I think the consensus opinion is that yes you can sell them on e-Bay, Facebook Market Place, auction sites, etc., but it is highly unlikely the selling price will cover the value of time and materials.
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selling model ships
- Thread starter Tim from Adelaide
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On the +side: as they have none, ship models will never lose their market value! So just keep building your models for fun, or don't build them at all.Well, you asked for it:
Question: How to sell ship models?
Answer: Ship models can't be easily sold because most all of them have no market value whatsoever.
1. What little customer base exists is generally ignorant and can't tell a good one from junk, let alone know how to appraise it.
2. There are very few people who care enough about ship models to spend money on one. (However, by some reports, there are still people in Sweden who haven't yet received the memo.)
3. The market is flooded with an oversupply of worthless finished kits and schlock from foreign sweatshops, resulting in a devaluation of true fine art ship models.
4. Styles change. Present interior design trends favor sparse, sterile, environments without display pieces like ship models. Few people have any interest in buying a dust catcher for their home or office.
5. Ship models are not perceived as a fine art investment vehicle as are other more marketable representational fine art forms. Ship models generally tend not to appreciate at the same rate as fine art except, in some rare cases, as antiques. They often require greater care and conservation than other representational fine art and generally take up much more space to display.
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Ubjs brings us back on track…
Nothing magic or unknown in that.
First, understand who might be a buyer. Think it through.
Ships are no longer the forefront of technology, nor the mean# by which to make a fortune by shipping exotic goods and selling at huge profits. (Well, they are, but different ships) where once a model was the way to examine and critique, and compare designs, and, earlier, the way for the shipyard to visualise the curves requested by the designer.
A secondary market always develops in antique things, so some models may have an antique value. Old furniture (my thing) has many similarities. The material - timber that is no longer available, such as good, solid mahogany’s or boxwood. The finest craftsmanship, as befits a model bound for the man paying for the full size ship, or his shipyard foreman. Such a thing has a value by virtue of the place in history of the prototypes.
What does that tell us?
There are few people who share an interest in the detail of a model of a ship.
There are few people who have any idea of the functioning details of a sailing ship.
How do we sell? - we provide reasons for purchasing.
“This model illustrates the Venetian Bow, an amazing invention that was the main reason the Brett family were able to take over the entire teazel shipping industry” the addition of six masts was the innovation that stole the market. Notice on this model the cunning way that each mast is tapped to the keel, and the model shows the original blocks as built, before the re-rigging carried out by Woodbridge shipyard in 1746”
Now - would that interest you, with pictures of competing ships to compare?
Finally, get that message, amplified, onto as many social platforms as you can manage, and list the ship on eBay, adding that shipping will be in a custom box to ensure no damage etc etc.
THAT’S how to sell a ship model
Good luck - it will be needed.
Jim
How to sell?
Nothing magic or unknown in that.
First, understand who might be a buyer. Think it through.
Ships are no longer the forefront of technology, nor the mean# by which to make a fortune by shipping exotic goods and selling at huge profits. (Well, they are, but different ships) where once a model was the way to examine and critique, and compare designs, and, earlier, the way for the shipyard to visualise the curves requested by the designer.
A secondary market always develops in antique things, so some models may have an antique value. Old furniture (my thing) has many similarities. The material - timber that is no longer available, such as good, solid mahogany’s or boxwood. The finest craftsmanship, as befits a model bound for the man paying for the full size ship, or his shipyard foreman. Such a thing has a value by virtue of the place in history of the prototypes.
What does that tell us?
There are few people who share an interest in the detail of a model of a ship.
There are few people who have any idea of the functioning details of a sailing ship.
How do we sell? - we provide reasons for purchasing.
“This model illustrates the Venetian Bow, an amazing invention that was the main reason the Brett family were able to take over the entire teazel shipping industry” the addition of six masts was the innovation that stole the market. Notice on this model the cunning way that each mast is tapped to the keel, and the model shows the original blocks as built, before the re-rigging carried out by Woodbridge shipyard in 1746”
Now - would that interest you, with pictures of competing ships to compare?
Finally, get that message, amplified, onto as many social platforms as you can manage, and list the ship on eBay, adding that shipping will be in a custom box to ensure no damage etc etc.
THAT’S how to sell a ship model
Good luck - it will be needed.
Jim
WELL SAID! That's it in a nutshell.Well, you asked for it:
Question: How to sell ship models?
