The Energon Pub

Scalpers

This might have been covered previously, but none the less I am going to rant for a minute.

My 10 year old autistic son has been waiting for the Hasbro Masterpiece Rodimus for months on end to be released here in the US at retail.

How ever it is really hard to get a hold of one when you have scum sucking scalpers going in and buying every single one off the shelves and then posting them on EBAY for any where from $84.99 to $119.99 plus shipping and handling.

I have spoken with people in the store and they say as soon as they get them in they are gone because people (Adults) are coming in and buying them all up in one transaction.

I was told they are packed 4 to a case and they have been getting about 2 case's on each of the trucks since they were release a few weeks back. I asked about limiting the number each person can get and they do not limit them at all and they will not hold one for me until I can get off work

Does any one else have a problem with this???

seriously...i dont see what the problem is here?
your a transformers collector yourself right? pretty much ALOT of TF fans will do this sorta thing because 1) they might be getting them for a friend 2)they might be doing customs with them 3)it makes good business sense to do that sorta thing

its not THAT difficult to get ahold of one in all seriousness...
for starters why dont you just ask your TRU to HOLD ONE for you when they arrive and you give them a ring when they expect a delivery? really your kinda ranting over something that easily avoidable by just talking to the main staff (IE a manager and not someone on a till) at your TRU

Swindle01 wrote:seriously...i dont see what the problem is here?
your a transformers collector yourself right? pretty much ALOT of TF fans will do this sorta thing because 1) they might be getting them for a friend 2)they might be doing customs with them 3)it makes good business sense to do that sorta thing

its not THAT difficult to get ahold of one in all seriousness...

It is not that difficult for you maybe. Some people have more of a tough time finding these figures than others. Some live in sections that do have more scalpers too.

Swindle01 wrote:for starters why dont you just ask your TRU to HOLD ONE for you when they arrive and you give them a ring when they expect a delivery? really your kinda ranting over something that easily avoidable by just talking to the main staff (IE a manager and not someone on a till) at your TRU

You should have completely read his post.

Nateimus Prime wrote:and they will not hold one for me until I can get off work

Have spoken with the manager, HE WILL NOT HOLD ONE. As I stated in my post. While I do see your point in customs, friends, etc. Your seriously telling me one person has a need to purchase 8, that’s right 8 at one time???
No, I do not think so and yes I am a collector but more so for my son, just too bad that some people feel the need to horde and profit. Just ruins it for the younger ones and puts the price out of reach for people who have bills and other children.
AND YES THEY ARE HARDER TO GET AND YES I HAVE CALLED WHEN THEY DO STOCK (TUESDAY & THURSDAY) AND THEY HAVE THEM BUT WILL NOT HOLD AND BY THE TIME 5PM ROLLS AROUD THEY ARE SOLD OUT.

YEAH I AM SURE THERE ARE WAYS TO ACCUIRE ONE, HOW EVER I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BATTLE WITH A MIDDLE AGED MAN TO GET A TOY FOR A 10 YEAR OLD OR PAY JACKED UP PRICES!!!!

WHAT HAPPENED TO COMMON COURTESY AND THINKING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF KIDS WHO WILL ONE DAY BE THE ONES DRIVING THE SALES, TRYING HARD ENOUGH TO KEEP POWER RANGERS OF HIS PLATE BUT KIND OF HARD TO DO SO WHEN YOU CAN GET THOSE TOYS AT WILL AND HAVE TO LEAVE THE STORE EMPTY HANDED OF TRANSFORMERS BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE ALL OF THE SHELF WARMING TRANSFORMERS!!!

Unfortunately due to ebay and other selling websites the days of "playing fair" are over.
I remember working at kaybee toys in 91 (crap... 20 years ago) and some batman figs that had variants came out.. I remember hearing people talk while they went through the figs looking for specific ones and mentioning their worth, picking them up and discussing their future sale while I was checking them out.

This has been going on for years unfortunately. I have had issues when I used to collect Star Wars figs, I managed to find all of the rare expensive ones, but I had to hunt for them and it was not always easy.

Keep up your search, you will find the figs that you want sooner or later.

Your keyboard seems stuck.

