The Energon Pub

Toyotus Superion wrote:Wait wait....someone has been calling ryan a scalper? Wtf? Thats shameful and disrespectful to someone who does a whole lot for us. Ryan I appologize for anyone saying those things.

So would it be okay to call an ordinary member whose only contribution to this site is to post a scalper?

Dictionary.com wrote:Scalping
v. intr.

To engage in the reselling of something, such as tickets, at a price higher than the established value.
To buy and sell securities or commodities for small quick profits.

Now if it's for the "benefit of fellow collectors" then I personally would only charge what I paid plus postage. Which i've done in the past.

There was a story posted a few weeks ago on theyareamongus.com, an Australian collector reached the toy aisle just as some lady loaded the last 08 Bumblebee into the shopping cart, along with about half a dozen other 08 Bumblebee's.

She'd cleaned out the shop of them.

He caught up with her outside, she was on her phone to someone telling them she'd got them all and they'd be up on E-Bay in a few hours.

A search of E-Bay AU within those hours turned up newly listed 08 BB's with buy it now's twice that of what he was going for in the shop.

Is that legal? Unfortunately yes. (Though Queensland has implemented certain laws regarding the sale of event tickets which will see scalpers prosecuted, not sure if such laws exist elsewhere)
Is it fair? Absoloutely not.

Call me crazy but I believe in helping out my fellow collectors when I can, i've had a few guys help me out in the past and I try to return the favour as much as possible. I see too many collectors getting ripped off.

Am I going to condemn Ryan for what he did though? **** no, he's not making a huge profit like others are, and he's man enough to come into the forums and admit to what he's doing. Others, like that lady in the story, are content to simply snap up what they know to be popular items and fleece them for a profit without even thinking of fans and collectors. They're the ones I personally dislike as they don't "care" about what they're selling, they simply want a profit.

At the end of the day, what can you do? Don't like it, don't buy it. I want an '08 Bumblebee but i'm not going to to pay $5 more than what he's going for in the shops. I'll wait for HLJ to make him avaialable from Japan or simply go without.

Bonger wrote:Theres one more foot note that I wanted to add, that I have been meaning to do since I found this thread.

I am fully with Ryan. Staring at free money in a store to help offset our own TF expenses, which have been VERY high this year is extrmemely tempting. And where does this oney go, back into TFs and the webiste you love to come hang out on. And you KNOW if he had not grabed that case of SS, someone else would have. There was no way it was not going to end up on ebay. So for once, the TF fans won. Atleast the money is going back into our hobby.

Actually, I gotta disagree with you here. I mean as far as the site, yeah, Ryan's got all right to do what he needs to do for the money to run it. But as far as he or any other collector getting a hold of a currently hot item(they'll all be shelf warmers soon, so no worries) and selling it for a large profit to offset the cost of your collection is wrong imo. If it's your own personal hobby, why should others be responsible for paying for it? I understand it is tempting, but ultimately you are the one responsible for your own expenses, not anyone else.

For me though, it's not so much a morality issue as it is a responsibility issue. It's like me saying "I'm gonna blow my whole weeks pay on my collection, but sell the hot items for profit and make all my money back cuz I did so". It's just something I can't relate to I suppose. My collection is mine, and mine alone, I chose the hobby, so it's my responsibility to pay for it. I'm not trying to insult or look down on anyone who does this though, it's just my opinion.

OK! I just went to a different target and got a 2nd starscream repaint. Its seriously just how the collecting game is! These are hot items, everyone want them!

megatroptimus wrote:

Lapse Of Reason wrote:

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.

Why? Care to back that up?

Because it makes you a scalper that is even proud of being one. To "recoup costs" is the lamest excuse you could ever come up with to justify your scalping habits. Botcon sets should be limited to one set per attendee. That's it. You're not there, too bad for you. You're going? Don't count on us to recoup your costs. Going to Botcon was YOUR decision, don't make non-attendees pay for it. All extra sets should be sold through HTS or auctionned by the organizers with profits going toward next year's Botcon or to charity. And for the record, I have no desire to own any of the Botcon exclusives except last year's Megatron (and that probably will never happen).

