Diecast purchase costs

@moe-parr, I agree with you. They are amazing values, I think more than a few fail to realize the work that goes into our little jewels, not to mention the scope of subjects available in 1:43. For Rand, there are plenty of Greenlight, White Box, etc. in the $50 and under category. There's a TON of stuff in the $100 range. And there's a healthy variety of 1/43 models in the $200-300 range, something for everybody's budget.  

@moe-parr  Each to their own perpsective of course, but your comments echo my thoughts.

Compared to many here I only have a very small collection comprised of 31 mixed scale models,1-143 2-132 15-124 & 12-118 and 1-124 in transit.... and though I’m retired and not rich by any stretch of the imagination still find this hobby fascinating.

Yet the most I’ve ever paid for a model I really desired was I believe $202.

matter of fact only have 3 that cost south of $100.....including the one in transit now yet because I actually enjoy the shopping experience I feel all my pieces are close to mint condition.......some less the packaging of course.

@moe-parr... sounds like too many " Chefs in the kitchen". Frankly, its just greed. Look at the prices of models from Japan..absurd !!. The postage and taxes are killing the buyers.

@randtheman you are right about the Japanese prices Rand. I've been looking for some of the great models Lu has posted in the Unique thread.  Prices appear to be excessive and again few genuine auction sale listings, just high priced buy it now lots.

This is a topic that has received many good responses. I'll offer my take on the hobby. I'm pretty new to collecting diecast car models. I started collecting again about 6 or 7 years ago and missed that period of time when opening diecast models with nice detail were available for "reasonable" prices. As a young boy my parents would buy us Matchbox cars and trucks, back then they were still made by Lesney and I have a few still in my collection that survived being played with. When Mattel introduced their 1/64 Hot Wheels cars I quickly forgot about the Matchbox cars. Some of those original redline models are still in my collection. Fast forward to the early 1990s when my son was born, I started to buy him diecast models in 1/43 scale strictly as toys to play with. I got them at a local toy store and can't remember the manufacturer, maybe it was Matchbox. I do remember seeing the Danbury and Franklin mint ads in the Parade magazine that came with the Sunday newspaper back in the 80s and 90s but never bought one. When I started back seriously collecting, I was buying anything that i thought was cool in many different scales and tried to stick with budget priced models. I quickly had a bunch of models that as my collection grew I started asking myself why did I buy this or that model. I soon came to the conclusion that it was better to focus on the quality (and higher prices) then the quantity of models I had. I decided to completely refocus my collecting to race cars only, primarily open wheel and road race cars so I gave away or consigned to an auction house a lot of my collection. Part of the fun of this hobby is finding a model I want at a good price therefore my collection in 1/18 is much smaller than it once was and my 1/43 scale collection is more than it once was. I've set limits on what I'll spend and wait until I find a particular model in my price range. I just received a model the other day that I paid, including tax $405.00 for which is the most I've ever paid for a diecast model. There's something out there for everyone, if you're patient you can find a good deal on that model you want or have to have without breaking the bank.