""It's not what you want, it's what the consumer wants!"" Topic

Happy Easter All!

I'm starting to paint to sell on E-bay, but I'm in a bit of a quandrie as to what to paint. I'm not going to do commission work, just paint what's popular and hope for my auctions to sell.

So to this end I have to ask: On what IS the consumer of the wargaming hobbies interested in bidding??

I know that this is somewhat of a loaded question, but I thought I'd give it a try!

Thanks for your input!!

From recent orders, Napoleonic Swedes in 15mm.

Mahratta infantry in 1/48th.

Strange, the majority of our orders have been Medieval, WW2 and modern

I want everything. I want it beautifully painted. I want it very cheap.

I would suggest the best selling periods over the long haul are (in no particular order) WW2, Napoleonics, Ancients and ACW. There are other popular periods of course but these are the 'old standy' periods. I don't think you could go wrong by offering painted figures from one or more of those periods.

Vietnam infantry (VC and US) in 15mm.

Just to swim against the tide. While painting the popular stuff, FOW or FOG types let's say, may guarantee an audience, it also guarantees competition. I'm usually buying against the flow and have noticed that if only one person has say 1/2400 pre-dreadnoughts or 15mm Russian Civil War, they generally can command higher per figure prices (assuming comparable quality) than can those competing for 15mm FOW German FJ's or 28mm Romans.

Jenkins Ear War cavalry in 18mm.

I am painting unpainted lead to sell on eBay or whatever, but can't afford to buy stuff to sell.
I hope that Colonials, FIW French, AWI and Assyrians are popular, at lest until I start working again!

Flames of War stuff sells nicely. Good basing is in. Good photos of course.

I chose to sell all my LoTR figs on e-Bay. Here is what I noticed; the newest/latest figs sold fast and for a good price. Those that were more difficult to paint sold for a very good price. For example; trolls went for as much $60 USD a piece (I paid $20/ea) and wargs went for $40 USD (I paid $25).

Figs that have been around for a while didn't sell as well. I at least broke even with them.

Be sure to figure in shipping costs. People may complain about it, but don't budge. I barely broke even on my first round of sales because I didn't charge enough for shipping. Especially when it came sending figs overseas; Europe or Australia.

Also, take good pictures and plenty of them. Close up details help. I've also heard about a website (forget name…something like 'cool figs') where you can post pics of your figs and have people rate them. If you get good ratings you can note this on e-Bay and post a link for possible buyers to view.

Overall I made a profit selling my figs online (even after paying someone else to do it), but it is not big money. Unless of course you already known for your painting skills like the Russian painter (forget her name).

Good luck.

Chris

The last sentence should read; Unless of course you are already know for……..
C

15mm Ancients are going well on ebay at the moment, something to do with FoG maybe.
FoW seems to have dropped off a bit lately, newly released GW minis can also do well, the new Perry plastic ACW minis may do well.
Usually anything that is well painted does okay but eBay is a lottery, so until you have a good reputation as a painter, like Warpainter or Steve Dean, don't count on good money for anything.
Start posting pictures of your painted minis on forums like this one and you may want to get yourself a website which will need updating regularly with pictures of new minis that you have painted. In order to get really good money you need a "fan base" with regular customers.
And your photos need to be professional.
There's a lot more to it than painting, and as with most things don't expect to be an over night success.

Good luck with your new venture.

The ebay bidders will bid on anything and any era at a low enough price.

Do not expect to make a lot of money. Painting just to sell on ebay may not be the best idea. I about selling them at gaming conventions. Flying the flag, word of mouth, and hands on examination by gamers will improve your averall sales and even number of bidders on ebay once they know that they can check your wares there as well.

I painted a few figures to pick up a couple of bucks to buy more figures and was suprised to find that everything sold if I was reasonable on the starting price. I started at the unpainted price and sold a 15mm Troll from Alternative Armies for $3.40.

Take a shot have some fun.

Lol,, this should give you your answer,, never try to please the market,,the market is totally fickle… please yourself,,paint what you like,, then if they don't sell,, you have figs you will want.

good luck and have fun

anvil

But,, hehe I know,,you will have no problems selling anything you happen to paint.. :)

anvil

abelp01 23 Mar 2008 6:12 a.m. PST
…I'm not going to do commission work, just paint what's popular and hope for my auctions to sell.

So to this end I have to ask: On what IS the consumer of the wargaming hobbies interested in bidding??

