Ridiculous Transformer prices

[Pgianos]

Guys, we need to stop entertaining ridiculous markups for retail items. MP hasbro grimlock retailing at 69.99 being sold for 250 plus is absolutely ridiculous.

Listen im 34 and my generation is the reason for the rise in prices because we have money now and loved our toys. Hence, scalpers/capitalists/scum are taking advntage of us. Most of us our collectors for PERMANENT display. We are not investors and ill tell you why.

To all you investors out there when my/our generation moves on the interest for g1 will die and so will the market. So my fellow colletors for pleasure, do not pay these ridiculous prices and just be patient.

I bought MP TCs and sold them for 70 dollars on kijiji bc i hate scalpers. Look on ebay there are tonnes of MP-TC for sale collecting dust as stupid prices and i hope they stay there.

Please, I am upperclass so money is no issue for me, but i still refuse to reward those that want to exploit an innocent love for our childhood toys that remind us when our lives were simpler.

Pgianos

[chuchupika]

True on what you are saying.

[Goaliebot]

I'm 36 and i refuse to pay rediculous scalper prices. That said, there is a difference between scalping toys currently on the market vs higher prices for toys no longer on the market. I loathe scalpers who clear out stores of the high demand TFs in order to scalp them at the same time - because they interfered with the retail chain to artificially deprive fans of the figures and force themselves in where they provide NO additional value.

However, when a toy is long gone from shelves, it's harder to call someone a scalper. There's no way we'd demand someone with a MISB G1 Fortress Maximus sell it for the original pricetag of $99.

Something like MP Grimlock falls in between. He's been off shelves for almost 2 years now, so some markup in resale is fair. $250? No. But what is fair? Some say whatever the market will pay. Supply and demand. Others feel its highway robbery and that most of the MP Grimlocks and auch on sale these days are from scalpers who bought a ton to hold for a year and a half and resell.

For resale of toys off the market, theres no easy answer.

[Nomad]

I believe the Ferengi say it best with something along the lines of the only true value of a collectable being what you can get someone to pay for it.

[Jove]

I'm in my 30's and I won't pay huge mark-ups for anything either. Although to be honest, I'm not even paying the going rate for the 3rd party stuff - $60 for a deluxe is WAY too much for me - even if the figures are universally acknowledged as awesome. That's just me, though.

Each of us has to decide what our price tolerance will be. It would be great to never pay scalpers (as defined by Goaliebot above), and if scalpers had no market, then they'd stop doing it. But you'll never be able to control other people. If they want the figures, they'll pay scalpers (sadly).

Having said that, I sympathize with your outrage, and I am supporting your proposal never to pay Ridiculous Transformer Prices. I'm not sure what affect we'll have, however.

[Nomad]

Well if nothing else, not paying outrageous prices for things will help us & our wallets, and that in itself sounds good to me. I'm always on the hunt for the best deal because I know I can get it, and when it comes to a point of something I want being more expensive than I wanna pay, then I simply don't get it.

[rego00123]

try collecting hot toys and missing the initial release of a figure...literally double the cost within 4 months of release on the secondary market if you want something

i don't mind paying a little extra for something like this, they are limited runs and dictate the secondary market values by the numbers available. the same goes for something like a MP transformer. you realistically have two options if you want one and miss it because of the "limited" numbers and outlets that carried them.

1: buy the just as/more expensive takara release
2: pay just as much getting the domestic release later

either way you're spending a few hundred dollars.

Mp's having limited runs is what drives their cost up. you also have to remember not everyone has the ability to walk into their local retailer and or purchase at the time these things comes out for various reasons and because of that are force to play the secondary market if they even want the choice of owning them.

it all comes with being a collector unfortunately

[justprime]

G1 for the most part will never be cheap as they were never massproduced or repainted to death like the lines that came after and since some pieces will not likely be reissued due to the fact Hasbro/takara do not own the rights and pieces from the european/japanese lines are also not
likely to reappear those prices will not come down,... however that being said if you want to rant contact Hasbro via there website on the box and retailers like toysrus, walmart and ask why it is that we are paying higer costs for less product , quality control problems, cheaper plastics, the fact that we only seem to be a dumping ground for old stock if toyrus can bring in massive old stock (DOTM) why is it a TOY store I REPEAT A TOY STORE cannot bring in new stock why no new prime waves , why no MP etc.. but no shortage of DOTM toys,...(cetainly not worried on the dollar value when you have to mark down product unless your getting it for a song to begin with) better yet refuse to buy any TFs for 6 months incourage friend to as well,.. and see if that makes an impact,other wise things will stay status quo

[ImNotThePro]

Well I'm 16 and I feel that Transformer prices are too high right now. It seems that deluxe figures have gone down in size, and up in price. A scout size figure for $20.00 is ridiculous IMO.

Then there's DOTM Bumblebee for like $4.00 lol

[Rev]

I support the idea of the original post. It is a sad state of affairs.