chistech

Ok, before people start getting mad at me, that was a statement made by a friend of mine who owns a hobby shop. He told me that the heli, car, and boat guys are much more willing to pay the costs associated with their craft. He told me that the average plane guy will complain about every single item he has to buy and every plane sale is harder to make than any other RC vehicle. While I thought he was exaggerating, as I understand the costs associated with my hobby, I witnessed it first hand this past week at a local auction. I took a couple of items to the auction with intent to sell at bargain value prices. One item was a NIB Goldberg float kit. I wanted around $20. Another was a super nice, fabric covered and painted OD Goldberg cub with smooth running OS61 FS. RTF minus receiver. I would take $225. Another was a Sig Liberty Sport kit with fuse professionally built and the remaining items still in box. $60 I wanted. When the floats came up to bid the highest they went was $10. The cub, $110, and the Sig LS kit, $15!
Ok, these guys were cheap! There's no excuse for it. I supposed everyone is thinking the times are bad and guys selling need the money but those offers were insults. I see it here when I look at offers others make on RCU ads. Hey, I believe in trying to get my moneys worth but I offer a fair value. It seems lately those offers are not even close and are closer to ridiculous. When I look on Ebay though, I see people will to pay an items worth. I guess the audience is broader and the competition is greater so the value is given. I know one thing, I don't want to be considered in the "cheap" description and will continue to offer a decent value for an item I want to buy. I am a builder and understand the time and effort that goes into a model. I will give my fellow modeler value for his effort, time, and expense.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

Your friend is right and there is way more money in cars than planes. If you want proof look at the female models at car shows compared to the non-existant models at airplane shows. Case closed.

Airplane guys tend to be retirees who are typically on a fixed income. Car guys tend to be lot younger with disposable income. Turbines and racers on the other hand blow away all other RC hobbies in dollars spent but that is a small portion of the hobby and I'm guessing your friend doesn't sell turbines.

jester_s1

Not all airplane guys are cheap, but I'd have to agree that the haggling gene is much stronger in us. That said, I know several pilots in my club that plop down the credit card for the best stuff and don't even want to shop around. They just want it good and want it easy and don't mind paying for it. I think the big difference in car and boat guys is that so much of the equipment is obviously factory manufactured so it's not like you could rig it up somehow. It's the same with helicopters too. But planes are just wood mostly, and there's an irrational disdain for buying someone else's woodworking project.

mrbeesboy

Well, I can't speak for the guys and galsthat operate heli's, boats or cars, but for myself that operates RCplanes, I can understand why I might be stereotyped as cheap. When I pay 130 bucks for a J-3 cub ARF 25 kit, yet if I follow the "RecommendedESC, Outrunner motor, servos and battery listed in the manual",this would cost three times more than the dang kit. I then have a tendency to look for "almostas good" butcheaper options. I'm just speaking for myself. If I try to get a deal and I insult someone, I apologize, however, I believe a lot of the companies out there, have a monopoly on this sport andcause this issue. 124.99 for a lipo battery? As far as i'm concerned, If it's less money out of my wallet..........then I can biggie size.
I'm not going to break the bank just to try and enjoy the sport. That's why I quit golfing....
CAB

chistech

I'm talking what I see personally is cheap between modelers. Even though a balsa plane might be someone else s build that type of work doesn't seem to be appreciated when that plane might be sold. A engine for example that sells for $300 you will see an offer for $100 to another modeler. I just can't see hitting a fellow modeler that hard. Shopping around is something I do also and I don't buy everything from my friend and I tell him so. I agree on the electric plane stuff especially. You can get some deals shopping around but I still make sure to buy a lot of items from the LHS. Someday, if we continue to be "cheap" they won't be there. I know my friend has considered no longer selling any planes and use his space for the other stuff. I used to build for him and he would sell ready to fly ARF warbirds for the right kind of money yet he still has some hanging. Just my observations.

mealty43

There are a lot of problems for toy merchants, one of them being that competition is making margins so small that it is better to do something else. However, competition is good for the customers.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

Hey I'm not cheap, I'm thrifty....frugal..... !