I look for things that I do not have time to paint. I look for the following eras:

FIW 25mm, SYW 15mm & 25mm, AWI 25mm, ACW 15mm & 25mm, Old West 25mm, and FFL. The 25mm figures can command anywhere from $2.50 USD to $5.00, or more, depending upon the figures and the paint job. The 15mm will go for $1.00 USD to $4.00 USD a figure depending upon the figures and the paint job. The oddest things can command good prices, I remember a set of 25mm Mexican Peasants that attracted several bidders, myself included, the painter got a very good price for those. Watch what the major painters are hawking and try not to put up the same era/figures when they do. If you're selling "25mm Italian WWII" at the same time as five or ten other painters, then you won't garner a particularly good price. Really really odd things like 25mm SYW Japanese Cavalry are a genuine crapshoot. Also, in your description, please tell people the following:

1. Which Manufacturer
2. If figures are Primed
3. If figures are Coated

As to mounting or not mounting the figures – that's an ongoing debate. Me, I like them unmounted.

And, don't overlook the merits of very good packing and fair shipping costs. I bought some figures from a guy who just sent them in an envelope. I never bought anything from him, ever again. I always expect to pay for exact postage and exact insurance. However, I get seriously miffed when a seller wants to charge me handling costs or the price of the box and wrapping, those get no bid from me. If/when I sell I do not charge others for anything except exact postage and exact insurance.

Good Luck.

I don't buy on eBay because the first thing eBay wants, for me to even make a bid, is my credit card number. I don't like giving that out.

Join Paypal.

My vote 15mm republican romans for FoG

I would imagine that Naps and SYW (Austrian & Prussian) would do well, IMHO.

I had mentioned painting up some Crusader 28mm WWII Germans using the OG Army discount. I figured everyone could use Germans. You guys think that's a good idea?

That and 28mm Pirates and Western.

I started out by offering my older, unwanted stuff on Ebay and soon had people who had bought (plus their friends, etc) requesting new, specific paint jobs. I'm now in the happy position of only painting by referral which keeps my prices high enough to make it worthwhile. One piece of advice regarding Napoleonics in particular – check the uniform detail is correct as it will make a BIG difference to what people will pay.

Good luck.

"Join Paypal."

They need your credit card no. too (or even your bank account no). I'm with donlowry.

I've also heard about a website (forget name…something like 'cool figs') where you can post pics of your figs and have people rate them. If you get good ratings you can note this on e-Bay and post a link for possible buyers to view.

I think that would be the 'coolminiornot' website …

Decent 6mm stuff seems to go pretty well because it is good value for money. The time/payback ratio might suit you better. There is one guy on ebay doing pretty well right now. There is another who sells very cheap but his paint jobs are pretty terrible so I don't buy from him anymore.

Selling here or Bartertown has been much better for me though – I don't really use Ebay anymore. Also commission work might be better for you then you think. If you have a big enough club there is always work. One guy in particular here (who is admittedly very talented) has always done well from the local club.

I would go for character or one-off figures for GW stuff (LoTR, Fantasy or Sci-Fi). People are often prepared to pay a bit more for a "stand out" figure to lead their little metal troops to glory rather than rank and file. Also Cavalry sells well as some folk are scared stiff of painting horse.

I sold my Napoleonic 1815 Brunswick Corps last year on e-bay over the space of a couple of months (painted to a good wargaming standard but nothing special). A couple of Battalions went at way over the odds simply because two people wanted them and got into a bidding war. Other than that I mostly broke even on their original cost (not including cost of paint and my time painting them). Unless you can paint exceptionally well (Sasha Herm etc. ..) then you are unlikely to make a lot of money out.

But of course…don't let my experiences put you off!!

Gladiators are a new interest of mine; I'd pay for them. You might get more satisfaction from painting a few "personality" figures than hoardes of vanillatruppen.

Jim

I have a PayPal account, but as Mike said, eBay still wants a credit card number. They can go fish.

I check Bartertown every day, and have made a few deals there.

It not so much the period or scale its the quality of painting and basing. I have always painted my own but recently ive bought a few units in various periods because of the superb painting and basing, and paid well over the odds and was happy too.

If he got a better director. Used more free renactors and less couputer generated stuff. He could make a better movie with less the cost.

I did think that Robert Deval made a better Lee than Sheen. Just my opinion though.

Bug? Bug! Bug! Bug!

Re Paypal.

Set up another account for Paypal, away from your current account. Simple. No problems. And you can budget on what you are spending. ;-)

huh?

Don't forget about the new site just for wargames – Wargames Market. You might try that site to see what is selling.

I'd second the idea of character vice rank and file of whatever period you do.

If you look at the Artizan yahoo group, or on the old west board, you'll see a LOT of ideas for characters not yet done for old west:
TMP link

TMP link (20mm discussion, but also applicable to 25-28mm)

donlowry "huh?"

Set up a separate bank account that you put say $100 USD in. Then register that with Paypal using the debit card that comes with the account. The maximum amount of money that can ever be taken from you through fraud, is the amount you left in there.

I've used Paypal for years now and never had a problem. The only peeve I have with them, is the amount they charge for me receiving money.

I've never had to give a credit card number on an e-bay auction.

