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07-13-2011, 11:53 AM | #1 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2008
Location: New Joesey
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Over the past few years, toy collecting has evolved so much..more than anyone probably could have imagined.
Between the advances made with the product and the endless flow of inf0rmation made available to us via the web, being a Collector has become so much more than picking up an issue of Tomart's and hoping for the best at a local retail store. While there have been many changes that have positively impacted the hobby, there have also been some negatives such as a decrease in outlets that carry the product. We're down to TRU, Walmart, Target and K-Mart as the mainstay for the collector that wants to purchase at Brick & Mortar, with secondary alternatives such as Walgreen's, Rite Aid and CVS offering some relief. In any event, even these retailers offer a limited availability, and increased cost for those who prefer to buy at retail over "etail". There's also the effect that a poor economy has on the hobby, where the repackers strike and steal the product, repacking it with something altogether different. This theft serves to cost the manufacturer and ultimately, us the consumer. In addition, we have the scalper/hoarder who buys in mass quantity and sells it on ebay or stocks it in order to "trade up" later on. Lastly, there is the factor of Time, Fuel and ebay. Fuel is $3.57 a gallon in my neck of the woods, time is limited with kids and a family and ebay seems to thrive by hitting both buyers and sellers between fees, paypal protection and other loopholes stacked against everyone but themselves. Toys have always been my escape. Toys are supposed to be fun and I'm really enjoying the fact one of my daughters is sharing the interest in the hobby. However, I feel like the factors listed above have taken away from the experience and rather than complaining anymore (I'm a lot less vocal about scalping and such than I used to be) I've been wondering what could be done to make a positive impact. I miss the days of meeting guys like PJ, Matrix, Nikon and others every so often to exchange goods, go on runs and basically, enjoy the time together as collectors. With the technology of social networking, it should be alot easier to stay in touch with your friends and fellow collectors. I spent a few hours hanging out with my bud Nikon this past Saturday and I had a blast, which got me really thinking seriously about a few things. Car Collectors, Bike Riders and other enthusiasts have organized events and meetings to share and discuss their hobbies..why not us? Sure, we have SDCC, WW and other conventions but they can be expensive and limited to one time, place and date. I'm proposing to work with some other collectors out there to set up regional meetings every month across the country, where people can come to buy/trade/sell/network and befriend other collectors. Here they can discuss local issues such as Repacking, Scalping, Availability, Needs etc. and how they can address it. I’ve actually made some great relationships with some of the employees in our local stores. If I see repacked items, I know I can actually count on them to pull it off the shelves for good. I’ve also spoken to them about the policies in place regarding the scalping and hoarding and in some cases been able to point out specific people that are known scalpers that ruin the hunt for collectors and the casual buyer. Nikon and I are going to work on setting up a “Dropcircle” here in NJ/PA and will be for others to be a part of it. I think it’s a productive & economical way to enjoy the hobby, meet new friends and have fun for those who can’t make SDCC, WizardWorld or other costly Cons. I’m going to be posting more about this at the Ring of Collectors facebook link at: Welcome to Facebook - Log In, Sign Up or Learn More This is going to take some time to organize, but will be a very cool thing once it starts to take shape. Thanks all for taking the time to read it, thanks to RTM for indulging me and let me know if you have any questions. -0- |
07-13-2011, 02:49 PM | #2 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Hisstank Wrestling Federation!
Posts: 17,654
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Why is this in spam?
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07-13-2011, 02:54 PM | #3 |
Im Charming
Join Date: May 2008
Location: The Mitten
Posts: 42,053
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Headman says jump, and I say, how high?
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07-13-2011, 03:07 PM | #4 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2008
Location: New Joesey
Posts: 2,931
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Because this website has select Staff members that are bias and partial to anything they deem a threat to hisstank and I have no doubt it would be moved here anyway. Ring of Collectors was/is a collector tool and not a competiing Joe site but such is life.
