Quote Originally Posted by Tober View Post
And on the flip-side there are collectors who don't want to sign up to this site who see us as the problem, the reason they can't find stock anywhere.
That's true... however, this site aims to assist the dedicated collectors - ones who are big enough fans to interact with and assist other collectors. If this site helps out random people or "temporary"/nostalgic fans at the expense of those here who are fans for the long-term, I think those that are dedicated enough to join here would feel that those toys were wasted on people who wouldn't have treasured it, or even kept it, like they would have.

When it is a rare item or limited edition figure, who is going to better value it or be more deserving of it...
- the kid who isn't a collector and didn't even know this toy existed (given it as a random present and just trashes it or throws it away within a few months),
- the adult who had something similar as a kid (but isn't a collector of any other TFs, so could import it if they really wanted something nostalgic at any cost),
- the short-term collector who is going through a phase so doesn't have much interest interacting with other fans (may join up here, but never see any activity from them, and just sells off, hands off or throws away their toys a few months later),
- a scalper that is just going to resell it online or at a collector fair at huge markup,
- or the long-term collector who will look after the toy and collects other Transformers, so needs to keep the costs down as much as possible (by not paying scalper prices or importing from more expensive sources).

I don't want it to sound selfish, but as much as I'd like to see newer collectors inspired to be involved in the fandom, if there is a limited release figure that is "high end" like a Masterpiece (that is targeting those that are already dedicated collectors), I think we need to prioritise them first, and then if there is enough to go around, help out those who are new who are also interested.
It is just not easy to pre-determine which figures are going to be limited release here, or have more demand than quantity.
And even if we had a sub-section for just the active members, for rarer figures, we are still going to have people of lower ranks reporting them in the regular sightings section... negating the point of a "secret sightings section".

If ever Hasbro or TRU (or any retailer) wanted to share with us on a regular basis some upcoming release info, that was limited quantity, then I'd consider a "secret sightings section"... which would also encourage junior members to be more involved in the fandom to earn access.
But for now - sightings will stay as they are.
(maybe for the next MP toys - if Soundwave & Sideswipe come here - I might look at a trial to see if it helps or hinders the process)