Making Money off of those Miniatures: Local Gaming Stores

After the beginning of a busy week, I'm back for my final article in the Making Money off of those Miniatures Series.  In my past two articles I talked about how to make money on Ebay and how to use barter sites like Bartertown. 

Today, I'm leaving the interwebs to talk about how you can get good cash for your minis in the real world.  We are going to talk about using your local gaming store (LGS) as a means of selling your models.

Before we dive in too deep, I want to let everyone know that operating in a manner without the consent or knowledge of your LGS owner is not advised and pretty shady.  Don't do it.  What I'm going to propose is that you work with your LGS owner to make it possible for players to resale models, unless they already have a means of doing so. 

The first method I want to talk about is setting up a consignment display or section in the store.  Many stores actually already have these.  Just ask the owner.  Generally, what happens is you hand over your models and set your price.  The store then displays and sells the minis either for cash or store credit.  What I've seen happen normally is that if you want your cash, you get a percentage of the overall take, something like 80%-90%.  The rest goes to your store for helping with the promotional and sales aspects of the whole deal.  In the case of store credit, many stores will give you the whole 100% of the sale because you are turning around and putting that money back into the store.  So, if you are looking to get rid of minis for the purpose of buying new ones, this is probably the best bet for you.  You get max revenue while also being able to support your LGS AND get the new stuff you want.  Win-win. 

If your store doesn't have a consignment section, a well-planned, easy upkeep plan like the one mentioned above would probably get your LGS owner on board and participating in a heartbeat. 

My second method for getting rid of and obtaining new minis is to have a swap shop event.  GW used to do these, but has since stopped.  Basically, this is just a day where players of all sorts can bring their unneeded/unwanted minis, games, cards, etc. and try to get cash or trades for them.  This is a great idea as it is usually a one-off event and isn't too intensive for an LGS owner.  It also helps new customers meet and get involved with other players.  Finally, it's a great place to look for the stuff you want at reduced prices.  You can't beat that.  The biggest need will be space.  Players will need table space to set up their stuff to show. 

Using your LGS is a great way to get the stuff you need and it supports your local gaming community which is a big deal.  If you don't have an LGS near you, you can testify to suckage that is not having a store near you.  It makes gaming a lot harder as it is harder to find people to hang out with and play games with.  So, support your LGS and make some money/get new models at the same time.

That wraps this article series up.  In other news, most of my collecting for my Menoth army is almost done.  Just a few more things to get and then paint, paint, paint.  Look for more pictures coming soon.

Other Money Saving Ideas:
Money Saving Playtesting Solutions
Taking better pictures with cra...inexpensive equipment
Budget Gaming Shout-Out: Planning AND Implementation ___________________________________________________________
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Making Money off of those Miniatures: Barter Sites

Two days ago I posted an article about using Ebay to get money for your old or unused models. You can then, in turn, use this money to feed your plastic crack addiction.  The bottom line is to make as close to a "zero impact" on your wallet as possible.  You never know.  You may even come out on top.

As I mentioned briefly in my previous article, Ebay has lost quite a bit of appeal for many gamers.  Fees, lack of real discounts, anda less than robust market have caused many people to look elsewhere for places to pawn off their minis for the green.  Barter sites are a great answer to this problem.  They provide fee-free transactions, open communication with your buyer/seller/trader, and more freedom to advertise your wares.  On the other hand, they don't have premade forms to simplify the advertising process.  The also don't have as much protection as Ebay provides.  Finally, most site, only allow the average joe trader to post an ad once every 7 or so days.  That said, barter sites are a really cool experience and I highly recommend them. One of my favorite sites right now is Bartertown.  This is a haggler's dream!  Bartertown is set up to provide easy access to people interested in what you have.  A large portion of Bartertown is dedicated solely to wargaming miniatures of all shapes and sizes.  There are even dedicated forums to specific manufacturers like Privateer Press and Games Workshop.

So, you have minis, want money, and are ready to deal.  Here are a few pieces of advice I have for working in a format like Bartertown.

