The Energon Pub

Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:19 pm

Hello,

I've been a long time fan/collector, but I fell out of it about three years ago for various reasons. Now that money (and space) got tight, I thought of unloading a few of my Transformers, but when I looked on eBay, I saw certain figures were going for far less than what I paid (or in many cases, didn't pay) for them just a few years ago. In many cases, nobody was bidding at all.

When did the market dry up? It seems I could restart collecting and pay far less than what I would have had to pay back then.

News Credits: 10 · Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:43 pm

Which figures are going for far less?

There was a big resurgence about 3 years ago when the 1st movie came out. Prices have fallen back down to pre-movie prices as far as I can tell.

Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:51 pm

well, the specific example was Alternator Nemesis Prime, although I looked up multiple figures (as well as generic 'G1," "Alternator," etc searches.)

The Nemesis Prime figure was almost $200 at DragonCon at 2006 (although my friend and I talked him down to $200 for both that figure and an ultra-rare Daredevil figure).

I also remember the Swerve alternator going for a mint back then, and I felt blessed to have my wife randomly come across one at Toys R Us.

Anyway, it just seemed off that most of my eBay searches had zero bids, and the ones that did have a bid were far less than what I remember.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:53 pm

I notice somethings are more expensive than they were and others seemed to be cheaper than they were.Reissues and KO's tend to affect prices and the usual supply and demend.I guess it depends what your selling like Lapse of Reason mentioned.

News Credits: 5 · Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:56 pm

I just sold 4 medium priced items in only a couple of weeks to other collectors just by posting them here on Seibertron. Plenty of great things have come out of late and more greatness is on the horizon.

If you think the markets died down, try getting an Animated Arcee or Rodimus or any version of the Classics Hot Rod mold!

Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:00 pm

I have an original G1 Hot Rod, but not the classic

And, yeah, I sold more on this and another board than I have on eBay. (I couldn't remember my old username and password, so I had to create a new one)

News Credits: 16 · Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:10 pm

Toy values are based on demand in the after market. If no one wants to buy your old toys, they're not really worth anything unfortunately. It sounds like Alternators have fallen by the wayside to the Classics line and 3rd party products. That Swerve though, mighty expensive still.

Is it possible you overpaid? I've seen a lot of sellers overcharge on G1 vintage toys... either because they can get away with it, or they're clueless, or both.

News Credits: 3 · Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:23 pm

Alternators prices were on the higher side for a while a few years ago, but they seem to have come back a bit...at least last I checked. I don't recall Nemesis Prime ever going anywhere near $200, though. I don't think I ever saw him go over $100 actually...$55 to $75 seemed about the going rate that I always saw. And that he found a resurgence to online shops in pretty large quantities about a year ago or so didn't help his value any.

Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:28 pm

Well, the toy my friend bought at DragonCon, the Yellow Daredevil, was going for close to $200 at the time, so the fact we were able to get the pair for $200, I thought was a steal. (and my friend paid the whole tab, as an early wedding present.)

News Credits: 3 · Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:30 pm

elementalbot wrote:(and my friend paid the whole tab, as an early wedding present.)

Now that is a steal...

Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:30 pm

And, for the record, if the Alternator prices have plummeted, I see no reason to not go ahead and buy those last two that I need to complete the collection

News Credits: 3 · Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:35 pm

elementalbot wrote:And, for the record, if the Alternator prices have plummeted, I see no reason to not go ahead and buy those last two that I need to complete the collection

Plummeted is a bit strong, but there are deals to be found...especially if you don't mind buying loose.

News Credits: 10 · Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:28 am

elementalbot wrote:Well, the toy my friend bought at DragonCon, the Yellow Daredevil, was going for close to $200 at the time, so the fact we were able to get the pair for $200, I thought was a steal. (and my friend paid the whole tab, as an early wedding present.)

The Binaltech Nemesis Prime is about that much. The Alternators version would be more in the $50 to $75 range. I think that is where some confusion is coming from. You must have the Binaltech version. At least I hope so. Otherwise your friend got ripped off.