Author Topic: Our STUFF (Read 3934 times)

peabody · « **on:** May 22, 2019, 11:32:34 AM »

Our stuff
There was a flurry of posts concerning the estate of Lew Woolard. Some expressed indignation that Lew’s vast inventory of modeling stuff was spirited away by a couple fellow modelers, at apparently very low prices.
I recently helped the widow of a friend and club member dispose of his control line stuff: everything from over 100 sets of plans to engines, both old and new, as well as flying aircraft. Paints, magazines, and tools as well. Before she reached out to me she had been offered $300 for the lot. I spent about six weeks posting on STUNT HANGER, then eBay and was able to have over $3600.00 put into he Pay Pal account as well as about $1000,00 cash from local sales of completed airplanes and engines. I didn’t ask long dollars for the stuff…fair pricing to fellow flyers would have made mt friend happy. It took some time and a digital camera.
We all have airplane “stuff” … generally LOTS of it! And we paid quite a bit for our “stuff”. To fellow fliers, our collection is appreciated, stuff that we have carefully accumulated and “hoarded” for years, even decades, but to loved ones and heirs, it’s just “modeling stuff” that’s completely unfamiliar. George Carlin once said that our “stuff” was GOOD and other people’s stuff was “junk”-- pretty much true. Most of us seldom share the fact that that greasy piece was $400.00 new and very sought after, especially with our spouse. We not only have recognizable stuff like planes, engines and kits, but most have TONS of support stuff: glues, wood, screws, painting gear and spares. It all adds up.
Look around: your fellow flyers are no “Spring Chickens” …..we’re all getting older and involved in a Sport/Hobby that has shrinking participation. I would hope that each of us could establish a friend that you believe will outlive you as someone to spread your modeling stuff among people who will appreciate it! Your spouse or kids or guardian is liable to either pile all that you have accumulated into the trash or sell for pennies on the dollar at a yard sale, or donate to a local RC club, where IC engines are virtually obsolete, and the planes have no use. Very few RC’ers are builders in this age of foamies.
The bottom line? Find someone you trust to pass your valuable modeling stuff on to people who appreciate it! ( and let you Executor know in writing of your desires).

mike londke · « **Reply #1 on:** May 22, 2019, 02:59:06 PM »

Quote from: peabody on May 22, 2019, 11:32:34 AM

Our stuff
There was a flurry of posts concerning the estate of Lew Woolard. Some expressed indignation that Lew’s vast inventory of modeling stuff was spirited away by a couple fellow modelers, at apparently very low prices.

And now one of those fella's is dead. No chance for one of my buddies and fellow forum member to ever recover his engines that he had sent to Lou for rework.

Scott Richlen · « **Reply #2 on:** May 22, 2019, 04:11:22 PM »

Good point Rich!

Maybe even start distributing/selling stuff now so we at least minimize what our poor wife will get burdened with. It will be hard to tamp down that hoarding instinct many of us have, but it needs to be done. Just ask Peter K from Fairfax and he can tell you about a mutual friend of ours who didn't.

Dennis Saydak · « **Reply #3 on:** May 22, 2019, 04:44:32 PM »

If I can't take my stuff with me, I ain't going.

peabody · « **Reply #4 on:** May 22, 2019, 04:47:56 PM »

Scott....It happens a LOT....and we can't blame the survivors. Control line is a small part of a small hobby and the "usual" outlet, like RC clubs, don't know the worth. Even RC clubs do a @#$% poor job of sprinkling RC stuff around, often at pennies o9n the dollar. It's different if the donor says that the club can have the stuff for its members to enjoy.
At least designate someone that understands the values of our hoarded collections.

Ken Culbertson · « **Reply #5 on:** May 22, 2019, 06:04:23 PM »

My wife doesn't support this all that much, more like tolerates it but is probably glad I am not spending my time becoming a couch potato. She has no idea what to do with all of my stuff. She thinks the fumes are going to kill me. I really want whatever I have to be used so my path will be to make sure some club members know this and my wife knows who to call. Another thought is along the lines of getting cash to the family. Maybe a collective EBay site that one of us familiar with that process could administer. Let them make a $$ for their effort.

