Odds Ends Peter Evans, I have received from Peter some more photos of his painted figures. Then I look at some negatives on Ebay I called Ebay follies.
Odds Ends Peter Evans Painted Figures
The two chiefs in War bonnets and Indian brave with a blanket are harder to find. The figure with ax and lance has a separate headdress, which is difficult to find complete. It is usually missing his headdress.
Ebay Follies
Ebay is like the wild west you have to be careful on both sides of the aisle. As a buyer, you must know your item that your thinking of buying. One recent Ebay sale had a number of falling horse and rider. The seller did not note the ones they were selling the reissues done in the 1990s by M S Oliver. The originals by Marx were only done in cream or gray. The seller may have not been aware they were copies.
Another dealer, on the other hand, has been accused of manufacturing some of the playsets he sells. From comments on Facebook this dealer making boxes, photocopying instruction sheets and making parts using a 3D printer.
Dealers have been getting people who trying to get a deep discount on items figuring that people would be happy for a sale. One dealer got a customer who wanted an item for half price and free shipping because he had the Coronavirus.
So as I said it is a wild west.
I have been doing eBay since 5/19/1999. I am pretty much to the point where I automatically reject certain eBay sellers that I can recognize by the style of their photos, without even clicking on the listing. One guy breaks down sets of CURRENT production items and asks prices on “RARE” or “HARD TO FIND” individual figures that are inflated as much as 700%. Listings are always vague, misleading and dishonest. He claims over 20 years on eBay, but his profile says 2016, which to me equals FOUR YEARS, not 20+???? It sort of has the feeling of a shell game where you have to find the pea or the stereotype carnival huckster. There are others who list the same overpriced items over and over and over without selling. Then there are sets of , for example, 16 Barzso figures with “Buy FOUR Figures (of the 16 in a stock photo) – OUR CHOICE”!!! Then there are the shipping charge gougers who charge $8 “Standard Rate” and mail by 1st Class USPS for under $3. There are a lot of recasts listed as “vintage” and broken items, or items with missing components listed as “excellent”. There is a common Timmee cowboy with lasso currently listed for $19.99; the same figure that TSHQ lists for $3. This junk just clogs up eBay. On the other hand, there are HIGHLY reliable sellers like Toy-Hood or 44Starstuff that I seek out. In my opinion, the integrity of eBay has reached an all time low. CAVEAT EMPTOR, for sure!!!!
There is a set of 16 figures in 8 poses available from Hobbybunker for $20 which amounts to 1.25 per figure. There is a single figure from the same set listed on eBay, right now, for $9.99 which is a 799% mark up. Go figure????
One last one and I’ll stop, having made my point.
A BROKEN Marx HP water pump in “very good used condition” for $32.50 plus $10.90 shipping from Ohio????? This is a classic example, to me, of a BOTTOM FEEDER!!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Marx-Cabin-Playset-Accessory-Furniture-Outside-Well-Pump-Grey/353056972443?hash=item5233d5de9b:g:VJwAAOSwiFFenkvv
I do not think ebay can monitor or do any about this .I think as selling/buying platform all they do is just monitor off their rule members or copyright violations .
Unfortunately ebay is used much more as digital sales are the present and future now versus any toy-shows of else ,now become extinct .
There loss and gain in ebay .I got many bottom feeders ask me silly question ,most I ignore ,in others when they ask me to split a lot or sale off one-single figure/TOY piece out lot i list because he want only this i just send nice reply first ,ignore 2nd time as not time or sometimes send an alike lot where he can get same figure/toy for less .Trying help and been nice .If this still don’t make person happy then .Oh well …good luck .
You cannot always get all you want or what you want when you want it .
Most my list have clear rules.
If you ignore or try go above you know what to expect then .
I never try go above others people therm rules when selling their stuff .
If ebayer seller dont put (offer accepted) i do not do any .
If they say they will sale as full lt -i do not ask x split .
That is my way and i respect others as well x it .
In The other hand ;todo coleccion ,mercadolibre and ebay had been my main collection search find spots in last 25 years and i’m glad they exist as if i would depend in just toy shows i could died 40 years from now and still not find more half i got so far .
my thoughts
I got on Ebay in 1997. It was a wonderland and usually great prices compared to the days when you had to rely on dealers finding stuff for you or lucky finds at flea markets. People got smarter and Ebay did enforce rules. You could not list something a Timmee-Lido-Marx. You’d get reported and have to take it down if someone pointed out the listing was full of crap. I sure made it happen a lot. selling was better then, too. Now it’s more like Fee-bay. I’m glad I got on when I did. I’ve got the collection I want now with just a few items missing. Anybody got an olive Timmee Russian carrying ammo can? How about a lime kneeling firing? Any tan ones?
I will say that Ebay did provide me a little happiness yesterday. I finally found more of those odd ACW figures I’d been looking for, for fairly cheap. I quite possibly have all the poses now as both sides have a flagbearer, 2 officers, a mounted figure, an artilleryman and 5 infantry poses.
It used to be if you found a group of items in one listing but you really just wanted 1 or 2 things and you won the auction you could contact the other bidders to see if they wanted to buy the other items from you and that way not spend so much yourself and was also a way to make contacts with like minded collectors but Ebay stomped on that.
That was a good idea Brian.
If I buy lots I usually extract what I want then resale off extras..
But only if I see I can buy lot x sale price.
If not I let go x next time..
My thoughts
I used to do that very often! It worked out great! Often, you could strip out what you wanted and somebody else wanted the rest and not the item you were looking for. Met a lot of collectors that way and unloaded a lot of what would have just been garbage for me.
Ebay has evolved over time and is not an ideal marketplace but you can obtain very unusual items like small injection molding machines which would be impossible to find otherwise. I have heard so much negative info about selling on ebay I would never bother
to try. Has anyone had luck selling toy soldier items on ETSY?
Etsy is not worth.
Is actually very low platform w few gains ..
It has very few searchers and not very updated in editing
I did x few and no good.It waste time x me least.
I do far better in todocolecion.
Ebay as any selling site is better x buyers in short way still sellers could do very good i long run .
Now they had reduce to almost 0 all fees x listing.PayPal same…
Also Etsy is x vintage or craft- jewelry product ,so if you are a dealer selling new or recast toys you will not be able and the customer service is horrible ,only two ways payment accepted via credit card only ,you can only use few mailing companies with limitation ..there few pro and much more cons .
Is a good x nay person selling craft,jewelry and clothing maybe .
my thoughts