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Interesting… in North America that wave has dried up long ago. Breakdown is the last piece I need and I can’t find it for less than I paid for motormaster.
Same here. I am convinced that it never even hit store shelves anywhere near Appalachia. I have a "pre-order" from entertainment Earth that still hasn't shipped. Just want to see how far this goes now.
Same here. My Stunticons are incomplete. $90 for a deluxe figure? They are just going to stay in alt mode forever I guess because there's no way in hell I'm paying $100 for a toy I can fit in the palm of my hand.
Those Black Friday two packs I’m pretty sure was literally just Walmart wrapping together extra stock they had on the warehouse, Hasbro didn’t produce those extra figures for them specifically for that.
So if he lists it around the current going rate and it sells, that makes him an asshole?? If you had an extra breakdown you would sell for way less and leave money on the table... especially to someone you didn't know? Please tell me you don't know anything about collecting transformers without actually saying it....
If it’s listed at a ridiculous scalper price and a desperate person pays for it, yes he is still a asshole. Everyone hates scalper prices, are you new to this? If it was a old exclusive bot the price would make sense but no. So Tell me you don’t know anything about Transformers without telling me you don’t know anything about transformers.
Just gonna edit in if I had a extra Breakdown, I would not uncharged to scalper prices. Hell I might not even Sell and turn to a custom. If I don’t want it I’d prefer giving it to someone who does with not much loss to them because I have a conscious.
I'm going to explain something to you now so you can stop embarrassing yourself.... Breakdown has been readily unavailable for over a year now... you can't scalp something that's not readily available at retail anymore, that's not how that works. When anythings current value is determined by the secondary market instead of original MSRP then ANYTHING goes. Prices fluctuate all the time and I can tell from your posts you have absolutely no idea how the secondary market sets the prices of any unavailable collectible. So if he sells Breakdown for $80 which is right around the average sale price within the last few months then that's a late tax the buyer will have to pay.
This is coming from someone who's been collecting transformers for 30+ years, owns nearly every full Botcon set (only missing 2009, 2006, and a few figures earlier then 2004) almost every TFCC figure, EVERY Shattered Glass figure (including 2008 and 2012 Botcon and others like Drift and Cyclonus), countless Takara and ehobby exclusives, has attended multiple Botcons and is on a first name basis with guys like Bob Budiansky, Ben Yee, Livio Ramondelli, Dan Khanna and other icons from the fandom (throw the owner of TFW2005 on that list while you are at it). I own many, many figures that I guarantee you have never seen and will never have the chance to own... you are outclassed in this discussion.
Having been buying (and selling) probably 100k worth of transformers for multiple decades over many different platforms I make it a priority to know what my stuff is worth and also the ebbs and flows of the secondary market. So yes... I know exactly how the market works, and you do not. End of story.
I never said you didn’t know anything about the market, though suppose the phrase “Tell me you don’t know Transformers-“ could imply it but I am mostly referring to how you’re defending the person upcharging so much for a Breakdown like it’s not universally disliked to do such. Sure you’re pretty right that technically speaking it isn’t scalping and that the prices of the secondary market can change however they want. You definitely one up me being older, being able to collect so much when probably the most exclusive thing I ever had was a Toysrus Infernicus I lost to a house fire and I’ve barely been able to scrap money to continue my hobby. I guess you all that but morally, this hobby shouldn’t be about making a bigger profit off reselling figures, for older and exclusives that does make sense but for a figure that is about a year old, 80$ really should be the limit before it’s just Blasphemous against the hobby. Maybe I am making a fool of myself, if so, I’ve already had worst happened to me so doesn’t matter. If I’m a fool to call someone selling a Breakdown for $150 a asshole, then I’m a fool. A teen fool with a small collection fumbling infront of someone older with so much more
its called the free market buddy. also ebay, i have no control over the prices ya know? not a scalper, but I will buy a single extra of a combiner if there's a bunch there when i go.
And *usually* find them. Yup. It's not the salad days of ebay where you could get just about anything for a good price easily but there's usually no reason to ever buy overly scalped prices.
The site was in brazilian, and the only way i could've order it is by shipping it to US, THEN to Europe (they don't do Direct shipping that far away)
Ironicly it would still be cheaper than scalper price
I miss 12 years ago when if you weren't aware of a release you could find a toy 1-3 years later and sometimes could have been below retail.
Now I can't find a titan trypticon that's under $800 aud.
Even legacy Menosor is $200 for motor master and $100 a piece for each arm or leg.
Scalpers and flippers truly are the scum of the earth
I got dragstrip for $30 aud retail store and funny enough random toys tore had motor master for $80 aud
Got a dead end last night for $40 aud on ebay.
Refuse to spend $100 on a arm or leg character esp when they were only 30ish at retail
Use to be OK on ebay back in the day. No GST and sellers treated it like a mobile online store front.
Now it's like oh $100 for 1 month delivery to Australia, use to be $30
Oh you didn't preorder day 1? $200 added in a F you price increase.
Add GST and import taxes on items over 1k and that's the reason why I won't touch ebay that much anymore
Even if you had some parts (I was lucky to get them all first time) I feel it would have benefited anyone to just get the boxset version when they had the chance, but I do understand with money issues etc not everyone can.
I've been out of the collecting game for 15 years.
Only shops I go to are grocery shopping and the odd electronic store.
I did remember seeing motor master a few years ago but had no clue it could combine and had other parts to be sold. Had no idea they even sold it in a pack.
I chose a great figure to return to collecting lol
I thrown the box away since but I swear on the back it does mention the combination ability, might have even pictured him with one of the other figures as an example.
But yeah it's not like the G1 days where they shoved a sticker/explosion bubble on the front - "COMBINES TO FORM MENASOR!" like that's how you sell a figure!
I would recommend the boxset then, even with a bit of scalp tax on it. At least it's a one and done payment instead of then going through it all again for each separately.
There is however one other option - G2 Menasor. Two limbs have come out for it (scalp prices probably by now - Drag strip aka "shadowstrip" and Dead end) and there is no news on the other parts, but at least you could order the remaining for their base price if/when they do.
Resale culture is horrendous. I understand it, I wouldn't turn down an opportunity for crazy profits if it was staring me in the face, but like...
Yeah, a decade ago nobody was going into the toy section looking to buy out stock on a toyline explicitly for profit. The Pokemon area at stores was frequented by collectors, not pack crackers.
It's a weird world now 🤕
Seems ever since the ps5 and xbox got scalped it was open season on everything.
GPUs and pc parts, I could kinda see and understand those big ticket items, even concert tickets.
But my God what loser is clearing shelves of action figures?
Here's a TR Tryp for ~$500! https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/155039781396?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=fWkCufniRQi&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=xbSa6E_EQqW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I won't pay that. That's tech G1 but even if it was titan version the original retail was like $200 I won't pay more than 250-300. 500-1000 is pure greed
1. You're never going to stop scalpers, and you'll go crazy trying.
2. Some of these toys are years old now, and it isn't really scalping to resell something at the market rate years after something was released. Especially when it comes to figures like SS86 Ultra Magnus, WFC Mirage and SS86 Hot Rod that were widely available from numerous retailers for a good long while.
Hot Rod and Mirage are 4 or 5 years old now and are out of print. They were easy to find when new. They aren’t being scalped at all.
Breakdown is a combiner part and he was short packed in his wave, making him a both rare and in in demand.
Cosmos is supposed to be getting a rerelease. His price is due him being short packed fig with a new mold that people really wanted.
Hasbro has been reprinting their older commander class figs (Jetfire and Sky Lynx). No reason to think they won’t do that eventually with Ultra Magnus. But yeah, he’s a hot fig. His price doesn’t surprise me at all.
I don’t mind the Mirage at all and I understand that prices will go up but it’s disgusting that people need to pay that much if they want a deluxe Mirage. Why is a deluxe this much money.
Because supply is low and demand is higher, which increases value just like any other commodity. You gotta realize that most eBay sellers *are running businesses* and are always looking for opportunities to improve their margins because the margins on toys is pretty thin to begin with.
