Integration

[Monkian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimey013

1st off.... It's not scalping. It's kinda funny how you call them scalpers.

When in the collecting business you have to play the market, it moves like the stock market. I have been in the sports card business for years and well you have to play the market. If SRP is $$10 and market bring $50, why sell it for $10. I know none of you would. It typical business when it comes to any type of collectors market.

I also dont fault the people that are selling the $8 4inch figures for $20. Why you may ask?? Well it's cause there are people willing to spend $20+ for figures like Cheetara since they only fall 1 per case. So who you need to blame is the collectors that are willing to pay the crazy prices right now.

since this toy line is new, most people know and understand the market will come back down to SRP (or close to it) but still people are going out and spending $20+ for a figure that sells for $7-8 at retail stores. I saw a 4inch basic mumm-ra sell for $25 shipped and on amazon they are $7.82...It's just how the game is played.

This goes with any collectors toys, games, cards, figures.. whatever. All this is very common in the sport card industry. You just need to learn to play the market to your advantage.

While I can appreciate the basic economics of it, I don't see substantial profit in "scalping". In other words, in terms of opportunity cost, there are much more productive uses of my time than driving around and buying up toys at retail to resell on the secondary market. If we're talking economies of scale, then sure, it makes sense. But, we're not talking economies of scale; there is a very finite supply from which to generate profit. It would be a mal-investment of my time and efforts. I think that while that could be extended to most people, there exists a minority that sees such activity as worth their while. Ultimately, when put to the test, it's a herculean waste of time and resources to turn a small profit.