Answer: Ship models can't be easily sold because most all of them have no market value whatsoever.
1. What little customer base exists is generally ignorant and can't tell a good one from junk, let alone know how to appraise it.
2. There are very few people who care enough about ship models to spend money on one. (However, by some reports, there are still people in Sweden who haven't yet received the memo.)
3. The market is flooded with an oversupply of worthless finished kits and schlock from foreign sweatshops, resulting in a devaluation of true fine art ship models.
4. Styles change. Present interior design trends favor sparse, sterile, environments without display pieces like ship models. Few people have any interest in buying a dust catcher for their home or office.
5. Ship models are not perceived as a fine art investment vehicle as are other more marketable representational fine art forms. Ship models generally tend not to appreciate at the same rate as fine art except, in some rare cases, as antiques. They often require greater care and conservation than other representational fine art and generally take up much more space to display.
One can actually sell the kit for more than the finished model from same…
I worked for several years as a contract model ship builder for a small ship yard here on the North shore of Lake Erie. They would have me build models of the vessels they built for their customers as that was usually part of their contract requirements. Even though these models sold for a few thousand dollars the time spent converting the original drawings and building every single fitting from scratch never paid much on a profit basis. The customers I built the models for were not interested in old style sailing ships or anything built from a kit. They only wanted a scaled down exact replica of their particular vessel. As an example of the exacting work required for this type of build, I once forgot to add a fuel tank vent on one of the decks and was called upon to make it right.. I agree with most comments made on this subject, and will add never make a model for sale unless it's already sold, and you must be the type of builder to do it perfectly.
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The question in the thread was how to sell ships, no one has given a sensible answer.
to answer the original question, you have to first establish where the market is and who you are trying to sell to.
if you live in an area like along the coast or in the Great Lakes region you will find far more maritime activity than say in Kansans or land locked areas. In the past i have been involved in the hobby, maritime museums, sales of models and organizing shows and competitions.
you would think a show such as this that draws in thousands of maritime enthusiasts would generate sales or commissions to build models. It did have a degree of success but you need backers to pull something like this off. corporate sponsors a booth at such a show is very expensive.
Check out your area for specialty shops that deal with hand crafted items, Get involved in your local art scene these are the people who have their finger on the pulse of who, why and where, they put on art and craft shows, they have connections to buyers.
lucky Cleveland is a maritime port and a very vibrant and active art scene. Selling your work is all about networking
it has crossed my mind to have a meeting with the staff at the Mathers to discuss a model gallery in the museum. There is no problem with space they have a lot of it. Keep in mind they will take a % of sales. first like any museum the first thing is who is going to handle the models? museums are always understaffed. i live 20 miles from the museum. as of now it is just a matter of getting around to it.
and then a museum like this they have a gift shop and like all museums it is a struggle for income so maybe a model or two or a few in the gift shop benefits the museum and the model builder.
every now and then a museum will sell a model note built from scratch, kits are not accepted i asked!
it
to answer the original question, you have to first establish where the market is and who you are trying to sell to.
if you live in an area like along the coast or in the Great Lakes region you will find far more maritime activity than say in Kansans or land locked areas. In the past i have been involved in the hobby, maritime museums, sales of models and organizing shows and competitions.
you would think a show such as this that draws in thousands of maritime enthusiasts would generate sales or commissions to build models. It did have a degree of success but you need backers to pull something like this off. corporate sponsors a booth at such a show is very expensive.
Cleveland Boat Show - 2025 Progressive Cleveland Boat Show
Join us to celebrate Cleveland Boat Show! Experience the nautical event of the year with boats, live music, education, live fishing, local cuisine, family fun, and more!
clevelandboatshow.com
Check out your area for specialty shops that deal with hand crafted items, Get involved in your local art scene these are the people who have their finger on the pulse of who, why and where, they put on art and craft shows, they have connections to buyers.
lucky Cleveland is a maritime port and a very vibrant and active art scene. Selling your work is all about networking
it has crossed my mind to have a meeting with the staff at the Mathers to discuss a model gallery in the museum. There is no problem with space they have a lot of it. Keep in mind they will take a % of sales. first like any museum the first thing is who is going to handle the models? museums are always understaffed. i live 20 miles from the museum. as of now it is just a matter of getting around to it.
and then a museum like this they have a gift shop and like all museums it is a struggle for income so maybe a model or two or a few in the gift shop benefits the museum and the model builder.
