At which point is reselling acceptable?

[laffy]

Originally Posted by CanBot

I'm pretty sure at this point that Hasbro is totally missing the boat when it comes to stocking enough product of the MP line. It looks like Grimlock MP is done...whether or not they re-release is besides the point. Why would they 'not' produce enough to meet demand, even in the short term? It's a question that everybody has a smart answer for, and I've read enough of them over the last year to know.

Laffy said it best: buy it when you see it, don't wait, don't hesitate, just friggin BUY IT and answer any questions later. Ok, he didn't say it in so many words but it's the best advice I've read so far. I blame Hasbro for not stocking enough MP product, but I can't blame em' for making great toys

At least there was *some opporunity to pick him up online, which many of you did. He would have been a more impulse buy anyway, but I sure hope Generations Jetfire doesn't follow the same path. Either way, I see it, I'll buy it and ask questions later!

don't know about you, but there is tones of mp-03 in the gta and tones more soon due to people returning there's knowing that theirs NOT going to be a good market value for him, also when the 45 day returns is up too. mp-03 is sh@t unlike mp-08 and said it before feel really bad for people that sold their mp-08 to be replaced by mp-03.

[Omegatron]

Rent seeking (look it up to get a better definition) is when you restrict supply to concentrate resources and artificially inflate your own wealth by selling those resources at inflated prices. Scalping is rent seeking and is generally frowned upon both amoung collectors and in the economy as a whole.

Buying a toy for a friend I see as similar to holding a seat for someone else at a movie theatre. Saving one or two is fine, but don't hog the whole row.

[CanBot]

Well, ya learn something every day. I figured it was a Hasbro fault, so my mistake. I suppose the next thing would be to try to contact TRU to express any complaints...but something tells me that it's the sales staff themselves who are behind the mass-purchases. Who else would better know the market, and more importantly, what's going to be hot in the future?

But if TRU is the cause, then why was MP10 in such low supply? Surely Hasbro has something to do with that. From what I can tell, YOTH has better availability and I'm sure has probably outsold MP10 But maybe that's the thing...jack up interest, then sell us something 'close but not quite', with the fear that it won't be available again, only to re-release MP10 a few years down the road.

I guess that kinda makes sense. I just wish it was more logical. I shouldn't have to go to extremes to pick up a Hasbro MP, but if it weren't for a board member here (thanks!) I wouldn't have gotten Soundwave at all.

The rule: see it, buy it, ask questions later. Now I know!


...and...we all know that KNOWING...is HALF...


...the battle.

[Sun Swipe Prime]

Originally Posted by CanBot

But if TRU is the cause, then why was MP10 in such low supply? Surely Hasbro has something to do with that.

If memory serves, the MP that came out before MP10 was Rodimus. Rodimus shelf-warmed for quite a while, at least around here. Also Rodimus had well known QC issues, so it's possible that there was a significant amount of returns. I know I had to return one because its arm just fell off.

Also I'm trying to remember. I think there were already a bunch of big Optimus Primes shelf warming, like the Powerizer ones. Also The Year of the Dragon Optimus came out at the exact same time, which was another $100 Optimus Prime that shelf warmed for quite a while.

Take those things into consideration and maybe they just decided to order for a certain number of $100+ Optimus Primes thinking both were basically the same thing and ordered less of MP10 because of the previous QC issues with Rodimus.

I still don't see how you can blame Hasbro. If they over produce a toy, they're the ones who are left holding the bag. If TRU or Walmart etc. don't want the toys, who's going to take them off Hasbro's hands? That's how unreleased waves of toys end up in discount stores like Winners, and I suspect Winners doesn't pay as well as TRU.

[CanBot]

After reading your posts, the fair thing to do is blame 'em BOTH

After all, if Hasbro really thought that Rodimus was going to be as popular as MP10, then they're eating the magic mushrooms again. QC issues aside, which is Hasbro's fault, TRU dropped the ball on ordering the MP10s in enough quantity, and Hasbro misjudged the popularity of that figure. Although I shake my head why, because it's a no-brainer.

If they're marketing the MPs to adult collectors (which I still don't truly believe, or else they wouldn't sell them exclusively at TRU...lots more Walmarts around than TRU in smaller cities), and I'd rather buy from Walmart than TRU anyway.

The strangest shelfwarmer I ever got to see was Skywarp...dude sat around for months n months, but since his character never really mattered to me in the cartoon, he was an easy pass. But that's besides the point.

TRU has no excuse after Soundwave. Awesome figure, awesome price and he was around for a nice long time, although I'd prefer to have seen him stick around even longer. So Grimlock should not have gone down the MP10 route where you don't even know he's out by the time he's sold out.

I saw that ridiculous (IMO) giant YOTH Starscream and it just made me shrug. I was looking for a longshot MP3 Grimlock, but yet who do I find, you got it Pontiac, YOTH Starscream. Not even a YOTH Prime, lol! I mighta impulsed that one, to be honest.

Anyways, my point is it's been far, far too difficult to find the MPs in the wild. If TRU stocks them, they should be ordered in numbers to carry them in stock for a month at least. I'll be a monkey's uncle if MP10 was on shelves, warming away for a month. I missed out and was sour, but my life was such that I couldn't check in weekly on this great site to give me a head's up.

Anyways, see it: buy it is my new mantra ...as it should have been all along!

[big dawg]

I think many people forget about howl ong the MP seekers sat on the shelves at walmart until they were eventually clearanced... we almost lost all north american MPs with that venture so I can understand why they aren't having more physical stock in stores. plus they have been fairly abundant on online as long as you buy them within the first month. if you can't buy online, well, I got nothing.

[BoNKerS]

With the beauty of the interwebs I don't find "Scalping" such an issue anymore.

I mean anything available within retail is easily attainable now. I do purchase from Canada, U.S. and Japan. I.E. HTS, TRU.com, A/E, HLJ, Slayback etc... TRU.ca online pre-ordering system is fantastic. KUDOS to them!

I had missed the initial boat on the Dragonzord, patience and a tip from Primecron I was able to find one.

When is reselling acceptable? Anytime... Do as you wish, make that $$$!!

[Buhawi]

You can resell how you want.

Don't expect other people to go blind all of a sudden. Yeah, man.

In the end, again, who cares what other people think...

[CanBot]

TRU MPs should stick to what actually sells: G1 molds from guys you actually saw on the cartoon (and no Seekers other than SS).

We 'should' see a Hasbro version of the new BB, Wheeljack...we really should. Neither will shelfwarm. For every MP that was a warmer, there's one that wasn't. That should be good enough, and they should learn what sells (G1) and what doesn't (YEAR OF THE WHATEVER), or at least be realistic in their expectations. YOTH Starscream, for instance. How could they think that was a good idea?...at $114, who the F are they marketing that towards? It doesn't make much sense. And in this day and age, there really should be no excuse for improper market placement.

[SleeplessKnight]

Thumbs up to everyone who chimed in on Scalpers creating an artificial scarcity.

If you're going to scalp, at least wait a year before selling it to give anyone who missed it the first time a chance to get it. Don't insult the general populace by trying to sell us a currently released figure.