1) Put on your negotiating pants.  Nothing is set in stone.  There are two types of people who make it to Bartertown.  If you come to Bartertown or a site like it to sell, you come to make money and other people come to buy things.  They want merchandise cheaper than they can get for retail or even for discounted rates at popular sites like the War Store and Miniature Market.  The point I'm trying to make is, people want cheap.  You want money.  There has to be a balance.  Remember the rule of 50-60% off of retail that I mentioned in my last article.  That's what people expect.

Many times I see a seller set up an ad and they have a price set in stone and it isn't cheap.  I snicker to myself as I read, because unless what they have is an established rarity or has some really nice quality to it, it won't sell.  They will be forced to come down on their price.  Heck I have had to do this before.  That's the nature of sites like this.  Used isn't new and new isn't retail.  So, be prepared to haggle and negotiate.

2) Communicate your wares accurately and in detail.  Unlike Ebay, sites like Bartertown don't have any premade forms or databases of merchandise.  Your description of your minis will determine whether people take you seriously or not.  Give in-depth descriptions of your merchandise so that buyers know what they are getting.  Be prepared to provide pictures unless you still have it in the shrink wrap.  I find it best to go ahead and take good pictures.  When you describe your minis, give their correct name (SPELLED CORRECTLY).  How many models are there?  List their condition.  Provide weapons loadouts if models in a unit can be equipped with different weapons.  Finally, be up front of all costs associated with buying your models, price and shipping costs.  More information is always better.  Again, use those grammar skills.

3) Observe forum rules and etiquette.  While Ebay doesn't always provide the best deals, it is far easier to abide by its rules due to the structured nature of its advertising process.  When working with a bartering site, check out the site's rules first and then also make sure you follow established etiquette. When you have the freedom you get on a forum style site, you have to mind what you say.  If you have a strong personality, tone it down.  Being nice gets you the sell.  Good communication helps as well.  So, follow the rules and play nice. 

4) Don't take no for an answer.  To be more clear, if you are ready to negotiate and give a bit, you can really come out ahead.  Giving on a deal might yield you a return customer and that is a good thing. That is the real beauty of such sites.  With an open dialogue, some thoughtful negotiating can really get you some cool stuff, or a hefty stash of cash.

5) Have some faith.  Forum based barter sites are really honor systems on a grand scale. Bad experiences do occur, but in majority things run smoothly.  Trust the process. Do your best to provide security for yourself and then trust that the person on the other side of the transaction is a good person.  I haven't had a terrible trade yet.

When it comes to making money, you are in the driver's seat on a barter site.  With freedom comes responsibility, but also the promise of bigger profits.

Other articles:
Crusader Heavy 'Jack Completed
Warmachine the Way I See It: Part 2...err kind of
Warmachine the Way I See It: Warcasters
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Making Money Off of those Miniatures:Ebay

Last week, I wrote an article about how to have zero impact on your wallet by using multiple avenues to accrue new models for that new army or gaming system you want to get into.  Chief among my methods for generating hobby income was getting rid of your old models.  Since that article seemed to be well received, I wanted to explain in a more in-depth manner how to get the most for your models.

There are basically a few "rules" to getting the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to dealing with others.  I will break this article up into two section, ebay rules and everything else.

The cardinal rule of selling used models is to Never Overvalue Your Models. Only in rare circumstances will you be able to match retail value or get more.  This usually happens when the model is an easily recognizable piece modelled and/or painted by someone of note in the world-wide gaming community.  If Dave Taylor or Blue Table Painting put something up on ebay, the price is justified.  If Joe-Bob Smith does, no matter how well it's painted, it probably won't merit even retail value unless there are some amazing (and genuine) pictures to back up the claim.

Now that we have a slightly more realistic perspective on the worth of our models, let's get dealing. 

ebay the blackfleamarket of miniatures

For today's article, I am going to deal with ebay. Ebay has lost a lot of its good reputation of late because the good deals seem to have found other places to hang out.  Most things now come NiB (new in box) and for only slightly less than retail so that when shipping is added, you are right back at retail.  You might as well go to your local store and purchase the models new in this case. 

