Uh-oh, here we go. :doh

lol a thread about scalpers is indeed a slippery slope towards lockage, and rants in caps is the snowball that starts the avalanche.

 

as much as i hate scalpers, i have to hand it to them, it takes serious hunting chops to get that figure before anyone else.

 

here's a thought, they wouldn't exist if it weren't for us collectors who feverishly clamor for the next new thing. scalping is a two way street, there's got to be a buyer or the cycle falls apart, if you've ever paid more than retail for an item, congratulations, you've just given a scalper a reason to exist. but hey, that's just my take.

lol a thread about scalpers is indeed a slippery slope towards lockage, and rants in caps is the snowball that starts the avalanche.

 

as much as i hate scalpers, i have to hand it to them, it takes serious hunting chops to get that figure before anyone else.

 

here's a thought, they wouldn't exist if it weren't for us collectors who feverishly clamor for the next new thing. scalping is a two way street, there's got to be a buyer or the cycle falls apart, if you've ever paid more than retail for an item, congratulations, you've just given a scalper a reason to exist. but hey, that's just my take.

 

Yeah, I agree with you on this. I loathe scalpers as well and find what they do being unethical and wrong (this applies to all types of scalpers, not just toy scalpers). However, you got to hand it to them that they have the tenacity and the will to hit up stores on a daily basis to find the next big thing before everyone else does. I can only imagine how much gas they go through (as an environmentalist, this is probably my biggest pet peeve) to drive from store to store. I think if scalpers should be admonished, it should be that they are robbing these toys from the real buyers that these are intended for: kids. However, I feel 'adult' collectors fall in this category too.

 

In the end, I have never purchased a new toy from Ebay or a comic book store. So it's no big deal too me if people want to waste their lives making an extra dollar or two on the next big toy that everyone is looking for. Besides, the price markup is just not worth having that toy NOW. I have always eventually seen, or bought everything I wanted to buy at one time or another in the wild, so it really is all about having a little patience. The only toy that I have yet to see in the wild is TF: Animated Arcee. But meh...that's ok, I am not interested in the Animated line anyways. ;)

For some reason I've never thought of dealers at toy shows or conventions as being scalpers even though they always have the new stuff 1st. And I always find anything in stores eventually so I don't really think they impact my buying that much so I don't really put too much thought into it. I do recruit friends for that super hard item, like Marvel Uni. Black Widow who I've never seen on a peg, and ask them to look for me while they're out hunting but that's only a couple times a year.

 

I just enjoy a new find when I see it. I do see new stuff on ebay before I see it in stores but I just use that info as a guide to see what's made it to my area so I know looking will be more fruitful and less of a waste of time. I know they sell figs for way too much but I don't buy new stuff there (ebay) so it doesn't bother me.

 

I'm still finding lots of TRU Ani. Ratchet's so I haven't really started looking for Rodimus, at least not like I'm expecting to really find him around my area right now. I'm sure I'll see Ironhide 1st, and I'm OK with that cause I want 1 or 2 of him too :love

 

But I've got my clear Rodimus to tide me over til' then, which I DID get on-line cause he's not sold here :wave

the thing is, we demonize them for being "scalpers", but in reality, they're the guy who got there first. i don't hate them but i don't especially like them in particular either.

 

basically, if you hate them so much, get better at hunting lol

lol a thread about scalpers is indeed a slippery slope towards lockage, and rants in caps is the snowball that starts the avalanche.

 

as much as i hate scalpers, i have to hand it to them, it takes serious hunting chops to get that figure before anyone else.

 

here's a thought, they wouldn't exist if it weren't for us collectors who feverishly clamor for the next new thing. scalping is a two way street, there's got to be a buyer or the cycle falls apart, if you've ever paid more than retail for an item, congratulations, you've just given a scalper a reason to exist. but hey, that's just my take.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I agree with you on this. I loathe scalpers as well and find what they do being unethical and wrong (this applies to all types of scalpers, not just toy scalpers). However, you got to hand it to them that they have the tenacity and the will to hit up stores on a daily basis to find the next big thing before everyone else does. I can only imagine how much gas they go through (as an environmentalist, this is probably my biggest pet peeve) to drive from store to store. I think if scalpers should be admonished, it should be that they are robbing these toys from the real buyers that these are intended for: kids. However, I feel 'adult' collectors fall in this category too.

 

In the end, I have never purchased a new toy from Ebay or a comic book store. So it's no big deal too me if people want to waste their lives making an extra dollar or two on the next big toy that everyone is looking for. Besides, the price markup is just not worth having that toy NOW. I have always eventually seen, or bought everything I wanted to buy at one time or another in the wild, so it really is all about having a little patience. The only toy that I have yet to see in the wild is TF: Animated Arcee. But meh...that's ok, I am not interested in the Animated line anyways. ;)

But I've got my clear Rodimus to tide me over til' then, which I DID get on-line cause he's not sold here :wave

So you bought that from a scalper in Japan? :tfevil

 

 

I can fully understand the hate for scalpers and agree with it, but on the other hand thanks to scalpers (and with that I include online toystores) I'm able to buy store exclusives. And unless Hasbro releases these store exlusives to the whole world (and not just the USA, Canada and sometimes the UK) I'm very happy that people exist who take the effort to go to the stores and buy up entire supplies of these figures with the intent of selling them off again.

 

(Of course, I do always wait until the craze has died and they lower their prices. I'm only willing to spent a certain amount and nothing over that :P)

the thing is, we demonize them for being "scalpers", but in reality, they're the guy who got there first. i don't hate them but i don't especially like them in particular either.

 

basically, if you hate them so much, get better at hunting lol

 

If you buy figures just to sell them on ebay at inflated prices, you are no better then gougers that raise the price of bottle water or gas during a crisis.

 

And they usually aren't simply finding the figures first, they make back room deals with stock boys so the products never reach the shelves.

 

Also they contribute to the clogging of pegs and shelves by leaving the less popular figures from the same case.

Lord... moving on.

AP, there's a lot to defend. You're just sore because it gets in the way of your hobby and you aren't considering any other side of it, no matter how many times the other side is presented.

R U KIDDING ME?

I am not blind to the other side, it just falls on deaf ears when the "Kung-Fu scalpentry"

comes up and is defended by someone that does not even practice the art of "Kung-Fu scalpentry". Don't get all grammar nazi on me for the "Kung-Fu scalpentry"- I just made that up,

 

And it can not get in the way of my hobby, I do not purchase figs in suspect outlets, and I do not go down avenues that allow that kind of inflation, a "self manifested inflation" to be exact.

Quantity and demand is met by the designated outlet that manufacturer decides, not some back door internet hustler that was informed on how to conduct this type of behavior through one of those free seminars with the free Ipad and the free Lunch-

And you know it!