Condition Guide

There do not seem to be established or standardised pricing structures for Secondhand miniatures. Where TCGs (Trading Card Games), Comic books, and Sports Cards seem to have transparent and clear “Grading Guides” miniature quality and pricing are as varied as the people who play with them. 


We at Secondhand Soldiers seek to change that. As a Secondhand miniature retailer, price transparency is our top priority. We want our customers to feel comfortable when purchasing from us AND when trading in to us. In an attempt to standardize a Secondhand miniature grading scale and pricing structure we have developed a guide to help the community. Remember that this is a guide to determine an overall rating based on condition, this “Condition Guide” does not take into account other factors such as market demand, competitive viability, or rarity for oop (out of print) models. We will be developing a guide for appraising the value of rare/oop models that we will use for pricing those models but this guide is aimed at “In Print” or “Current” products.


This scale will rate miniatures from 5-10 with 5 being the worst and 10 being the best. Pictures will be provided in the guide in an attempt to show different examples of and the range of a particular rating. While most people think their custom paint jobs and modifications are good, not everyone will feel the same way. While your custom paint or modeling job might not directly affect the condition of the model, it could affect marketability which can affect the rating OR the offer due to non-rating factors (ie Marketability, viability, etc.).


10/10 Perfect/ Gem

Golden Daemon quality basing, painting and modelling. These models should blow your mind on inspection. I have never held one but I have seen them online. These unicorns easily sell for hundreds if not thousands of percent higher than their MSRP. They are not models for play but are centerpieces to a collection and are a work of art. Being one of a kind they are somewhat priceless and this rating should not be given out lightly.


9/10 Excellent

Products of professional paint studios and very skilled amateur painters, these quality centerpiece models look great. Basing, modeling and painting on these models should be of the highest play standards. Think about the kind of paint jobs the manufacturer uses on their displays. The color schemes of these paint jobs should be established and marketable. The modeling should use pieces from the appropriate kits with very little outside pieces. An approximate 80% minimum of pieces from the model's kit is required and an approximate 20% maximum from custom sculpting or outside “bitz” is allowed. The models should be in usable poses, correct bases for play, and should be appropriate for the tabletop. 


These models should typically sell for 200%-350% of MSRP depending on market demand.


8/10 Great

Miniatures of professional quality and skill that look great but suffer from overly unique or abstract paint schemes. Pretty much anything that would fit in the “Excellent” category but are not as marketable due to being “unique”. Having strange color schemes that don’t quite match up or instinctively make you think of a fast food restaurant. Being built with some kind of outlandish or non traditional theme. Models being built with more than approximately 25% outside of kit bits or custom pieces. Or models whose basing/ poses make them difficult to play with.


These models should typically sell for 80%-150% of MSRP depending on market demand.


7-7.5/10 Good


7.5/10 rated products should be products that are: 

  • higher than table top quality paint job.
    • Well built
    • Looks great on table top
    • Good on inspection
    • More than 3 layers on core parts
    • All parts painted in minimum 3 layer
    • Based nicely
    • Posed nicely
    • Standardized non abstract color scheme
  • Minimum 70% in-kit bits 
    • realistically represent the units or kits they are from. 
  • Model construction should be good 
    • mold lines removed 
    • Small, Medium, and large gaps sealed with green stuff
  • New on Sprue 
    • might be missing a few unnecessary/decorative bitz 
    • might not have instructions and/or a box.

Models rated at 7.5 are listed at 75% of MSRP.


7/10 rated miniatures should be products that are:

  • well built 
  •  Mold lines mostly removed
  •  Sprue clippings trimmed
  •  No medium to large gaps
  • Bare Plastic
    • Never primed

OR

  • Stripped bare with no evidence
  • Well Primed
    • Even and clean coating
    • Zenythil coating
  • Table top paint job
    • Multi layer paint job
    • Looks good on the table
    • Close inspection reveals imperfections
    • Every part of the model is painted
    • Standardized non-abstract paint scheme

Models rated at 7.0 are listed at 70% of MSRP. 

 

6-6.5/10 Acceptable/Average


6.5/10 Product that meets this criteria: 

  • Abstract non-standard paint scheme
    • Even layers
    • Tabletop Quality
  • Slightly below table top quality
    • Lacking “something” (Highlights, shadows, or detail of some sort)
    • No “gooping”
  • Built decent,
    •  no major sprue leftovers
    • Noticeable mold lines removed
    • Large gaps covered
  • Stripped well but noticeable residue in:
    • Crevices
    • Cracks
    • Minimal detail damage

Models rated at 6.5 are listed at 65% of MSRP.

 

6/10 Product meets this criteria:

  • Small amounts of damage
    • Repairable
    • Decorative Bits
  • Below average paint job
    • Uneven Coats
    • Would need stripping or “clean up”
    • Some detail damage
  • Built “OK”
    • Oddly Built (Strange poses, things just added)
    • Leftover sprue not smoothed
    • Mold Lines

Models rated at 6.0 are listed at 60% of MSRP.


5.5/10 Fair


5.5/10 Product meets this criteria:


  • Built poorly
    • All “Critical” pieces there but not necessarily together
    • Odly Built (Off center or backwords pieces)
    • Missing decorative pieces
    • Badly repaired
  • Painted poorly
    • “Gooping”
    • Thick coats that need to be stripped
    • Major detail damage
    • Strange Finish
  • Broken
    • Must be pinned or cleaned up to be rebuilt
    • Missing detail pieces
    • Needing to be rebuilt
Models rated at 5.5 are listed at 55% of MSRP.

5.0/10 Poor


Damage is semi permanent

  • Missing pieces (Arms, Weapons, Legs)
  • Needs Sculpting for repair
  • Stripping will not remove paint
  • Some permanent Loss of Details

Models rated at 5.0 are listed at 50% of MSRP.

 

When looking at a Poor rated miniature it is apparent that the miniature is in bad condition and will take other purchases or medium amounts of labor to make it look decent. This is the last level of miniature we would sell as a whole.

 

We do not sell miniatures below "Poor" but will take in these models for their bits. Generally the Trade value on anything below "Poor" is determined by Management. 

 

This Condition Guide is a GUIDE and not a set of RULES, it is subject to change by management based on the needs of the store, any customer wanting to trade in their miniatures will be given an "Offer" with a value breakdown explaining the appraisal of their miniatures and is free to decline the offer if they choose to. Likewise Secondhand Soldiers reserves the right to decline a trade for any reason, though we hope to never have to do. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask us.