cromptonnut Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Ok, as it says on the tin, and I'm sure I can't be the only one here that has this problem. I'm modelling in O gauge at the moment. It's not cheap. Things take a while to save up for. I have literally crates of N gauge and OO gauge stock, some of which bought for various projects that will probably never see the light of day. Hundreds - if not thousands - of pounds of virtually "dead money" in stock just sitting in boxes in the spare room under the O gauge layout under construction. I know that by selling on some of this stock, I could release a large chunk of cash that could be put towards getting my O gauge models much quicker. None of what I own is particularly "collectable", rare models, especially valuable, or even has particular memories attached to it. It's just stuff that I've picked up over the years towards several failed projects (I can think of at least 4 distinct layouts/eras modellable, and that's just from memory). Yet I just can't for some reason bring myself to sort though it to end up with "keep/get rid of" piles. It's inanimate pieces of plastic that I have no reason to get attached to. I'm a fully grown adult and shouldn't feel like this. Yet for some reason I do. Is it "just in case" we ever get the room to build that little OO gauge layout that keeps surfacing in the back of my consciousness ever now and again? Is it the APA box that may sometime get an N gauge layout built in it, that I don't know what stock I might need so I want to keep all of it just in case? Is the thought of it being such an overwhelming task, that if disposed of through a local shop I'll only get a fraction of what I may through Ebay or classifieds here - yet if I go through Ebay or classifieds, the hours of time packing and the hassle of going to the post office is enough to put anyone off? Is it the fact I'm just 'selling' rather than 'trading in' so I go to the shop with a box of stuff I don't want and come home with something I do want that's the mental barrier? Indirectly I would be, but it would take a lot longer to save up and several months for it to be constructed for me - yet it doesn't feel the same. I know that if I learnt to build and paint things I could probably save myself a lot of money ... but I would rather spend money for someone else to build it for me rather than bodging it and wasting the money on something that never gets completed. Am I alone in this? Or do you have trouble "thinning the collection" even though you know you need to? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platform 6 Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I've just had a 'thinning' phase. It was hard at first but seeing some items sell on eBay for very good prices has been quite a thrill. Using the money realised for other projects slowly broke down the natural resistance to 'letting go'. Posting and packing and keeping track of transactions is a pain; but once you get a routine sorted out it's quite easy. Go on - sell some crap! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Selling things I don't want is never a problem, in fact I'm known for throwing the baby out with the bath water. Plastic RTR models are only the value someone will pay for them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev_Lewis Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 The autumn before last I sold about two thirds of my OO stock on eBay. Within a couple of weeks I got into a nice little routine. Tuesday or Wednesday: Take photo's of 6 to 10 items, Thursday Night: List items on a 10 day auction. Two Sundays later they finish. That Sunday, or possibly the next couple of days items are paid for and packed to be posted during my lunch hour the following day. With the ten day auction you get the maximum exposure time and each weeks items overlap, helping to pick up repeat buyers. Once you get into a routine it doesn't take up as much time as you might think. One to two hours a night, three or four evenings a week. Plus a couple of runs to the post office. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium OnTheBranchline Posted January 21, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 21, 2014 I've just had a 'thinning' phase. It was hard at first but seeing some items sell on eBay for very good prices has been quite a thrill. Using the money realised for other projects slowly broke down the natural resistance to 'letting go'. Posting and packing and keeping track of transactions is a pain; but once you get a routine sorted out it's quite easy. Go on - sell some crap! As long as it's reasonably priced Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
45059 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Just out of idol curiosity, and to play devils advocate (and hoping that this doesn't upset the mods,) if you were to list the stock that was laying dormant under your layout on this thread, and someone were to PM you with an offer of something that they were interested in- would this be an easier solution? That way it would be down to you to decide (knowing what cash you would receive) if you wanted to hold onto something, or cash it in, as it were to fund you current project. Remember, although you said that nothing is particularly collectable you may well be holding onto that one item that someone is hoping to gain. One mans meat being onother mans poison and all that.. As previously stated, I hope that this is not contravening any of the RMweb rules, and my apologies in advance if I have. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I have been doing this recently, now that I have been given permission to build my new layout at our clubroom I have done so to raise funds for materials such as wood, bolts,dowels, track etc, all of which add up on a large layout. Building a model of a real place I have parted with stock that would not have ran anywhere near and I am continuing to do so. selling also helped raise funds for locos that did. Im also going to sell a load of books as they tend to take up a lot of space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
corax67 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 It is a hard thing to do the first time, but once you have sold a couple of items then the process becomes easier as you will start to develop 'wish lists' of stock the sale proceeds will allow you to buy. Over Christmas I looked at the stuff I have in boxes untouched since our house move 12 months ago and I made a start yesterday photographing some to eBay this week - my wish list isn't huge but is achievable with a big clear out. Bite the bullet and go for it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaneofFife Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Plastic RTR models are only the value someone will pay for them......not necessarily. It can also come down to the minimum a seller is prepared to sell them for. Many occasions on ebay I have been watching some potential bargains and then at 12 hours at 99p the items mysteriously ended. I knew what I would be prepared to go up to yet it seems the seller knew the minimum he was going to let them go for. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggoforgold Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 It can also come down to the minimum a seller is prepared to sell them for. There needs to be a buyer prepared to pay that minimum Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Fatadder Posted January 21, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2014 I went through the same thoughts a couple of years ago selling off everything pre 1980s as my 2 layouts were focused on later periods Now rather regretting getting rid of my hydraulics as they would be handy now... More recently I have also thinned my modern stock, slimming down to one post privatisation year and 1984. This time it was necessary to fund locos for my steam project, and having kept similar stock for 1998 there's less chance of the regret I had with the 60s stock I think what I'm saying is that it's better to free up the cash to invest in stock which will actually be used, but think long and hard as to whether you are certain you won't need it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 I think what I'm saying is that it's better to free up the cash to invest in stock which will actually be used, but think long and hard as to whether you are certain you won't need it Some interesting points so far but I'll address this one I think; although I'm persevering and slowly getting somewhere with my O gauge project I still have that niggling back-of-the-head "have I bitten off more than I can chew" feeling from time to time, that's going to send me back to OO eventually, having to re-buy half of what I sold at a loss not that long back. In the past I've got rid of stuff only to realise actually I could have used it - and I suppose I'm wary of making the same mistake again. Maybe I need to do a full inventory of stock and see just what there is in this pile... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platform 6 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Maybe I need to do a full inventory of stock and see just what there is in this pile... They can be useful but often aid procrastination - another project on the go when a sale is needed. Take the first step brother cromptonnut Here, a little help: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted January 21, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2014 I've started thinning out my stuff that hasn't been touched for ages, yes you may think in the future I had that but it's better than the current project stalling from lack of resources. I reckon on my exhibitable layouts having a 5-6 year life so I choose my next couple of projects and anything outside that is fair game. I always set my minimum as the start price on eBay or you'd just stress about giving it away, also you can always bid the opening price on a bargain to stop it being withdrawn easily. If I do that I only bid the minimum and don't give away my actual limit that someone can speculate against The real problem is the bargains you pick up that were too good to miss and sit there as a one day project cluttering up the place. I have models I just won't sell as I know they are virtually irreplaceable if I change my mind as the company doesn't exist now or made a loss and only ever produced one batch. I suppose in many cases it's not so much an attachment to the model as the idea of the layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 I suppose in many cases it's not so much an attachment to the model as the idea of the layout. An interesting thought and I hadn't considered it that way. I'm sure most of us have a few "maybe" layout projects mulling over in our minds at any given time, possibly in different eras and scales to those we are currently working in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Buying on impulse is something I have become wary of. Witness the "Oh I do like the Dukedog, I wonder if they ever ran on the Liverpool Overhead"..............I doubt none of us is imune regardless of age and it is all too easy to get carried along on a wave on RMweb................You know the kind of thing.................Photos of a new model keep popping up as each purchaser recieved his in the post and before you know it you mysteriously want one even though it is absolutely useless for your layout and the historical piece British railway one is modelling. This is how I came a buy a Thompson L1 when what I really need is a C13. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhBBob Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Buying on impulse is something I have become wary of. ................... This is how I came a buy a Thompson L1 when what I really need is a C13. I too have a Thompson L1...and a B17 with a football club name...no prizes ! Sadly neither will fit on 22.5 mm gauge track Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted January 21, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2014 Yeah I walked away from numerous stands while clutching my card, and cancelled an online basket when the Blue Pullman came out. Still get the ooh shiny impulse when I see one Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Yorkie Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Selling things I don't want is never a problem, in fact I'm known for throwing the baby out with the bath water. Plastic RTR models are only the value someone will pay for them. Just let us know when you're going to throw out a few babies. Mind you, I bet your bathwater is better than our babies! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Mmm, interesting, just under 40 years of serious modelling, and have amassed a good surplus of stuff cluttering up the workshop from unwanted detailing items to completed ( and dated) 4mm loco kits now replaced by more than adequate rtr versions. Getting tempted to part with to make room. Funny how topics like this give you ideas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium brushman47544 Posted January 21, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 21, 2014 I had a major, and I mean major, clear out when I moved to Portugal - keeping only those recent models that fit my SR/GWR boundary layout plans. Needless to say, despite that I have accumulated plenty of new models - locos in particular - that fit neither period nor location. At some point I may run out of storage space or would find the money from selling them useful, but now I'd be more hesitant I think. Why? Before I always though if I needed replacements, they would be better higher spec models, but now the way Hornby in particular is going, will those replacements be available at all or if so only to a lower spec.? Just glad I'm not in that situation, just yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Just out of idol curiosity, and to play devils advocate (and hoping that this doesn't upset the mods,) if you were to list the stock that was laying dormant under your layout on this thread, and someone were to PM you with an offer of something that they were interested in- would this be an easier solution? There is a time and place for this and it is not on general forum topics. There is a place called RMWeb Classifieds (not that it works for me -duff software) it seems to work for most members. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 I was more trying to focus on why its so hard to 'let go' of models you don't really need rather than which is the best way to get maximum return on sales. If I was to sell on RMWeb it would be through classifieds rather than a forum post. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I was more trying to focus on why its so hard to 'let go' of models you don't really need ..... This is a psychological thing, probably like comfort blankets, and the nesting instinct, which makes it difficult for us to let go many things we've acquired. However, what I would say is, that when you've hoarded more stuff than you can reasonably keep track of, and when you conduct an audit or embark on making a list of it all, you find stuff you forgot you had. This probably sends a strong signal, that if you didn't know you had it in the first place, you surely won't miss it either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ELTEL Posted January 21, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 21, 2014 There is a time and place for this and it is not on general forum topics. There is a place called RMWeb Classifieds (not that it works for me -duff software) it seems to work for most members. I did not see any models for sale just a general discussion, and since when have you been a moderator Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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