Scalpers... Come on in and say "Hi!"

[Paradigm-Shift Prime]

Originally Posted by dark_rage

"Up here in Toronto, 300miles from Ohio, all Bumblebees are in highly scarce mode...scoured the city today on a killer scalper rampage, and found just 3 of them, and we had to sweet talk TRU peeps to get those...rest of the city, with 120+ departmernt and toy stores is bone dry..wild.
Posted by: James Chillcott "

Found on Plasticcrack.net's blog comments (Search for "Chillcott")

Well, that means wave 3 is finally coming out at TRUs soon anyways. 120 stores, that's a serious commitment.

[Dark Rage]

Originally Posted by Paradigm-Shift Prime

Well, that means wave 3 is finally coming out at TRUs soon anyways. 120 stores, that's a serious commitment.

Didn't '08 Bumblebee's already come out at TRU's already? Or did I just miss the obvious fact that all the '08 BBs were only sold at Walmarts at the moment?

[GMfan]

Wal-Mart and Zellers from what I read/saw, never heard anything bout TRU yet.

[Crobot91]

Since I can't continue this discussion in the sightings thread:

Originally Posted by Crobot91

Was at Square One yesterday. Planet Hobby is as delusional as usual with their prices. Real rip-off artist - asking for $80 & tax for a loose G2 Megatron - the biggest kicker was seeing loose Energon & Cybertron Scouts/Basics going for $14-$17. Oh yeah, loose deluxes were going anywhere between $18-$25, lol...

In terms of G1 - I only saw some loose & incomplete cassettes (most look like KO's from the 80's and worse for wear; and he was still asking for outrageous sums) and a KO Cassetteman Soundwave. Even Toys, toys, toys has better prices.

Also, people should avoid buying shit there - he's one of the fellas who bought a bunch of alternators cheap @ Walmart and is now trying to sell them for like $40.

Originally Posted by GMfan101

Actually they got those 3 days before the sale on Wednesday (there shipment day) and the Wal-mart sale started Saturday of that week. Hobby's supplier now has it so they only have to pay the supplier when items sell. Please get facts straight before screaming for a store ban. Maybe you would get better deals there if you got along with the people that worked there....just a suggestion.

If anyone is still interested last I saw they had Skids, Ricochet, Rollbar, and Optimus.

I call it like it is junior (and F.Y.I. - I actually get along with Phil but that doesn't mean I can't recognise him for what he is, and that is a professional scammer & scalper ); Phil hasn't sold an alternator since he opened that shop. Coincidentally enough , he's NOW got Prime, Ricochet, & Rollbar on sale (right when the nearby Walmart has sales on Alternators) - so get your facts straight, lol.

Just 'cause you probably work for him (my assumption, of course, based on your very biased comments and constant free props to the guy) doesn't mean you need to have such a naive and ignorant viewpoint. I'm presenting another point of view so learn to live with it - "just a suggestion." :P

And to stay 'on thread' - I would list Planet Hobby as a scalper. I've seen employees from this store go to a Toronto Comic Convention a few years back to have Dreamwave artists and writers provide free signatures to like a 100 copies of transformers comics - sure enough, the next week, Planet Hobby was selling the stuff for crazy amounts.

[chisau]

I'm afraid i'm with GMfan101 on this Cobalt. I've been the Planet Hobby several times even before the sale and he had those alternators. and he is pricing his loose one according th average price of toy mags and ebay.

I think you are just hoped on to the band wagon of scalpers and thinking anyone that's selling these Alternators are Scalpers. I would not list Planet Hobby as a scalper. at least not a evil one. his price is fair for pre-SQ1 sale. and he is running a business. he does need that money to pay bills.

However, i would like to say the GMfan101's comments where on the rude side. please play nice. The Evil Scalpers that cleans the selves are the enemy. not other TF collectors or fans or proper TF dealers.

Originally Posted by Crobot91

Since I can't continue this discussion in the sightings thread:





I call it like it is junior (and F.Y.I. - I actually get along with Phil but that doesn't mean I can't recognise him for what he is, and that is a professional scammer & scalper ); Phil hasn't sold an alternator since he opened that shop. Coincidentally enough , he's NOW got Prime, Ricochet, & Rollbar on sale (right when the nearby Walmart has sales on Alternators) - so get your facts straight, lol.

Just 'cause you probably work for him (my assumption, of course, based on your very biased comments and constant free props to the guy) doesn't mean you need to have such a naive and ignorant viewpoint. I'm presenting another point of view so learn to live with it - "just a suggestion." :P

And to stay 'on thread' - I would list Planet Hobby as a scalper. I've seen employees from this store go to a Toronto Comic Convention a few years back to have Dreamwave artists and writers provide free signatures to like a 100 copies of transformers comics - sure enough, the next week, Planet Hobby was selling the stuff for crazy amounts.

[Paradigm-Shift Prime]

Knowing that in the GTA (the heart of the scalping insanity) we have various people like the guy above scouring the whole city and picking up EVERY SINGLE popular new item, I am getting worried about any good item that comes out for the next few months (I hope the scalping craziness dies as the movie hype does) being pretty much impossible to find, which is BS when they otherwise would be fairly readily available.

I am thinking 08BB/voyager Prime 2-pack, leader Brawl, and of course MP Starscream if walmart canada picks him up. For SS, I can only imagine how crazy the scalpers will go when they've gone this nuts for 08BB.

It also makes me worry that the sightings section of this site ends up servicing these 'clean-you-out-until you have nothing' scalpers as much as actual normal members, and since the scalpers seem to be insatiably blood-thirsty, guess who will respond the quickest to new sightings of a newly released item? They seem pretty serious into it, so this site would be a perfect resource for them to lurk over.

Oh and I thought I'd mention also that ebay.ca (canadian sellers) is a wreck right now, stuffed full of 08bbs and those 5-6 alts and few and far inbetween for anything else.

[y2jversion1]

Perhaps the admins/mods can change the security settings on the sightings forums at least - like you have to be a member to view and perhaps you have to have a certain number of posts or referrals to view that section..

[Paradigm-Shift Prime]

Originally Posted by y2jversion1

Perhaps the admins/mods can change the security settings on the sightings forums at least - like you have to be a member to view and perhaps you have to have a certain number of posts or referrals to view that section..

I think that's a great idea. Only I guess they would just join as members but never post anything.

Look at the Ontario sightings thread just today:

-this morning cobracommander sights many many new boxes of wave 3 deluxe (08BB) at SQ1 Walmart.

-by lunch time Maximus Prime13 sights that all those 08BBs are gone.


We know the scalpers around TO will take every single one of the items they are looking for when they find them, and we know some of our members check the stores early in the morning when new stock comes in...put two and two together and we're essentially fueling the scalper's businesses. Since they act so quick and wipe every item out, anything new being identified on the sightings thread really seems to be helping scalpers and hurting normal members.

[ANDROID PRIME]

its crazy how much the internet changes everything. even trying to go out a pick up a kids toy. its interesting yet frustrating.

[y2jversion1]

Added a suggestion in the Tech Support section.. http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showt...6176#post16176