darkSpyro

...and no one seems to care about the increased price of the figures this go-round? When S:SA came out, the individual figures were $7.99 and the three packs were $19.99.

The individual figures crept up to $8.99 at most retailers, while the triple-packs stayed at $19.99. Only Toys R Us hiked the figures up to $10 and $25.

Now, the suggested retail on them has gone up. It's a money grab from Activision. I can assure you, Activision is making more money by raising the suggested retail by $1 on every figure sold than some "scalper" on eBay is making by selling a handful of figures at an inflated price.

I'm curious - those of you who condemn the "scalpers", will you do the same towards Activision?

Bearing in mind, of course, no one is being forced to buy anything from Activision... or from the "scalpers".

I was actually mad at them for increasing the figure price to 16 a pop here last time as soon as I found out. It's funny cause I'm applauding them this time on lowering the prices here.
I also noticed scalpers seem to be charging less this go.
It seems like in terms of cost everything is going down, down, downHILL for America and the UK. I guess that's one advantage of being an Aussie hunter, even though there really aren't many at all.

Is this a serious question? Scalpels go to the stores when they open and buy up all the stock, leaving kids and others who play the game empty handed. They raised prices, so what? I'm not happy about the three pack prices, but Activision is supplying us the product, not taking it away to charge even more.


You can't compare a price increase from a company to a scalper.

Uh oh, CZS, now some scalper or support is going to chime in with them typical scalper excuse - that helps them sleep better at night but still get their ***** kicked in the end when they die - of "Well, dur, we list it at MSRP or less. It's not our fault parents drive up the price," even though they know what they're doing. They know the prices will go up or they wouldn't list it at all. It's diverting guilt and fault from themselves, when it really is their fault.

Look, we all die. I believe in God (don't care who doesn't believe in God or who does honestly), so in my eyes, he will tarnish the greedy when they're maggot snacks. Enjoy the money while it lasts, but scalpers can't use the money when they're rotting.

Quote: czs716

Is this a serious question? Scalpels go to the stores when they open and buy up all the stock, leaving kids and others who play the game empty handed. They raised prices, so what? I'm not happy about the three pack prices, but Activision is supplying us the product, not taking it away to charge even more.


You can't compare a price increase from a company to a scalper.

THIS^

This was a pretty ridiculous compare in my opinion. Activision charges us cus they can. I mean they are the supplier afteral. And I don't much care for the 1.00 price raise on the Regular figs, And 11.90ish for a lightcore isn't bad either. I am a bit miffed with the triplepack price but when you think about it your saving about 5 bucks in the longrun. So its not THAT bad.

Scalpers go and grab up all they can and take away and then raise the price to an unbelievable level. Like some people on Ebay already have 5 or so Granite Crushers and I've seen some asking 100 plus dollars for them. Like really?
thats what makes us mad. They grab all the stock with only profit in mind, leaving us who actually PLAY the game (Adults and kids alike)- emply handed.
Thats why we dislike them.

I mean whatever, they are free to do what they want of course. And I wouldn't be so irritated if they wouldn't take ALL. But a few, you know what I'm saying?

I am not so sure that it's Activision that raised the prices as much as the poor economy... Our $$'s are worth a lot less than when S:SA was out. Especially against some of the foreign currencies. The figures probably cost more to make in net effect due to the weak dollar.

-VM

PS. Scalpers suck and can all burn burn burn. (did I type that out loud?)

Quote: ViDeOmAnCiNi

I am not so sure that it's Activision that raised the prices as much as the poor economy... Our $$'s are worth a lot less than when S:SA was out. Especially against some of the foreign currencies. The figures probably cost more to make in net effect due to the weak dollar.

-VM

PS. Scalpers suck and can all burn burn burn. (did I type that out loud?)

It has nothing to do with a booming or a faltering economy. It has everything to do with supply and demand. When you sell a product that is in-demand with a limited supply, you can charge a higher price because you know that people will pay for it. That's why Activision, retail stores, and yes, scalpers can charge more than they did last year.

