E-bay greed

[olifant]

In the past we have talked about e-bay greed on rare items and I have always been of the opinion that capitalism is the way to go. I have noticed that the huge bidding wars on the FOV 1/18 is slowing down; most of the figures have only reasonable bids on them. My guess in the future is some of these guys are going to get stuck with tons of figures that they can't unload!

Check this one out though:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Forces-Of-Valor-1-1 ... dZViewItem

This is a 300% markup on a buy it now price, which seems a little excessive. It is one thing to let the bidding go as it may but this seems a little too opportunistic even for me! I hope these gather dust in the back of his closet!

[MG-42]

* I agree but that's the way evilBay and evilBay'ers keep the snow-ball ROLLING !!!


Mitch v MG

[General Blasto]

Also, it wouldn't be so IF Targets all over the country would stock these new FOV figures And that's coming from someone who's been bleeding for them I know that some members have offered to help, and that's nice But it takes quite a few figures to make a Division, or a company. My big beef is with Target Corp. in the SE part of the country. I should get a real answer when I call again today(person to talk to left the office early(typical for most yuppies) on Friday when I called). But it doesn't seem fair if what I was told from a store manager, who's reset their toy dept w/o the new FOV figures saying that there will be no new changes, additions, etc. until fall and that comes down from their regional corp. office Yes, I'm going to get what I can because as soon as fall comes and the new figures would be stocked down here in the SE, they'll be long gone. Sold out thru the rest of the country or discontinued by Target I've had this happen with other items thru Target and other stores over the years. Been there, had it happen more than once. Da General

[ostketten]

I doubt he will get anywhere near $180 for these, but stranger things have happened on ebay as we well know. It will be interesting to see how it plays out though.

[thehun]

Blasto,
We don't get Nothing way down here in the South, If we don't get it on E-bay ---We just don't get--
TheHun
AkA (Thewoofer)

[1958Zelda]

This thread is titled EBAY GREED,I do not worry about what others chose to buy or sell,or at what price, thats there chioce,I drive a large gas consuming truck,i own numerous rifles and pistols,i have a bass boat with a 200 hp motor that sucks gas and i spend tons on my hobbies,but those are my choices,most of my friends think i waste a lot of money on my chioces,some of my friends golf,i would never spend a dime on golfing,they chose to spend there money on it,and its not my place to tell them what awaste of money that is,thats my chioce,allow others to make there own chioces,thats what is so great about the U.S.,as long as its not illegal,do not worry much about others chioces

[Threetoughtrucks]

This thread should be called EBAY STUPIDITY

We all see the results of just dopey people paying outrageous sums on eBay. You know I'm am not talking about people who want something and can't find it elsewhere and we buy it on eBay for a few bucks more than list + shipping. We have all done that..... OK, some of you guys haven't but your AO is lucky enough to carry our toys and dollies in brick & mortar sites. Alot of us find zip in the same stores in our AO.

We all must do some research, whats avaliable and where.... or else we pay or do without, or wait.

This guy selling the outrageous figs should get no buyers except dopes too lazy to either wait, or do research.

An example:
A seller recently listed an Armor Hobbies "250" 1/6 German Half-track kit. It is a great item (I have two). The auction closed last week for a high bid of $400 with, I believe 15 bidders. That's great....EXCEPT that item is still being sold for the original list price of $229

Go figure. EBay stupidity.

TTT

[MG-42]

* LoL !!! *



Mitch v MG

[General Blasto]

This thread is going to get locked soon I bet.
Do I detect someone calling me stupid
Perhaps you may wish to wait, only to find out that a certain store sells out or discountinues an item(s) before it makes it to your AO. Not me, I ain't going to take that chance. There are several folks here that are helping me get figures and that's great, BUT I will need lots and LOTS of them because I build armies I've about got my fill of evil bay and have set my limits now, so some will pay more than I do. More power or whatever to them. What IS evil is that some sellers have multiple identities and will bid against you on their items. This has been proven before, so when he/she out bids you and then has the winning bid retracted, it is offered to you at your max bid. I reply to the seller that I will pay my high bid BEFORE the winning identity has bid up past my max bid. An honest seller will comply to this, a fake seller will dismiss you. That's one way to tell who is and who's not honest. My 2 cents Da General

[Threetoughtrucks]

Da Gen.....:

My comment did not have you in mind. It was meant to comment on guys paying amounts way over what the item is worth without even doing basic research as to what the item is worth........ it is agreed yhat you know what you are paying and intentionay overpay. I hadn't even remembered your "army building" habit. Your habit, more power to you. Again, don't take offense, my comment did not mean to slam you.