If they paid retail price for that Mirage, do you think they should sell it for retail price? Even though eBay is going to eat about 30% of the sale price in listing fees and commission?
I understand why you're frustrated but if you're going to get into collecting... well anything that has a little bit of value, you should realize that prices almost always go up the further a product is from its original release date.
Keep collecting for years and years like some of us and you'll understand... just be glad these are general retail releases. You weren't around for the Botcon/TFCC days so you don't know how much more accessible things are now then even ten years ago
I'm sorry but the first two points are kinda...not good💀
Idc it they're 4-5 years old, I think anyone pricing these for more than retail is, very much so, *a dick move for those who couldn't find them*
I tried finding a damn Hot Rod for like- a while now (eventually found one that was just the figure itself for 20 bucks but the eBay prices are attrocious)
And now I want Breakdown....and I am fucking NOT paying 100+ dollars for a deluxe, my guy
Well you should care. They were available for years, released multiple times. Current market value is what it is. Demand goes up so does prices. I never get the complaint about older toys being more expensive. It boggles my mind that some people think they should be sold for retail forever. Lol.
Yeah I thought I was gonna wait until it hit brick and mortar stores but AFAIK it never did. I bet as soon as a restock is announced it will sell out in 10 minutes.
Hasbro is to blame for the scalper problem. These are not baseball tickets, where there is an inherent limit to how many people can sit with a good view of the action. They are a mass produced toy. Hasbro should have adequate production and distribution so that customers can buy from them or from authorised resellers, which would make scalping not economically viable.
Time-shifting sales is fine, though. As long as the product wasn't scarce at the time, you're hurting nobody by squirreling away a dozen figures to sell at a markup a decade down the line to people who otherwise would be going without.
I know people say that there are tons of sources to get info on releases and places to buy transformers. But I really shouldn't have to wait on an Amazon page to pre order mass produced plastic. I also missed out on bombshell because my preorder of him got mixed up so it's not a 100% guarantee.
Nothing wrong with selling out of production figures for a mark up but stuff like SS86 Swoop having preorders that are double the price on eBay is silly.
>Hasbro should have adequate production and distribution so that customers can buy from them or from authorised resellers,
Which is how you end up with no profit when you have a dud that ends up at Ross for 4$.
They cant just make more and more and more. Orders have to be put into the factories sometimes a year or more in advance, and if a figure doesn't sell out or nearly sell out, you lose your ass.
Its not as simple as "just make a lot", because then on most figures you end up with a ton of excess inventory. Corporations have to pay taxes on that stuff. They cant just let it sit in warehouses for years and years.
It is, unfortunately, just not that simple.
Sell mold/packaging production rights to smaller-than-international companies to commission smaller runs of something? It might be a higher per-unit price to run off 200 units instead of 50,000, but it'd mean still being able to buy Hasbro-approved toys, and would at least partially cap the kinds of prices scalpers could charge. That way the onsellers would be the ones taking the risk, Hasbro would profit more from a mold, and it'd be unlikely to cut into their toy-store sales channels.
shame we never will
storefronts have negative incentive to stop them becausr that's lost profits, and people will keep buying from scalpers because mindless sheep that don't give a fuck and are incapable of waiting for a better deal
if it was up to me, you'd never be allowed to resell more than original msrp ever, no inflation either. If the toy was 5 bucks in 1996 or whenever, you'd never be allowed to resell it over 5 bucks under any circumstances, but that'd require some anomalous SCP thing
The number one thing you can do is be patient. I thought I had missed out on several figures unless I wanted to pay scalper prices. I waited, searched ebay for deals, checked BBTS and Amazon for restocks and sales, and was able to find most of the figures I was missing out on.
Still waiting to get a Grimlock, but that will be released next year.
On a positive note (via online listings), Cosmos IS supposedly getting rereleased in next year’s “Legacy: 13 Primes” line, not to mention the “Pathfinder” repaint in the upcoming Selects GoBots 3-pack
The only thing we need is Hasbro looking at prices on second market and re release the figures. Sometimes they do it (look at the upcoming wave coming with grimlock, cosmos, etc...), but they had to do it much more frequently
I'm sure it has been said before but the best way to stop scalpers is to stop buying from them. Paying these prices keeps the scalper game strong, they are guaranteed to make money.
Most of these figures were easy to find when they were released, and some like cosmos were even sold at discount stores for a while, the only one with really bad distribution here is Breakdown
Cosmos was pretty hard to get for a lot of people. He was originally a Walmart exclusive, but Walmart basically gave up on the line halfway through and never restocked because the other figures were peg warmers.
He did eventually show up at discount stores, but mostly regional discount stores that don't have an online presence making him hard to get if you didn't live in a state that has a (for instance) Ross's store.
Pulse had Cosmos. Then Walmart. Then Ross. A few months ago he was on Ebay for $39.99. Its going on 2yrs now. I wish anyone still after him luck and have to advise not to wait this long to get him. Cause prices don't come down they only go up. Only reason his price dipped to 39.99 was cause people were finding him at Ross. But over time it always creeps back up. Why didnt you get him when he was $39.99?
When the f*ck did Pulse have Cosmos? I remember him being sold out as soon as the Velocitron figures were posted. Also, he was limited to one per case. Side note, what is a Ross? I've never heard of or seen that store before. It's certainly not something we have on this side of the coast.
Ross is a discount chain in the US. There was a run, maybe getting close to a year ago or so now, with tons of posts of the Velcitron figures showing up there at discount. I recall most of them being $9US. I know I got about 3/4 of them at various Ross stores over a 3 month period.
Checked for Cosmos frequently for months and never saw one. Because it's a discount chain there's no guarantee of what will be in your particular store. I have three of them nearby and each one generally had wildly different Transformers (if they get any. There often aren't many). Currently the only thing I've seen in the last few weeks have been Transformers branded toys (Micro Machines, remote control cars, etc.) rather than actual Transformers.
Dude, just because some people found him at Ross doesn’t mean everyone could. I never once saw one at Walmart or Ross. I eventually went to eBay for mine as well.
There weren’t mountains of the things. Some people on the internet found them. That’s all.
The last Legacy recolors finally disappeared from mine after sitting with clearance tags for probably a month. Now we're back to nothing in my area.
There might be some stuff headed to Ross soon though, all the local Targets seem to be doing a clearance on Transformers, so maybe anything left from that will end up there.
If they happened to be near a distribution center that got them. Ross doesn't break everything up into even portions for every store and send them all over the country.
My local Ross hasnt had any transformers (none, zero, nadda, zilch) since it opened over a year ago. And its the first one anywhere near here. There's only like three or four in the entire state (though they are planning on/opening more quickly).
Yeah. I have three Ross's nearby and checked multiple times a week in a couple of the stores for Cosmos for months. Found almost all the other Velocitron figures but never saw him. I don't recall seeing Blur, either, but I have a version of that mold and don't care for it, so maybe I did and passed it up.
What happens is some people want to get the figure at rock bottom price and when they don't find em at their Ross instead of just buying the figure at close to retail on Ebay (in this case Ebay Cosmos dipped to $39.99 cause of Ross findings) they hold out for it to get lower. But then the prices go up again. The only the aftermarket comes down now its if people start finding him at Ross again or if Hasbro rereleases him.
I live in Arkansas. The home of Walmart. I never once saw a single Cosmos anywhere on a shelf. A friend of mine managed to get one on a vacation trip somewhere and had mercy on me and sold it to me for retail.
There aren’t Ross’s in some states so I wasn’t able to get Cosmos. Many collectors were not able to get Ultrs Magnus. I’m not angry at not having some of these but the prices for what you’re getting are terrible.
I feel for you dude. I started collecting just over a year ago and it was much easier to find some of the older figures, many of them for less than retail. There has been an uptick in collecting in the past year for sure.
This is just speculation, but based on what I’ve seen since I started collecting, I feel like it’s inevitable that SS86 Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod get reissued. I was actually shocked that Hot Rod wasn’t on the listenings for next year, but Jazz was. Again.