Scampers aren't going to make anywhere near as much on this game. I went to Walmart at midnight or the release and one guy bought every single giant, $650 worth. You know what he was doing... A anyway, I checked another Walmart, target, and TRU today. All full of giants. TRU has them available for shipping on the website and amazon has them all for $14.99. That guy isn't going to make any money, serves him right, nor is anyone who bought the Wave 1 giants. Wave 2 on the other hand, may be different as I have not seen any on the shelves here except for two single packs.

I agree that scalpers are going to be disappointed this go round. I went to a Wal-Mart and a TRU today and they both had tons of figures across all sections (Giants, LC, S2). I imagine Target, Best Buy, K-Mart, and Gamestop stores in my area will be stocked much the same. And, that's just B&M stores. Online is still another channel for figures. Activision doesn't want to repeat previous mistakes or is getting ready for Christmas. Either way, people will find figures for retail and scalpers can go pound sand.

The figures also clearly cost more to make this time. Hold a Series 1 and a Series 2 figure in your hands and you'll see why they can't possibly cost the same amount to produce. Not saying you're wrong about corporate greed--corporate apologists are complete tools--just that the figures have definitely gotten better and more intricate at least.

Every business in the world buys and resells. It's the way the world works...

Quote: Zook

Every business in the world buys and resells. It's the way the world works...

This has nothing to do with scalpers.

Quote: czs716

Quote: Zook

Every business in the world buys and resells. It's the way the world works...

This has nothing to do with scalpers.

tell a scalper that.

they don't call themselves scalpers. they call themselves sellers on ebay.

there is always more than one perspective

I have never sold anything over retail cost before (never sold something in auction format), but I wouldn't consider someone a scalper if starting bid was retail amount. I think of scalpers like a toy version of kidnappers (toynappers). You want it, you pay the ransom. I'm still surprised this happens to children's toys. I thought it was just concert tickets, and sporting events.

2 words...Black...Friday.

The reason the scalpers won't be able to profit is for the same reason no one is really profiting from anything right now. Black Friday kicks off the beginning of the sale season. Until then, this is the calm before the storm. It's still very possible that Activision overproduced Skylanders, but we won't REALLY know until after Thanksgiving....so....no point in speculating now.

I also want to say I hate the whole "hate scalper" movement. As annoying as it is to go to TRU only to find the shelves barren, it's the way of the world. Ever gone to a clothing store only to find they have everything BUT your size? I assure you scalpers didn't come through and take all of the shirts your size to flip on eBay. Another reason I hate the "scalper" term, it takes 2 to tango. Without a buyer, the scalper is useless. If people keep buying, the scalpers will keep selling.

And finally, it's only going to get worse heading into Christmas...so get what you want now. Then endure the storm. Once the holidays have passed, there will be Skylanders everywhere again.

The WORST Skylanders day of the year last years was December 26th. The day after all the kids opened their Starter Sets only to find out they need one Skylander from each element to unlock all the areas of the game. December 23rd, there were Skylanders EVERYWHERE. December 26th, you'd be lucky to even see someone carrying around an unopened Skylander.

Get over the whole Scalper thing...it's not going away and it does no one any good to sulk over it.

Quote: pakman916

The WORST Skylanders day of the year last years was December 26th. The day after all the kids opened their Starter Sets only to find out they need one Skylander from each element to unlock all the areas of the game. December 23rd, there were Skylanders EVERYWHERE. December 26th, you'd be lucky to even see someone carrying around an unopened Skylander.

Get over the whole Scalper thing...it's not going away and it does no one any good to sulk over it.

You are exactly right. I got skylanders from christmas from my wife. figured i'd try it out. went out the day after christmas and i somehow snagged the terrafin/pirate seas pack and voodood. and those were the last ones on the shelf. i remember walking by target for 2 months before christmas lookin at all these skylanders on the shelf. little did i know....

The time demand will be highest is after xmas, when the kids have got their Skylanders game as a present and see the poster and decides they want this and that figure. Same as last year. That's when the figures will be in short supply.

You can't compare someone taking all the skylanders to flip them on eBay to a store being out of clothes your size. Go to customer service and tell them you'd like to order the clothes in your size, you'll get them. Stores can't just order more skylanders like that. If they sell out, they sell out. Terrible comparison. I collect video games and deal with scalpers and resellers all the time.

