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Old 08-14-2011, 08:12 PM   #1
Riono
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Dear scalpers,

The loyal fans of the old an new Thundercats cartoon and of its action figures regret to inform you that we will not pay for YOUR over priced action figures anymore. Scalpers, I have searched many of your private websites and found that many of you call yourselves "collectors" however you are not a collector when you buy a product just to turn around and sell it at an overly elevated price for profit. You are a Reseller and/or Price gouger. I understand about making some money, but come on.... really double or triple of what the MSRP is. Stop taking advantage of people.
I hereby ask that true action figure collectors make a stand and say no to these Greedy cats. You know who they are. Do not be tempted by their "scarce" or "rare" lingo talks about how "time is running out" on a particular Action Figure. Be patient and wait. Fairly priced action figures are out there from reputable dealers and websites. We can't keep feeding these Fat cat Scalpers. Just say Thundercats no HOOOOOOOOOO!
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Old 08-14-2011, 08:45 PM   #2
Steevy Maximus
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And it is also worth noting that Bandai is not Hasbro. Bandai does not do "monthly/quarterly" waves, they release in large batches a couple times a year. The existing selection of 7 figures is the extent of the basic figure assortment until next spring.

But you know what they say, "A fool and his money..."
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Old 08-15-2011, 12:36 PM   #3
Fist Pounder
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Its funny ive looked on ebay to see what people are offering so i know what to look for on shelves.

And i love it when i see the rare 4 inch mummy mummra for sale. Most items are rare right now especially in the capital region.

But I am just checking the local toys r us I ask when they ship so i know what days to come not because i want to buy everything but because i dont want to come in on friday only to find out they got a shipment on wednesday and most of the action figures are gone.

Good luck to evreyone in your collecting quests.
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Old 08-15-2011, 12:56 PM   #4
omens619
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Although hunting for the 4" and 6" modern figures might be a challenge right now, in a few weeks every retailer should have them in stock.

The problem is the 8" classics line, in case if anyone is wondering, most stores are only going to get one case in of the classics line, I checked, another issue is that there are only 4 figures in a case. 2 lionos, 2 tygras. So if you see them in the stores, you better grab it, because you probably won't see these again until they get more in.
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Old 08-15-2011, 01:10 PM   #5
dbox183
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If only things like this would work -- I've been a collector of wrestling action figures for years, and always run into the same issues. I've been lucky enough to find some of the figures and place orders through online retailers (Amazon, Entertainment Earth) without having to resort to places like eBay just yet. The reality is we do feel desperate to obtain certain figures, and we have to resort to the scalpers. Classics, for example, are figures most of us want - therefore will be hardest to find. This makes the ability to gouge even easier when some people make a living off of doing this... Sadly, I'd be willing to pay 2-3x the price for one if I didn't have mine already on order. If my area doesn't have it, or the other locations I do make trips out to - I have no other option, and this happens with the wrestling figures too. It's a sad state of affairs, but it's something we'll always have to deal with being collectors.

I don't mean to rain on your parade or anything, it's just a matter of scalpers suck, but they're the only option sometimes. Good luck to everyone on finding this stuff before they do -- I love the figures I've managed to get my hands on so far

Last edited by dbox183; 08-15-2011 at 01:12 PM.. Reason: Missed a word...
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Old 08-15-2011, 01:21 PM   #6
IndyCat
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I don't mean to rain on your parade or anything, it's just a matter of scalpers suck. Good luck to everyone on finding this stuff before they do -- I love the figures I've managed to get my hands on so far
pretty much this.

I have been collecting a long time and been on many collector forums to know that scalpers arent even worth the time it takes to write up a post about them. the only thing we can do to "put them out of business" is take there same approach but with a different strategy. get to know the employees at toy stores, go to them when they open, be there on delivery days, inform local collectors of current stock at stores so no one misses anything, etc....and when you don find items. Instead of buying them for resale, let you fellow collectors know where they can be found and when they are in stock. if you do want to buy multiples, bring them back to the forum and offer the extras up for Cost + Shipping or trade. You wont make friends any faster way then that. Its the only way to beat scalpers. dont buy from them and beat them at their own game.

on the flip side, the employees at TRU are on a first name basis, and that helps. they are more apt to hold stuff for you and help when they know your a genuine collector and not a reseller.
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Old 08-15-2011, 02:46 PM   #7
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I'd be willing to help out any fellow collectors by selling my 4 inch figs for $550 a set shipped.
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Old 08-15-2011, 03:58 PM   #8
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Are they autographed by there voice actors with certificates of authenticity


