Integration

[dollman ron]

I’m not throwing off on some Mom & Pop store that ordered a case from a distributor and had to pay more for their stock or a guy who’s running a little side business by ordering from a secondary retailer. I’m talking about an individual with no store just himself, who goes out every morning looking for whatever is new or rare and buys all he can for the sole purpose of taking advantage of the fact that it is new and rare, and “Collectors” have been waiting for these items. He’s not interested in the line it’s self or trying to build a set, but only buying the new or rare (one per case) figures to make their self some money off another person.
I’ve personally come across guys with no jobs; all they do is burn the roads up every morning going from one department store to the other for the sole purpose of scalping to make a living. One guy I know of works at one store, cherry picks from the stock room, and prowls on his lunch break and after work the other nearby stores for rare and new figures for no other reason, but to resale. He doesn’t even collect any regular lines (ThunderCats, GI Joe Marvel, DC,); he uses the money to pay for trips to Japan because he collects Anima. Everyone knows it, but can’t catch him or isn’t interested in stopping him, the jerk!
They‘re crooks! They use the retail store as their distributor. When I go looking for a figure and ask a clerk about whether they have any of what I’m looking for, it’s because of them that I get the stink eye, and am told “All we have is out”, or “We can’t go into the back”; when I didn’t even say anything about going into the back. I wouldn’t even be asking half the time if the one rare piece I needed for my set didn’t keep winding up on EBay.
We all just get thrown into the bad crowd right along with them.
When the doors open in the morning and these guys come flooding in knocking other people out of the way (I’ve seen it), practically running through the aisles filling their arms as they go it’s disgusting. In my opinion they’re the reason there are shelf warmers on the pegs, because where a “Collector” is buying one of every piece to build a set. Flippers are only buying what’s rare and the hard to get figures, and aren’t touching any other figures in the line, which doesn’t help sales that encourages stores to order more. Not to mention, but by being greedy they’re not just hurting us, but kids as well.
And since I don’t want this thread to go anymore south then it’s already getting to be. That’s all I’m going to say about it because I’ve had to put up with crap like this for over 40 years and I know whether anyone believes me or not what I’m talking about.