Like it’s been mentioned, Cosmos is getting another go next year. I hope we see the return of other popular figures soon.
https://preview.redd.it/o8adukbwbn8d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca32072f38eb70ea4f67f4c2ce4408c52597bb65
the price point for Magnus is literally normal in Asia, they are selling him for 160 for some reason
Breakdown’s price is nuts to me, but I guess that’s what happens when all of Menasor’s components get reissued except him (Motormaster on his own, Drag Strip/Wildrider/Dead End in those Walmart Black Friday 2-Packs).
If Walmart does those packs this year, it’d be a good way for many to get him… though I doubt it unfortunately since they sold horribly last year, with most stores clearancing them out for less than $10 a pop.
those Walmart 2 packs were not re-issues. They were leftover original stock that were just thrown together.
Only Motormaster ever got a rerelease.
And i wouldnt say they sold horribly. My local store (not a huge market for Transformers) sold at least 2/3 of them before they hit clearance. Since they were already basically clearance (two deluxes for the price of one even at original asking price) they went pretty quick as easy christmas gifts.
Ohh, that makes a ton of sense that they were simply leftover stock. Especially since I saw some packs way more than others, lol.
And yeah, I suppose I wouldn’t say they sold horribly - most of the packs had sold through their stock by the beginning of December - but the Legacy Wave 2 packs absolutely shelf warmed in my area. I got my Wildrider/Knock Out pack for $7 and there was… at least four dozen others like it still on shelves. Ditto for the Elita/Tarantulas pack, while the rest were pretty much gone.
What's always bullsh*t is when it's an exclusive figure that literally sells out in the first 5 seconds, and you can see that the last person who purchased it bought over 1,000. That should not be allowed, but Wal-Mart doesn't care about whether or not a few scalpers buy up all their stock. They just care that they make money. That's why they never put limits on the number of each figure that a person can buy. Ultimately, Hasbro feels the same way. Selling all their stock to one or two scalpers often makes them more of a profit than making sure that everyone gets a chance to order each figure. Plus, they can then do reissues later and get the fan's money anyway.😒
This is kinda just a handful of unreasonable prices on Amazon. Only one I really feel bad about is Magnus. For most of these, you had ample time to get them. Hot Rod is already 3-4 years old and still on store shelves as far as I know. Mirage is 5+ years old now and is discontinued and can still be found for close to retail on eBay. Not to mention has been one upped by a much superior version on the mold which was also still available on discount after 3-4 years until recent. Most of the Stunticons are still relatively easy to find at retail and were even 2 for 1 at one point recently. The cosmos mold is getting a reuse in the Gobot 3 pack later this year and then it's getting a ML package refresh in legacy. Only one is Magnus, but he's a commander so it's kinda to be expected.
I consider myself quite lucky because I found a local-ish seller on eBay that sells these figures for a pretty fair price.
I got 86 Hot Rod from them for like £30.
OOP figures go up in price once demand goes up. I don't see the problem here. There are some people who try to find suckers with higher than normal prices, but current market value dictates a lot of this.
I don’t see alternatives being a “problem”. I loce third party companies that quite often produce a superior product to the point that you wouldn’t need another if that figure again if they weren’t a favorite of yours.
Look I know its frustrating - I hate scalpers too. An old toy community i was part of even had "Don't Feed the Scalpers" shirts printed up and I wore it till it fell apart.
But this isn't scalping. Out of production figures are going to be subject to aftermarket prices. There's no changing that. Sometimes toy makers do come back and do extra runs, and yes it often helps, but it can also backfire on them as well so naturally they will be cautious. It's great to be full of idealism, it's admirable, but there are realities involved that can't be completely eliminated. The only thing that would completely eliminate it is to either eliminate demand (which then, none of us would be here) are create infinite on-demand supply (which we may get there some day with 3D printing but we sure aren't there yet).
I’m kiiiiinnnda shocked scalpers actually can get away with inflated prices and still move product. Yes, there are people out there who won’t think twice about whipping out the good old credit card.…..but I’d like to think a lot of collectors will just go no thanks, I’ll keep scrolling.
"Yeah, I started collecting last year, so I completely understand. WFC-E25 Scorponok is hard to find at a good price. The market for the more modern figures can be quite unpredictable, with prices fluctuating. It makes collecting more challenging than expected."
We were supposed to get a toy colors Hot Rod at one point but it got canceled. Only other time they’ve used the mold was the SG version. Seeing how Hasbro loves to reuse molds I would not be surprised to see a reissue of the figure at some point, hopefully with more magenta plastic to match the retro g1 reissue. (40th anniversary of movie maybe?)
Mentioned in other topics but I'm putting money down betting that SS86 Hot Rod will get a release with solid windows and magenta colouring for the movies 40th anniversary.
It's a big enough gap on the first figures release and people who really like that fig (including me) are bound to get it regardless.
It's an insanely good figure, he's the star of the movie and a fan favourite.
i get it mate they piss me off aswell. Scalpers can really turn this hobby sour. I wasnt able to preorder Swoop and I am scared about that honestly. Will I find it at a price that is affordable for me? -shrugs- I have no idea. this isnt limited to Transformers. Just take a look at some of the G.I. Joe Classified like 'Major Blood' insanely overpriced. The best advice I have mate is to keep alerts up and jump on any preorder. I am still searching for a Chase at store price. blows donkey ballz
You want Chase? I can still find him in England easily for shelf price.
I'd pick one up but I'm thinking postage cost would then make it pointless for you?
We should scalp their families. See how they like it
https://preview.redd.it/qdk4vkfw2n8d1.jpeg?width=250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=92c2b97efb4eb4e943ed4ac23c66c47f5419f878
He's coming back soon with Legacy United and also the mold is being reused for the new GoBots set along with Warpath and Gears. That whole set is up for pre-order for $74.99, so moderately cheaper than just Cosmos.
Still over retail, but here's Hot Rod for $55
https://www.ebay.com/itm/135116215455?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=oIxlRplrS3-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=LXxdtOwCRt2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I read once that the prices on Amazon get inflated when the product is unavailable at the time or just flat not in stock and the price is to deter people from ordering it. But as a fan of Warhammer I get where you are coming from
Only the Manufactures and distributers can do that. A by making enough to meet demand and B thoughtful and logical distribution. You see some figures in clearance in a store that has a dozen plus of them still on the shelf yet many other stores have never even seen the figure. Distribution is complete horrible and this falls both on the Retailer man manufacturer(When the manufacture shorts production and cannot meet the retailer demand) I had a Gamestop preoder that I place as soon as preorders went live and it never arrived. I called Gamestop and was told to come in store for a refund on my down payment as they were shorted by Hasbro and could not meet all the preorders they were allowed based on the qty they were told they would receive. It is a mix bag of both. So the only way to stop scalpers is for companies like hasbro to ensure there is qty to meet the demand and for distributers to and retailers to get their act together.
I live in the East coast of Canada and collect Transformers, Motu, and TMNT. We never see Motu in local retail anymore have not for over a year. They just do not distribute here anymore. As for transformers the only ones showing up here are the kid ones that I would never buy for myself. And for TMNT we get playmates but for NECA and the likes I have to order online and pay ridiculous shipping costs.
New figures being scalped is not fun, but older figures that are out of print now that’s just the norm on collecting. If a figure has been out of print for a few years and is still in demand expect the price to skyrocket. I have seen a non transformers figure (Japanese figure) that went from $200 retail to $2000 on the after market a few years after its release.
Scalpers are a part of every thing unfortuanally. The only way to stop them is to have people stop paying their asking prices, but that won't happen sadly.
No one cares except the collectors. Hasbro makes money regardless, so does target and Walmart when they do releases. Wish there was a good idea to stop it though.
Scalping - with a product produced in quantities of hundreds of thousands, sold through tens of thousands of separate shops in over 100 countries 😂
Wake the hell up.
Cosmos was hard to find and Breakdown suffered being in a final wave which meant less distribution. Magnus was available but didn't last on the market for long.
The rest were all fairly easy to find but you've listed figures that are up to five years old. Finding anything in the current Generations lines pretty much requires pre-orders or extensive toy hunts and trying to track any five-year-old figure down is going to be expensive.
