Modelers should (or HAVE TO) buy from China and Asia these days if one wants the cheapest and best prices with lowest shipping costs.

The "Buy in the USA" is a farce because the USA doesn't even make model kits anymore besides AMT, Polar Lights, and Revell, kits we consider poor quality. For military models, they're mostly made overseas.

It's akin to shopping Wholesale groceries compared to the local supermarket. Sure, things cost around $20 each at the Wholesaler, but you sure get a LOT more food for the price and even if you don't finish it all before spoilage, it would be worth it.

And don't forget that Armorama is considered the "Cheaper modelers' forum." We don't have $5,000USD a resin Studio Scale kit rich modelers posting here about their 1/16 X-Wing or TIE Fighter (#1 out of 30). I looked online and there are some custom resin Studio Scale kits selling for $7,500USD and are sold out. So, yup, a lot of lurkers out there in the world that you won't believe. They NEVER posted online before because they don't want to show how deep their pockets are, be they Dot-Commers or rich Millennials.

What's really nuts is how China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, and Europe are making model kits of Western AFVs and figures with extreme accuracy. How about OPSEC? Not to get into a flamewar here, but Russia and China make model kits of US Special Forces even better than any American modeler. Japan's Bandai makes Star Wars and Star Trek kits even better than the USA (unless you count the Studio Scale ones). And what are the American artist Graduate students doing? They have to make videogames because the USA sure doesn't make model kits. It's about culture, custom, acceptance, and lifestyles. Go figure.

I usually troll Ebay for trusted sellers or Amazon for good deals. I have a local store here, and they have a good discount table and a 10% off scheme. The most I pay for a newer kit is maybe $70 Cdn and that was for the Bergepanther. Other than that I wait for specials. I got the Takom Lee and recovery vehicle for $43 Cdn each when they were new
At my LHS. Some of their older kits are decently priced. Best of all I get to spend hours rummaging, feeling and checking out boxes in real life. Sometimes if a kit is cheap it will make me try a new genre - I picked up the Tamiya Beaufighter for $22 and an Amusing Hobby paper panzer for $30. I have noticed old Italeri and Academy kits have quite a high price point, probably due to the Canadian distributor.

VIDEO-GAMES!!! Those stupid things are going to ruin a goodly portion of our youth... My opinion, is all- Don't jump down my throat!

Howdy Y'all
Very interesting and thought provoking thread. I'd have to say I don't notice the rise in kit prices as much because I rarely buy kits anymore. I was one of the unwitting poor souls who built his stash into several hundred kits. Now I realize I'll never finish them in my lifetime. Here's my strategy:
1. Build what I have, my stash is big, I can usually find something that will fit into a campaign or club contest.
2. Buy aftermarket for only what I'm currently building. It gets expensive otherwise.
3. When I want a new kit, I buy from the club's swap meet. There's always someone willing to sell a kit at 50% off retail. I get my "kit fix" and help out a fellow modeler.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Take care,
Don "Lakota"

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Howdy Y'all
Very interesting and thought provoking thread. I'd have to say I don't notice the rise in kit prices as much because I rarely buy kits anymore. I was one of the unwitting poor souls who built his stash into several hundred kits. Now I realize I'll never finish them in my lifetime. Here's my strategy:
1. Build what I have, my stash is big, I can usually find something that will fit into a campaign or club contest.
2. Buy aftermarket for only what I'm currently building. It gets expensive otherwise.
3. When I want a new kit, I buy from the club's swap meet. There's always someone willing to sell a kit at 50% off retail. I get my "kit fix" and help out a fellow modeler.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Take care,
Don "Lakota"

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That's what I've been doing with my own veritable warehouse of unbuilt kits, but as I've mentioned before, it's getting harder for me to work up my enthusiasm as time goes by. My BIG problem is aside of going on Ebay to sell off what I don't care to keep any more, there aren't any modelers in my immediate area whom I can sell my excess stuff to. No local clubs, etc. I'm disabled, so that curtails my trips to the Post Office with numerous packages, orders, etc.

