[Mavrick]

it might be from canceling. Game stop in Canada is caring him. A lot of guys were able to order instore starting today

[Ted Kamensky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Decepticreepy

I never saw them in the wild here. The only Retro I've seen in person that I didn't order online for myself are Lady Jaye and Baroness.

Same. I’ve looked for both the Retro CG and Gung Ho, but never found them in the wild. I have GH, but IDK why I passed on the CG initially. By the time I was interested they were already going for more than retail.

[Joe Scorpio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Decepticreepy

The only Retro I've seen in person that I didn't order online for myself are Lady Jaye and Baroness.

Those and the movie figures are the only reason I haven't seen any Classifieds in Walmart in a long, long time.

[280-CUSTOMS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted Kamensky

Same. I?ve looked for both the Retro CG and Gung Ho, but never found them in the wild. I have GH, but IDK why I passed on the CG initially. By the time I was interested they were already going for more than retail.

I saw the retro crimson guard one time @ a wally in the rotunda area there were 3 i bought all of them ,gung ho i saw him hang for a while not like baroness/LJ did but i picked up 2 of him was lucky enough to get 2 retro snake eyes @ the punta gorda wally somebody bought/ordered them and returned them . The only time i ever saw him in the wild .. stormy i ordered a handful of him from the wallyweb . Now i wish i would have ordered like 14 of em so i could recreate that seen when he had all of those look a likes i think it had bazooka and LJ in it maybe qk and that younger asian girl that hurt bazookas pride ..

[Spidermaniac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFender

Serious question, does anyone here actually care about scarcity or future value of an item when they buy it?

I'm wondering if I am the norm, or an outlier. But I don't give two flying fucks if any of this stuff will be worth money later. Like, I didn't want OAMCC because he's a hard to acquire exclusive. I just wanted the figure because it looks cool.

I only consider scarcity and value when calculating the burden of obtaining a figure I want (or discussing the same on these boards). For example, I missed out on Retro Snake Eyes and MOD Zartan, so I check in on prices from time to time, hoping they will dip. A more recent example was the Target ML Warbird which I missed out on. . .twice, and thus I spent a bit of time researching price before deciding how much I was willing to overpay on the secondary market.

While I understand the secondary market only exists because people make profit on it, I would much rather exclusives and limited quantity figures end up in the hands of fans than in a warehouse waiting for a scalper to turn a profit.

That being said, the secondary market actually makes collecting possible in a lot of ways. If it wasn't for eBay or buying from my local vintage toy store, I would have never gotten into Classified as the catch up would have been impossible. I remeber, as a kid, the first time I realized certain figures were no longer being made and would be impossible for me to own and how deflating that was. Today's reality is nothing is impossible to own -- assuming you are willing to cough up enough for it. In the long run, I think that is a better model for collectors, even if it feels like crap to have to pay a 50% premium because you didn't click fast enough or weren't available for the 5 minutes a product was available for open orders.

[DFender]

The responses here have been about what I expected. I am actually a bit relieved I guess. You're all a buncha nerds just like me. Wasting our hard earned cash on worthless plastic crack.

I believe I read somewhere that SDCC actually pays Hasbro for the exclusives. So while we all sharpen our pitchforks for Hasbro, maybe we should really be taking issue with the cons in general. I wonder if SDCC has some control on the quantities and how much can be sold after the con. No clue, but it sounds like perhaps the actual convention has more control than we might think.

Out of all the exclusives so far, this might have been the one I would have been the least butthurt about missing out on. Maybe MOD Zartan, but the color change aspect is pretty fun and he is in fact my main display Zartan.

I am also no stranger to just overpaying for something I want. I have spent close to $100 for single figures very early on in this line and I do not regret doing so. If I want it and I have the money, I'll buy it.

Just seems like this time around they really pissed off fans. I have seen some WILD comments on instagram and what not. Some people need to get a grip and chill the fuck out. I do wonder if it was all truly worth it for Hasbro and that SDCC limelight.

Jeff, I believe you were also mentioning the other day how vintage BATS go for $85-$100 complete. I wouldn't pay fifteen dollars for one. I wouldn't pay over $20 for ANY O-Ring figure. Just interesting how value is attributed to this stuff. I wonder if 30 years from now someone will pay me $100 for one of my 10 Classified BATs, ha. It doesn't look promising though.