Wait!  Don't leave yet. That doesn't mean that we don't see a handful of good deals still on ebay. I have actually found quite a few good deals as both a buyer and a seller.  Here are my few tips for getting your models to sell for a passably decent amount of money.

1) SPELL CORRECTLY!  I'm not perfect, but come on.  It doesn't take much to spell things correctly.  I expect it of my students at school, not someone who actually wants to make money.  Some of the best deals I get on ebay come from people who don't spell their listings correctly.  Common misspellings of Warhammer are Wahammer or Warhamer.  I don't know how many "Blood Angles" (input bad geometry jokes here) I have purchased for cheap.  Seriously, spell things correctly.

2) Give a good description.  This includes Gaming System, Faction/Army, Models being sold and quantity.  An example would be "20 Warhammer Fantasy Dwarf Warriors" or "6 Warmachine Menoth Exemplar Errants". Many people search by only one of the terms listed, so having all three in the description insures that you will get a hit from a more narrow search.

3) Take pictures.  It doesn't take much to get semi-decent pictures, even with a crappy camera.  Check out my tutorial on taking quality shots with terrible or minimal equipment. Good pictures are worth money in your pocket.  A blurry picture won't sell anything.  Take a good picture and show off what you have.  There are many people who will pay for a painted army, despite its quality of paintjob, simply because it is painted and ready for the tabletop.  Take good pictures.

4) Know your bottom line.  What are you willing to accept as the lowest amount for your models.  Be realistic. No one is going to pay for 10 bare plastic tactical marines at retail.  Generally speaking, most models go for around 55-60% of retail.  Take that into account.  If you can't handle that much of a discount, you better get painting or don't bother selling it.  Set your minimum near your lowest desired price.  I generally go a little under that mark as bids usually bring it up some.

5) Set reasonable shipping prices.  The average squad of plastic models for any game costs between $2.50-$5.00 for shipping/handling and delivery confirmation depending on size.  There is no reason to charge $12.00 to ship your Rhino transport.  It will cost you buyers.  If you are selling multiple items to the same person, discount the shipping.  They will appreciate it and advertising this perk will get you more bids.

6) Timing is essential for maximum revenue.  Kind of like the stockmarket, miniatures sell according to what's popular and what's perceived as a good investment usually according to rules and competitiveness.  Here are two names to illustrate my point: Tyranids and Wood Elves, both GW products.  These two armies (one 40k and one fantasy) suck.  No one really plays them.  As such, they sell for very little, if at all, on ebay.  The best time to sell minis is right before the new codex/army rules hit the shelves as this is when overall excitement for the models is at its highest. 

7) Be patient.  Remember the goal is to get as much as possible, but recycling models will always be a scenario of diminishing returns.  Be realistic about this up front. 

If you play your cards right, ebay can be your friend.  Make sure to be intentional about how you advertise and realistic about what you want to get out of the deal and you will do well.

Other Money Saving Ideas:
Money Saving Playtesting Solutions
Taking better pictures with cra...inexpensive equipment
Budget Gaming Shout-Out: Planning AND Implementation ___________________________________________________________
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Self Sufficieny and Model Recycling: How to "Not Pay" for New Models

Howdy folks.  With starting Warmachine, I have had to collect rules, models, tokens, and cards for a completely new game system.  I have discovered that while the vast majority of miniature wargames are fairly expensive to participate in, if you have a decent sized collection and a lack of sentimentality, you can really add model or games to your collection for little to no negative financial impact.  It's pretty amazing how this works.

I have always thought of myself as a "budget minded" person.  I love planning expenses, etc.  I love saving lots and spending little. Yeah....I'm weird, I know.  When I got into Warhammer Fantasy some 8 years ago, I spoke with my brother, who at the time was playing it.  He told me something to the effect of, "Yeah, there is this company that sells the models to you, but you can also use ebay to find good deals."  I was hooked.  It's no reason gaming minis are referred to as plastic crack.  Ebay was scanned daily.  Dark Elves were bought in droves, even on a poor college student, work study pay check (minimum wage here in Texas is lame).  Anyway, the base costs were significantly cheaper than retail.  Win.

