I 100% back this. There are some lame ass, "collectors," around here buying and selling pieces like disposable commodities.

dude if ya really did id send ya one

wait now what? the least i could do to make up for what exactly? and i d gibe him one if he did need one - they are too cool to keep all to myself if others needed em but then wouldn't i have hoarded for the wrong reason in the end?

no kidding - its like kaiju day trading.............

i actually do need one... ill hit you up when i have expendable cash

The only way to counter this is to not buy things at flipper prices. If it's a great toy, it will still be a great toy in a few months or a year from now (after the hype has died down). The only thing that fuels these fuckers are impatient people with more money than sense.

Totally agree and similar viewpoints have been put forward on this board over the last two years. Lack of patience and instant gratification play into flipper and hoarder hands.

I was chasing a rare hard to find piece that I slept on. I waited and waited and finally found it at a decent price eight months later versus paying out the ass the week after it was released.

Yes.

I can't speak for the other people, but I think buying a toy for the sole intention of using it for profit or trade bait is weak and shouldn't be done. At that point it's no longer a toy.

I would say so. I started out late as well, but that shouldn't matter because no matter how awesome past releases have been, there will be great releases to look forward to. I also do not use the term "holy grail". I think it sets people up mentally to do anything for a piece, like paying outrageous prices or hoarding for trades.

I'm adding the KT splatter Chaos & Mutant Head and the first two blind bagged mini Chaos to the list of items that seemed to have lost their retail value immediately...

oh' yeah'... and let us not forget the lonely Bop Dragons

the only thing that seems to be saving them right now is the Pushead gathering...

This whole thing is the reason I recently gave up collecting a certain...um...3" and 8" - sized Kidrobot figure.. Popular new releases sell out in a matter of minutes at online venues (which is my only option, living in a sucky town), yet for a week before the release date, there are already auctions up on Eb ay with prices at triple and quadruple the retail price timed to end after the release date..and people are paying it! Got very old very fast.

Gary Baseman toys and a few Frank Kozik are about all I still collect from 'western' artists.

Kaiju I am really enjoying the Hell out of for the past 6 months or so. SO far as I can tell, It hasn't really caught on with the 'masses' (Haven't seen any Skullbrains at the Urban OUtfitters) so for me as a new collector, it's fun to still find what I consider to be awesome pieces at fair (ie near retail) prices. I guarantee that everything I've been buying here recently from members went straight into a proud position on my shelf because I think these toys not only kick ass, but are gorgeous as well. They'll go right back to the community if I ever decide to part with any of them. Maybe someday as a collector, when all I have left to collect are the so-called 'grail' pieces, the anger and frustration at being denied them may build up inside me, but hopefully if that happens I'll have the wisdom to get out of the game rather than let it ruin my enjoyment of the hobby...

I really like your philosophy here, Joe. I especially appreciate your thoughts on the term "holy grail".

For my part, I've bought duplicates of a number of toys, but in most cases it's been to get one for me and one for my girlfriend. Other instances were when I bought a auction lot to get one or two particular toys and ended up with dupes. I've checked the 'wanted' section and there doesn't appear to be any demand for the dupes that I have.

Doesn't the 'rules' or 'unwritten rules' posts in the FAQ say something about trade flipping?

Just bustin yer chops dude. You know, the way the two of you were gibber jabbering several months back. Just pokin fun in a light-hearted way.

Found it! It's in the 'unwritten rules' post.

With SDCC coming up this is only going to get worse around here before it gets better - FYI! There will also be that usual "Colbert" bump from the show also with lots of new users coming on board.

I couldn't agree more.

The easiest way to be made a target, is to post a 'wanted' thread with toys in it that haven't even been released yet. I've not been on the board long, but I cant count the number of times I've seen this happen. You also set yourself up big time if you post a 'wanted' thread 2 hours after a toy just sold out. Around here 90% of the time, a toy is most valuable the minute it sells out. Time eventually drives the prices back down.