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I'd be willing to help out any fellow collectors by selling my 4 inch figs for $550 a set shipped.
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Old 08-15-2011, 05:10 PM   #9
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Are they autographed by there voice actors with certificates of authenticity
As well as dinner for two with Emmanuelle Chriqui?
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Old 08-16-2011, 04:39 AM   #10
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Right now most of the Amazon prices of the new stuff is hilarious. $34 Cheetaras?
Madness! lol
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Old 08-16-2011, 12:18 PM   #11
nflxfl21
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Due to all the scalpers buying every thing we cant find stuff on the shelf but if we don't give in and buy the crazy prices then they wont buy every thing on the shelf collecting should be fun not stressful i don't care about value.i may buy extra just because the package looks to cool.so just waite and you will find what you want.because if you give in and pay a crazy price you will find what you were looking for on the shelf and wish you would have waited
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Old 08-16-2011, 07:59 PM   #12
Valdin
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I will never pay scalpers prices. I moved here to san diego 5 years ago and see this all the time. I moved from a small town and found what i wanted easily. Now I have to hunt for them and most of the time i am wasting gas.
I just saw a signed mini poster on ebay that was autographed by the new cartoon cast for $120. I was at the convention and got it for free. This person is trying to make a huge profit off of something he got for free!! Outrageuos.
Also A friend came to visit this year, we go to the con together. I bought some exclusives that I wanted and so he trys to tell me not to open them cause they are worth alot on ebay. I thought, what the heck?? I knew this guy for years and never thought he would say something like that. When I get what I want, I open it and enjoy it, I let them breathe and display them and admire them. I never thought once about reselling something. thats crazy.
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Old 08-21-2011, 10:16 PM   #13
raiden225005
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I just found some thundercats figures at my local fleamarket earlier today. I already had them but I decided to ask the price anyway. They had the classic tygra for 40 bucks and lion-o for 45 and the sword of omens for 40. I could not keep myself from laughing : )
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Old 08-23-2011, 10:27 AM   #14
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Scalpers can bite me! My Local Wal-Mart and Toysrus have more New ThunderCats product then I can shake a stick at, I can pick up whatever piece I want whenever I'm ready (Can only afford so much at a time), Deluxe, 4", 6", 8", Thunder Tank, Sidecars, Lizard Cannon or Sword of Omens.
All this talk about one per case of this and one per case of that, BULL. I’ve seen at least two or more of every figure every time I’ve gone to look. I hope every flipper buys a ton and get stuck with every piece of it.
I look at what some flippers are asking and laugh. $34 for Cheetara, I could have already bought a half dozen so far if I wanted.
As far as I can tell Bandai isn’t short producing anything.
EVERYONE, don’t be in such a rush, before long every regular retail chain will all the Thundercats Stuff you’ll ever want. With the Christmas season around the corner everyone will be stocking up on everything. You can count on it.
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Old 08-23-2011, 10:40 AM   #15
shimey013
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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.
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Old 08-23-2011, 11:25 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by shimey013 View Post
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.
not sure what your definition of scalping is?

scalper - definition of scalper by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
Quote:
3. To resell at a price higher than the established value:
while capitolism is great, its not usually welcome at any collector forum that I know of. There is no rules to prevent people from reslling anything at a higher price but it hurts collectors in a lot of ways other then paying higher prices for an item.

for example:
if a scalper buys out all the thundercats toys and holds them for an extended period of time, cant sell them then returns them back to the store. The store still sees them in inventory and doesnt purchase more. more then likely in between that time the collector seeks out other stores or places to get what they want. and since the scalped items are now back on the shelf, it appears as sales were poor and lines are cancelled. Therefore the collector gets screwed.

As you said " It typical business when it comes to any type of collectors market." its no longer the collectors realm and bording on business, and again usually business are allowed to resell on forums unless a deal is made via advertising, etc.

The point of collecting is NOT for resale. its to keep and cherish. If you stricly buy something for the intent to make a profit, your not a collector.
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Old 08-23-2011, 11:30 AM   #17
dollman ron
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I'm with Indycat, a Collector collects for himself, he wants it, likes it, enjoys it, to look at, play with, whatever, and will hold on to it for years. Maybe even pass it down, and unfortunately may have to sell it in tough times.

A Retailer, Dealer, scalper, flipper is not collecting, and is not a collector; he is stocking or hoarding for future profit. There is a difference.

I have been collecting for my entire life all types of action figures and have only sold some of my collection once when my father died and my family needed money, other than that I’ve traded very little because what I buy is for “ME” and it stays mine.

