looking for advice for a new user.

[ADaly ( 0 )]

I’m looking for some advice on how to go ahead and price my items for sale? I have multiple minis in different stages of paint and some still on spruces. Also how can I make it comfortable for another user to buy from me since I have no history selling or trading on barter town before? And finally what is the best way to ship mini’s to the buyer so they don’t get damaged in transport?
Thanks,

Arnold

[porkuslime]

lemme jump in here before Eric writes a novel..

pricing wise.. (and this is a TOTAL rule of thumb and opinion, take it as MY view.. not neccessarily yours)

I can buy GW stuff for about 25% off retail.. brand new. So, anything I am looking for needs to be at least 30% cheaper than GW.

If you want to move your stuff that is still on sprue, complete.. a good ballpark is 60% OF retail.. that should get it moved quick.

Painted, no more than 50% retail.. maybe as low as 25% of retail depending on how much work will be needed to reclaim the figs..

However, if the paint job is SUPERB and is also "generic" that it might work in other armies.. retail at 100% is not unreasonable.

Pictures will be the telling tale.. when you get ready to list, make sure you have good comprehensive shots to show the paint levels.

as to the second part of the question..

As a new trader, you very well may be asked to complete your side of a transaction first "to show trustworthyness". This is a very common CONVENTION on BT.. it is NOT a Site Rule. You DON'T have to do that if you don't want to.. but being willing to do so is generally looked upon favorably..

To help minimize your personal risk.. try to trade/sell with another trader who has a rating of 100 or more.. (maybe 50). Check their score .. it is visible next to their name in parenthesis. Each successful transaction here that is reported, gives a bump of 2 points.. so a trader with a rating of 50 has at least 25 good trades under their belt. A Negative Reference reduces someones score by 10, and shows up in RED when you click on the references.

Stick with higher rated traders at the beginning... they have more invested in the site.

As for shipping.. Bubble wrap is probably the best way to protect the minis.. don't use newspaper or tissue paper. Pack small things in smaller boxes and put those in a shipping box.. try to think what would happen if a 60 pound suitcase accidently fell on your parcel.. and then think of ways to protect in worse case scenarios..

any other questions?

(and yes, I know.. I wrote a book)

-Porkuslime

[ADaly ( 0 )]

Thank you for the reply.I did have another question.Is it better to sell it all off as a lot or to break it down by units/squads and give the buyer the option?


thanks again,

Arnold

[porkuslime]

Up in the air on this one..

If you are selling an army that has a coherent paint job, and is a fairly unique scheme.. you may ONLY be able to sell it as an army. Parting it out would be a bit harder... especially if people want to pick up something that matches their current army.

Easier if the paint is a Recognized Scheme.. like Ultramarines in blue, DA in dark green, Blood Angels in red etc..

I have a Space Wolf army that is uniformly painted in a brown/gray.. I am NEVER gonna be able to part that out and find a buyer who wants that color scheme..

As for listing it.. certainly break it down by squad and unit to give an idea of what is there..

"40 random Space marines" is less helpfull than "10 man Tactical Squad with PF, ML, 10 man Terminator Assault Squad, 10 man Assault Squad, plus a Command squad and a Devastator Squad with MM, MLx3."

[ADaly ( 0 )]

Once again thanks for the advice.


Arnold

[Cervantes3773 ( 30 )]

In regards to shipping, I usually re-purpose boxes in which I've received things. I also snagged a roll of bubble wrap from Home Depot. Don't quote me on this, but I think it was $10 for 100 ft. All I know is I bought it about 3 years ago, I've shipped a decent amount of things all over the world, and I still have plenty left.

Get some good packing tape, too. When in doubt, over-pack, don't under pack.

Also, include a note in each of your shipments with the name and address of where the package is going/where it came from. If something awful should happen to the box, they'll still be able to get it to its destination. Hopefully.


Lastly, remember that this is bartertown, so please negotiate, but also be reasonable. The people here generally want to move their product/or buy product, but they don't want to get hosed either. Talk to people and try to find your common ground to make it all work.

[oaflord]

Lastly, remember that this is bartertown, so please negotiate, but also be reasonable. The people here generally want to move their product/or buy product, but they don't want to get hosed either. Talk to people and try to find your common ground to make it all work.

QFT.

This should be firstly, not lastly... Well described. If I had a cyber cookie jar, you get a cookie.

oAF

[spiralingcadaver]

Adding, decently taken pics of anything out of the ordinary (you may think that arm conversion is impeccable, but maybe your trader/buyer won't) and good description of quality:
new
unassembled
assembled/unpainted
primed
painted thinly
painted heavily
conversions
"one model's right leg snapped, so {you'll need to fix it/ I repaired it and did a good-okay job with it}
"this'll need to be stripped"
"this'll mostly be good for conversions/salvage"
in the case of plastics- plastic vs. super glue

etc.
will make people happier: I sure know that when I'm trading for something, unless someone states that this will need some work to fix (preferably with pics), I'm going to be fairly annoyed if the model doesn't come in good condition.

Now, easily 9/10 times, things go great, but I'm just saying that a big reason things don't is people incorrectly or insufficiently describing models. And you don't need a laundry list, for instance

XXX model (assembled/primed black)
YYY model (will need stripping and might take a little work)

are plenty. And

XXX model (assembled/primed black, left arm was pinned for stability, there are a few mold lines that need cleaning)
YYY model (will need stripping and might take a little work, there are a few broken bits (pic 1 link; pic 2 link))

would be above and beyond what's generally expected for a listing.

Also, welcome to bartertown!

[ADaly ( 0 )]

Guys this all great advice.thank you for taking the time to help out a Noob .When it comes to shipping costs,what is the accecpted method?both parties pay,sender, etc.


Thanks,

Arnold

[spiralingcadaver]

If one guy's buying, then it's factored in to the price (i.e,. listed price is including shipping, or w/o shipping (buyer decides on how to ship), doesn't matter as long as you're both clear. I usually say buyer decides shipping and adds the rough cost to the purchase, so it's more flexible.

If trading, unless it's a huge difference (and sometimes even then), usually both sides pay for their own (it's just easier that way).

I'd put confirmation on anything $10-20ish and insurance on anything over that.