I completely agree with you megatroptimus, especially the Botcon limits and profit going to charity or to next years.

Sportimus Prime wrote:Lemme get this straight, some folks here are "justifying" RIPPING OFF OTHER TF COLLECTORS to offset their own collecting expenses. Sorry, but that is a bunch of ****. You're feeding off your own fellow collectors, and driving the prices up on each other. There's a vicious cycle if I ever saw one.

Want to "offset" your Transformer costs, rip off different collectors like Hot Wheels, or GI Joe. At least you're not hurting your own buds, whether you know them or not. That's pretty f-ing disgusting to screw each other over like that, plain and simple.

It's also disgusting creating scarcity. You know how many f-ing scalpers put "RARE" or "VHTF" on their auctions? Too many to list! They MADE it VHTF and RARE by buying craploads of the stuff.

How about I buy up all the pants that are in your size, and put them on ebay for twice to three times or more the price, and slap on VHTF on it? You wouldn't like it, would you. I seriously doubt that since you'll need pants to coveer that shamefull ass of yours when you go outside.

How about if I bought all the gasoline, and sold it for $11/gallon? Or bought anything that you like or need, and you can not find any at stores? But hey, it's business right. Buy my **** of go f--- yourself, right? That's pretty messed up.

Make money the honest, and moral way, go out and EARN it instead of ripping folks off. Get a job, or a second one if you have to, but don't prey on others to cover your own VOLUNTARY expenses.

Do I sell stuff on ebay? Yes, but I don't scalp. I sell stuff that I have owned but no longer need. Sometimes I just give it away. And I charge a fair price, and I do NOT over-charge for shipping.

Hilarious and sad all rolled in one. I completely agree with you man. Thanks for speaking up.

zemper wrote:

vpvpvpphil wrote:
As I was paying for them a comic book store owner was there and bought the rest and bragged that he was going to sell them for 50 bucks a pop. This personally pissed me off, so I went to several different target and did the same thing, so I could give collecters or parents a chance to get them.

hmmm, having a BUY IT NOW price of $32.00 is your idea of getting back at the scalper, eh?

vpvpvpphil wrote:If you look at my ebay rating you will notice that since 2002 I have only sold 20 something items. I'm not a "scalper".

the oldest feedback you got was in 2004. the total number of feedbacks you received was 32. what happened to that 20+, 2002 sold number of items?

vpvpvpphil wrote:If the bidding goes higher which it hasn't gotten that high, I might make a couple of bucks off of it.

hmm... reading your feedback again...

TARGET Transformers Movie white G1 JAZZ Solstice INHAND (#160148084093) US $22.00

TARGET Transformers Movie white G1 JAZZ Solstice INHAND (#160148080714) US $26.99

TARGET Transformers Movie white G1 JAZZ Solstice INHAND (#160148438359) US $32.00 - BUY IT NOW PRICE

TARGET Transformers Movie white G1 JAZZ Solstice INHAND (#160147254016) US $44.50 - HIGH SELLER!

TARGET Transformers Movie white G1 JAZZ Solstice INHAND (#160147542459) US $25.50

not that high enough for you, it seems huh?
well, it seems that for ALL your sold items, you DID make more than a couple of bucks off them.

and that's only for the jazzes. i haven't started getting into the 08 deluxes yet.

and for the ultimate BBs, more than a tidy sum, considering their retail price.

care to refute these facts milady?

Wow that is what I call really helping out the fandom.

$44.00+shipping for a Deluxe G1 colors movie Jazz? That's nucking futs man!

Any item where a sellers starting asking price is more than twice the retail price is NOT helping anyone but themselves. Period.

