Vintage pricing!

[discothesnake]

I have a couple of vintage cars that I'd like to rebuild. 1 Kyosho and 1 Tamiya.

After looking on eBay etc I am disgusted with the prices that some people are wanting for parts. There is even empty boxes going for over £100!

Tamiya sellers seem to be biggest culprits. Am I being unreasonable or are vintage cars at an all time (ridiculous) high?

Regards

Dave

[Naushad]

Well guess its dependent on the cars..what do you have Dave ?

But you are right in some cases. Look at ow much some of the yz10s go for!

[discothesnake]

I have a Tamiya Astute that I'd like to rebuild and a Kyosho Optima Mid LWB that I've started doing.

Just some crazy prices. I can understand the YZ-10's going for big bucks as its an iconic proven racer but some of the Tamiya crap like Hotshots and Boomerangs etc are going for silly money too.

I think it's just gone beyond ridiculous what people are expecting to get for them now.

[Groomi]

They're worth whatever people are prepared to pay.

[DanB4]

Dave here's mine new build

[superdez]

Originally Posted by Groomi

They're worth whatever people are prepared to pay.

Like houses.

[Si Coe]

When it comes to old Tamiyas - they cost what people tell you they cost.

Ebay is full of NIB cars with £1k price tags that are relisted and relisted - remember its free if it didn't sell. Most people don't want to pay that money, its only a few well heeled collectors that will, and stuff tends to sit and wait until one of them buys it.

Actually this is pretty standard for all nostalgia items when you think about it.

[Naushad]

Need to stop showing off...though Ive seen that car somewhere.

Reminds me of the dyna storm...the best 2wd ever!!

Originally Posted by DanB4

Dave here's mine new build

[ralphee]

Dan thats a Super Astute......no i mean, that Astute....really IS super lol.
I love that car, sooooo much sexier in white.

lee

[discothesnake]

Originally Posted by Si Coe

When it comes to old Tamiyas - they cost what people tell you they cost.

Ebay is full of NIB cars with £1k price tags that are relisted and relisted - remember its free if it didn't sell. Most people don't want to pay that money, its only a few well heeled collectors that will, and stuff tends to sit and wait until one of them buys it.

Actually this is pretty standard for all nostalgia items when you think about it.

I don't mind them selling when they're on auction but I hate it when it's on a ridiculous Buy It Now price. The prices just screw up other people who are genuinely trying to rebuild cars.

[ralphee]

Welcome to the age of "whats this worth mister"..........nowadays, everybody is David Dickinson.
Ive seen some PILES, that folk will warrant putting a huge sum on.......its all a bit silly really.

lee

[eddscott]

It surprises me how much some cars go for. I bought 2 YZ10s off Ebay about 7 years ago and they cost me about £65 and one had all working radio gear - I wasn't using them so sold them for probably about the same - DOH!

It might (might) be worth buying the parts seperate and building the car with all new parts. I'm thinking of doing this with a Top Force but buy a few bits a month to make the process last. I bought a knackered Optima for £35 and when I'd finished the only things from the original car are the front and rear bulkheads. I also built an Egress from a Tamiya Vajra and other bits and bobs.

Vintage Cats are becoming expensive too. Knackered Bosscats are getting over £100. I think unless you get a bargain or bid on a badly worded auction title then the market for some cars has gone too high.

[Origineelreclamebord]

The price of Vintage Tamiyas (and all the parts) is strange... The most collectible cars are the most popular ones (Sand Scorcher etc) or the elusive ones (Avante etc) from back in the day. They are worth big bucks until.... Bang! Re-Release! These re-releases are pretty random, too: Who knows, the Astute might be next!

And then if you look at the less popular or successful cars... they hardly bring any money at all - though often spares prices are still pretty high, somehow it seems Tamiya collectors have a NIB and new built fetish

If you intend to run the Astute, I suggest you get a donor car for spares and replace the press nuts with nyloc hex nuts (with the nyloc portion in the emboss for the press nut, it worked quite well on my Dyna Storm runner). Also, if you need spares, please let me know. I've already modeled improved 3D printable rear suspension blocks for it, and if there's interest for them I might do more parts.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...DrawingPNG.png

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...0Overige/1.png

[ralphee]

Originally Posted by eddscott

It surprises me how much some cars go for. I bought 2 YZ10s off Ebay about 7 years ago and they cost me about £65 and one had all working radio gear - I wasn't using them so sold them for probably about the same - DOH!

It might (might) be worth buying the parts seperate and building the car with all new parts. I'm thinking of doing this with a Top Force but buy a few bits a month to make the process last. I bought a knackered Optima for £35 and when I'd finished the only things from the original car are the front and rear bulkheads. I also built an Egress from a Tamiya Vajra and other bits and bobs.

Vintage Cats are becoming expensive too. Knackered Bosscats are getting over £100. I think unless you get a bargain or bid on a badly worded auction title then the market for some cars has gone too high.

Building from parts, not a bad idea at all. I had the same with an Optima im working on now, think i paid £80, and due to a nasty OCD, NOTHING on the car apart from the servo saver is original used, its all from a NIP part, costly habit lol.

lee

[j0pp3]

Remember that we are potentially ruining the market for our selfs when we show off our own cars that we are proud of. That may open up interest for more people and more people could lead to higher prices in future auctions.

But... it is also nice to see more projects after all.

As Groomi wrote: "They're worth whatever people are prepared to pay."

