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[ARROW]

Hey ARROW,

Jokes aside, if you have an opinion... Share it.  We need different opinions to make things interesting here.  Otherwise jokers like 5h4rK and myself have to fill in the gaps with our stupid slapstick humor!   

I will but I gotta write it out and that will take time, and I have a deadline at the moment. It'll be a couple of days....

[Talon]

here's my two bits. I don't have a problem with people looking to purchase something with goal of reselling it to make money. This is capitalism. I do have a problem with the arrogance of people who do it and mock collectors for lamenting the scalper. I think that part of the fun of collecting is the hunt. To be beaten to the goal by a guy purchasing the same item you were after is annoying, but hey, that's life. If scalpers wanna laugh at us about it, let'em. The problem is that there IS a market out there. Whether you wanna blame Hasbro (or any company) for low runs, crappy distribution, or just the sweetness of a specific mold or item, the fact remains that there are people that will still pay for this. Don't believe me, take a look at Evilbay and Craigslist. Supply and Demand. Since there is a demand for something, someone, somewhere will find a way to supply it. And if they make a profit, so much the better, for them. Its not right or fair, but neither is life. There is a certain sense of schadenfraude when scalpers buy up a bunch of stuff and have to dump for the same price they paid, or less, in order to move it. It does happen from time to time (karma, anyone?) But the bottom line is there is a demand, which will be filled. If we were all honorable (and by this, I mean, all mankind) this wouldn't be a problem. But alas, these are times where everyone is out for their own gratification.

as Dennis Miller would say, "that's just my opinion, I could be wrong!"

[pdaat]

The one thing that troop builders and scalpers do have in common is that they drive up demand for certain figures.  If I troop builder or scalper clears the pegs of an Alley Viper, other local collectors will be forced to hit other sources to get that figure.  They may have different motives, but the end result for some is the same.

[latinjoe22]

There are so many degrees of scalping we can start listing them, and we'll most likely end up pointing figures at each other, even though we're collectors at the very base. Yes, it is possible for anyone to adopt momentarily or during a phase a scalping practice, but that doesn't make us wear the label "scalper" forever". I do believe that scalping takes its more definitive form when the one that is scalping has no other relationship that the money making process involved in it. In other words, I think a real scalper in our line of hobby is someone who doesn't collect at all and just plainly does it for the money. It's hard for me to tell by the looks of someone emptying an entire toy section, who is one and who is not. IMO the best way to fight the problem with not finding your shortpacked figures at your local store, is to try harder than the scalpers themselves, and outrun them. Obviously, they feel that we are complaining and we don't do enough to find our toys already. They obviously know they are doing something that pisses off many collectors, so some of them take the defensive mode and respond in the more immature and irresponsible way possible: they take it out on the fact that we might be jealous. That's like putting everyone in the same basket. Not everyone is jealous, everyone is mainly just pissed. So what are we going to do about it? We fight in the best way we can: we stick together. We form part of a community like this one, and we use the knowledge on this site, by sharing our findings and picking up what we can so that we have a better chance to find what we're looking for. Agreed, scalpers or people scalping have the same accessibility to all the cool information we do. But while most of us can run the race for others, there's always a good chance scalpers will be outrun and not always find what they're looking for.

[pdaat]

I am no saint either.  I blew out alot of Alpha wave 3 sets into the US.  However, it all honesty it started as a way to stop others from marking up the $8 to $50-70 by flooding the market rapidly.

Maybe even peeved off someone on this board doing it, but I know I don't like getting hosed like that.

[latinjoe22]

I am no saint either.  I blew out alot of Alpha wave 3 sets into the US.  However, it all honesty it started as a way to stop others from marking up the $8 to $50-70 by flooding the market rapidly.

Maybe even peeved off someone on this board doing it, but I know I don't like getting hosed like that.

And neither am I. I even tried to sell my two doubles of the ROC Alpha wave 3 vehicules (polar shark and lava pod) that Bandonov good willingly helped to find for me, but I had no immediate success. All vehicles did go to fellow members here. I only kept for my nephew one boxed polar shark and one loose Lava pod which curiously... became his favorite toy, even though it is not chromed  :wink:

[B]

I have no problems with scalpers as I never pay more then what I'm willing to spend. Sometimes that sucks because I would really like a particular item but when the money is gone, its gone.

[pdaat]

Exactly B.  No one is holding a gun to your head.