I am curious about something-not trying to cause problems, promise. If I import BB 08 and classic into the US from Japan and sell him for those crazy prices we all see- am I a scalper or an importer? Essentially Im not taking TFs away from people here in the US and Takara is making plenty in Japan.

I was also looking at various yahoo auctions in Japan, Singapore and Taiwan- I saw plenty of Target exclusives american repaints being sold by the cases, so I guess its more a worldwide problem. I even saw a couple robovision prime.

BBTS imported some from Japan, so I guess not. But the cost doesn't justify doing that for a scalper since the profit margin would be less than they would expect.

Sportimus Prime wrote:BBTS imported some from Japan, so I guess not. But the cost doesn't justify doing that for a scalper since the profit margin would be less than they would expect.

True but cost + shipping would be about $22 per item- closer to $19 the more you buy. You would also be able to get a couple hundred according to online japan retailers. Then you charge $40 per BB b/c its the japanese version- and sell say 100- thats $2000 in profit just on BB, not to mention the encores, MPs and other movie toys are readily available. So you would make more than the common scalper, but would you necessarily be one?

Xgamer wrote:

Sportimus Prime wrote:BBTS imported some from Japan, so I guess not. But the cost doesn't justify doing that for a scalper since the profit margin would be less than they would expect.

True but cost + shipping would be about $22 per item- closer to $19 the more you buy. You would also be able to get a couple hundred according to online japan retailers. Then you charge $40 per BB b/c its the japanese version- and sell say 100- thats $2000 in profit just on BB, not to mention the encores, MPs and other movie toys are readily available. So you would make more than the common scalper, but would you necessarily be one?

Importers *do* provide a service. They actually can procure items that you and I couldn't. (well, at least not as easily as the importer did on some items. It's silly to say we couldn't do it period, but you get my point.)

They have to cover the cost of the figure (Which is about $18.00 USD or 2,000+ Yen.)

plus the cost of packing materials (Boxes can be as much as $5.00 depending on size and shape, if you buy them at Wal-Mart.)

plus the shipping costs to you (which, depending on size and weight, can range from $4.60 well into the mid $20's.)

plus the shipping costs from the manufacturer to their doorstep first. (This can be extremely costly. Depending on your method, it could literally set you back $100.00 to ship a full case of figures.)

So let's figure this out for a moment...
8 figures a case at $18.00 per figure (guessing on that number, but let's say it works the Hasbro way) that comes to: $144.00 per case.

Packing materials (Packaging, box, tape, warning labels, etc)
Around $5.00 per shipped item (give or take, because some of those materials will have enough left over for other shipments)

Priority Mail Shipping w/Delivery Confirmation ($4.60 up to a pound, $8.00 for the one weight box (which doesn't accommodate much...) and $.50 for the D.C.)

Shipping from the manufacturer could easily cost $37.00 a case (even on the slowest method. However, I'm sure they get a discount with the shipper, if they ship in bulk, etc.)

So let's add all of that up....
Case: $144.00
Ship: $37.00 (for our purposes, we're going for the worst case scenario, if possible.)
Tot: $181.00 out of their pockets for product.

They make a price adjustment to offset the costs of foreign shipping on the figure...
$18.00 (they paid) You pay $25.00 (BBTS)

They loose on shipping...
$5.00 (for the materials) plus $7-8.00 on the actual shipping costs) You pay $12.00 (This covers UPS Ground or Priority Mail, both of which start around $5.00 and quickly go up.) already, they haven't made a profit on the shipping. (They shouldn't either, but some places do.) You basically paid what they paid, and they might even lose a couple of bucks in it.

So you're paying around $37.00 for the figure and to get it to your front door. They have to mark up their prices because:
1.) They *do* provide a service.
2.) They have employees to pay (also covering workman's comp, it is a warehouse they work in.)
3.) They have to rent a warehouse (or perhaps even buy one)

They have to pay for all of it somehow, and they're still losing money. To say they're making a killing in this business is insane.

A Scalper buys the items right out of the store.
No shipping costs to pay for. (Customer of course pays for their own)
No extra charges (except state taxes) on the figures.

So they're getting store cost ($10.60-11.50 with taxes, depending on the state.) bumping it to double ($20.00 or more for a starting bid. BINs start at $35.00 and go up.)

plus they charge you for shipping and handling (which becomes excessive. Look at any eBay auction and you'll notice a bunch of feedbacks saying "WARNING! OVERCHARGED ON SHIPPING! I PAID $10, COST $5.10!") so in the end, you're looking around spending $45.00 (using BIN).

The importer is still cheaper than the scalper.

So...$37.00 from a legit, licensed company
or...$45.00 from a scalper that has no bills or worries to cover because they're not a business. The extra money (PROFIT!) is clearly going into their wallets.

So, you're paying $20.00+ more than the figure's worth at retail, you're paying double the cost of the real shipping price (because scalpers reuse boxes, yet they charge you for a new one. I only see fresh, brand new boxes out of legit businesses.) and if they sell the same item 4 to 8 to 10 times, their costs are minimal and have already paid for themselves in the first two auctions with a lot left over to spare. Who does that serve? The scalper him/herself, not anyone else like a real business would.

Not to mention...importers import the items so you can buy them 24/7 and make them readily available to you, if you wish.

Scalpers take the items from others, when the people could just walk into a store and buy one or two figures sitting on a halfway full peg unit (you have to take into account the kids and collectors and their purchases...)but no...the scalpers bought up *ALL* of the product, so no collector, no kid got anything. The scalper then takes the entire store's supply of that figure, puts it on eBay, parades it around as a "service" and makes a huge profit off of all of it.

Oh sure, you save some gas money. (But not really. The extra fees you pay, would be about what would cost you to put gas in the car to go and look.)

Oh sure, you save some time. (But not really. Yeah, they do the footwork for you, but part of getting these figures is going out there and doing it yourself. Not to mention the patience you lose, while waiting for Scalper McScalpster to get off of his/her ass and actually pack your item.)

Oh sure, you save some frustration of not finding it. (But not really. You wouldn't have frustration if the scalper hadn't gone and bought all of the stock off the shelves, thereby robbing you of your chance to get it yourself.)

I know I've used the time/gas/money thing before, but it's still relevant and works here...

So you go into a store and don't find Bumblebee...but you might find Jazz, or Payload (like I did), or Leader Class Brawl or whoever. You know why? The full case was put out and the collectors or kids got to it. They only bought what they needed and left the rest. Had a scalper come in, they'd have bought them all and I wouldn't have Payload at this point. (Or Bumblebee from Kohl's)

There *IS* a difference between an importer and scalping.

I will admit though, with places like BBTS and their astronomical prices (on some, but not all items)...it does feel like you're being scalped. So the line definitely blurs.

Now, when a collector resells, and does a slight markup...I can deal with that. It is costing that collector gas money to get the item to the mailbox so it can be sent. (no "customer" should have to pay for a collector's gas to go pick up the product.) The collector went to the store on a whim and got lucky to beat others to the punch, that's on them, shouldn't be on you. So marking a figure up around $5-8.00 is reasonable. Also, most collectors are smart people and recycle their shipping boxes, considering this...you shouldn't have to pay for the box like the collector had gone out and bought a new one. Etc. Etc.

Importer: Providing a real service. Prices are high, but necessary. A reverse opportunist (I.E. Giving you the opportunity, and shouldering some of the responsibility of costs as well as the customer.)

Collector: Helping one or two friends, still not providing a service exactly. (No one really asked them to, they took it upon themselves to do it. So if it ends up costing them money, it's on their shoulders.) Prices are higher than retail, but not outrageous. (Though, if possible, they probably should just leave the rest of the figures for others to get. Unless specifically asked to grab some for a person.) Those buying the item with the intention of selling off (without being asked to) could be seen as an opportunist. Doesn't guarantee that the collector is a bad person though.

Scalper: Doesn't provide a service at all. Provides a product for way more than it's worth, or even humanly decent to charge. Prices are astronomical, and after removing the shipping cost and the cost of the item itself, a huge profit with nothing to worry about (like bills or employees) Is an opportunist, and exploits others to make money for little to no work.

Xgamer wrote:

Sportimus Prime wrote:BBTS imported some from Japan, so I guess not. But the cost doesn't justify doing that for a scalper since the profit margin would be less than they would expect.

True but cost + shipping would be about $22 per item- closer to $19 the more you buy. You would also be able to get a couple hundred according to online japan retailers. Then you charge $40 per BB b/c its the japanese version- and sell say 100- thats $2000 in profit just on BB, not to mention the encores, MPs and other movie toys are readily available. So you would make more than the common scalper, but would you necessarily be one?

I see it as business but im guessing a lot of people will call it scalping. If you sell it for a reasonable price, say shipping plus 110% of import fees and possible about 10% of the items cost for handling, then its fair. $40 sounds a little high but 35 really does sound fair for me.

D-340 wrote:

Bonger wrote:Theres one more foot note that I wanted to add, that I have been meaning to do since I found this thread.

I am fully with Ryan. Staring at free money in a store to help offset our own TF expenses, which have been VERY high this year is extrmemely tempting. And where does this oney go, back into TFs and the webiste you love to come hang out on. And you KNOW if he had not grabed that case of SS, someone else would have. There was no way it was not going to end up on ebay. So for once, the TF fans won. Atleast the money is going back into our hobby.

Actually, I gotta disagree with you here. I mean as far as the site, yeah, Ryan's got all right to do what he needs to do for the money to run it. But as far as he or any other collector getting a hold of a currently hot item(they'll all be shelf warmers soon, so no worries) and selling it for a large profit to offset the cost of your collection is wrong imo. If it's your own personal hobby, why should others be responsible for paying for it? I understand it is tempting, but ultimately you are the one responsible for your own expenses, not anyone else.

For me though, it's not so much a morality issue as it is a responsibility issue. It's like me saying "I'm gonna blow my whole weeks pay on my collection, but sell the hot items for profit and make all my money back cuz I did so". It's just something I can't relate to I suppose. My collection is mine, and mine alone, I chose the hobby, so it's my responsibility to pay for it. I'm not trying to insult or look down on anyone who does this though, it's just my opinion.

Question, Would it be ok if he funded his collection by selling concert tickets? Or by selling Star Wars toys? Or by selling car parts on eBay? To me it seems a lot of the anger over people funding their collections by selling TFs is because they're selling hard to find TFs and not because they're "scalping". Am I wrong?

Autobot032 wrote:... plus they charge you for shipping and handling (which becomes excessive. Look at any eBay auction and you'll notice a bunch of feedbacks saying "WARNING! OVERCHARGED ON SHIPPING! I PAID $10, COST $5.10!") ....

One thing many buyers don't realize it that shipping charges cover more than just the cost of postage. That is why it is called shipping & handling. In my experience, e-bay and PayPal's cut comes out to be about 15% of the auctions ending price. On a $25 sale, that could be around $3.50 to $4.00 in fees. Boxes are not free either. Go to a packaging store and buy some boxes and bubble wrap and see how much you spend.

I say spending $10 on shipping an auction is fair if the actual post is $5.10 because I understand the nature of auction expenses.

Like it or not, eBay sellers are providing you a service. eBay may look free to the buyer, but very little in this world is free. You end up paying the eBay costs in the final price.

I think the fans who buy 10 or more of the new figures and don't sell them are definately aqnnoying, and ebay prices can get stupid so yes, anyone who buys 5 or more is taking away good prices.

If scalpers want to make a business out of scalping, then they should pay taxes on the money they make. If you wanna claim it's "free enterprise", then make it look like a real one.

megatroptimus wrote:If scalpers want to make a business out of scalping, then they should pay taxes on the money they make. If you wanna claim it's "free enterprise", then make it look like a real one.

When I sell stuff on eBay, I report the earnings as income to the IRS each year. So taxes are paid, although keeping records gets tedious. I also take write-offs, like airfare and hotel costs related to Botcon, my computer, ebay/Paypal fees, etc...

I'm not a "scalper" in the sense that I clear out store shelves or make early morning toy runs, but I do take advantage when I see an opportunity to make a few bucks (so some black and white thinkers here would call me a scalper). In the end, after total expenses are considered, I pretty much break even and make little to no real profit. I earn a living through my regular career and enjoy buying and selling Transformers as well as other things as a small part of my hobby.

Yeah, right. Even if that was true, how many scalpers do it? Probably less than half a percent.

megatroptimus wrote:Yeah, right. Even if that was true, how many scalpers do it? Probably less than half a percent.

Yes, that's right - I do report all earnings, even eBay sales.

You're right again, most sellers probably don't. My accountant predicts that eBay will soon be forced to report seller's earnings to the IRS. I'm not sure how this will work, since eBay has no way of telling how much is actually profit.

I just bought a Starscream fig for about 29 USD, with our currency being so close to the american Dollar, it was not much of a difference to what I would pay in canada IF we had a Target, which for the Voyager would be 29 Canadian. Shipping was good and soon I will have my figure.

Thanks to those who kindly picked them up and put them on Ebay. Without you enterprising people, I may not have had a chance to get the figure I wanted.

I thought I would post a message and reply from an Ebay user who is likely someone from this forum to answer some questions...

How 'honorable'. of you. First of all, I'd love to know where there are 26 Target stores in one area. That in itself is a laughable idea. But to claim that you went to all of them is an insult to the intelligence of anyone you try to feed that nonsense to.
And as for your claim that you are trying to circumvent a local comic shop, you can just stop that nonsense as well. If you were trying to do the right thing, there would be no 'finders fee'. You are as bad as this fictional 'comic shop owner'. You just don't have the nerve to charge as much.
And for the record, I couldn't be happier to see that your dirty loot didn't sell. IF this world is fair, you will have a living room full of Jazz and Bumblebee toys and have to actually sell them at less than retail price.
If you are going to scalp, just be a man and admit it. Don't try to hide behind honorable intentions.


- big_show59

Why would I keep what doesn't sell when I can just return it to any target for a full refund? They don't care which location you purchased from...**THIS SECTION NOT INCLUDED IN EBAY RESPONSE FOR SPACE REASONS**-->...as long as you have the receipts. I could post or send a copy out of these but for your purposes it would vindicate nothing and you people would just further insult me and not care. I even had receipts in the auction pictures early on but found it did not matter.<--**END OF SECTION NOT INCLUDED IN EBAY RESPONSE**

...CONTINUED EBAY MESSAGE...Yes there are that many Targets around me. There are even more if I go out of my way(above 40 miles) and it is very easy when you live in the suburbs of a large city like Chicago. There is no real line drawn between suburbs. One stretch of road called Randall Rd literally has 8 targets on it all within 3 miles of each other!. Speed limit on that Rd is about 50mph so it becomes very easy. On the way to this Rd, there happen to be three Targets so I go to those first! Targets are as common as Starbucks out here.

Most of the reason these are no longer selling on Ebay is that Targets are flooded with them. I fail to see what the problem is with the 1-2 purchased at each Target by me and how it harms anything when there are literally 10 sitting at those Targets right now on the shelves. I don't know where you live but out here these are readily available.

Yes there is a comic shop owner who went to these Targets when the initial run came in and who I saw at 3 or 4 targets buying the lot of. Now two weeks later those Targets are oversaturated but I am sure he still sold several for $50 which was his pricetag.