Last edited by dollman ron; 08-23-2011 at 11:32 AM..
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Old 08-23-2011, 12:22 PM   #18
The Superman J
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A Retailer, Dealer, scalper, flipper is not collecting, and is not a collector; he is stocking or hoarding for future profit. There is a difference.


For the most part I agree with you but, Retailers and Dealers? I don't think that is a fair grouping. Where exactly do you think you are going to get anything to collect if your retailers do not purchase and resell your items? Same for Dealers, which this can be debated, but for the most part Dealers (and small chain retailers) do not get any type of bulk rate/discount/etc for products. So while they may charge more for things, they also pay more for those things as well. And lets not forget, anyone that owns a business and sells these things might know the market. If they purchase a case of figures for said amount, there is no guarantee they are going to sell all those figures. This is why you have shelf warmers. Over stocking....too many of one figure per case...unpopular character....some times dealers and small chain retailers have to increase the price of other figures (they know will sell) in order to make their purchase feasible and recoup costs to even be able to sell things at all. Its not a simple matter of "get said item and resell at higher price because I am a greedy and can make a quick buck".

Now, for the most part tho, ya scalpers suck. But its something we always have to deal with as long as there is any type of "collectible market". Lets not be rash and lump everyone into the same category though. Big difference between a retailer/dealer than a scalper. Some folks aren't lucky enough to have access to large chain stores that sell these either. So sometimes these online and local dealers/retailers are their only option.

Last edited by The Superman J; 08-23-2011 at 12:43 PM..
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Old 08-24-2011, 05:41 AM   #19
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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.
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Old 08-24-2011, 07:59 AM   #20
IndyCat
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a while back when I was collecting Mighty Muggs, target actually put out signs in stores across the country saying they would not allow employees to check backstock for specific items and specified toy collectors. Someone took a picture of the sign and posted it somewhere, I am trying to find it.

but anyways, Dollman Ron is correct. Scalping hurts everyone.
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Old 08-24-2011, 09:53 AM   #21
Monkian
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Originally Posted by shimey013 View Post
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.
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Old 08-24-2011, 12:08 PM   #22
Monkian
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Not exactly lighting it on fire, if you ask me. Proof positive that buying and reselling, on the whole, is a fools game. It is an endeavor that won't make you a rich person. That being the case, why waste your time?

thundercats cheetara | eBay
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Old 08-24-2011, 12:17 PM   #23
IndyCat
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if only scalping one line, yes. Its usually the case though were scalpers resell many different lines. They scour stores for all the variants, shortpacks, collectibles across lots of different toys.
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Old 09-05-2011, 01:28 AM   #24
andr0s81
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While there have always been scalpers, this didn't really get to be a problem until eBay, in my opinion. Last year (possibly the year before) while browsing through eBay's selling tips looking to unload some old ninja turtle toys I came across an article that absolutely disgusted me. It was about how to tell the hot toys for Christmas time and what to look for. It listed things like foil packaging, special edition, figures not listed on card backs, and anything female action figure and recommended people buy those first and throw them online. It even mentioned asking late night stock associates to get things for you as they don't normally pay attention to the items. I won't say I stopped using eBay altogether, but because of that article I've only resorted to them 2 or 3 times since, and only in times where I couldn't get buyers on online messageboards.
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Old 09-19-2011, 09:55 PM   #25
Childsmonkey
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Burn scalpers...burn!
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Old 09-19-2011, 10:35 PM   #26
Slithe
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Yesssssssss..
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Old 09-20-2011, 01:54 AM   #27
rchrz60
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I completely agree with this thread. If you are a true collector then you should want other collectors to share in the same joy. Don't over price your figures. So with that being said, I have looked into the SDCC lion-o and people are charging around $75 and up for this figure. What was it selling for at SDCC? If you bought it and no longer want it, then how about you sell it for what you paid so you get your money back, but don't screw over a true collector. I would have gotten one, but I live in Illinois with 4 kids, so there was no way I was making it to SDCC!
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Old 09-20-2011, 08:10 AM   #28
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I completely agree with this thread. If you are a true collector then you should want other collectors to share in the same joy. Don't over price your figures. So with that being said, I have looked into the SDCC lion-o and people are charging around $75 and up for this figure. What was it selling for at SDCC? If you bought it and no longer want it, then how about you sell it for what you paid so you get your money back, but don't screw over a true collector. I would have gotten one, but I live in Illinois with 4 kids, so there was no way I was making it to SDCC!
It sold for $40. It may even still be available on TRU's website.
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