David Warther Carvings Homepage - David Warther Carvings
David Warther Carvings Museum - We are preserving, promoting and exhibiting the artwork of nationally known maritime artist David Warther who has carved ships and vessels from Ivory and wood depicting the history of ships.
warther.org
every now and then a museum will sell a model note built from scratch, kits are not accepted i asked!
it
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Now that is a truth
way back in the museum gallery days a builder brought up the same idea. He said "selling a finished kit model is like trying to sell preassembled jig saw puzzles" the fun in it is the build and that is where the value is. The idea was brought up rather than trying to sell finished models why not a very simple kit for kids it never did develop because we were a club and not setup to mass produce kits.
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Bob Brucksaw’s Ohio: Although I met Bob Bruckshaw once, I cannot claim to have been anything more than an acquaintance. He did write to me though. He had an objective to build all of the US Navy ships named Ohio. This was way before the Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Submarines. He was going to start with a gunboat named Ohio and since many of these gunboats were built in Marietta, Ohio where I lived, he thought that I might know of information that might be useful. Sadly, at that time I didn’t know where to look for basic research information like that so couldn’t help.
A principal builder of small vessels built in Marietta, Ohio was a recent arrival from Connecticut with the last name of Devol. A descendant, Jerry Devol was a draftsman in our engineering department. I didn’t make the possible connection with gunboat research until many years after moving to Minnesota and reading the book “The Pioneers” about the settlement of the Northwest Territory.
Al Mastics: Back when people actually read newspapers, those located in major ports along the Great Lakes had dedicated Marine Reporters. I believe that Al. Mastics was one for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. At least here in the Great Lakes’ largest port shipping news if reported at all is by regular pool reporters with consequent loss of interest.
AND, in the Great Lakes largest port, a signed Hockey Stick is more valuable than a well made ship model.
Roger
A principal builder of small vessels built in Marietta, Ohio was a recent arrival from Connecticut with the last name of Devol. A descendant, Jerry Devol was a draftsman in our engineering department. I didn’t make the possible connection with gunboat research until many years after moving to Minnesota and reading the book “The Pioneers” about the settlement of the Northwest Territory.
Al Mastics: Back when people actually read newspapers, those located in major ports along the Great Lakes had dedicated Marine Reporters. I believe that Al. Mastics was one for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. At least here in the Great Lakes’ largest port shipping news if reported at all is by regular pool reporters with consequent loss of interest.
AND, in the Great Lakes largest port, a signed Hockey Stick is more valuable than a well made ship model.
Roger
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my wife and i do a lot of art shows because she and my daughter sell at art shows. I overhear this many times "oh i can do that" even my wife turned to me and said "you can do that"
i think a problem with selling finished kit model ships is the same "i can do that" so rather than buy the finished model someone will go out and buy the kit at far less than the asking price of the finished model. This might be the reason there are so many unfinished kits, it is not as easy as one may think. So after 150 hours and frustrated that buyer starts to realize the asking price for the finished model he saw might just be worth the asking price, figuring the builder must of been working for .50 cents an hour.
i think a problem with selling finished kit model ships is the same "i can do that" so rather than buy the finished model someone will go out and buy the kit at far less than the asking price of the finished model. This might be the reason there are so many unfinished kits, it is not as easy as one may think. So after 150 hours and frustrated that buyer starts to realize the asking price for the finished model he saw might just be worth the asking price, figuring the builder must of been working for .50 cents an hour.
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although drafting was covered in graphic design classes it was Bob Bruckshaw that taught me how to understand ship plans and how to draw them He was a draftsman by trade.
He did do the first rate OHIO that was in the museum for years. i do not know what happened to that model. it was at 1/4 scale and really big.
He did do the first rate OHIO that was in the museum for years. i do not know what happened to that model. it was at 1/4 scale and really big.
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I lost my connection with Vermilion, Ohio when my father died in August 1986. My mother sold the house on Portage Drive and moved to Pittsburgh to live near my sister. Three years later we moved from Marietta, Ohio to Duluth, MN. While we were happy to leave the Ohio Valley for a home less than five miles from Lake Superior we missed the closing of the Vermilion, Museum and the opening of the one in Toledo. I hope that Bob’s First Rate Ohio model found a good home. Probably not displayed in Toledo as not of the Great Lakes and their mission.
Roger
Roger
Now, that is one of the best lines I've heard in a long time. You win the internet today!
