[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarvelTF918

BTW thechris I see what your saying completely. But alot of younger fans like them as much as you guys. I'm not TOO old myself.

Oh yeah, I'm not a TF fan from back in the day or anything. I wasn't able to buy any of those classic toys from way back when, so I've got to pay the "collector's rate" for them which I'm happy to do in most cases as long as they're within reason. There's value in them and just because I wasn't born in the 60s or 70s, doesn't mean someone owes me Shockwave for $19.99 or whatever he cost back then anymore than someone owes me the first print of Amazing Fantasy #15 for 12 cents. I've paid bigger bucks for the G1 stuff but I think it's fair.

I'm always happy to help out other collectors whenever I can, but within reason. Everyone deserves to be able to get something at the current going rate or a fair price. I've been that guy who couldn't find figures which were still in retail circulation and was made to pay scalper's rates. It sucks and I while I could grow bitter and add to the problem by doing it myself with the recent shift of Spider-man line figures in Canada's favour, I haven't.

[Dylan in Oregon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thechris

I've been that guy who couldn't find figures which were still in retail circulation and was made to pay scalper's rates. It sucks and I while I could grow bitter and add to the problem by doing it myself with the recent shift of Spider-man line figures in Canada's favour, I haven't.

That's why I leave 'em, man. In case, after I leave, someone like our new friend here comes along just ten minutes later. That may not be the case, but I try to stay positive.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CookSux

I agree. Omega is pointing out that I'm selling toys from my own personal collection that are rare and out of print for above retail cost. Though he posted my expensive SOTA SF figures, he failed to show the <8 dollar Marvel Legends that I quoted as well. Apples and oranges mate, he's just bitter I'm not going to give him my toy for practically free I guess. If it was a toy on a store shelf, I'd have traded/sold at cost but it isn't. Sorry bro, but Omega's an idiot... especially since the language I used in my original post was very civil. I didn't call anyone out either. He must have taken it personally.

Ah well, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You two seem to be reasonable guys. You pointed out what you found to be ironic/hypocritical in the OP and omega pointed out what he felt was ironic/hypocritical in your post. OP seems to be fine, I'm sure you'll be fine, omega hasn't responded yet and I imagine he's taking it lightly. omega is a guy who doesn't like paying too much above retail for his stuff and that's fair and his choice. He's patient and he'll wait it out until he finds that special deal on something and to his credit, that's great. I wish I was that patient.

I don't know the value of your toys and for all I know, they're worth every penny you listed them for. I mean who am I to say what you should sell them for? You just need to find the right flow or formulas to conduct the kinds of transactions you like to do. For example, Tiberius doesn't charge gas and time for his figures to anyone at all, so he would be opposed to me selling him something that I picked up and charging him gas for it, so if I were someone who would charge gas on a toy, I'm better off doing a trade with someone, that way, we can eliminate the gas equation.

It's all cool man..... Why am I so mellow? Shit, I think I've been sniffing my SDCC Sentinels again...

[Artist77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CookSux

I've been out of the figure selling game for a while, went to ebay on completed auctions for those items and my prices are the same if not less than said completed final auctions. You're not a friend of mine, so I don't owe you any kind of discount... plus I would have taken prices down if bought in a lot. Besides, it's not like you can still find these toys on store pegs. I don't see the problem here... it's not like I'm going to a TRU, picking up a toy, tell a scalper off, brag about it on a toy forum, then post said toys for a markup. My memory could be wrong, but I was mostly talking about the 20/30 dollar Dr. Strange.

EDIT: I have no problem with the OP for buying toys and selling them at a markup. It's just... I thought the story was just in bad taste is all.

