho truck on a local trade site. I was completely willing to pay the asking price. The seller pulled the ad as we were communicating (as well as the rug out!). He had a sudden fit of greed and decided he'd make more of a killing posting it on Ebay. Thanks for wasting my time and getting my hopes up.

I think, as stated in the past, a lot of non-RC enthusiast ("antique dealers" if you will) have discovered our little hobby and intend to ring every dollar they can from it. Of course, there's also the fool trying to sell a stock, used Super Clod Buster for more than a new one because his is "rare" or "vintage" for anybody that can't perform an internet search to price-check it.

To be honest, I dont think $65 is unreasonable for a good complete kit. That said, I just bought a complete original frog and acoms radio set with original boxes for £65.00. It was an ebay buy, and I was surprised I won it for that, but there are still decent deals to be had.

I have been on a drive recently to collect vintage body sets, and I have been paying between £120 & 150 for original rare sets, but there are people asking over 500.00 for the same same sets... it's just plain daft. Thing is though, you see the same sets for sale for ages, then they ask a sensible price, and it sells.

I've got some used vintage tyres off of my sand scorcher if anybody wants them for £100000...... 😄

J

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55 minutes ago, Juls1 said:

It’s tricky to decide what is reasonable vs what you want to pay. 
 

some nib kits from the 90’s or 80’s can be worth several thousand dollars, particularly rare kits that where high end in there day. 
 

For something like that, I look at what a re re of that might cost if it happened (assuming at that point it hadn’t) then double that price given there is no re re. Anything more than that is probably unreasonable. 

Many of those mostly metal chassis vehicles when and if they are  re released they can be + $500usd in today’s money. 
 

Sometimes a body or kit that was highly popular  and far from rare in its day can be worth way more than a rare kit that was unpopular in its day. Chances are it was popular then, it’ll be popular now, and when we talk NIB 20-30 year old kits, your talking 40-60yr old blokes that coulda had one back in the day but didn’t, and now are cashed up to the hilt (compared to 30 years ago anyway) and want one regardless of price.

I agree that the re re situation has moved the market a bit, but I object to paying upwards of €450 for a body kit. 

I guess the sellers aren't that bothered about selling, or dont actually want to sell, hence asking prices that no one will pay.

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4 hours ago, junkmunki said:

 

I guess the sellers aren't that bothered about selling, or dont actually want to sell, hence asking prices that no one will pay.

I think there is sometimes a bit of that.

Ive listed a couple of bits in the past at what i thought were high prices figuring id sell it for that if anyone wanted it but if not ill keep it. I tend to always price at a bit less than has been paid before though. They all sold!

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A while back I sold my Bearhawk on Craigslist for $130. A week later I was looking on Ebay and there it was with a BIN price of $389! He just copy and pasted my ad and posted my pics. I just looked and he finally took the best offer after bringing the price all the way down to $169.99. I would bet that offer was somewhere in that same $130 range.

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on a different item i collect cassettes and if you think rc vintage prices are bad try buying a 1988 tdk ma-xg cassette for around £100 or less and that is for one even the used ones sell for silly money. its the same for the vintage storage box's

know a few months back i managed to get my hands on a few packs of 1982 and 84 tdk ad sealed cassettes in 3 packs for a real good price of £12,,try geting the same for less than £40 know. the price has shot up for what i can see the same reason being the ebay effect.and you can only get new old stock cassettes and really only on e-bay aswell

know as much as i want certain ones to add to my cassette collection i wont pay silly prices for them and the same goes for rc stuff even new releases 

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Crumbs!!!!!! I must have taken box loads to the tip / charity shops. I assume a cassette of the Proclaimers thats done about a million loops of the casette deck in an austin maestro wouldnt be too valuable though

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The prices for old NIB kits has always been ridiculous to me. There's simply no way I'm paying $500 or more for an entry-level kit, just because it has sat unbuilt for 30 years. So I don't even pay attention to those prices. If I want to build something old from new, I go for a re-issue.

What is starting to annoy me is the rising prices of projects and parts cars. Only a couple of years ago, I used to be able to buy two junkers for $30-40 each and build one respectable runner from them, and I had a lot of fun doing so. These days it seems everyone wants $100 and up (sometimes way up) for every dusty broken piece of junk they hauled out of the garage, and they're all "RARE!!!", even when there are three more just like it listed for the same stupid price.

This is especially annoying when I just need one or two parts to finish a restoration, and the separate pieces can't be had for love or money. So I start looking at these overpriced scrap heaps, gazing longingly at the photo of the one part I need off of it. For $30, even $50, I could justify it... but not $100.

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This topic tends to crop up every 6 months or so + generally starts from the same place 

It also attracts a blend of agendas - from restore to run, collect because you missed out as a kid or pure speculators  

My take away over the last few years is that real value is (a) only what anyone is prepared to pay on the day and (b) shifts significantly with time - anyone remember what vintage Sand Scorchers went for before the re re ?

So just because some stuff may be unaffordable right now doesn’t mean it always will be 

Nor does it automatically make people asking what may feel like insane prices wrong 

Some have just bought high for honest reasons + need to move onto other things

Others are admittedly trying to drive the market for self gain ... but if no one buys they fail - and run the gauntlet of a re re hitting them hard at any time ...

