The Energon Pub

Bumblethumper wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:EDIT: I went to Target one time, they pulled out a case of assorted figures and when I offered to buy the entire case, I was turned down. I asked why and she said "Everyone has to be given a fair chance to buy these. We have collector rules in effect because of that." I said I'd be buying one of each figure by buying the case and that it'd be the same if I just pulled 'em right off the pegs. She said "Then do that. I can't sell you the case because one of the figures has two of the same toy in here. We're not allowed to sell multiples to one person, especially collectors. We can only sell one of each figure to you at a time. If you want to make several trips, we can't stop you." I bought what I could after she put them on the pegs and I walked away pissed off.

So there's more to this story than we're getting. Either you have one of the sh*ttiest run Targets, or the idea of making a major sale let their greed get in the way.

Either way, it's ridiculous and they should practice what they preach. AT ALL STORES.

Well technically they have the stock, they're in the business to sell the stuff, and if someone wants to buy it, why shouldn't they sell it to them? It's a very fast turnover for the store. It's also good business for Hasbro and Transformers in general, because it helps them to shift stock, and it also means that, years down the line you stand a better chance of still being able to get a figure MISB.

Don't forget the scalpers are also taking on a risk. They don't know that Hasbro's not about to ramp up production and flood the market with the figure they just bought a whole case of. The same figure could wind up at a substantial discount, and the scalper would be stuck with unsellable stock.

And then the scalper just returns them to the store so he never loses. I've seen arguments in this thread that getting UPC numbers and calling and haunting stores is "proactive" but that's bull. I have to deal with 3 of those "proactive" people in my area. They hit this entire area and spend 4 hours every night hitting all the local stores and waiting for the stockers to bring toys out. People like me who, you know, have to work for a living cannot afford to spend our lives standing at a store to get first dibs. But the kids who want these toys for the right reasons are the real victims in all this. And their parents who have to pay ridiculous prices on ebay just to get that certain toy the kids are begging for. It's a shame and the guy in that auction is a real jerk.

Autobot032 wrote:37 friggin' pages.

*sighs* I had no idea it would ever get this big.

Well, I'm done. I'm out.

This is a no win situation because neither side is willing to see the other's point of view (which is fine), but all it's going to do is raise blood pressure, cause fights, etc.

Not worth it, especially considering it's the internet.

Have fun with the thread ladies and gentlemen.

Ha ha, It finally hit you too eh? Why bother with this. Just screw over the scalper when ever you get the chance.

Xgamer wrote:

PastGenToys wrote:Not sure about other areas of the US but in Northen VA I have seen all the so-called "hard-to-find" exclusives sitting on shelves at Target, TRU, etc... granted I have 6+ targets in a 20 mile radius. If you have access to Target I would try for reatil first.

I saw in one auction that the seller stated they is only going to be 7000 of the Jazz figure released... there would be no point in Target only releasing 7000. Target does this for the money and a total of 7000 products would not be worth their time. Some will say anything to hype a find.

Im just curious- is this you as well-I saw your website?
http://www.amazon.com/b/103-7637356-444 ... 5A3626RLFT
Not that I dont want to buy a Pepsi Optimus for 105
http://www.pastgenerationtoys.com/index ... cts_id=257

That guy is just another scalper douche too. He has like 2 posts. Prob just opened an account to see what we're after. I hope no one buys his ****. Those prices are outrageous.

Toyotus Superion wrote:

Xgamer wrote:

PastGenToys wrote:Not sure about other areas of the US but in Northen VA I have seen all the so-called "hard-to-find" exclusives sitting on shelves at Target, TRU, etc... granted I have 6+ targets in a 20 mile radius. If you have access to Target I would try for reatil first.

I saw in one auction that the seller stated they is only going to be 7000 of the Jazz figure released... there would be no point in Target only releasing 7000. Target does this for the money and a total of 7000 products would not be worth their time. Some will say anything to hype a find.

Im just curious- is this you as well-I saw your website?
http://www.amazon.com/b/103-7637356-444 ... 5A3626RLFT
Not that I dont want to buy a Pepsi Optimus for 105
http://www.pastgenerationtoys.com/index ... cts_id=257

That guy is just another scalper douche too. He has like 2 posts. Prob just opened an account to see what we're after. I hope no one buys his ****. Those prices are outrageous.