It was $20 bucks to people here on the Ark. I was TRYING to sell one at $20, not $30, I BOUGHT ONE AT $30, as added a mock up I thought was fair (seeing how, last time I checked, they were going for avg. $35 shipped before I rechecked) to get a little back since I'm also paying my house bills, cell phone bills, internet bills, electricity bills, food, gas, cable and covering my girlfriend, so yeah, if I want to try to make a few bucks to try and even it out, that's my prerogative, and if you don't like that coupled with my story about the scalper, fine, but don't try and use my story as some example of great hypocrisy. Scalper had 11 goddamn HTF figures, I bought 2 Colored Stranges, a Skaar and a Scarlet Spider and a Falcon for myself, and I gave a Skaar to the kid next door who likes Hulk. I left no less than 6 of each there, so if you want to come to Ames, IA, to the Target on Duff Avenue and buy some figures for cost, then please be my guest. Otherwise, again, don't pick up some torch and fling it in my direction just because I tried to take care of myself (which we ALL do) while trying to be reasonable; thus the massive mark down on the figures I ended up selling to two Arkers. I sold a Strange for 15, and a VARIANT Skaar and another Strange for 27- after cost of figures, ($25), gas (say, 2 bucks, so $27), shipping materials (3 bucks for boxes at PO, so $30) and shipping ($8 more, so $38), I made $4 out of the deal. That's easily less than minimum wage, heck, that's probably less than what I have in all my couch cushions.

So, ignoring how you're defending yourself and your prices the exact way I came to mine (going off ebay, where the avg sold Strange is $26.50 before shipping, btw), and ignoring the fact that you didn't even acknowledge my lowering my prices after people pointed out the dropping prices, I'll rest my rant with this;

I tried to sell a few items to fellow collectors at mark up, yes, but less than the avg price on eBay, and I did so here first so that you all would have a chance.

So forget coming to this forum with finds to try and help people finish their collections at WHAT I BELIEVE to be reasonable prices, since hypocrites will just jump down my throat for my own self interest (which everyone has), going so far as to mock me (quintens thread, anyone?) and try to compare me to the guy who bought every villain from a toy line our town has seen, when I bought less than 25% of new items in a store that has gotten its first new MU product since March.

I know you're not, in your view, trying to jump down my throat, but I can't help but feel attacked here. I over-priced something, sure, that I sold while telling a story about someone far worse than I, but I changed my price accordingly when people pointed out my mistake. But are you honestly telling me that what I did is as bad as the Troll?

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dylan in Oregon

That's why I leave 'em, man. In case, after I leave, someone like our new friend here comes along just ten minutes later. That may not be the case, but I try to stay positive.

Unfortunately, for me, there's a hierarchy. LOL. Whether it's right or wrong, most people will make sure that their own family is fed before they help others. Just off the top of my head, I'd probably hold say Tiberius, Colder Soldier, Jason Abbadon, quinten or ludovicotek, etc. at a higher priority to leaving a Shocker figure on the hook to the chance that someone decent who I will never meet is going to get it instead.

I'd never be able to get half of the stuff that I have just because I lived in Canada if I didn't know anyone in America. It's not like I don't help newbies out, anyway, but people who I've traded with for a long time or that I get along with get top priority. It's how I roll, dawg.

[Artist77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CookSux

Not to be a hater, but your stories don't paint a very good picture of you either. Sure you're not a raging scalper, but you're not really a saint either. 15 bucks for a 7 dollar toy (so you can recoup your Dr. Strange money) may be legit... but not when you're talking about how much a good samaritan you are.

Apples and oranges, but this is why I'm a little miffed, man. I didn't say I'm "some saint", I was dealing with the kind of people that ruin our hobby, so I as mad.

You're saying you're not "calling people out", but this original comment and the one I quoted earlier about how at least you don't (insert me and my whole deal here) as some sort of defense, well, kinda says otherwise.

But whatever, I'm getting tired of this whole thing. Getting to the point where it's not worth my energy to type.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artist77

So forget coming to this forum with finds to try and help people finish their collections at WHAT I BELIEVE to be reasonable prices, since hypocrites will just jump down my throat for my own self interest (which everyone has), going so far as to mock me (quintens thread, anyone?) and try to compare me to the guy who bought every villain from a toy line our town has seen, when I bought less than 25% of new items in a store that has gotten its first new MU product since March.

