Long time painter leaving the hobby, looking to sell all my stuff

digbaddy72

digbaddy72

Member
Hello CMON-ers! I am hoping you all can give some advice for my situation.

I've been painting miniatures for over 20 years. In that time I have met some fantastic people in the hobby (both online and in real life), been to some amazing conventions, sold a few pieces on-line and even managed to win an award or two. Overall, I've been satisfied with my time in the hobby.

Until recently.

I've recently been introduced to the hobby of scrollsawing and wood turning and have devoted my hobby time to those pursuits. I get such a kick out of making something from wood (toys, puzzles, art) and then giving it away to close friends and family, that I just don't see myself coming back to painting miniatures.

This sounds sad, but it really isn't. I've LOVED painting miniatures. It used to be my "zen". I could lose track of time for hours working in my studio in the basement. It's just that...well....I get more enjoyment from woodworking. My father (whom I've never been close to) has also gotten into woodworking and this has given us something to bond over. Something I have wanted since I was a kid (I'm 40 now).

So...this brings me to my current situation. Over the past 20 years I have accumulated a vast wealth of miniatures, supplies, magazines, etc that I wish to part with. I have minis from GW, PP, even original metal Rackham minis.

The reason?.....The cost of a lathe and a few other tools I require are expensive!

I am just unsure of how to go about selling off my stuff. Do I list it as one giant lot with a highest-bidder-gets-it-all auction? Do I break it down into smaller lots of related items? Do I list here, ebay, bartertown, other mini sites?

Has anyone ever done something like this in the past or know of anyone who has done this in the past? I am really looking to get rid of everything, not looking to get rich either.

I am going to start cataloguing everything today. Who knows, I may even make a poll out of this..everyone loves polls right?

Thanks for any advice!
 
In Chigh P.I.

In Chigh P.I.

New member
Im fairly sure you would get more for the stuff if you broke it up into separate lots. However, you would have to be prepared to spend a lot more time listing, packing etc (thus less free time for your new hobby)
 
QuietiManes

QuietiManes

New member
Yeah, as above, the more items you group together, the less money you'll get for each piece. Especially these days, the economy being on the downside. Even in the best of times, the higher the cost, the smaller the market.

Not sure if you're a gamer, but if you have "armies" your best bet to maximize your time versus money is to break them up into small armies and/or units. If you've only got "random models", it might save some time to sell things off in small groups of similar models, boxed sets or models from the same line, etc. But then again, it could severely deflate the value, if people are only bidding on the one model in the set they want, for example, so be careful with what you do group together, no matter what you do.

There's probably no perfect answer for you but local hobby forums and auction/classified sites will probably yield good results with no fees,. If there's anything left, I'd only suggest going to Ebay and similar sites at that point, after you've exhausted the free options. Of course, if your painting skill is extremely high, local options will not yield the best results, usually.

I'd think keeping at least a few select display models and cherished untouched models would be a good idea, with a few paints and brushes, just in case you ever get the urge to paint again. I mean, you never know, right? Keeping a shoebox or two of hobby supplies might really pay off.
 
kaeyous

kaeyous

New member
If I were you I would just sell one big lot and be done with it. If you break it into parts, you'll get more money but you will need to work hard and spend time for that money. Just take good pictures, put it on ebay and promote it in this page to get miniature lovers excited. If you sell it this way, you will know for sure that whoever gets it will love you collection as much as you did.
 
S

supervike

Super Moderator
Always enjoyed your work, and I'm glad you are taking on such a cool new hobby especially seeing how your dad is involved.

Personally, think it would be more work to sell it in smaller lots, but you will have better success that way

eitherway,I wish you luck
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
Sorry to see you go, but also glad you've something to bring you closer to you father.

Seriously you need to break stuff down, trying to sell items in bulk such as Rackham means you'll lose out, big time.
I'd suggest that the Rackham will be the cash generator, as people like me always are on the look out for nice pieces and yes I've spend more than I should on some.

Paints well they can go as a bundle as they won't generate much.
 
me_in_japan

me_in_japan

New member
Writing as someone who "quit" once before, I'd recommend only selling what you need to generate the cash for your new hobby. Keeping a shoe box worth of minis that are important to you is a good thing to do. Worst case scenario, they'll be good for nostalgia value when you're 90. Best case, you get back into painting after a few years and you have a little nest egg of minis which, by that point, will be hard to find.