summerwind

OH MAN! talk about hitting the nail on the head.................you are so right my friends.............i recently vacated the RC hobby in favor of returning to Free Flight Gas competition.
for thos of you who don't know what that is, it's like being in Pylon racing..........everything is a specialty item right down to the competitor making his own FG/CF props. etc.

anyways i was lucky to get 50 cents on the dollar for all my stuff, and i have been building for over 45 years.

the kicker was the 10 gallons of Power Master 15% fuel i was trying to sell to the local guys.............even at $5.00 a gallon, no takers. i finally sold it to a guy who bought the last plane i had and he was from another area.
when i told him what i was asking he snickered.....said "nope".........i'll give you 10 bucks per..................acutally i sold nothing to the local guys either.......even had a NIB OS 160 twin with NIB Keleo exhaust.........went for 400 bucks to someone from out of town although one local club member offered 250.00....................if i ever get back into RC, it won't be with the RC Airplane fraternity............

Live Wire

In this hobby, people want to get the stuff dirt cheep before you Die or for nothing after your gone[:@]Either way some one is going to get screwed

and watch what the people that buy the stuff try to sell it for

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

Cheapness isn't only in the model airplane realm,, it's all over

Not to attack you but expanding on your comment,, that's what they said 20 years ago when Home Depot & Lowe's started putting a hurt on the local lumber yards, people went there because it was cheaper, now that most have local yards are closed all you can buy is crap from China,, the hobby buisiness is going down the same road.

Just got an email this morning about a name brand ARF that's the wing just riped off in flight,, wing tube sleeve still on the plane..

Quality is suffering all over,, that's not been good for customers

Hey Chris,, I'm in socal this week,, I might head up to the basin tomorrow just to screw around and have lunch,, hope all is well

mrbeesboy

Yep, I see what you mean. I do want to say that even though I try to get a good deal, for the cub i'm building, I still bought the high dollar ESC and eflite motor so far. Probably will wait for some overtime to get the battery.. . Even though I like getting good deals, I refuseto spend the effort onputting togethera nice plane and then turn around and put a junk system in it....which I wouldn't have confidencein. Which increases the chance of failure thatcould result in destroying the plane.As far as building kits from scratch and getting close to the value of the effort that's put into it when you sell, those days seem to be coming to a close. My dad built from scratch for years and when he would sell or trade one, I remember him talking about the good and fairdeal he made. However, that was a few years ago. For the most part, I guess the economy has put a burden on being able to pay close to the true value for the effort lately,soa lot ofpeople don't really have the money, but still have the drive for the sport. You'll always have some people that want something for nothing. Talking from experience here.........sold some items in the past and got some verylow offers compared to the actual value on some of the items. Items with very low offers didn't get sold.
CAB

chistech

Tom,
Are you coming to the Cape for the Memorial weekend? I've got some buddies lined up to go to the pond. Let me know.

Ted

Rv7garage

My Feedback: (10)

Cheap??! Hell, my current project (Sig 1/5 Cub) will end up costing me over $2K when it's finished!

However, if I spend the money, I insist on quality! No Chinese crap for me. [:@]

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

Yes,
We still plan to come for the weding on Saturday,, not sure how much time I'll have with the wife's nursing schedule, and my oldest kids has finials that friday (maybe??), she's been talking about flying instead of driving,, I'll let you know when the plans are in stone. Even if I can't bring the plane, be cool to come see yours fly and check out the area,, I'll let ya know

carrellh

At an auction, unless it is a charity fundraiser, I will bid the minimum if I am the first bidder. After that I will bid up to whatever I decide my limit is and will not be disappointed if someone bids more. I do not consider that being cheap. I consider it to be the smart way to buy at an auction.

On the other hand, if you put up a classified ad for an item, asking $60, I would not offer $15. I might offer something less than $60 and you would have the option to accept or reject. If I thought it was only worth $15 I would not make any offer and would just bypass the ad.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Cheap? OMG, understatement. This is a hobby, meaning is not a necessity. I paid good hard earned money for each of my 10 planes[X(]

FreakyDude

fully decked plane = anywhere from 1K to 25K

Tobtech

My Feedback: (3)

I am cheap for sure[8D] I have 3 kids (2 of which are also into RC) and the only way I can afford to do this is to buy on Craigslist, swap meets and garage sales. Then when I need new parts I try to support my local hobby shop. I still think brick and mortar stores are better than the internet as long as they provide good service.

