@chris-sweetman Chris- it was a special version of the 948 White Semi, made for the Brown Shoe Company. Reportedly only 75 were made, and this one was near pristine with an over-labeled box.
The same auction included all six original Dinkies - the 22C truck was near perfect and fetched $2500 plus commission. I didn't see metal fatigue on any of them.
This post was modified 2 years ago 2 times by Harv Goranson
A lot of comments above about "softening of prices" on white metal models. Most of the comments appear to be directed towards used white metal models on the secondary market.What may appear to be a softening of the market may turn out to be a temporary thing and being caused by a few large sellers. Randy pointed out one, a seller unloading a large collection of damaged white metal models selling at low prices for that reason. Another was from Brooklin itself (BM Outlet) who has sold a ton of inventory,many at very low prices.I bought a few 1930's BRKs from them for under $40 because parts were missing or cracked. I could give some more examples, but you get the point.
I see a totally different picture with new releases of resin models. The price of new resin models have been creeping up the past couple of years.Matrix models are now retailing at US$140 and Ebay sellers are listing new Stamp and GLM's at US$130-140. I live in Canada and with shipping to Canada included, these new resin models are now costing CDN$200. Goldvarg seems to be the exception as Sergio has tried to hold his prices at US$99 however,some have been increased to US$109. I suggest that you know your prices if you are buying new resin releases on Ebay. As highly sought after new releases thins out and fewer sellers remain, some sellers are increasing their prices above the US$140 mark ie: charge what the market will bear.I see alot of older sought after resin models listed for crazy high prices and some buyers are paying them. This is possible because of the low production numbers on resins: some less than 100 produced.So if you want it,you have to pay the price or do without.
Lastly, what about new diecast models? From what I know, there are only a few manufacturers of new 1/43 diecast models. Since I collect 1930s-mid 1960s American cars, there are not many to choose from. Most of the new diecast releases appears to be late 60's,early 70's muscle cars and exotics. The prices of these cars are quite reasonable. Many under $50 and very good value for the dollar. These models sell very well. So why do we not see a wider range and mostly only muscle cars and exotics? When I collected 1/18 scale diecast cars in the early 2000s, I learned that diecast molds are very expensive to produce and to keep model prices down,a large volume had to be produced, sometimes as high as 10,000.Hence manufacturers are taking a risk making 1/43 diecast models since they have to be sure that a market is there if they make thousands. It seems that the market is there for muscle cars and exotics but not 30s-mid 60s. All said, this is a shame because if you don't collect muscle cars or exotics you probably are finding this hobby to be getting very expensive as time goes on unless you are just buying damaged models on the secondary market when the opportunity arises.
@kenspear Good observations from your point of view that I totally share. Most collectors here buy to fill one more shelf or fill another box to put in storage they will never see again and leave to their estate.
This is always to remember, the cheap or expensive purchases of the previous days are already forgotten.
@chris-sweetman Chris- it was a special version of the 948 White Semi, made for the Brown Shoe Company. Reportedly only 75 were made, and this one was near pristine with an over-labeled box.
The same auction included all six original Dinkies - the 22C truck was near perfect and fetched $2500 plus commission. I didn't see metal fatigue on any of them.
Hi Harv
Winning bid for this one sold just over three years ago was £3,300:
A lot of comments above about "softening of prices" on white metal models. Most of the comments appear to be directed towards used white metal models on the secondary market.What may appear to be a softening of the market may turn out to be a temporary thing and being caused by a few large sellers. Randy pointed out one, a seller unloading a large collection of damaged white metal models selling at low prices for that reason. Another was from Brooklin itself (BM Outlet) who has sold a ton of inventory,many at very low prices.I bought a few 1930's BRKs from them for under $40 because parts were missing or cracked. I could give some more examples, but you get the point.
I see a totally different picture with new releases of resin models. The price of new resin models have been creeping up the past couple of years.Matrix models are now retailing at US$140 and Ebay sellers are listing new Stamp and GLM's at US$130-140. I live in Canada and with shipping to Canada included, these new resin models are now costing CDN$200. Goldvarg seems to be the exception as Sergio has tried to hold his prices at US$99 however,some have been increased to US$109. I suggest that you know your prices if you are buying new resin releases on Ebay. As highly sought after new releases thins out and fewer sellers remain, some sellers are increasing their prices above the US$140 mark ie: charge what the market will bear.I see alot of older sought after resin models listed for crazy high prices and some buyers are paying them. This is possible because of the low production numbers on resins: some less than 100 produced.So if you want it,you have to pay the price or do without.
Lastly, what about new diecast models? From what I know, there are only a few manufacturers of new 1/43 diecast models. Since I collect 1930s-mid 1960s American cars, there are not many to choose from. Most of the new diecast releases appears to be late 60's,early 70's muscle cars and exotics. The prices of these cars are quite reasonable. Many under $50 and very good value for the dollar. These models sell very well. So why do we not see a wider range and mostly only muscle cars and exotics? When I collected 1/18 scale diecast cars in the early 2000s, I learned that diecast molds are very expensive to produce and to keep model prices down,a large volume had to be produced, sometimes as high as 10,000.Hence manufacturers are taking a risk making 1/43 diecast models since they have to be sure that a market is there if they make thousands. It seems that the market is there for muscle cars and exotics but not 30s-mid 60s. All said, this is a shame because if you don't collect muscle cars or exotics you probably are finding this hobby to be getting very expensive as time goes on unless you are just buying damaged models on the secondary market when the opportunity arises.
"Knowing your prices on new releases" is good advice!
