Seibertron wrote:to close out this overly massive post, I'd just like to ask for a definition of scalper from all of you, and maybe we can come to some conclusion as to what is and isn't acceptable. I'll be the first to provide my own answer:
In my opinion, someone who saved their G1 Optimus Prime, mint in sealed box, which nobody makes anymore, and walmart/target/whatever doesn't carry anymore, and sells it on ebay for a high price, is NOT a scalper, nor is someone who buys more than one item (one to open, one to keep MISB).
A scalper is someone who acquires large amounts of a recently released item which has a high demand (either due to a recent popular movie, or a new technology: look at the ps3 and scalpers) in order to sell it at a high price, and, whether through design or coincidence, drives the natural price of said commodity higher by depriving others of acquiring it at the standard, given price (via acquiring an unfair quantity of the items on shelf.) Scalpers use the same skills, abilities, and tricks that a hardcore collector will use, and may, in addition, useunfair practices, such as paying/bribing/being an inside man and taking said products off the shelf or out of the warehouse before the general public can even get a hold of them.
megatroptimus wrote:GetterDragun wrote:
I never meant "that seller" I said "it costs".
We were clearly discussing about that seller.
Kanyon wrote:Sensitive debate this could be young padawan!
I think there is a difference between a "scalper" and someone who buys more then 1 of the same item.
Scalper A Buys 5 CC Bumblebees and sells em for about 2X the retail price on e-bay.
Scalper B Buys 5 CC Bumblebees and sells em on E-bay with a starting bid of $.01 knowing people will bid for it right away.
"Scalper C" Buys 2 CC Bumblebees 1 for himself and the other to kitbash.
So I believe a true scalper is selling a hyped up item for double it's value on e-bay while scalper B who is helping those that cant find said item in their stores can purchase it online though it'd cost a lil more or the same if you include gas money you'd spend to get to the store and taxes (if their state has it).
--B-- wrote:That was very well researched. Nice to see that some people take the time to get the facts before they post.
Seibertron wrote:I'm sticking up for them because they aren't doing anything illegal. I also am sticking up for the scalpers because I want to help you guys BEAT the so called scalpers, which I think a lot of you use as a scape-goat when you can't find a figure. I just want to see someone say when they can't find a figure ... "Dammit! I took too long getting to the store. Some other COLLECTOR got here before me!" Or heck, maybe little Jimmy's mom stopped by on her way home from work and snagged a new TF for her kid as a surprise or for good behavior. It seems that everyone blames an imaginary scalper in their area and that drives me nuts.
Counterpunch wrote:Can I get an Amen?
Prime vs Wild wrote:Why shouldn't Mr. Jazz be able to turn a profit for providing a service to his customers? If you buy one of his figures you've saved yourself the time and effort of finding it yourself. He's already made the effort for you. Whether its through connections, making calls, or just getting lucky shouldn't matter. He's still saving you that step.
So when you see an ad like this you have to decide if the mark up is worth the savings you get in your own time and stress. That's all it boils down to. Its not the end of the world.
pfcparts wrote:Do we have a section for SKU #s and DCPI #s here? I think those would be helpful in addition to the toy sighting page.
Seibertron wrote:Er, Priority Mail, while it is more expensive than it used to be, still starts out at $4.60 for packages.
Here's USPS' shipping calculator. See for yourself. Use my current zip code (60613) and Fenton, MI's zip code (48430, the town I grew up in). 2 lb box that's 10x10x10 starts out at $4.90. If you use Paypal to generate your USPS shipping labels, delivery confirmation is free and insurance is only $1.65 to cover items valued under $200.00.
Seibertron wrote: strongly disagree. I only allow Priority and Express Mail shipping with the items I sell on eBay. This is to cover my ass, to cover the buyer's ass and to cover USPS' ass (though they probably don't really care). I'll pay for whatever shipping I can get so that I have a tracking number, not to mention the speed difference. You might think it's stupid, but I think it's extremely smart. In my opinion, a seller is stupid for even thinking of shipping a package without being able to track down where the package is. You're just asking for some negative feedback on eBay later down the road. I want to be able to know where my goods are that I've shipped people when they ask "where's my package?"
allisonaxe wrote:to give you an idea of how difficult to navigate houston is: as it stands, there are 3 Targets, 1 Walmart, and 2 Toys R Us's that i check fairly regularly (and i have a friend who lives in a suburb that can check 1 of each, too.) that stated, in the greater houston area, there's probably about a a dozen more targets, about a ten more walmarts, and about 4 TRU's that are generally outside my typical range of travel.