Not everyone is cheap like me. When I get to the flying club and there are at least 3-4 $2000+ pattern planes and half-dozen 35% Aerobatic gassers. Someone is spending some $$ on this hobby. There is usually at least one diesel pusher RV hauling a mobile workshop behind it

larryak

My Feedback: (32)

Buy high sell low, it always worked for me!!! LOL

OliverJacob

My Feedback: (12)

My LHS is packed with small electrics, maybe a few 40 size trainers. Nothing I'd be interested in.
For the small parts, an example - a 12" servo extension $9 - I did buy 25 of them online for that price. No junk, they are of a great quality.
Same with many other items. Call me cheap, but driving about 100 miles to find out half the things I need are not in stock is disappointing.
Last time they were out of fuel lines, 10" props, no push rods greater then 12"...
Only thing I have to buy there is fuel. So I get more and more gassers and do less trips to the store.

jcpenney

you guys really make me laugh out loud!You buy a $35000.00 car that as soon as you drive it out of the showroom it's worth $25000.00 tops.Now lets talk some FACTS. I"am on this site three or four times a day and what I see sometimes border on crimial. I see guys selling planes for more then the kit retails for. I see b.s. like rare ,hard to fine,no longer in production,collectors kit,etc.,etc. and then slap a price on this garbage that's a crime.To me some if not most of this is fraud. You can"expect to fly an airplane for one or two or more years and get your money back so you can buy that new kit you want at no cost to you. Yes there are good deals that go both ways and I have made a few here at rc/universe, but one thing I did learn don,t buy it from a picture. If I can,t drive to see it I don't buy it. Once stung shame on you. Twice stung shame on me. Also I didn't appriciate the wise crack about airplane people being a bunch of old guys. And last but not least if you don't like the offer just say no and be polite about it, because maybe that's all they can afford. one very old airplane guy!

mike31

My Feedback: (67)

I feel your pain. I was at that auction and found that, as with most auctions, people will pay through the nose for an ARF made in some foriegn country but won't pay a decent price for a well constructed item made by a modeler here in the US. I won't be trying to sell at auction any more. Waste of time. By the way, Craigs list is a joke too. Everybody wants something for free. Fleabay? Pay to list and pay to sell. More thievs!

flycatch

My Feedback: (26)

Buying used R/C items is akin to buying a brand new automobile. The word is "depreciation" nothing more and nothing less. Try selling your new car back to the dealer and see what they offer you. If your investment in a ARF or RTF is what your trying to get, good luck. View the items listed on RCU classifieds and most but not all are over valued in the asking price. I recently purchased a NIB Saito 220 for $300 USD and the seller was asking $475 USD shipped. I did the math and threw out a number and the seller to my surprise sold it to me. Another example which I did not score was a ARF DP Extra 300. The seller wanted $325 USD and after seeing the plane and the condition it was in I offered him $200 USD. The seller came back with a counter offer of $300 USD. In his mind he honestly though it was worth his asking price but not to me. My last example would be a Meister FW190 A3 ARF that the seller was asking $3100 USD and I drove three hours to see this plane. The plane was worth the asking price but not to me and I offered him $2800 USD. The seller would not budge off his asking price and I don't blame him. Most everything listed as used has a market value and with the current economy it is a buyers market.

mike31

My Feedback: (67)

Things are different when you bring a brand new, never flown, scratch built plane to an auction and come people will only bid $30 tops. Covering alone is worth that! Yeah, I'd say some are cheap.

cublover

My Feedback: (47)

Try being a custom painter!! A Harley guy will spend 30K for a bike, but wont want to spend 3K on paint! That's cheap my friend!!


Point is, we ALL want a deal, but when someone try's to steal something from someone, "Me",, I LMAO!!