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Post by CkRtech on Sept 4, 2004 17:56:43 GMT -5
Read something interesting regarding scalping & how we should all try to prevent it. Not buy any extras of a particular item, etc.... but I actually had a somewhat defensive reaction to the write-up. Sure - I think running into all the Wal-Marts across a city and soaking up every single Energon Megatron to sell for a profit is bad, however I don't see any issue with picking up a rare figure, chase figure, small bunch of hard to find figures & selling them on ebay. Part of my reasoning is that it is a dog-eat-dog world. I have found that many people complain about scalpers and put the blame on them because these complainers are "sore losers" when they don't find the item they are looking for. While someone does tend to make a profit when they soak up an item (or items) they don't want for their personal collection & sell them on ebay - I see the positive winning over the negative. The positive is this - 1: The person buying the item(s) to sell for a profit will make money back to help them with other things or to continue to buy for their collection at a (conceptually-speaking) smaller price. 2: The person bidding on an item on ebay is willing to pay that much in order to have that item. While you can argue that there are bad starting bids, buy it nows, etc....what you really end up with is the benefit of the bidder to get what they want without having to search around for it all the time as well as have it delivered to their door. You could almost argue - If it weren't for scalpers, some of us might not even have some of the items that we do. Where do you draw the line and what side do you stand on? Btw - Here is the page I read: www.rebelscum.com/collect.asp
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Post by Jo'Roq on Sept 4, 2004 19:09:19 GMT -5
That's a tough issue.
I am always for entrepenuership, but I do agree that it is just bad form to run through a store (or a town) and buy up all of the rare, chase, and first sighting items just to turn around and sell them on eBay. Nothing illegal about it, but I choose to just not buy it from a scalper when I know it will eventually be common enough for me to get at plain old retail price. That's one reason why I am still looking for Alternators Dead End ....
I strongly agree with the comment that anyone involved with the collecting community should consider the impact on the kid whose parents have no clue and just know that their son or daughter wants this one particular toy.
Also that scalpers wouldn't exist if some collectors weren't so desperate to get a new piece that they'll pay 5 times the retail amount just to get it now rather than wait a few days or weeks for distribution to catch up. I can understand the higher prices for locale and store exclusive items that just will not be available everywhere, but is it really THAT important to get those new figures yesterday?
I think this article is rather extreme, after reading this example.
The idea that a collector should only buy one until everyone else has one is rather ludicrous. What about the collectors who want one to keep sealed and one to open for display? And in the case of Ben above, he wasn't hoarding or being greedy - he saw the figures he wanted and got them for purposes he already had in mind. I don't consider Ben to be in bad form - he was enhancing his collection without malicious intent. Also, just how do you monitor to determine when everyone who has one wants one? The idea of waiting for everyone to have one before getting a duplicate is idealistic but unrealistic.
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Post by Darthfather2005 on Sept 4, 2004 22:12:42 GMT -5
Personally I blame toymakers. They short pack certian items and they become rare. Me? I buy stuff to re-sell, for the fact that there is stuff I can't find, so I use the stuff I get lucky on finding in order to trade for the stuff I need. Or sell it to buy the harder stuff I need.
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Post by Destro on Sept 5, 2004 0:45:51 GMT -5
I agree w/ DF about shortpacking, although sometimes the toymakers don't realize the demand of some products (ie, Energon Ultra Magnus). Imo, if you do it once in awhile it's not a big deal. If it's almost a second career (or first ![::)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/eyesroll.png) ), then you're hurting the collectors (not to mention the kids) and should be burned at the stake. ![>:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/angry.png)
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Post by CkRtech on Sept 5, 2004 1:46:39 GMT -5
It's funny because I was "inbetween collecting" toys when I worked at Toys R Us. I always would try to hide things when the collectors came in. I never wanted the kids to be denied.
Now I am the one (was the one) running around and stealing the toys (MOTU) from the kids hands. How poetic.
Of course one interesting thing about being an employee at that time was the fact that I knew what all the kids wanted. So I would have known what to avoid buying in bulk to make sure I wasn't buying out something the kids wanted. But - I wasn't a collector at the time.
Strange. I collected Star Wars, sold them all in 1993. Sold the rest of my childhood toys which i didn't collect (Transformers, Voltron, Mask, He-Man, Turtles, etc...) in 1997, worked at TRU in 1998 and 1999 & then resumed collecting toys in 2001 with Transformers. 2004 and I am Transformers, Masters of the Universe, Star Wars, with a small hint at Justice League, Batman and Thundercats. Of all the times to NOT collect toys, I did it when I was working at a toy store. Hahaha. Crazy.
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Post by Bear on Sept 5, 2004 9:23:35 GMT -5
Like Chris mentioned, there is kind of a hipocracy when it comes to complaining about a scalper. The guys complaining are the same ones that would try and talk a kid into giving up a toy. A true Hipocracy comes from the MISB colletors (But that is a whole nother thread). I will admit it I have scalped. When I found a ML Doombot I was more then willing to sell it to some smo on ebay for 10 times what it was worth. The same goes for the MOTU chasers I have found. I will not, however, buy something for $10.00 and sell it for $13.00. I have a 4 to5 time a week Walmart run on the way to work, and I always run into the same 2 employees. I have tried to be friendly with a smile or a how are you, but they just glare at me. I know they think I am selling everything on ebay. The funny thing is I open 99.9% of what I buy and play with it. When you have a 4 year old at home there is no such thing as MISB. Just ask my OTFCC Mega ZarekĀ ![](http://img8.photobucket.com/albums/v28/gunman_sr5/bouncers.gif)
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