The Energon Pub

REMINATOR wrote::D Forget worry, I just hate Wartmart completely. I can't believe there's no Wartmart in NYC! Anyhow, looks like online for me.

There are a few in Long Island if you drive!When I was living in Brooklyn I use to make the trip twice a month looking for toys!

Here are a few address:

In Valley Stream
77 Green Acres Road
Valley Stream (Li), NY 11581
(516) 887-0127

And an other one in Westbury LI:

1220 Old Country Road
Westbury (Li), NY 11590
(516) 794-7280

And one on Hempstead Turnpike:

2465 Hempstead Turnpike
East Meadow, NY 11554
(516) 579-3307

And Uniondale:

1123 Jerusalem Avenue
Uniondale, NY 11553
(516) 505-1508

At the Sunrise mall:

200 Sunrise Mall
Massapequa (Li), NY 11758
(516) 799-2697

Hotrod wrote:I am not picking when I say this, but you new guys need to calm down a bit. I have notice this sence of panic with '08 Bumblebee when the first sighting are reported and you cannot find the figure right away. Things you need to understand are there are no official release dates when stores release toys. Toys are not treated the same way as DVD's, CD's, and video games. You get toys based on what is in the warehouse when a store makes its order. Just because something is out in one place does not mean it is out everywhere, it takes time. Now Wal-Mart is one of the best places for exclusives because they usually get a lot and they sit no matter the demand. Alts Rumble and Ravage are good examples. They were sighted in one part of the country and ebay and took awhile to show up everywhere. People went nuts. Then they showed up and guess what, they end up on clearance in many are. You guys need to understand that the evil scalpers are not buying every figure that hits shelves. I have no fears about getting one at all. Now I am not being mean and I now it is fustrating when you see a figure is out in some places and you look and cannot find it, yet is selling for big money on ebay. I was the same way when I started collecting then I learned what I am telling you guys from others. Lets not panic. Enjoy the hobby to not stress because it takes the fun out of it.

I agree with you on the "don't panic" part. But I cannot follow you on the "WalMart is good for exclusives". Distribution is way too spotty. Some area stores will get a ton of exclusives, some get none, some get one case and never replenished again, some get constant replinshments. Its just way too inconsistent for me to have faith in WalMart exclusives in principle. Don't get me wrong - I am not afraid that I won't find MP Starscream. I have always been able to find what I am looking for but that does not mean that WalMart doesn't suck as far as distribution goes, exclusives or not. I am not a WalMart hater by any means its just when it comes to exclusives and distribution Target is the way to go. DPCI's are your friend!

Sunstar wrote:

skywarp-2 wrote:
The easiest way to know if you found one of those guys...He will know a crapload about a particular toyline..

I think I will object to this a little myself... I worked in a toy department and I knew an aweful lot about the partiular toy line, but I never did what you described... the only time I got three of anythign was some rough and tough smart cars for my husband. I figured he might want to sell one some time or that he might have me repaint them into the colours we wanted...

Yeah, some people will buy things to sell. Nothing wrong with a little free enterprise. Heck, I do it myself. Mind you, if I can buy it low I will sell it low.

But I do understand the plight myself. I do find it very difficult to find toys that I would like simply because I do not have the disposable income nore the transportation to look when I do.

So I resort to selling stuff on ebay, and then buying stuff on ebay.

Yeah I buy on ebay too..I haven't started selling yet.. i don't think that working for a company and in the toy department is bad, and holding stuff for yourself and a little on entrepreneurship isn't bad either, its those consistent scalping mentality that gets those employees revved up..they would browse online and in Toyfare to find out what's on the top hot list and what's coming out, then buy them up on their lunch break, and sell super high on ebay, it was like an addiction, there were 4 guys and 2 girls doing in repeatedly!! During the Episode 1 craze, and the New Masters of the universe series, and Todd McFarlane Sports toys..

Sunstar wrote:Anyway, much of what I want can only be bought on eBay... unfortunately.

