People are going by several factors: The look, the concept, the videos of gameplay released by activision. Those help people not only get excited for new waves, but also get an emotional attachment to certain ones. It's marketing. When emotions get involved, logic takes a back seat. Otherwise, why would you buy a plastic figure right away that may cost less later? We all know that we are excited about the game, and that there are alot of people like us who'll rush over there to get them. That makes demand high, and adds stress to fans, who just want them period. We all know how crappy it is to go to a bunch of stores cuz they're hard to find. Fighting on the net is easier than in person. We don't have to meet the person and see them as they are, so they become the "big boogidy-man" in our minds. We can merrily shank eachother online without seeing the consequences of our actions. It can give us "relief" from the stress activision has instilled in us to make us want their plastic crack. If we get the responses we want, it gives us a "reward" in or brain...forgot what the chemical is called. Anyway, it's a form of "fun" for some people aka trolls to cause as much mayhem as possible. They use the emotions of otherwise reasonable people and sick them on other otherwise reasonable people by making them feel their precious is threatened. Finally, Wham-shell may have come out, but it's been a sore point for some since they had no luck in getting one up to now. Hopefully, every figure will be easier to get than wham-shell. EVERY one, not just my personal faves.
I have no idea where your socks are, but I'm sure it's some gremlin's fault