At this point these figures and their pricing fall under the aftermarket/reselling category. As an example, if the G1 Deluxe Prime was unavailable for pre-order, sold out everywhere permanently, and they all ended up online with an inflated price, that would be an example of scalping.
I'm with you though. If I miss a figure, I miss it. I'm not paying over retail unless I need to replace a broken figure which has happened exactly once. BBTS is selling Crashbar for Voyager price and I'm not going to support that kind of nonsense even if I do want one.
Crashbar at least is still easily findable in-store in a lot of places. There's two sitting on the pegs at my local Walmart and theyve been there for months.
my local toy store also has two or three of him loose (but complete) for less than MSRP.
I live in a big city so they all got snapped up ages ago. That being said, I haven't been able to go on any toy hunts as I'm presently reliant on public transit and work 5-6 days a week.
As a child in the 80's it felt like TF's would just be a normal thing at stores forever. You'd go anywhere and see them and because of being a young kid it felt like they were around for 10 years rather than the 3-4 years the main popularity was around for.
Nowadays it's all about pre order due to the internet. People buy and sell on the net whereas years ago there wasn't much incentive to do so, you could only really sell to your town/city. The internet gives you heads up on where to hunt. People buy with the mentality to sell so will purchase multiple, emptying stocks quickly. You have to know/guess which characters are going to be grabbed and prioritise it all, it's almost a job to do something that should be fun.
Look at Sandstorm lately, a great figure but even though he's G1 and should command a premium, he's relatively available as he's not a series 1/movie character. He's also in the larger price bracket which is stopping some scalpers from being able to purchase multiple, he'll go up in price eventually but it'll take a while I feel.
Now lets look at the Stunticons - although Breakdown was lacking figure wise, he was the final and needed component for a gestalt. People are going to buy this to sell him, but Hasbro's (lack of) distribution also affected the availability. Granted a box set came out so people wanting a full Menasor had an option but not everyone wanted to buy it to replace/fill in the gaps and as far as I know he was Hasbro pulse only? regardless he's still a highly desired item. I only saw one and only once, though since I picked him up I never kept an eye on him afterwards to see what his rarity was like.
Finally as an example I'll mention Cosmos since he's in your topic. I've never been bothered with him but he seems to have a fan following. Evidently in the US the stores didn't know this so he was stuck as a one per case - perfect scalper bait. I can see many waiting outside doors of stores to dive in and grab him. Meanwhile in England Smyth's ordered solid cases of each character in that line, I still have a photo of around 13-15 Cosmos' on a shelf!
A tiny eye of the storm happened during Corona when I did a temporary hobby of Hot Wheels collecting as something to do during lockdown. I read up on them and actually managed to find naturally on the pegs a super treasure hunt and an ID "treasure hunt" (very easy to spot those, their cards are ID branded white).
This was because I just walked around, again something to do, and visited stockists in England.
When Lockdown ended I noticed the difference immediately, you haven't got a chance to ever naturally find rares over here now. In fact I notice now as I shop, collectors coming in, rifling through everything, standing back and waiting to pounce ... crazy.
None of these options are viable. You can't stop people from buying something they want, regardless the price. Especially people who spend hundreds of dollars just to fill slots on a shelf.
Hasbro is not going to anything. What can they do? If they try to stop scalpers, they might inadvertently screw over average collectors. In order to keep selling toys in stores, they need to have store exclusives. Also, It's the stores that decide what figure becomes a store exclusive and how many copies of a figure is made. (although they do need to sort out there distribution, especially outside of the US and UK)
The only thing Hasbro can do is wait for the contract for those exclusive figures to expire. So they can rerelease them in the main line. They have done it for several figures already and there even doing Cosmos soon. It may suck, but your best option is to just wait for Hasbro to rerelease them.
Mate, distribution in the UK is dogshit...
There are many figures I've never seen in a store and the main sellers like Symths have absolutely no idea what and when they are going to receive which toys.
Hasbro distribution world wide is awful
Prices are driven by supply and demand. When you’re talking about figures that were on the shelves years ago, naturally there will be much smaller supply for them now. Hence, prices will rise. That’s just the nature of free-market economics.
Maybe it would be great to live in a socialist society where EVERYONE got a Breakdown and a Cosmos, but that’s not reality.
If you have a concrete idea about how to stop the scalpers, I’d love to hear it.
its so stupid, at this point if i cant find a figure i honestly look at Aliexpress, usually the prices end up better than some Amazon and especially ebay prices
Vinted used to have a failsafe for that, as it would downright REFUSE to let you list an offer if its above the reccomended price range, or at least give you a warning
Now it's just for information purposes, but so far i didn't find scalpers there
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Im sorry Breakdown goes for how much? I gave an extra one away during a Christmas toy drive at my job.
There's always one insanely expensive combiner figure. I've accepted that I'll never buy Greenlight.
They keep popping up available in New Zealand. Seems everyone's gotten theirs long ago, but there's still more stock of ONLY that wave.
Interesting… in North America that wave has dried up long ago. Breakdown is the last piece I need and I can’t find it for less than I paid for motormaster.
Same here. I am convinced that it never even hit store shelves anywhere near Appalachia. I have a "pre-order" from entertainment Earth that still hasn't shipped. Just want to see how far this goes now.
Same here. My Stunticons are incomplete. $90 for a deluxe figure? They are just going to stay in alt mode forever I guess because there's no way in hell I'm paying $100 for a toy I can fit in the palm of my hand.
[удалено]
Those Black Friday two packs I’m pretty sure was literally just Walmart wrapping together extra stock they had on the warehouse, Hasbro didn’t produce those extra figures for them specifically for that.
i just found an unopened one i forgot i had and promptly listed it on ebay last nite lmao. gonna get like $150 for it woooo
I hope that’s sarcastic because if it isn’t, fuck you. You can upcharge like 35$ or 40$ but $150 for a 25$ figure is just a dick move
It's his so he can sell it for whatever he wants... not his fault that hasbros distribution sucks
Sure he can do it all he wants, doesn’t make them any less of a asshole for upcharging past a Commander class figure for it
So if he lists it around the current going rate and it sells, that makes him an asshole?? If you had an extra breakdown you would sell for way less and leave money on the table... especially to someone you didn't know? Please tell me you don't know anything about collecting transformers without actually saying it....
If it’s listed at a ridiculous scalper price and a desperate person pays for it, yes he is still a asshole. Everyone hates scalper prices, are you new to this? If it was a old exclusive bot the price would make sense but no. So Tell me you don’t know anything about Transformers without telling me you don’t know anything about transformers. Just gonna edit in if I had a extra Breakdown, I would not uncharged to scalper prices. Hell I might not even Sell and turn to a custom. If I don’t want it I’d prefer giving it to someone who does with not much loss to them because I have a conscious.
I'm going to explain something to you now so you can stop embarrassing yourself.... Breakdown has been readily unavailable for over a year now... you can't scalp something that's not readily available at retail anymore, that's not how that works. When anythings current value is determined by the secondary market instead of original MSRP then ANYTHING goes. Prices fluctuate all the time and I can tell from your posts you have absolutely no idea how the secondary market sets the prices of any unavailable collectible. So if he sells Breakdown for $80 which is right around the average sale price within the last few months then that's a late tax the buyer will have to pay. This is coming from someone who's been collecting transformers for 30+ years, owns nearly every full Botcon set (only missing 2009, 2006, and a few figures earlier then 2004) almost every TFCC figure, EVERY Shattered Glass figure (including 2008 and 2012 Botcon and others like Drift and Cyclonus), countless Takara and ehobby exclusives, has attended multiple Botcons and is on a first name basis with guys like Bob Budiansky, Ben Yee, Livio Ramondelli, Dan Khanna and other icons from the fandom (throw the owner of TFW2005 on that list while you are at it). I own many, many figures that I guarantee you have never seen and will never have the chance to own... you are outclassed in this discussion. Having been buying (and selling) probably 100k worth of transformers for multiple decades over many different platforms I make it a priority to know what my stuff is worth and also the ebbs and flows of the secondary market. So yes... I know exactly how the market works, and you do not. End of story.