Anyway, I feel your pain. Sometimes getting a specific figure can be a pain and no, I don't see how people need to have the same figure three times over.

Plus, if your kid is fixated on that toy, not getting it must be awful. Good luck finding one!

RhA wrote:Your keyboard seems stuck.

Anyway, I feel your pain. Sometimes getting a specific figure can be a pain and no, I don't see how people need to have the same figure three times over.

Plus, if your kid is fixated on that toy, not getting it must be awful. Good luck finding one!

I was trying to defuse and calm him down, snarky comments are not needed right now.

I'd say.....find out what day your TRU gets it's shipments in. Also find out what day they put them out?

EXP. A TRU by me gets there shipments in Thursdays and they put them out Friday in the early hours.

I'd say, either try and see shortly after they get there delivery see if a salesperson would go check the back for you? Give them a few hours though cause it does take a while to sort and bring in.

or go on that next day that they are supposed to put them out....perhaps on your lunch break? I'm not sure your hours and what not, but might be worth the try?

yeah ive had this before, the manager HAS to hold one for you IF you ask them to - simply put its called 'customer relations - IE customer is always right issue

This is why i said speak to a manager because if you ask him to hold one for you, then he HAS to hold one for you otherwise hes kinda effecting your statitory rights. Yeah theres nothing to stop me from coming in and buying all 8 of them but IF you asked for them to hold you 1 for say 2 days, then they have to because of customer relations

also please dont gimme that 'easier for you' crap. I live in the UK and were lucky to get ANY tfs at all. Hasbro uk seems to think Transformers dont sell in the uk for some wierd ass reason. So for me to find a masterpiece Hotrod yet you live in america and are having difficulties...theres irony in there somewere

You could just explain to your kid that its not an easy thing to find or that being a parent isnt as easy as it might seem and good things come to those that wait ect ect...or cant he understand that?
I assume hes of the age were he should understand things are not always so easy to aquire?

Toy hunting can be hard at times.

It's not always scalpers. Out here in AZ, a lot of collectors have been clearing out TRUs so they can hook up other collectors.

Ebay scalpers seem like a fairly small group. I notice that auctions for in demand figures tend to all be done by the same few people.

Also it's TRU policy to hold a figure for a customer until the end of the day. If you called in the morning and asked them to hold it until they got it in, then they would have to. I did that for ROTF Devastator without any issue.

Some toys can be difficult to get at retail due to scalpers, poor distribution, etc. But it's rare I come across a figure that I ABSOLUTELY can not find at some point or another.

Just keep trying. Even Masterpiece Grimlock sat on my local TRU shelves for a long time after the initial clamor to get him had died down. If you haven't found Rodimus in a month or two, then maybe you have to resort to ebay. But for the time being, just relax and keep checking. Half the fun of collecting is "the hunt", imo.

I will try that tactic with the manager again (i.e. 'customer relations - customer is always right issue per Swindle01) I'll push that issue a little harder since when I asked last week he let me know they did not do that.

Yes normally 10 year olds should be old enough to know you do not always get what you want and he generally accepts that very well.

How ever my son is Autistic and literally for months now has been waiting for this, and if you have ever been around an Autistic child something’s just do not click in them as apposed to a normal child. and this happens to be one thing he is obsessed with because as he has let me know we need Rodimus to light the darkest hour. So what is a dad to do?

Thank you all for your advice I will certainly try that. Again my complaint was mainly with what I feel is an adult collector hoarding & profiteering not allowing everyone a chance to acquire one since they bought 8 at one time.

Nateimus Prime wrote:Thank you all for your advice I will certainly try that. Again my complaint was mainly with what I feel is an adult collector hoarding & profiteering not allowing everyone a chance to acquire one since they bought 8 at one time.

Oh I agree. i've passed on buying other Target exclusive Space case which I now keep running into because of just that. I could easily sell one or two but ehhh. let people have a chance.

I've seen on the DOTM / generations hauls thread getting like 4/5 and even 6 of a figure. like wow...really. It's fair and all, but not my cup of tea

dirk2243 wrote:I'd say.....find out what day your TRU gets it's shipments in. Also find out what day they put them out?

