Painting to Sell Advice Needed

[saigemeister]

So I recently picked up an Asmodai blister from my local store and have been heavily debating whether I should paint it or not. It's a cool looking model, the thing is, I picked it up for a friend of mine. However, I won't be seeing him for a few weeks so I was planning on picking up another if I broke into this one and started painting it. If I painted it however, I wouldn't keep it (I play Tau) and I know my buddy would want to paint his own model so I have been trying to think of what I would do with it. Anyways, I think my skills as a painter are to the point where I am able to sell my work. I am looking for some basic advice on painting-in-order-to-sell (e.g. how much to charge, sticking to 'normal' color schemes, how to know which models to paint based on desirability, where the best place to find customers is [this site/ebay/etc.]).

Also, I was wondering if anyone is skilled at taking pics of minis if they could offer some basic advice on lighting, what camera they use, etc. Assume I know nothing about photography, I wouldn't want any small details to be missed. Any and all advice is appreciated! Thanks,

Saigemeister

[White Tiger88]

You will not make any money painting mini's to sell for a profit due to the current economy and E-bay fee's.

[darthslowe]

You will not make any money painting mini's to sell for a profit due to the current economy and E-bay fee's.

Pretty much this. Also, as an eBay seller, I can tell you that professionally painted miniatures don't sell well on eBay (eBay's fees for miniatures are 9%, plus paypal takes another 2-3%). The way to get into pro-painting minis is to set up a commission studio. I don't mean to sound negative, but the market for painted minis is already pretty saturated, so unless you start a studio and only paint when you have commissions you won't really sell much. Try commission painting for some friends or guys at a local gaming club, and talk to the owners of the local game stores and see if you can leave some business cards on their counters to generate more commissions.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend painting as a source of primary income. It can be a great secondary income, but you have to be smart about it.

[saigemeister]

Hey, thanks a lot for the heads up, guys. I appreciate it. Maybe I'll go with your advice and ask around my local games shop!

[jgebi]

the way i do it is just to cover costs and maybe a little more but depends on how long it takes and how much fun I have painting it

[saigemeister]

the way i do it is just to cover costs and maybe a little more but depends on how long it takes and how much fun I have painting it

Yeah like for the model in consideration I would charge probably around $20, definitely no more than $23 though. Plus the experience gained from painting something other than tau models would be nice.

[Wolfshade]

Pretty much yeah.
Also, on eBay the number of "pro-painted" miniatures which aren't is a bit depressing.
As a person who buys on eBay occassionally, I prefer to buy poorly painted and strip them or unpainted.

[OrksOrksOrks]

you can make money selling minis on eBay, however, you have to be very good and to make a decent profit, very quick. No many people are both very good and very fast, you maximise this by targetting generic and well selling items, You've probably missed the boat on Asmodai, getting a wraithknight painted up well and up for sale by the end of the week in June is your best bet.

If you're only "Army standard" then yeah, a commision studio is your best bet, even so, the return won't be that good, unless you're a very quick painter

[Blusox69]

I started making and painting airfix planes when I was 7 back in the mid 80's. By the time I was 10 I had put together a cheap airbrush setup and was getting quite good at it. I now use my airbrush skills and experience to paint GW vehicles, never miniature though as they are a different kettle of fish as far as I'm concerned. I don't use any of the techniques or materials that GW teach/suggest but my results have been described as being as good if not better than most pro-painted stuff at the various gaming clubs I attend. Despite that I hardly ever paint to sell and if I do it's via word of mouth and I use the money to subsides my personal purchases. Painting is my hobby and all done in my spare time, given how little I earn even from a comission I wouldn't like to try and work out how many hours I'd need to put in to make a living, and I'd worry it would ruin my hobby for me.

[lobster-overlord]

Another thing to consider withthe competition out there is that most ACTUAL professional painting studios are real businesses and have set up accounts with either GW or more likely with a distributor and buy their models at wholesale, so they have less cash in a given model than an average consumer who is reselling a mini they've painted. Yours would have to be exceptional or have something unique going for it to really stand out.

[Chuck Williams]

Another thing to consider withthe competition out there is that most ACTUAL professional painting studios are real businesses and have set up accounts with either GW or more likely with a distributor and buy their models at wholesale, so they have less cash in a given model than an average consumer who is reselling a mini they've painted. Yours would have to be exceptional or have something unique going for it to really stand out.

This. Being able to buy at US Trade (45% off) does wonders for your profit margins. Of course you technically must have a brick and mortar store to do so. I have a local retailer that sells at 25% off. Could be a happy medium there. No shipping costs since it's local, no expense of the brick and mortar.

If you start small, this could work well for you. Just remember that your skill on the brush is important, but equally important is your business skill. Lots of great chefs have lousy restaurants. :)

[lobster-overlord]

That's where I was state many use distributors. THe discount is only %35, but they don't have GW breathing down their necks saying what they can and cannot sell online.