I don't make much more than $2 profit using ebay because of the way I pack and ship with UPS for the most part. I admit one fluke where bidding went to $40 but that was settled outside and the winner got the item overnight.Shipping is $10-$13 and I am charging $8-$9. Packing material and tape also cost money as well as boxes.

So you see I who have many Targets around me throw these up on Ebay for those who have NO Targets around them and I make little to no profit due to shipping. These sell on Ebay for $18. I paid $11 after taxes and charge $9 to ship when it truly costs me $13 to ship. I also incurr PayPal and Ebay fees totalling about $3. So what do I come out of it with? $0.50-$1 and a lot of threats headaches from you guys.
---END OF EBAY RESPONSE--***for those of you analytical conspiracy theorists the way I surpassed Ebay limits to get what I got into an Ebay response was by replacing the word "and" with "&". For this posts purposes, the "and" was used for random reasons and this should hold up in a court of law***

To others who have brought up other auctions prior to the Jazz auction, the same above applies. I made very little to no profit at all and I did put other items up at that time to get them out there on Ebay to others who did not have them or the opportunity and not to make a profit. These particular Target Exclusive auctions were done for the most part to keep what I could out of the hands of certain local shops. Before then, you did not see me going overboard with 15+ of the same item. I think I had 5 Ultimate Bumblebees bought from four different targets but not 20 or more and I could have easily done it had I known that people were selling these at local shops for $200-$250 a piece.

As for 2008 concept deluxe bumblebees, I bought them at different Kohls stores for $12.99 which cost even more! If you want proof, get one at auction and you will see it has a Kohls sticker on the bottom with the price. The most I have seen at a single Kohls was 3 so you can get an idea of how many Kohls are around. They seem to always be in the same parking lot as the Targets. They go for $18 each on Ebay from what I can tell and I still do it! I take a huge loss on those.

No matter what I post or what I say you all have made up your minds that I am to be hanged at the gallows or burned at the stake. I don't buy into the whole "setaling from children argument" I have a few boys into these toys and they have no idea what a "G1 Redeco Jazz or Starscream" is. It was made for the collector who grew up back in the day. I actually asked them and their friends what they want or like better and they all wanted the Grey colored Jazz and Starscream because that is what was in the movie and the videogame. They had no idea what the other one was. Proof of this is at Target, you see them now as "peg warmers" as you call it because the general public has no interest.

Any other questions on how my criminal mastermind works to thwart you out of your doll collections?

To back up vpvpvpphil, on small $10 items, if a seller sells it for 2x the MSRP, they are not making much. Maybe a $1 or $2 when all costs are accounted for. You need to sell at large volume to make it worthwhile.

So while you may see what looks like a $10 or $20 profit, it really is not. Any experienced regular eBay seller knows this. Not much is made when you buy at retail and resell it unless you get something right when it comes out - when demand is high. The occasional Botcon sets and initial release price boosts will make a higher profit, but those times are rare.

Most of these labeled "scalpers" like the above e-bay seller are not making much, and certainly not making a living off of it.

It occurs to me that this ethical conflict is not unlike the issue of whether using steroids is ethical in sports, card-counting is ethical in gambling, and using dynamite and a backhoe is ethical in fishing

My husband says to blame hasbro for making the toys not readily available to all those who might want them.

Caelus wrote:It occurs to me that this ethical conflict is not unlike the issue of whether using steroids is ethical in sports, card-counting is ethical in gambling, and using dynamite and a backhoe is ethical in fishing

I think you've got some pretty bad examples there. Most steroids are an illegal drug. It also gives those who take them an unfari advantage in the sport. I'm not up to snuff on my gambling laws but I think card counting is an illegal practice in casinos seeing as how you can be banned from entering if you get caught. Buying Transformers from Target and selling them on eBay is not illegal or immoral. You may disagree with the practice but that doesn't make it wrong.