When ebay isn't a bargain!

[Guest]

Having recently bought Academy's 1/25 Jagdpanther from ModelZone for £18 with free postage, you can imagine my dismay when I spotted the same kit on eBay starting at just a quid!

But thankfully all was not lost! Bidding finished at £27 inc postage!

The moral of this story? Not everything on the bay of fleas is a bargain

Patrick

[AlanG]

I always check the going price of something in a shop before i bid on evilbay. And i only ever bid one bid and that's the maximum i'm willing to pay. I'm glad that you can now hide the auctions you've been outbid on.

[mossiepilot]

Too true Allyne, I would only pay "over the odds" if I couldn't get the kit anywhere else.

I always check the net before bidding,

Tony.

[Ian M]

Ebay. the last place to look after all other options have been explored.

Ian M

[Guest]

Been that Im a lazy sod...I usually go for the buy it nows, as I have seen £20 kits end up in the late twenties and early thirties.......but cant say I get many bargains on evil bay anymore.....thats why I haunt the car boots....lol

[Guest]

on evilbay at the moment i have a collection of 2 spits and a bf109 in 1/48 the going price is £12 and econony delivery is £2.75 and nowadays i only buy from the charity bit of ebay

mobear

[Guest]

You're lucky if you get kits at car boots, having been a regular trader and buyer at car boots for a gooed few years before moving north I don't think I ever saw a kit for sale,

As for eBay, it's certainly hit and miss, you can get some good deals.

For example, i got a great deal on the Tamiya Honda RC166 kit, on a BIN from Hong Kong, it was cheaper BIN with shipping than I could get it UK, also, kits on auction from the same seller were fetching a higher price than his BIN auctions, without exception, utterly crazy.

If I see anything on there that appeals, first thing I do is check the online stores and see what the going rate is if it's a currently stocked kit.

[Guest]

I have to say I've either become a bit of an "expert" e-buyer or extremely lucky as to getting certain models pretty cheap. A Comet Dalek for £20 for example; I can't remember paying more than £30 for anything including some classic /vintage models.

I got an Airbrush compressor -Piston, Oil-less, Royal Sovereign "Hornet" with hoses and connectors for £25, which works.

I set myself a maximum bid and don't go over, if I win then great. If I lose, then I lose simple as that. I also look for Bid Now sales and occassionally mis-spelt items - I found an Aurora/Polar Lights T-Rex for £15, simply because some called it a "Model Rex".

Where I live, any model shop is either too dear (HobbyCraft - has the same models for weeks on end) too far (and in the case of ModelZone) disappointing, not including the fact it takes me at least 2 buses and a total of 2 hours to get to, so the likes of internet shopping and in particular E-Bay, are really my own source of getting anything.

[yak face]

Been that Im a lazy sod...I usually go for the buy it nows, as I have seen £20 kits end up in the late twenties and early thirties.......but cant say I get many bargains on evil bay anymore.....thats why I haunt the car boots....lol

Ive had quite a few good finds at car boots ray, the best ever was the tamiya mosquito in 1/48 for 50p!!! along side this ive had about 6 others usually airfix starter kits that have been bought as presents then' booted' after the kid has shown no interest in it! Sometimes this can mean the kit has been started slightly or there may be a few missing bits , so its important to open the box and see whats what. Ive also had some great bargains on e-bay , its just a case of knowing what somethings worth before bidding , and not getting carried away. tony

[Guest]

i dont do specific searches very often on e-bay but just look through the stuff thats ending soonest and if i fancy something ,i will wait till there is less than 10 seconds left before i bid. won quite a bit and lost a few.

[colin m]

i dont do specific searches very often on e-bay but just look through the stuff thats ending soonest and if i fancy something ,i will wait till there is less than 10 seconds left before i bid. won quite a bit and lost a few.

It's you, you're the one, right at the last moment, just when I think it's mine, and its gone !!

[Guest]

I think with buying on ebay the time makes a big difference in getting a bargain or not. Either early in the morning or late at night definately increases your chances. With regards to buying at car boots, more often than not now I find sellers seem to think kits they've got a worth a fortune, I've seen sellers wanting more for a basic revell or airfix kit, than you can buy it new in store!!!!

Cheers, Andrew

[AlanG]

99% of my kits have come from evilbay. I admit i am one of those that generally snipe an auction at the last moment, unless it's something i'm not too bothered about. I never bid more then what i think or know it's worth. If it is out of production (OOP) then it's a personal choice on how much you value the kit and how much you want it.

There are other websites out there that you can get the older kits on and they are generally more expensive than evilbay is. But that's not to say you can't get them cheaper at times.

At times i can't be bothered with the bidding process so go straight to a decent shop (John @ Scale-Models is a good one ).

[Guest]

It's you, you're the one, right at the last moment, just when I think it's mine, and its gone !!

lol sorry, it happens to me as well, i was bidding on an item a few days ago and put my bid in with 9 seconds left and i was outbid