But I've been keeping up on eBay, Amazon, etc. and wave 1 isn't hitting much higher than retail so whoever bought cartloads of these is not going to clear any profit after they pay seller fees.

Quote: fanjo

The time demand will be highest is after xmas, when the kids have got their Skylanders game as a present and see the poster and decides they want this and that figure. Same as last year. That's when the figures will be in short supply.

True! We are just at the start of the holiday shipping season. Some people won't really care that much until December or late Novemeber which could be too late for a lot of people. Although I suspect that Activision did their homework this time and they have figured out the amount to produce this time around make sure supply is adequate though I won't be surprised if this game does sell out before Christmas. I know the Target Crusher could be the hardest to get after Christmas. I've yet to see Target restock an exclusive like what Toys R Us did with the first Legendary Triple Pack.

The problem here is the people that pays more than retail for it. Say this to them. Why can't those people wait? Do you absolutely need a figure at this moment? It'll only go down in value eventually. It's not like it's a limited production run.

Quote: Zook

The problem here is the people that pays more than retail for it. Say this to them. Why can't those people wait? Do you absolutely need a figure at this moment? It'll only go down in value eventually. It's not like it's a limited production run.

So, you suggest that people should just wait eight months until the demand subsides to even start playing the game? Because it sure isn't that fun to play through the game multiple times and then get the figures you want to use.

Ironically, if everyone followed this advice, the prices would be lower now and higher later!

Quote: Zing

Quote: Zook

The problem here is the people that pays more than retail for it. Say this to them. Why can't those people wait? Do you absolutely need a figure at this moment? It'll only go down in value eventually. It's not like it's a limited production run.

So, you suggest that people should just wait eight months until the demand subsides to even start playing the game? Because it sure isn't that fun to play through the game multiple times and then get the figures you want to use.

Ironically, if everyone followed this advice, the prices would be lower now and higher later!

I don't think I can wait that long. The prices of the S1 figures does seem a little bit lower but not lower enough to make me wait 8 months.

I'm not saying wait eight months, but you'll EVENTUALLY be able to find them. Look at Hot Head. He's going for $50 bucks. That's insane. He'll be A LOT lower next month. Enjoy the figures you picked up at launch!

All these replies and someone hit the nail on the head in the fifth post...

Quote: Dunkin

Activision charges us cus they can.

The "scalpers" are in the same boat. They charge what they do because they can. It's that simple.

The idea that we should be upset with scalpers because they're clearing the shelves is just flat ridiculous. If Activision made one million Swarms and they sold one million Swarms, how many would be left on the shelf when you got there? Does it really make a lick of difference to your ability to purchase one if all one million of them were bought by little kids and their parents *or* bought by scalpers who resold them to little kids and their parents? In the grand scheme of things, more aren't selling because of scalpers - they're just reselling them to folks who already wanted the product.

If anything, scalpers make it *easier* to eventually find product. Think about it - Little Timmy has $35 of Christmas money and really, really wants a Sprocket. He goes on eBay and finds it selling for $30... so he gets it. Little Jimmy also has $35 and wants a Sprocket. He goes into Toys R Us, sees it for $10... then sees the cool new repose of Stump Smash and Sonic Boom... and he has enough cash to buy all three! Yay! Except you come in behind him and he just got the last three figures and you're left with nothing.

Scalpers actually drive product sales DOWN - because folks only have a certain entertainment budget. Spending $50 on a $10 figure means they can only buy one instead of five. Activision knows this. They know that having a low price with high demand is just leaving money on the table. That's why they raised the cost of figures this time around - because they know they can and they'll make out like bandits because of it.

If I were in a store and were wanting to buy a certain figure, but can't because a scalper bought every last one of then, it wouldn't be okay.

If there was one left and a little kid grabbed it, I would be fine with that. Heck, if I had it first and some kid came up and it was the one they wanted, I would gladly hand it over.

I have no problem with the kids who play the game and their parents clearing the shelf. It has more than financial value to them. Scalpers exist because they eliminate the option of getting a figure from the store because they grab them all before anyone else can, so parents resort to getting them from the scalpers.