OT: Wonder if there are other army builders out there?

Your comment about using multiple usernames is interesting. It is possible for the same family to have multiple identies on one computer but I would think EBay could block multiple username from bidding on the same item.

TTT

[kimtheredxd]

Like I always say E-Bay is longer the place for bargains much any more.
Just have to look look and look till that gem of a deal comes along and nab it !

[VMF115]

I have a feeling the economy is driving the prices up,,,many are trying to make up some money due to higher prices thy incur for food and fuel. I suspect most of the folks selling on eBay have normal jobs and a fixed income and need a boost in profits were ever they can get them…while I am not saying it’s right inflation does effect every one, some more then others. I Don’t think we will see any more good deals on eBay, unless the yare from a large seller on eBay

[thehun]

I haven't seen any of the FOV figures in person--Are they that much better than 21st or BBI figures?. They seem to be briging top dollar
TheHun
AkA (Thewoofer)

[Forward Observer]

I have a feeling the economy is driving the prices up,,,many are trying to make up some money due to higher prices thy incur for food and fuel. I suspect most of the folks selling on eBay have normal jobs and a fixed income and need a boost in profits were ever they can get them…while I am not saying it’s right inflation does effect every one, some more then others. I Don’t think we will see any more good deals on eBay, unless the yare from a large seller on eBay

I actually think that the economy and the impending recession will have exactly the opposite effect in the long run. Look at the housing market.
Because of the amount of foreclosures and the number of houses for sale it is a buyers market and not a seller's

That is exactly what could happen with EBay activity associated with collecting. When higher prices due to fuel and inflation conflict with lower disposable income from job layoffs and cutbacks, people will stop buying models. In fact a lot of those same people will be selling their collectibles off and more than likely at a loss too.

I am already seeing it on E-bay for 1/18 models. I have seen one seller (beeninboots)have to re-list some of his items several times because there hasn't been a single bid. His prices are not totally out of the ball park, but with the holiday shopping season over, he is not routinely getting what he was just a few weeks ago.

Of the 185 or so 1/18 scale items right now on E-bay, about half have no bids at all on them. Of the 45 or so items ending in the next 12 hours a good third have no bids and another third only have 1 bid which was simply the original asking price.

This could just be due to the normal January slump that always happens after everybody has blown their budget for Christmas, but it could also just be a sign of an economy about to tank.

Sure, there are still a few willing to get into a bidding war and over pay for a rare item here and there, but that sort of thing is going to happen less and less in the days to come.

I really do think we may be in for a rough 2008---economically speaking that is.

The good thing is that if you are a collector and have the cash you may be able to benefit if it happens.

Cheers

[hotrodrock]

ebay is one of the best things to ever happen to collectors but only if you are patient. There will always be those who have to have it right now. I have no problem with that, its just not me. Took me two years to finally get a 1/18 P-38 I wanted at a price I was willing to pay. If you think high prices on ebay for military items are bad, drop in on the Hot Wheels section occasionally. A 90 cent car will sell for $10 when there are a million of them out there because those bidding are those who just can't wait to find it in store or for the price to go down farther into the year. I have gotten a lot of fantastic deals off ebay. Now its true I paid more than retail for some pieces but that is mainly because I foolishly left the item on the shelf and then decided two years later that I wanted it.

[olifant]

This is getting pretty off topic, but housing is truly scary. I work for a firm that sells residential windows, and in the last two years we have lost sales and are now running at about 50% capacity. We have had to close a few facilities and downscale severely in our others. This is not due to a failure on our part but follows the industry sales trends.

In some areas of the country we have counties with 25% of the homes in foreclosure. Nation wide inventory of homes is a six month supply. This means if no new homes were built it would be six months until all were sold...

With the advent of cheap cash and irresponsible lending I think residential housing took on an economic role inflated beyond even it's normal great importance. The guess of many very smart and wealthy people both specific to the industry or just finance in general is that we have not yet hit rock bottom and probably won't for another 12 months. Scary stuff guys, but hey, now is the time to buy your investments, XD included!

[Panzer_M]

why do the MGers get Mp40 pouches?

and the grenadiers get Mp40s without pouches.

Thier kit is fudges six ways too hell IMO.

although the figures aren't bad, nor are the weapons....the AFVs and load out of Kit for the men leave me lacking any real interest.

