Jump to content

Low-Vis Value


mr.chogokin

Recommended Posts

Hi,

I was offered to buy this high ticket item by friend, but there are some problems with it. Attached below are some pictures of the problems. Everything else is fine and complete. My questions is, will it seriously devalue the valk? How much money for it would be fair for both seller and buyer? Please let me know. Thanks!

post-7892-1237698152_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another question - What if he sells it in ebay and not make note of this problem. Would that be considered as fraud?

A golden rule of thumb here is, if he was to buy a similar item, and he found out it had the same stress marks and damage, and he had no clue about it, or he thought he was getting a perfectly good item, how would he feel? Friend or not, if someone I knew was doing that, I'd report it. I don't need friends who aren't honest. If they're willing to be dishonest for the world to see, how can I trust them with anything regarding my personal life?

To answer your first question, I still see the low vis 1 going for up to $300, but that's with no problems, and in pristine condition. So, a price range for a great condition one would be $250-$300. I've been looking cause I'm probably gonna be selling mine soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the input guys.

Another question - What if he sells it in ebay and not make note of this problem. Would that be considered as fraud?

Actually... not necessarily. If he doesn't make any claims as to the condition of the toy and sells it "as is" and "buyer beware" and the buyer buys it as such... than it's not fraud. If he claims it to be in "good" condition then yes, it's fraud.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, he claimed that he wasn't aware that the cracks were present until I showed him. After that, he told me that he thought that they weren't a big problem, that it could still sell at appreciated price because to him, they are minor. But thanks for your answers guys. Let's hope he'll do the right thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

cracks would be a big problem for me. I wouldn't even call it mint. I would let things like minor paint chipping go but cracking is breaking to me.

I would stay away from it. Low viz aren't in high demand so I recommend picking up a MISB

Edited by anotheran
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i wouldnt buy the low viz mr chogokin. the cracks on the low viz are on the important spots of the valk. that being said, the valk is already fragile to break from the cracks. most likely you dont even want to transform the low viz if you were the buy the toy. i say stay away from this nearly broken low viz and wait for a better condition one later. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have two LV-1 one is truly mint the other was bought on ebay with a hip crack.

The crack was not mentioned in the write up and I was upset but then had to remember this is a used toy and was less than the $250 mark you are talking about.

Sadly, ebay is buyer beware. As a buyer, best thing is ask lots of questions and for photos for problem areas but if someone is going to stiff you then they will.

Hope that your friend will be honest and highlight the issues in his auction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is an interesting thread. I'm probably going to offer a 1/100 Konig Monster in the For Sale forum soon. I had bought it a couple years ago on eBay from a MW member, and this guy had painted it in a flat black color (he dubbed it a Stealth Konig Monster). He forgot to mention (or show in his pics) that there were noticeable areas where the original paint shows through, which looks bad in some areas like the insides of the intakes, which were originally an orange color. The worst part though is that there is a screw hole on the bottom of each of the feet that is stripped around the edges like someone had tried to force a screwdriver that was bigger than the size of the holes into them. These are all things he forgot to mention in the auction description. I didn't notice these things right away until a year after I bought it because upon receiving it, I had opened it and looked it over quickly to make sure it was undamaged, and it was in shuttle mode, so the paint issue isn't noticeable in that mode. I was in the process of moving at the time, so I just boxed it up after looking at it quickly, and put it in my storage.

A year ago, when I pulled it out and transformed it, I noticed the flaws. I contacted the guy, and he offered to give me a refund for what it sold for, but I had to ship it back to him, but he wouldn't pay for the shipping back. His excuse was "let the buyer beware" bs, and I told him that it was his responsibility as a seller to describe an item accurately. The flaws on this Konig Monster where all things that I'm sure he was aware of when he listed it on eBay since he did the custom work. I decided I wouldn't ship it back because I didn't know if he was going to follow through with the refund, and I would be screwed twice.

I had won a few small custom painted items he had done (a 1/144 Bandai Macross 7 VF-17D Battroid/Fighter kit and a Doyusha YF-21 which he painted black) before, and they had turned out ok, so I trusted him when I bid on and won the Konig Monster. He prides himself on his custom work, but the paint job on this Monster is not very good. He didn't take it apart to paint it, which explains why there are areas where you can see the original paint showing through, but the worst part has to be the stripped screw holes at the bottom of the feet, which, as I stated, he forgot to mention.

Anyway, I'll be taking pics of it soon and offering it in the For Sale forum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah... buyer beware maybe be legal and even ethical (if you deconstruct it using Kant's categorical imperative. And yes, whether or not it passes the 2nd and 3rd maxim is open to debate) but it sure as hell ain't moral.

Edited by eugimon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, he claimed that he wasn't aware that the cracks were present until I showed him. After that, he told me that he thought that they weren't a big problem, that it could still sell at appreciated price because to him, they are minor. But thanks for your answers guys. Let's hope he'll do the right thing.

Yeah, cracks are big problem for collectors. I would consider a minor problem to be a scuff on a hidden part that you don't really see. A crack, however, can lead to a total breakage and then the toy is pretty much ruined. The price is definitely affected by such cracks as you have shown. Some people would go so far as to say that full appreciated price can never be realized if the box was ever opened at all. I personally don't care so much about box condition so long as it's not completely damaged, but it just illustrates how picky collectors can be.

I believe anything short of full disclosure is fraudulent. Before I ever sell anything on ebay I inspect it first. I would never post something with a simple as-is for a disclosure, and I would never buy something if that's the extent of the info on the condition. Of course no ones perfect and it's possible to miss stuff during an inspection, but joint condition on a toy of this type is a major thing to look for.

IMHO, I would be looking for at least a 40% price cut from the mint condition price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i've seen worst cracks on 1/48's from regular usage... those cracks aren't that super bad but it is something that does go unnoticed when looking at valks... i just bought some used valks that had a bunch of cracks on the hips but i bought it used knowing something could be wrong with it.... but i got it at a cheap price...

as long as the rest of the valk is in good condition.... it should still fetch a decent price... maybe $200

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't know if it was appropriate to name the guy, as my intention wasn't to start a flaming war.

Yeah, I used the term friend and conduct the thread in such a manner so as to not sully anyone's reputation. Besides, I don't think any harm is done yet. I'm surprise since Kicker773 knows who this seller might be, I guess most of you only need to ask the right questions when you see anyone selling any 1/48 VFs.

Let's treat this thread as a case study and make the issue well-documented that a breakage, cracking or stress mark like these are not acceptable for resale at a higher price. Unless of course such a thing is mutually acceptable to the buyer and seller.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...