I paid $250 for a mint complete G1 Predaking. It came missing several guns, swords, had lots of sticker wear. seller then went MIA. P.S. It seems lots of people are confusing rip-off with regrets. I read many accounts about how they paid for something they later think wasn't worth it. That is far from being rip-off. It's just regrets...
Back when the Armada "Beasts" were just coming out I couldn't find the first two releases anywhere in Tampa... Rhinox and Terrorsaur as it were. So, I went on eBay's and found a seller who was selling both and had no bids on them. Actually won both auctions for retail price plus shipping and asked the seller to combine the shipping... which he happily did... I paid him through Paypal and than he went MIA and so did the figures. The real kicker is that it was also my first lesson in how useless eBay's customer resolutions are. I was basically told that they wouldn't do anything about it and I that I didn't qualify for eBay's protection plan because my purchase only went up to $25. They also told me to work it out with the seller... who mind you is not only not responding to me, but has also deleted his eBay account... and when I told the eBay rep that I pretty much got a "There's nothing we can or care to do about this matter"... exact quote btw. To make matters worse, I found out that papal would have been willing to handle it for me -funny considering they're part of eBay-, but that I had waited too long -I think they'll only help within two months- because I was stupid enough to wait a month for my stuff and even stupider for arguing back and forth with eBay about it without even thinking of going to Paypal. I didn't use a credit card so I didn't think they would help... Anyways, I was out $25 and learned a valuable lesson to always thoroughly check out who you're buying from on eBay or anywhere online for that matter. Of course, let's not talk about the comic books that I ordered from the 2005 store that never came nor the money that was never refunded...
Mine's not toy related, but when I was into customizing my truck. Paid $400 shipped for a lowering kit that came off a Ford Ranger. I took it to a Ford Tech to have it dropped (friend of mine) and they couldn't get 2 parts to fit. I later identified the parts as F150 parts. Contacted the seller, who denied up and down they were from an f150. Said they come of her husbands Ranger (which they couldn't show me photos). I ended up having to sell them for $75 just to recoup and buy the correct ones for $150. Another time I bought a set of tail lights of a member of a board I frequented. Guy stiffed me. Went to the police. Never received lights or my money back. Pretty much have stayed away from eBay and forum buying until recently. TFW2005 members have renewed my trust in mankind.
Rip off: Paid for a very nice MIB G1 Smokescreen off ebay. Never got it. Regret: Back during the PVC days, I wanted the chase figure of Fortress Maximus and miss understood how the chase would work. I thought each piece would be as rare as a normal chase figure was (not that it would come complete in one case of 12). So I believed at the time it would be damn near impossible to ever put one together. So I bought a complete set of 2 (color and clear) off ebay for $200.
BotCon '04, I paid for the whole package. Got MegaZarak (which I sold at the convention itself) and eventually got my 2 Sentinal Maximus figs (which, I eventually sold), but I never got the Defensor, which was never even made. Money spent, nothing in return.
Paying 80 CAD for a non complete G1 Omega Supreme that doesn't work. Though the toy IS rare, the loose version isn't worth that much.
Got ripped on a $110 minty g1 Menasor. It's cool , karma found me a better one afterwards for 90. Still I was out 110
Paying £130 for Yujin's DX Master Action Gaofighgar only to realise Gaofar's shoulder joint had disintergrated causing the screw to become loose. Easily enough to fix but its still a rip off.
Energon Wideload. Paid $14 after shipping online for one cause I couldn't find it anywhere around here... and found it at Target while the damn thing was getting shipped to me... and of course now it's one of those dollar store Universe offerings which deepens the wound. We also have my Cybertron Starscream, who I do like... but I bought it brand new at $50 because I had ordered most of wave 1 in one big box and went to TRU to get the others, after I called and they said they had them. They didn't. So it was kind of a "I get what's there" thing... when I got home, FedEx had dropped off said box, which included a GF Starscream that I ended up liking better anyway. I could put GF Soundwave in this category, too, I paid $50 for mine and the US version always looked fine to me at just $20... I didn't want to run the chance of the US version being cheapened way down like they had done to several Cybertron figures before.
For me it was reissued Ginrai...paid around $80-90 for him. Little did I know he would drop to $25-30 later on. For non-tfs, it has to be Toynami's VF-1S, paid around $50 and what a load of crap it was IMO.
Paying $90 for 20th Ann. Prime when he first came out, when I could have gotten him for less than $40 later on. I can't exactly call it a ripoff, since he is, IMO, worth the money I spent, but I'm just a little irritated by the fact that I could have gotten such a great toy at a much better price. For the most part, the only TFs that I pay full price for are Alts., the rest are purchased during sales/clearance.
This wasn't on eBay but between a friend of mine at school. We got to talking about the old Beast Wars TV show and then to the then-current RID and he said he had a MISB Ultra Magnus, which I particularly wanted. He agreed to sell it to me for $30 and I gave it a look over from outside the box and it looked fine and I paid for it. I bring it home, open it up, and I find that the wheels on the side I couldn't see were all slightly ripped and close to splitting apart, the weapon projectiles were gone, there wasn't an instruction booklet, and most of the joints were snapped with stress. I don't talk to him much...after I got my money back.
collectorstoystop on ebay. thats his id. he ranks up there with a pediphile. yes people, he's that bad.
have to say 20th Prime. Paid about $70 for him when later he would go down. And thank god I stopped the DW covers before it got out of hand.
wow, now I don't feel so bad about posting this as my biggest rip-off as well. wonder what those things are worth now? I thought it would be the only way to EVER get something close to a realistic cartoon version of prime. if only I knew what was in store...
More than a few. Over the time I've collected, these are a few I remember... Hubap - $45 C8 Snarl with crappy box - $60 poor condition bird half of skylynx - $50
