"12-15 guys lined up at 7:45 a.m"

[Loose Cannon]

A quick search of Ebay completed listings.


http://cgi.ebay.com/GI-Joe-25th-Anni...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/G-I-Joe-25th-ann...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ranger-Beachhead...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sgt-Stalker-GI-J...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/G-I-Joe-25th-Ann...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/GI-Joe-25th-Anni...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/MIB-25th-anniver...QQcmdZViewItem


That last one is my favorite, that guy made a killing his Beachhead went for $2.50!

The only figs going for more than retail and wave 5 which quite frankly is "rare" right now.

But lets continue to blame the people making a quick buck, don't blame the impatient fools that can't wait a month to get thier figures at retail.

Yeah that's about double when you include shipping, and they will all be available in mass in another month I bet. Although I image there are going to be several guys stuck with a boat load of figures they can't get rid of in a month. You figure the 25th line was released 4 months ago. Hasbro probably really hasn't got all the machines in gear yet. Plus leading up to the movie next year look how much we see that they are going to crank out. It's like 80 figures in a years time. We had to wait four years to get 80 figures when we were kids. Still why do I have to wait?

I remember when they started the DTC line I couldn't find a Cobra Soldier for months, then all of a sudden they were everywhere. I kept buying them for no reason at all, just waiting for that 4th wave. But even then Crimson Guardsman were hard to come by. Hmmmm

Hey! You better not screw me on this one Hasbro!

[RAS ONE J]

And please don't twist my words around...you know exactly what I meant by "real jobs". Did you really think I was including a 3rd shift working police officer??? Some fat-azz, McDonald's 4 times a day eatin', sweatpants everyday wearin', personal hygiene-disregarding, 10 comics books a day reading LUMP who doesn't feel like working because he can make $50/day selling overpriced toys on ebay is the kind of person I'm talking about. We've all seen them & everyone knows atleast one...

so funny. perfect profiling no matter what area you collect. I see these guys even here in So Cal for years now.

[YELSEW]

No there shouldn't be a limit.... If there was then people couldn't army build...

First come First Serve.

My sentiments exactly. I use the army builders to try and get the common figures. I can never seem to find them, but I manage to always find army builders. I have traded off a dozen or so Cobra Enemies for most of my Wave 1 and 2.

[BigD350Z]

If these guys aren't making money off of the figs (as GhettoRaider is suggesting), then why are the standing out in front of stores and putting them on Ebay??? I've yet to see one go for less than twice the price of Wal-Mart (shipping included). These rants that the guys aren't making money is ludicrous. Are they just giving souls that want to eliminate the middle man for us day workers and give us an opportunity to own these figures without having to leave the comforts of our own home? When they scoop up 20-30 a day potentially at what they bank on being $4-5 profit, I'm sure they're more than happy with $100 a day. Yes they have every right, yes it's a free country, blah, blah, blah. But your argument for these guys not making any money is not the way to go in playing the devil's advocate here. My stance is to not buy anything off of Ebay in the new sculpts. If we will have some patience and take the Ebay market away from these goons, they'll eventually stop raiding the GI Joes and go on to the next big thing.

[Dakemesh]

Even if they only make a dollar or two (don't forget higher than neccessary shipping costs), they deal in enough volume to do all right. So yeah, the individual figure may go for as little as a buck or two over retail, and then they make another buck or two on overcharging shipping, and that's enough for them to keep doing it.

[Lody]

[quote=80s_Joes]Some fat-azz, McDonald's 4 times a day eatin', sweatpants everyday wearin', personal hygiene-disregarding, 10 comics books a day reading LUMP who doesn't feel like working because he can make $50/day selling overpriced toys on ebay is the kind of person I'm talking about. We've all seen them & everyone knows atleast one...[quote=80_Joes]

So he's self employed-is that such a bad thing?

[Cobraghostship]

If you get there earlier than the scalpers you could buy them all up before they could.Then the scalpers would get mad and get there even earlier.Eventually there would be a huge line a 4 in the morning on days stores are expected to get new figures.It would be like a new game console release date once a week It would eventually make the news like CNN and that would increase interest in Gi Joes 20 times! lol

[ghettoraider]

I love how you all say they cost twice as much (including shipping) well.......yeah, they do ship it to you. That isn't exactly profit. It does cost money to ship it. Any online store charges shipping, TRU, Target, Walmart.

[gotproblems]

Something that would seriously slow down scalpers is if stores enforced a "No returns on 'collectible' items" policy. When I used to work in retail (for Target) I noticed a lot of the guys that would warm the doors in the morning (we always just called them Hot Wheels guys, though I know they bought a lot more than just that) would buy anything they thought they could make a profit on. If it didn't work out, they'd return the stuff a month or so later.

Target obviously has some idea of what is or isn't collectible. Most of us have seen the signs in the hot wheels and die-cast, and in the 2 boys toy isles, so it would be easy for them to say anything bought from these four isles is non-refundable. This would also prevent anyone from returning tampered products to those isles.

[gunslingercbr]

If these guys aren't making money off of the figs (as GhettoRaider is suggesting), then why are the standing out in front of stores and putting them on Ebay??? I've yet to see one go for less than twice the price of Wal-Mart (shipping included). These rants that the guys aren't making money is ludicrous. Are they just giving souls that want to eliminate the middle man for us day workers and give us an opportunity to own these figures without having to leave the comforts of our own home? When they scoop up 20-30 a day potentially at what they bank on being $4-5 profit, I'm sure they're more than happy with $100 a day. Yes they have every right, yes it's a free country, blah, blah, blah. But your argument for these guys not making any money is not the way to go in playing the devil's advocate here. My stance is to not buy anything off of Ebay in the new sculpts. If we will have some patience and take the Ebay market away from these goons, they'll eventually stop raiding the GI Joes and go on to the next big thing.

there isn't a real living in scalping toys, I assure you. if so, these guys would dress better and drive nicer cars than they do. fact is, they are toy enthusiasts who know about toys and enjoy the control they have knowing that if you want something, you have to get it from them. they aren't that educated and don't factor in such things as gas and time into the expense of acquiring the toys, and simply look at the fact that they sold it for $2 or $3 dollars more than they bought it as making money. do you know how much volume you would have to sell like that to make an even remotely decent living -- far more than they do.

it is just a control thing for scalpers. they like being the "toy gods." they can be toy gods in their Saturns and Kias. I'd rather have a better job, drive a Volvo, and get my figures a wave or two later when they are old news, if need be. but to think they are actually making money is ludicrous. to make money you have to get them at wholesale price, not retail.