darkSpyro

i know they make it harder to complete our own collections, but some really mean things are constantly said about people who resell skylanders at high prices. Truth is they wouldn't do it if people weren't willing to pay such high prices. It is a simple case of supply and demand, what else can you expect from capitalism? I have talked to several, and they say that most customers are parents whose kid "needs" it. Maybe parents need to say "no" to their kids once in awhile and just wait until things are restocked. i remember when whirlwind was going for over $200, and now they are in stock at every store i go to for $8.99. I fell it is more the buyers that are to blame than the sellers. Have any thoughts?

That is all.

Quote: Nibelilt

That is all.

WIN!!

People defend scalpers? Why? Because it isn't illegal? Scalp the variants, fine. They seem to made for the collector's anyway. Entire shipments of basic characters being cleared out makes me angry. I have never tried to "collect" anything before Skylanders so this was the first time I had ever heard of toy scalping. I really hope supply is huge this time, or they find something more profitable to them.

First come first serve, it is how the world works. They wouldn't be cleaning out shelves if they weren't sure someone would pay $50 for a Voodood for thier kids birthday.

More's the point, possibly learn some patience. Anyone with a functioning brain can work out that there will be subsequent shipments so even if they can't get figurine X right now, they will be able to get it next week.

Look, complaining about scalpers keeping figures out of my children's hands isn't illegal either. They will do what they do, and I will complain. That's how it works. I will continue to ask retailers to limit figures if stock is as bad as last time. That's all I can do, but I don't have to be happy about it. I can't imagine why anyone would be happy about scalpers other than people with a lot of disposable income. If I had the money, it would be great not to have to do the hunting. I just never imagined people did this with toys. I saw a complete set of S:AA (39 figs) go for $222 recently. The patient thing to do would be to wait until this time next year to get a great deal, but I won't.

$222 for 39 figs works out to be less than $5.70 each - sounds like a decent enough deal to me? Or do you mean to wait until this time next year for an equivalent SG deal? If so, then apologies...

Yeah, I mean wait until this time next year for the equivalent GIANTS deal. That was a great deal! The game, portal, 32 original, 4 legendaries, 4 adventure packs, FSS, Blue Bash, WERDS, and the toolbox so many people use to store them in. Less than $20 shipping, too. They were opened, but what a savings! And no man-hours hunting, or gas expenditures. Ugh, all the man-hours...

As much as I agree with everything in the original post and couldn't have said it better myself, I still don't like the idea of toy scalping, and I'm still going to complain about it because it's just plain wrong. The whole thing is based on taking advantage of kids, and the parent's desire to make them happy. To make a harsh summery of the concept, scalping Skylanders is pretty much stealing happiness away from a child, and demanding money to give it back. It's disgusting, and I don't support it.

"Don't despise the Racketeer. Instead despise his sport"

Bull. His sport exists BECAUSE of the Racketeer. It's perfectly okay to hate both.

And in turn the racketeer would not partake in the sport if there were no game.

Quote: DinoHex

As much as I agree with everything in the original post and couldn't have said it better myself, I still don't like the idea of toy scalping, and I'm still going to complain about it because it's just plain wrong. The whole thing is based on taking advantage of kids, and the parent's desire to make them happy. To make a harsh summery of the concept, scalping Skylanders is pretty much stealing happiness away from a child, and demanding money to give it back. It's disgusting, and I don't support it.

"Don't despise the Racketeer. Instead despise his sport"

Bull. His sport exists BECAUSE of the Racketeer. It's perfectly okay to hate both.

The is no supply without demand - that is simple Keynesian economics.

Would the world be a better place without the scalpers? Yes.

However, I have 4 kids and even my littlest one (not yet 2) has learnt that he does not always get what he wants and even if he does get it, not necessarily when he wants it.

Parents could simply look their child in the eye and say, "Next week when new stock comes in" rather than pay an exaggerated price.

A child will actually grow up happier with boundaries in place than simply getting what they want all of the time. Truth be told, I seriously wonder if it is truly the child who wants it or the parent as most kids I met (friends of my children, etc) were happy with the figurines they had and, sure, they would like more but were not throwing coniptions to get them...

People ask whether the chicken or the egg came first.

The chicken came in the egg.

And what was before that wasn't a chicken.

Scalpers scalp, people buy, circles have no end.

It came out wrong to me, but I think you get my point.

Actually there are two simple answers to the chicken/egg "conundrum":

1/. Egg means any egg so simple answer is egg first as eggs pre-date birds (fish, reptiles, etc).

2/. Egg implies a chicken egg, in terms of an egg containing a chicken based on a defined sphere of reference - still simple as an animal nearly a chicken but missing one facet to make it so lays an egg. The contents of this egg has a genetic mutation which makes it a chicken within the defined sphere of reference. Hence, the egg still came first.

Back to Keynesian supply/demand...

Whilst someone can offer (supply) a product on the premise that there will be demand (i.e. invented something new, such as the first washing machine), if that demand is not forthcoming then the supply will cease as it uneconomic to continue. Case in point, Microsoft invented a touch tablet a long time ago but the idea fell flat.

