The Scalper Annoyance Thread

[skrilla 88]

Originally Posted by zfarsh

Guys, pls don't buy TFs from Kijiji or craiglist!!! Maybe we can discourage them a bit.

Not gunna happen.

Back in 09 or 10, (whenever TFA Arcee came out) I scoured all over the city looking for an Animated Arcee and never found one. I went on Kijiji, emailed a seller, and got it for $25. I paid more than I would have liked to, but to finally have the figure in my hands, it was all worth it.

[elburrito]

Originally Posted by legenddkillaa

Sour grapes?

...make for the best wines?

After reading this and considering the sightings thread, I'm beginning to think it's us clearing them off the shelves. I don't think anyone could actually make a living scalping. And FezAid has a point about the distribution.

[Wheeljack Off]

Originally Posted by elburrito

...make for the best wines?

After reading this and considering the sightings thread, I'm beginning to think it's us clearing them off the shelves. I don't think anyone could actually make a living scalping. And FezAid has a point about the distribution.

SO what have you considered on the sightings thread?

Also, not seeing Fezaids point, can you elaborate on this?

[legenddkillaa]

[elburrito]

I took FezAid to mean that distributing larger amounts of the sought after stuff would help make sure everyone who wants a toy can find it. And by sought after stuff, I mean mainline g1 masterpieces. My TRU had about 12 MP 10s and has about 60 Sunstorms. How could anyone claim that shouldn't have been the other way around?

As for the sightings, if A posts that 10 whatever toy are at some store, and B goes and picks up 2 for B and a couple each for buddies C, D & E, and F gets one for F, G etc...no wonder the toy is all gone and scalpers had nothing to do with it.

Meanwhile, scalper Joe goes to everyone's source for cheap plastic crap (Wally Mart) and cleans out 20 leader jetfires (whatever toy has a name now) turns around and sells them for double, the profit would be $600. That's great and all but not enough to pay the bills probably and that's ideal. They've got to sell and sell fast to be worth it. Meanwhile TRU has a 25% off sale and scalper Joe's profits start to dissappear.

It just seems to me that as likely as not that we're the culprits behind the empty toy aisle.

[elburrito]

Originally Posted by legenddkillaa

This makes my eyes water

[legenddkillaa]

[FEZaid]

Originally Posted by Wheeljack Off

SO what have you considered on the sightings thread?

Also, not seeing Fezaids point, can you elaborate on this?

Originally Posted by elburrito

I took FezAid to mean that distributing larger amounts of the sought after stuff would help make sure everyone who wants a toy can find it. And by sought after stuff, I mean mainline g1 masterpieces. My TRU had about 12 MP 10s and has about 60 Sunstorms. How could anyone claim that shouldn't have been the other way around?

Yeah, for an example, look at the movie toy line (AOE,DOTM,ROTF,Movie 1) why doesn't that sell out immediately? Because retailers are constantly purchasing it for their store(s) in a much larger quantities. If this army of scalpers is real, there would not be anything on shelves.

My local TRU has gotten sought out collectables or figures many time, not so much for Transformers. BUT they sure have a lot of Power Rangers Legacy stuff, Neca, and TMNT, shelf warming. Why don't those fly off the shelves?

[Robimus]

Originally Posted by positivelyken

It's probably politically correct on these forums to downplay the scalper phenomenon as a "bogeyman", some fictional thing, to blame when something you're looking for isn't in stock.

It isn't about political correctness, just my honest view on the subject.

Being as plugged into the local collecting community as I am I've often seen charges of "scalping" when I know the product has gone to local collectors.

When something new hits and I come here, and check out our local facebook group, and see that most of them ended up in the hands of local collectors. People who buy more than one are most often helping out other locals trying to get their hands on a product.

Scalping does exist to be certain, but I've seen it falsly blamed a lot.

[Goaliebot]

Canadian (BC) seller on ebay right now. Some still in the TRU bags.