[Forward Observer]

Here's an example of what I was trying to point out.

Here are three items that just ended--all from the same seller.

The prices aren't terrible, and a couple of weeks ago, people were fighting over the star burst nosed Bf109, but it and another item closed out with no bids at all while the third item only had a single bid for the original asking price.

I realize that people are still paying premiums for Panthers, but don't put all your money in them just yet. I snagged one right in the middle of December for only $60 plus shipping, and I'll just bet there will be more if the economy goes belly up.

[VMF115]

What I am saying is prices will inflate then deflate on eBay the inflation of price is due to the seller trying to test the market and trying to get as much as he can. The deflation part will come when sellers realize that most folks don’t have as much deposable income to waste on eBay. and then must modify his prices.

[ostketten]

We're approaching the mid way point of the auction and he doesn't have any takers yet, which is hardly surprising in my opinion. I think it was kind of stupid to set this up as BIN only auction, it's unlikely the stuff is gonna sell at that price, and he will still have to pay his listing fee whether it sells or not.

[GIToys]

As hobbyists, we hate scalpers. And if we don't buy from them, they won't clear the shelves. Be patient is my motto (heck, I snagged the Tiger I on clearance at Target a couple of weeks ago for $21!)
--gitoys

[Liquid Identity]

Scalping is possible because there are way too many people with way too much money to throw into their hobby.

First was the Bravo Team WWII batches, and now there's the $100 and rising BBi sharkmouth Apache. The Target clearance sticker is clearly showing, too. When sellers see this, you can expect to see them scrambling to sell them off.

Where's this economic crisis America is supposed to be on the verge of? Are these international buyers or... no wait... people with way too much disposable income. Right. A fool and his money are soon parted.

It disgusts me. Without these obsessive people throwing money at the eBay sellers, we wouldn't have this problem. But it only takes one.
(Actually, I'm also partly disgusted I'm not the one making this easy money, and that I'm not one of those people who can throw money around like it was confetti.)

[vmf214]

I don't get too excited about ebay, yeah a seller with an outrageous BIN price is annoying but I laugh it off and move on. If someone buys it it's because they wanted it, pure and simple. I also can't get mad at an ebay seller because he sells a Panther for $150 when the auction started out with a price of $49.99... Just my 2 cents..

[ostketten]

I don't get too excited about ebay, yeah a seller with an outrageous BIN price is annoying but I laugh it off and move on.

I agree.... and the stuff didn't sell anyway, so there is nothing to get disgusted about. I don't know if you guys buy or sell other items on ebay, but trust me... toys and hobbies are not the only categories that see items bought and sold for what many would consider outrageous prices.... I see it all the time...an example would be a paperback book that originally sold for like $1.79 going for $100 or more, dont laugh...I've seen it with my own eyes, and it wasn't a "rare" book or anything either, but it was in demand, and that's what happens when the supply of sought after items gets scarce, I don't blame the sellers either, they're not twisting anyones arm to click the "buy" button.

[toyktdlgh]

I don't get too excited about ebay, yeah a seller with an outrageous BIN price is annoying but I laugh it off and move on.

I agree.... and the stuff didn't sell anyway, so there is nothing to get disgusted about. I don't know if you guys buy or sell other items on ebay, but trust me... toys and hobbies are not the only categories that see items bought and sold for what many would consider outrageous prices.... I see it all the time...an example would be a paperback book that originally sold for like $1.79 going for $100 or more, dont laugh...I've seen it with my own eyes, and it wasn't a "rare" book or anything either, but it was in demand, and that's what happens when the supply of sought after items gets scarce, I don't blame the sellers either, they're not twisting anyones arm to click the "buy" button.

I have to agree here. I have two classic cars both built in the 50s and my driver is a classic Supra. I’m always buying car parts on eBay. Sometimes I get a good deal but on some of the harder to find parts, like steering wheels and trim, I always pay out the A$$! I think eBay is a great resource for finding something you might otherwise never find. Collectable toys will always be picked up by scalpers who only want to resell them at high prices. Fortunately once these items trickle down through the system the prices become more and more reasonable till you can’t give them away. When it comes to the toys the best things we can do is not freak out and buy from the first person to list one on eBay. Waiting a few weeks or even a few months will definitely help. The scalpers only buy this crap and clear out the shelves when they know they have people out there willing to pay high dollar amounts for them. There are always people on this board as well that are willing to help out fellow members for much more reasonable prices.