annoyedBeing a crazy toy collector means, among other things, that I wind up acquiring and treasuring some things which are limited, and some things which are no longer available through anything but the action figure black market. It's all part of the game. And that includes the limited dolls made for the San Diego Comic Convention, or for the various Tonner Doll Conventions.
I have a point, I swear.
While I was in New York, I missed the 2011 Tonner Doll Convention, because, well, BEA. Several people on my Evangeline Ghastly Doll Collectors mailing list attended the Tonner convention, and were excited to get the convention-exclusive dolls. They started lining up at 7AM to get them. Supplies were exceedingly limited, and not everyone got a doll. There was much wailing and weeping and gnashing of teeth. And the first dolls started showing up on eBay less than twenty minutes later.
Now, these are dolls which cost $150 new. Not cheap, but understandable for a limited-edition vinyl ball-jointed doll. And they went up on eBay at $450 each. Why? Because people would pay it. The same thing is happening right now in my Monster High community. People who can't get to San Diego are ordering dolls from eBay scalpers who promise them the exclusives at three or even four times the original purchase price. (These are people who don't even have dolls yet, mind you; they're selling doll futures, the promise that they will go to the convention and somehow find a way to obtain all these toys.) It isn't limited to exclusive dolls, either. Toy scalpers regularly clear the shelves of "new and hot" toys, listing them on auction sites at two to four times original purchase price.
This bothers me. I understand supply and demand. I understand "I bought this doll and now I don't want her and I'd like to make back my purchase price," or even "I bought her and I want my purchase price plus five bucks for me standing in line." But there's something that just seems faintly scummy about going into a collector situation and buying things to resell at that kind of markup when you know there are other people in that line. Saying "I'm doing it for the people who can't be here, I have to charge extra to pay for my time and effort" doesn't really wash for me unless you're doing it at the last minute, after all the people who are there have had the opportunity to get the toys for themselves.
I wish we didn't do this sort of thing to each other. I wish we'd share, and say "I need one for me, and you need one for you, and maybe if there's some left over, I'll take an extra for selling later," instead of forcing the conventions to put tighter and tighter restrictions on people, because they feel like we just can't be trusted. Maybe they feel that way because we keep proving, over and over again, that we can't be.
And it sucks.
June 15 2011, 18:28:34 UTC 6 years ago
Some of the more limited dolls by the more popular companies go for a pretty penny brand new - but when they hit the second hand market the price skyrockets even more.
I cringe when I think of how much I've forked over for the three I've bought off the second hand market. If you don't want it because you love it - let someone else who loves the item buy it and enjoy it without having to fork over a kidney.
Very sucky indeed.
June 15 2011, 18:51:30 UTC 6 years ago
This is why I haven't moved into Asian BJDs. All the ones I would want get hit by scalpers.
June 15 2011, 19:00:49 UTC 6 years ago
I've been rather lucky a couple of times to win the lottery - aka: win the right to purchase a doll I love directly from the Japanese manufacturer.
Those who don't win - can see them up on Yahoo Japan or other places the day they're delivered for almost double their price in some cases.
I get selling something after you've had it a while and it's not right or something. But the boat buyers... not a fan.
June 16 2011, 03:05:15 UTC 6 years ago
If it's older, and especially if it's part of your treasured collection and you're selling it because you need the money more than you need your treasured collection, I will look at it more favorably than if it was just sold last week and you dashed into line ahead of several hundred disappointed people who didn't get one, bought the limit you could (whether that was one or three or whatever), maybe dragged along friends to do likewise, and then turned around and marked it up ridiculously.
Of course, I'm the one who once swapped away a meetup-exclusive BPAL imp because I didn't like the scent and someone I knew loved it. Go figure.