Fear the Crab

I participated in “Bartertown” at Other Realms yesterday. I had a bunch of Games Workshop miniatures that I needed to get rid of, plus some random bits and pieces from other manufacturers. These were all complete models, parts and accessories that I knew I would never get around to, so why not see if I could recoup my losses or get stuff I needed?

Much like one would expect, there was a lot of trading and a lot of cash transactions. I imagined it was what flea markets were like, with random strangers cruising by and browsing through everything. Compared to most everyone there, I had the least amount of material, though it wasn’t my complete collection of useless junk; I had left some of that at home, thinking nobody would want it or that I might still want to use it one day. Maybe I’ll bring those for the next Bartertown.

I sold most of my stuff, since I didn’t really see anything in other piles that called to me. I planned to off-load all the miniatures for cheap and cut deals that were 50% or more off the retail price. There were a few early-birds that wanted specific items, which I was more than happy to accommodate. A good majority of my “customers” were people just sifting through boxes and sprues and containers looking for the odd gem or two for their own use. What I found interesting was that I even had “repeat business” as people came back for miniatures, sometimes as quick as a 5-minute turnaround.

What was more interesting was that most of my customers were vendors themselves, some of whom were there for the same reason as mine; get rid of their stuff!

At the end of the night, I just started giving away whatever I had left (I told everybody that Maile didn’t want me to come home with anything). A few people took me up on that offer and walked away with a whole handful of sprues and other bits. Apparently some people felt guilty taking all that stuff for free, and dropped a couple of dollars in exchange. I still went home with leftover stuff, but it was far less than I showed up with, so I was very happy.

Overall, I made about $70.00. It’s a small compensation, considering I may have paid over $300 for it all. Mind you, that’s an estimate; much of the material for trade was left over from parts I used or wanted. Still, the fact that I got some cash for it all left me feeling great, and there’s less clutter in my miniature collection which makes Maile happy.

And now there’s room in my closet for more useless junks!