It's like a post I read on here from a parent. They said they get excited finding the figures for their kids and seeing the joy of the kids when they get it. If you're a parent, you want to make you're kid happy. If their kid wants a swarm, and the only way to get it was to pay more than retail, then I think many parents would go that route, being the only option, to make their kid happy.

You didn't really explain - what's the difference between ten kids buying ten Swarms or one "scalper" buying ten Swarms and reselling them to ten kids? Either way, the ten kids get what they want and you're out of your toy.

The demand exceeds supply. Theoretically, Activision could be selling everything at higher retail prices. With the first game, they could have easily charged $15 per figure and $30 for the three-packs and adventure packs. That is the exact price they were selling on Kijiji around Toronto.

Quote: UncleBob

You didn't really explain - what's the difference between ten kids buying ten Swarms or one "scalper" buying ten Swarms and reselling them to ten kids? Either way, the ten kids get what they want and you're out of your toy.

Because some kids absolutely will not get them. Not all parents will pay the higher price.

Do you really not see the problem with scalpers here? They take advantage of everyone. Read my post again.

So, you think the "scalper" will just throw the figures away that don't sell at the inflated prices?

Quote: UncleBob

So, you think the "scalper" will just throw the figures away that don't sell at the inflated prices?

Nope, but that has nothing to with it. Their intent was to take advantage of others and make a profit off of those that weren't able to get the figures. What happens at the end has nothing to do with their original plan.

Quote: UncleBob

...and no one seems to care about the increased price of the figures this go-round? When S:SA came out, the individual figures were $7.99 and the three packs were $19.99.

The individual figures crept up to $8.99 at most retailers, while the triple-packs stayed at $19.99. Only Toys R Us hiked the figures up to $10 and $25.

Now, the suggested retail on them has gone up. It's a money grab from Activision. I can assure you, Activision is making more money by raising the suggested retail by $1 on every figure sold than some "scalper" on eBay is making by selling a handful of figures at an inflated price.

I'm curious - those of you who condemn the "scalpers", will you do the same towards Activision?

Bearing in mind, of course, no one is being forced to buy anything from Activision... or from the "scalpers".

Says the guy who got all the figures on Day 1 with no problems.

If we're playing the blame game, can we also blame the people who do pay 5x or more retail price on toys still in print, because they encourage people to scalp?
If more people did not pay that much, it would not make sense to hike prices up so high in resale. And there are the dumb sellers who do no research, see an outrageous BIN price, and believe that is what they actually sell for and copy the price as well and make it even worse.

Also as far as the MSRP change goes - series 2 toys look SO much better than series 1. More detail (more accurate to their game counterpart) and better paint choices(but I still see some messy paint apps), and you get a little extra perk ingame too. I think that is worth it. Compare some S1s and S2s like Bash or Sonic Boom and you'll see.

@UncleBob I think you and I are the only people on this forum that see things this way. I'm not happy about running into someone that clears the shelves for hard to find items, but I also accept the fact that it's not the end of the world.

@czs716 I think the problem we are having seeing eye to eye with regards to Skylanders is the value you place in it. You said you "collect video games and deal with scalpers and resellers all the time." At the end of the day, it's really not that important to me. I have 3 young boys that go nuts over Skylanders. I get them each and every single one of them because I enjoy the challenge of hunting them down. But when I don't get in on some really hard to find Skylander (Wham-Shell, Blue Bash, Gold/Crystal/Silver variants), I don't lose any sleep over it. And neither do my kids because they have 31 other Skylanders to keep them busy.

I live 10 minutes from a Bestbuy, Target and Walmart. It's on my way to work and on my way home from work. I would stop by all 3 and keep an eye on this forum. Sometimes I would drive 20 minutes to another Walmart. I made the effort. And I can tell you, I finished my collection with the rest of the people on this forum with Wham-Shell. It wasn't hard. You just have to make some effort.

I also agree that the "scalpers" serve a purpose. There are people all over the world that want to get their hands on these Skylanders and can't because it's not available where they are. So they will pay a premium for them. If I have 100 here in DC, but they only sent 10 to the middle of Montana, how is little Johnny and Suzy going to have a Merry Christmas if it weren't for Joe Scalper posting it on eBay?