From there though, my interests grew rapidly.  I wanted more Dark Elves.  I wanted new armies. A couple of years ago now, I wanted a new game, 40k. Now I want Warmachine.  So, how do you do this without breaking the bank?  There are definitely some simple strategies that help you to end with a sum profit/loss of roughly zero meaning you didn't spend anything. Let's take a look at them.

1) Ask for it.  Yep.  I generally ask for a thing or two at every birthday or for Christmas.  In my mind, gifts don't count as spending money, neither is "birthday money".  If you ask, provide links to webstores, etc. you can easily rack up the models you need quickly.

The next two things go hand in hand.

2) Sell old models.  This is somewhat of a contentious subject. Many players have a habit of connecting emotionally to their models.  They get sentimental.  You hear things like, "This army was my first army and I will never sell it," or "This models has never died in a game I've played and what's more he has killed (insert number) (insert wicked, scary models)!"  We project our personalities onto a model.  We connect the amount of time and energy modelling, painting, and gaming to a model's perceived value. This is a human thing to do.  No biggie.  However, if you are really jones-ing for some new models or to play a new game, you may need to re-evaluate your relationship with various models.  Here is my list of questions, in order of priority, for determining if a model should be sold or traded for new stuff.

- When was the last time this guy came out of the army case/cabinet/shelf/etc?  If he/she/it hasn't seen the light of day for over a year, he/she/it is fair game.
- How useful is this model in terms of gameplay?  If it isn't that good, is there a chance that will change anytime soon? Case in point.  Necron Monoliths look cool, but they took a huge hit in 5th ed.  Will 6th ed. make them better?  Possibly.  Will they get a new codex anytime soon? No. 
- What's the perceived value/demand for my model?  If there isn't any demand (hello Warhammer Fantasy Wood Elves), forget about getting any real cash or trade value out of it unless you find some sort of collector.
- If the perceived value is low, am I okay with parting with the model for a less than favorable price/trade? Sometimes you are, sometimes you aren't.  If question #1 has the answer "not for years", then you can probably take a hit because the model obviously has no value to you right now anyway if it's sitting on a shelf.
-  What do I want more, my old models or the new models/game?  Ultimately, you need to determine where your loyalties lie.  If you really, really want to try out the new game, then allegiances may be shifting way from your old game system.  You decide.

Finally, don't over think it.  Don't pull out your unused models and have a sobfest about how you really don't want to get rid of them.  Chunk them.

3) Barter.  Buy, Sell, Trade, but do it wisely.  It is amazing how much value little lumps of plastic and/or tin possess.  That said, there are multiple channels by which you can sell your stuff, trade it for new stuff, or just buy new stuff for cheap.  Never buy for full retail unless you have a reason to (like LGS loyalty).  The secondhand market for minis is so huge, you simply don't need to, so don't.

Here are a couple of places you might consider checking out for such deals.

1) Ebay- yeah I said it.  Ebay has turned into a relatively stagnant environment in the past few years in terms of buying and selling minis.  However, you occasionally find some deals.  Here are the things I look for.
    - Misspelled entries- Wahammer and Warhamer are super common.  Yay for individuals with little to no ability to spell. 
    - Mislabeled items- example.  I once purchased a 6th ed. (one edition older) Dark Elf hydra for like $12.50 on ebay because the seller put the wrong picture up on the auction page.  I did the homework, checked it out with him and verified the model and came out winning big since even that models is worth $45-$50.
    -  Batch auctions.  Occasionally, you will come across a batch of models advertised as "Warhammer Models" or "Vampire Soldiers" or something really generic like that.  When you look through the description and pictures, those generic things turn into some real finds because the seller didn't know what they were.  These things don't come up in search inquiries.
    - Items that require a bit of TLC.  Sometimes, being willing to work on a used mini a bit will save you tons of money.  Models that are painted poorly are some of the best finds.  a $4-$5 bottle of Simple Green can fix this problem and future problems for quite awhile.  I have had my bottle of Simple Green for about 2 years now.

