Scalpers are very protective of their stuff. When I went to the 24 hour walmart, I just missed Cable and Cyclops in the Marvel Universe line. He was still there and I grabbed the 2 Apocalypse off the pegs. He saw and quickly pulled his cart full of stuff toward him.

I mean respect that he got anything before me. I'm not gonna pull something out of someone's cart.

Really sucks you just missed all the RTS stuff. I guess Ross does stock on weekends sometimes....

 

Clovis doesn't appear to have any RTS Voyagers at either Ross or TJ Maxx. Might try Fresno tomorrow.

 

If anything, you could have gotten the manager and complain about the guy taking the entire available stock off the shelves, leaving nothing for your son. Chances are the manager will have a bigger heart than the scalper and let your son get something he wants, at the very least.

A child's happiness is way more important than an adult's happiness.

They're overly protective 'cause making extra money off reselling is a huge chunk of their income - if not their main source of income. I prefer hard work at steady pay myself, but to each his own.

 

Wow what an a-hole! And right in front of your kid too, geez. How cold-hearted can these guys yet?

Dadimus if I find a Grappel he's yours man. Seriously f-ed up stuff there.

 

how much money is a scalper hoping to pocket each year? it must not be much. if it is, report them to the irs. hehe


3 shockwave at mckee target. nothing at the ross close by.

 

Yeah, if you wanted to and if you know they make enough, you could totally tell the IRS to look into their income.

Another thing to do is calling up the local branch manager (for TRU, Target, etc.) and complain about how employees are playing favoritism with the scalpers and withholding available stock from the general public. If you know they're doing that though. This won't work for discount retailers like Ross or TJ Maxx, mind you.

 

I sure feel the fool right now. Hit up just about every Target in Fresno / Clovis and not a single one had that Fireburst OP or Voyager Sentinel Prime. Though they did have the newer HA basic figures.

 

I've been to Ross as soon as they open and I've come to the conclusion what they stock is random and do not come in the usual case assortment. This is why I've only seen a huge pile of whatever and not the actual wave. I know there's a few creepy scalpers lurking the stores, but not all of them.

I hope we can all find what we want during this mad Ross/TJ Maxx deals hunt...

 

Sorry to hear about what happened, Dadimus. Ugh, that guy's a jerk.  

 

What he described... I might have seen this mofo at toys r us.... Then again a lot of scalpers look similar...

 

San Diego:

TRU on L Street in Chula Vista had some Kre-O sets displayed with DOTM stuff when you first walk in the store. Saw a DOTM Thundercracker there too.

 

I reckon, scalpers don't stray too far off in their regions. Especially going to different counties. Dadimus is in the IE, much too far for a scalper to want to try his luck at a random Ross.

Then again, I don't know how they think either besides, "store gets shipment day x, wait at door when open"

 

Basically this is how a scalper sees things:
- they are "helping" collectors and people too lazy to visit retail stores by finding rare toys and charging a "middle man fee"
- toys are first come first serve
- "collectibles" are serious business and competitive so feelings must be set aside

summary of scalper mentality:
- They make a quick buck ripping off people with stuff you got cheaper elsewhere
- their motto is: finders, keepers,losers weepers
- They also believe this is all for the money, so screw everyone else.

 

It seems like the the situation with scalpers is getting worse. I remember a few years ago you could walk into any store find what you're looking for. Now you have fight some jerk for a 10 dollar figure because he wants to make 5 or 10 bucks on ebay. I say we declare war on the scalpers! (just don't know how)

 

At Fullerton Toys R Us before opening on truck restock day it's the most awkward thing ever. You see 8 guys and some of them are talking about collectibles and merchandise. Then as soon as the door opens they stop talking and casually walk to what they want while sometimes greeting the employee. Several minutes later the entire store is pillaged of new stuff.

If I wasn't so disgusted to interview them, I'd so make a documentary about this.

Only possible solutions is:
- have more people around to frustrate them...
- maybe pick up anything that's popular and then put it away after...
- talk to the scalpers (?)

 

he's not local he comes from oc and sell them @ frank's i have run into him before
next time just shop earlier.

 

You'd find that with having kids it becomes hard to keep to a schedule.

 

So he is who I'm thinking of!

I keep hoping they'd lose money from wasting all that gas driving all over the place, but I guess when you charge $50 for a $11 toy, and you have buyers, that money goes a long way.

I have seen them charge $50 for Generations Warpath!

 

Wow if that guy is at TRU when you guys go, count me in to the Thurs anti-scalp group

 

I think the scalper solution will have to be a supply and demand thing...

Supply... Hasbro needs to get its distribution together, since no one saw the RTS Voyagers at retail... and also balance its allotment of characters per case so that we aren't flooded with shelf warmers like Thunderwing and Darkmount, etc., while never being able to find Scourge and Wreckgar...

Demand... Just don't buy from scalpers so that they can't make a profit... Or just be patient, hard as it is, so that scalpers at least can't make a quick profit... Of course, that means collectors will have to unite and hope no one breaks rank, and it's hard to coordinate... But if we get enough collector's refusing to buy from scalpers, then at least we're not competing with each other and driving up the final price (at least on ebay).