2 stories about Marvel Universe collecting!
 

Story 1-

Went to Target a week ago, and asked a kind kid working there if they had any more MU in the back. He checked, said yeah, but he had to check with a manager. This lady comes, she talks with him, turns to me and says-

"Pfft, no."

"Excuse me?" is my only response.

"These are collector items," she explains. "And we don't sell them early."

So I point out to this LOVELY woman how A) it's not early, there is no street date, B) they have plenty room on the shelf, C) the Target remod was scheduled for July 24th (it was Aug 2nd, I think), D) I'm a customer, and I'm asking for help. Whether I collect them or not, I am merely trying to make a purchase.

Now, I was extremely polite and sweet with my logic, all smiles and candy tone. But it doesn't matter to her.

"it's policy," she says angrily. "We can't have people coming here and taking everything from the back, it isn't fair, just so they can sell it on eBay."

She has a point (I sell stuff here, but still a point), but, nonetheless, I am a customer at that moment.

"Fine," I say. "I'll check Wal-Mart next door and see if they have any. And if not, I'll go on eBay and pay $30 a figure to scalpers, because people like you don't want to help a customer who literally comes here every day looking for these items," which I did (eBay, ugh) and do (every day after work), "And if you want to talk about fair, miss, then what do I get from the fair exchange of coming here and trying to give you people my money, when you don't have what I want. This is a breakdown of commerce," and then I proceeded to show her how lacking her toy department was, pointing out how many months every action figure series was at that time. "Three months behind, 8 months behind, 6 months, probably over a year here. You don't have what I want on shelves, so how can I give you my money if you can't even look in the back to see if you have what I need?"

She grunted, relented, and brought out their stock. It was old, and I actually had everything, but I bought a Cable and Apocalypse and an Iron Man 2020 just so it was worth the time of the young kid who originally was helping me.

As I'm leaving, she says to me "By the way, you catch more honey with sugar."

"True, but you weren't being a fly, you were being a (expletive). And you wouldn't of had anything to catch if I hadn't asked."

Now, maybe this was rude of me, but this lady was so demeaning (I'm honestly leaving out some of the ruder things she said to me during our argument because I cannot recall her exact wording, and it was... unpleasant), but perhaps you all can enjoy the tale.

Story 2-

I went to target tonight to return a broken Spider-Man figure (the wrist joint broke), and I see, rushing before me in line, a guy with 7 Crossbones figures and 4 Red Skulls, including a variant. I'm thinking "Eff this guy, he's totally a scalper who didn't get what he wanted off eBay, so here he is, trying to get his money back..." when it hits me, 'Hey, I should check for new figures first.'

Boy, am I glad I did. Got 2 colored Dr. Stranges, 2 Skaars, 2 Falcons, a Scarlet Spider and a Dr. Doom (most of which I plan on selling here on the ark to recoup my spending cash on a scalped Strange on eBay). Grabbed them, walked back to cust service, where the guy was still waiting in line. He goes up, gets his money back (as I figured) and turns around, only to see my haul, in hand.

He steps back and waits for me to go up there, and I cannot believe how picture perfect for a scalper the guy is. Balding with his remaining hair pulled back in a pony tail, very over-weight with a too tight grey shirt from CM Punk, round rim glasses and flop sweat. As soon as I buy the figures, he asks how much I'd like for them. I tell him $30 for the Dr. Stranges a piece, and he gets upset.

"That's, like, 3 times how much they cost."

To which, I respond, "Actually, it's 410% what it costs. And, I'm sorry, was there a reason other than eBay you just returned 11 Crossbones and Red Skulls?"

He got mad, stepped closer and asked how was I any better than him. I could have pointed out I have hair and my own house with my g/f and not my mom, but I just smiled and said "I'm selling these to collectors at a reasonable, negotiable price as I've already paid scalpers for these, and I figured, what they hey, share the luck."

He didn't seem to understand my point, and left.