Hey, it's cool, man. Calm down. I can see how you'd be upset. I had a trade up earlier where I offered the 3.75" Mandarin MOC and 3.75" Ultimate Iron Man MOC (two highly rare, highly sought after figures that are now out of print and barely made it to the shelves even when they were in print) in exchange for a "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Bam Bam Bigelow figure. Both of which are still available in stores in good supply in the US, however not available here in Canada.

Ultimate Iron Man is available for pre-order from BBTS for $11.99 and Mandarin sells for at times $30 out of package, these are both sealed in original packaging. I won't name names, but I was called a scam artist and sent links to RSC and other rip-off sites who sell Macho Man for $19.99. I -know- that these two figures are still sold at TRUs and Targets all over the US for $14.99 to $15.99. If I was quicker, I could've bought them from Mattel's online shop, but I missed out. I was told that Mandarin was "only a $7 toy". That's just over half of what I would've paid at retail in Canada (and I didn't, btw, I had to get this online, just like most people, and it was just under $30 which I thought was a steal for MOC).

I didn't even want to trade these, by the way. They're from my own collection. I really wanted the two WWE figures though and I figured I could help out some Arkers with some hard to find figures at super low prices in the process but in the end, I got slapped in the face for it. Thankfully a super generous Arker who already had both Mandarin and Ultimate Iron Man offered to pick the WWE figures up for me at cost plus shipping. My point is, not everyone on here is a jerk and quinten182 is a cool guy, this is probably just a minor disagreement. It'd be a shame if you let this one bad experience keep you from trading on here.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artist77

But whatever, I'm getting tired of this whole thing. Getting to the point where it's not worth my energy to type.

Guys, guys, relax. Look, let's just say all three of us are Dirty Fat Scalpers, okay? We can start our own "gang" and have T-Shirts that say DFS. You two(Artist77 and Coolsux) will beat up Tiberius and quinten182 in the ring with chairs and I'll come running down to the rescue. I'll make the ultimate heel turn by betraying Tiberius and legdropping him in middle of the ring and then spray painting DFS on his back.

We'll have a surprise new member every Monday Night by having one Arker rip off another Arker with an inflated price and the item will arrive damaged and spray painted with our insignia. Then I'll cut a series of black and white promos playing air guitar on the SDCC Sentinel Box which we've also spray painted DFS with Voodoo Child playing in the background.

I think this will be a great bonding exercise for us all.

[Artist77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thechris

Hey, it's cool, man. Calm down. I can see how you'd be upset. I had a trade up earlier where I offered the 3.75" Mandarin MOC and 3.75" Ultimate Iron Man MOC (two highly rare, highly sought after figures that are now out of print and barely made it to the shelves even when they were in print) in exchange for a "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Bam Bam Bigelow figure. Both of which are still available in stores in good supply in the US, however not available here in Canada.

Ultimate Iron Man is available for pre-order from BBTS for $11.99 and Mandarin sells for at times $30 out of package, these are both sealed in original packaging. I won't name names, but I was called a scam artist and sent links to RSC and other rip-off sites who sell Macho Man for $19.99. I -know- that these two figures are still sold at TRUs and Targets all over the US for $14.99 to $15.99. If I was quicker, I could've bought them from Mattel's online shop, but I missed out. I was told that Mandarin was "only a $7 toy". That's just over half of what I would've paid at retail in Canada (and I didn't, btw, I had to get this online, just like most people, and it was just under $30 which I thought was a steal for MOC).

I didn't even want to trade these, by the way. They're from my own collection. I really wanted the two WWE figures though and I figured I could help out some Arkers with some hard to find figures at super low prices in the process but in the end, I got slapped in the face for it. Thankfully a super generous Arker who already had both Mandarin and Ultimate Iron Man offered to pick the WWE figures up for me at cost plus shipping. My point is, not everyone on here is a jerk and quinten182 is a cool guy, this is probably just a minor disagreement. It'd be a shame if you let this one bad experience keep you from trading on here.

No, good points. And I promise, I'm not over here jumping up and down screaming or anything, but I don't like it when someone, who despite my attempts to rectify a situation, uses me as an example of negative actions, then turns around and says they don;t understand anger. It's just, guh... Whatever.

