Potential new side hustle

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AirsoftAstronautPB

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Hi guys, first time on here and think this may be a fair thread to post in

Cut to the Chase I’m able to get some pistols at a reasonable deal and considering doing a barrel and bucking upgrade, service and custom paint job on the slide and if it’s a 1911 style the grip too (done properly not just slapped on a table and sprayed all over willy nilly)

What sort of prices would you all expect to or be happy paying for this sort of thing with an extra mag in the bundle? And for those prices based on what pistols?

Currently I’m looking at pricing by factoring in the following: 1) pistol, mags, parts and shipping costs, stensils and paint
2) upgrade and servicing cost £25
3) paint job cost £50 (minimum cost £30 if things don’t go well) of which you’re also paying for not just the paint job but care taken in doing so including a top slide pre-disassembly to protect internal parts from paint and then reassembly

Pics for paint jobs I’ve done on my DMR and Hicapa loadout, I’m looking at these colours with a digital camo look for pistols to sell, wht colour schemes are people interested in?

IMG_9314.webp IMG_9327.webp
 
Remember opinions are like arseholes - and they're not fact! Just because one person feels a certain way doesn't mean it's a good or a bad idea, so don't get disheartened if you don't get the responses you hope for!

Here's mine for what it's worth:
Whilst you've definitely done a neat job on your RIFs, I think it might be a bit niche...
If customers want an "off the shelf" upgraded RIF they would look at shops such as DCA or Eagle6 who offer a tech service with a range of parts and "configurator" options
Similarly, there are brands that offer camouflaged pistols stock (the ghastly MCam ravens come to mind)

Those that want a really nice finish tend to go down the cerakote route. Again DCA and companies such as Bespoke Airsoft do already offer this with recognised camo patterns

I think if you can hold stock of multiple upgrade options and give buyers the option to spec their RIF at purchase then you *might* be able to cut through the noise and competition. However, paint schemes are highly personal and unless you can offer real steel patterns such as ATACS, M81, M/Cam Black etc - you might find the demand is low

But I genuinely hope I'm wrong
 
Whilst it’s not a bad idea by any means, personally I wouldn’t trust anybody else but myself to do my own upgrades.

Is the paint spray paint or cerakote? If the latter there’s a lot of companies already offering cerakoting.

My opinion only but I’d be more likely to send my replica to a known company for painting than a random person on an Airsoft forum tbh

“If things don’t go well” is not reassuring in the slightest. So if I send you something for painting, you paint it and it doesn’t adhere correctly for example I still have to pay you £30 for a botched job I would be left to repair?

Lastly, looking at the pistol… again, in my opinion… looks sloppy. There’s overspray lines where the masking wasn’t fully adhered, the lines aren’t straight where they should be, there’s also paint inconsistencies and chunk of paint showing through where it either wasn’t prepped properly or applied. If I was paying £50 for a paint job, I would expect all of those mentioned issues to be corrected before I paid at all.
 
Austeyr said:
Whilst it’s not a bad idea by any means, personally I wouldn’t trust anybody else but myself to do my own upgrades.

Is the paint spray paint or cerakote? If the latter there’s a lot of companies already offering cerakoting.

My opinion only but I’d be more likely to send my replica to a known company for painting than a random person on an Airsoft forum tbh

“If things don’t go well” is not reassuring in the slightest. So if I send you something for painting, you paint it and it doesn’t adhere wrong for example I still have to pay you £30 for a botched job I would be left to repair?

Lastly, looking at the pistol… again, in my opinion… looks sloppy. There’s overspray lines where the masking wasn’t fully adhered, the lines aren’t straight where they should be, there’s also paint inconsistencies and chunk of paint showing through where it either wasn’t prepped properly or applied. If I was paying £50 for a paint job, I would expect all of those mentioned issues to be corrected before I paid at all.
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By not go well I mean if ones not selling for a while
My pistols an old example and wasn’t using stensils on it but yes you raise some good concerns. Not ceracote no. Perhaps £50’s too high
 
CamboL said:
Remember opinions are like arseholes - and they're not fact! Just because one person feels a certain way doesn't mean it's a good or a bad idea, so don't get disheartened if you don't get the responses you hope for!

