Quote Originally Posted by Sky Shadow View Post
I like to buy sealed toys so I know they're new. Any flaws are production errors or my fault, not someone else's.
Excellent points. If it's a production fault, then you should be able to seek recompense (e.g. product exchange, refund, replacement part). My MP-1 Convoy was missing one small panel and my MP Rumble came with two of the same-side piledriver; in both cases, Takara(TOMY) sent me replacement parts. I've had a few local bought TFs that I was able to easily bring back to the store for a refund or exchange (e.g. my Generations Drift came w/ two of the same-side fists).

But another thing is, there are typically no loose versions of the toy available on the secondary market when I buy my toys anyway. With the sole exception of Red Alert, all of my Japanese Masterpieces were pre-ordered. All of my Hasbro MPs were purchased new from Toys R Us. Another advantage with purchasing toys new is that you don't risk inadvertently picking up a counterfeit; while there may be obvious tell-tale signs, it's just one less hassle to worry about. I've handled a counterfeit MP Alert IRL; the quality is rubbish. Although getting a MISB MP Alert off the secondary market ended up costing me ≈$100 (incl. postage; about double what it would've cost me had I pre-ordered it), I was willing to pay the price to get a new-condition legitimate MP Alert off the secondary market (and besides, even if Hasbro were to release this toy locally in future, it would cost $100 at TRU anyway #AURRP ).