Are you still looking for those figures though? I know a Wal-Mart the town south of us has Bam Bam and our K-Mart has Macho. If you need them, I can get them to you,at cost (free shipping), if you don't mind me waiting until payday (hello excess Pell grant money). I already have Mandarin and Ultimate IM.

[Artist77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thechris

Guys, guys, relax. Look, let's just say all three of us are Dirty Fat Scalpers, okay? We can start our own "gang" and have T-Shirts that say DFS. You two(Artist77 and Coolsux) will beat up Tiberius and quinten182 in the ring with chairs and I'll come running down to the rescue. I'll make the ultimate heel turn by betraying Tiberius and legdropping him in middle of the ring and then spray painting DFS on his back.

We'll have a surprise new member every Monday Night by having one Arker rip off another Arker with an inflated price and the item will arrive damaged and spray painted with our insignia. Then I'll cut a series of black and white promos playing air guitar on the SDCC Sentinel Box which we've also spray painted FDS with Voodoo Child playing in the background.

I think this will be a great bonding exercise for us all.

What you're describing caused a riot. Over WRASSLIN.

God I miss good WCW.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artist77

Are you still looking for those figures though? I know a Wal-Mart the town south of us has Bam Bam and our K-Mart has Macho. If you need them, I can get them to you,at cost (free shipping), if you don't mind me waiting until payday (hello excess Pell grant money). I already have Mandarin and Ultimate IM.

I may have to take you up on that offer if my other benefactor isn't able to procure the assets.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artist77

What you're describing caused a riot. Over WRASSLIN.

God I miss good WCW.

Wrasslin? WCW? What are you talking about? That came out of my own head... Although now that I've googled this "WCW", I see that it had a storyline that was eerily similar to what I had said. Haha, okay, I'll stop being a jackass now.

[CookSux]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artist77

It was $20 bucks to people here on the Ark. I was TRYING to sell one at $20, not $30, I BOUGHT ONE AT $30, as added a mock up I thought was fair (seeing how, last time I checked, they were going for avg. $35 shipped before I rechecked) to get a little back since I'm also paying my house bills, cell phone bills, internet bills, electricity bills, food, gas, cable and covering my girlfriend, so yeah, if I want to try to make a few bucks to try and even it out, that's my prerogative, and if you don't like that coupled with my story about the scalper, fine, but don't try and use my story as some example of great hypocrisy. Scalper had 11 goddamn HTF figures, I bought 2 Colored Stranges, a Skaar and a Scarlet Spider and a Falcon for myself, and I gave a Skaar to the kid next door who likes Hulk. I left no less than 6 of each there, so if you want to come to Ames, IA, to the Target on Duff Avenue and buy some figures for cost, then please be my guest. Otherwise, again, don't pick up some torch and fling it in my direction just because I tried to take care of myself (which we ALL do) while trying to be reasonable; thus the massive mark down on the figures I ended up selling to two Arkers. I sold a Strange for 15, and a VARIANT Skaar and another Strange for 27- after cost of figures, ($25), gas (say, 2 bucks, so $27), shipping materials (3 bucks for boxes at PO, so $30) and shipping ($8 more, so $38), I made $4 out of the deal. That's easily less than minimum wage, heck, that's probably less than what I have in all my couch cushions.

So, ignoring how you're defending yourself and your prices the exact way I came to mine (going off ebay, where the avg sold Strange is $26.50 before shipping, btw), and ignoring the fact that you didn't even acknowledge my lowering my prices after people pointed out the dropping prices, I'll rest my rant with this;

I tried to sell a few items to fellow collectors at mark up, yes, but less than the avg price on eBay, and I did so here first so that you all would have a chance.

So forget coming to this forum with finds to try and help people finish their collections at WHAT I BELIEVE to be reasonable prices, since hypocrites will just jump down my throat for my own self interest (which everyone has), going so far as to mock me (quintens thread, anyone?) and try to compare me to the guy who bought every villain from a toy line our town has seen, when I bought less than 25% of new items in a store that has gotten its first new MU product since March.

