Selling and Photographing a Model Ford Car Collection on eBay: How I Made a Profit (Part 1)

From Hot Wheels to a Full Collection

Minichamps Ford Escort RS Cosworth | Michael Schumacher Collection | In White Studio

What started as a personal project to downsize my own Hot Wheels collection turned into something much bigger: photographing and selling my neighbour’s prized Ford model car collection on eBay.

This article is the first part of a five-part series where I’ll walk through how I photographed, listed, packaged, and shipped dozens of model cars, while refining my digital skills and navigating real customer expectations.

Prologue: Starting Small, Thinking Big

In 2022 and 2023, I began slimming down my Hot Wheels car collection to earn a little extra income. At the same time, I wanted to learn the basics of e-commerce and customer service.

Through photographing each vehicle, editing images, and writing accurate and engaging descriptions, I aimed to create a great experience for every buyer. These early sales helped build a reputation for reliability.

Alongside this, I was freelancing as a photographer for classic car auctions. With strong market demand, I was able to sharpen my skills in both photography and vehicle presentation.

A Seasonal Shift

As autumn arrived, auction shoots slowed down. The darker evenings and colder days pushed me back toward eBay, where I focused on selling as many Hot Wheels as possible before Christmas. Positive customer feedback helped me improve my workflow and listings, and I began to double down on strategies that worked.

The Ford Opportunity

In June 2024, my neighbour approached me. A long-time Ford UK employee with a background in testing and stunt driving, he had a personal collection of Ford die-cast models. He offered me a commission to photograph and sell them on eBay.

We agreed on a flat 25% commission on the final sale price, excluding postage costs. This ensured fairness while covering the time I spent on photography, listings, packaging, and customer service

This was a step up in terms of item value, condition expectations, and the need for a professional, scalable system.

Photographing the First Model

The first car I shot was a 1:18 AUTOART Ford Focus WRC Rally car. It barely fit in my portable studio, but it drew attention despite some cosmetic wear.

Using a Sony A7III with a Nikon F-mount lens and converter, I adapted my setup to get sharp close-up shots. Macro photography proved essential in capturing detail, especially for collector-grade models.

Analytics and Optimisation

137,917 impressions in one week, 100% organic. No ads. Just timing, SEO, and product knowledge.

These weren’t random models. Each represented my neighbour’s personal automotive journey. That gave me extra motivation to present the collection with care. I repurposed packaging materials and cardboard to safely ship each model while minimising waste.

In just one week (June 14–21, 2024), the model Ford listings earned over 137,000 impressions organically on eBay, with a 1.1% CTR. I tracked these metrics to refine timing and optimise titles for better visibility.

Why This Model Ford Car Collection on eBay Mattered

I used eBay’s Performance and Traffic pages to monitor impressions, click-through rates, and sales. This helped me adjust titles, timing, and groupings to improve results without using promoted listings.

Conclusion

This article kicks off a deeper look into how I turned an opportunity into a process. Over the next parts, I’ll cover studio workflow, listing strategy, business insights, and how I managed customers and returns.

If you're exploring small-scale eCommerce or want help presenting your collection professionally, feel free to reach out.

• Part 2: Building an eBay Photography Workflow That Scales

• Explore my full photo setup, editing workflow, and how I handled early buyer issues.

• Part 3: eBay Model Car Sales; How Timing and Bundles Made a Big Difference

• See how I used smart timing and product bundling to boost conversions.

• Part 4: How to Handle Repeat Orders, Combined Shipping, and Loyal Buyers

• Learn how I built trust with repeat customers and managed multi-item orders.

• Part 5: The Business Side of Selling Model Cars on eBay

• Get a behind-the-scenes look at commission tracking, admin challenges, and refunds.

📬 Want More Real Wins Like This!

If this article lit a fire under you, wait until you see what’s next.

I unpack how I sold over 950 models, handled wildcard buyers, and turned a flyer into £13.5K+ freelance gigs.

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