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Scalpers already destroying G.I. Joe Classified.

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  • Werewolf
    Inhuman
    • Jul 14, 2003
    • 14606

    #16
    I've always disliked it when I saw listings for new toys as rare. Ignoring intentional scarcity of something like chase figures, no mass produced toy is rare. The production runs of big companies like Mattel, Hasbro, etc. are massive.
    You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...

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    • melstapler
      Museum Super Collector
      • Aug 2, 2014
      • 198

      #17
      Originally posted by enyawd72
      I especially love all the eBay listings that start with RARE! Hard to find! and they have a quantity of 10 for sale.
      Exactly! As someone who has never sold figures for profit and has no interest in the monetary value of a particular figure/vehicle/playset/accessory, I find it a bit disheartening that certain items are "exclusive" or excessively limited and won't be available to people who may not even be aware these exist until it's too late.

      I buy figures for the purpose of photographing, customizing and sometimes displaying, but the thought of a figure becoming unavailable/out of print after such a short period of time is frustrating. These Classified Joe figures represent the timeless characters which have a special place in many of our hearts and having them in this scale seems so fresh and exciting.

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      • powersthatbe
        Persistent Member
        • Sep 27, 2010
        • 1957

        #18
        why is there s scalper or third party vendors on target and walmart anyway?

        Comment

        • ODBJBG
          Permanent Member
          • May 15, 2009
          • 3143

          #19
          Because those stores want to make it look like they have more stuff available and it will bring you to their site. They just don't realize that in instances like these, stuff that's actually sold in their store is being bought up and resold on their website for insane markups.

          Comment

          • melstapler
            Museum Super Collector
            • Aug 2, 2014
            • 198

            #20
            Originally posted by ODBJBG
            Because those stores want to make it look like they have more stuff available and it will bring you to their site. They just don't realize that in instances like these, stuff that's actually sold in their store is being bought up and resold on their website for insane markups.
            Good point. I suppose they're attempting to compete with other sites such as Amazon, who is known to have insane prices listed on other items through third party vendors.

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            • tmthor
              God of Knock-offs
              • Nov 29, 2005
              • 881

              #21
              Originally posted by ODBJBG
              Because those stores want to make it look like they have more stuff available and it will bring you to their site. They just don't realize that in instances like these, stuff that's actually sold in their store is being bought up and resold on their website for insane markups.
              Not to mention to many people who go to their site (parents and gift givers not in the know) because someone (bf,gf,grandkid,son or daughter etc) says Walmart is where you buy it might not know that they are buying it from a 3rd party and buy it blindly paying 2-3x the origional cost.

              Comment

              • rykerw1701
                Persistent Member
                • Aug 27, 2007
                • 1026

                #22
                I don't collect much new stuff, but in my area scalping is really bad, so I don't even bother trying to find things. If I can't just order them online, I don't usually bother looking. It's not a new problem for collectors, but when it takes the fun out of hobby, it's time to just walk away and uncomplicate your life. I'm excited for the new Mego DC stuff, but until the distribution is expanded, I'm not going to bother trying to get any of the figures.

                Comment

                • melstapler
                  Museum Super Collector
                  • Aug 2, 2014
                  • 198

                  #23
                  The Joe classified figures are still selling out very quickly at my Walmart store, although I did manage to find Gung Ho and Cobra Commander figures at a Target. The Cobra Commander figure mixes some modern elements with the animated series glass-faced design. The Gung Ho figure is also instantly identifiable for the character and when compared shirtless, his body appears to be the same tooling as the Roadblock figure.

                  Comment

                  • Myoldtoys
                    Veteran Member
                    • May 15, 2012
                    • 303

                    #24
                    Originally posted by rykerw1701
                    I don't collect much new stuff, but in my area scalping is really bad, so I don't even bother trying to find things. If I can't just order them online, I don't usually bother looking. It's not a new problem for collectors, but when it takes the fun out of hobby, it's time to just walk away and uncomplicate your life. I'm excited for the new Mego DC stuff, but until the distribution is expanded, I'm not going to bother trying to get any of the figures.
                    I feel the same way. There are new toys I do like, but I am done with driving to stores repeatedly to try to find stuff. The only new toys I have been buying are LEGO. They produce enough of the items I am interested in which prevents scalping. And there are enough stores carrying them. The gouging happens after the sets are discontinued. I guess that business model doesn’t work with action figures anymore.