Take that, you fat smelly sweaty scalpers!!!

Story 2 is classic! I would love to tell a scalper off!

The way you described that he was fat and stank and balding makes the story even better. LOL. :)

:) epic

epic story homie, story 1 is very relatible, I often call my mass retail chains before hunting as I don't have a car so it saves on taxi's and walking if I know what's at each place, 95% of the time it's some kid who's 2 stoned to give a fuck, example called Walmart, yes do you have any Thor figures in... answer nope none, went down, 9 pegs worth, week later any Captain America figures? nope? ok... went out giant end isle of them. Then I get some mangers who say we don't carry this or not sure when it'll be in, for fuck sakes you have computers for a reason to check stock and availability. It's like common ppl 2 mins of effort can mean the difference in making a sale vs not making a sale. I know you rarely see issues like that with comic/specialty stores because they want to make $$ and 2 they're usually fellow collectors as well.

2nd story is just classic, stick it to the man type deal, and glad thing u did check if not he would of walked out with all them. What would u want for a dr strange figure?

Awesome story 2! F scalpers. There's about 4 targets in my area always getting rapped by these guys.

story 1: when i worked at target unless you saw a kid asking then it wasn't coming out, ESPECIALLY if the guy said anything about street dates or dcpi numbers. the store i worked at was a high volume store so it got a lot of product quicker than most so it was/is scalper central. to be fair we restocked the aisle 4 times aday.
story 2: awesome.

Here's one:
I'm at Target back during the Thanos wave and there's jack- I'm seriously thinkning of buying one on amazon for $25 (plus the $7.50 hosing in shipping, of course).
this guy comes down the asile and looks at the MU figures and we get to talking- he's cool and even makes customs.
He tells me that sunday nights Target restocks and every monday morning scalpers hit that store.

Buh.

So I start going there first thing Monday mornings- the very next week I score a Thanos and an extra Union Jack which I was gong to do some custom with...and that same guy shows up, looks at my Union Jack and say "Man, that's the one I was looking for!"
So I give the guy that fig to buy and he's happy, I'm happy and I see that guy all over now and we're cool.

And now I hit target on Monday mornings- beating scalpers most times- recently buying two color Doc Stranges, a Skarr, a Scarlett Spider and two Falcons- hooking up two Arkers and completing my collection (for now).

Pays to be cool and it's odd to consider but I outscalped the scalpers!

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.

Your kind of a hypocrite posting this and then asking the high prices on your stuff for sale.

His prices aren't that high - but the shipping sure is! But to be fair, he is pointing out not the hypocrisy or challenges in his life, but in yours (I guess he missed the whole "Take out the plank in your own eye before removing the splinter in someone else's"). And remember as well, just about in anything you do - from brushing your teeth to driving your car - someone can find issue if they really are looking for it.

Charging $15 shipped for a figure isnt that outrageous. Cost+tax+shipping is almost 12 bucks and if you wanted to calculate gas then thats easily 15 bucks if not more.
But then tell me pricing for these is as follows and call out someone for charging 15 bucks on something? Not cool
Balrog - 40
Sagat - 35
M. Bison - 80 (missing cape)
Blanka - 70
Vega - 65
And thats before shipping....dont come crap in someones thread when you can be blamed for doing the same.

the hate is strong in this thread

not everybody who lives with their mother is a scalper. Economy is hard on everybody.

All pricing and that bitch mgr at Target aside. I'm glad someone at least brought it up. You are talking about scaplers clearing out product before you get there and then when you come accross product you are buying twice as much as you need all in the guise of helping out fellow collectors. I will pick up an extra fig here and there if I know I can get a good trade for it or if I know a friend wants it. But you are doing exactly what the scalpers are doing.

I did enjoy you saying what the other guy was returning. It made me laugh. Especially when he asked to buy the toys you just purchased. But the next time you come accross new figs you don't need just leave them for the next guy. It's weird, If you said all the figs were for you I don't think any one would have a prob. With poor circulation of the MU line, collectors are just on edge to find these new waves. I my self will not pay over retail. I have been using those $5 off hasbro coupons every time I get one. That's how I've been off setting my costs.