Normally, a vendor sees and existing demand and rises to meet the supply curve to balance it. In this case, people are trying to argue that scalpers falsely initiate the demand by diverting the primary supply. The trouble with that premise is that even if scalpers collude they cannot stem the supply flow significanty. Scalpers can only feasibly operate within a set supply curve which is a succinct subset of the entire curve. There are limits to which even the most squanderous person will spend and there are limits to how many people are prepared to spend over the defined market rate.

I was sort of miffed when the first few Wham Shells I had come across were in the cart of someone I suspected to be a scalper. He had about 5 from what I could see.
I do have my Wham Shell now, but I still felt sore about having to spend several weeks hunting before finally getting him.

Though my Cynder was from someone who apparently couldn't make it as a scalper. Just after her release, a guy was returning about eight or so of her to a ToysRUs. My squee when I went up to the return counter to ask if it was alright to take one was really really loud.

I can see why scalpers can be seen as the bad guy, but it's about time and place. Why get mad at someone for selling multiple rares online when he got them from a place you don't even live close to?
The scalpers that might justify the hate directed towards them are employees who put aside figures for themselves, not even putting them out on the shelves.

I was sort of miffed when the first few Wham Shells I had come across were in the cart of someone I suspected to be a scalper.

I don't think this will happen as much this time around as Activision have promised to deliver more primary supply, this time around. Time will tell...

The scalpers that might justify the hate directed towards them are employees who put aside figures for themselves, not even putting them out on the shelves.

There is a special circle of Hell for these people. They actually deserve to lose their jobs for this. Note: If an employee puts said item on the rack and noone else gets it when the employee can legitimately purchase it, then all bets are off but to not put it on the shelf in the first place.

I collect video games so I deal with scalpers all the time. The point is, they only want the items to try and make money. Leave them for the people who actually want them to play. It's as simple as that. There's still a guy on Craigslist in my area trying to sell the Pirate Seas adventure pack for $35.

Quote: czs716

I collect video games so I deal with scalpers all the time. The point is, they only want the items to try and make money. Leave them for the people who actually want them to play. It's as simple as that. There's still a guy on Craigslist in my area trying to sell the Pirate Seas adventure pack for $35.

That's just sad.

We all know why they do it, and we all know why it sucks. Those who are unwilling or unable to pay for a certain figure just have to wait or accept not getting it. People with more disposable income get theirs first. Fine. I don't have to like it. I just hope they don't start charging more for figures at retail because of the prices they see them go for on the secondary market. Wait. Weren't figures $7.99 last year? Oh, crap.

To be honest I'm not fond of scalpers and why don't they go to the UK and scalp there instead of the US. To all scalpers out there leave us and our Skylanders alone and go scalp something else instead

Quote: WhirlwindDragon

To be honest I'm not fond of scalpers and why don't they go to the UK and scalp there instead of the US. To all scalpers out there leave us and our Skylanders alone and go scalp something else instead

We get scalpers too dude. Don't try and shoehorn all YOUR scalpers and add them to OUR scalpers... That's not fair is it...

And don't defend scalpers anyway. Or the idiot parents that don't know when to say no. They don't deserve a good word put toward them.

Quote: Nroc-Nuika

Quote: WhirlwindDragon

To be honest I'm not fond of scalpers and why don't they go to the UK and scalp there instead of the US. To all scalpers out there leave us and our Skylanders alone and go scalp something else instead

We get scalpers too dude. Don't try and shoehorn all YOUR scalpers and add them to OUR scalpers... That's not fair is it...

And don't defend scalpers anyway. Or the idiot parents that don't know when to say no. They don't deserve a good word put toward them.

I'm one that does not support scalpers and they will end up losing one way or another when they realize that they are stuck with the Skylanders that don't sell at their end.

There wouldn't be Scalpers if there wasn't people willing to pay top dollar for something they COULD wait to get. Patients is key when collecting folks.

Much like the Topic creator and Chaos said: Its supply and Demand.
I went to several different stores last night and saw at least ONE of every "Rare" skylander on the shelves.
Scalping isnt really bad in my area, never has been (Thank goodness) but I do imagine it is a pain to deal with.

I know its hard for most parents to say "No" to their kids, and thats why scalpers exist ( Well that AND adult collectors such as myself, who want the new stuff first).
We all gotta make a living in this horrid economy somehow. I can relate to them, even if I don't agree with their methods, we'll just put it that way.

I'm also and adult collector too but I wouldn't make a living from Skylanders as profit because I'm one that would use them right up and play with them in-game. Honestly sometimes it does feel great to be young when you're playing with figures because you feel the enjoyment of being young again

Quote: WhirlwindDragon

I'm also and adult collector too but I wouldn't make a living from Skylanders as profit because I'm one that would use them right up and play with them in-game. Honestly sometimes it does feel great to be young when you're playing with figures because you feel the enjoyment of being young again

I am living vicariously through my four kids.

Remember, you are only young once but you can be immature for the rest of your life!

No scalper is "making a living" off of selling skylanders.