[ralphee]

Jopp is right to a certain degree, i wouldnt have built my Optima, if it wasnt for the ones id seen around on the boards.
My YZ10 was something id wanted to do for a while having raced one, and i was endeared to it........but i picked a terrible time to do it lol, go back a few years, id have saved a fortune.

lee

[BORMAC]

Having been around for the best part of 10 years (in vintage) I have bought, sold and watched alot go on throughout eBay and r/c forums.

I can honestly say that prices have come down a long way (especialy much of the Tamiya models) due to a few factors.

1. The world economy is hurting. People have lost money in shares and investments, super annuation, property values have dropped, employment is not what it used to be and a pile of other factors have shown us all that we don't quite have the same amount of 'spending' we used to have. Coupled with the fact that much of this 'vintage stuff' is really only purchased by us older guys (and gals) either for ourselves or our children I think it's fair to say that this market will probably die with us. The younger generation weren't around to be influenced by this stuff the way we did back in the 80's and 90's. Today it's a different world.

2. With Tamiya re-releasing so many of it's models I think it's fair to say that this is filling the appetites of both the collectors and the enthusiasts who wish to enjoy them for what they are. Sure, there will always be those die hard's that want original release but they no longer have to compete with the guys who just want to have fun with these cars but are restrained by tight budgets. A few years ago 'everyone' had to bid on an auction but now days the same number of would-be buyers aren't trying to win these auctions. Prices have come down dramaticaly on much of what is out there.

3. We are spoiled for choice. With Tamiya re-releasing so many old favourites people no longer need to spend big dollars just to get into the market/scene. This effects what goes on with other manufacturers models to an extent also. I have seen many newcomers purchase a Tamiya rere simply because it was affordable. It may not have been their first choice but when push comes to shove and there's only so much in that persons budget- well I think you see my point.

4. We are all getting older. For many of us it means we are finding ourselves partners/wives, starting families and all of a sudden we drop an income, have other expenses that take priority over toy cars and we just aren't spending the same kind of money on this stuff we used to. I know this won't mean everybody but I have seen many friends in vintage r/c slip away due to this reason. Personaly my wife and I just had another son and we simply can't afford to spend good money on my hobby in the same fashion I used to. I am certain this also has an effect on the vintage r/c market. I'm not spending (and neither are many of my friends) the way we used to.

It seems to me that there will always be sellers that come along late in the game and think anything and everything they have is worth a fortune. I simply put it down to lack of education so it's up to the buyers to ultimately school these sellers on what true market value is. Anyone can stick an inflated price on a given item but if a buyer isn't there to pay that price then it is no more than a number.

For me, I still check out ebay and r/c for sale boards and I am finding most items to be selling at a low.

[Naushad]

Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places...but I think that despite some people placing inflated prices on vintage r/c, it's still an expensive game seeking kits and parts that are not made anymore. Just look at the Kyosho stuff for example...Moreover, people end up trying to make repro bits and pieces which is another costly aspect.

Most of the time I look on forums where many people "know their stuff". This leads to higher prices overall....eBay ends up the same way I think...I can't find many places where people are selling vintage for peanuts. With the internet you can easily find out the ID of a car and then price it appropriately (or inappropriately )

[cjm_2008]

Originally Posted by DanB4

Dave here's mine new build

my first ever 'proper' race-ready RC car, christmas 1992.

I still have it in bits, and 2 years ago I bought a new gearbox unit from a seller in japan. never got it running though; the second time I resurrected it and tried to take it racing, the gearbox internals lunched themselves - and that was with a very mild motor fitted. this does inspire me to get it back together though

[terry.sc]

Originally Posted by discothesnake

I have a couple of vintage cars that I'd like to rebuild. 1 Kyosho and 1 Tamiya.

After looking on eBay etc I am disgusted with the prices that some people are wanting for parts. There is even empty boxes going for over £100!

Tamiya sellers seem to be biggest culprits. Am I being unreasonable or are vintage cars at an all time (ridiculous) high?

Regards

Dave

To answer your question, I would say you are being unreasonable.

The vintage market is nowhere near as big as it used to be and in general prices have come down a lot compared with ten years ago. But back then there was a chance you could walk into your local hobby shop and find vintage parts to resell or go towards your rebuild, and there was plenty of loft clearance cars being put on ebay. People used to find parts in hobby shops and ebay them which meant there was always plenty of parts available, now the big sellers do tours of the country buying up old stock, and old shops are shutting with the spares they have left over being thrown away. It doesn't help that ebay are trying to put people off selling on there by charging a lot more than they used to.

Prices reflect supply and demand, for example vintage-kyosho sells Kyoshos Equalizer shocks at £20 a pair, while he has managed to sell out of
gold shocks at £50 a pair. There was obviously enough buyers out there prepared to pay £50 a pair for Kyosho golds even though most of us wouldn't. Another thing to remember, for vintage-kyosho/vintageavante/tamkyo-reprodecals and Europro975/Tonys Tamiya Parts selling parts on ebay is a full time job and their main source of income, if they overprice parts then they don't earn a living. If something you want is expensive from the big sellers it is because there is a demand for them and the sellers don't have many left, and we are talking about a limited supply of parts left in the world.

If you want a part and the big sellers are expensive, then do what everyone else does and wait for the parts to turn up at a reasonable price, or think laterally. For example I wanted a set of gold shocks for an Optima, so bought a Mid with a battered chassis for half the price of second hand shocks on their own. At least with Tamiya and Kyosho there is a good chance the parts will appear, my Predator rebuild took me 5 years to be counted as finished and I'm still waiting for some more original parts to appear.