then came the reality shows

It people trying to cash in any were they can.

I tattoo and all my client, the first thing out of there mouths is " how much?"

then their slimy digits hit their eBay apt.

And then they want to buy it, b/c they can flip it.

My response after a grub does that

" ohhh you meant that one, I'm sorry it's NFS.
Then you point to some over produced KR piece, and say I thought you meant that one:)

I just won't sell to people like that!!!!


Regardless,
hope the buyer pays and learns a lesson.

Happy the artist cashed in too not a flipper

really liked the one up for auction... it was the eyes that sorta bothered me from the initial release

That should teach Hirota to sell only one-offs on YJA ! Why bothering painting 20 toys when you could only paint one and get as much money. That way he even does not have the feeling of being spoiled by a flipper...

This auction is really sad for this *hobby*, sorry, business...

Let's just see how the next releases are handled.

Exactly. A run of 20 turned into 1-offs rather than a normal release.

I agree with what's been said already. This whole collecting scene is starting to have distinct corners of stink to it. I am huge fan of Hirota's toys, but unless I can ever win a lotto (which even then is pushing my limits of affordability) I will never own one of these. Yes, this was a one off, but even 1/10th of that price is too much. Unless as a collector you are rolling in cash and can't see where to spend it all, overpriced/overhyped 'designer' toys are for the birds.

i'd just like 1 gorilla, be it mecha or standard... these guys are tough to come by, especially when some enterwith multiple emails. I go for the 1 shot 1 kill, and stick to being fair, only to be disappointed every time lol.

I just shrugged it off and feel happy to just have what I do. I mean, good for Hirota, doesn't bum me out in the least. It's just toys.

 Not even 24 hours have passed and it seems that someone else has taken  a very similar policy.
I'm curious to see if the record will  be broken but at the same time it seems obvious that this new trend will end to decapitate speculators  on one side and on the other it will grow a higher barrier between the artists and those people who have contributed most to create attention around them: the collectors.

That "Someone" has had that policy for three/four years now.

With auction or bin? I really don't know, believe me.

I just think it's funny that its also GID. Either coincidental timing or a very inspired listing.

^^
Bemon has been doing (as mentioned) for the last few years and more power to him.+ If someone is willing to spend 2000+ for a little vinyl toy...so be it.

Personally...I love Hirota's toys. I'll enter the lotteries but I can't afford after market prices for a toy that will,...
A) Sit on a shelf
B) collect dust and have no function
C) be a good photo opp for me etc.

If I spend 2000...it better be for something that has a function or use for my family. 1000 is almost HALF of private school for my son.

Anyway...I think it's great that he sells on yja. The profits SHOULD go to him rather then people who enter lotteries intending to flip. Especially when some board members enter every fucking lottery and then sell a week later.

Let me ask, if this was any other makers would they the same treatment ?

Totally agree!

Don't get any ideas Rich.
Haha, just kidding! I think there's nothing wrong with making a really sweet one-off and going the ebay/yja route every once and a while. Especially if it helps to keep new runs coming out for the rest of us to get.

I enter the lotto when I catch it, but have never won. I would really like a mecha ju of some kind, but I'm not losing any sleep over it. They're nice toys, I get why they are so desired, unlike some other hyped lines out there. But personally I could never justify paying more than 200-300 max for a mecha gorilla or really any new vinyl. I actually see the crazy prices on a few lines as a good thing. The shit I really want and am chasing pops up rarely enough already. and when it does no one knows about it or has any interest in it, so it's often at very reasonable prices, I'd rather the ballers stay focused on a handful of toys, because they have high secondary market value, and even if I like a few of them and can't score them at least they ignore all the other stuff I'm after.

If they were involved with JP vinyl toys since the Fink Shit, sure.

I would do it once in a while if I had a good thing going. it could help future projects. maybe like a once a year thing if needed.

If you can, do it. If you can't, don't.

