STOP THE MONSTER HIGH SCALPING!!! (discussion)

[Repulsive333]

hehehe yeah... they definitely don't... companies only care about getting their money for it... after that it isn't their business...

But i am glad that you care! <3

We need more people to take note of this and PROTEST THE ARENA SCALPERS!!!
DO NOT BUY from people on the Arena that are selling the dolls $40-100 a piece...
I am trying to start a positive movement in this community.
The people here need to be taken care of, not taken advantage of.

You are all like a family to me and i hope you all feel the same way about me.

[Echo_Shell]

While I sympathize, having been on the receiving end of many scalping rip offs and disappointments in my own collecting, the only way to solve this problem would be a fundamental change in human nature.  Boycotting scalpers is fine and all, but there are plenty more where you came from and while it may drive down the prices just a bit, it will not eliminate the problem.  Eventually, these things tend to correct themselves if we're just patient enough.  Scalpers flood the market and drive their own prices down.  Stock becomes more available in stores as was the case last year with monster high.  Wait until things calm down and the prices will stabilize.  If there's one you must have, get it, but do so knowing what you're likely sacrificing in the process.  I won't be paying $40 for my Cynder (skylanders figure), but I might pay $20 because its an important figure to me - and I may regret it later when I find the same item at stores a few days later (as happened with every Transformer I've ever purchased that way). 

Better to approach these things with a cool head and not rage over how unfair it is - because it is going to be unfair.  There's nothing to be done about it.

[picklepud]

I fully support the none scalping or better put over charging on the forum.
Yes offering a doll to fellow collectors on here at maybe $2- $4 extra is fine, but not putting things on here for sale at double or triple the retail.

I have supplied quite a few members on here with MH dolls.
Especially when Abbey and Spectra frist came out and were only here in the UK.
I even have Operetta and Nefera on order for some members at the moment.
 
I would never dream of asking more than what I paid, and that includes postage both ways.

But ebay is totally different.
If I am selling something on ebay, then that should not be reflected on the forum.

We will never be able to stop the people who go into a store and buy all the dolls just to put them on ebay.
That is extremely low in my book.

[LuvlyMelody]

*HATES Scalpers with a passion*

I also agree that limiting purchases to people is a little extreme. Store owners don't really care what they do with the product, as long as it brings in the money to the store, it won't matter if its from scalpers or not. It's bad enough that some people would go grab them all and go to ebay and amazon sell them 200x overpriced but as long as stores get their shipments and as long as scalpers do their homework and know the schedule and beats everyone to the punch, there's nothing we can do about it and that's the cold hard truth and its the truth that I HATE so much.

This is a community where we can all share our passion, passion for ponies (Or dolls in this case) we all try to be courteous and lend a helping hand and hook ups when it comes to getting collectibles. Such as buying something for anyone who doesn't have access or is having trouble getting it in their area, buying it for them retail price, ask them to pay what you paid as well as shipping (Because mail isn't going ship it for free). Because all it really is (in my eyes), is doing a good deed and helping someone out. But if you want to buy several to sell to any looking arena member and try to make some profit from it, maybe adding a $5 extra fee for your time and effort would be enough.

All I'm saying is if you're going to buy a lot of the wanted dolls some people here are asking for and you're gonna try to overcharge it WAY more than it needs to be (Like $50+ for a $18-$20 doll), you may as well go to ebay.

Amen!  I think it's a bit harsh when the over pricing happens in the forums.  I understand free market and all, but when you interact with the people you're trying to overcharge it becomes a bit weird.  At least on eBay, the sellers are somewhat anonymous and you don't feel awkward about hating on them, lol.

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This.

[Teagan_Louise]

I had seen this with Abbey and Spectra, when she first came out, people were selling them for well over $100, some even reaching the $200's. I am lucky and managed to snag her for $35 over eBay, but its ridiculous..And now its happening with Nefera.

[Novavelle]

well I know that for me, finding Cupid was a PITA, I drove 80 miles to pick ONE up for a fellow collector who I gave to them at cost... but I ended up buying the rest at the store... and I asked for gas in my price because it cost me $30 in gas just to get the dolls, not including the price of the dolls and tax (she was almost $24 just with tax) plus paypal takes fees as well so for it to have even been worth my while I had to sell them for a mark up... just to get back what I put in.

but it does bother me that people are selling a doll they got for $12.97 for $50+ on ebay....