Here's mine for what it's worth:
Whilst you've definitely done a neat job on your RIFs, I think it might be a bit niche...
If customers want an "off the shelf" upgraded RIF they would look at shops such as DCA or Eagle6 who offer a tech service with a range of parts and "configurator" options
Similarly, there are brands that offer camouflaged pistols stock (the ghastly MCam ravens come to mind)

Those that want a really nice finish tend to go down the cerakote route. Again DCA and companies such as Bespoke Airsoft do already offer this with recognised camo patterns

I think if you can hold stock of multiple upgrade options and give buyers the option to spec their RIF at purchase then you *might* be able to cut through the noise and competition. However, paint schemes are highly personal and unless you can offer real steel patterns such as ATACS, M81, M/Cam Black etc - you might find the demand is low

But I genuinely hope I'm wrong
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I’m unlikely to hold onto much stock as it’s just off my own back but what I would be able to do is take requests for a particular pattern of camo.
I did paint these a few years back and they’ve had a lot of use.
As for Raven’s, yeah, mostly bark and no bite I’ve first hand seen a guy buy one and the hammer broke same day on a high Cappa
 
Without knowing what pistol or upgrades it's impossible to give an idea of what's an ok price. Also what kind a warranty will you give?

Tbh if that's what your paint jobs are like then I wouldn't be happy paying for that. If your work isn't 100% then people aren't going to be happy and while a happy customer may tell 1 person about their experience and unhappy one will tell anyone who'll listen. Customers would also probably want to know what brand of paint you use as different brands adhere to surfaces better, eg in my experience Halfords camo paint isn't as hard-wearing as krylon

My apologies if this comes across as very negative but posts like this appear every few months, only for the OP to disappear never to be seen again. In my experience 99.9% if these business ideas fall at the first hurdle but if you think you can be in that 0.1% then go for it
 
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I think using the picture of that pistol is doing you no favours, personally I think it looks pretty poorly done, if it’s one of your earlier attempts I would also include pictures of a pistol displaying what you can do now.
No offence.
 
As has been said, over the years most of us have seen too many threads like this, barely any of them come to fruition, & based on the paint jobs you've already shared, they're hardly going to inspire anyone to reach for their wallet.
Sounds harsh I know, but until you can come up with much better examples of your work, as well as the ability to price your work, maybe a menu system showing different upgrades & what products you'll be offering, then the title of your thread says it all, your looking to hustle members for whatever they'll admit they'll pay. oh-no-im-out.gif
 
Half the fun of this hobby is doing the work yourself, I'm afraid I agree with the posts above.
I wish you luck though.
 
Fair play for trying to build something on the side.

I’d echo some of the earlier comments though. Posting photos of older work (especially that pistol) might not be the best showcase of what you can do now.

Speaking personally, as someone who’s happy to spend decent money on RIFs, I’d almost always lean towards a Cerakote job from an established place like DCA or West Laser. With Cerakote you know you’re getting a durable, long-term finish that won’t wear quickly, and those companies offer guarantees on their work.

That’s not a dig at you at all, it’s more about buyer confidence. When it comes to someone’s RIF (their pride and joy), most people are understandably cautious about who they send it to. If something comes back and they’re not happy with it, it can get awkward very quickly.

I think a lot of people would rather pay £200 with an established shop than £100 with someone new, purely from a psychology and trust standpoint. That’s no reflection on your ability just how people tend to think when it’s their own kit.

That said, it would definitely be good to see some of your more recent work, and if you decide to continue, I would definitely recommend coming up with a solid pricing structure and also some sort of guarantee, as it would suck to work on someone's £800 RIF and then they don't like it.
 
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