Thread: Prop purchase advice needed

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I came across a guy locally with some props for sale. He's making a list for me but he has some interesting stuff.

One item is a toe pincher coffin with a motor to slowly raise and lower the lid...





He's asking $300 which seemed pretty good to me. I was wondering what others thought? He also has a air activated pop up barrel (with a rather sad looking rat installed right now) for around $70.

Opinions?

Thanks!

It might be worth at least going and looking at. Check out the construction of the coffin and what not. The rat barrel thing might be worth it if you could easily remove the rat for a better prop. I guess I think, if you can look at it and it seems fair, and you can't/won't build a better one....go for it.

If you are handy, you could build that for about $50.00 Get some plywood for the bottom and sides and use a foam lid. That way you can use a lighter $10.00 motor and there ya go!

Drum roll.....and 300 dollars later.
LOL, not to be glib but, in my experience, whatever you think your going to spend, triple it and that will be the true cost of building something. There's the sheet or two of foam $15, other wood $20 bucks, cloth for inside ??, lights for inside $15 bucks, motor to lift lid $25bucks, other stuff to lift lid $25 bucks. Activation control $25 bucks, Sound that come on on que, $45.
Paint for the thing ..?? Bucky for inside 90 bucks, stuff to age the bucky..10 bucks. Stand to put it one so it presents well..

You can stop early on stuff or continue with the list but it never costs what close to what the main (the things you think of first that you will need) material costs...

Just my 2 cents...I'll bet they guy has close to 300 bucks in the thing and his labor is free.

Originally Posted by ghosthunter79

If you are handy, you could build that for about $50.00 Get some plywood for the bottom and sides and use a foam lid. That way you can use a lighter $10.00 motor and there ya go!

Originally Posted by GrimShady

Drum roll.....and 300 dollars later.
LOL, not to be glib but, in my experience, whatever you think your going to spend, triple it and that will be the true cost of building something.

I have to agree and disagree. You COULD spend triple the amount, or whatever, but you don't have to. It all depends on the materials. If you've already got paint around, you didn't have spend the $5 for more, if you've got some scrap wood around, you save the $10, etc, etc. It all depends on what you make it out of and what you've got around, AND what you can get for free.

I say that because I had a fellow haunter give me a 5 gallon bucket of paint for free, cardboard tubes for free, rope for free. These items, if purchased, would have cost me a small fortune - or I wouldn't have done the projects period.

Of course, though, you are right that is more convenient because it's already made, you don't have to worry about getting hold of the materials or tools, and the price probably isn't that bad... but the option of building it yourself, if you have the time, can save you money.

And I don't know anything about the guy selling this stuff, but he's probably trying to make SOME profit off of it. I doubt he's giving it away at cost... not that that doesn't mean it's a good deal either. I suppose I just don't have that kind of money, so me - personally - would build it myself.

Good luck with your purchase.

Dont get me wrong...I build most of my own stuff but it just seems to me that cost always overruns my original expectations....If in a hurry, you like the prop dont be afraid to buy off someone who already put their heart and soul into getting something just right. You wont see it at wall-mart and no one else will have what you have....

Grim

Originally Posted by DeadTed

I have to agree and disagree. You COULD spend triple the amount, or whatever, but you don't have to. It all depends on the materials. If you've already got paint around, you didn't have spend the $5 for more, if you've got some scrap wood around, you save the $10, etc, etc. It all depends on what you make it out of and what you've got around, AND what you can get for free.

I say that because I had a fellow haunter give me a 5 gallon bucket of paint for free, cardboard tubes for free, rope for free. These items, if purchased, would have cost me a small fortune - or I wouldn't have done the projects period.

Of course, though, you are right that is more convenient because it's already made, you don't have to worry about getting hold of the materials or tools, and the price probably isn't that bad... but the option of building it yourself, if you have the time, can save you money.

And I don't know anything about the guy selling this stuff, but he's probably trying to make SOME profit off of it. I doubt he's giving it away at cost... not that that doesn't mean it's a good deal either. I suppose I just don't have that kind of money, so me - personally - would build it myself.

Good luck with your purchase.

With it getting closer to the BIG DAY. I still have alot of things to design and build. If I see something that I planned on builiding or see something that can replace what I would of built and I think it's a good price, you best believe that I'm going to buy it.

At some point your time has got to be worth more than the money. The time that it would have taken you to build the one prop you could use to build others. Buy building it yourself you may save a few bucks but lose time on other projects.

just my very humble opinion.

I agree that if you go look at it and think to yourself, "it's worth it - I don't have to do any work and it's not badly constructed" then go for it. If you look at it and your first reaction is, "good grief, I could do so much better for less doing it myself" then you have your answer.
All depends on how valuable your time is, how much time you have, and if it's something you want bad enough.
My husband and son made me a coffin a couple weeks ago and he spent over $300. This was just for the materials for the coffin - no motors, or other props - just a very fancy, nice coffin. But that's what it was meant to be. We have others we did out of scrap for other prop purposes and hardly spent a dime on them.

I build everything I can but I do this for the fun and sake of building. I dont even have a proper haunt. We use the few things I make ONE day a year at a campsite we annually go to. Otherwise, I loan it out to folks to scare the kids while trick or treating.

I would be making christmas decorations if it was anywhere near as much fun as building something that scares the crap outta someone..LOL

My list of projects is short but technical:
Air Cannon (Minions web BOOMER style) Air Cannon Pneumatic
UV LED black light strobe circuit HALLOWEEN IN INDIANA
A couple FCG's like this http://www.grimlabs.com/halloween/fcg1.jpg
Casket Jumper guy 20050403_casketjumper
and See the movie
http://www.grimlabs.com/halloween/ha...lhaunt2005.wmv

And even this stupid christmas light thing I did for last halloween that everyone loved more than my jumping casket guy..(idiots).
http://www.grimlabs.com/halloween/ha...2007_small.wmv

Assorted tombstones, fog chilers, singing skeletons Blacklights yadda yadda yadda
20051010_springmill2005

Just wait till next year!! I'm welding together a casket drop prop...Here's my sketchup of my original idea. Pneumatics will drop the casket after some commotion from inside...I cant wait to have it done..!! Not for this year though...
http://grimlabs.com/halloween/coffindropGuy.jpg

My suggestion to you would be make the purchase if its a top quality prop particularly if you are not mechanically inclined. Sure you could build your toe pincher for quite a bit less, but if it is top quality thats not a bad deal. Now on the other hand toe pinchers are easy to build and inexpensive (good estimate $70). Building the prop can be quite easy (even if this is your first attempt) if you have the right tools. (2 hours) If not may take you 4-8 hours. Once you build your first coffin it will be a snap to produce your next.

Props are all about quality IMHO. Do not waste your time buying or creating cheap inexpensive junk. There is a reason its cheap and inexpensive.