I've done my very best to sell any doll I come across at cost (what I paid for it, with tax) but it's not always easy... I know I won't be going out of my way again, if it's not something I come across in my town, I wont bother cause it was too much to drive all that way and then have a hard time finding them all homes. But I still don't mind looking for other collectors.

(and the person I bought her for told me not to go out of my way, I wanted to do it for them as a gesture of kindness, and I also managed to find ponies in the process, so it was a nice bonus )

[tehrin]

I think it's okay to charge extra for say, gas and what have you, epsecially if you're running around trying to obtain them for others.  But yeah, I've seen some scalping going on here and there on these forums and other such places.

I think that if someone really wants to make a good amount of extra money on it, do what everyone else does and keep it MIB for a few years until they're unavailable, then sell at those higher prices.

[Tyler]

Tyler- Making money off fellow collectors is wrong, especially when the money being made is from scalping.

I know but it happens to most things that people collect
Yu-Gi-Oh,Pokemon,Ponys

[Repulsive333]

Luvlymelody & Tehrin- I totally agree. I just found 2 Neferas for $25 and i am selling them for $30 because of gas money, paypal fees and my time... But i am not trying to take advantage of people or anything like that.

[Puzzle]

I agree that the best way to try and "fight" scalping is for collectors to simply not pay the price. But it is collectors they're aiming their purchases at - in any collector's realm, be it dolls, ponies, figurines, Pokemon, etc.

The fewer collectors buying, the fewer sales, the less likely they'll try buying up the product again. At least, so I hope, lol. It can be hard to be patient, but being patient and hunting, I find, is part of the fun of being a collector. Forking out $50, if I don't have to do so, isn't

There is an under-aged scalper on another forum, at the moment, with an Operetta. It's always sad to see them start so young =/

I don't mind paying a little more to cover gas, etc. That's totally fine by me. But a mark up of over $20? $30? No.

[Ravie]

While i am against scalping in general i just need to say something about paypal fees. You are not supposed to charge them. Its against the paypal tos and frankly i don't buy something when the seller tries to charge me for them. I don't mind shipping prices, i wouldn't even object for a gas price precentage (btw id never ask anyone to goo out of their way for me anyway) but asking me to pay pp fees or asking me to pay gift (though

Post Merge: January 24, 2012, 12:50:23 AM

Sorry to dbl post. My kindle keyboard wont come up in the modify screen. Please do merge. It entered acccidrntally before i finished my thought.

As i was going to say. I will occassionally pay as a gift if I'm familiar enough with the person I'm dealing with and the price is less than $25 or so

[Majesty]

It is unfair for people to do that.  Perhaps this is why I have never seen Abbey in stores, people are buying all of her and selling her on ebay or something.

I am shocked though that even arena members have done it.

[cobalte]

Scalpers are the bane of my existence. Every time I go to Ebay, rage ensues. I have even thought about giving up on collecting all together because of not being able to find the dolls.v Mattel's poor distribution plus the scalpers is ridiculous.

I would never pay 30+ bucks for a doll that is supposed to be out on shelves.

In some countries, a single signature doll is retail $30 though... 
I understand what you mean by the more extreme mark-ups though.

[NoDivision]

Am I the only one who honestly doesn't care? People can charge what they want for dolls - if you don't like it, don't pay it. If it's a case like some of you have said that eventually the doll will become more available and cheaper, then just wait for it to become cheaper. But there's no reason for us to attack and berate fellow forum members for charging the price they want to charge.

[Monsterelli]

Just because we all agree that we want to be patient and wait to get the doll for retail, doesn't mean we can't be sad or frustrated by it and want to talk about it. Not to mention, a lot of us have to wait months for dolls. It can become frustrating and I don't think we should not be allowed to, or made to feel bad about voicing our opinions and thoughts on it.

Plus if we talk about it, those who do not know why things are priced the way they are can understand. I've been asked twice this week why the prices are so high and if thats normal or if the dolls are limited edition. (People are posting these dolls as LE on their sales and they are not.)
I've read about quite a few people buying them for high prices because they don't know any better. They don't realize that the price, over time, will drop. They think that paying $50 or whatever the price, is their only option.

If people want to price things for high prices.. fine. If people want to buy them for high prices.. fine. But it should also be fine for us to talk about it.

Although I don't think any member has been attacked in this thread, I will say that I think we should not do so and try to remain as respectful as possible, no matter how hurt/frustrated we may be.