eBay is an online auction and selling website which can be used to get quite good deals on products you might want join me in this video as I voice an issue that has been bugging me for some time regarding purchasing scale model kits from eBay hello and welcome to model minutes in this video I'm taking a look at the online auction and sales website and asking the question should we be buying scale models from eBay I'm sure almost everyone is familiar with this website these days being one of the most popular places to get discounted surplus and secondhand items and this is why we are drawn to it so that we might get the thing we really want without spending the prices of the main high street shops but should we be buying our scale model kits there now I asked this question for a number of reasons the first reason is whether the item you want is actually cheaper well that's a bit hit-and-miss really yes you might be able to find a good deal but more often than not I tend to find that they are more expensive than popping in to your local shop I find the thing that really pushes the prices up are the postal charges usually these charges are three pounds or more in the UK so why wouldn't I just go into my local model shop whilst I'm in town or get it on Amazon where I'll get free delivery next can we really guarantee the quality or condition of the kids well unless you buy from an official model shop with an Associated eBay store probably not the majority of people who are selling things on ebay are just normal people who are getting rid of old and unwanted items are they a scale model kit expert probably not do they know what should or should not be included in the box maybe maybe not let's take a look at this vintage Airfix Henschel kit so I got off eBay for three pounds that's literally all I paid for it because I collected it as the seller was fairly local and I was trying to cost down so the listing had a few vague pictures and not much information it never said that anything was missing but then it never said that it was complete either upon getting the kit home I found that there were no instructions and a few parts are missing such as the large cannon or the rear parts of the engine nacelles not too big of a deal as I could probably make my own parts to replace them I'm generally happy with this purchase but can't help but feel that this highlights the issue eBay is a risky place to buy kids let's take a look at this vintage frog mig-21 again I got it for three pounds and collected it this kit is also missing instructions but everything else is in a sealed bag so I presume this kit is 100% complete I feel that I got a good deal on this kit and it probably could have been more expensive I think that this might have been the exception rather than the rule though I've tried since then to get a few more kits quite cheaply by making offers to the sellers but have been unsuccessful as they feel someone else might pay more for it and herein lies the problem people use eBay to get things cheaply what the seller thinks the kit is worth or would like to get for it will probably mean that it goes unsold particularly if it is incomplete or the listing doesn't fully describe the contents of the kit eBay is a minefield for scale model kits yes you might be lucky to get a few bargains at a great price but more often than that I feel you will be let down due to the false economy this type of selling represents I've even known people to try and sell a 90 0f its kit for a ridiculous amount of money and when I asked why it was so high they respond with the fact that it's rare vintage complete out of production etc but then I counter with the fact that the kit is still in production as part of the airfix range just in a different box and for considerably cheaper how can they justify key being the asking price so high I feel that there is a conflict between what I'm willing to pay for a kit on ebay and what the seller thinks they should get for it just because it's older rarer or vintage doesn't necessarily mean that it's a good kit and I'll pay more for it I'm not one of these people who collects old kits and keeps them in storage without building them if I buy a model I'm going to build it anyway that's what I think of eBay it can be a good place to get plastic model kits at a good price but you have to be really careful and if you can get it cheaper elsewhere then that's worth doing I find eBay to be inconsistent as that's the nature of buying secondhand items from people who may not understand that which they are selling so if you are going to use eBay be super careful out there let me know in the comments below of any successes or disappointments you've had with buying kits on eBay I'd be interested to hear your stories all that's left to say is thanks for watching this video and don't forget to leave a like if you enjoyed it subscribe and click that notification button in order to see more content and help support 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