I don't know if this addresses what you're talking about but I remember a couple of years ago (pre-WFC) going to medium size toy store in San Francisco. It was packed to the brim with lots of different things but they had very few Transformer pieces. I asked the shop owner if he had any TFs and he pointed to a few things (G1 Predaking reissue was something he did have) but he said it was not worth it for him to carry TFs. I forget his exact words but I thought about it for a while and I realized why he didn't carry a lot of TFs and the reason was that most customers could get the same product at a big box store and save a few bucks. Going back to what is going on now-- I think Hasbro is implementing a perfect strategy of producing shared exclusives with these indy/smaller retailers. Customers will go into your toy store if you have a moderately priced exclusive. So when Sandstorm or G2 Ramjet show up at your store but are not available at a big box, yeah, that's a big deal for the retailer and the customer. If the business model of a retailer is basically becoming a scalper--- well, yeah, I don't think that shop will develop customer loyalty. I like small shops and I think a markup is necessary for them to survive but I would start avoiding any shops that I suspect were just scalping stuff. I also think it's understandable if a shop also starts selling older product at market value if the price goes up too.
That's why I finally pulled the trigger on T30 Arcee, SS Dropkick, ML Dr. Doom, Lightning Collection Green Ranger, and a bunch of other shelfwarmers that I wanted but figured I could wait forever on. I just missed SS Drift by waiting and waiting even though I had money for him. BBTS prices won't last forever. If anyone doesn't have Netflix Magnus yet, it's a great pack and they're still selling him for $34
Keep watching Target this month. They are putting their exclusives back online. I'll bet a POTP inferno that Thrust and runabout will popup next week Collectible Toys : Target
My perception of the eBay market is colored by the fact that, years ago, prices on older toys tended to hover below retail. Stuff from the Beast era through the Movie lines could be had for a song for many years. Nowadays... well, I put up my loose Siege Ironhide for $50 shipped the other day, thinking haha, we'll see what happens. It was gone within an hour. I still feel a little guilty.
I love me some good ol' solid Unicron Trilogy toys as much as the next guy, but does anyone genuinely think that Cybertron OP is worth such prices?
Actually, yeah. I do think he's worth such prices, because I can look at the sold listings on eBay and see that he has actually sold for $289, $355, $300, $230, plus a few $149 sales (for loose samples of varying quality and completeness), in June and July this year. He's sixteen years old. He's not being scalped, he's appreciated in value. He's worth more now than he was when he was new. And those $355 and $300 sales? Those weren't Buy It Nows, those were auctions. Starting price $50. People who wanted them bid them up that high, thus determining a reasonable ballpark aftermarket value for that figure.
Everytime these threads come up I feel there is a lot of conflation between three different things that affect one another but are not the same. Scalping, speculation, and after market scarcity. They can overlap, but not always. To me, scalping is a middle merchant getting between the end customer and the initial retailer for no value added. If a merchant is actually bridging availability to the customer, not throwing up an artificial barrier or spreed bump, that is value added and worth earning their keep. I know others disagree. I do wish distribution was set up better for specialist shops to sell closer to retail. If I could reliably preorder waves and Selects for little markup over big box I would. My local shop sells Transformers at about a 50% over retail markup, but they are providing a service and are not scalping. The price doesn't work for me, but I don't hold it against them. I can get comics and games for significantly cheaper online, but try to mostly purchase in store because the space itself is valuable to me and those prices are still in my range even if their toys are not.
T30 Rhinox, just in general. I'm honestly surprised to see a figure that stores couldn't get rid of for the longest time is so expensive now, and after the disappointing Kingdom figure, it's a shame it's become so prohibitively expensive.
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn...looks like I got him at a bargain price at $60 (which I thought was a really bad scalper price at the time he came out). WFC Earthrise Soundwave is really worth it, though. Just bought the Spy Patrol pack about a week ago for $20 in person. Loving those tapes! Edit: I was looking at this post again after getting some sleep. I didn't realize that was a listing for the widely released SIEGE Soundwave. I was talking about the Netflix Soundwave, which had a much narrower release. You can still find him on eBay for about $60.
I lucked out. I got mine MISB during August of last year for about $110. That said, the value right now is about right. The figure was expensive pre-pandemic. But most TF’s on the aftermarket dropped quite a bit during the pandemic for obvious reasons.
That's usually how it works though. That's why it's called a sleeper. People see it sitting there and sleep on it, thinking it'll be there tomorrow because it was for months if not years. Then, people come along and buy up all the stock (either because they didn't have access to it before) or the stores clearance it out so low that it would be insane to pass it up and then they sit on it and let it grow in value/worth and you have the situation we're in now. It happened with Metroplex, Fortress Maximus, Trypticon, and it'll happen again and again. People always want a super low price as though they're entitled to having the store and Hasbro lose money just to appease them, so they wait and wait for a sale that may never come and get all prickly and say "then I'll just go without" and then they do. They absolutely go without and then get upset about the prices because they blew it and had their chance when the item was reasonable. Yes, this is an expensive hobby. Yes, there are some figures that just aren't worth the asking price (no matter how many people tell you otherwise), but if one wants an item bad enough...they'll pay MSRP. I don't get how people have gotten so cheap that they'll avoid paying the actual asking price and whine about it. (I'm not talking about people that are broke, I have complete empathy and sympathy for them. It sucks, I've been there, I know that pain all too well. Grew up with it, still feel it deep. I'm talking about people who can and just don't. Like they're somehow better than their fellow fan/collector because they won't pay Hasbro's asking price.) Now, add in the demand for an arguably better-looking figure and here you are. Out of curiosity... What is the price you are willing (not want, willing) to pay for one of these T30 Rhinoxes that you're looking for? That might help people understand where you're coming from.
Between $40-$50 is my budget for a T30 Rhinox, I really can't justify paying more than twice that of the Kingdom figure, in addition to the fact my finances are a bit shakey right now, ironically due to actual car and business being not so good lately.
I over bought Soundwave by twenty bucks but negotiated a deal with the seller to buy some other figures he had trouble selling for retail price and got free shipping. Sometimes you can get creative.
I live in Central America, I found a local toy store selling Studio Series 86 Slag/Slug Grindor for $121 EACH. what the hell? it costed me about $50 plus $10 shipping to my country from BBTS in a big POL