I know you're not, in your view, trying to jump down my throat, but I can't help but feel attacked here. I over-priced something, sure, that I sold while telling a story about someone far worse than I, but I changed my price accordingly when people pointed out my mistake. But are you honestly telling me that what I did is as bad as the Troll?

1) I have no problem with you pricing your stuff the way you do. All that stuff is valued however much you want to value it. You can sell a rock for 100 bucks for all I care.
2) I also never said that you were as bad or even as close to being bad as a scalper. I never accused you of being one.
3) All I said was, as great as the story is of 'sticking it to the scalper' you shouldn't then go around and do something very similar. Which you have rectified by your defense.
4) About my prices - Here's a question. You have a MIB Fort Max and someone asks you for a price. You've never put it up for sale before so you don't know what it costs. Are you going to sell it to him for 80 or whatever it cost brand new back 20 years ago? No, you gauge it on completed ebay auctions or other research. The toys omega asked me about are about 10 years old, and my prices are going off completed auctions... actually cheaper then completed auctions. I also am losing money on what I paid for some of them. As much as I'd like to make money off fellow collectors, I don't really care about a few extra bucks... I do care about losing money when I shouldn't. I have a bunch of current toys that are currently out right now (even wave 14) but I'm not selling them for profit. Just putting it up for trade wares.

You didn't have to lower your prices, and no one would have said anything otherwise. Like I said, you could have even charged 40 bucks for them. I just tend to come off as being very honest when it comes to what is on my mind and I don't intend to ruffle feathers, but I'm also not going to sugar coat anything. So when I saw you coming here and blasting a rude scalper, and even a bad store employee I didn't think it was very appropriate when you were then selling the same product for a significant markup (just cause you made the mistake of buying same item).

These tales, as relatable as they are, don't make you our Robin Hood is all. If you're going to do a service for the fans, then be consistant is all I'm saying, and you have been. I just thought that the store employee, as much of a dildo they were, was just doing their job. Not in the best way, but whatever. Let it go. At the end of the day these are just toys.

And if I'm coming off as just bashing you Al, I don't mean to. It's more to retaliate against omega; who I'm sure is a great guy. If I paid 100 for a toy, why should I sell it to someone for anything less... especially when I'm not desperate for the money or desperate to sell it off? He didn't even send a reply after I sent a quote, which I would have gladly negotiated.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CookSux

And if I'm coming off as just bashing you Al, I don't mean to. It's more to retaliate against omega; who I'm sure is a great guy. If I paid 100 for a toy, why should I sell it to someone for anything less... especially when I'm not desperate for the money or desperate to sell it off? He didn't even send a reply after I sent a quote, which I would have gladly negotiated.

That's it, I was originally going to let you be the Scott Hall of our group, but now you only get the choice of Syxx or Vincent although that still beats being in the Toyark equivelant of WCW's Dungeon of Doom... DFS 4 Life. 2 Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

[omega145]

@cooksux, out of line calling me an idiot. You don't know me at all and I guarantee if we were face to face you wouldn't be calling me that.

Not bitter at all bud and thanks to those that I've dealt with many times on here that know me a little more than this guy and have nothing but good things to say about me.

Not going to go back and forth on this same issue but don't call out someone for making 3 bucks on a figure when your charging ABOVE eBay prices as I also did my research. Most of us around here hook each other up. You have the freedom to charge whatever you want just like anyone else but don't go posting here about someone being a scalper when your rarely on here and charging mostly high prices as it is. If your going to make comments like this then please stick to tfw as we don't need that kind of crap over here.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omega145

@cooksux, out of line calling me an idiot. You don't know me at all and I guarantee if we were face to face you wouldn't be calling me that.

omega145 addin' some o' dat Youtube flava and cuttin' a promo of his own. This is gonna be one helluva Pay Per View, folks!

[miketime]

I think at this point I would rather talk about mid to late 90's Wrestling. BTW, I call Big Sexy cause I don't sweat the small stuff. Don't turn your back on the Wolfpack.