Welcome to America people. Welcome to capitalism. Supply and Demand. Don't blame Activision or Toys R Us/Target/Walmart. Blame yourself for getting bent out of shape over a toy. You aren't entitled to it. If you want it so bad, wake up early like the rest of us and go get it. Otherwise, continue to whine on these forums as if anyone cares. Look at the AU and EU folks on here. They won't even see some of the US exclusives even though our shelves are lined with them. Sure they are pissed, but unless they plan to cross the ocean, it ain't happening unless they pay the premium. If anything, they should be happy for the scalpers...cause how else are they going to complete their sets?

FYI, I have ALL of the released Skylanders Giants so far. I did it by waking up at 7:30AM on Sunday and made 2 trips to TRU and 1 to Target. I got my final 3 today by going at 9AM. There was no struggle or mad rush. I walked in, got the figures I wanted and paid for it. Just as all the other people there with me.

Quote: czs716

Nope, but that has nothing to with it. Their intent was to take advantage of others and make a profit off of those that weren't able to get the figures. What happens at the end has nothing to do with their original plan.

Wait - which are you concerned about? The "scalper" using the popularity and demand to make a profit or the fact that kids are missing out on their toys?


Quote: Skybagel

Says the guy who got all the figures on Day 1 with no problems.

I wouldn't say *no* problems, but yes, I did get them all. I got up early, had a game plan and did the same thing virtually any other person could have done if they wanted to put forth the effort... so yeah, I don't see the problem with scalpers.

I don't even know why we're discussing scalpers. Look at stores such as Toys R Us. They still have hundred's if not thousand's of figures. If you didn't get them by now, it's your fault and means you didn't want them that bad.

Look, I understand there will always be scalpers. I also don't have as much value in Skylanders as you think. It's a game that me and my nephew play, I typically will only play the game when he does. He likes it a whole lot more than me and has SA on 3DS and we ordered Giants for him for his birthday. I have quite a few of the originals, but I didn't spend much money in getting them. I also wasn't looking to buy all the Giants that have been released so far. I got the starter, a single, and a giant and I am satisfied with that. I will buy a few of the others along the way, but I don't want to spend all my money on these. It's a cool game and the figures are cool, but this is not on the top of my list for spending. I'm not out constantly searching for new figures. I'll check every now and then and only buy perhaps a single or a LC or Giant or one 3-pack a month.

And I have a problem with scalpers reselling for profit and kids not getting their toys both.

At least they do some work for what they are selling. The ones that scalp tickets don't have to do anything except buy tickets. Toy scalpers use gas, money, risk that product won't be in demand, they need to do research to know the product, when it will be at its highest value, when and how many will be available...I still think it is a douche move to take all of something when you know people behind you are there for the same thing. Most people would probably think I was a scalper if they saw what I bought, but I have never sold anything on e-bay (I always plan on it, but never get around to it) so I am kind of like a hoarder instead. I went to Walmart at midnight, girlfriend went to target when they opened, and i was at toys r us when they opened both days. Today I could have had 4 hot heads, 4 sprockets, 4 flash wings and 4 light core jet vacs at toys r us (not to mention all the re-poses). Instead I got one of each and told other less informed dads about which ones were going to maybe be the hardest to get right now. I worked all day and stopped at Walmart on my way home at about 9pm. I went for milk, but decided to walk by the skylanders. They had wave 2 which I thought was exclusive to toys r us, so I found one more flashwing and hot head, and 2 more sprockets. I plan on selling them to get a little bit of my hard earned money back that I spent and continue to spend on an addictive overpriced obsession that my son and I share. I don't feel like I stole them from any kids, they were there all day and night. I will probably set them aside and forget about them until they lose all there value anyway (aka the 3 wham shells and blue bashes I have sitting in a cabinet). Granite Crushers seemed like they would be a good investment yesterday when they ran out of them, but when the shelves were restocked today, I'm not so sure anymore. For the record my girlfriend bought one and I got the last two at our second target, but when I saw a mom (stranger) that we had talked to at another store earlier in the day, I gave it to her as she walked by and told her it was the last one. I think scalpers are something completely different. Most of the people some of you are calling scalpers, are the same people that sell the toys, baseball cards, comics...in the stores that I loved when i was a kid and that are starting to disappear because of Walmart, Toys r us, target, eBay...
I agree that a guy who strips the shelves of everything while a mom and her kids wait patiently to see what's left is a douche bag. I also know there would be a bunch of unhappy kids/parents if ebay didn't exist in this gotta have it all right now society we have been brainwashed to conform to our whole lives.

