The Energon Pub

Ok I'm going to play devils advocate on this one so please do not kill the messenger. It's just an idea I'm throwing out there...

Pay to play (an amazing thread started by counterpunch)


Are you as tired as I am looking for the damn 08 BB? Have you spent countless hours driving around? I sure as hell have!! In Three weeks I'm sure I've hit the same 10 stores 100 times!! Guys I teach and do not have a whole lot to do with my summer, so I thought after seeing the movie and finding my childhood again why not start up a collection?

The pay to play concept is basically buy now at the low price or buy it later off ebay or in a collector's store for more, maybe way more.

Something is going on in our typical toy stores right? Shelves are empty all across the country. People are getting frustrated trying to find this one toy. Theories are all over this forum as to why one can not get their hands on the 08 BB. Ideas range from, employees are hording them, scalpers are getting are there before you/me.....to distribution across the country is not equal.

Maybe you are in the camp that says, just be patient, they will come?

So here is my thought and it stems form the pay to play concept.

Let's all pretend that the stores you visit so often don't exist. I mean they might as well not exist in terms of the 08 BB right?

So stick with the pay to play concept but apply that to ebay and buy one NOW!!! While the prices are low...I know, I know it's not low...

Now do I even believe what I just said? What is wrong with what I just said? PLENTY!!

1)Ebay/paypal gets richer
2)scaplers get what they want
3)then prices go up on ebay for the 08 BB

Here's my deal though. If you choose to just sit there or drive around aimlessly wasting gas looking for this one toy the prices on e-bay will only go up over the months, especially when TF 2 comes out. So pay now cuz it doesn't look like the store route is working....?

If you dig in deep and try to withstand the storm...Then emerge months later and decide to buy the damn thing what do you imagine the ebay prices will be like then? Will you kick yourself and say, I could have gotten him for 30-40 back in August? Or put another way. If a hot girl were to stroll into your home with an 08 BB and she said will you please trade me your wreckage, bonecrusher and swindle for this one stupid 08 camaro...would you? I sure would!! Well those three add up to 35 after tax right?

Anyway, I hate to see so many stressing

Take it easy stores will be flooded with these soon!!!


(Wink, Wink)

For me, Wave 2 of the Transformers, which is Arcee, Dreadwing, etc, hasn't come out yet in Canada(or so I think)

Even so, prices for '08 Bumblebee aren't ridiculous high on Ebay yet. Sure there's a little inflation there, but like CP says, you pay to play.

If other people other than you want '08 Bumblebee, than there's going to be some problems. If there's a ton of people other than you wanting '08 Bumblebee, then good luck, and happy bidding on Ebay.


edit- NEVERMIND! $50 FOR A FREAKING '08 BUMBLEBEE ON EBAY? WHAT THE ^%&%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CyberCustomizer wrote:Take it easy stores will be flooded with these soon!!!


(Wink, Wink)

I think this is the case for 08' Bumblebee. I really do believe that he will be all over by the beginning of September.

I also think that a year or two from now, he will have an actual value along the lines of what we see now on eBay (as opposed to the falsely inflated current prices).

So, still, get him when you see him, though he'll be plentiful soon, that figure is likely going to be the new G1 Prime for the next few years (value added, soley on popularity).

in my area ebay is not popular collectors got a certain place that has all the movie toys which i go too as well and with slight reservations, your lucky enough to find one these days and it's like a case of when you see one it's either you take it or leave it or once you leave it 5 mins later of getting money to buy it, it's gone!

I don't think the scalper issue is as big as some make it out to be. I don't mean they don't exist with the transformers, they are just not as rampant as some would like to believe. Try collecting Star Wars or Marvel Legends, then you will really see how scalpers affect your hobby.

New fans both adult and children, make the toys sell faster - a lot faster. Especially a key character like BB.

No one, not even Hasbro, predicted how well these have sold. Hasbro is gearing the production up, which takes time. Transformers has not been this popular since the mid 80's. Surely they knew they would sell some toys, but not like this.

As many have said, have patience. Come another month or two, you won't be able to walk into a toy isle without tripping over these things. We still have many months before the new toy line, and Hasbro will not let the pegs stay empty, especially with the holidays around the corner. It takes a bit of time to get these pumped out and on the shelves.

yeah, you are probably right. I just thought I'd throw that out there.

Dude that signature pic you have is sweet!! I like to think O-bee-wan is saying, "dude" in the phrase, "damn dude."

makes me kinda wonder if let's say g.i.joe as a movie will make the toys popular again will absolutely attract collectors or a re-make of he-man... hmm..

good point, I'll bet it would. As long as something makes one feel nostalgic for the past, people will shell out the cash for just about anything...that good old feeling of being on the carpet making crash, blow-up, gun noises...

There are still many Deluxe assortments to come. All of them except one include 08 BB. Then there is the Voyager Optimus/ Deluxe 08 BB set, and the Target Exclusive 74/08 set with battle damage. He'll be around...we've got the rest of the year.

PorQPine wrote:There are still many Deluxe assortments to come. All of them except one include 08 BB. Then there is the Voyager Optimus/ Deluxe 08 BB set, and the Target Exclusive 74/08 set with battle damage. He'll be around...we've got the rest of the year.

I just don't know though? The phantom 08 bumblebee is supposedly out right? Where is it? Most people simply can't find it. Who's to say the Target exclusive 2-pack will be easy to find either or any of the other BB08 releases? Poor Hasbro...they never knew what hit them.

skyblast wrote:

PorQPine wrote:There are still many Deluxe assortments to come. All of them except one include 08 BB. Then there is the Voyager Optimus/ Deluxe 08 BB set, and the Target Exclusive 74/08 set with battle damage. He'll be around...we've got the rest of the year.

I just don't know though? The phantom 08 bumblebee is supposedly out right? Where is it? Most people simply can't find it. Who's to say the Target exclusive 2-pack will be easy to find either or any of the other BB08 releases? Poor Hasbro...they never knew what hit them.

The problem was a combination of poor timing and unexpected demand. Being released right after the movie, and right before the retail reset season, we're just in the summer shopping lull right now...it happens every year.

When preparing for reset, stores have been known not to stock anything for weeks, or in some cases, even months.

(Ask some of the veteran collectors about the famous TF drought of summer '04. Just about every store in the country failed to order new Energon TFs for about 4 mos. No, I'm not kidding.)

Just a taste of things to come:

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodi ... r=HT81057E

And:

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodi ... r=HT81057F

I'm certainly not telling anyone to rest on their laurels, but 08 BB is still going to be around.