Now we've talked about placing a value on your services as a commission modeler and painter in the hobby. How to price yourself, and the level of commitment it takes to actually be successful with your commissions.
At the same time, I don't think any of us have an issue with placing a monetary value on a box of bits, individual bits, or even just a half-finished model. Heck, there are entire bits trading nights at some hobby stores and national events like Adepticon.
But how do you place a value on a finished, personal army?
Yes, I will admit that as with all of my articles, something has prompted me to write this. I'm going to sell my Grey Knights army.
I've actually sold an army in the past, so this is nothing new to me, though I do regret that earlier sale. My Black Templars were an army I poured myself into, and won me a Players Choice award at the last GT that Games Workshop ran in Chicago. Why won't I regret selling my Grey Knights? Because I have my Centurions, have over 1000 points of resin Salamanders soaking in a soap-bath, and have more fish-men Tau than I know what to do with. Couple that with a Warhammer Fantasy Ogre army I really need to get off the ground, and I have plenty of GW stuff to keep me busy for a very long time. The Grey Knights will just end up sitting on a shelf, and that won't do anyone any good.
As always, I've got a few ideas to lay out on the table. This time though, it's more of a formula rather than a few bulleted ideas. Think ( X + Y ) x Z = Value
X = Starting Monetary Cost
This is the first thing you have to figure out. Just how much did this army cost to buy in components? This includes off-the-shelf boxes, as well as bits you purchased from third-party sites and manufacturers. If you really want to get technical, it can even include the paint, glue and basing materials, as well as any transport foam you may have for it.
Y = Labor
Yup, it's that simple. How much do you value the labor you put into the army? Some may equate this to an hourly value, and others to a somewhat standardized per-figure, or per-box cost. Either way, you need to figure in something for the time it took you to actually put together, paint and base the army.
Z = Sentimental Attachment
Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about here. With as much work that goes into a project of this scale, you can't tell me there is no sentimental attachment to an personal army once it's finished. The reason it's a multiplier in the equation though, is to give the opportunity to actually raise, lower or keep the cost the same. If you're simply disgusted with the way GW has changed your beloved codex in the most recent edition, and want to sell your army, the sentimental value may not raise the price at all. If you're forced to sell for financial reasons, it may actually decrease the price slightly to be able to move the army faster. Finally, if it's a labor of love, it may increase the value to you. No matter what, ignore this final part of the equation at your own risk. If I hadn't ignored this, I wouldn't have sold my Black Templars.
With all that said, do I have a cost in mind for my Grey Knights? Sure I do. If you're interested, shoot me an email and we'll talk. I'm open to some negotiation on it.
But what about you? Have you ever sold an army before? How did you come up with the value you placed on it?
- Tim