I'm not trying to attck or accuse just explane why people might feel this way.

Staff Edit - Coupons removed for validity concerns.

where did you get those coupons?

This!!!

It was from a coupon thread on some board I signed up to. I get email notifications when people post. One day this appeared. Still have 4 months left to use them. Been using them for months. Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing those.

I'd have to slightly agree with miketime. I posted in your other "Finally!" thread with links to colored Dr. Strange on ebay that are all cheaper than what you wanted to sell them to fellow arkers for. I'd have been pretty sad showing up at that target as a fellow collector/arker myself and seeing you walk out with double of them all and me getting 0 of even 1. :(

I have to chime in as well. I went to a target recently and saw the Dr Strange wave. I only bought Dr Doom and Scarlet Spider as I didnt have them. I decided to leave the others for others. Others do deserve a good chance.
The one time I really bought something for sombody on a forum was I happened upon 3 GIJoe Skystrikers at Target. I bought one, leaving the other 2. I then sold the skystriker on hisstank, but I sold it for retail price, plus shipping. Cause I knew how hard it was for people to find it. sold it to a chap in Wyoming who lived over an hour away from a target. My good deed for the day.
While your first story was great, I hate to say it, your second story was a bit hypocritical.

[QUOTE=miketime;144727]All pricing and that bitch mgr at Target aside. I'm glad someone at least brought it up. You are talking about scaplers clearing out product before you get there and then when you come accross product you are buying twice as much as you need all in the guise of helping out fellow collectors. I will pick up an extra fig here and there if I know I can get a good trade for it or if I know a friend wants it. But you are doing exactly what the scalpers are doing.

I did enjoy you saying what the other guy was returning. It made me laugh. Especially when he asked to buy the toys you just purchased. But the next time you come accross new figs you don't need just leave them for the next guy. It's weird, If you said all the figs were for you I don't think any one would have a prob. With poor circulation of the MU line, collectors are just on edge to find these new waves. I my self will not pay over retail. I have been using those $5 off hasbro coupons every time I get one. That's how I've been off setting my costs.

I'm not trying to attck or accuse just explane why people might feel this way.

Staff Edit - Coupons removed for validity concerns.

That's some fair points. Allow me a rebuttal?

A. Didn't realize those "prices" were no longer considered reasonable. Haven't exactly seen prices on ebay since, you know, I now have everything. Not really a priority, so I'll be changing them.

B. Do I hate scalpers? Sure, but my issue is that they buy everything there, leaving nothing for others.

I left at least 6 of everything there.

C. Someone said economy is bad? It is. I literally just moved to a house that I'm paying for, as well as my college and living expenses for me and my girlfriend. I apologize if trying to find a way to support a hobby for me and my girlfriend seems hypocritical, but $30 on avg per figure because nothing, save this ONE influx, gets here.

If you've ever seen one of my rants, I don;t get anything. MY toy runs include over 8 cities/towns, last my entire day off, and I have never seen at retail any Dark Hawkeye wave, no Sentinel or Galactus, NO new GI Joes and most other collectibles. If trying to recoup some of that cost so that I can stay in this game is considered unacceptably hypocritical, then I apologize for angering you. And to play advocate, I have no idea if said scalper was in the same boat, but at the very least, I was TRYING for fair prices.

Here-

Colored Dr Strange- $15 shipped, Skaar and Falcon $12 shipped. To whoever PMs first. Are those fair prices?

Fair deal?

Like I said above, please note, I left 8 pegs filled with MU goodness for everyone else, and have lowered my asking price. I thought I wasn't asking a lot, comparatively, but now I've looked- cheaper than anything Buy It Now on eBay, and pays for cost of figure, shipping and gas to the store I purchased them from.

I pm'd you earlier this morning.