2) Bartertown- This is my favorite place.  It is essentially a like going to a fleamarket of nothing but wargaming minis.  Super Awesome.  What's better, you rarely find anything set in stone.  You can haggle and negotiate.  You can find someone to buy almost anything even if it is a relatively old and obscure model.  Bartertown rocks.  Unlike ebay, it also allows you the ability to trade model for model.  I have never had a bad experience here, despite the more relaxed structure compared to ebay. 

3) Your local game store. Most independent game stores have consignment sections or swap shops that allow you to do the same thing as Bartertown, just in person.  This also promotes your local gaming store.  I highly recommend this if you have a thriving gaming community and feel like you can get a good deal on your stuff.

One final thing about selling and trading.  I have found that models with one of two types of condition sell/trade best, completely unpainted or very nicely painted.  People don't always like "meh" paint jobs.  Some don't care, but the two mentioned conditions usually get you the most bang for your buck. Pro painted stuff from a reputable organization or well known painter can really net the big bucks.

In the end, if you are willing to make a few "tough" decisions about your models, you can generally get a pretty good return on them and in turn keep buying new stuff.  Keep the hobby from having a negative impact on your wallet can be a daunting task, but with some thought, it actually isn't as hard to accomplish as you would think.

Other Money Saving Ideas:
Money Saving Playtesting Solutions
Taking better pictures with cra...inexpensive equipment
Budget Gaming Shout-Out: Planning AND Implementation ___________________________________________________________
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On the Workbench this week

One really neat thing about being off of work for the summer (teacher here) and having a baby that necessitates staying around the house is that I am getting a lot of time in front of my painting table.  As such, I have quite a few things going on right now. 

Awhile back, I posted here that I had a commission from my FLGS's owner.  He is attempting to put together an all Slaanesh daemon army that can be played both in 40k and Fantasy.  As such I have been working on his daemonettes.  Here is a picture of the lovely ladies.

I still have 2 more units of 20 to paint up before I am done with this initial commission.  I believe that I will have some additional models to paint for this army before all is said and done. 

I also posted a few weeks back, here, that I received a well magnetized Dreadknight model to paint.  This has been a fun model to paint.  He is super well modeled and the weapon are just cool.  So, here is my take on a Nemesis Dreadknight. 

Kitted out with both a psycannon and a incinerator.  These are both magnetized at both the forearms and to the pistons on top.

Here you can see him with his daemonhammer. 

Another view.  You can see his shoulder shield.  That was done freehand and is a fairly common Grey Knight motif.

Here is a picture of a freehand inquisition symbol.  I got the basic idea for this from the GW site.  The white greave with the red stripe was taken completely from the picture found in the product information site. 

Finally, the big, bad sword. I love the greatsword.  I know that it isn't cost effective, but man, it looks good. 

Onto my own personal projects.  I am currently putting together my Sanguinary Guard army and have decided to make the bases rocky.  This is a simple effect to pull off and I hope to have a tutorial up soon.  Not only is it easy, but it is also super cheap!  Stay tuned for that article.

Budget Gaming Shout-Out: Planning AND Implementation

I noticed today that I had forgotten to link a very nice article by Dethtron from last week for my budget gaming shout-out.  In looking for his article on planning army lists, I also came across an interesting article about making cheaper GK purifiers by Marcus.  So please, take a minute to peruse these two articles as they provide some great advice for reducing costs for those cash strapped collectors out there.

Department of City Planning by Dethtron

Cheap Grey Knights Part 2- Purifiers by Marcus

Budget Gaming Shout-out: See Deez Craterz

Dethtron comes out with another great article for repurposes old supplies to create terrain.  This time he has traveled his way from making tiki huts to blast craters, which we all know should be in proliferation in 5th ed. 40k.  Check out his article: See Deez Craterz.  Excellent!

Money Saving Shout-out

Low and behold, Dethtron isn't the only one spending his time coming up with ways to save money.  Check out this post by Marcus that appears on the Miniature Wargame Conversions blog.  It is an excellent post on how to take excess GK Strike Squad bits and through some additional cheap bits make additional models for your GK army.  I really like this.  I do this all the time as it costs far less money to buy some additional tac squad bodies and convert them than the real McCoy. Excellent article. 