Other ideas (in no particular order) from various sources:

"The single figure that would be the most useful in my book would be 19th lady afoot and riding sidesaddle. I've never seen one for the 19th century. She could be used in Colonials, Old West, and other games as a maguffin
(rescue Lady Flushing), a player character, an objective (escort Lady Penrose), or an NPC in Role playing games."

"I'd like to suggest the following:
1. Magnificent Seven, Calvera plus some of his bandits
2. "Tombstone" characters – you have a set of the Earps & Doc, but could use Ringo, Curly Bill, the Clantons & McLaurys
3. "High Noon" set – Will Cain, Frank Miller and Miller's henchmen
4. The man with the harmonica (Charles Bronson), Frank (Henry Fonda), and the Jason Robards character (Colorado?). Could also do the 3 gunslingers waiting for "harmonica" at the train station at the start of the flick and the Claudia Cardinale character.
5. Old Time TV Heroes- Roy Rodgers, Hopalong Cassidy, Cisco Kid & Pancho, Josh Randall (Steve McQueen – Wanted Dead or Alive), Johnny Yuma (Nick Addams), Paladin, Yancy Derringer & Pahoot, Lone Ranger & Tonto, Cheyenne, The Lawman (John Russell)
6. Silent / Older Movies – Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, Lash LaRue
7. Sidekicks (Gabby Hayes, Pat Brady, and the like)."

"We really need some garter belt wearing ladies from the neighborhood hotel/casino. These would make the miners and the cowboys very satisfied."

"The Rifleman his son and Micah the marshal."

"Just throwing in a quick second (or third?) to the
hope for more female figures of the wild west variety
(civilian & not). A Calamity Jane, for instance, would
be nice."

"Hannibal Hayes and Kid Curry"

"characters like captain james west and artemis gordon as I loved the wild wild west tv show back in the sixties and a certain indian companion to a masked lawman "

"a sharon stone from quick and the dead."

"I'm more into the gunslinger side of things – OK Corral, Magnificent Seven, Coffeyville / Northfield bank robberies, stage holdups, and that aspect of play. "

"some nice Buffalo hunters with the big ass Sharps rifles."

"Does this mean we might get some female characters for the old west range at some point in the near future? "

"would be interested in packs of non-combatant figs. My kid brother would buy cowboys and indians, but a barber, or a gimp w/ a broom?… I'd love to have such things!"

"such things as saloon keepers, s, coffin makers, etc.? I personally would love to see more of this sort of color"

the bleep above was for the shady ladies of the night / sporting women.

Could also always use some Mexican bandits with character, and some renegades / Commencheros

Red. I have a PayPal account. I talking about eBay's own requirement.

eBay says that the reason they require a credit card number is if you use an email address from a free online email site instead of a paid SPI account. Why this should matter to them I have no idea. Moreover, I was just now able to register using my free online email account without giving a credit card number, so "go figure."

I opened my Pay Pal account with a checking account my Savings and Loan set up special for that purpose. It is free, and not connected to any off my other accounts. The most somebody could get out of it is the cash I keep in it, usually about 5 bucks, unless I deposit money because I won an action.

LLC aka Ron

MetalMutt 24 Mar 2008 6:40 a.m. PST
…Also Cavalry sells well as some folk are scared stiff of painting horse.

Really? I like painting horses. Perhaps because I grew up where horses were always around. Even now I drive around places where people have horses and I can see them on a regular basis. I have a couple art books on painting horses. It's kinda fun.

La Long Carabine 26 Mar 2008 1:01 p.m. PST
I opened my Pay Pal account with a checking account my Savings and Loan set up special for that purpose. It is free, and not connected to any off my other accounts. The most somebody could get out of it is the cash I keep in it, usually about 5 bucks, unless I deposit money because I won an action.

That's exactly what I do. If i get paid by paypal, I leave the money in paypal for future purchases.

OMG be careful, some of the buyers on Ebay are %$#^^$#, they dont do anything but bitch about shipping costs, they think priority mail is cheap for some reason, then they complain if you lower the shipping for 1st class or a slower cheaper way because it takes forever to get to them (you cant freakin win – EBAYERS SUCK WIND!)

Agree, some real clueless buyers out there. You don't want to pay for packaging & handling? You think I can just pick up packaging materials on the street? Except for the Priotity mail boxes, EVERYTHING costs. Unless you LIKE getting painted minitures casually wraped in old newspaper, like I received recently. You want it well pacaged, expect to pay. Baggies, Tissue, Styrofoam Peanuts….

I PAY for them. Thus, the P&H Cost.

PLUS, a hidden cost on ebay/PayPal (Remember, they are the same corporation), as the seller, you PAY (PayPal) a percentage of whatever I have invoiced for S&H; Thus, you are at BEST breaking even chargng $5 USD for the $4.60 USD Flat Rate Prioroity Mail. Hey, do you walk to the Post Office? Neither do I, the IRS auto rate is now $.50 USD a mile. Which means it is low…