It’s also worth remembering that - like any vintage item - inflation alone can often make current prices less expensive than they may feel 

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I try to look at it with a long view.  CR-01 has been on my "vague" list for 10 years. I'll get one in 20 years.  I often see $600 for CR01.  If I'm not going to pay that much, it doesn't matter how much they ask for.  But I can control how badly or how soon I want it.  

I once missed a DT03 for $80 while I was hesitating to bid $90 or $95.  Missing that auction was eating me up.  Then it occurred to me that I'm not going to die that day.  I get a new tomorrow everyday (hopefully for half a century +).  I might get a better deal in one of those tomorrows.  That put me at ease.  In the mean time, I got whatever was good deal on my vague list.  A year and several cars later, I got a newly built DT03 for $70. 

In my case, the trick was focusing less on time.  I focused on what I was willing to pay and waited for an item in that range to appear.  But what would happen if I don't get CR01 in another 10 years?  No sweat.  Either re-issued CR01, or CR02 will be available.   

 

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1 hour ago, Juggular said:

I once missed a DT03 for $80 while I was hesitating to bid $90 or $95.  Missing that auction was eating me up.  Then it occurred to me that I'm not going to die that day.  I get a new tomorrow everyday (hopefully for half a century +).  I might get a better deal in one of those tomorrows. 

Wise words and a great way to look at it. I missed out on 3 potential purchases in a row and it was eating me up too. Eventually you retreat from being caught up "in the moment", gain perspective, and feel better about it. Time passed and now I have 2 more RC10s and a JRX-Pro in my garage that I would have missed out on if the 3 previous deals went through. It all worked out in the end.

I will add this on the topic of insane prices. I've come across folks in the last 8 years or so that put stupid prices on things with no intention to sell. They just like getting people stirred up. They likely wouldn't sell even if they got their asking price. I don't understand it. Its a real time-waster and infuriates me to no end.

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I just try and sell for what I think is fair. Its hard to find cheap projects but that is what makes the search fun. The nib stuff is just crazy I agree, and the value is lower to me cause id just build it haha. I have gotten sucked into the trap of buying a $50 or more roller just to get that one part but then its missing so you need another. Then you find really good deals and can sell off part of it for a fair price. Its really just all a wash. For someone to try and make money selling vintage rc would be better off finding doctor who and go buy all the 80's kits. 

The racing kits is what really upsets me, you keep a kit for a year or two and suddenly the value plummets. Its just like buying a new bmw or merc. Its just the way it goes and i would not at all mind taking a hit to get a kid or newbie into novice/beginners class. I just think to myself "well hopefully I will be serious about racing at the moment when the new B7.1r drops" Then you get about two years before the car isnt fun anymore. Thats what I love so much about the vintage cars, there just fun to drive and theres not a nagging to cough up $400 ever year for a new version. 

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Is it just classic Tamiya's though that are crazy money? I have bought a couple of 2nd hand RC's before; an FTX and a Turnigy. I've been on the lookout for a number of Tamiya models over the years, not especially rare ones, but ones I'd like, some are even available today new. But they always go for crazy money.

I recall trying to buy a Mad Bull on multiple occasions. The last one went for around £110 when you added postage to the price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whats that all about then? :wacko: I managed to buy a brand new kit a few weeks back for £71.20 delivered in the Black Friday sale. Although the regular price is only £89 delivered most places.

I was looking at some buggies last week and found a used one on eBay for £10 more than a new one. Yet I'm sure it still probably sold. Wasn't a vintage buggy either.

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On 12/9/2019 at 1:56 AM, Saito2 said:

I find it a two-way street. A lot of people want too much for what they have but nobody wants to pay reasonable prices at times either. I've had a Madcap for sale that I dropped in price down to $65. Its not perfect but its complete, just put in radio gear and drive or restore.  To me, that seems like a fair price for a complete, unbroken model that hasn't been re-released. What I got was offers ranging from $20-40.  Maybe I'm honestly unreasonable though.

 

Do you still have that Madcap for sale my good sir? 

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There has always been a history of bonkers asking prices, but there seems to be a lot of listings now with prices that I think are punching well above their weight.  

But I’ve had plenty of good deals over the years and they are still out there, some bought and some missed recently too 👍

 

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3 hours ago, NWarty said:

Do you still have that Madcap for sale my good sir?

PM sent

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After my rant about the ridiculous prices some people ask, I just thought I'd update the thread and make mention of fellow TC member Hudson. I just did a deal with him on a NIB Wild One kit which is coming from France, and the price was right for both of us. Top bloke.

I have also just taken delivery of a couple of rare body sets which I also got for a fair price, so there are still good deals to be had.

J

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Being down under here in New Zealand shipping costs are the killer for me so I like to purchase locally from a very small market however if you are not in a hurry every now and then a collector will decide to sell off their collection or others will find that old model or two from the attic, or a family member is cleaning out stuff for someone who has departed and the prices will sometimes be reasonable and other times they will not but they eventually become more reasonable. I waited years and years to buy my first Econo hand original series 1 Sand Scorcher for a very reasonable price. It also all balances out in the end over time as long as you do move some stuff on yourself to recoup some of the funds you have expensed. The thrill of the hunt still exists at the end of the day.

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If one considers the "real" price of RC models back when they were new vs real value of your dollar then vs now (compared with wages, living costs etc)... I have doubt most NIBs don't even recoup their original real RRP today.

There's the odd half dozen early icons that haven't been re-re'd that might buck that equation, but they'd be outliers not the norm. 

[economist Hat off] :) 

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