In all honesty guys the scalpers aren't really winning this go around. At least not now anyways.

I haven't gotten all the figures yet. But I will. Doesn't seem too bad right now. Course with the last game I got most of my things on black friday. I won't lie that I've sold extra stuff I had more than one of on ebay (Though granted I start my stuff off at 1.00- what happens after that it up to the bidders not me).

Either way, this economy is pretty crap (No I don't agree with the scalpers and their way of doing things)- I think its wrong to go in and snag every last one of certain characters. But I won't loose sleep over it either.
Patients pays off in the longrun, I've learnt that a long time ago. But I won't be so crude as to sit here and say I don't see why most would. I actually don't blame them. We all need money to live. And scalping whats "In" ; like skylanders. Is an easy way to make a quick buck.

There wouldn't be scalpers, if people learnt how to not buy from them.
So basically while I'm irritated with scalpers, I can't say I hate them, since we all gotta put food on the table. So I'm pretty indifferent or, inbetween rather.

Call it what you will, but thats my stance on the matter.

Quote: UncleBob

Quote: czs716

Nope, but that has nothing to with it. Their intent was to take advantage of others and make a profit off of those that weren't able to get the figures. What happens at the end has nothing to do with their original plan.

Wait - which are you concerned about? The "scalper" using the popularity and demand to make a profit or the fact that kids are missing out on their toys?


Quote: Skybagel

Says the guy who got all the figures on Day 1 with no problems.

I wouldn't say *no* problems, but yes, I did get them all. I got up early, had a game plan and did the same thing virtually any other person could have done if they wanted to put forth the effort... so yeah, I don't see the problem with scalpers.

[rant]You're not understanding what I'm trying to say. YOU don't have to worry about them, you have no problems with them, therefore you don't really understand why there is hate for scalpers. And also, people buy from scalpers but the scalpers TAKE THEM ALL and it makes people sad. If scalpers just backed the heck off and stopped being greedy selfish useless pieces of tr- *erm* *ahem* I mean... Well... Yeah... Greedy, selfish, useless pieces of trash... Then people could get them for no problem at retail price. So stop defending these greedy, pathetic excuses for human beings. We buy from them because they make us... We have no other choice. And don't go defending them by saying "They will lower soon, though" because THEY SHOULDN'T EVEN OF TAKEN THE MERCHANDISE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!

SCALPERS CAN ALL-

*Ahem.*

STOP DEFENDING THEM!!!!![/rant]

Quote: Dunkin

In all honesty guys the scalpers aren't really winning this go around. At least not now anyways.

I haven't gotten all the figures yet. But I will. Doesn't seem too bad right now. Course with the last game I got most of my things on black friday. I won't lie that I've sold extra stuff I had more than one of on ebay (Though granted I start my stuff off at 1.00- what happens after that it up to the bidders not me).

Either way, this economy is pretty crap (No I don't agree with the scalpers and their way of doing things)- I think its wrong to go in and snag every last one of certain characters. But I won't loose sleep over it either.
Patients pays off in the longrun, I've learnt that a long time ago. But I won't be so crude as to sit here and say I don't see why most would. I actually don't blame them. We all need money to live. And scalping whats "In" ; like skylanders. Is an easy way to make a quick buck.

There wouldn't be scalpers, if people learnt how to not buy from them.
So basically while I'm irritated with scalpers, I can't say I hate them, since we all gotta put food on the table. So I'm pretty indifferent or, inbetween rather.

Call it what you will, but thats my stance on the matter.

