Colonel Bill’s Wargames Depot specialises in the sale, and purchase, of preloved wargames items. Contact us to find out more, or read our FAQs below for all the information you need about ordering from our stock, or selling your unwanted troops to us.
Buying from the Colonel FAQs
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Why are two prices shown online for each product?
Many of our second hand items are reduced in price for online sales - however, we would still charge the original price when selling a ta show
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Do you check every used item that you offer for sale to make sure that it is not broken?
Yes. All our stock is checked for broken pieces. We would like the item to be in as nearly new condition as we can make it. Any broken items are discarded. However, we cannot guarantee that any items do not suffer minor damage once packaged by ourselves.
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Do you attend every show in the United Kingdom?
No, we used to, but actually very few now. The shows that we attend will be shown on the Main Gate
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Can I pre-order at the online price to collect at a show and therefore save on shipping costs?
Yes, you can, but please note that we only accept pre-orders for shows three months in advance and the shows that we are currently accepting orders for are promulgated on our home page.
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You have two products that are identical but have different prices. Why is that?
Our prices are based upon a percentage of the current retail price set by the manufacturer at the time we purchased the item. It could be that the RRP changed by the time that we bought the second item or it could be that our efforts to strip the paint off were not as successful as normal, and we have therefore reduced the price slightly
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Do you offer a painting service?
I'm sorry we don't. We do, however, have several artists who we would gladly put you in contact with.
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How quickly do you ship items and are they tracked?
We try to ship orders within 24 hours, although this time may be extended if we are working away at a show or other event and by weekends and public holidays. Most orders to UK addresses are sent ‘tracked’, and all orders to customers outside the UK are also tracked.
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Colonel Bills is a VAT registered company yet you show no VAT on second-hand sales. Why is that?
Colonel Bills has a ‘second-hand dealers margin’ agreement with HMRC. This effectively means that we keep strict records of our second-hand stock and our sales and pay tax on them in accordance with the percentage agreement that has been implemented. Unfortunately, this means that customers outside the UK do not benefit from a reduction in the overall price as no tax is shown, and therefore cannot be removed from their orders.
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Do you always Strip back figures to bare metal if they are part painted?
Not always. Where we feel we can, we will, although its an awful job! We find that in the smaller scales, 15mm and under, the stripping process destroys many figures and leaves others without sufficient detail to sell them
Selling to the Colonel FAQs
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I have items to sell. Do you buy, and what is the procedure?
Yes, we would consider buying most items. The procedure is to email us (colonelbill@colonelbills.com) a list of what you have for sale. This needs to include the manufacturer, the scale, the range and the number of foot, mounted, artillery etc. Please also tell us how many of these you wish to sell as painted items, how many as unpainted and how many as part painted/undercoated. We would then provide you with a quote and, if you are happy with that, we would pay you upon receipt of the items.
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I understand that you can sell collections on a 'consignment' basis. How does this work?
Yes we can sell your painted figure collections for you. We are responsible for the selling, packaging and shipping of the items. For this we take 20% commission from the sale price and also 16.67% to cover VAT or shipping overseas. Payments for items sold by us are made monthly into the owners bank account. We price the items in accordance with the owners wishes and the prices can be altered at any time by contacting us.
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Should I photograph any painted items that I want to sell?
Yes please. Close up photos of typical examples of the painting standard would be very helpful
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Are there any items that you would not consider?
Yes, I’m afraid that we do not buy large boxes of mixed figures from various manufacturers. We simply do not have the time to sort them out and research who the manufacturer was, or what the range is. We also do not buy any unpainted or part painted converted items. This includes replacing cast on spears/pikes with pins, head/arm surgery etc With regards to the smaller scale figures, such as 10mm and 6mm etc. we only buy them if they are still in the manufacturers packaging – loose 6mm figures are a nightmare to identify!
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Do you buy books?
Yes we do buy and sell publications on a limited basis
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Do you buy plastic figures?
Yes we do. We buy unopened boxed sets or complete sprues. We also buy fully painted plastic figures, although their prices are not as good as metal ones.
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I have a collection to sell to you. If I ship it and the contents are damaged who is responsible?
I’m afraid you are! We rely upon you to pack your products securely so that they arrive with us in good order. If we open a shipment upon arrival and it has been damaged we will send it back to you without payment – sorry!
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I have a collection to sell but do not want to ship it. Is there any way it can be collected from me?
Yes, we do arrange to come and collect from sellers. This may take a little longer for the deal to be completed but is the safest way to sell your beautifully painted figures! If you wish to make use of this option please mention it in your initial contact with us. We do charge expenses for collection but these will be calcualted and agreed beforehand. We usually take items from the collection in lieu of these expenses
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Can I bring my collection to sell to you at a show?
Yes, but strictly by prior arrangement please. We do not attend many shows now, so this may cause some delay
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Do you attend every show in the United Kingdom?
No. In fact we now attend very few. Our days of trekking around the UK in a Ford Transit van are now behind us - we are simply too busy here at the depot
