There are a lot of kits selling now for what seem like crazy prices to me. I guess it is all relative. I have bought $25 Carl Goldberg 1/2a kits that sold for 12 bucks when I was younger that have a $2 price on the box. Now they go for about $80 and up.
I was shocked to see a SIG Senior sell for $500 last week. It was nice and in a sealed box. If someone wanted a nice one for their collection, that was it. But it sure doesn't seem like there would be $500 in ribs and stick in there. What else is in the box? Associated memories?
For me, it has always been a wonderful experience to open a new kit. All the possibilities. I really like SIG kits, my favorite. But sealed means it loses its "value" if you open it. Then again, I bought a Golden Bee off ebay that was still in its 1960s bubble pack and immediately opened it up and put it on a plane. I paid a little extra to get one that was still new and then I got the joy of being the one to open it. Like I didn't get to do when I was a kid. The package was cool, I saved it. With NOS or NIB, you are paying for someone to store it for you all those years. Emotion is a big factor too.
I probably have an armload of "collector" kits. They arrive and I live the dream and then they go when I know I won't build them, or interests change. I also have a couple armloads that I definitely want to build. I hope I live long enough...
I had not sold anything on ebay for 3 or 4 years and tried again this spring. Now they require you to link them to your bank account for deposits and payment. I was concerned about that. They made huge changes for selling and I could not navigate the convoluted and crazy shipping system. Used to be able to just put in a price for shipping based on knowledge/guess. If I charged too much, I always refunded the difference. Usually, I paid a little extra. Not anymore. It was quite frustrating. I only sell to lower 48 states and have to do a bunch of clicks each time to get that. When they automatically signed me up for international shipping, that was the end of selling for me. I still buy on there and have recently had two big problems with the seller not able to get the shipping computer to work for them. I am understanding and offer my sympathies and patience.
So, ebay is broken in my opinion and takes a cut that I think approaches 14% for sale and shipping charges. USPS put a big surcharge on long packages and the price to ship a kit is high now. SIG isn't making new kits, so old ones become "rare". Combine that with a popular kit that is sealed, and you get a $500 SIG Senior.
I would rather give them away than suffer the new ebay. My relative's son is in 4th grade and very building inclined. I see a lot of potential in him. If I can get him interested in flying models, we are both set. For Christmas, balsa kits are headed his way.
Pitts off.