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                    • nvmbrsdoom5
                      Persistent Member
                      • Mar 1, 2005
                      • 1627

                      #25
                      I know the new Joes have had mixed reactions from collectors but I really like them quite a bit. But TARGET has really screwed it up with making those figures so limited and the resellers running rampant with them. Inevitably every collectible toy line is going to have some hard-to-get figures and exclusives that might be elusive, that's to be expected. But when a brand new line of figures like the Classified line winds up with such hard to obtain figures so early in it's existence, I feel like that's just going to discourage more people from getting into the line. Especially when people tend towards wanting to be completists, if they see so quickly how expensive and difficult it's going to be to complete their line then they're going to pass. Target has really been the worst with this, too. When they released a bunch of the new Star Wars exclusives the other day, various stores (Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) each had their own exclusives. I was able to obtain almost all of them with relative ease, but I logged onto Target mere moments after theirs went live and it was already "Preorders sold out". I hope they can figure out something down the line to prevent this from happening so much, because this is not endearing them to consumers to say the least...

                      Comment

                      • melstapler
                        Museum Super Collector
                        • Aug 2, 2014
                        • 198

                        #26
                        Originally posted by nvmbrsdoom5
                        I know the new Joes have had mixed reactions from collectors but I really like them quite a bit. But TARGET has really screwed it up with making those figures so limited and the resellers running rampant with them. Inevitably every collectible toy line is going to have some hard-to-get figures and exclusives that might be elusive, that's to be expected. But when a brand new line of figures like the Classified line winds up with such hard to obtain figures so early in it's existence, I feel like that's just going to discourage more people from getting into the line. Especially when people tend towards wanting to be completists, if they see so quickly how expensive and difficult it's going to be to complete their line then they're going to pass. Target has really been the worst with this, too. When they released a bunch of the new Star Wars exclusives the other day, various stores (Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) each had their own exclusives. I was able to obtain almost all of them with relative ease, but I logged onto Target mere moments after theirs went live and it was already "Preorders sold out". I hope they can figure out something down the line to prevent this from happening so much, because this is not endearing them to consumers to say the least...
                        Well said. Once the original TRU chain closed their stores, Target and Walmart sort of became our last options (apart from independent and small chain comic and toy shops) for purchasing figures in-store. Much in the same way Target has had customer ordering issues with their GI Joe Classified exclusives, Walmart has had issues when customers went on the site to order some of their NECA exclusives as well. I'll be curious to see if Target restocks most of their GI Joe Classified exclusives in their stores in the coming weeks, especially as the holiday season grows nearer. In previous instances, NECA has brought certain exclusive figures back to stores, catching many buyers by complete surprise. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but it would be nice for everyone to have a chance at buying all of the characters released in the Joe Classified line.

                        Comment

                        • B-Lister
                          Eccentric Weirdo
                          • Mar 19, 2010
                          • 2914

                          #27
                          I had the Profit Director Destro on preorder, but canceled it because I don't need to collect another line.
                          Looking for Green Arrow accessories, Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver, and Japanese Popy Megos (Battle Cossack and France, Battle of the Planets, Kamen Rider, Ultraman) and World Heroes figures

                          Comment

                          • enyawd72
                            Maker of Monsters!
                            • Oct 1, 2009
                            • 7904

                            #28
                            Originally posted by melstapler
                            Well said. Once the original TRU chain closed their stores, Target and Walmart sort of became our last options (apart from independent and small chain comic and toy shops) for purchasing figures in-store. Much in the same way Target has had customer ordering issues with their GI Joe Classified exclusives, Walmart has had issues when customers went on the site to order some of their NECA exclusives as well. I'll be curious to see if Target restocks most of their GI Joe Classified exclusives in their stores in the coming weeks, especially as the holiday season grows nearer. In previous instances, NECA has brought certain exclusive figures back to stores, catching many buyers by complete surprise. Perhaps I'm being optimistic, but it would be nice for everyone to have a chance at buying all of the characters released in the Joe Classified line.
                            Yep. These companies will never learn. I was so excited for these, yet I went from "all in" to "complete pass" in the space of a week. If you're going to intentionally make it difficult for me to buy your product, you must not want me as a customer. As bad as scalper prices have gotten, for the same money I'll just shop eBay and buy vintage.

                            Comment

                            • powersthatbe
                              Persistent Member
                              • Sep 27, 2010
                              • 1957

                              #29
                              I have seen Gung Ho and Cobra Commander a few times now at WalGreens, but yeah Target should never again get exclusives from Hasbro.

                              Comment

                              • Blue Meanie
                                Banned
                                • Jun 23, 2001
                                • 8706

                                #30
                                Same can be said for the DC Mego figures being available only at Meijers. Exclusivity will kill it for collectors. It did for me when Marvel Legends went exclusive to Walmart for the Giant Man series and then again with POTF 2 when Hasbro went exclusive for the Leia in Hoth with Star Wars Galaxy Magazine and then the Target exclusives later on. I just don't get it when a company basically wants to kill a toy line. Makes no sense to make the collectable to the point that you tick off 75 - 80% of the collectors that actually display and open their figures / toys.

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