Right now we are seeing a small increase from former fliers retiring and flying again. When I came back I tried to find a used PA ship to buy just to get back into things. Couldn't find one and ended up buying an ARF Nobler. If I had known who to call back then I probably could have found a decent pipe ship. As it was I couldn't even find a decent Hobby Shop and if it wasn't for Stunthangar I wouldn't have even found our local club since it had changed names.

Just some thoughts - Ken

Peter in Fairfax, VA · « **Reply #6 on:** May 22, 2019, 06:30:30 PM »

Thanks for sharing what time, knowledge, skills and a digital camera can yield for all parties. You have a point that designating someone and, ideally, training them to serve the role, can help family, friends and the hobby. And mid four-figures isn't the limit. Some collections may yield mid five-figures or mid six-figures.

Clint Ormosen · « **Reply #7 on:** May 22, 2019, 08:50:06 PM »

My plan is to outlive all of you and eventually end up with ALL the stuff.

Dan McEntee · « **Reply #8 on:** May 22, 2019, 09:30:05 PM »

Quote from: Clint Ormosen on May 22, 2019, 08:50:06 PM

My plan is to outlive all of you and eventually end up with ALL the stuff.

Admirable plan but it will never work. I already got most of it, and I'm takin' it with me!! Ask anyone that has been to my house. Dan Banjock has the rest!
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee

Clint Ormosen · « **Reply #9 on:** May 22, 2019, 09:47:46 PM »

Quote from: Dan McEntee on May 22, 2019, 09:30:05 PM

Admirable plan but it will never work. I already got most of it, and I'm takin' it with me!! Ask anyone that has been to my house. Dan Banjock has the rest!
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee

Ok, I'll be the west coast keeper of the stuff.

Scott Richlen · « **Reply #10 on:** May 23, 2019, 05:14:19 AM »

Quote

My son, Robby considers my stock of light balsa as his inheritance...

Uhhh, Daddy?

Ken Culbertson · « **Reply #11 on:** May 23, 2019, 07:07:18 AM »

Quote from: Bob Hunt on May 23, 2019, 05:02:39 AM

My son, Robby considers my stock of light balsa as his inheritance... $:-\$

Bob Hunt

Having a stash of light balsa is enough to keep you alive forever!

Lyle Spiegel · « **Reply #12 on:** May 23, 2019, 09:53:43 AM »

When time comes I have told family I will need a double wide grave so I can take my stuff with me! I believe that is what the ancient Egyptians did in their tombs/pyramids. The hearse will need to have a trailer hitch to pull the loaded U-Haul.

FLOYD CARTER · « **Reply #13 on:** May 23, 2019, 10:01:50 AM »

Down sizing our "stuff" isn't that easy. Unless someone offers to take everything at one deal, you have to spend a whole lot of time marketing pieces, one at a time. That turns out to be a full time job. If you have ever attempted to sell something, you know that it requires haggling, bargaining, packaging, mailing.

Life is too short to spend time diddling with one item at a time.

I don't have a good answer to your question.

john e. holliday · « **Reply #14 on:** May 23, 2019, 10:10:00 AM »

When Mr. Meriwether passed away I asked Wayne what is he going to do with all his stuff. He stated a dumpster was going to be put in the driveway. I told him to hold up on that. It took several trips to get all the control line stuff over to where I could work on it. A fellow modeller took all the radio stuff. When I took the cash I had collected over to Wayne he couldn't believe it. I told there was still the money in PayPal that I needed to get out for him. He said keep it. Also had another modeller I had only known for a short time that also passed away. His brother kept the Old Time plane that Ken was planning on flying at VSC. The rest of his stuff I sold. She also couldn't believe I had collected so much money. She kept one engine that Ken loved that was brand new and had not been out of the box. I still miss him.

I hope my son and friends will help the wife when and if I go to be with the LORD.

Jim Kraft · « **Reply #15 on:** May 23, 2019, 04:39:06 PM »

The only thing I have that is worth anything to anyone else is some mint old ignition engines. Most control line modelers like to build their own planes. I do have some nice R/C planes that would bring some money if I were to sell them, but most are at least 20 years old and older except for a couple of Old free flights with radios.