Well, if someone is dumb enough to pay 105 for Pepsi Prime or 50 for a Deluxe.....You know where I am going with this.

I have given my opinion as an ebay seller. Now here is my opinion as a buyer from ebay, which is my role 90+% of the time.

I would not consider the person in this example to be your typical reseller. Most legitamate ebay sellers, (and there are a number to whom I regularly give my business) charge pretty fair prices, maybe about 10-20% higher than I would expect to pay on Carbomya. Since they have to pay ebay fees, it is actually not too bad of a deal.

The seller in this case is an example of the jackass sellers who pop up all over ebay all the time. They have no clue what they are doing and set stupidly high prices in some vain hope that some idiot will bite.

Really, for legitimate sellers on ebay, more often than not, the prime time closing auctions seem to end up at higher winning bids than a lot of the buy it now prices. Seems to me that in those cases, the "scalper" is charging under market price as the true price is set by the auctions, imo.

Cyber Bishop wrote:I once asked him why does he buy everything that is new, resell it on ebay and not give collectors a legit chance to pick stuff up and his answer was "I don't like collectors and think they should grow up and do more adult things." "I do it to hopefully deter people from toy searching and hope they stumble across my ebay auctions".

This is hypocrisy at its finest. He "doesn't like collectors", but he "hope that they stumble across his auctions". Nice. He wants them to do "more adult things", yet relies on them to get by.

As if it is an adult thing to care about what other adults do with their free time and disposable income...around here someone would slash his tires for saying something like that...or worse.

Sounds to me like the guy is just a world class douche, and he needs to seriously rethink his logic.

"Scalpers" do provide a service. If hasbro did more general releases, I'd might not have to look for "scalpers" to provide me with what I want.

Those that buy up Everything...that's not fair. But if they are declaring their taxes, and a business is likely to be doing that, then it's legitimate free enterprise.

Lapse Of Reason wrote:

Hotrod wrote:

megatroptimus wrote:Most scalpers are not declaring what they make with scalping, a 4 years old would know that. Apparently not you?

How do you know that for a fact. Show me a resource with that information. If they are running a buisness or selling a lot of items on ebay which are electronic transfers it is kind of hard to hide from the IRS.

I posted this earlier but maybe Megatroptimus did not read it.

Income is income. Don't report it to the IRS, you will be in trouble if audited. I report my income off everything I sell, just to be safe. I keep records and receipts. I also take write offs. My internet access and computer, as well as this year's trip to Botcon were all business expenses. I take my very meager e-bay sales and treat it as a small sole-proprietorship.

Maybe not everyone does this, but they should. Right now eBay does not report seller's sales information to the IRS but my accountant predicts that eBay will soon be required to do so.

My accountant says the same thing. in fact he told me several states are going to ask ebay to start reporting 1)transactions from thier state 2) transactions to their state all for the purpose of sales taxes don't think for one miniute the states are not watching internet sales.
the only thing stoping people is the discussions on who owns the internet & can you tax something you don't own.

Also if you don't like scalpers don't buy from them or better yet start a collecting club where the rules are NO SELLING Trading only (Where the value is only retail) or selling only at cost. face it is part of the hobby its also part of our free market scociety.

also think about this is the scalpers at toy & Mart stores any worse than the person who goes around to all of the yard sales buying up everylast used G1 tf then selling it on ebay for mega huge profits ($.50 yard sale $20.00 on ebay)

Seibertron wrote:

Geekee1 wrote:Oh, and I'm not saying that scalpers don't exist. They most certainly do. I am just questioning if there really are as many as people claim there to be.

That's been one of my points that I've been trying to make in this thread ... that scalpers on the scale that people talk about them do not exist. Sure, there's a few ... but not like some people in this thread would like to have you believe. I just want people to acknowledge that there just might be other collectors in their area that are beating them to the punch and that it's not scalpers. This is a HUGE hobby. They would never have made a Transformers movie had it just been you and a bunch of scalpers in your town buying Transformers.

Also don't forget there are a lot of children buying Tfs now too (Alot more than there are collectors) and yes I was at a tru with my own kids & saw 2 kids running & between the 2 of them they bought all the new tfs in the new case that was put out.

yeh it has an enormous kids appeal with the movie out specially with this new animated line coming out will just add to it and i agree with seibertron because theres not as much as everybody keeps claiming there are also some stores just dont stock enough i mean there only human not tf producing machines

Lapse Of Reason wrote:
eBay and Paypal provide both buyers and sellers with a service. Both are free for the buyer, and it is the seller's option to pass some of the expense to the buyer

Wrong.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/lis ... nting.html

Circumventing Fees


Users may not use systems or techniques to circumvent, or avoid, eBay fees. Sellers should review the ‘Some Examples’ section below to ensure they are not engaging in practices that circumvent eBay fees.

Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:

Listing cancellation

Limits on account privileges

Account suspension

Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings

Loss of PowerSeller status

Unreasonable shipping or handling costs - The seller may add a reasonable shipping and handling fee to the final price of the item, but may not charge excessive shipping and handling fees, excessive required insurance fees, or excessive (or not applicable) taxes in an effort to make the item appear artificially inexpensive, to avoid eBay fees, or for any other purposes. A shipping and handling fee may cover the seller's reasonable costs for mailing, packaging, and handling the item. Shipping and handling fees may not be listed as a percentage of the final sale price. Please see the complete Excessive Shipping and Handling policy for more details.

The info you cited doesn't help your argument at all. They're talking about taking something that's worth $80 and selling it for $5 with $75 for shipping an handling in order to avoid eBays final value fees. They aren't talking about passing the eBay and Paypal fees onto the customer.

There are plenty of legit business that I deal with on a regular basis that will charge a surcharge for paying with a credit card.

No sir, read harder : you cannot charge ANYTHING to cover Ebay fees (and that includes listing fees, not only final auction fees), even if the mark up is minimal. What you don't understand is that the topic also covers other situations as well. Lapse of Reason pretends he's free to charge the buyer what he wants to cover Ebay and Paypal fees; Ebay says no. Pretty simple.

I did read it and have read it many times before. Me thinks that you're interpreting it incorrectly so as to fit your argument.

And me thinks you're one of them. Remind me of never buying anything from you guys, ok?

Thinks I'm one of what?

megatroptimus wrote:No sir, read harder : you cannot charge ANYTHING to cover Ebay fees (and that includes listing fees, not only final auction fees), even if the mark up is minimal. What you don't understand is that the topic also covers other situations as well. Lapse of Reason pretends he's free to charge the buyer what he wants to cover Ebay and Paypal fees; Ebay says no. Pretty simple.

You misunderstand the ebay rule.

They mean what upther said. Circumventing fees means inflating the shipping charge to cover the difference in the actual price of the product and the low listing amount. For example, selling a $50 for $5 plus $45 added to shipping is circumventing fees.

Adding $5 handling per transaction to cover expenses is not circumventing fees. I have been on eBay for 9 years and am a powerseller so I know what I'm talking about. You can either try to understand or refuse to, but there is a clear right and wrong answer here. I'm right. When you list an item where shipping is automaticaly calculated, eBay even provides a section for adding a handling fee that is tacked on to the shipping quote. Why would they say you can't do that, then build in a way for you to do it as a seller?

Let me know your ebay ID and I'll gladly add you to my blocked bidders list so you don't accidently take advantage of anything I offer to sell.

upther wrote:Thinks I'm one of what?

Sometimes when one has no ground on which to stand, they resort to name-calling. I think he is referring to you as a "scalper."

[quote="tmthor] Also if you don't like scalpers don't buy from them or better yet start a collecting club where the rules are NO SELLING Trading only (Where the value is only retail) or selling only at cost. face it is part of the hobby its also part of our free market scociety.

[/quote]

If only that were true. Try making a trade on here for a MISB Fortress Maximus, and only trading a MISB Leader Class Prime, and see how fast you get it. They are about retail prices.

Or try trading a peg warming movie deluxe for a Classics Starscream.

As soon as someone has something that someone else wants, the price goes up, trade or sell.

Lapse Of Reason wrote:

upther wrote:Thinks I'm one of what?

Sometimes when one has no ground on which to stand, they resort to name-calling. I think he is referring to you as a "scalper."

That's what I figured but I wanted to see him come right out and say it instead of beating around the bush.

