03-23-2009, 09:47 AM
doctorwayne Wrote:Another thing to keep in mind is shipping: while your finished model may weigh the same as the kit shipped to you, it will cost considerably more to ship to your customer because the package will be, in most cases, much larger. It will also be much more difficult to pack in a manner that will ensure its arrival in good condition.
Wayne, you are absolutely right, One of the biggest problems for me right now is the shipping. If you dont live close to me, it can cost up to $50 to ship a large building safely.... If its a smaller building and can fit in a box of less then 20" long, 15" wide, and 15" tall, i can ship it across the US for about $15-25, depending on the weight. This is with Priority Mail. I also offer Parcel Post and UPS Ground (both of which are usually the same with insurance)
Shipping is usually what draws alot of people away. Ive done my best to keep the shipping down on the stuff that i have sold so far.....
The way i have been selling my buildings right now (these are the ones that i have personally used on my previous layouts) is ive been listing them for what i would like to get for them, and so far, i have had luck. Ive been charging usually full retail for the built-up, sometimes ill get more then that from others bidding, sometimes ill only get my asking price.
Another thing a member pointed out to me on another forum i had this posted on was prices and my time assembling, painting, and weathering them. Usually, if i try and sit there and bang the whole thing out, i can finish a building in about 5 hours or so depending on what it is. Kitbashes may take a little longer, but this is the general time frame it takes me. Mind you i dont just throw the parts together with glue oozing out and such, im careful and if glue does ooz out, ill wait till it dries, sand it down, and mask and re-paint the area so its not visible anymore.
Charging full retail for the kits seems to be working, but im only making usually at the most $20 on a kit, and sometimes im just breaking even. Of coarse, i dont pay full retail for anything, just like most of us.....
If i decide to start doing some more structures, you can bet that i will be trying to find the sales on the structures from online hobby shops. If i can get them at a good sale for 50-60% off, it just might be worth it if i can sell them for full retail or maybe even a little more depending on what the building is.
I just listed my King Midas Flour Mill last night around 10:30PM, woke up this morning, 8:00AM, already 5 people watching it. Price is $49.95, that structure maybe cost me $35 for the 1 complete structure, and to take the extra silos from a previous build. Time spend building was around 4 hours, assembling and painting, no weathering.....