As Floyd said, it can be a full time job selling off stuff for what we would get out of it. And I enjoy the memories of flying all the planes I have, and all of the trophies I have because of them. My wife will be well taken care of if something happens to me without selling model stuff. Besides, I told her it is her insurance policy. If something happens to me, all she has to do is put an add in the paper. Have toys, need man. I also have a mint 20 year old Harley.

My oldest Son is a motor head, and I give him engines once in a while. And I have some great grand kids I give stuff to. They just might take up where I leave off.

When modelers come to visit, I usually give them some contest balsa because I know it will be put to good use, and I have a lifetime supply. I will run out of lifetime before balsa.

FLOYD CARTER · « **Reply #16 on:** May 27, 2019, 11:23:20 AM »

I recently listed some of my ham radio stuff for sale. I posted on an on-line ham radio swap service, and on Craigslist. Even though I priced way below actual value, the shipping cost discouraged buyers. Gone are the days when shipping costs were reasonable. Unless you are selling something small and light, chances of actually selling are slim.

Many people are just plain CHEAP! They want something for nothing! Unless you offer things at pennies on the dollar, you are likely to get no results.

peabody · « **Reply #17 on:** May 27, 2019, 12:07:05 PM »

From the responses, there seem to be a lot "whistling past the graveyard".

Scott Richlen · « **Reply #18 on:** May 27, 2019, 01:00:57 PM »

Quote

From the responses, there seem to be a lot "whistling past the graveyard".

I couldn't agree more!

So, Rich, since you particularly have recognized this issue, how about sending me any PAs or RO-Jetts you have? After-all, there's no time like the present to start distributing your stuff. And since you can't take the money with you either, you might as well give it away to a worthy cause. (Ahh, that's me if you didn't catch the drift..

)

Clint Ormosen · « **Reply #19 on:** May 27, 2019, 01:16:31 PM »

Quote from: FLOYD CARTER on May 27, 2019, 11:23:20 AM

Many people are just plain CHEAP! They want something for nothing! Unless you offer things at pennies on the dollar, you are likely to get no results.

That's typical of almost all hobby/recreational related items for sale. Most people don't have tons of excess cash to spend on this stuff. Unless it just happens to be that one specific item they're looking for, or something really rare, nobody is willing to pay much for stuff they weren't in the market for, anyway. So if you're selling some "run of the mill" item you bought new for $50, don't expect to get $40+shipping for it.

Then there's the fippers/eBayers. These are the scum of the earth types that circle like sharks around a deceased modelers funeral hoping to get a shot at purchasing lots of goodies for next to nothing so they can make money off it.
I don't care where my stuff goes when I'm gone, just as long as one of these guys don't get it.

phil c · « **Reply #20 on:** May 29, 2019, 06:25:43 PM »

John

Quote from: john e. holliday on May 23, 2019, 10:10:00 AM

When Mr. Meriwether passed away I asked Wayne what is he going to do with all his stuff. He stated a dumpster was going to be put in the driveway. I told him to hold up on that. It took several trips to get all the control line stuff over to where I could work on it. A fellow modeller took all the radio stuff. When I took the cash I had collected over to Wayne he couldn't believe it. I told there was still the money in PayPal that I needed to get out for him. He said keep it. Also had another modeller I had only known for a short time that also passed away. His brother kept the Old Time plane that Ken was planning on flying at VSC. The rest of his stuff I sold. She also couldn't believe I had collected so much money. She kept one engine that Ken loved that was brand new and had not been out of the box. I still miss him.

I hope my son and friends will help the wife when and if I go to be with the LORD.

is right. It isn't particularly difficult to sell stuff on Ebay(getting expensive) or other sell sites. Took me an hour to take pictures and write the ad and post it to sell a camera, and then another one, which mostly paid for the new camera(last one!)

Engines are a cinch if they are clean and you take 4 views left, right back, front, and any disfiguring marks. The trick is to set a reasonable minimum selling price. Ask around, or post it here. There are probably more buyers here for stunt stuff than you'll find anywhere except maybe pampa.