Ebay's a hassle for me to list my kits for several reasons, the most important of which is that my two cameras are old technology, i.e, without USB plugs in order for me to upload my wares, and EBAY WANTS PHOTOS... So, here I sit...

Some years ago, I managed to sell off quite a bit of 1/35 DRAGON WWII German & Russian stuff, before the likes of MENG, TRUMPETER, MINIART and TAKOM came along and upset DRAGON's applecart. I had MULTIPLES of anything and everything you guys could think of and I found a few guys on Ebay (some really nice guys in Australia) that were more than willing to buy from me. I was selling my kits at an average price of $20.00 each, and I'm talking about the GOOD stuff, NOT the JUNK. But it about killed me in order to do so. Then I had my heart attack, and that was all she wrote...

Buyer's remorse..? Yeah, you could say that...

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VIDEO-GAMES!!! Those stupid things are going to ruin a goodly portion of our youth... My opinion, is all- Don't jump down my throat!

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Without those games we would not have seen the explosion in recent years of less than mainstream subjects which were spawned from Games such as World of tanks etc.

Al

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Howdy Y'all
Very interesting and thought provoking thread. I'd have to say I don't notice the rise in kit prices as much because I rarely buy kits anymore. I was one of the unwitting poor souls who built his stash into several hundred kits. Now I realize I'll never finish them in my lifetime. Here's my strategy:
1. Build what I have, my stash is big, I can usually find something that will fit into a campaign or club contest.
2. Buy aftermarket for only what I'm currently building. It gets expensive otherwise.
3. When I want a new kit, I buy from the club's swap meet. There's always someone willing to sell a kit at 50% off retail. I get my "kit fix" and help out a fellow modeler.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Take care,
Don "Lakota"

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That's what I've been doing with my own veritable warehouse of unbuilt kits, but as I've mentioned before, it's getting harder for me to work up my enthusiasm as time goes by. My BIG problem is aside of going on Ebay to sell off what I don't care to keep any more, there aren't any modelers in my immediate area whom I can sell my excess stuff to. No local clubs, etc. I'm disabled, so that curtails my trips to the Post Office with numerous packages, orders, etc.

Ebay's a hassle for me to list my kits for several reasons, the most important of which is that my two cameras are old technology, i.e, without USB plugs in order for me to upload my wares, and EBAY WANTS PHOTOS... So, here I sit...

Some years ago, I managed to sell off quite a bit of 1/35 DRAGON WWII German & Russian stuff, before the likes of MENG, TRUMPETER, MINIART and TAKOM came along and upset DRAGON's applecart. I had MULTIPLES of anything and everything you guys could think of and I found a few guys on Ebay (some really nice guys in Australia) that were more than willing to buy from me. I was selling my kits at an average price of $20.00 each, and I'm talking about the GOOD stuff, NOT the JUNK. But it about killed me in order to do so. Then I had my heart attack, and that was all she wrote...

Buyer's remorse..? Yeah, you could say that...

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There are online wargaming stores, Facebook collectors, sellers, and individuals selling kits from their own homes who will buy entire stashes. The price offers may be on the very low side, but they're willing to buy your entire stash.

Look at comicbook, wargame, Gundam, and Anime stores as unbuilt model kit buyers. I do agree that there aren't many model kit stores around that will buy unbuilt stashes; however, there are plenty of the other kinds of stores above.

Not exactly. You buy an Indian and ride the hell out of it.

The quandry of life. When you are young and want that really cool Harley, you can't afford it. When you are older and can afford it you are past your riding prime.

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Not exactly. You buy an Indian and ride the hell out of it.

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The quandry of life. When you are young and want that really cool Harley, you can't afford it. When you are older and can afford it you are past your riding prime.

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Funny you guys say that...got a Harley and an Indian!

The vast majority of those "other" video games are only managing to turn people's minds into apricot marmalade...
quote]

I have to agree with you here, but half the time it's that old jar Granny forgot to toss out.

