If anyone finds a MP Grimmie, I can paypal ASAP. Still stuck working a lot, so I won't be able to join in the hunt.

 

Ironically enough, that's where I got my MP Prime lol.

If anyone stole my Grimmy that's on hold, there's gonna be hell to pay...

 

Hey, was that you the day MP 10 came out, you had both in your hand checking them over? I was the guy who took the other

 

Nope - at least I don't think so - I didn't even know there was a launch date lol   I just found him out of the blue.

 

I don't think Grimlock is going to be super impossible to find, but still a douchebag move by whoever pretended to be my other friend after he drove all the way out there. I do try posting sightings when I get a chance, and I actually found out about the MP Grimlock early that morning when one of my friends had went to Aurora TRU, but couldn't post here because I was at work :/

 

I'm not trying to destroy this forum: but sometimes broadcasting a find is a good way to clear a store before any other member can get there. Is that what this forum is for? A place to educate scalpers and tell them where to go while the rest of us are at work? This thread is NOT locked to members. Anyone can find it and read everything you posted. (Actually, if someone could get this thread locked to members, it probably would help a great deal...)

Ponder this logic, then: how many lurkers are on here? How many lurkers typically frequent the site, contributing almost nothing? I mean, there are levels of lurking, and I'm simply warning you about the scalper-lurker: a douchebag that has little interest in the community, but a high interest in making money by ripping you off.

If you say this demographic is mythical, that's your prerogative. However, I'd urge you to consider how smart it is to raise a giant flag on a store that will carry 6 (tops) of a high-end toy that's already going up on eBay for scalper prices. Combine that with TRU's sh*tty inventory system that offers no way to actually track when and where these toys show up in... batches of 6? Yeah, go right on ahead and post away about how many you found in X location. By the time the legitimate members on here read the post, they'll be gone. Kudos to you.

Are you guys forgetting that MP Grimmy is NOT the only TF being released this year? All I mean to say is that MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T POST ABOUT WHAT IS LIKELY THE HOTTEST SCALPER'S ITEM OF THE YEAR!!!  

What's wrong with being more discreet about ONE TF release? Every other post has far less damaging effects due to the more prolific distribution and quantities of NON-MP-GRIMLOCK TOYS.

Also, even if these do appear en mass (which we have yet to see), I have an interest in finding him before the end of June, so I can use my TRU coupons and bucks. I'm really gonna be irritated if every appearance of Grimmy gets broadcast for every poacher to read, as I'm not sitting around scanning the net for places to raid! These scalpers have nothing better to do than swoop in on these sightings.

I've posted about the Dragon Dagger just to see them all disappear. I've seen posts about my local store, just to visit and see all the items disappear. If you get lucky, fine, but don't think your personal experience with this is applicable to every toy sighting or situation.
Just the chance that a scalper is reading these posts... wouldn't it bother you a little to know you're clearing out a store's inventory and allowing him to overcharge the rest of us?

 

I remember last summer I woke up, checked the sightings thread while half asleep in bed, and someone had posted that TRU had an MP Soundwave in stock. I tossed it back and forth if I really wanted to drive over there and get it for a friend, and I did. So sometimes the sightings can be nice, but I get what you're saying.

All we can hope for is that Grimmy gets good distribution. And I'm pretty optimistic about it, considering what happened last year with Hasbro MP's.

 

OOHHH OK, I got it now, so only mention sightings that are EASY for everyone to find, but don't mention hard ones (Kinda defeats the purpose)...

And how do you know what is going to be hard to find and what is not?... MP10's US Release came and went quickly, though I saw it on 3 separate occasions within a 2 week period. and people complained that they never got it...But then the YOTH MP10 is out and I have seen them on numerous occasions over the last month. Same figure, but time on the shelf varies.

On the flip side, we all know repaints are shelf warmers (looking at you Target Beast Hunters) but during Energon, there was an Ultra Magnus Repaint of Overload that barely saw release and became a hot selling toy. Same thing with Alternators Swerve, a repaint of a toy that came out 2X prior (Tracks and Battle Ravage). Both previous releases were readily available but Swerve was hard to find.

You never know what will be guaranteed hot or not...I have found every Masterpiece figure from TRU at the store except for Soundwave, which I happened to get at TRU online. I was working a full time during this whole time, so that is not an excuse. If I couldn't get there, I'd call ahead.

This forum is for sightings to help out fellow board members. It's worked great since I have been on the forums (since 2003, my post count was higher, but because they purge sightings posts after a certain amount of time, it's not as high as it should be). If someone posts that an item is available, and it is something you want, call right away and have the store put it on hold. all the major retailers do it (Walmart, Target, TRU). Just make sure you make them ask for ID to avoid the issues of DX's Friend.

I hate Scalpers too, but I'd rather know if something I am looking for is available. If something is posted, I make an effort to get the figure as quickly as possible or call ahead. If it sells out before I get there, at least I can cross that store off my search list. If it is never posted, I have no idea if that store ever received it's stock. I might be searching a store that was long sold out.