I don't really see people giving Lord Bemon much shit, mostly just complaining they can't afford his work now. Then again, I wasn't around when he started selling things on YJA initially. I think as an occasional thing it is perfectly acceptable; nice for the money to go into the right hands for a change. However it does seem like many issues of this hobby are double edged swords. It seems like someone always find a reason to get pissed or feel slighted regardless of how things go down. As far as Hirota, it seems like the annoyance of flippers has him playing with different ways of distributing his toys. Some sold to poster buyers, some lotto, a few at the con and now the auction. I hope it is more an issue of trying to diversify then deciding on how to do things going forward. I think both you have it down pretty well having had preorders, web releases, lotto's and event pieces. I certainly wouldn't mind my favorite makers doing the occasional auction even if I would be jealous of those who can pay to play.

Or, another way to repel flippers would be a based-on-orders run. That particular release would certainly not fetch high secondary market price. Especially if the order timeline is known to most.

Just look at Elegab. You can get the toys only because he does his best to give a chance to anyone to get his toys. Talent has nothing to do with it. There is as much talent in Nari's works than in any other hyped toys around...
If Elegab can do it (including the financial considerations), why others can't ? I just think they don't want to do it because that would lower their prestige.

But if that auction can provide funds to this kind of based-on-orders release, then it would have some sense to it. Let's just wait and see (even if I don't think that will ever happen more for HxS than for Nag...)

As much as a made to order open run would seem like the sensical thing to do, there's a few reasons why that wont ever happen.

Firstly it could result in a lot of work. Painting a run of 30 gorillas is one thing, but I think if Hirota got hit with an order of 150 of anything he'd start to feel a little overwhelmed painting/shipping all of them. Technically he could just do a shooting blank run like the operation Lulubell runs and make a few hundred uncut blanks at fair prices to everyone but by doing that it would crash the prices of the aftermarket because it would suddenly be something that everyone could own. Without large aftermarket prices hype and interest might dwindle.

Which brings me to the second and most obvious reason is because it would oversaturate the market. Hirota is fully aware of the prices these fetch on auctions and as long as they stay high he can cash in on it, and I don't mean so straightforwardly like the auction he just got paid big on.

I'm not saying he's going to be doing all releases as one off auctions from now on, even though every release could already be called a one-off if you consider the unique omake, but the aftermarket prices do invite a lot of collectors/customers/speculators/investors/flippers (who are all people willing to pay money) to his regular lotteries. By putting stuff like 'DONT RESELL IF YOU WIN' into the lottery details it automatically suggests that it is resalable, or at least a good value for the price.

With insane aftermarket prices it gets people talking about the drama and with so few available it is certain there will be pages of people going 'didn't win dang it', which is free and important publicity in this niche market. When newbies come onto a forum and they see a thread with 100+ pages in it, some will gravitate to it as 'the cool thing to own' even if they're not big on monkeys.

It seems that the rule to success in this industry (with certain exceptions) is to NOT give the consumer what they want. Look at NNN for example. He's fully capable of releasing any of his figures, especialy as unpainted blanks, in quantities FAR more than runs of 9 or 12. Will he ever? Not a chance because the hype and drama cricus is allowing him to get away with charging 500 dollars for a 3 inch piece of plastic that cost less than a dollar to pull.

Some people that get into collectibles straight up get into it for recognition rather than personal significance, just so they can claim to own something that few else can or they go on a quest to "catch 'em all", even if at the end of the day they're an aging man surrounded by a hoard of plastic dolls with the chance that nobody, not even their internet friends, will even care about in a few years time.

tl;dr People want what they can't have. Don't believe everything.

Really? This would surely be awful.

Seems that your whole argument is that hype is cool [if not the point] and flipping toys is natural, 'cause after all, we are all in it for the money and prestige. Yeah, right. If I wasn't jaded already by the hobby, this outlook sure solidifies it.

Couldn't agree with this less, look at cure, they have certain boogies which will sell for well over $1000 but they still release made to order runs both painted and unpainted, the market isn't as predictable as you think its not just to do with small runs keeping "hype".