[Optimus Vader]

This thread is awesome.

[Tiberius]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thechris

Unfortunately, for me, there's a hierarchy. LOL. Whether it's right or wrong, most people will make sure that their own family is fed before they help others. Just off the top of my head, I'd probably hold say Tiberius, Colder Soldier, Jason Abbadon, quinten or ludovicotek, etc. at a higher priority to leaving a Shocker figure on the hook to the chance that someone decent who I will never meet is going to get it instead.

I'd never be able to get half of the stuff that I have just because I lived in Canada if I didn't know anyone in America. It's not like I don't help newbies out, anyway, but people who I've traded with for a long time or that I get along with get top priority. It's how I roll, dawg.

The sad thing is, because we live in Canada, if we sell for cost+shipping it turns out to be 16-17 dollars [11 dollar figure with taxes, and 5 dollars to ship with Canada post]. That is one of the main reasons I don't mark up, because I have to ask that much just to end up even.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiberius

The sad thing is, because we live in Canada, if we sell for cost+shipping it turns out to be 16-17 dollars [11 dollar figure with taxes, and 5 dollars to ship with Canada post]. That is one of the main reasons I don't mark up, because I have to ask that much just to end up even.

Oh how right you are, Tiberius. And I'm sure you also understand when I have to say, "WHO'S NEXT??" Aaaagghghgh!!! *starts snarling and punching himself in the head as pyros go off in the background in unison with loud drumbeats* Yeah, it's already marked up the moment it made it's way into Canada now give me some Mexicans to spear and Jackhammer in 30 seconds.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thechris

Oh how right you are, Tiberius. And I'm sure you also understand when I have to say, "WHO'S NEXT??" Aaaagghghgh!!! *starts snarling and punching himself in the head as pyros go off in the background in unison with loud drumbeats* Yeah, it's already marked up the moment it made it's way into Canada now give me some Mexicans to spear and Jackhammer in 30 seconds.

Hmmm, I'd tell you that last part was about wrestling but somehow I don't think that would've made it seem any less innuendo.

[MarvelTF918]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Optimus Vader

This thread is awesome.

Youre tellin me.

[CookSux]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omega145

@cooksux, out of line calling me an idiot. You don't know me at all and I guarantee if we were face to face you wouldn't be calling me that.

Not bitter at all bud and thanks to those that I've dealt with many times on here that know me a little more than this guy and have nothing but good things to say about me.

Not going to go back and forth on this same issue but don't call out someone for making 3 bucks on a figure when your charging ABOVE eBay prices as I also did my research. Most of us around here hook each other up. You have the freedom to charge whatever you want just like anyone else but don't go posting here about someone being a scalper when your rarely on here and charging mostly high prices as it is. If your going to make comments like this then please stick to tfw as we don't need that kind of crap over here.

1) I apologize for saying that you're an idiot, but that was just on the context of our conversaion. I did later say that I'm sure you're a great guy and all. And we don't need to have internet fisticuffs... so you don't need to extend your digital pectorals.

2) I'm not charging above anything
-Blanka - Sold for 80 I put up 70
-Sagat - Sold for 30
-Vega - Sold for 65

And like I mentioned before... what about the MLs that I charged less than regular ebay rates? I said that I never had a price for these, but I paid very similar costs to what I'm selling them for. I never got to buy them at retail. So my "markup" is actually not a markup at all. I'm losing money on Balrog which I bought for 50 myself. Plus these haven't been on store shelves for years. Plus you could have easily told me a different price, which you didn't. I'm glad you can be patient and all... but I never went to you asking if you wanted my stuff. You came to me.

20 bucks on a 7 dollar figure is not 3 dollars profit. And like I said, I don't care about how anyone does business. It's their business. I just said that I found this story to be a bit out of taste is all. It's obviously gotten way out of control at this point.

[MarvelTF918]

It seems like everything has been settled between two good ol' Arkers.

[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarvelTF918

It seems like everything has been settled between two good ol' Arkers.

And they say violence (in this case, pro-wrestling) doesn't solve anything. We sure showed them.