Sightings = Private?

[Paulbot]

WFC Soundwave may not be scalped (could be just an issue with distribution - much like with the Ultra Transmetal 2s), but there have been examples of scalping in the past. When the first TF movie came out I reckon the Deluxe Bumblebees got scalped. Luckily I bought them as soon as I saw them, but I noticed that soon after that they were hard to find. I remember when I got Concept Camaro Bumblebee... I was at TRU and they'd just opened a case awaiting shelving. I grabbed one straight from the box and bought it. I returned to that same TRU like a day later and the Bumblebees were sold out.

Bumblebee... the most prominent character in the movie? Nowadays you can't enter a toy store without seeing some sort of movie Bumblebee toy but in 2007 that wasn't the case. I don't see that proof of scalping but rather of kids and their powerful "buy me that mummy" powers.

The Ultra Transmetal 2s did have limited distribution, but it's not 2000 anymore. I don't think there's signs of that problem with the 2010 toyline yet. They are just not restocking them as quickly because the wave 1 Autobot Alliance toys are overstocked (or at least they are in every Vic store I've been to).

[SkyWarp91]

After reading the comments I take back my comment regarding lurkers - they're not bad if they are genuine collectors of TFs - they just beat me to the hunt But what does bother me is scalpers, though there is some vague evidence to justify that scalpers use this site, I have noticed that within a month or so at my local TRUs no more Masterpiece Grimlocks were ever sighted again - but then again there was a very small limited release considering how expensive that toy is.

[griffin]

Sightings will remain public, because if they were made private like the meets section, a 'lurker' scalper would just register and gain access anyway. No point in penalising lurkers or parents, on a vain/wasted attempt at stopping scalpers who would gain access anyway.

[Lint]

If it makes you feel any better Skywarp91 if I were a toy scalper i'd be doing some serious networking with store managers/employees to secure myself stock as soon as it is officially deployed on the shelves instead of relying on (and competing against) a bunch of kidults on a ramshackle forum

On the flipside our syndicated buying arguably causes untold misery to parents and children who are looking to buy a particular toy for xmas or from a sale catalogue only to have the shelves scoured of what they were after. It's only fair game that they can partake of toy sightings too. If no-one else can help and if they can find us

Okay that probably just made you feel worse now

[SkyWarp91]

If it makes you feel any better Skywarp91 if I were a toy scalper i'd be doing some serious networking with store managers/employees to secure myself stock as soon as it is officially deployed on the shelves instead of relying on (and competing against) a bunch of kidults on a ramshackle forum

On the flipside our syndicated buying arguably causes untold misery to parents and children who are looking to buy a particular toy for xmas or from a sale catalogue only to have the shelves scoured of what they were after. It's only fair game that they can partake of toy sightings too. If no-one else can help and if they can find us

Okay that probably just made you feel worse now

I'm not feeling bad or anything about this, I'm just posting a thought. But it seems that the sightings will remain public so this thread can be closed... ...if only I knew how to do it.

[GoktimusPrime]

Sightings will remain public, because if they were made private like the meets section, a 'lurker' scalper would just register and gain access anyway. No point in penalising lurkers or parents, on a vain/wasted attempt at stopping scalpers who would gain access anyway.

I agree. It wouldn't be fair to inconvenience the honest majority in fear of the remote chance of aiding the occasional scalper that might lurk here. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

[gdmetro]

From reading online from other toy fandoms on how scalpers operate- I seriously doubt they would hinge on our sightings section to be able to practice scalping effectively. That is, making the sightings private is insignificant towards affecting scalping- it would only hurt the more legitimate non-members who would use it.

I think those that are professional scalpers would frequent the regular stores in a number of areas, already calculated which are the rarer ones to buy up. They would know accurately when stock arrives, maybe via staff whom might take a cut out of profits- to help them. Most likely bought up before the assortment is even packed onto shelves. Maybe other techniques I don't know of.
I've even heard of some know the case assortment codes on boxes of shipment to know whether a rare fig is in there. (Can't remember where I read this from).

NB:Most of this is in the U.S. so I can't say the same for us here.

Even assuming that the sightings thread updates consistently for every area- which it does not, that would still not aid much from what I understand to be professional scalpers.

Unless you are trying to prevent opportunistic buying - by that I mean a regular person/collector seeing a scarcer figure and would want to capitalize on buying up of that figure from 1 or 2 shops- would this be so detrimental to us to even term it as 'scalping'?

[SkyWarp91]

From reading online from other toy fandoms on how scalpers operate- I seriously doubt they would hinge on our sightings section to be able to practice scalping effectively. That is, making the sightings private is insignificant towards affecting scalping- it would only hurt the more legitimate non-members who would use it.

I think those that are professional scalpers would frequent the regular stores in a number of areas, already calculated which are the rarer ones to buy up. They would know accurately when stock arrives, maybe via staff whom might take a cut out of profits- to help them. Most likely bought up before the assortment is even packed onto shelves. Maybe other techniques I don't know of.
I've even heard of some know the case assortment codes on boxes of shipment to know whether a rare fig is in there. (Can't remember where I read this from).

NB:Most of this is in the U.S. so I can't say the same for us here.

Even assuming that the sightings thread updates consistently for every area- which it does not, that would still not aid much from what I understand to be professional scalpers.

Unless you are trying to prevent opportunistic buying - by that I mean a regular person/collector seeing a scarcer figure and would want to capitalize on buying up of that figure from 1 or 2 shops- would this be so detrimental to us to even term it as 'scalping'?

Well when i started this thread I had two things in mind - the 1st is to warn off potential scalpers/lurkers (later changed my mind to scalpers because lurkers are genuine TF collectors too) - but as many posts previously have said; there isn't much proof that scalpers would even use this board and that they're probably using a different approach such as having someone in the inside to help them. And 2nd, I thought privatizing this section would add a level of exclusivity to the board, but as Griffs pointed out it ain't needed.

[Seraphim Prime]

Didn't we have this debate a few years ago (around the time of the first movie) because we were worried scalpers were nabbing all the new releases? I remember locations used to be in white and/or in spoiler tags. I think the forum did used to be a private one.


I think as a community we decided that we weren't that concerned about scalpers potentially reading the forum and finding out where something was, when compared with the actual TF fans who would probably appreciate knowing where they can get a figure they've been seeking. As evidenced by SharkyMcShark, Oilspill, and Lint.


I think the argument had come up because there had been an issue with scalping of the first movie toys - particularly Bumblebee. I saw one person walk out of my local Big W with 5 Bumblebees once. But you know what, I got over it, and Hasbro has recently satrted doing a pretty good job of making sure people can get their favourite character without relying on scalper prices on Ebay (pretty much the reason why Bumblebee will get three different releases in a movie year with only slighly varied colour scheme).

[Sky Shadow]

Since these days it's cheaper to buy most toys online than in shops anyway, I'd say the scalpers are welcome to them. Let them scalp all the $250 Masterpiece Ghost Starscreams they can carry.