Rules of the game:
-When you find new stuff, buy it. You can always return it if you change your mind.
-If you find it and can't afford it, sucks to be you.
-If you paid less than what others did, nice to be you.
-If some wants something bad enough that they are willing to pay inflated prices for it, none of your business.
-If you're a scalper, you suck! But still, none of my business.
-If you keep your toys MISB, good for you.
-If you open your toys, good for you.
-If you look like comic book guy and live in your mom's basement...

 

I saved a lot of money when I knew and cared about fewer characters. For instance, I wouldn't pay over market value on Universe figures just as they were getting impossible to find on shelves...and actually scored a lot of loose stuff for good value. Also, I got Onslaught, Inferno, and Powerglide at half price each...and had to be prodded into getting the Inferno.  

Nowadays, I figure retail is the best deal you can count on getting for anything "Classics." The tail end of the line I got seriously burned on, as in paying $30 for Warpath and later finding him for $12. Them's the breaks.

 

Well my Acquisition has been the following figures in the past month or so.

3 RTS Voyager Lugnuts at Ross for $9.99
2 RTS Voyager Deepdives also at Ross for $9.99
1 RTS Voyager Grapple at (you guessed it) Ross for $9.99
2 Human Alliance Mudflaps for $16.99 at TJMaxx
1 Human Alliance Jazz for $16.99 at TJMaxx duh
A Cyberverse Ironhide and Leadfoot 2pack at Target on sale for $9.99
Bunches of Kre-O's at TRU during there BOGO50% off sale.
And thats about it.

 

WM MP Skywarp was a migraine followed by a massive stroke.
for nearly 4 months, my local WM had 'em shelfwarming, collecting dust and they were stickered, re-stickered, even placed on a shelf with a red clearance label...
and NOT ONCE was priced at a reduced price.

I just wanted one to have a MP seeker in bot mode (without having to transform it, lol) and never got one.

as infrequently as i am able to get to all the stores around here, i can't gamble on what i can get at those stores. i'd rather pay a little markup, recoup some losses in the PoL shipping rates and know i have what i need than risk paying some Ferengi dealer his asking price for a mediocre but short packed toy.

 

Rule 141: Only fools pay retail
Rule 141B: Bear in mind if you're never a fool, there will always be something you want that you'll miss out on.

 

... yep, and while I'm certain there's an entire thread on that somewhere (actually, I know there is), Transmetal Rattrap fits that bill for me.

I didn't pick him up originally, and even when I saw him on clearance, I passed because I wasn't sure/thought I was too old for TFs. Then when I returned to the store some time later, the little guy was gone, and it actually wasn't until reading that thread that I started wanting him again. Along with that, I can pretty much guarantee that I'm gonna end up paying more now than I would have back then, even at a cheap price w/ economy shipping.

 

Retail isn't that expensive in the United States, so I don't worry about paying retail for figures that I REALLY want. If it's an impulse buy, I may wait a bit until sales, depending on how well I can control my impulses.

Personally, I find that waiting for sales is mind-wrecking for figures I want, it causes me to end up impulse buying more often than not. So I'd rather just get what I want, and ignore the rest. I actually save move money that way.

 

Rule 141 is for the weak.  

 

Guess I'm a fool? I pay retail all the time.

 

i paid about $38 for my masterpiece rodimus' with my employee discount and coupons so i'm happy with that  

 

If it's hard to find then i'm willing to pay Retail.

With Bayformers though i'm probably gonna try to get most things on clerance this time now.

 

With how difficult it is to find most of the Classics stuff, I'll gladly pay full retail price for a figure if I find it in stores. I bought Generations Scouge, Kup and Blurr and RTS Jazz and Tracks as soon as I found them in stores, and I haven't seen any of them since. I would prefer to buy a figure the moment I see it at retail and pay full price, rather than run the risk of never seeing it again.

 

this is sound advice lol, if you miss something at retail, all the time and energy you spent getting stuff on sale is lost by paying scalper prices on a figure or two, might as well get them when you see them

 

I guess most rare figures only end up with fools.

 

TJ Maxx, Ross, and Marshall's along with clearances from Wal*mart and Target have REALLY spoiled a lot of people into TFs.

 

The rule of acqusition will be very hard to apply to rodimus, I kep hoping for one of those great coupons that they put out since they dont know what good clearance is.

 

Confucious says fool who doesn't pay retail bitches about MP Thundercracker.

 

Hahah...

 

I'm not sure if i'm spoiled but I have to say i really love toy hunting lately.

 

Yup, exactly. I don't have a lot of time to "hunt," so I'm just happy when I get things at retail price. I've had to pay 3-4x retail for things I missed at the time they came out. The TF after-market only ever seems to go up.