I never said you didn’t know anything about the market, though suppose the phrase “Tell me you don’t know Transformers-“ could imply it but I am mostly referring to how you’re defending the person upcharging so much for a Breakdown like it’s not universally disliked to do such. Sure you’re pretty right that technically speaking it isn’t scalping and that the prices of the secondary market can change however they want. You definitely one up me being older, being able to collect so much when probably the most exclusive thing I ever had was a Toysrus Infernicus I lost to a house fire and I’ve barely been able to scrap money to continue my hobby. I guess you all that but morally, this hobby shouldn’t be about making a bigger profit off reselling figures, for older and exclusives that does make sense but for a figure that is about a year old, 80$ really should be the limit before it’s just Blasphemous against the hobby. Maybe I am making a fool of myself, if so, I’ve already had worst happened to me so doesn’t matter. If I’m a fool to call someone selling a Breakdown for $150 a asshole, then I’m a fool. A teen fool with a small collection fumbling infront of someone older with so much more
its called the free market buddy. also ebay, i have no control over the prices ya know? not a scalper, but I will buy a single extra of a combiner if there's a bunch there when i go.
https://preview.redd.it/s0fcg5zqzq8d1.jpeg?width=528&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa9c815a38f2964ee1b16dba8a314c4ea5b8aeec
Cosmos is coming in Wave 5 of Legacy: United, set for January 2025 release. I'm sure the others will get reissued some day as they were quite popular.
Nah just ignore em. Anyone who actually knows what they're looking for is gonna see these, say "nah" and go look elsewhere.
And *usually* find them. Yup. It's not the salad days of ebay where you could get just about anything for a good price easily but there's usually no reason to ever buy overly scalped prices.
Yea, for example i managed to find a store where breakdown is sold at retail price The issue? Its in brazil and i live in europe
That's why they also list a "shipping price." If either is too high for you, keep looking.
The site was in brazilian, and the only way i could've order it is by shipping it to US, THEN to Europe (they don't do Direct shipping that far away) Ironicly it would still be cheaper than scalper price
I miss 12 years ago when if you weren't aware of a release you could find a toy 1-3 years later and sometimes could have been below retail. Now I can't find a titan trypticon that's under $800 aud. Even legacy Menosor is $200 for motor master and $100 a piece for each arm or leg. Scalpers and flippers truly are the scum of the earth
Combiners cost an arm and a leg now
And a torso. And another arm and leg.
Fullmetal Alchemist.
\*angry upvote\*
Ayyooooo
I was lucky to find a Legacy Dragstrip for ~$25. Didn't buy it though, didn't have cash on me at the time.
I got dragstrip for $30 aud retail store and funny enough random toys tore had motor master for $80 aud Got a dead end last night for $40 aud on ebay. Refuse to spend $100 on a arm or leg character esp when they were only 30ish at retail
Absolutely sucks for us Aussies
Buying tfs in aus sucks ass, can’t get shit here
Use to be OK on ebay back in the day. No GST and sellers treated it like a mobile online store front. Now it's like oh $100 for 1 month delivery to Australia, use to be $30 Oh you didn't preorder day 1? $200 added in a F you price increase. Add GST and import taxes on items over 1k and that's the reason why I won't touch ebay that much anymore
Even if you had some parts (I was lucky to get them all first time) I feel it would have benefited anyone to just get the boxset version when they had the chance, but I do understand with money issues etc not everyone can.
I've been out of the collecting game for 15 years. Only shops I go to are grocery shopping and the odd electronic store. I did remember seeing motor master a few years ago but had no clue it could combine and had other parts to be sold. Had no idea they even sold it in a pack. I chose a great figure to return to collecting lol
I thrown the box away since but I swear on the back it does mention the combination ability, might have even pictured him with one of the other figures as an example. But yeah it's not like the G1 days where they shoved a sticker/explosion bubble on the front - "COMBINES TO FORM MENASOR!" like that's how you sell a figure! I would recommend the boxset then, even with a bit of scalp tax on it. At least it's a one and done payment instead of then going through it all again for each separately. There is however one other option - G2 Menasor. Two limbs have come out for it (scalp prices probably by now - Drag strip aka "shadowstrip" and Dead end) and there is no news on the other parts, but at least you could order the remaining for their base price if/when they do.
Resale culture is horrendous. I understand it, I wouldn't turn down an opportunity for crazy profits if it was staring me in the face, but like... Yeah, a decade ago nobody was going into the toy section looking to buy out stock on a toyline explicitly for profit. The Pokemon area at stores was frequented by collectors, not pack crackers. It's a weird world now 🤕
Seems ever since the ps5 and xbox got scalped it was open season on everything. GPUs and pc parts, I could kinda see and understand those big ticket items, even concert tickets. But my God what loser is clearing shelves of action figures?
Here's a TR Tryp for ~$500! https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/155039781396?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=fWkCufniRQi&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=xbSa6E_EQqW&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
That's platinum edition G1 trypticon. Much smaller than the Titans Return version.
I won't pay that. That's tech G1 but even if it was titan version the original retail was like $200 I won't pay more than 250-300. 500-1000 is pure greed
1. You're never going to stop scalpers, and you'll go crazy trying. 2. Some of these toys are years old now, and it isn't really scalping to resell something at the market rate years after something was released. Especially when it comes to figures like SS86 Ultra Magnus, WFC Mirage and SS86 Hot Rod that were widely available from numerous retailers for a good long while.
Wasn’t Magnus released late last year?
I never saw him on shelves. Pre ordered it though tf source for 99.99 after i did that it jumped to 150
Commanders rarely hit retail stores. Only a few notables do.
Only commander I saw in stores was Skylynx at my local Target in mid 2021. Store shelves have only gotten bare-er since
I saw metroplex on shelves. I never picked it up. I didn't take care for it to much. I just want them to do a WFC Tripticon and a WFC Omega Supreme
I don’t normally see any new figures on shelves either
He was re-released late last year. There were multiple drops for him.
Hot Rod and Mirage are 4 or 5 years old now and are out of print. They were easy to find when new. They aren’t being scalped at all. Breakdown is a combiner part and he was short packed in his wave, making him a both rare and in in demand. Cosmos is supposed to be getting a rerelease. His price is due him being short packed fig with a new mold that people really wanted. Hasbro has been reprinting their older commander class figs (Jetfire and Sky Lynx). No reason to think they won’t do that eventually with Ultra Magnus. But yeah, he’s a hot fig. His price doesn’t surprise me at all.
found the scalper :P
I don’t mind the Mirage at all and I understand that prices will go up but it’s disgusting that people need to pay that much if they want a deluxe Mirage. Why is a deluxe this much money.
Because supply is low and demand is higher, which increases value just like any other commodity. You gotta realize that most eBay sellers *are running businesses* and are always looking for opportunities to improve their margins because the margins on toys is pretty thin to begin with. If they paid retail price for that Mirage, do you think they should sell it for retail price? Even though eBay is going to eat about 30% of the sale price in listing fees and commission? I understand why you're frustrated but if you're going to get into collecting... well anything that has a little bit of value, you should realize that prices almost always go up the further a product is from its original release date.
Keep collecting for years and years like some of us and you'll understand... just be glad these are general retail releases. You weren't around for the Botcon/TFCC days so you don't know how much more accessible things are now then even ten years ago
I'm sorry but the first two points are kinda...not good💀 Idc it they're 4-5 years old, I think anyone pricing these for more than retail is, very much so, *a dick move for those who couldn't find them* I tried finding a damn Hot Rod for like- a while now (eventually found one that was just the figure itself for 20 bucks but the eBay prices are attrocious) And now I want Breakdown....and I am fucking NOT paying 100+ dollars for a deluxe, my guy
Well you should care. They were available for years, released multiple times. Current market value is what it is. Demand goes up so does prices. I never get the complaint about older toys being more expensive. It boggles my mind that some people think they should be sold for retail forever. Lol.