BillP · « **Reply #21 on:** May 30, 2019, 06:23:43 AM »

I've been kinda sorta getting my "stuff" organized to make it easy for my family...and letting them know details.

proparc · « **Reply #22 on:** May 30, 2019, 08:48:33 AM »

Quote from: Clint Ormosen on May 22, 2019, 08:50:06 PM

My plan is to outlive all of you and eventually end up with ALL the stuff.

Avaiojet · « **Reply #23 on:** May 30, 2019, 03:15:18 PM »

All my "stuff" is on ebay.

dennis lipsett · « **Reply #24 on:** May 30, 2019, 03:54:49 PM »

I have sold over 400 engines over the last 4/5 or so years with another 50 given to friends. Many on this site have bought some and I thank you all for taking them off my hands. I fly only electric now and a pile of electric motors fits into a shoe box. Most of the other stuff is easily managed. If you have never tried to liquidate a ST4500 that can drink a pint of fuel just looking at you you get an idea of how difficult is is to get rid of the larger fuel guzzlers. That use 24 to 36 oz fuel tanks. If you go to any of the RC auction sites they want it cheap and they all try and get you to ship for free. Good luck to them. Santa Claus really is a myth but they still hope.
The strange thing about all this is in about 20 years or so from now there will probably be a collectors organization like MECCA hoarding all of our junk.
Oh, and in reference to Dan Banjock I made sure that Ken Cook has some stuff that would turn Dan Green with envy They live reasonably close to one another. Dan has a large collection but Kens is in really pristine condition including some really cool stuff like a Webra 12 rear exhaust that can make mincemeat of most of the normal 15's excluding ultra performance combat 15s.
I for one am now really glad that I'm not hearing motors anymore. I wear a pair of hearing aids as a result of the glow contribution to the loss of most of my hearing
Dennis

Avaiojet · « **Reply #25 on:** May 31, 2019, 08:12:08 AM »

Holding on to a large stash of useful CL hobby stuff, just sitting collecting dust, for how many years?

Great way to keep the hobby going.

First time I've used the "stir the pot."

The "Doc" is probably the leader in the use of this,

thing.

At this stage of my participation in the hobby, yes, it's falling off by my choice,

,

I'll never catch up with the "Doc." But then again.

Seeing many are close to packing it in, you might rethink not hanging on to all that dust collecting useful stuff that others could use and pass it on, kinda like passing away.

Price on the box would be an excellent place to start seeing the stuff was never purchased for investment.

Invest in the hobby by giving other modelers the opportunity and dreams you had.

Peter in Fairfax, VA · « **Reply #26 on:** May 31, 2019, 10:01:58 AM »

As far as setting prices on items for eBay, my practice is to focus my energy on the photography, description, boxing, shipping and customer service aspects.

When items are offered at absolute action on eBay, with no minimum price, buyers understand that the item will be sold and many choose to enter the competitive bidding process. A high price might be a barrier to the sale ever completing. From the seller's perspective in an auction scenario, no time is spent on either the price research / estimate process, or the payment process. Setting prices can waste a lot of time and even money in fees. The key is to accept the idea that exposing your items to the many eBay buyers is adequate for them to determine what the market will bear.

Peter

Dan McEntee · « **Reply #27 on:** May 31, 2019, 04:26:59 PM »

Quote from: Avaiojet on May 31, 2019, 08:12:08 AM

Holding on to a large stash of useful CL hobby stuff, just sitting collecting dust, for how many years?

Great way to keep the hobby going.

First time I've used the "stir the pot."

The "Doc" is probably the leader in the use of this, thing.

At this stage of my participation in the hobby, yes, it's falling off by my choice, ,

I'll never catch up with the "Doc." But then again.

Seeing many are close to packing it in, you might rethink not hanging on to all that dust collecting useful stuff that others could use and pass it on, kinda like passing away.

Price on the box would be an excellent place to start seeing the stuff was never purchased for investment.

Invest in the hobby by giving other modelers the opportunity and dreams you had.

And, pray tell, how are you practicing what you preach? Give anything away lately? How's the hanger queen sale going? This could possibly be the most worthless and useless post that you have ever made!!

I think I'll keep what I have a while longer and enjoy it all some more. That is why I collected it all, to build and FLY!!!
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee