Siege stock - is it scalpers or just limited supply from Hasbro?

[tinyJazz]

And if they wanted to keep their acquisition in the box so badly, then just keep their one toy in the box and I won't fault them for that, as they haven't exceeded their allotted purchase of one.

“Allotted purchase of one” omg, I had no idea about this? I’ve been collecting for ten years lol.

[Tilarta]

@TinyJazz, that's not an official rule lol, it's just a personal observation.

Basically, from my perspective, unless you're really careless with your Transformer toys and break them/or lose parts, why would anyone need more then one of each character?
It's a sad story, but I know a friend of mine had a violent encounter with a scalper and ever since I heard their anecdote, my tolerance for anything like this behaviour is gone.

Also, I don't remember where I saw it, but one particular store (I think it was EBGames) actually had gotten smart about scalpers and basically said to their customers for the more valuable collectors' items, we're only selling you one, if you try to buy a second one, we won't let you have it.
So for them, it was an official policy.

[FruitBuyer]

Mint collectors, people that like having multiples for a variety of reasons; you're lumping them all as scalpers?

There's plenty of legitimate reasons why someone would have multiple of a figure.

[reillyd]

Now for the digression, about fleas and carried infections.
Shortly after our species encountered the mammoths, the fleas from our faithful canine companions transmitted a bloodborne disease to which we and the canines carried an immunity, but the mammoths were not immune and as a result, they all died from it, thereby depriving me of the chance of ever meeting a live mammoth.

We're really going off topic here, but they have been able to sequence DNA from fully-frozen specimens from Siberia. We might just get to see those live mammoths yet

[DELTAprime]

And if they wanted to keep their acquisition in the box so badly, then just keep their one toy in the box and I won't fault them for that, as they haven't exceeded their allotted purchase of one.

With the exception of limited edition Takara Tomy figures or convention exclusives, it's not hard to get your hands on any brand new figure. Buying multiples of a figure very rarely actually deprives someone else of getting that figure. They are produced in such quantities that you can very easily acquire pretty much any figure.

If you can't find the figure you want at a local retailer there are tons of options open to anyone with an internet connection. I suggest looking at the Ebay listings & Dealer Ads section of this forum to find places that stock the item you are after.

[Tilarta]

I don't know what mainland stores are like, but the factor to keep in mind is the local retailers aren't like mine, so taking every toy from them is a significant inconvenience.
Especially considering the Siege line isn't actually being stocked at this moment near me.

At the moment, I'd prefer to purchase the toys in person and examine them before getting them, because of something that went horribly wrong when I tried to purchase an Inferno Combiner toy.
There was a detail I couldn't see clearly and it was a defect, so I had to return the product.

That's why I'm forgoing internet orders for now, just because I can't look at the product personally.

The only one I have ordered is Siege Commander Jetfire, because I'm 100% certain I want him.
And the only company I could find in Australia who accepted my Jetfire preorder is Minotaur Entertainment, Melbourne.

Another complication is that my local retailers don't order the Titan class toys, I never saw a Metroplex or Trypticon and only saw one Fortress Maximus at Myers before he was sold and never restocked.
I'm still uncertain if I want to purchase Siege Omega Supreme or not, but if I do, I'd want to do this in person, because the size of the box may result in expensive shipping fees.

[Maruten]

they took extra toys out of stock unnecessarily

They considered it necessary, because they wanted two, which is a fairly reasonable right for them as a consumer. Or they may have been picking up the doubles for a friend, or for any number of legitimate reasons other than "to screw you".

The lesson there isn't "the consumer must buy less", it's "the store must order more". It's very basic supply/demand.

However I do agree, of course, that buying out the whole place to sell on for arbitrarily inflated prices is wretched scalpiness. But there's a BIG jump from "one mint/one open" collectors and "actual scalpers:.

[KELPIE]

Awww, I've been downgraded from Collector to Scalper...

But wait, if I bought 1 set from BBTS and then 1 of whatever I could find locally am I still a scalper? Or since I am taking them from different geographic locations and one that you don't shop from am I cleared?

[ChlorHex]

I don't know what mainland stores are like, but the factor to keep in mind is the local retailers aren't like mine, so taking every toy from them is a significant inconvenience.
Especially considering the Siege line isn't actually being stocked at this moment near me.

At the moment, I'd prefer to purchase the toys in person and examine them before getting them, because of something that went horribly wrong when I tried to purchase an Inferno Combiner toy.
There was a detail I couldn't see clearly and it was a defect, so I had to return the product.

That's why I'm forgoing internet orders for now, just because I can't look at the product personally.

The only one I have ordered is Siege Commander Jetfire, because I'm 100% certain I want him.
And the only company I could find in Australia who accepted my Jetfire preorder is Minotaur Entertainment, Melbourne.

Another complication is that my local retailers don't order the Titan class toys, I never saw a Metroplex or Trypticon and only saw one Fortress Maximus at Myers before he was sold and never restocked.
I'm still uncertain if I want to purchase Siege Omega Supreme or not, but if I do, I'd want to do this in person, because the size of the box may result in expensive shipping fees.

I think you're placing too many conditions on how you'd like to make a product purchase.

This results in a significant reduction in opportunities for you to find the items you seek.

Heck. I saw heaps of wave 1 at my local Toyworld but didn't make a purchase then. I shared that sighting and the shelves were wiped clean.

Am I upset now that I'd like an Op or Megs from wave 1?
Nah... I'm actually happy that my local Toymate sold out as that supports a local business and keeps it going.
They've brought in heaps more of Transformers as a result and I'm sharing those sightings.

If I can't find an item... I go online. Easy.
I'm happy, the retailer is happy... everybody is happy

I just don't do local preorders.

[reillyd]

We're having a robust airing of views, but before it becomes combative let's remember the thread is about Siege toys availability in Australia.

There really have been some serious problems with stock allocations (Wave 1 being skipped or not sent to major retailers, and only being seen in Toyworlds), and speed at which it has hit shelves. Pre-ordering a special item like Jetfire is actually a sensible move, because we really don't know how many will be allocated but know the demand will be really high.

And I have great sympathies for everyone who goes out on a toy hunt only to have their hopes dashed because its been cleared out, especially if they're in rural areas where stores are limited. Amazon.com and Amazon.com.au are good ports of call for ordering Siege product as well that you might consider Tilarta. It's no guarantee though of quality control, and their returns process can be frustrating. And there's something fun about being able to go to a store, see the product, read the bio, agonise over whether its worth the money, and then take it home that day.