Ebay Auctions-You Can Do Something

[pjam]

I thought ebay allows 90 days to leave feedback, positive or negative


In any event, all good points, where these guys hurt most IMO is SDCC Exclusives, they will be on the SSC web site, like vultures, and most certainly scoop up the bulk of the limited Non-attendee stuff, that will really piss me off

 

[LOTRFan]

Once you buy a figure, it's yours to do with what you want.

However, these people haven't purchased these figures yet. Their credit cards have not been charged, and nothing is in their possession. Heck, the figure they're selling doesn't even exist yet. So they are not free to use eBay to sell it this far in advance, because eBay has specific rules forbidding these kinds of auctions. Until they pay for it, it's the property of Sideshow.

Selling something you don't own and haven't paid for in a way that violates the rules of eBay and offers no protection for the buyer should certainly be discouraged. Once it's been paid for and is in their hands, they can sell it--but they still need to sell it according to the rules of eBay.

That is certainly good in theory, but how can this be any different from a general pre-order? That was the beef a few weeks back, that some retailers were having their orders parced down, and thus not being able to fill all customer requests. It isn't just an eBay problem. Wholesalers to the best of my knowledge are also not charged until their items are en route, so are dealers also wrong for offering a pre-order?

I am personally not a fan of those whose sole motivation is to just scalp items, but I think the solutions are hard to come by. As long as such a demand exists (i.e. selling out in 30 mins), there will be scalping.

The only area where I believe that negligance does in fact exist, is in the violation of eBay's policy. That is where you can take issue, and should you feel the need, step in.

 

[pjam]

The only area where I believe that negligance does in fact exist, is in the violation of eBay's policy. That is where you can take issue, and should you feel the need, step in.

That is all anyone can really do. We nailed some eBay Seller dubbed palpatine with the help of SS last week for offering a Qui-Gon Exclusive 2 days before it was offered for sale. That was the worst case of abuse I have ever seen.

As long as the item will actually ship within the month and is not described as a pre-order Ebay probably will let it slide.

As for the rest of the pre-orders listings outside the 30 day margin, it is up to us to police these matters as Sideshow has said.

Again, where it really sucks is the SDCC non-attendee Exclusives b/c only 10% are offered to non-attendees, items are already produced and usually ship the week of SDCC so the evil scalper abuse can be rampant AND permissible.

Now that REALLY pisses me off!

 

[Lynxje]

I just wonder if people have nothing better to do then watch for auctions for pre-order items and then report them. People buy these figures, if they want to flip them, let them. It's not like anybody is forcing buyers to go out and buy them.

 

[Booyah!]

Screw scalpers and the horse they rode in on. Which they probably then sold after riding in on it.

 

[miteethor]

You people are all so very very wrong.

It's not Ebay. It's not the scalpers. It's not the dumb collectors who are willing to pay inflated $$.

IT'S SIDESHOW'S FAULT. 100% of the problem is SIDESHOW's.

By creating a product and purposely limiting the quantities available to collectors, THEY create a secondary market, and artificially inflate the value of their products. If they deliberately make something that will sell out in 30 minutes then they are entirely to blame for cutting out collectors who want their items. Why don't they just make everything unlimited and let people buy when they want, or make them available for a year at a time?

Face it, people have more interest in a sideshow plastic doll because it's "special" and only a select few people can have one. Not because they are extremely difficult to produce (after all they do make thousands of them all identical) but because they deliberately manipulate the market by limiting the supply.

There is abolutely nothing to prevent Sideshow from making 30000 Qui-Gon's or Mace Windu's or leaving the pre-order's up for 4 months to make sure everybody has ample opportunity to get one. You would kill the secondary market and please all the "true collectors" who really want the item for it's quality and workmanship, not it's ebay value.

So stop with the self-appointed ebay policing already and start attacking the problem at it's source SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES.

 

[Shai]

You people are all so very very wrong.

It's not Ebay. It's not the scalpers. It's not the dumb collectors who are willing to pay inflated $$.