He already said this..

Nateimus Prime wrote:AND YES I HAVE CALLED WHEN THEY DO STOCK (TUESDAY & THURSDAY) AND THEY HAVE THEM BUT WILL NOT HOLD AND BY THE TIME 5PM ROLLS AROUD THEY ARE SOLD OUT.

Cyber Bishop wrote:

dirk2243 wrote:I'd say.....find out what day your TRU gets it's shipments in. Also find out what day they put them out?

He already said this..

Nateimus Prime wrote:AND YES I HAVE CALLED WHEN THEY DO STOCK (TUESDAY & THURSDAY) AND THEY HAVE THEM BUT WILL NOT HOLD AND BY THE TIME 5PM ROLLS AROUD THEY ARE SOLD OUT.

Yeah, I saw that part. I interpreted that to mean they get them delivered, but I doubt everytime it's delived and put out the same day. Has to be inventoried, then they go and see about shelf room, or make room for them. I have an awesome hook up w/ a guy who works in Walmart and he tells me they get them in one day, sort through it all, get the shelves ready and then later bring em out during the late hours or the night crew does it.

I should have said....ask the guy who works that area. Find out if they put them out the same day? If not...go in that evening and ask if they got one it. "like the members here were doing w/ space case at target" asking about the codes and seeing if there in.
Never hurts to do your homework if you want something.

It doesn't happen within minutes from getting it in the store to the shelves. These are people were talking about. have to round em up, inventory that you get what is delivered, sort them into groups, and so on. There are bathroom breaks involved, smoke breaks involved, clean ups, and they got to play w/ the new toys too. I guarentee there are a few hours involved if not overnight.

Do TRU-US have a "click & collect" service?

On the UK website I can look at an item and then punch in my post (zip) code, this tells me which stores near me have stock and I can then reserve one, which they email a reference for.

Present the reference at customer services et voila!

No such facility your side of the pond?

while id agree with some on here all you need to do is go on ebay and see crap like this to know that its not collectors "hooking up" fellow collectors. read what the seller says.and then try to argue were hooking up fellow fans.sorry but we are in the minority and the several hundred listings on ebay and amazon testify to this.my nephew is autistic and i told off a scalper when he attempted to buy all the mp grimlocks in my store right in front of my nephew.so spare me the "hook a brother up talk"

http://cgi.ebay.com/CASE-MASTERPIECE-RO ... 2eb72c93a4

alternator77 wrote:while id agree with some on here all you need to do is go on ebay and see crap like this to know that its not collectors "hooking up" fellow collectors. read what the seller says.and then try to argue were hooking up fellow fans.sorry but we are in the minority and the several hundred listings on ebay and amazon testify to this.my nephew is autistic and i told off a scalper when he attempted to buy all the mp grimlocks in my store right in front of my nephew.so spare me the "hook a brother up talk"

http://cgi.ebay.com/CASE-MASTERPIECE-RO ... 2eb72c93a4

Yes, that is blatant scalping right there, but what's funny is that he's not going to make much. After ebay and paypal fees he will have sold those for about $6 over regular retail.

Ebay is also a type of minority. Look to see how many of those auctions share the same username.

The 10 TRUs in my area each got hit by collectors that I know and all of the 40 MP Rodimus figures were distributed to other collectors. The minority line is not going to work with me. We're a larger group than we care to think.

However, this thing is just now getting into distribution. I know people want him now, but have a little patience and he'll arrive.

Also, I'm fully aware that autism is a difficult thing to handle. I wish there was a way to help Nateimus Prime out, but with everyone on the hunt, it's a matter of playing the waiting game. Which is a really lousy game btw.

Pretender Skywarp wrote:Do TRU-US have a "click & collect" service?

On the UK website I can look at an item and then punch in my post (zip) code, this tells me which stores near me have stock and I can then reserve one, which they email a reference for.

Present the reference at customer services et voila!

No such facility your side of the pond?