I've never sold minis online, but I have bought, and as a buyer I can say I have pretty much no interest in big job lots. If I'm looking for a specific mini, I want to pay for that mini only. If it's bundled in with a dozen other models I don't want, thereby raising the price for me, I'll just wait until someone else lists it singly, or maybe with 1 other model or so. Probably your best bet is to spend the time properly organising your minis into groups of:

5-10 man squads (for squad based games like 40k)
single minis (for special character type minis)
Related groups of 3-5 (for miscellaneous minis. If they're from the same range, eg rackham, sell 3-5 mid-nor dwarves. If they're something like Reaper, you could sell 3-5 "misc. Reaper elves" or suchlike.)

This is definitely a time consuming enterprise, but if you take the time over it you should make a decent amount of cash. Best of luck with it :)

*edit* it's almost certainly worth your time to search eBay for listings of minis you're thinking to sell to get an idea of the market value for them.
 
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Bailey03

Bailey03

Well-known member
Looks like the majority vote is break into smaller lots and I'd agree with them. Selling as one giant lot might move things faster... but you'll get far less for it as a whole. For GW or PP, selling stuff in armies or grouped into factions should help you move the items but still get something decent for them. If you have some old out of print GW stuff it might be worthwhile selling them separately. At the very least make sure you point out the out of print "collectors" items in your lots. Since all the original Rackham stuff is out of print you might want to sell them individually or at least in smaller groups. I'd expect them to bring in the most money compared to their original cost.

As for how or where to sell everything there's no one right way. A lot depends on how quickly you want to move everything. If it were me, I'd figure out a fair price and post them on the various forums (or just ask for offers and see what you get). After a month or two I'd take whatever I had left and dump it on ebay.

I'll be curious to see what you're selling. Best of luck to you.
 
PegaZus

PegaZus

Stealth Freak
I'm with MIJ on keeping some minis around. I've seen too many people go completely over, sell off everything to get into the new, and then regret it later. Even if it is just keeping a few of the miniatures you're especially proud of. Hey, first project: Display Cabinet.

And I've seen this repeat over multiple hobbies/interests, so not just minis.

Oh, and little lots if you've got the time, big lot if you think you can one-and-done it.
 
digbaddy72

digbaddy72

Member
Thanks everyone. I do plan on keeping some of the minis that I have half-finished. I will keep the ones I've painted and won awards with. I never did get around to logging everything I have...I think I will start it tonight since it is too dang cold out in my shop to do any woodworking....(first purchase will be a heater for my garage.)
 
QuietiManes

QuietiManes

New member
I miss my workshop. Moving from a house to an apartment caused me to give it up. I've got too many interests and hobbies anyway, so it turned out alright. Good luck with the hobby transition.
 
digbaddy72

digbaddy72

Member
This first batch is new or unopened GW stuff. I still have Rackham, Hasslefree, WarMachine, Reaper, Ral Partha (IWM) and some indie stuff I am going to sell in the future as well. Figured I should start with the stuff that was easiest to list.
 
Einion

Einion

New member
Lots of good advice in this thread, great to see CMON will still deliver the goods on stuff like this :highfive:

Best wishes on the new hobby dude (oh and be sure to take appropriate precautions against hardwood dust).

Einion
 
10 ball

10 ball

New member
Its a shame your leaving the hobby, as usual great advice from all. Just be careful, I sold all my painting stuff years ago - just to buy the sodding lot back again!
 
digbaddy72

digbaddy72

Member
Thanks everyone! I am keeping all my brushes, and some choice miniatures. For now I am getting rid of enough stuff to pay for a heater for my shop and a lathe. My wife says I should just look at this as a hiatus from the hobby. Which I guess is more accurate to say than "I'm leaving the hobby for good". I don't think I could ever really do that. Mini painting has been such a big part of my life for the last 22 years.
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
Your wife sounds increadibly sensible.
I too dabble in woodturning for plinths, but I'm far better at making sawdust.
 
digbaddy72

digbaddy72

Member
Thanks Dragonsreach, she is. I actually own some of your plinths and those are going in my "keep" box. LOVE your stuff!
 
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