Dennis,
Do you have someone that would clean, organize and sell your stash for you? I have lots of camera equipment that I want to unload and a friend does ebay on the side, taking a 25% commission. Fair to me, don't have to deal with photographers...
If taking photos is a problem, there are many digital cameras that sell for about $100 and do a great job, like my Nikon Coolpix that I picked up a few years ago.
How about selling a kit or two on site per week? Explain that you won't be mailing their kits immediately but that you can get to it in say, one week. You won't need to take photos.
This is all my 2 cents...
Good luck & take care,
Don "Lakota"

There are as many ways to the modeling godhead as modelers.

One of the things driving high prices is modelers who CAN'T WAIT to get the latest kit, so they will pay premium prices for it. In most cases, if you wait a few months, things settle down and prices settle with it.

Another is the irrational fear I see here all the time about buying from Hong Kong, much less China, or the disdain for eBay. About once every few months I see a thread "is it OK to buy from overseas?" Yes, in a word.

Then there are the modelers like above who don't have to have the latest kit but WANT THE KIT THEY WANT RIGHT NOW. I love Sprue Bros., order from them often, and esteem the folks who work there, but do you really need "real time" ordering information and shipping with 48 hours of placing your order? I suspect in many cases the answer really is "negatory."

Finally there are the shows and swap meets where my modeler friends often pick up INSANE bargains. Plus the "for sale" section of this and other forums.

Prices will go up because of the inevitable march of economics. They're going to be impacted by the insane trade war we're now in where neither side is prepared to back down. So if you can't afford the latest kits, find some unloved ones and try those.

Finally there are the shows and swap meets where my modeler friends often pick up INSANE bargains. Plus the "for sale" section of this and other forums.

What also has a impact on the price of Kits is the cost of crude oil another impact on the cost of kits is all thes bells and whistles the rivet counters want in the kits IE photo etch, indi links moveable suspension and now full interior

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What also has a impact on the price of Kits is the cost of crude oil another impact on the cost of kits is all thes bells and whistles the rivet counters want in the kits IE photo etch, indi links moveable suspension and now full interior

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Ummmm, about the cost of oil:
1 barrel Brent oil goes for around US $73, a barrel contains 42 US gallons.
If we assume that a gallon of oil goes into the production, trasnport and sale of an average kit (the styrene itself, energy used to produce, transport and process the styrene, energy to transport the kit from factory, energy used to produce the instruction booklet and all the non-styrene content of the kit) we would be looking at less than 2 (two) US $.
Maybe my calculation was overly optimistic so let's assume that 2 gallons are required, this would still only account for two dollars.
If the cost of Brent oil doubled it would only affect the price for a kit by 4 dollars at the most.

See also my previous post about the relative cost of kits compared with Big Macs.
Today we can buy, for the same relative money, kits that contain three or four times the number of parts/details as 40 years ago.
The number of dollars listed on the price tag needs to be adjusted for inflation before comparing "now" with "then".

"Wages in the United States increased to 23.31 USD/Hour in April from 23.24 USD/Hour in March of 2019. Wages in the United States averaged 11.22 USD/Hour from 1964 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 23.31 USD/Hour in April of 2019 and a record low of 2.50 USD/Hour in February of 1964."

The buying power of US $ 22 back in April 1974 is
the same as US $117.13 in April 2019.
Now try to remember your first ever kit, what it was and when you bought it, enter the numbers in the calculator here:
https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
and check the results. Which kit could You buy for the inflation corrected money today?
A better kit or not?

The Tamiya Pz IV kit (nr 35054) I bought back in 1987 for 150 SEK would be 343 SEK today. Today I can get the Border Models Pz IV for 450 to 480 SEK. For something like 10 bucks extra I get a kit which is three to four times better (my opinion). With indylink tracks included so I don't have to spend 10 bucks and upwards on aftermarket tracks ....
I should have saved the money back then and bought the new kit today, the Border Models kit is a LOT better value for money compared to Tamiyas old Pz IV (35054).

The industry hasn't gone crazy.
The modellers (i.e. we) haven't gone crazy either. We are forking out more or less the same money now as back then but the kits we get are superior. If we did the math based on number of minutes of building joy (hobby minutes / USD) I think it would be easy to prove that we are getting a lot more for our disposable hobby funds now compared to then.

/ Robin

P.S. Still have a few of those old Tamiya kits in the stash.
Someday they will get built .....