Used to love this site..until I posted an advance review of Sideshow Firefly where everyone asked to have it frontpaged, yet not one staff member would do it nor answer me as to why. Since that time, I've learned alot about this site, select staff members and what they truly deem important and it's not the community. Last edited by Steel; 07-13-2011 at 03:10 PM.. |
07-13-2011, 03:40 PM | #5 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Hisstank Wrestling Federation!
Posts: 17,654
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Quote:
Because this website has select Staff members that are bias and partial to anything they deem a threat to hisstank and I have no doubt it would be moved here anyway. Ring of Collectors was/is a collector tool and not a competiing Joe site but such is life.
Used to love this site..until I posted an advance review of Sideshow Firefly where everyone asked to have it frontpaged, yet not one staff member would do it nor answer me as to why. Since that time, I've learned alot about this site, select staff members and what they truly deem important and it's not the community. |
07-13-2011, 03:44 PM | #6 |
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 12,560
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This thread/concept is far too well articulated/thought out to be thrown into the depths of spam. I'm about as silly or nonsensical as they come, but I know this thread doesn't belong here. I'd love to see this great idea of yours come to fruition. A small group of my fellow collectors and I are doing something similar in the metro Atlanta area, but nothing to the scale of what your imagining.
Keep plugging away at this. You certainly have my support. |
07-13-2011, 04:29 PM | #7 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2008
Location: New Joesey
Posts: 2,931
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Quote:
This thread/concept is far too well articulated/thought out to be thrown into the depths of spam. I'm about as silly or nonsensical as they come, but I know this thread doesn't belong here. I'd love to see this great idea of yours come to fruition. A small group of my fellow collectors and I are doing something similar in the metro Atlanta area, but nothing to the scale of what your imagining.
Keep plugging away at this. You certainly have my support. Personally, I'm tired of getting screwed on/by ebay, seeing repacked crap on the shelves and not being able to find the items I really want on shelves. This is going to be grassroots campaign, but with a few select Leaders in different areas, it can work and will solve a lot of problems. From the social side of the equation, a lot of new friends and contacts can come of this. It will actually save collectors money. Headman, I will join so long as I don't become the thing I hate the most Do I get a nifty sig icon too? |
07-14-2011, 01:51 AM | #8 |
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Hisstank Wrestling Federation!
Posts: 17,654
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07-14-2011, 09:36 AM | #9 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2008
Location: New Joesey
Posts: 2,931
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08-05-2011, 12:58 PM | #10 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2008
Location: New Joesey
Posts: 2,931
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UPDATE-
Coming Soon - Future home of something quite cool will be opening shortly. Our first goal is to start with the Tri-State Area NJ/PA/NY/CT as we have a nice following with the HT members alone, let alone some of the other communities that myself and The Team frequent. As members register and we begin setting up various regions and establish an ROC Host for said areas, we will post all relevant information including those in attendance and some highlights of the event. This way, credentials and trust can be developed over time. The next area I am working on is a Bulk Buy program for members. If we have enough in the form of membership, that means we can ship cases to one person per each region and have them bring the goods to the Event for distribution. How do we handle extras such as all the extra DC Batmans, Snake Eyes, Iron Mans etc? We donate them to Toys for Tots, Big Brother etc. The site is slated to open on 9/1 at this point. I'll probably be posting this in the regualkr forums in the near future as I would like to start putting together a list of collectors interested in participating. Again, the site will offer news, reviews and some other aspects I consider "collector tools" but the main focus is going to be creating a central hub, that serves as the mainframe for the ROC Regional Collector meetings. And the whole repacker phenomenon that seems to be sweeping the nation? We organize petitions via area to cover the stores that it is taking place at and we send the petition with all the gory details, pictures etc to the Corporate Offices of each retailer in question. Imagine what will happen when Target & TRU get 20 petitions from one organization with 50 different names, covering a series of stores..that's when we will see change. As always, feedback is appreciated and welcome. This is all about making a dream into a reality. |
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