Well eBay isn't a bad place, there are actually spots where you can get great deals.. I just bought last night a Mint Boxed Japanese Optimus Prime from Cybertron series for 35.00 plus 9.oo shipping!! that was a steal to all the other prices I found..I guess you just got to shop around..I have even found deals at online collectors shops that were cheaper then eBay too..

Sunstar wrote:Edit: Oh yeah, was there a sale on different font sizes? You used a lot.. reminds me of some of the more moronic e-bay sellers...

Well, it really wasn't meant to convey eBay seller typing, and I really don't understand why people in chat rooms get so bent out of shape over Bold faced or large text.. it is really just words in the end.. but I was trying to use that as an expression of emotion in my rant...but everyone has a pet peeve..I guess yours is Text.. I'll try to make sure my T's are crossed and My I's are dotted so I don't get labeled Moronic...

I must be lucky, the only reasdon I don't see exclusives is cause dolts with WWWWAAAAYYYY too much time run in and buy them all up at gosh freaking hours of th midnight.

I've seen people walk out with a whole case (six sets, they come in a box of six) in their cart. I'll get to the shelf, and they're all gone.

No offence, biut most of the people in the Toy Department aren't smart enough to hide and resell.

Hyper-Chicken wrote:

Hotrod wrote:I am not picking when I say this, but you new guys need to calm down a bit. I have notice this sence of panic with '08 Bumblebee when the first sighting are reported and you cannot find the figure right away. Things you need to understand are there are no official release dates when stores release toys. Toys are not treated the same way as DVD's, CD's, and video games. You get toys based on what is in the warehouse when a store makes its order. Just because something is out in one place does not mean it is out everywhere, it takes time. Now Wal-Mart is one of the best places for exclusives because they usually get a lot and they sit no matter the demand. Alts Rumble and Ravage are good examples. They were sighted in one part of the country and ebay and took awhile to show up everywhere. People went nuts. Then they showed up and guess what, they end up on clearance in many are. You guys need to understand that the evil scalpers are not buying every figure that hits shelves. I have no fears about getting one at all. Now I am not being mean and I now it is fustrating when you see a figure is out in some places and you look and cannot find it, yet is selling for big money on ebay. I was the same way when I started collecting then I learned what I am telling you guys from others. Lets not panic. Enjoy the hobby to not stress because it takes the fun out of it.

I agree with you on the "don't panic" part. But I cannot follow you on the "WalMart is good for exclusives". Distribution is way too spotty. Some area stores will get a ton of exclusives, some get none, some get one case and never replenished again, some get constant replinshments. Its just way too inconsistent for me to have faith in WalMart exclusives in principle. Don't get me wrong - I am not afraid that I won't find MP Starscream. I have always been able to find what I am looking for but that does not mean that WalMart doesn't suck as far as distribution goes, exclusives or not. I am not a WalMart hater by any means its just when it comes to exclusives and distribution Target is the way to go. DPCI's are your friend!

I agree. I like Wal-Mart, and I will buy from them if they are worth it, but sometimes they are hit-or-miss.

UltraPrimal wrote:I worried we won't see them in Canada b/c distribution sucks super monkey balls here. We only get the poopy exclusives. We got the BB vs Barricade pack, but we didn't get the Classic Devastator or Alt Rumble and Ravage. Just like how we got the Universe Spychangers Prime and Magnus, and that repaint 2-pack of A-Starscream and Red Alert, but not the Dinobots, or Sunstorm, or yellow Landfill, or any of the Bruticus repaints! Sometimes, man ... sometimes ...

Didn't see any of the cool new exclusives (No Devs, No Alts) in my local 3 or 4 Walmarts, ever, and neither did the other collectors in the area. I believe we got scammed, and scalped.

I did see Landfill, Sunstorm, and the Dinobots (once), at the local store long ago, but I imagine that the scalper employee has moved in since then because they have had NOTHING in a year or more.

Well, to be fair, I only recently saw the exclusive alternators at Wal*Mart. However, it's not like I'd been checking out the toy sections before then. I also remember seeing the Dinobots and Landfill a long time ago, too.