[Trigger2K]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeachheadMatt

If it's something I genuinely/specifically want for myself, for my collection, then no, not that much. I'm more concerned about whether it's a good deal and am I getting bang for my buck? And also, is there a way to help subsidize the cost? Like selling off an alternate head or weapon (I do a ton of that).

However, I've been selling on ebay for about 10 years now, and it's become a very steady 4th stream of income for myself and my family. (The more healthy streams of income, the better, right?) So overall, when something is released, hell yes that pops into my head. I think it does for many folks, but they don't want to admit it. But the market has shifted. In my opinion, trying to flip new releases now is a dangerous game. Too much risk, too much money up front, for too little reward. And I think the collectors are enjoying the benefits of the market shift. The vast majority of stuff that comes out now can be had on ebay for at or below original retail (with exceptions, of course).

I keep far more than I sell overall, but I do sell certain things to help fund collecting mostly. Like HasLabs. I always keep one, and get as much as I can to fund that one and whatever else I may buy.

I like seeing my savings account grow more than my toy count. If I have to dip into my savings on the regular or blow up credit cards to buy toys, then I won't buy toys.

Maybe most collectors are rich and buy $2000 worth of figures a month from their paycheck like it's nothing, but that's not me.

[firmpulse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SquishyOH

Backpack with functional straps for Blowtorch? YES!!!

Not just using the backback from Torch? That is what I was expecting so very happy to see that Blowtorch is getting unique parts.

That doesn't look anything like Blowtorch's pack. So I hope it isn't. It also lacks a pressure tank. The little nub on the right shoulder strap looks like a Camelback water reservoir straw. Are folk saying this is Blowtorch's?

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpottedEagleSvn

That would be a hilarious turnaround on speculators but further tanks the idea that any of their future exclusives will ever be collectible for people who are driven by the idea of scarcity. I wonder if they care about that? I?m curious if the lack of transparency is a ploy or just them not wanting to engage with the fan base after the Pulse experience a lot of people had this week. There?s no reason for this to be a secret. Maybe they haven?t made up their minds yet? Or the person responsible for comms is just overburdened?

I could see the Classified design team caring if something is collectible in the long run. But the Numb'Crunchers only care about units sold. So, if they can make us buy more by the simple act of trickle-release they'll be riding that train until it hits a wall. There are probably a ton of folk buying 5 just because they can get an order in. Who honestly wants 5 of a Scene Unique figure (unless it's for A LOT of customization)? But folk are buying them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFender

Serious question, does anyone here actually care about scarcity or future value of an item when they buy it?

No. I only buy a second if I like the package design.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFender

Do people who go to comic con care about exclusives? Is that why they even go to begin with? I guess a bigger question would be why do people still go to SDCC in general?

I don't care if items are an Exclusive per se, but, I was able to snag a Metal Build Gundam Strike at SDCC for retail. I was beyond stoked about that. It's very cool just walk around hunting for Exclusives. Hell I had a blast trying to get a Mezco Snake Eyes that wasn't even for me. Caveat is I LOVE to hunt.

I had never even been to a Con until SDCC this year. The way I got to experience SDCC with the HissTank/ToyArk/TFW2005 crew will be one of the biggest highlights of my Fandom Life. If I ever get the chance to go with them again I'd do it in a heartbeat.

So to answer your question I think mileage may vary based on individual and circumstances of the experience. That said it's easy to see why some may strongly dislike everything about it. I was a little worried I'd get there and be miserable.

[280-CUSTOMS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trigger2K

I keep far more than I sell overall, but I do sell certain things to help fund collecting mostly. Like HasLabs. I always keep one, and get as much as I can to fund that one and whatever else I may buy.

I like seeing my savings account grow more than my toy count. If I have to dip into my savings on the regular or blow up credit cards to buy toys, then I won't buy toys.

Maybe most collectors are rich and buy $2000 worth of figures a month from their paycheck like it's nothing, but that's not me.

Thats not me i mostly buy classified & comic marvel legends and i dont buy every legend just joes im sick of them making so many wolverines/iron man you know the rest of them , i still pick up the occasional black series or whatever catches my eye i try to keep it to a minimum but september w/2 rattlers and what ever else ships itll be enough and ill be ready for a lull ..

[youdoitimbusy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Scorpio

Those and the movie figures are the only reason I haven't seen any Classifieds in Walmart in a long, long time.

Which is so frustrating. I often find myself passing on stuff, that I do buy if I happen upon it in the store. Up until recently, I hadn'tfound anything. Kind of nice to see new figures again.