Yes, I understand one must make money to survive.

But, if you're going to make money, you should actually be contributing to the human race instead of being a little pain in the-

*Ahem* And just making it harder for all of us to enjoy things.

So, scalpers, why don't you get a real job and stop being useless to all of the human race, because nobody likes you (except for UncleBob and pacman?)

Why can't you guys see that scalpers are just useless pieces of... Uh... Trash. Yes.

Activision had distribution issues in the metro Atlanta area because the last pre-Giants wave were really hard to find anywhere. I was at TRU at opening, beating any scalpers, and the figures weren't on the shelves. I imagine they were as frustrated as me and probably had to travel to get the figures. For me, it's all about patience. I refuse to pay more than retail and it's only a matter of time before product is replenished. What I didn't find in the stores, I was able to purchase from Amazon.

The only time scalpers would bother me is if they tried to buy everything when I'm in the store to pick something up. At that point, I would cry foul and get management to have that person give up some of them. It's funny that scalpers think they are entitled to buy everything when other people are there for the same thing. The stories I've read/heard of scalpers being thwarted are too hilarious.

I'll probably get flamed for this, but here goes:

If it's a LE figure, yes--I'm not going to take a chance that I will be able to find Granite Crusher later. eBay is my best option, because I can't get to the store and Target.com isn't selling them online. Same thing with Legendary Bouncer, which for some reason was never available for purchase from toysrus.com, and which has now disappeared entirely from their site.

Am I going to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a $15 figure? Absolutely not. Am I perfectly willing to pay a little over retail for the convenience factor of getting it shipped directly to my home? Sure. I got Granite Crusher for $21, and Legendary Bouncer for $22--even if I had a car, I'm not sure that I wouldn't have gone the eBay route anyway--saves time, gas, frustration, etc.

You may say that I'm enabling the scalpers, but they're providing me a service, offering things for sale that I can't get any other way. It's up to me to decide whether or not I want to pay the prices they're asking. I'm *not* willing to pay their prices for the Wave 2 figures that for some $*#@ reason aren't available at toysrus.com, only in stores, because I know I can get them at the GameStop a couple of blocks away from my office in a few weeks.

Quote: czs716

And I have a problem with scalpers reselling for profit and kids not getting their toys both.

If you're upset that someone's making a profit - then why not be upset at Activision for taking advantage of the demand and popularity and raising the prices this time around? Again - Activision is going to make a KILLING with that extra $1/$5 per pack.

If you're upset about kids not getting their toys - when the "scalpers" resell the figures on eBay, they're likely going to kids anyway... so kids somewhere are getting toys.


Quote: Skybagel

[rant]You're not understanding what I'm trying to say. YOU don't have to worry about them, you have no problems with them,

See, here's the thing though - if I had no competition on getting the figures, I could have gotten up at a normal time. I wouldn't have had to make a special one-hour drive to the local-ish Toys R Us to get them. Now, how much of my competition was actually "scalpers" vs how much was kids/parents getting the figures to actually play with, I don't know. But regardless, your point fails - I don't have to worry about them because I *choose* not to worry about them. I put in some extra leg work to get what I need and if it takes me awhile to get a Wham Shell, so be it.

Quote:

Then people could get them for no problem at retail price.

Probably. The 15 kids who where going to buy the 15 Flashwings from that "scalper" for $30 each can now go to the Toys R Us in front of you and spend their $450 and buy 45 figures instead of 15. So, by the time you get there, the Toys R Us has less than before.

Quote:

We have no other choice.

Really? You have no other choice?

A) See, that's odd... because I've gotten an entire collection of S1 figures (minus the crazy variants) and have virtually everything from S2 that was released so far... and I haven't had to buy a single figure that I didn't get from a retail shelf.

Couldn't you just... not buy the figures? We're not talking about food or water here, we're talking about plastic video game toys.

Quote: SkyDaddy

Quote: Zing

Quote: Zook

The problem here is the people that pays more than retail for it. Say this to them. Why can't those people wait? Do you absolutely need a figure at this moment? It'll only go down in value eventually. It's not like it's a limited production run.