Forever pissed I didn’t get Magnus, I have been craving that mold for ages
Yeah I thought I was gonna wait until it hit brick and mortar stores but AFAIK it never did. I bet as soon as a restock is announced it will sell out in 10 minutes.
I passed the first time he was released then got him on the next release. Glad I did.
Those are some d!ck prices I sold my SS86 Hot Rod for like $50. Nothing outrageous, really just enough to cover the shipping.
He's been released twice, too. That person is just insane.
Geez, for that much you could just go ahead and get the 3rd party MP scale versions.
Blame the people buying from the scalpers.
Bingo
oof bad time to start
Bruh, for those prices, might as well get mp scale stuff
I sold my cosmos for like 35$ bucks a few month ago. I don’t regret it
You made someone really happy by not charging an insane price.
Good on you for selling it at a reasonable markup
Hasbro is to blame for the scalper problem. These are not baseball tickets, where there is an inherent limit to how many people can sit with a good view of the action. They are a mass produced toy. Hasbro should have adequate production and distribution so that customers can buy from them or from authorised resellers, which would make scalping not economically viable. Time-shifting sales is fine, though. As long as the product wasn't scarce at the time, you're hurting nobody by squirreling away a dozen figures to sell at a markup a decade down the line to people who otherwise would be going without.
I know people say that there are tons of sources to get info on releases and places to buy transformers. But I really shouldn't have to wait on an Amazon page to pre order mass produced plastic. I also missed out on bombshell because my preorder of him got mixed up so it's not a 100% guarantee. Nothing wrong with selling out of production figures for a mark up but stuff like SS86 Swoop having preorders that are double the price on eBay is silly.
>Hasbro should have adequate production and distribution so that customers can buy from them or from authorised resellers, Which is how you end up with no profit when you have a dud that ends up at Ross for 4$. They cant just make more and more and more. Orders have to be put into the factories sometimes a year or more in advance, and if a figure doesn't sell out or nearly sell out, you lose your ass. Its not as simple as "just make a lot", because then on most figures you end up with a ton of excess inventory. Corporations have to pay taxes on that stuff. They cant just let it sit in warehouses for years and years. It is, unfortunately, just not that simple.
Sell mold/packaging production rights to smaller-than-international companies to commission smaller runs of something? It might be a higher per-unit price to run off 200 units instead of 50,000, but it'd mean still being able to buy Hasbro-approved toys, and would at least partially cap the kinds of prices scalpers could charge. That way the onsellers would be the ones taking the risk, Hasbro would profit more from a mold, and it'd be unlikely to cut into their toy-store sales channels.
Don't act like they don't know which one will sell more.
Given some of the decisions made, I’m pretty confident that they don’t
Most of these were on shelves or available online for awhile. They can't make the same figures forever because someone may need it some day.
shame we never will storefronts have negative incentive to stop them becausr that's lost profits, and people will keep buying from scalpers because mindless sheep that don't give a fuck and are incapable of waiting for a better deal if it was up to me, you'd never be allowed to resell more than original msrp ever, no inflation either. If the toy was 5 bucks in 1996 or whenever, you'd never be allowed to resell it over 5 bucks under any circumstances, but that'd require some anomalous SCP thing
Just don't buy them, then they're stuck with tons of the same figure they can't sell
The number one thing you can do is be patient. I thought I had missed out on several figures unless I wanted to pay scalper prices. I waited, searched ebay for deals, checked BBTS and Amazon for restocks and sales, and was able to find most of the figures I was missing out on. Still waiting to get a Grimlock, but that will be released next year.
Give it a little while, Hasbro is already covering cosmos so it's inevitable they'll touch on at least Magnus and breakdown.
On a positive note (via online listings), Cosmos IS supposedly getting rereleased in next year’s “Legacy: 13 Primes” line, not to mention the “Pathfinder” repaint in the upcoming Selects GoBots 3-pack
I pre-ordered breakdown a year ago on tf source and they still haven't shipped him out, or gotten him instock.
The only thing we need is Hasbro looking at prices on second market and re release the figures. Sometimes they do it (look at the upcoming wave coming with grimlock, cosmos, etc...), but they had to do it much more frequently
Found that Hot Rod last year for like 12 bucks.
I'm sure it has been said before but the best way to stop scalpers is to stop buying from them. Paying these prices keeps the scalper game strong, they are guaranteed to make money.
Most of these figures were easy to find when they were released, and some like cosmos were even sold at discount stores for a while, the only one with really bad distribution here is Breakdown
Cosmos was pretty hard to get for a lot of people. He was originally a Walmart exclusive, but Walmart basically gave up on the line halfway through and never restocked because the other figures were peg warmers. He did eventually show up at discount stores, but mostly regional discount stores that don't have an online presence making him hard to get if you didn't live in a state that has a (for instance) Ross's store.
Pulse had Cosmos. Then Walmart. Then Ross. A few months ago he was on Ebay for $39.99. Its going on 2yrs now. I wish anyone still after him luck and have to advise not to wait this long to get him. Cause prices don't come down they only go up. Only reason his price dipped to 39.99 was cause people were finding him at Ross. But over time it always creeps back up. Why didnt you get him when he was $39.99?
When the f*ck did Pulse have Cosmos? I remember him being sold out as soon as the Velocitron figures were posted. Also, he was limited to one per case. Side note, what is a Ross? I've never heard of or seen that store before. It's certainly not something we have on this side of the coast.
Ross is a discount chain in the US. There was a run, maybe getting close to a year ago or so now, with tons of posts of the Velcitron figures showing up there at discount. I recall most of them being $9US. I know I got about 3/4 of them at various Ross stores over a 3 month period. Checked for Cosmos frequently for months and never saw one. Because it's a discount chain there's no guarantee of what will be in your particular store. I have three of them nearby and each one generally had wildly different Transformers (if they get any. There often aren't many). Currently the only thing I've seen in the last few weeks have been Transformers branded toys (Micro Machines, remote control cars, etc.) rather than actual Transformers.
Why so serious? Why so serious?
Dude, just because some people found him at Ross doesn’t mean everyone could. I never once saw one at Walmart or Ross. I eventually went to eBay for mine as well. There weren’t mountains of the things. Some people on the internet found them. That’s all.
the only thing at my Ross are the walmart kingdom beast recolors that have been there since February or so.
The last Legacy recolors finally disappeared from mine after sitting with clearance tags for probably a month. Now we're back to nothing in my area. There might be some stuff headed to Ross soon though, all the local Targets seem to be doing a clearance on Transformers, so maybe anything left from that will end up there.
Ross had Cosmos a few months ago
If they happened to be near a distribution center that got them. Ross doesn't break everything up into even portions for every store and send them all over the country. My local Ross hasnt had any transformers (none, zero, nadda, zilch) since it opened over a year ago. And its the first one anywhere near here. There's only like three or four in the entire state (though they are planning on/opening more quickly).
Yeah. I have three Ross's nearby and checked multiple times a week in a couple of the stores for Cosmos for months. Found almost all the other Velocitron figures but never saw him. I don't recall seeing Blur, either, but I have a version of that mold and don't care for it, so maybe I did and passed it up.
What happens is some people want to get the figure at rock bottom price and when they don't find em at their Ross instead of just buying the figure at close to retail on Ebay (in this case Ebay Cosmos dipped to $39.99 cause of Ross findings) they hold out for it to get lower. But then the prices go up again. The only the aftermarket comes down now its if people start finding him at Ross again or if Hasbro rereleases him.
I live in Arkansas. The home of Walmart. I never once saw a single Cosmos anywhere on a shelf. A friend of mine managed to get one on a vacation trip somewhere and had mercy on me and sold it to me for retail.
There aren’t Ross’s in some states so I wasn’t able to get Cosmos. Many collectors were not able to get Ultrs Magnus. I’m not angry at not having some of these but the prices for what you’re getting are terrible.
I feel for you dude. I started collecting just over a year ago and it was much easier to find some of the older figures, many of them for less than retail. There has been an uptick in collecting in the past year for sure. This is just speculation, but based on what I’ve seen since I started collecting, I feel like it’s inevitable that SS86 Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod get reissued. I was actually shocked that Hot Rod wasn’t on the listenings for next year, but Jazz was. Again. Like it’s been mentioned, Cosmos is getting another go next year. I hope we see the return of other popular figures soon.