My suggestion is that if you know what you are looking for, "Google it" instead of going directly to eBay. A Google search will show everything listed on eBay, as well as offerings from independent dealers (like me :-D). Sometimes independent dealers will have better prices and better shipping costs, sometimes not. One thing that smaller dealers have in their favor (in the US at least) is that if they are located in a different US state than you, they may not be required to collect sales tax (not much help to those in other countries, though...sorry!). Every US state has their own rules about sales tax, but typically a business has to sell $100,000 or more worth of goods and/or services in that state before they are required to charge sales tax (NOTE: Sales tax must ALWAYS be charged in a dealer's home state). If you live in the US and buy from eBay, you will definitely be paying tax, because eBay's sales volume is over that threshold in every state. Ebay sellers also have 13% commission (on the total order amount, INCLUDING shipping cost) taken out of their proceeds, and often that extra cost is passed on to the buyer.
If you are not looking for anything in particular and "just browsing", eBay is a great place to start. Then, when you find something you like, Google it to find it possibly cheaper (or sales tax free). You may actually find an independent dealer that you like and trust, where you know you will always get a good product at a reasonable price.
Ebay is familiar, convenient, and relatively safe, but is not always the best (or least expensive) way to get the models you want. Anyone can get started selling on eBay with nearly zero investment of time or money, and often with no concept of customer service or even common-sense packing skills. Since they have nothing to lose, they can put "gougy" prices on whatever they want, and often find buyers that will not take the time to research other sellers. If you have a favorite dealer on eBay that consistently provides good service, see if they have their own website to buy from. Ebay obviously does not allow sellers to promote or communicate about sales outside of eBay, but often a quick Google search will tell you if the seller has a stand-alone sales channel.
One of the upsides to buying from an independent dealer is that you know that they have usually invested quite a bit of time and money into building a full or part-time business, so they have a lot at stake. They cannot afford to ask ridiculous prices or provide poor customer service; they will find themselves out of business in a heartbeat.
One caveat to using certain independent dealers, however, is whether or not they are a "drop-shipper". Drop-shipping is a great way for a business to stay lean and profitable, but it is not always the best for collectors. If you are unfamiliar with the practice, a drop-shipper will take your order, and THEN order it from THEIR supplier. Often the supplier will fulfill the order and ship directly to the customer on behalf of the dealer. This works great for products that are in continuous production like toilet paper, but for products with limited runs...not so much. If the supplier is out, your order may not get fulfilled. Beware of dealers that have lots of products marked "Call for Availability"!
Regarding international shipping: be prepared for glitches and exorbitant cost! Most countries do not even understand their OWN import policies, much less anyone else's, so often shipments are delayed, prohibited, or rejected for no reason other than ignorance on the part of the agencies involved. Although scale models manufactured in China are exempt from United States tariffs, I still get incoming shipments held and/or invoices for several hundred dollars because someone put the wrong HS code on the paperwork (or someone misread the correct HS code). Adding to that are increased restrictions on shipping some products to some countries, so make sure you REALLY want that model before you order from another country...fingers crossed the transaction goes well, but if not, you could be in for a lot of headaches. I recently tried to ship a model to a customer in Germany, but I was unable to because it was considered "restricted" goods! Keep in mind that the customs officials have every right to open and inspect your packages, and when they do, they often unwrap items and leave greasy fingerprints and/or damage as proof that they are "doing their job".
As far as prices go...yup, they are going up. Not so much on the models themselves, but the cost of getting it from the manufacturer to the collector has skyrocketed. Shipping costs, fuel costs, packaging costs, labor costs, etc. have risen to ridiculous levels since 2020. That's the reason that a meal at a fast food restaurant that used to cost $7 is now $10. I buy direct from the manufacturer whenever possible, but on some products I am forced to buy from a distributor. Not only does the distributor take their cut, but the product has to be shipped THREE times - from the manufacturer to the distributor, distributor to dealer, and dealer to collector. Sometimes it is hard to find a good distributor, too. I am not mentioning any names, but on some of my product lines it is LITERALLY quicker AND cheaper to order from my Italian distributor than my US distributor who is four hours away from me in an adjacent state!! Imagine how aggravating and unnecessary THAT is!
The bottom line is that if you are a serious and discriminating collector, taking the time to locate a reputable independent dealer in your own country can be time well spent, and will increase your enjoyment of the hobby tremendously!
Thanks for sharing your extensive background experience, Fred! I'm glad you were able to join the forum.
Dave...wise words, my friend. I learned about Googling models the hard way. But it works. I also enjoy the personal touch you get with a known dealer. With eBay, as popular as it has become, there's still no way of knowing exactly who you're buying from. That's not a bad thing...until you run into a problem. One of the other hazards of buying overseas is this: if shipping takes an inordinately long time and there's a problem with the product, you're out of luck with eBay. If you're buying directly from a seller overseas, one you're not familiar with or have developed a relationship with, and have a problem, it may be too expensive to remedy for either of you.
@daveg. Your comment about looking for a reputable dealer in your own country is good advice. I have been buying models through US suppliers in the past however, I live in Canada. Your suggestion to Google search Canadian dealers is a good idea. I'm sure that there are quite a few members on this form who live internationally and can use this advice also.
@daveg. Your comment about looking for a reputable dealer in your own country is good advice. I have been buying models through US suppliers in the past however, I live in Canada. Your suggestion to Google search Canadian dealers is a good idea. I'm sure that there are quite a few members on this form who live internationally and can use this advice also.
Try Albert Kopans at info@hobby43.com. He is in Vaughan, Ontario. Tell him I sent you!
