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View Full Version : Best Op shop/antique store tf find



omega3
8th January 2008, 07:32 PM
i went to an opshop today and found one of the playskool transformers called gorillabot, it was 50c so i got it. this is also how i picked up most of my G1 toys. i regularly search op shops and antique stores for transformers and was wondering what transformers everyone else has found

jaydisc
8th January 2008, 08:11 PM
I found Fort Max in a collectibles shop in Nambour, QLD for $40 about 11 days ago.

omega3
8th January 2008, 09:36 PM
yeah i was just reading about that. that has to be the greatest of all finds like ever

GoktimusPrime
8th January 2008, 11:08 PM
I found a G1 Soundwave once for $5... that was like 11 years ago now. :p

roller
8th January 2008, 11:38 PM
its an ambition of mine to walk into a op shop and find any tf that i dont have or any tf at all

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh it still hasnt happened

dirge
8th January 2008, 11:42 PM
$2 for a loose, boxed, complete Ultra Magnus. About 10 years ago now.

benben2142
9th January 2008, 12:36 AM
So whats an op shop?

Saintly
9th January 2008, 08:45 AM
So whats an op shop?

like salvation army stores, st vincents op shops, etc...

TheDirtyDigger
9th January 2008, 08:58 AM
Short for 'opportunity shop'.

i_amtrunks
9th January 2008, 09:26 AM
Im not a huge OP shop kind of person, but years back I used to go into them with friends from high school, usually 2-3 different stores a week, and not once did I ever find a Transformer (or DBZ) toy...

Not much has changed, on the rare occasion I visit an Op shop, I still have no luck.

Saintly
9th January 2008, 09:36 AM
Not much has changed, on the rare occasion I visit an Op shop, I still have no luck.

I think the luck comes with which area the OP shop is in. I love op shopping but don't have much luck either...

In theory, if the OP shop is in a middle-upper class (or higher) area, you have more chance of finding what you want (dumb parents throwing out unwanted toys or giving them away because they can afford new ones)... whereas if the OP shop is in a working class area, then more than likely to find only broken very used toys (same with clothes, I guess)

i_amtrunks
9th January 2008, 12:00 PM
I went to school in Penrith, live in Blacktown... guess that proves your theory!

Maybe I should give the ones near work (Artarmon/Chatswood) a try?

Saintly
9th January 2008, 12:02 PM
LOL!!! maybe! just don't hold me to my theory :)

Paulbot
9th January 2008, 12:33 PM
I tried some country shops while I was away but didn't find any TFs. I did find some McDonalds Robosapien happy meal toys though for 20 cents (including the dinosaur one that Iceburn got during one of the Melb meets last year)

benben2142
16th January 2008, 04:11 PM
I found tm cheetor for $7.

jgon2098
31st December 2008, 12:05 AM
I found Fort Max in a collectibles shop in Nambour, QLD for $40 about 11 days ago.

...

MV75
11th January 2009, 11:03 PM
Im not a huge OP shop kind of person, but years back I used to go into them with friends from high school, usually 2-3 different stores a week, and not once did I ever find a Transformer (or DBZ) toy...

Not much has changed, on the rare occasion I visit an Op shop, I still have no luck.

Same here, never seen a single tf of any kind.

blackie
11th January 2009, 11:08 PM
went to the good old local trash and treasure and found nothing :'(
worst $1.80 spent ever

roller
11th January 2009, 11:55 PM
yeahhhhhhhhh this thread is about the Best op shop or antique shop finds Blackie, not the worst old chap:D

Lint
30th January 2009, 11:57 AM
Op shopping used to yield promise back in the day but nowadays its very trendy and a lot of sellers and enthusiasts are scouring op shops for toy bargains.

Success depends on luck and location. You'll most likely find some recent stuff like cybertron or maybe classics.

I find that regional op shops (outside of capital cities) have pretty neat stuff. No TF's last time I went but I did find a kickass tie for $1.

iceburn
30th January 2009, 11:59 AM
Op shopping used to yield promise back in the day but nowadays its very trendy and a lot of sellers and enthusiasts are scouring op shops for toy bargains.

Success depends on luck and location. You'll most likely find some recent stuff like cybertron or maybe classics.

I find that regional op shops (outside of capital cities) have pretty neat stuff. No TF's last time I went but I did find a kickass tie for $1.

is it a TF tie????

1AZRAEL1
1st February 2009, 02:18 PM
Well this wasnt an op shop, it was at a trash and treasure market.
Was a great find I thought, not as great as jaydisc's fort max though haha.

I found the following


Blaster Complete
Scourge Complete
Blurr Complete
Hound Mostly Complete
Soundwave Near Complete
Roadbuster Accessories
Blue G2 Grimlock Bot Only



There were a few others but my memory is a bit vague atm haha.
All cost me $20

On alot of other days there have been sweet FA.

My mum goes to op shops alot for me, usually picks up some stuff, she found me one of the bots for reflector, in pretty good nic as well.
Just have to be at the right place at the right time I suppose.

Zahhak
26th March 2009, 01:56 AM
I've found a few good ones
Dinobot 90% complete(no sword in spin tail)
Blurr but missing haywire,
Warpath
Transmetal 2 cheator
also while they wern't in the best condition and were missing all accessories (inc. their hands), I got 2 g1 primes..all nice and metaly:)
Lots more in all sorts of conditions.

k.wong23
26th March 2009, 07:33 AM
armada mini-cons :( $5 for 7

Sky Shadow
26th March 2009, 11:24 AM
I found Pipes at a market with one broken wheel in 1991. Other than Jay, perhaps, I'd stake money that none of us have done better than Heroicdecepticon:

http://heroicdecepticon.blogspot.com/1999/08/origin-story-part-ii-1999-re-awakening.html

bruticus
26th March 2009, 05:47 PM
I found Pipes at a market with one broken wheel in 1991. Other than Jay, perhaps, I'd stake money that none of us have done better than Heroicdecepticon:

http://heroicdecepticon.blogspot.com/1999/08/origin-story-part-ii-1999-re-awakening.html

Sh*t!! :eek: Heroic_decepticon is one lucky b*stard. But then again, he also passed up on the 60cm diameter bag full of TF goodies for only $30.....who knows what might have been in that.

Thats it, time to wake my a** up early this weekend and hit them swap-meets.....lol.

jaydisc
26th March 2009, 06:52 PM
That's way better than mine.

SilverDragon
5th October 2009, 08:52 PM
A friend of mine found MP Ultra Magnus in a thrift store for $10. Incomplete.

Linthart
5th October 2009, 08:54 PM
A friend of mine found MP Ultra Magnus in a thrift store for $10. Incomplete.

Jaw just hit my desk.

Eruntalon
5th October 2009, 09:23 PM
Has anyone had any good finds from garage sales? If so, then when and where? I vaguely remember back in 1995 passing on buying a box of toys that included G1 Ultra Magnus, instead purchasing a bag of MOTU figures which I was into back then.

1AZRAEL1
6th October 2009, 08:29 AM
Has anyone had any good finds from garage sales? If so, then when and where? I vaguely remember back in 1995 passing on buying a box of toys that included G1 Ultra Magnus, instead purchasing a bag of MOTU figures which I was into back then.

I used to go around to garage sales looking for TFs, but they have become more scarce because people *think* they know how much they are worth and usually flog them off on ebay.

mknell
6th October 2009, 08:30 AM
I remember a few months back for $5 I got a complete Lion Voltron, G1 optimus Prime cab (thankfully not pinktimus) & a G1 Astrotrain in good condition

Back in the day I used to get heaps from Op shops, Garage sales & Trash & Treasure


I used to go around to garage sales looking for TFs, but they have become more scarce because people *think* they know how much they are worth and usually flog them off on ebay.

Damm that evil ebay

bboy-toransufoma
16th January 2010, 05:53 PM
haha found a G1 scavenger about 5 yrs ago for $0.40...salvos goodwood rd

Doubledealer
14th December 2010, 02:08 PM
I found a G1 Blaster at a Life Line shop in Brisvegas, it had black permanent marker over the front deck but I thought I might be able to do something with it. Took it to the counter and asked the bitter old store cow how much, she replied by saying it's not for sale and that I'd gone into the unprocessed area. I apologised and asked if she could hold it for me, the response was 'No, it's a valuable collectible and we'll be sending it to another store once it's been processed'. I asked her which store and she said she can't tell me. Noice one! :p

Only place I find bargains these days is on ebay. Oh to have a Tardis and go back in time to the early 90's...I remember all these fantastic 2nd hand toy shops with He-Man, Dinorider, Transformers, Voltron etc toys by the bucketload! Great memories. :)

Still, ebay is our friend and with the strong Aussie dolla you can get some insane bargains. In only the last few months I've bought a MIB Takara Sixshot for $90, the 2 G1 Jumpstarters MIB for $15, Rubber Tyred Ultra Magnus for $50 & MIB Classic Heroes Prowl for $48. I forgot to bid on a MISB Henkei Red Alert recently which I would have won for $25 (it received no bids). >_<

Anyone else had much luck in the old 'bay-verse of late? Surely there's been lots of bargains snatched up!

Darthprimus
20th December 2010, 10:48 AM
This find isn't a transformers find but still brilliant, I refused to pay a friends price for a TMNT technodrome. A week went by and it got the better of me so I rang him and asked about it. He told me that he sold it on eBay for around $300 which was more than he had asked me for anyhow. So I let it go and tried to forget about it , got home from work that very Sunday and my fabulous wife had purchased me one for $10 from local Sunday market . However it was missing the large eyeball which sat on top. So I was happy but dissapointed about the eye. Next day we went for lunch and after went next door to a op shop. My wife yells out from back of store my name. I turn and see her holding up a gleaming technodrome eye. She dug threw a old box of childrens blocks and rubber duckie to see it at the bottom of box. So as you could imagine I was a very happy fellow . The end

chuttla
22nd December 2010, 08:16 AM
what an amazing story, what are the odds off that happening! i picked up throttlebot rollbar from a recycling centre bout a year ago for $6, and he had a junker cup that he wanted $12 for,and i thought stuff that, my complete cup cost that off the bay. also i saw a g1 hot spot, but he'd probably want a rediculous amount for that as well.

Autocon
30th December 2010, 01:41 AM
This find isn't a transformers find but still brilliant, I refused to pay a friends price for a TMNT technodrome. A week went by and it got the better of me so I rang him and asked about it. He told me that he sold it on eBay for around $300 which was more than he had asked me for anyhow. So I let it go and tried to forget about it , got home from work that very Sunday and my fabulous wife had purchased me one for $10 from local Sunday market . However it was missing the large eyeball which sat on top. So I was happy but dissapointed about the eye. Next day we went for lunch and after went next door to a op shop. My wife yells out from back of store my name. I turn and see her holding up a gleaming technodrome eye. She dug threw a old box of childrens blocks and rubber duckie to see it at the bottom of box. So as you could imagine I was a very happy fellow . The end

hmm wonder if its the same eyeball from the set she bought earlier? ooooh :p

Darthprimus
1st January 2011, 06:24 PM
lol nope shes not that sneaky.

Bidoofdude
1st June 2013, 12:45 PM
I have this weird feeling that this pretty good op shop down the road has some kind of TF. My mind is telling me some sort of extremely small yellow car (IDK, a micromaster :confused:) and Shockwave... :confused:;)

iamirondude
1st June 2013, 01:15 PM
check it out. it'll only take 5 mins and you might find some real gems there. my wife late last year or earlier this year went to our local op shop and got about six full bags of TF's for $60 which included complete headmasters and targetmasters. i ended up giving about 70% away to other local collectors and fellow otca members.

Bidoofdude
1st June 2013, 01:48 PM
That's pretty cool dude. I might check it out. We did find 3 or 4 Rahkshi Bionicles (near complete and in container) for like 5 bucks each a while ago at Vinnies Newport :cool:

1AZRAEL1
1st June 2013, 02:01 PM
As the saying goes, you'll never know if you never go :)

I've been to Parramatta fairs without finding much, and other times some great stuff. Same as Dapto markets, I found a plastic bags worth of G1 transformers for 10 bucks. Was a great score. Complete scourge, mostly there roadbuster with parts, and a bunch others that I can't remember.

Soundwarp
1st June 2013, 05:45 PM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/soundwarp/Jetfire1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/soundwarp/media/Jetfire1.jpg.html)

Got this from a shop in Melbourne, they sold bits and bobs and it was in a glass cabinet.

theshape
1st June 2013, 05:51 PM
Nice, id shit my pants if i saw that at an op shop

Bidoofdude
1st June 2013, 06:14 PM
WINGEWIB WNBKVN# wIevn sEJBN.


Sorry, that's just my jaw hitting the keyboard... :p:D

Danzvader78
1st June 2013, 08:23 PM
Got this from a shop in Melbourne, they sold bits and bobs and it was in a glass cabinet

The burning question is...how much :cool:

Did it come with the black shoulder clip that is always missing..

GoktimusPrime
1st June 2013, 09:25 PM
Got this from a shop in Melbourne, they sold bits and bobs and it was in a glass cabinet.
Was it that record shop in Camberwell?

Soundwarp
2nd June 2013, 07:00 AM
Not sure of the shop name.

It was 100% perfect aside from a tiny bit of yellowing on a wing where sun had hit it.

Ready..........
$80.00

jazzcomp
2nd June 2013, 07:07 AM
Wow! When was this?

What's OP?

Danzvader78
2nd June 2013, 07:10 AM
Was it that record shop in Camberwell?

I have been there before and they have awesome hidden gems which usually have something new each time I visit.. I have not been at that shop for probably more than five years.

Danzvader78
2nd June 2013, 07:12 AM
Not sure of the shop name.

It was 100% perfect aside from a tiny bit of yellowing on a wing where sun had hit it.

Ready..........
$80.00


That is a very good price for that Jet fire in that kind of condition. You did well..

Danzvader78
2nd June 2013, 07:16 AM
My cheapest G1 transformer purchase was that time when I came across to a minty Tracks with out weapons at a market in Blacktown
I only paid... two dollars for it and that was the price the market lady asked for in the first place

Sinnertwin
2nd June 2013, 02:16 PM
Wow! When was this?
What's OP?

OPportunity Shop; Think Vinnies, Salvo's etc. Here's a listing (http://opshop.org/list/NSW/SYDNEY/) of Sydney stores.

Skullcruncher
3rd June 2013, 10:47 AM
I have been there before and they have awesome hidden gems which usually have something new each time I visit.. I have not been at that shop for probably more than five years.

I live in camberwell and there been no record store here for over 5 years :D

Some nice scores here - My best 'real life' score was at a real auction.

For $5 + $1 buyers fee I got a complete MIB Gripper, a complete loose sinnertwin, broken blizwing, wheelie and two purple decoys. Of course I really only wanted Wheelie out of all of these. :p

snaketales
3rd June 2013, 11:11 AM
A year or so back I found a MISB Optimal Optimus. Box was a little bit dinged, but other than that all OK (has all those blasted blast shields)

llamatron
3rd June 2013, 12:29 PM
I found a Spinister at a Salvos a few years back, I dug around in the big box he was sitting in and managed to find one of his targetmasters too. About 10 years back I had a good run picking up some of the scramble city limbs (Drag Strip, First Aid, etc) but they never came with weapons or combining parts.

BigTransformerTrev
3rd June 2013, 12:56 PM
I found a Highbrow, complete with Gort, at an Op Shop in Edinburgh for only 2 pounds :D a decade ago. Only prob was he was missing his helicopter canopy and his guns but perfecly fine to display in robot mode.

At 'The Green Shed' (the op shop/warehouse attached to the city dump in Swan Hill) I found a Maccas Animated Megatron and Ratchet. It was very cool because until then I had no idea that there had been Animated Happy Meal toys

MayzaPrime
3rd June 2013, 05:02 PM
Well before eBay and the Transformers movie trilogy, I would go to all of the op shops around Wollongong, It is were I got most of my Beast Wars figures. I got Optimal Optimus for $3, complete Inferno for $2, complete Rattrap $1 plus numerous others for very cheap.

twizz
25th June 2013, 01:19 PM
This is my best find, although it wasn't at a shop I did make a flyer asking for Transformers and GI Joes when I was living back in new zealand (about 5 years ago) and stuck them up at the local shops and got a reply

ended up getting these for $350 NZ

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/timalodapus/G1Haul.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/timalodapus/media/G1Haul.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/timalodapus/closeup13.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/timalodapus/media/closeup13.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/timalodapus/closeup12.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/timalodapus/media/closeup12.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/timalodapus/closeup3.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/timalodapus/media/closeup3.jpg.html)

Lordy
25th June 2013, 04:20 PM
Holy heck Twizz that is the find and buy of the decade. Especially most of them with instructions and/or tech specs!

Skullcruncher
27th June 2013, 07:03 AM
Wow that is awesome, great to see!

nsm034
7th August 2013, 05:57 PM
went into a mitre 10 / toy shop in '98 and got a classic G1 sludge and silverbolt MIB from 1990 sitting on the shelf

Nevac
10th August 2013, 07:08 AM
My Dad and I visit several op shops once a week and I've rarely if ever seen anything Transformers related if they are there it's usually the really bad stuff no one wants anyway. Like that arm blaster trailer or the kreo stuff that shelf warms in the regular shops. But I'm optimistic I will hit a jackpot one day as I have found other treasures in op shops like this week I scored a complete copy of the hero quest board game (20yrs old) for $4. Now if I can find something like that surely I could find an awesome Transformer someday.

The_Damned
10th August 2013, 03:55 PM
My Dad and I visit several op shops once a week and I've rarely if ever seen anything Transformers related if they are there it's usually the really bad stuff no one wants anyway. Like that arm blaster trailer or the kreo stuff that shelf warms in the regular shops. But I'm optimistic I will hit a jackpot one day as I have found other treasures in op shops like this week I scored a complete copy of the hero quest board game (20yrs old) for $4. Now if I can find something like that surely I could find an awesome Transformer someday.

thats is a good find wish i never gave my one away