So, you suggest that people should just wait eight months until the demand subsides to even start playing the game? Because it sure isn't that fun to play through the game multiple times and then get the figures you want to use.

Ironically, if everyone followed this advice, the prices would be lower now and higher later!

I don't think I can wait that long. The prices of the S1 figures does seem a little bit lower but not lower enough to make me wait 8 months.

honestly the problem is not people not being patient it is that some buyers are outside of USA so it harder to find stuff for them, and maybe be even more expansive.

@UncleBob,

Seriously? Activision is selling their own product. You can't compare the manufacturer/distributor to a scalper. If Activision wants to raise prices so be it. They are the manufacturer, they set the prices. Scalpers are not and when you buy from them, you allow them to set prices above MSRP. I couldn't care less how much Activision makes. I'm not upset that "someone" is making a profit. It's about scalpers taking everything and reselling them for more than they are worth and taking advantage of people. I seriously don't know what you don't understand.


As a side note, TRU was already selling their packs at that price before Activision raised any prices.

It ceases to be Activision's product when Activision sells it.

As for TRU - where you mad at them for making a profit, taking advantage of the demand?

Quote: UncleBob

It ceases to be Activision's product when Activision sells it.

As for TRU - where you mad at them for making a profit, taking advantage of the demand?

I don't get mad at any manufacturer/store. I also didn't buy any Skylanders from TRU.

Also, it doesn't cease to be Activisions product at any time, they produced it. All that changes is ownership.

If you're only upset with "scalpers" because they're making a profit, then you're being very insincere. Activision and Toys R Us are making far, far more money off this than any "scalper".

And ownership is important. If you're the owner, you get to set the price for it.

Quote: UncleBob

If you're only upset with "scalpers" because they're making a profit, then you're being very insincere. Activision and Toys R Us are making far, far more money off this than any "scalper".

And ownership is important. If you're the owner, you get to set the price for it.

They are clearing shelves with the intent to take advantage of the people who were unable to get them, because of the shelves being cleared, by charging substantially more than MSRP.

All you keep saying is "you're upset they are making a profit". If you would read my posts you would see I mention much, much more than that.

Once again, Activision manufactured it, Toys R Us distributes it. Activision sets prices because they are the manufacturer, Toys R Us distributes them because they have a contract with Activision. Scalpers are neither a manufacturer nor distributor.

If scalpers weren't bad, why do stores put limits on what you can buy? Even the ones that don't have limits, try to prevent people from taking all of their product, as I witnessed at Walmart. Why do they care? Is it not better for Walmart or other stores that some jerk come through and buy every single figure they have? Why do they care? They've made their money. So why then are there these restrictions?

Quote: czs716

They are clearing shelves with the intent to take advantage of the people who were unable to get them, because of the shelves being cleared, by charging substantially more than MSRP.

All you keep saying is "you're upset they are making a profit". If you would read my posts you would see I mention much, much more than that.

Yes, you mention that it sucks that the "scalpers" come in and clear the shelf. But you ignore the fact that if there are 15 people willing to buy 15 Flashwings from 1 "scalper", there's also 15 people willing to buy 15 Flashwings from the shelf at Toys R Us. Scalpers aren't making it so that there is *less* product out there. It's not like they're buying all the hard to find figures, locking them in a vault and irradiating them so they can't be sold as to drive up the resell value of their own stocks to sell.

Quote:

Once again, Activision manufactured it, Toys R Us distributes it. Activision sets prices because they are the manufacturer, Toys R Us distributes them because they have a contract with Activision. Scalpers are neither a manufacturer nor distributor.

I totally understand that. However, it doesn't mean the "scalper" doesn't have a right to buy something and choose to resell it. Do you own your home?

Quote:

If scalpers weren't bad, why do stores put limits on what you can buy?

Wow... I have to explain this to you?

Let's say you own a store. You want to sell as much product as you can to make as much money as you can.

Do you A) Sell everything to one guy, making the 15 other people mad so they won't shop there anymore? Or B ) Split everything between the 16 people so that everyone comes back and spends more money later?

Stores that put limits on the sales are doing so for one reason... TO MAKE A PROFIT. Just like "scalpers" do.