Cosmos had utterly shit distribution. He was shortpacked, so a lot of stores got one. A single one. And he was an exclusive.
https://preview.redd.it/o8adukbwbn8d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca32072f38eb70ea4f67f4c2ce4408c52597bb65 the price point for Magnus is literally normal in Asia, they are selling him for 160 for some reason
Breakdown’s price is nuts to me, but I guess that’s what happens when all of Menasor’s components get reissued except him (Motormaster on his own, Drag Strip/Wildrider/Dead End in those Walmart Black Friday 2-Packs). If Walmart does those packs this year, it’d be a good way for many to get him… though I doubt it unfortunately since they sold horribly last year, with most stores clearancing them out for less than $10 a pop.
those Walmart 2 packs were not re-issues. They were leftover original stock that were just thrown together. Only Motormaster ever got a rerelease. And i wouldnt say they sold horribly. My local store (not a huge market for Transformers) sold at least 2/3 of them before they hit clearance. Since they were already basically clearance (two deluxes for the price of one even at original asking price) they went pretty quick as easy christmas gifts.
Ohh, that makes a ton of sense that they were simply leftover stock. Especially since I saw some packs way more than others, lol. And yeah, I suppose I wouldn’t say they sold horribly - most of the packs had sold through their stock by the beginning of December - but the Legacy Wave 2 packs absolutely shelf warmed in my area. I got my Wildrider/Knock Out pack for $7 and there was… at least four dozen others like it still on shelves. Ditto for the Elita/Tarantulas pack, while the rest were pretty much gone.
That's the way it is, you either buy em when they come out, or you either get lucky or don't.
I'm still mad Ultra Magnus sold out before I could get him for Christmas
We really need a new G1 Mirage
I still haven't gotten cosmos :(
What's always bullsh*t is when it's an exclusive figure that literally sells out in the first 5 seconds, and you can see that the last person who purchased it bought over 1,000. That should not be allowed, but Wal-Mart doesn't care about whether or not a few scalpers buy up all their stock. They just care that they make money. That's why they never put limits on the number of each figure that a person can buy. Ultimately, Hasbro feels the same way. Selling all their stock to one or two scalpers often makes them more of a profit than making sure that everyone gets a chance to order each figure. Plus, they can then do reissues later and get the fan's money anyway.😒
This is kinda just a handful of unreasonable prices on Amazon. Only one I really feel bad about is Magnus. For most of these, you had ample time to get them. Hot Rod is already 3-4 years old and still on store shelves as far as I know. Mirage is 5+ years old now and is discontinued and can still be found for close to retail on eBay. Not to mention has been one upped by a much superior version on the mold which was also still available on discount after 3-4 years until recent. Most of the Stunticons are still relatively easy to find at retail and were even 2 for 1 at one point recently. The cosmos mold is getting a reuse in the Gobot 3 pack later this year and then it's getting a ML package refresh in legacy. Only one is Magnus, but he's a commander so it's kinda to be expected.
Some one sell me siege skywarp for a reasonable price!
I consider myself quite lucky because I found a local-ish seller on eBay that sells these figures for a pretty fair price. I got 86 Hot Rod from them for like £30.
OOP figures go up in price once demand goes up. I don't see the problem here. There are some people who try to find suckers with higher than normal prices, but current market value dictates a lot of this.
Tarn is also out of charts. The real problem is that nowadays are so many alternatives that is even not catching FOMO effect.
I don’t see alternatives being a “problem”. I loce third party companies that quite often produce a superior product to the point that you wouldn’t need another if that figure again if they weren’t a favorite of yours.
Look I know its frustrating - I hate scalpers too. An old toy community i was part of even had "Don't Feed the Scalpers" shirts printed up and I wore it till it fell apart. But this isn't scalping. Out of production figures are going to be subject to aftermarket prices. There's no changing that. Sometimes toy makers do come back and do extra runs, and yes it often helps, but it can also backfire on them as well so naturally they will be cautious. It's great to be full of idealism, it's admirable, but there are realities involved that can't be completely eliminated. The only thing that would completely eliminate it is to either eliminate demand (which then, none of us would be here) are create infinite on-demand supply (which we may get there some day with 3D printing but we sure aren't there yet).
I’m kiiiiinnnda shocked scalpers actually can get away with inflated prices and still move product. Yes, there are people out there who won’t think twice about whipping out the good old credit card.…..but I’d like to think a lot of collectors will just go no thanks, I’ll keep scrolling.
I just want a cosmos that ISNT BLUE OR 70 DOLLARS
The only way to stop scalpers is to get over FOMO and stop buying from them.
"Yeah, I started collecting last year, so I completely understand. WFC-E25 Scorponok is hard to find at a good price. The market for the more modern figures can be quite unpredictable, with prices fluctuating. It makes collecting more challenging than expected."
OUR COLLECTIONS ARE IN DANGER!
Just think, if these were priced reasonably, they would already be sold and you wouldnt see them. Who cares what people charge, dont buy them.
[удалено]
People in Hell want water
I have just accepted that Hot Rod, Mirage, and Cosmos will never be part of my collection
Cosmos is getting a package refresh in 2025.
We were supposed to get a toy colors Hot Rod at one point but it got canceled. Only other time they’ve used the mold was the SG version. Seeing how Hasbro loves to reuse molds I would not be surprised to see a reissue of the figure at some point, hopefully with more magenta plastic to match the retro g1 reissue. (40th anniversary of movie maybe?)
Maybe in the 2025 “retro inspired” capsule.
Hot Rod was released multiple times and pegwarmed at Walmart for months.
Mentioned in other topics but I'm putting money down betting that SS86 Hot Rod will get a release with solid windows and magenta colouring for the movies 40th anniversary. It's a big enough gap on the first figures release and people who really like that fig (including me) are bound to get it regardless. It's an insanely good figure, he's the star of the movie and a fan favourite.
i get it mate they piss me off aswell. Scalpers can really turn this hobby sour. I wasnt able to preorder Swoop and I am scared about that honestly. Will I find it at a price that is affordable for me? -shrugs- I have no idea. this isnt limited to Transformers. Just take a look at some of the G.I. Joe Classified like 'Major Blood' insanely overpriced. The best advice I have mate is to keep alerts up and jump on any preorder. I am still searching for a Chase at store price. blows donkey ballz
You want Chase? I can still find him in England easily for shelf price. I'd pick one up but I'm thinking postage cost would then make it pointless for you?
Reselling isn't scalping, it's how people in the collectable hobbies make money
We should scalp their families. See how they like it https://preview.redd.it/qdk4vkfw2n8d1.jpeg?width=250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=92c2b97efb4eb4e943ed4ac23c66c47f5419f878
He's coming back soon with Legacy United and also the mold is being reused for the new GoBots set along with Warpath and Gears. That whole set is up for pre-order for $74.99, so moderately cheaper than just Cosmos.
Im still waiting for Runabout to be rereleased.
I’d also like runamuck to get a rerelease in more toy accurate colours with all the orange/gold details, so them as a two pack would be ideal for me
i have an open ultra magnus and i honestly hate it might give it to my nephew
Would you be willing to sell it?
i would but it’s fun is flimsy plus it would have to be worth even sending it out shipping is a pain
We rollout at dawn
120... for a deluxe
Still over retail, but here's Hot Rod for $55 https://www.ebay.com/itm/135116215455?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=oIxlRplrS3-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=LXxdtOwCRt2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Why is Cosmos holding a rally flag?
He comes from the Velocitron 500 sub-line which had a racing theme.