Budget Gaming Shout Out- The Joys of Wallpapering

Wondering what to do with that atrocious wallpaper hanging in your spare room?  Check out Dethtron's article on Budget Gaming- The Joys of Wallpapering.  This is a great article about turning mundane stuff into a fairly sweet method of creating nice display boards, game tables, and bases. 

I love the textured paper that Dethtron uses in the article.  It makes a great cobblestone look.  Anyway, check it out.

Taking better pictures with cra...inexpensive equipment

Since I am on a tight budget, I decided to figure out a way to take decent pics with my junk digital camera.  I have found that there are two key factors to getting good (well better) pictures with your digital camera: a steady shooting point, preferably a tripod that you can attach your camera to, and good light.  With these two things, you can do a pretty decent job taking pictures of your minis. 

Let's first talk about your camera.  I am working with a Canon Powershot A1000IS.  It's a cheap 10 mega pixel camera, nothing special.  I do two things to it when I take pictures of minis, 1) set it to "macro" or close up mode, and 2) turn off the flash.  When that is done, I am set.

To show you that I don't have an especially nice setup, I took a picture of my ghetto-rig picture studio. Here it is:

 As you can see, it isn't anything nice.  If it were up to me, I would have a nice high res, quality camera, a light box, and some proper image editing software.  As it stands, I have two desk lamps, a sheet, and a foamcore board to hold the sheet up on.  It works.  You don't need anything special. 

As you can see, one lamp is positioned to aim light down on the model, while the other is tilted to shine at the side you are trying to capture.  It also doesn't hurt to have a nicely lit room to work in either.  Light is good. 

 As you can tell from this shot, having a background is always nice. If you don't, sometimes the facial recognizers (is that even a real thing?) in the camera latch on to something in the background. I really like the blue as it makes the models stand out.  This is, of course, unless the model is an ultramarine, then I would use white or black.

 You can also see that the background doesn't have to be neatly laid. The wrinkles and folds add texture behind the model and allow it to stand out. 

Take a minute to compare these pictures to the pictures I previously took without the lighting and background aid.  I can see a big difference. So, again, just because you don't have super nice equipment doesn't mean you can't take quality pictures.  You just need to work with what you have.  I hope this helps some people out there.  I know that I constantly get frustrated at poor pictures, so anything that helps the model stand out clearly is nice.  Thanks for reading this tutorial. 

Budget Gaming Shout-Out

Apparently, Dethtron is out this week, but Lauby from 3++ is the new black is filling in for him with a great article on brush care.  I have to say, I totally agree.  I use Windsor Newton brushes and if they are taken care of, they last for huge amounts of time and do amazing work.  My painting level increased sharply just by changing from a crappy brush to a WN brush.  So, take a look at Lauby's article at 3++ is the new black.

Budget Gaming Shoutout Part 2

Dethtron is back with his next installment on how to make huts while saving green.  Check out and leave him positive comments, this is a great tutorial.  Gaming on a Budget: Huts Part 2

Vassal, thou are sweet!

So, I wanted to throw up a quick post this morning.  As I was going through my reader subscriptions, I came across this article by Abusepuppy over at 3++ is the new black.  I would like it shown that I beat one of the major blogs to the punch on this!  I really do enjoy Vassal due to a hectic real life schedule, but Abusepuppy does a wonderful job extolling the virtues of Vassal yet again.  I highly encourage you to take a look at this article as it once again shows you how to use resources available out there to make the most of your 40k experience for less money. 

Later on today, I hope to get a Vassal game in, and I have another article on tap due to something I came across in Vassal last night.  Stay tuned. 

Money Saving Playtesting Solutions

I just read a great article over at Int'l House of Paincakes.  It is about playtesting in order to make informed decisions before buying new models.  Since the foundation of this article is saving money, I am all for it!  You can read it here: Gaming On a Budget: Testing, Testing, 1,2,3 . 

Check it out as it has quite a few great ideas.