Are scalpers real?

[Agent 539]

Scalpers are very real. When I worked at TRU back in 95, they would come in morning after morning looking for Hot Wheels and discussing estimated prices from toy books and going thru the boxes looking for "rare ones" and such. Before the days of eBay!, you would find card shops and little kiosks filled with multiples of these "rare" Hot Wheels. Don't think it doesn't happen anywhere else? That's nuts too. People on eBay! selling 3 MP SS's at a time? But that's capitolism for you.

[trench]

The fact that old, fat guys in their 50s with white beards are rather far outside the demographic who cared anything about '80s toy properties during the time, and that few of even the most obsessed collectors return every day to buy shopping-cart-fulls of the same character every morning?

 

Ironically that describes the proprietor of a tiny local toy store I visit on occasion. I always called it a "scalper" store in jest because he always has the newest stuff marked up about 1.5-2.0x - I say "in jest," because I figured he was just getting his stock from Entertainment Earth, Diamond Select, etc. (someplace that sells cases of stuff for about regular retail). Then one day I happened to hit a local Wal-mart about 15m after it opened and saw him coming out with a bunch of toys - so I guess the joke was on me.

 

And by self-righteousness, it is meant for people like you, who enjoy branding others while they continue to believe they live the Puritan lifestyle and don't do the same thing when opportunity knocks.

 

I can confirm that Glue isn't a scalper, he picked up a USMPSS and sold it to me for cost.

 

However, that brings up another point that should be addressed in any "scalper" thread (and which Smooth Jazz aluded to); how much of the activity attributed to scalpers is simply fellow fans helping out a buddy who can't make it to the store, or people who buy two to "keep one MISB" or the kitbashers who buy multiples? I think in cases like USMPSS these contributed quite a bit to the "hard-to-findness" of him.

[Stormtrooper53]

However, that brings up another point that should be addressed in any "scalper" thread (and which Smooth Jazz aluded to); how much of the activity attributed to scalpers is simply fellow fans helping out a buddy who can't make it to the store, or people who buy two to "keep one MISB" or the kitbashers who buy multiples? I think in cases like USMPSS these contributed quite a bit to the "hard-to-findness" of him.

But what is the reason most people keep a figure MSIB? Yes, I'm aware that there are some out there that do it "just because," but is that the majority?

[Smooth Jazz]

Anyone who still isn't convinced scalpers don't exist needs to have a Hannah Montana concert held in their town. When little Miss What-Billy-Ray-Wishes-His-Career-Had-Been came to Lex Vegas, the slime of humanity came out to shine.

 

I also see that same douchebaggery every time I go to a football or basketball game. Big signs saying "I need tickets"... yeah, right.

[siburke939]

Merriam-Webster Dictionary: scalp: to buy and sell so as to make small quick profits

 

by that definition, we're all scalpers or have been at some point. You use the word like a scarlet letter because you just hate he got to it first and now you can't pay retail or less for it.

 

i don't get the big debate on all forums. Is it denial of our own individual scalping here and there, or maybe self-righteousness?

lol dude, not everyone does that

 

Anyone who buys something at retail for the express purpose of turning a profit on eBay or elsewhere = a douche-sucking ass bandit whose mom gives it up at after-prom parties for heroin

If it wasn't for them "douche-sucking ass bandit whose mom gives it up at after-prom parties for heroin" type dudes I wouldn't have been able to obtain even half the collection I currently own. Just saying...

[Stormtrooper53]

Merriam-Webster Dictionary: scalp: to buy and sell so as to make small quick profits

 

by that definition, we're all scalpers or have been at some point. You use the word like a scarlet letter because you just hate he got to it first and now you can't pay retail or less for it.

 

i don't get the big debate on all forums. Is it denial of our own individual scalping here and there, or maybe self-righteousness?

lol dude, not everyone does that

 

Anyone who buys something at retail for the express purpose of turning a profit on eBay or elsewhere = a douche-sucking ass bandit whose mom gives it up at after-prom parties for heroin

If it wasn't for them "douche-sucking ass bandit whose mom gives it up at after-prom parties for heroin" type dudes I wouldn't have been able to obtain even half the collection I currently own. Just saying...

Now that you say that, if it hadn't been for one of those possible douche-bags (since I don't know the guy personally) I wouldn't have been able to get a Walscream, so...hmmmm.

 

Of course, if it hadn't been for even more of those douch-bags, I may have been able to find one in the store in the first place, so...double hmmmm.

[Vortex prime]

nevermind looked it up..that might explain why i can never find bumblebee...>_>

[Goktimus Prime]

Next time anyone sees a scalper, take a photo or video of them doing it. Then kick them in the nuts.

[KnightSoul]

There's a collectable store in a mall I go to that was the only place you could find Transformers two weeks before this past Christmas. Reason being is because they priced them so high. All their Deluxe figures (including '08 Bumblebee) were $35, Ultimate Bumblebee was close to $200. They also had other random toys, ranging from Star Wars to Bleach, Naruto and Kingdom Hearts imports, but it was all the same crap that had been there since the summer because no one was buying.

 

What really irritated me, though, was that the only things in a reasonable price range were knockoff toys. Cheaply made, horribly painted Dragonball Z figures, obviously fake G. I. Joes and Keyblade necklaces that still had the ragged edges from where the mold closed around it.

 

I've never bought anything from that store and I never will, but I'll walk in for a laugh. Seriously though, it's unforgivable.

[Glue]

However, that brings up another point that should be addressed in any "scalper" thread (and which Smooth Jazz aluded to); how much of the activity attributed to scalpers is simply fellow fans helping out a buddy who can't make it to the store, or people who buy two to "keep one MISB" or the kitbashers who buy multiples? I think in cases like USMPSS these contributed quite a bit to the "hard-to-findness" of him.

There's definitely that, particularly with such a low-volume item such as Walscream. Course, there never seems to be any shortage of them on eBay.. :tflaugh

 

Anyone who buys something at retail for the express purpose of turning a profit on eBay or elsewhere = a douche-sucking ass bandit whose mom gives it up at after-prom parties for heroin

If it wasn't for them "douche-sucking ass bandit whose mom gives it up at after-prom parties for heroin" type dudes I wouldn't have been able to obtain even half the collection I currently own. Just saying...

Yeah, some service is being provided in your case, at least. Looking at the number of high-demand toys that are always plentiful on eBay/Amazon and nowhere in people's local stores that originally received them though, it's clearly about trying to create artificial scarcity (although some vendors out there really aren't any better :tflaugh).