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Do We Overvalue Our Hobby?


madman1366

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I feel that personal value dictates all other kinds of value including monetary. If it isn't worth it to you, then you won't buy it. If you don't buy it, then the demand isn't there. Demand drives the market. Lack of demand makes monetary value go down.

Any sort of product manipulation still only affects personal demand/value. This only fails to hold true if you're a speculator/scalper/gouger/scumbag in which case you're the root of the problem and won't be getting my money.

And of course everyone having a specific figure will drive down the cost because you would have supply meeting or exceeding demand. Unless you're really into said figure, in which case (again) only your personal value would come into play.

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Where to start with this: This is probably the most insidious and frustrating part of being a Transformers collector right now.

Online retailers and second hand sellers that buy direct from Has/Tak reduce supply and corner the market, then get to dictate price in the second hand market. Masterpiece Thundercracker was the most egregious example of this in recent time. You can't tell me it's rare when the one you're selling is sitting on top of a full case of them. I would pay the $250 to go to that guys house and punch him square in the gonads. He could keep the figure. To address Madman's question, yes, in my mind this sort of artificial price fixing is less than ethical.

 

 

 

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Where to start with this: This is probably the most insidious and frustrating part of being a Transformers collector right now.

Online retailers and second hand sellers that buy direct from Has/Tak reduce supply and corner the market, then get to dictate price in the second hand market. Masterpiece Thundercracker was the most egregious example of this in recent time. You can't tell me it's rare when the one you're selling is sitting on top of a full case of them. I would pay the $250 to go to that guys house and punch him square in the gonads. He could keep the figure. To address Madman's question, yes, in my mind this sort of artificial price fixing is less than ethical.

 

You saw that guy, too, eh?

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Take this into consideration. Those vendors had to transport all that stock from their home base to the convention. They had to pay for a moving van or air cargo, airline tickets, convention passes, $250 for a booth, all the booth setup apparatus, hotel nights, food, etc. Of course they're going to have a mark-up at the show. These people have spent hundreds of dollars to show their wares and quite honestly I think they do deserve a markup. After all, they provided a convenient service to fans by allowing their rare items and overseas merchandise to be readliy accessible.

 

Vendors have to survive too, you know.

 

It's one thing to raise the prices a little to help recoup fees, I can see that to a point. However, it's another thing to jack the prices way up for the extra profit. A relatively small increase per figure would probably do it for most of the bigger retailers at conventions. They will pretty easily make a good buck simply through selling a lot of stuff...they don't need to jack the prices as they do. If they didn't do that, they would probably sell a lot more!

 

Keep in mind they already have their prices inflated to make profit and pay for fees. In some cases I've seen convention prices DOUBLE that of what you'd be able to find them for even on ebay.

 

But they know if people have money, they will have a hard time saying NO to whatever figures they are looking for no matter how high the price is. When it's staring them right in the face, it's not easy to turn away.

 

Show me a convention seller who undercuts all the rest on prices and I'll show you a seller who is gonna make a CRAPLOAD of money! They may not get as much profit per figure, but they will sell a helluva lot more.

 

For me, a convention is nice to see all the stuff you haven't seen before, the people, and other things going on. For buying? NO. The one convention I went to I saw more sellers scaring people away who were looking to buy than I actually saw people buying. I ended up buying exclusives, but not much else because I knew whatever was there, I could get much cheaper if I simply waited. Sure they still sold lots of stuff, but I can't help but think they would all sell a helluva lot more if the prices were a bit more down to earth and at least CLOSE to their online prices.

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It's just funny just how much "adults" will pay for pieces of plastic meant for children, price gouging or not. Thank God I grew up in the 80s when toys were still relatively cheap. You couldn't go wrong with a $3 dollar Gi Joe figure; or $15 dollars for an Optimus Prime. Thank God I got out of this hobby and my toy collecting, including Transformer collecting days are over. Speaking of the 80's, I wonder if toy scalping/gouging was a "big business" back in the day like it has been in the last 15 years?

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It's just funny just how much "adults" will pay for pieces of plastic meant for children, price gouging or not. Thank God I grew up in the 80s when toys were still relatively cheap. You couldn't go wrong with a $3 dollar Gi Joe figure; or $15 dollars for an Optimus Prime. Thank God I got out of this hobby and my toy collecting, including Transformer collecting days are over. Speaking of the 80's, I wonder if toy scalping/gouging was a "big business" back in the day like it has been in the last 15 years?

 

Yes it always was. My father worked briefly for Caldor Dept. Stores in the early 80s and was dept. manager of the toys section (oh those were the Christmases let me tell you...) When Cabbage Patch Kids were the big thing he was every parent we knews go to guy. He'd sneak one out (paid of course) every day or so and make a few hundred off of each of them. Apparently one guy who worked with my mother paid him $400 for a specific one. And that was $400 in the early 80s for an ugly toy doll. I wish he still worked retail as a toy manager, that would be sweet.

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