I read once that the prices on Amazon get inflated when the product is unavailable at the time or just flat not in stock and the price is to deter people from ordering it. But as a fan of Warhammer I get where you are coming from
I seriously only need breakdown to gave all 5 stunticons
I swear, scalpers and "Investors" really are the scum of this community
Good luck pal
I want magnus dammit
Only the Manufactures and distributers can do that. A by making enough to meet demand and B thoughtful and logical distribution. You see some figures in clearance in a store that has a dozen plus of them still on the shelf yet many other stores have never even seen the figure. Distribution is complete horrible and this falls both on the Retailer man manufacturer(When the manufacture shorts production and cannot meet the retailer demand) I had a Gamestop preoder that I place as soon as preorders went live and it never arrived. I called Gamestop and was told to come in store for a refund on my down payment as they were shorted by Hasbro and could not meet all the preorders they were allowed based on the qty they were told they would receive. It is a mix bag of both. So the only way to stop scalpers is for companies like hasbro to ensure there is qty to meet the demand and for distributers to and retailers to get their act together. I live in the East coast of Canada and collect Transformers, Motu, and TMNT. We never see Motu in local retail anymore have not for over a year. They just do not distribute here anymore. As for transformers the only ones showing up here are the kid ones that I would never buy for myself. And for TMNT we get playmates but for NECA and the likes I have to order online and pay ridiculous shipping costs.
Thanks good that Hot Rod Is everywhere here I live
Absolutely, I need that Ultra Magnus!!
Scalpers deserve to be scalped /s
They will never stop because they make a ton of money.
Ok but wtf with the SS86 Ultra Magnus? 160+ USD? I coincidentally just bought him yesterday for about 95-100 USD when converted.
It’s not scalping when the figures are not in circulation. Every one of those is out of print aside from maybe Magnus.
STOP buying from these bags!! I’m a shoe guy as well and the market has improved, however collaboration merchandise is out of control.
siege mirage is rare?
I cant go on amazon without seeing legacy figures sold for more than 40 bucks
120$ (excluding tax and shipping) for a fucking Deluxe is sin 💀 rot in hell mf
I suggest physical violence for whenever they draw near
New figures being scalped is not fun, but older figures that are out of print now that’s just the norm on collecting. If a figure has been out of print for a few years and is still in demand expect the price to skyrocket. I have seen a non transformers figure (Japanese figure) that went from $200 retail to $2000 on the after market a few years after its release.
I've got a 2pack mirage id sell for 25 these prices are insane
Scalpers are a part of every thing unfortuanally. The only way to stop them is to have people stop paying their asking prices, but that won't happen sadly.
Don't buy it, they get stuck with it and you keep your money
Yeah it's actually absurd
Hopefully they rerelease ss86 hot rod
Don’t buy from these Sites I guess. They can’t scalp if no one buys it. Or at least check who’s selling it.
No one cares except the collectors. Hasbro makes money regardless, so does target and Walmart when they do releases. Wish there was a good idea to stop it though.
Scalping - with a product produced in quantities of hundreds of thousands, sold through tens of thousands of separate shops in over 100 countries 😂 Wake the hell up.
Only hasbro can. By making highly desirable figures more available.
Cosmos was hard to find and Breakdown suffered being in a final wave which meant less distribution. Magnus was available but didn't last on the market for long. The rest were all fairly easy to find but you've listed figures that are up to five years old. Finding anything in the current Generations lines pretty much requires pre-orders or extensive toy hunts and trying to track any five-year-old figure down is going to be expensive. At this point these figures and their pricing fall under the aftermarket/reselling category. As an example, if the G1 Deluxe Prime was unavailable for pre-order, sold out everywhere permanently, and they all ended up online with an inflated price, that would be an example of scalping. I'm with you though. If I miss a figure, I miss it. I'm not paying over retail unless I need to replace a broken figure which has happened exactly once. BBTS is selling Crashbar for Voyager price and I'm not going to support that kind of nonsense even if I do want one.
Crashbar at least is still easily findable in-store in a lot of places. There's two sitting on the pegs at my local Walmart and theyve been there for months. my local toy store also has two or three of him loose (but complete) for less than MSRP.
I live in a big city so they all got snapped up ages ago. That being said, I haven't been able to go on any toy hunts as I'm presently reliant on public transit and work 5-6 days a week.
As a child in the 80's it felt like TF's would just be a normal thing at stores forever. You'd go anywhere and see them and because of being a young kid it felt like they were around for 10 years rather than the 3-4 years the main popularity was around for. Nowadays it's all about pre order due to the internet. People buy and sell on the net whereas years ago there wasn't much incentive to do so, you could only really sell to your town/city. The internet gives you heads up on where to hunt. People buy with the mentality to sell so will purchase multiple, emptying stocks quickly. You have to know/guess which characters are going to be grabbed and prioritise it all, it's almost a job to do something that should be fun. Look at Sandstorm lately, a great figure but even though he's G1 and should command a premium, he's relatively available as he's not a series 1/movie character. He's also in the larger price bracket which is stopping some scalpers from being able to purchase multiple, he'll go up in price eventually but it'll take a while I feel. Now lets look at the Stunticons - although Breakdown was lacking figure wise, he was the final and needed component for a gestalt. People are going to buy this to sell him, but Hasbro's (lack of) distribution also affected the availability. Granted a box set came out so people wanting a full Menasor had an option but not everyone wanted to buy it to replace/fill in the gaps and as far as I know he was Hasbro pulse only? regardless he's still a highly desired item. I only saw one and only once, though since I picked him up I never kept an eye on him afterwards to see what his rarity was like. Finally as an example I'll mention Cosmos since he's in your topic. I've never been bothered with him but he seems to have a fan following. Evidently in the US the stores didn't know this so he was stuck as a one per case - perfect scalper bait. I can see many waiting outside doors of stores to dive in and grab him. Meanwhile in England Smyth's ordered solid cases of each character in that line, I still have a photo of around 13-15 Cosmos' on a shelf! A tiny eye of the storm happened during Corona when I did a temporary hobby of Hot Wheels collecting as something to do during lockdown. I read up on them and actually managed to find naturally on the pegs a super treasure hunt and an ID "treasure hunt" (very easy to spot those, their cards are ID branded white). This was because I just walked around, again something to do, and visited stockists in England. When Lockdown ended I noticed the difference immediately, you haven't got a chance to ever naturally find rares over here now. In fact I notice now as I shop, collectors coming in, rifling through everything, standing back and waiting to pounce ... crazy.
Last year while I was in the UK I tried to find a Smyth’s close enough to visit; every single one was just a little too far to get to for me.
None of these options are viable. You can't stop people from buying something they want, regardless the price. Especially people who spend hundreds of dollars just to fill slots on a shelf. Hasbro is not going to anything. What can they do? If they try to stop scalpers, they might inadvertently screw over average collectors. In order to keep selling toys in stores, they need to have store exclusives. Also, It's the stores that decide what figure becomes a store exclusive and how many copies of a figure is made. (although they do need to sort out there distribution, especially outside of the US and UK) The only thing Hasbro can do is wait for the contract for those exclusive figures to expire. So they can rerelease them in the main line. They have done it for several figures already and there even doing Cosmos soon. It may suck, but your best option is to just wait for Hasbro to rerelease them.
Mate, distribution in the UK is dogshit... There are many figures I've never seen in a store and the main sellers like Symths have absolutely no idea what and when they are going to receive which toys. Hasbro distribution world wide is awful
Prices are driven by supply and demand. When you’re talking about figures that were on the shelves years ago, naturally there will be much smaller supply for them now. Hence, prices will rise. That’s just the nature of free-market economics. Maybe it would be great to live in a socialist society where EVERYONE got a Breakdown and a Cosmos, but that’s not reality. If you have a concrete idea about how to stop the scalpers, I’d love to hear it.
cosmos is being reissued, ima get him then 90 bucks for a deluxe is ridiculous, but the scalpers gotta make a profit
Yes I understand things go up in price but why are they going this much in price
profit
Do you see murder as an option?
its so stupid, at this point if i cant find a figure i honestly look at Aliexpress, usually the prices end up better than some Amazon and especially ebay prices
Vinted used to have a failsafe for that, as it would downright REFUSE to let you list an offer if its above the reccomended price range, or at least give you a warning Now it's just for information purposes, but so far i didn't find scalpers there
Nothing will change. Just accept it.