Are We Driving Up Prices ?

[Dadio]

I was just thinking ( my wife always groans when i say that ) , Are we on this forum driving up the price of vintage RC cars and parts by publishing our Builds ? I had been planning on building an SG Coyote for a while but didn't start collecting parts till after Dinglem's build and 1 not only were parts more scarce but 2 they were more expensive .
The same happened after Dinglem built a Mardave Meteor ( not pointing fingers ) , the price of Meteors rocketed for a while !
So is it point that we are buying up the remaining stocks , clearing the shelves so the prices of remaining stock goes up or is it that people see the builds here and want that car or think they will get a good price if they sell one ? or is it just all Dinglems fault ?

[adam lancia]

That's certainly possible, along with the fact that so many people are stuck at home with nothing to do but get around to projects they haven't had time for. The sheer number of vintage RC Facebook groups now compared to when I took a break is mind boggling! That alone probably stokes demand, and therefore prices, a lot.

[romulus22]

I believe it happens to an extent. In every form of publicized content. How much have you followed prices on the Coyote? The prices could just be riding a wave of high right now because that’s what people are listing and selling for. If the market dries up or people stop listing for a while the prices might start to go down just because there isn’t a high listing reference for sellers to base prices off of. If the prices seem unrealistic, wait it out and search religiously. I have a select group of search terms I check the new listings for about 10 times a day. Gotten some decent deals from grabbing stuff so fast that was just listed other people didn’t even get a chance to see.

[threesheds]

Double effect? High prices tempting sellers to list stuff, but auctioned stuff has too high a start bid. eBay traders bagging stuff and retailing. I've seen it in the antique market, auctioned items reappear with a markup. plus those of us buying things we couldn't afford back in the day pushing prices. Since I took an interest in Hirobo parts have become more available but crazy asking prices and very few low start auctions. So value often measured by desperation for a part. A French supplier is a bit more realistic with prices. But in the main cocaine is cheaper per gram (I'm told!!)

[scr8p]

Just looks like it's dinglem's fault.

[jwscab]

I definitely blame dinglem.

[shodog]

Yes, forums like this drive up the prices.

[dinglem]

I actually blame dinglem too.

[Dadio]

just kidding mate !

[dinglem]

All joking aside, I think the lockdown has had some effect, plus the surge in popularity of vintage racing (probably more in the UK than anywhere else) has also had a ripple effect across the entire market. Meteor prices have certainly gone crazy to the point where I have sent up a Mardave Meteor group on Fb and there has been a constant flow of new members and cars going up for sale. The average Meteor price seems to have settled at around 120pounds or so now, more still for a nice clean example. They are a popular choice for vintage racing in the UK summer Revival event.

I have seen this effect in the vintage BMX scene before i got back into RC. Somebody completes a cool build and then others see the end product and there is a scramble for the next example that goes up for sale.... Once (eBay) prices are noted then the next seller sees a target price and the bar is set. What i find myself doing is buying up a load of projects up-front and then steadily building them up.

I have recently had three people messaging me about a certain very rare TAG car (I think we are all discussing the same example) requesting information and potential value. I have researched these cars extensively and so happily bombarded the folks in question with all of the info i had. I assume they will thrash out the final purchase price, but i know they were offering well (WELL) above what i suggested was a suitable final price based on what i paid for my Coyote. Incidentally my Coyote was initiated from a NIB kit and at that time they were as cheap as chips.

I quite like hunting out rarer (probably more UK-biased) cars and parts at the minute, but i have also piled up quite a stash of (again UK-biased) electrics such as Laser and Demon esc's, MG and Demon motors and so on. From my BMX building days i have learned that once they get repeatedly shown and published online then the prices do tend to sky rocket, so i often muster a few examples together before i post anything up.

What i absolutely do not do is buy stuff to sell on for a profit. I don't generally sell much anyway, but when i buy a car from someone i generally state that should i ever wish to sell it then i will contact the original owner first and offer it back to them for the exact same price i paid them.

Then of course there is the re-re market conversation to throw into the mix.....

[dinglem]

Seeing pictures like these makes me absolutely want to go and hunt out a Coyote to build up, but unless somebody is doing the research and digging these old shots out, checking their successes and then actively publishing them, then people won't know how well these cars did or how good they looked in full race trim. Nobody seems to recall that a Coyote qualified 11th at the '87 Worlds in Romsey. (Sorry Dadio, that has probably added another 20 onto the price of the next Coyote going up for sale!)

[GoMachV]

There is a tag pro 10 nib being discussed on Facebook right now...

[dinglem]

There is a tag pro 10 nib being discussed on Facebook right now...

Yeah, i seem to be in the thick of it...!

[Dadio]

If you don't fancy the Tag Pro10 on Facebook then hang on for dinglems stash of them on eBay soon

[dinglem]

I am now a little concerned that my wife has set up a new Fb account under the name 'Jeff Silva'