Boardie Question - At what point are you a scalper?

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by imfallenangel

I read this thread, and see an add on the side of the page that shows someone selling Dollar Tree (and other dollar stores) ultra cheap figures for over 15$ plus another 15+ for shipping...

Now that's some classy scalping right there Lou....


But more to the point...

You are a scalper if:

• you're buying only with the purpose to resell at as high as inflated price, time factor is irrelevant
• you hunt and buy every figure of a specific character to create a void so to resell at higher price
• you hunt and clear out every store you can when there's a sale/liquidation so to resell at high price
• you use illicit approaches to buy large numbers and prevent individuals of doing single purchases

Some might say that it's a way of life, with some people reporting seeing owner of hobby stores doing this very sort of thing, but it's just a nasty way to just profit.

And I consider anyone that tries to justify any of it as being defensive as they know that they are doing it and trying to justify their own actions... no one wants to think or admit to be the "bad person", but well... the actions speak for themselves.

No one wants to loose out either and I understand that, and of course, if you decide to sell something and the selling price has increased, that's understandable, but to seek out to do it on purpose, to try and artificially increase the prices, that's the bad thing.

But when I see a liquidation or sale on an item and I see that guy pushing a cart with EVERY SINGLE figure of that sale... not one of each character... and no one else can get even a single one...well, I just end up hoping that person wraps his car around a cement post and that those figures end up with a massive overstock that's even cheaper and that they lose their freaking houses over being stuck with worthless stock.

PREACH HALLELUJAHHHH

[Ransak The Elder]

The Tennessee brothers who bought up all the Hand Sanitizer during the covid pandemic were seen as douche bags or as upstanding citizens running a business?

Martin Shkrelli is an infamous scalper who is basically a meme for being the worst human being you can possibly be.

When ticketmaster got busted have a backdoor scalper program provinces across Canada tried to make it illegal to scalp tickets.

Is scalping good? No its bad for everyone. Yes this is just collectibles but history remembers them as wankers in every case.

[Solauren]

To me, scalping is when something is still in stores, and up to 6 months afterwards, when selling it for more then 5% mark-up.

[ngnaw]

So let me get this straight so I can understand some views i've been reading here. I'll use an example with the current sale of Siege figures. (I didn't buy 5 I have 2 lol)

There are 5 Siege Astrotrains at a TRU and they are on sale for $27.97 and they are the last 5 available in all TRUs but I don't know this. I buy them all. I keep 2 and have 3 to sell. I want to sell them to board members here for lets say $45 dollars. What do you think of this? I just want to understand.

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by ngnaw

So let me get this straight so I can understand some views i've been reading here. I'll use an example with the current sale of Siege figures. (I didn't buy 5 I have 2 lol)

There are 5 Siege Astrotrains at a TRU and they are on sale for $27.97 and they are the last 5 available in all TRUs but I don't know this. I buy them all. I keep 2 and have 3 to sell. I want to sell them to board members here for lets say $45 dollars. What do you think of this? I just want to understand.

I think you're a piece of shit. You cleaned out the shelves for anybody else in the area for the express purpose of selling at a premium. That's a dick move.

[ngnaw]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

I think you're a piece of shit. You cleaned out the shelves for anybody else in the area for the express purpose of selling at a premium. That's a dick move.

Ok but when they were 20% off of $69.99 (it would be $56) and widely available, no one was buying them. Now I come along and want to sell them at $45 and there is a problem with that? hmmmmmm

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by ngnaw

Ok but when they were 20% off of $69.99 (it would be $56) and widely available, no one was buying them. Now I come along and want to sell them at $45 and there is a problem with that? hmmmmmm

Are you deliberately ignoring the piece where you CLEANED OUT A STORE, and are now selling these for a profit after removing all supplies from the playing field?

Your $45 isn't relevant. Your clearing a bunch of shit out, screwing others out of fairly obtaining some sale items, and then marking them up to sell is.

[Jove]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

Are you deliberately ignoring the piece where you CLEANED OUT A STORE, and are now selling these for a profit after removing all supplies from the playing field?

Your $45 isn't relevant. Your clearing a bunch of shit out, screwing others out of fairly obtaining some sale items, and then marking them up to sell is.

Preach, brother.

Just because you CAN do something, just because it is legal, doesn't mean it isn't grade A, first class, douchebaggery.

Bottom line: don't be a douche, then people will be unlikely to call you out for it.

[UsernamePrime]

[ssjgoku22]

Even retailers are getting sick of scalpers too. At Toysrus today, in the Transformers and Marvel Legends sections, TRU put up signs saying "All collectors items are limited to one per customer ". Even they know scalpers when they see one. I'm happy to see large retailers supporting fair business.