I don't think he has hit the TRU website yet.

alternator77 wrote:while id agree with some on here all you need to do is go on ebay and see crap like this to know that its not collectors "hooking up" fellow collectors. read what the seller says.and then try to argue were hooking up fellow fans.sorry but we are in the minority and the several hundred listings on ebay and amazon testify to this.my nephew is autistic and i told off a scalper when he attempted to buy all the mp grimlocks in my store right in front of my nephew.so spare me the "hook a brother up talk"

http://cgi.ebay.com/CASE-MASTERPIECE-RO ... 2eb72c93a4

I just talked to a collector friend of mine (he collects Batman items) and told me that one of the local scalpers that hits all the stores has 6 MP Rodimus he is trying to sell for $100 a pop.
This particular guy only collects Hot Wheels and sells everything and anything else he thinks is worth money.

i know this is gona come across as bad but....your spending 70 MAYBE 100+ on masterpiece Hotrod right? yet your sons Autistic right?

doesnt this mean hes just gona break a 70-100 figure then?

like i said -i dont mean this to come across bad- but it probably is. Im just saying if it was me i personally wouldnt let something that expensive or delicate be given to a normal child, let alone one thats different. Wouldnt something that doesnt matter and thats not important be better? say something like armada hotshot because that wont matter if he breaks it really?

Swindle01 wrote:i know this is gona come across as bad but....your spending 70 MAYBE 100+ on masterpiece Hotrod right? yet your sons Autistic right?

doesnt this mean hes just gona break a 70-100 figure then?

like i said -i dont mean this to come across bad- but it probably is. Im just saying if it was me i personally wouldnt let something that expensive or delicate be given to a normal child, let alone one thats different. Wouldnt something that doesnt matter and thats not important be better? say something like armada hotshot because that wont matter if he breaks it really?

i really think you need/encourage you to do a little research on autism. in many instances it is not a physical disability but in certain instances behavioral.my nephew for example has 4 mp figures with the exception of megatron because hes a gun and my sister wont allow it.he's transformed them each several times with no issue and has many more figs with no damage.also with some autistic children interactive play helps with social skills(cooperative play) and problem solving i.e. (how do i get ss nosecone through his torso)
hes got an iq higher then mine and a photographic memory (he memorized the hobbit lol!)im not angry just wish people would do a little research before posting a statement like that so no worries no offense taken.
heres a link
http://www.autism-society.org/

alternator77 wrote:

Swindle01 wrote:i know this is gona come across as bad but....your spending 70 MAYBE 100+ on masterpiece Hotrod right? yet your sons Autistic right?

doesnt this mean hes just gona break a 70-100 figure then?

like i said -i dont mean this to come across bad- but it probably is. Im just saying if it was me i personally wouldnt let something that expensive or delicate be given to a normal child, let alone one thats different. Wouldnt something that doesnt matter and thats not important be better? say something like armada hotshot because that wont matter if he breaks it really?

i really think you need/encourage you to do a little research on autism. in many instances it is not a physical disability but in certain instances behavioral.my nephew for example has 4 mp figures with the exception of megatron because hes a gun and my sister wont allow it.he's transformed them each several times with no issue and has many more figs with no damage.also with some autistic children interactive play helps with social skills(cooperative play) and problem solving i.e. (how do i get ss nosecone through his torso)
hes got an iq higher then mine and a photographic memory (he memorized the hobbit lol!)im not angry just wish people would do a little research before posting a statement like that so no worries no offense taken.
heres a link
http://www.autism-society.org/

Oh yes, children w/ autism are sharp! He probably does beyond well with these TF's. I'm sure you didn't mean it as bad, just need to know, when they focus on something, there awesome. My wife works with them loves every minute of it.

Nateimus Prime wrote:Have spoken with the manager, HE WILL NOT HOLD ONE. As I stated in my post. While I do see your point in customs, friends, etc. Your seriously telling me one person has a need to purchase 8, that’s right 8 at one time???
No, I do not think so and yes I am a collector but more so for my son, just too bad that some people feel the need to horde and profit. Just ruins it for the younger ones and puts the price out of reach for people who have bills and other children.
AND YES THEY ARE HARDER TO GET AND YES I HAVE CALLED WHEN THEY DO STOCK (TUESDAY & THURSDAY) AND THEY HAVE THEM BUT WILL NOT HOLD AND BY THE TIME 5PM ROLLS AROUD THEY ARE SOLD OUT.

