Buy for kids?

[Omegatron]

Would you really take toys away from starving orphans? How horrible of you, the orphans clearly need your $400 toys more than you do!

Seriously, my son is 7 and he loves Transformers. He's been coming with me to TFCon for a couple of years now. He always goes with an allowance and always buys far more than he should be able too for the money he has. This is because the kind hearted dealers at TFCon will bend over backwards to actually help a kid get what he wants.

But, the important part here is he is a kid. Because he's a kid he cares about the toys that look cool, or represent his favorite characters not expensive Botcon toys of characters he's never heard of. Its O.K. to help a kid become a collectors and cut him a deal, that's a very human thing to do and who knows he may grow into a collector and help support the hobby in the future (only if he want's too I hasten to add).

Its not O.K. to pretend to be a kid just to get a better deal, that cheapens the hobby, it works against real kids learning to collect things and adds nothing. As a father with a child who likes to collect, I also think its rude. People who do this are greedy, kids are motivated by a sense of wonder and enjoyment of the brand, that's how it should be. There's nothing wrong with getting a deal or asking for a discount for legitimate reasons, just be open about it. Outright greedy people can go somewhere else.

[Pascal]

Originally Posted by chovner

She teared up, and gave me a big hug before leaving, and still trying to give me the $20.

And back home, she gave them all to her nerdy husband who then sold them all on Kijiji?

[jjwankenobi]

Hey Chovner, if you have Classics Dreadwind from the "Games Of Deception" Botcon '07 set my son is dying for it! He's scraped together $14. You game?

Yeah, I had a similar thing happen when I was selling a pair of lightly used but rare Roach mountain biking shorts on Craigslist.

Meetup with a guy who balked at asking pricing saying they were "used" and "too big for my kid". Condition, size, etc. were clearly posted and this guy seemed way too enthusiastic for someone buying MTB shorts for their "kid". Any avid BC North Shore rider knows about Roach and their legacy and this mofo was definitely one but he was failing at playing the "These aren't for me" card so I walked. Eventually found another buyer but I'm sure that guy was kicking himself hardballing.

[Shockwave 75]

The only time I ever used the "It's for my son" excuse (and yes I do have a son), was at a TRU, but it wasn't to get a discount, it was to coerce someone to go look in the back to see if they had anymore Prime FE voyagers, specifically Bulkhead.
I got my Bulkhead!

[Rodimus Prime1]

Originally Posted by Shockwave 75

The only time I ever used the "It's for my son" excuse (and yes I do have a son), was at a TRU, but it wasn't to get a discount, it was to coerce someone to go look in the back to see if they had anymore Prime FE voyagers, specifically Bulkhead.
I got my Bulkhead!

Awesome!!

I've done the same but, it was a MP grimmy, I just told the TRU manager it was for me, and he got one off the pallet .. wow great CS

[MULTIPLEX]

Originally Posted by Rodimus Prime1

Hey thats my line, but my sons 25 yrs old

Ahh. So it's a two man operation, eh?

[Rodimus Prime1]

Originally Posted by MULTIPLEX

Ahh. So it's a two man operation, eh?

yup , also I can get him to text people in "kid grammer" and tell them " I'm buying it for my dad for his birthday and I only get $5 allowance a week, all I have saved up is $10"

[edvc520]

i usually use the opposite excuse.
Whener i buy toys with my kid at TRU, the cashiers would always push those warranty for the toy. I always just cut them off by saying "its for me, i never open my toys." It shuts them up everytime

[AutobotCBL01]

Originally Posted by chovner

My son love hot wheels, so you think you could knock $10 000 off the price of your 2014 Dodge Charger? It's his favorite car... Oh and also he's sick, so make it $13 000 off... For the kids... I mean kid...

All that said, I have had a great mom buy some TFs for her sick son a few years ago. She called me on the phone and honestly said her family didn't have a lot of money, due to circumstances related to her son's sickness, but he loves Transformers and it would brighten his days a bit to have some cool ones to play with while recovering. The stuff she wanted was listed for only about $30, and she asked if I'd take $20, to which I agreed.

When she showed up the next day I gave her the bag, and told her I threw in a couple more her boy might like, she was very grateful and went to pay me the $20. I told her not to worry about it, and hoped her son got better soon, and that she's an awesome mom. She teared up, and gave me a big hug before leaving, and still trying to give me the $20.

That was a great feeling, and part of the reason why I get pissed off when I'm pretty sure someone's lying and using their kid or fake kid or fake sick kid to get a deal dishonestly. Those people are dog shit.

That was so nice!

[Sun Swipe Prime]

"It's for my son, so I don't want to spend too much on it."

"Oh, so your son must not mean that much to you if you're not willing to spend a little extra money to make him happy. That's why I'm selling my expensive toys. It'd make my son really happy when I can finally afford that operation for him, and he can have himself a working kidney. Actually after thinking about it, I'm going to have to double the price. That's just how much I love my son. Come on, give me double. You wouldn't want to deprive my son of his kidney, would you?"