JediCole
03-23-2002, 08:43 PM
I just wanted to report an incident with a rather dubious scalper who usually appears at a local toy show in my area. I won't name names, but this guy used to set up with TONS of stuff and ask outrageous prices. I remember going to one show and he had 30 B-Wing Fighters at almost twice the Target price. This was at the same time as you could find one to five at EVERY Target in town! At the end of the show I counted 30 still in his stock!
Anyway, at the last show in March, his selection was smaller than ever and it seems he's finally realized he won't make a fortune as a scalper. I will give him one conceit, he had the best price I've seen on the Eopie with Qui-Gonn, $40.00. I had been consistantly outbid on eBay at a maximum bid of $55.00! So I had to give him some of my business. However, he showed his true stripe when it came to the BoShek wave.
He had all three figures, in quantity, at his table at $15.00 each! This is not the real crime, however. What made me angry was that he told anyone who inquired about them that none of the normal retail stores would carry them. He claimed that he had talked to many managers of TRUs, Targets, Wal-Marts, and K-Marts and all said the chains were skipping this wave and going right into Episode II. Naturally I knew he was full of it, however, I am sure he convinced a few suckers.
00
Needless to say, two weeks later, on a tip from Bubba Fatt, I found at least seven of each of the three figures in this wave on open pegs at a Wal-Mart in town.
The up side of this tale is that I think this guy will not be long for the toy show/scalper market. I too set up and sell at these shows, but I try to maintain the lowest possible prices and try to keep people informed about what new items are coming down the pike. Unfortunatly this probably brands me as a "scalper" to many here, but I feel it is people like the dealer I described here that give those of us who try to do this sort of thing honestly as bad a name as those who imagine they will get rich on marking up brand new items and raiding the stores for 100% of thier new stock on much sought after figures.
Anyway, at the last show in March, his selection was smaller than ever and it seems he's finally realized he won't make a fortune as a scalper. I will give him one conceit, he had the best price I've seen on the Eopie with Qui-Gonn, $40.00. I had been consistantly outbid on eBay at a maximum bid of $55.00! So I had to give him some of my business. However, he showed his true stripe when it came to the BoShek wave.
He had all three figures, in quantity, at his table at $15.00 each! This is not the real crime, however. What made me angry was that he told anyone who inquired about them that none of the normal retail stores would carry them. He claimed that he had talked to many managers of TRUs, Targets, Wal-Marts, and K-Marts and all said the chains were skipping this wave and going right into Episode II. Naturally I knew he was full of it, however, I am sure he convinced a few suckers.
00
Needless to say, two weeks later, on a tip from Bubba Fatt, I found at least seven of each of the three figures in this wave on open pegs at a Wal-Mart in town.
The up side of this tale is that I think this guy will not be long for the toy show/scalper market. I too set up and sell at these shows, but I try to maintain the lowest possible prices and try to keep people informed about what new items are coming down the pike. Unfortunatly this probably brands me as a "scalper" to many here, but I feel it is people like the dealer I described here that give those of us who try to do this sort of thing honestly as bad a name as those who imagine they will get rich on marking up brand new items and raiding the stores for 100% of thier new stock on much sought after figures.