YEAH I AM SURE THERE ARE WAYS TO ACCUIRE ONE, HOW EVER I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BATTLE WITH A MIDDLE AGED MAN TO GET A TOY FOR A 10 YEAR OLD OR PAY JACKED UP PRICES!!!!

WHAT HAPPENED TO COMMON COURTESY AND THINKING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF KIDS WHO WILL ONE DAY BE THE ONES DRIVING THE SALES, TRYING HARD ENOUGH TO KEEP POWER RANGERS OF HIS PLATE BUT KIND OF HARD TO DO SO WHEN YOU CAN GET THOSE TOYS AT WILL AND HAVE TO LEAVE THE STORE EMPTY HANDED OF TRANSFORMERS BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE ALL OF THE SHELF WARMING TRANSFORMERS!!!

Here's some kind advice. instead of waiting till 5pm to get off work then go to that TRU store.

every job grants/gives it's employees a one hour lunch break & two fifteen minute beaks. perhaps you can go to the tru store on your lunch hour or your two 15 minute breaks.

Some store employees feel their under-paid,so make up the difference in their pay checks. by buying up all the popular rare toys & then selling them on ebay.

Regarding scalping... I'm not a fan of it but it's not illegial to do. some just do their home work better than others. It's just a case of first come first serve. most stores don't care because they just want to sell the items,no stores like stuff warming shelves/pegs.

Sometimes it does make sense to just go to ebay & buy from ebay for a slightly higher amount. at any rate ebay buyers do save money on gas & tax. as your not driving around with your car doing toy hunts & wasting gas. most ebay sellers don't charge tax. ebay buyers do provide a service of getting the item for you,so that right their makes it easier for a buyer. having someone else waste gas,pay tax & waste their free time is just priceless from a buyers perspective. last I checked these types of services cost a lot of money.

I speak from personal experience. I must have wasted over a hundred dollars worth of gas doing toy hunts for RTS Deluxe Wreckgar within a 5 month time span & running in & out of over hundreds of stores. After a while I realized that I could have saved all that gas+tax+time by just buying it off ebay. eventually I did go to ebay & I paid $17.99 for RTS Wreckgar.

So while TRU charges $59.99 for MP Rodimus. paying the ebay price of $70 to $80 isn't that bad. because your saving $4 in taxes because ebay sellers don't charge taxes. gasoline is currently $3.51 per gallon in New jersey. so buying off ebay you save money on gas,tax & free timefees. so basically it all evens out.

dirk2243 wrote:

alternator77 wrote:

Swindle01 wrote:i know this is gona come across as bad but....your spending 70 MAYBE 100+ on masterpiece Hotrod right? yet your sons Autistic right?

doesnt this mean hes just gona break a 70-100 figure then?

like i said -i dont mean this to come across bad- but it probably is. Im just saying if it was me i personally wouldnt let something that expensive or delicate be given to a normal child, let alone one thats different. Wouldnt something that doesnt matter and thats not important be better? say something like armada hotshot because that wont matter if he breaks it really?

i really think you need/encourage you to do a little research on autism. in many instances it is not a physical disability but in certain instances behavioral.my nephew for example has 4 mp figures with the exception of megatron because hes a gun and my sister wont allow it.he's transformed them each several times with no issue and has many more figs with no damage.also with some autistic children interactive play helps with social skills(cooperative play) and problem solving i.e. (how do i get ss nosecone through his torso)
hes got an iq higher then mine and a photographic memory (he memorized the hobbit lol!)im not angry just wish people would do a little research before posting a statement like that so no worries no offense taken.
heres a link
http://www.autism-society.org/

Oh yes, children w/ autism are sharp! He probably does beyond well with these TF's. I'm sure you didn't mean it as bad, just need to know, when they focus on something, there awesome. My wife works with them loves every minute of it.

Being autistic doesn't mean you're sharp or not, that depends on the type of autism.

But I can totally get why a TF is a good toy for an autistic child. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Especially with a very complex TF. I'd say it's a good idea to get one.