Lapse Of Reason wrote:

megatroptimus wrote:No sir, read harder : you cannot charge ANYTHING to cover Ebay fees (and that includes listing fees, not only final auction fees), even if the mark up is minimal. What you don't understand is that the topic also covers other situations as well. Lapse of Reason pretends he's free to charge the buyer what he wants to cover Ebay and Paypal fees; Ebay says no. Pretty simple.

You misunderstand the ebay rule.

They mean what upther said. Circumventing fees means inflating the shipping charge to cover the difference in the actual price of the product and the low listing amount. For example, selling a $50 for $5 plus $45 added to shipping is circumventing fees.

Adding $5 handling per transaction to cover expenses is not circumventing fees. I have been on eBay for 9 years and am a powerseller so I know what I'm talking about. You can either try to understand or refuse to, but there is a clear right and wrong answer here. I'm right. When you list an item where shipping is automaticaly calculated, eBay even provides a section for adding a handling fee that is tacked on to the shipping quote. Why would they say you can't do that, then build in a way for you to do it as a seller?

Let me know your ebay ID and I'll gladly add you to my blocked bidders list so you don't accidently take advantage of anything I offer to sell.

The only thing I'm seeing here is a powerseller that got it wrong for 9 years. Handling covers shipping material and handling. Handling does not include extras to cover listing fees and final auction fees.

And if I've never bought anything from you so far, it's probably because there was no real deal to be made.

Lapse Of Reason wrote:

upther wrote:Thinks I'm one of what?

Sometimes when one has no ground on which to stand, they resort to name-calling. I think he is referring to you as a "scalper."

Nice. Now a self-proclaimed scalper claims that being called a "scalper" is demeaning.

We're degrading into name-calling and fighting again - heed Cyber Bishop's warning!

It's time to derail this convo so it's on-topic again....

Where do you see name-calling here? I don't see it. Scalper, plumber, drug dealer, clerk, it's all the same, just a word to designate one's job.

megatroptimus wrote:

Lapse Of Reason wrote:

megatroptimus wrote:No sir, read harder : you cannot charge ANYTHING to cover Ebay fees (and that includes listing fees, not only final auction fees), even if the mark up is minimal. What you don't understand is that the topic also covers other situations as well. Lapse of Reason pretends he's free to charge the buyer what he wants to cover Ebay and Paypal fees; Ebay says no. Pretty simple.

You misunderstand the ebay rule.

They mean what upther said. Circumventing fees means inflating the shipping charge to cover the difference in the actual price of the product and the low listing amount. For example, selling a $50 for $5 plus $45 added to shipping is circumventing fees.

Adding $5 handling per transaction to cover expenses is not circumventing fees. I have been on eBay for 9 years and am a powerseller so I know what I'm talking about. You can either try to understand or refuse to, but there is a clear right and wrong answer here. I'm right. When you list an item where shipping is automaticaly calculated, eBay even provides a section for adding a handling fee that is tacked on to the shipping quote. Why would they say you can't do that, then build in a way for you to do it as a seller?

Let me know your ebay ID and I'll gladly add you to my blocked bidders list so you don't accidently take advantage of anything I offer to sell.

The only thing I'm seeing here is a powerseller that got it wrong for 9 years. Handling covers shipping material and handling. Handling does not include extras to cover listing fees and final auction fees.

And if I've never bought anything from you so far, it's probably because there was no real deal to be made.

Fair enough, you believe what you want, but I know what is right. I have not been ignornant for 9 years.

You should also know this: if there was no financial incentive for people to sell on eBay, then eBay would not exist. Sure, sometimes a buyer may come across a good deal but no seller says "hey, I'd like to lose some money today so let's sell a $10 toy on eBay for $10 and I'll pay all the costs too." Why would I spend $14 to sell someone a $10 item?

No gain, no eBay. So many people have this attitude that eBay is evil and profit is bad. I find it ironic, since I imagine at least 75% of all out-of-release Transformers transactions occur on eBay or a similar auction site.

megatroptimus wrote:

Lapse Of Reason wrote:

upther wrote:Thinks I'm one of what?

Sometimes when one has no ground on which to stand, they resort to name-calling. I think he is referring to you as a "scalper."

Nice. Now a self-proclaimed scalper claims that being called a "scalper" is demeaning.

I don't consider myself a "scalper". Did I ever claim to clear out store shelves? And yes, the way some toss around the term it is meant to be demeaning.