allisonaxe wrote:houston is a large city (from what I recall, the largest metro area in America, as far as actual geographical space goes. only 4th in population, yes, but everything is spread out.) and keeping the sightings section up to date would probably be a darn near impossible task; checking them for whats actually out there has proven useless because it out-dates itself quicker than I can navigate the city.
allisonaxe wrote:Its a noble goal, and I commend you for even having it, but that doesn't mean that its useful for all areas.
-Z- G1 Snarl Rules wrote:Seibertron wrote:to close out this overly massive post, I'd just like to ask for a definition of scalper from all of you, and maybe we can come to some conclusion as to what is and isn't acceptable. I'll be the first to provide my own answer:
In my opinion, someone who saved their G1 Optimus Prime, mint in sealed box, which nobody makes anymore, and walmart/target/whatever doesn't carry anymore, and sells it on ebay for a high price, is NOT a scalper, nor is someone who buys more than one item (one to open, one to keep MISB).
A scalper is someone who acquires large amounts of a recently released item which has a high demand (either due to a recent popular movie, or a new technology: look at the ps3 and scalpers) in order to sell it at a high price, and, whether through design or coincidence, drives the natural price of said commodity higher by depriving others of acquiring it at the standard, given price (via acquiring an unfair quantity of the items on shelf.) Scalpers use the same skills, abilities, and tricks that a hardcore collector will use, and may, in addition, useunfair practices, such as paying/bribing/being an inside man and taking said products off the shelf or out of the warehouse before the general public can even get a hold of them.
Vindication from the site owner on the claims that I am a scalper since I own more than 4,000 TFs! Owing 2 of the same item (one to keep open and one to keep sealed does not make me a scalper as 'some' on this site have suggested). Buying up 18 pieces of a figure well that would definitely for more obvious reasons than one could imagine.
GetterDragun wrote:
Actually, the original post was, but the thread has progressed on. I thought you were talking about shipping for $9 and I was usuing my example at $8. Regardless, many people don't stock boxes in their house or bubble wrap and have to buy it. Neither of which are free, and average box is $2.50 and bubble wrap can start at like $8 for a small roll. So say you that's $3 for packing materials, which is a fair price.
AND
But figure this, if I'm at work with no time to go looking for a figure, but if I paid someone $10 to go get one for me, I figure it takes them time to go to the store, pick it up, wait on the checkout line, drive back home, package it up, and bring it to the post office to ship it. That time I was at work that I didn't have to go to the store was an opportunity cost I didn't have to take.

Electron wrote:sledge your comments are like a fat chick raping a hot dog, its unpleasent to watch but in the end its gonna happen
Mr O wrote:I'm part Irish, part Scottish, very Welsh, mostly drunk, somewhat Transformers nerd and all bastard.

Cyber Bishop wrote:Definition of a scalper: one that buys toys at normal or less than retail prices and resells them for double or triple the original price and claims that the item is uber rare.
They are seen hanging out at flea markets a lot.
Counterpunch wrote:allisonaxe wrote:Counterpunch wrote:Inappropriate comparison.
Transformers are NOT requisite for living.
Thats just, like, you're opinion, man...
sure, you can survive without TF's, but can you really call it "living?"
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You're new, so it's cool.
What you may not realize is that opinions passed down by the High Court of Counterpunch read like legal opinions from the Supreme Court of the US.
Now that slut Punch often writes a dissenting opinion, but who cares about that anyway?
-Z- G1 Snarl Rules wrote:
Vindication from the site owner on the site posters that have claimed that I am a scalper since I own more than 4,000 TFs! Owing 2 of the same item (one to keep open and one to keep sealed does not make me a scalper as 'some' on this site have suggested). Buying up 18 pieces of a figure well that would definitely for more obvious reasons than one could imagine.
Seibertron wrote: all that junk you were saying about houston target stores
Lapse Of Reason wrote:I buy rare toys and sell them for a profit and I'm proud of it. I then turn around and reinvest that money in other luxury items, usually Transformers for my own collection. I find that if I can buy three and sell two, I usually make enough extra to cover the expense for the figure I keep.
This year I bought three Botcon sets and three looses sets, plus all the souvenior sets I could get. I kept one of everything for me and made enough profit off the rest to buy a 50" Panasonic plasma tv.
Resourcefulness is a virtue, not a vice.
Lapse Of Reason wrote:I buy rare toys and sell them for a profit and I'm proud of it. I then turn around and reinvest that money in other luxury items, usually Transformers for my own collection. I find that if I can buy three and sell two, I usually make enough extra to cover the expense for the figure I keep.
This year I bought three Botcon sets and three looses sets, plus all the souvenior sets I could get. I kept one of everything for me and made enough profit off the rest to buy a 50" Panasonic plasma tv.
Resourcefulness is a virtue, not a vice.
megatroptimus wrote:Lapse Of Reason wrote:I buy rare toys and sell them for a profit and I'm proud of it. I then turn around and reinvest that money in other luxury items, usually Transformers for my own collection. I find that if I can buy three and sell two, I usually make enough extra to cover the expense for the figure I keep.
This year I bought three Botcon sets and three looses sets, plus all the souvenior sets I could get. I kept one of everything for me and made enough profit off the rest to buy a 50" Panasonic plasma tv.
Resourcefulness is a virtue, not a vice.
Exactly the type of collector I despise.
publicvisage wrote:Seibertron wrote:Why is that bad? You could've called your local Target as well to find out what they had in stock. Those of you who just randomly hunt stores without a battle plan in place are just wasting your time. Be proactive. Find out the SKU #s, the DCPI #s, etc. Call the stores ahead of time with that information.
Watch the toy reports on sites such as Seibertron or TFW to see when figures start showing up in stores. If there's a news post on Seibertron tomorrow that says Movie So-and-so has been sighted, don't wait until next Wednesday to go looking for that figure. Figure out how you're going to obtain it tomorrow. If you wait until your next paycheck in 5 to 10 days, I can guarantee that that brand spanking new figure will be long gone already.
Remember, every time you point a finger to blame someone else (i.e. the scalpers in this case), just remember that there are three fingers pointing back at you. Take responsibility for figuring out how to obtain new figures. It's not rocket science.
Please top blaming the so-called "Scalpers". They're just doing it the smart way.
Although you make a valid point, my problem with Scalpers doesn't derive from their "skill" in obtaining the toys. Rather it's that they take advantage of people who are willing to pay exorbitant prices for a 10 dollar child's toy.
You could claim that Scalpers are simply doing good business, and blame the people who buy from them for being stupid. But I see this practice as being similar to price-gouging for, say, gasoline, which is ILLEGAL.
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