What works for me is if it's a figure I really want that may sell quickly, I check TFW news for first sightings. Upon first sighting in US, I'm checking local TRU/WALMART/TARGET every few days. Upon first IL sighting, I'm checking daily on my way home from work, and checking posts to see if anyone else found them. If there are a lot of "WHERE IS XXXX" posts ( like Cosmos recently) I'll post where I went and if it was present. If a friend is asking for a figure, I'll text them first( to see if they want me to grab them one), then post for all. It's worked for me, and I have been able to get just about every figure I have wanted ( Collection is over 1500 unique figures). I would not have been able to do so if it hadn't have been for the members of this sightings forum, and I have helped others find figures.

 

Scalpers know when trucks are coming, are there when stores open, and have time to expend in dedicated search. I highly doubt this is a significant resource for them.

 

Yeah, pretty much this.

Also, even if I miss out on an item, it's nice to at least be aware when it's in-store and thus have a fighting chance. Limiting the information shared here isn't going to hurt the scalpers, it'd probably just end up helping them as many more fans will be caught with their pants down, miss out and have to resort to ebay and end up buying the figs from those very same scalpers.

 

Agreed. Fox Valley TRU had 6 Grimlocks at open 9am on Saturday. By the time I got there at 10:15am, there was only one left on the shelf (Which I bought). The first post of the sighting was made at 10:42am. It was not the post that caused the sell out so fast.

I also knew a Hot Wheels collector that would be ready to walk in to the store as soon as it opened...(DAILY). Scalpers are gonna be there if we post or not. By posting, it gives all of us an opportunity to call and put it on hold.

 

Funny that you mention Hot Wheels collector. I actually know a Hot Wheels collector that is usually at Aurora TRU at open. Not sure what he does with them although I know he does collect certain ones. I always hear bad things about Hot Wheels collectors, but this guy went out of his way to pick me up a Captain America Legends Black Widow figure which has been impossible for me to find and I have never been able to find anything he needs  

I can't say for sure if someone is a collector or scalper. One time I was at a Wal-mart and someone from another message board thought I was a scalper because I was picking up a wave of DC figures myself as well as for a friend along with some other Marvel figures as well. We talked it out though, and the other guy actually knew my friend I was picking up for lol. There are definitely some scalpers around my area though.

I will definitely post sightings for MP or other hot figures, but will also let friends know of any of these figures first before posting because I know that they're collectors and not scalpers are buying the figure for trade bait purposes.

 

This is silly - Sometimes when I am out I am on mobile and its easier to see what up by the thread. Oh I saw these and PM me but either I wont respond for an hour and they'll be gone anyway or I won't see your response and they will be gone anyway. It is not that hard to call and have one placed on hold. Scalpers are going to find them and although I am sure this thread may contribute a little bit, most people that make a living scalping call all the TRU's in an area to check and have them on hold and/or goto the local ones at opening and buy them all because this is how they make a living.

 

Hey guys lets stop posting to the sightings forum so Zap can use his coupons.

Honestly part of the reason this forum is successful is because of our community and willingness to help each other out. Your suggestion is basically to neuter this forum and the community because there is a chance (we do not know how big or small this chance is and never will) that a scalper will swoop in before anyone else will, that is just silly and selfish.

As a collector, the fact is that scalpers will exist and nothing will stop that, sure on a few items there may be an chance that we give them a small head start but I highly doubt that the difference is that great because once again scalpers do this for a living.

Why do you think the first sighting was by someone who was reselling? It is because that dude probably goes to TRU every truck day at opening, is friends with the people that work there to discover when those are, and maybe uses these forums once in awhile.

Again I would like to keep this community the way it is instead of changing it for selfish reasons.

 

All this talk about scalpers and members, you do realize that other people buy transformers also? The casual fan, nestolgic dad, and that looks cool mom. These people have never used the internet to find a toy in their life. They just walk into a store and do this amazing thing called shopping for themselves or their children. Because we post in a sightings forum and are members of a fandom community it does not give us the exclusive first dibs right or any entitlement to every bit of inventory. If anything we have a super unfair advantage over the average shopper. It's because of us not scalpers and lurkers target had signs up at one point saying due to the collective nature of items they would not go get anything from the back. So while I'm sure your thought was innocent, we're not going to roll like that. I also would have followed your request to ignore if I did not agree, but everyone else jumped on you, and I'm a bit of a shit starter.  

 

I don't want any sightings from people that cannot spell!

 

This for sure. Back when Prime FE's first popped up, I was out Christmas shopping and just happened to be at TRU a minute or two before opening. There was a crowd out front, which I assumed to be typical christmas shoppers (despite this being a bit early in the "season"). Doors open, 2 guys make a beeline for the boys toys. 1 starts sweeping star wars figs into his arms, the other the FE Prime figs. Luckily for me they had some extras on an end cap hanger otherwise I wouldn't have even had any, let alone been able to post a sighting  

I got to the register and the clerk said "oh good, someone else finally got some of them"...

 

Lmao! That's my uh fandom post. I'm a secret member of NEST. I have bumblebee in my garage and in his backseat is every MP grimlock that has hit the state of IL. He wants to scalp them. I told him take 3 back so people can use their coupons & reward bucks.

 

I am so gonna hit TRU when it opens this morning, and if I see someone with a cart full of Grimlocks, I'm gonna tell my three kids he's the one who cancelled Green Lantern and set them loose.

 

Damn!!!

Car loads full? Buying them for kids to destroy?

Can u donate one to me please?

If anyone finds a Grimlock extra, I can paypal immediately when not at work.

Thanks