On the subject of flippers and impatient people, nothing drives me crazier than seeing a sales thread for a toy that's not even a month old selling for flipper prices because, to quote the seller, 'just selling it for what i paid for it'. This only helps maintain this faux price. I'm sorry you couldn't wait a month for this and decided to spend 3x retail for it, only to want to sell it a week later. I'm sure some of these are people that just come up with this lame ass excuse to flip, but whatever.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

I'd also like to point out the other side of this issue no one has addressed. Stores have a large role to play in this as well. If stores would sell only ONE item per customer, multiple items of the same toy would not end up in a hoarders hands. It's a simple rule to enforce because if it's online you can see the IP address, if it's in person, just say "No" no matter if someone says it's for a friend etc etc. Stores though often look at the bottom line and just want to sell as much as possible and not be left holding onto unsold merchandise. Chance for a sale? Take it.

I've also noticed a huge amount of flipping going on here. I've seen toys on people wants lists and a month or two later they're selling them? How is that not flipping? There can't be that much buyer's remorse going on here? I see the RxH market totally crashing as everyday more an more hit the bay. Was it everyone pursuing RxH because they wanted them? Sure alot of people were, but I bet you had alot of people buying to SELL.

I've only been an active member on this forum for 9-10 months and in that time I've sold 3 toys. One because I had a double (Marusan Sanda) and the only reason I had a double is because I was looking for Gaira and had to buy him in a set. The other two I only got because they reminded me of toys I wanted but could not find and once I did find the ones I wanted I realized I no longer needed them. I still don't get how people can give up toys so easily? Is it just about acquiring them? Unless I'm leaving the hobby altogether I wouldn't get rid of anything in my collection now. I only buy because I love the toys.

C.

I'm not sure who you're talking about, but S7, and most other (if not all) in the S7 distribution network have a 1 per customer limit on many of the items that are the most sought after. However, what you're suggesting about checking IP addresses would be a nightmare to try and check each and every order and then try to cross reference against other orders. Also, it's quite cynical of you to suggest that stores are only interested in sales and will do anything to clear inventory. Many stores have gone out of their way to try and curb hoarding.

However, just because stores all have a 1 per customer limit, that doesn't prevent people from getting them from multiple store, nor does it prevent people from getting them off auction sites.

Most of the RxH inflation has been due to a number of people throwing out ridiculous amounts of money on auction sites. Where it was once possible to find good deals on YJA all the time, the impatient people who wanted to create instant collections, have done the rest of the community a great disservice. Now all the sellers in put up items at inflated prices and hope they'll hook one of the rich, impatient foreigners.

I wasn't referring to S7 nor the network. Mainly talking about what others were talking about in this thread, how there is a release in Japan and people line up and get right back in the line after their purchase. Also stop insinuating that my motives are cynical or sinister because I suggested storefronts look at the bottom line. So you're suggesting stores are in it to NOT sell toys? I guess if that were the case Loco why mark anything up at all? Sell toys at cost. I also don't think it would be that hard to establish a IP address or two (maybe a work one as a 2nd) with a customer account.

Chris

It's been long established that the flipper network in Japan works by hiring people to stand in lines for releases and getting around any 1 per person rules.

I can call your view cynical if I want. Of course storefronts want to sell toys, but most in the loop as first round retail vendors already have limits established on hard to get toys. The ones that don't have limits are the ones that get their figures off the secondary market and mark things up. You're not going to have any luck convincing them to do anything because they don't give a crap about their customers.

And feel free to start up an online store and do your online IP policing...

Just my 2 cents, but I don't think the IP solution is workable, although it sounds good in theory.

I'd be pretty pissed if I couldn't buy anything on a trip because I was on the hotel network, rather than at home.

exactly... it also prevents toy collecting roommates and spouses from getting things.

Well I don't think S7 is at fault at all in any of this because, rarely do I see hard to find new toys for sale on their site, and they do have pre orders on most new items they can get their hands on. Also I'm well aware that most of the first round retail vendors have limited supplies available to them. I use to be a buyer for 4 different record stores (each with different buying potential) and it's the same thing (albeit a different kind of vinyl) with limited releases also.

lol.....that's because by the time you look at S7's webstore the "hard to find new toys" are long gone.

Thus the classification "hard to find".

My easy to follow rules for collecting are: Don't buy it if you don't plan on keeping it. And never buy more than one of a figure.

Couldn't afford to break those rules if I wanted to, way too much as it is, waaayyyy too much.