The Business Side of Selling Model Cars on eBay: Commission, Admin, and Buyer Issues (Part 5)

Behind the Scenes: Business, Admin, and Buyer Challenges

A detailed 1:18 scale Mustang MACH III with open engine bay, photographed in a white studio as part of the Ford model car collection.

In this final article, I reveal what it was like to run the project from the inside. Running an eBay model car selling business, especially when handling someone else’s collection, meant balancing fairness, admin, and patience.

Prologue: Slow Sales, New Insights

By week five, most of the collection had sold. A few cars remained due to niche appeal or unclear market value. For models with limited data, I used my instincts to set prices.

Commission and Payment Tracking in My eBay Model Car Selling Business

John and I agreed on a 75/25 split. I managed everything:

• Photography

• Customer service

• Packaging

• Listings

• Postage

  

  An example from the commission tracker was shared with John. I used this spreadsheet to track every sale, deduct postage and fees, and ensure that payments were fair and transparent.

To maintain transparency, I used an Excel spreadsheet to track every sale. It listed the model, sale price, postage cost, and our respective shares. I printed this out and reviewed it with John directly.

Payments were sent after a seven-day buffer to account for any potential returns.

Emotional and Practical Challenges

A yellow 1:43 scale 2004 Ford GT from the Ford 100 Years series is displayed in its original packaging in a white studio.

There was emotional weight to selling someone else’s collection. I wanted to do right by John. At the same time, I had to deal with:

• Buyers placing offers, then disappearing

• Questions without follow-up

• Returns and refund requests

I stayed calm and professional, cancelling unpaid orders after a grace period and relisting them during eBay's promotional windows.

Conclusion

A white UT Models 1:18 Scale Ford Escort RS Cosworth rally car is displayed in an outdoor studio

Selling John’s collection was a hands-on, emotionally complex experience. It taught me how to manage customer relationships, promote business transparency, and effectively present products simultaneously.

John got funds for his home improvement project. I gained experience, income, and a story worth sharing.

Would you do something like this for someone you know? Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for reading this five-part series.

If you found it helpful or inspiring, consider sharing it or subscribing to future updates on small-scale eCommerce, photography, and storytelling from real-world experiences.

• Part 1: How I Photographed and Sold a Model Ford Car Collection on eBay

• Follow the real-world process I used to photograph, list, and profit from a full Ford model car collection

• 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.

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