Quote Originally Posted by Pulse View Post
Jaydisc, Where did this topic originate from? Are you thinking about becoming a Scalper? To me, all Scalpers are scum! I'm sure all people who buy toys (be it either collectors or Mum's/Dad's searching for a gift for their child's Birthday/Xmas) have encountered a Scalper at some stage & have nothing good to say about them.
What this topic aims to do is to discuss this topic. I have no motive behind the discussion except to raise my own and others' awareness of different perspectives on the topic.

(With much adoration): What I certainly would like to dispel are general comments like this:

Quote Originally Posted by Pulse View Post
To me, all Scalpers are scum!
At least for the point of this discussion, there's nothing that productive in that comment. I would personally much prefer you responded to the specific questions I asked.



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I think the term is used way to loosely.

Personally, I see very little different between:

1. Target, who buys toys from Hasbro at a certain price, and marks them up for profit.

2. An independent seller, that buys toys from Target at a certain price, and marks them up for profit.

3. A collector, that buys toys from anywhere and resells them 10 years later to pay for his child's education

I think many generically categorize everyone in group 2 as a scalper. It seems that you, specifically in the comments previously posted, lumped someone in group 3 as a scalper as well!

I've passed on toys to board members in nearly every state here, and have always done so at cost. TF76 posted he was looking for Blackout one morning. I knew my local Target had some, so I stopped by after coffee and grabbed him one. He came over that night and asked me to take $40 instead of the $35 I paid... for my trouble. I politely refused.

Inversely, a month or so before Christmas, I picked up some extra Bumblebee Evolution of a Hero 2-packs. I offered them to board members and no one was interested. So I calculatingly put them up on eBay 2 weeks before Christmas at 99c-starting-auctions and doubled my money.

Now, am I a scalper for that? Should I not be able try to regain some of my shopping/hunting costs? Shouldn't I be able to recover those costs from those completely willing to pay (parents too busy to shop?) as opposed to my board brethren? I didn't constrain supply. I didn't mark up exorbitantly.

Why is treating those who buy and resell TF any different from those that do the same with stocks or currency?

As said, I really just hoped for discussion on the topic. I love hearing your opinions and I love pushing my own.