Large Scale Central

Price Guidline For Scratch Building?

So my dad and I were having a discussion about building models from scratch with the intention of selling them and how to determine how much to charge for the time and effort. My father used to work for Blue Jacket Shipcrafters in Searsport, Maine, which builds fine scale model ships, and aparently his friend Al Ross said the industry standard for selling models built from scratch was $100 per inch!

What is your opinion on this? What sort of pricing guidline do you use or would use for selling your models?

Caleb,

Are you taking about making a one off model and then selling it as a completed project to someone who has no interest in building something themselves? Because if that’s what your talking about then that is a hugely wide open and, in my opinion, un-answerable question. First off how good are the models. While I think I am a decent enough modeler and like what I build I wouldn’t pay much for it. But if I were to buy one of Ray’s buildings well then that is a whole different ball game. It would depend on if your building a Bachmann Annie or an Accucraft Live Steamer 2-6-0. Then you have to figure its worth only what someone will pay for it. Making a model that no one wants no matter how fine the craftsmanship is not going to fetch a penny, whereas making only a decent model of something that is highly desirable might fetch a price that out values its craftsmanship.

I have found this out in wood working. I turned a very beautiful live edge bowl that I thought might get me a few bucks at a garage sale, no one even offered to talk me down off the $40.00 was asking even though I saw lesser bowls asking far more in galleries. But I made a redwood bench table thing that I sold 10 of for $150.00 bucks each. No where near the skill required but it was more desirable so people bought them. So I don’t know that it would be easy to say $100 and inch. Model ships have a following and therefore can have an anticipated draw.

The market and the consumer will set the price that I promise you.

Caleb

It’s very difficult to put a price on custom models …You really can never factor in the time especially on research ,trial and error. However if you have it down to a science you can always make extras but at $100 an inch I would quit my job and start building them if they would sell! Last custom model I built worked out to to about $36 an inch. Probably won’t do another either.

I think you’re looking at it backward, Caleb. It doesn’t matter what Al Ross’s market is. If I were to think about building model railroad structures for sale, I’d see what (1) my scale and (2) my level of quality is selling for on ebay (completed listings, not asking price) and then decide if I were willing to put in the time and effort for that market price. If you can find a market other than ebay that sells consistently, see what that market sells for.