IT'S SIDESHOW'S FAULT. 100% of the problem is SIDESHOW's.

By creating a product and purposely limiting the quantities available to collectors, THEY create a secondary market, and artificially inflate the value of their products. If they deliberately make something that will sell out in 30 minutes then they are entirely to blame for cutting out collectors who want their items. Why don't they just make everything unlimited and let people buy when they want, or make them available for a year at a time?

Face it, people have more interest in a sideshow plastic doll because it's "special" and only a select few people can have one. Not because they are extremely difficult to produce (after all they do make thousands of them all identical) but because they deliberately manipulate the market by limiting the supply.

There is abolutely nothing to prevent Sideshow from making 30000 Qui-Gon's or Mace Windu's or leaving the pre-order's up for 4 months to make sure everybody has ample opportunity to get one. You would kill the secondary market and please all the "true collectors" who really want the item for it's quality and workmanship, not it's ebay value.

So stop with the self-appointed ebay policing already and start attacking the problem at it's source SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES.

WOOOAHHH.......YOU GOT SOME BALLS WRITING THIS HERE.....WAIT FOR THE FURY OF SOME FREAKS YOU WILL HAVE UNLEASHED... ME,I'M TAKIN THE POP-CORN AND WILL WAIT FOR THE FIESTA....OUPS...I SEE JOSH COMING....HIDE QUICK! HIDE !!

 

[miteethor]

As much as Sideshow wants to pretend they are catering to true collectors, they are running a business just like anybody else. Having a product that sells out in 30 minutes creates a buzz and makes the next one sell out even faster.

You can't possibly tell me they didn't know their product was going to sell out that fast - it has done the exact same thing on every 12" Star Wars figure they released so far. That means the quantity was deliberately set lower than the demand they KNEW they were going to have for the explicit purpose of selling out of product in less than an hour and creating even more buzz and popularity for their brand name and products. I'm sure every fan site has a headliner now saying "Sideshow Qui-Gon sells out in record time" or something to that effect, and just as many forum treads talking about it.

Meanwhile Sideshow is busy lining up as many characters as they can to milk this cash cow of a license. What is this now, a new figure announced every 2 weeks, at $50 a pop you could quickly be into this line for $2000 plus. Repeat business by fanatical consumers will make Sideshow rich. How many people on this forum brag about being in the 7 of 7 exclusive club or whatever it's up to now? Every one of you are to blame for buying into the concept of Limited Edition and Exclusive Edition and loyally waiting to buy your figure at 10:01 PST every other Friday, and thus supporting Sideshow's money machine.

 

[goliath]

[...]Repeat business by fanatical consumers will make Sideshow rich. How many people on this forum brag about being in the 7 of 7 exclusive club or whatever it's up to now? Every one of you are to blame for buying into the concept of Limited Edition and Exclusive Edition and loyally waiting to buy your figure at 10:01 PST every other Friday, and thus supporting Sideshow's money machine.

I am not going to comment any of your statements, but please remember that you are posting on the Sideshow Freaks board... and Freaks tend to do irrational things.

 

[miteethor]

I am not going to comment any of your statements, but please remember that you are posting on the Sideshow Freaks board... and Freaks tend to do irrational things.

Well, for me to have even found this board and read things on it would make me a freak too. I buy a ton of Sideshow products just like everybody else here, the only difference is I have no illusions about where the secondary market derives from - I embrace it. It makes my stuff more valuable. I would just like all of the high and mighty purists to realize that their fanatical consumption and Sideshow's deliberately limited supply are the direct source of the Ebay market they despise.

 

[EVILFACE]

SNIP

Come one, Sideshow is giving us something special for ordering from them. And a tip, they aren't the only company that does it. Any company that puts out anything has done very limited edtions of their products.

The exclusive is just a nice touch.

Is Anakin with gumby Sidious a better figure than Anakin witout?

Ebay is just a tool to get something that you are looking for. You have the choice of the price you want to pay. Scalpers have always been around and always will be, especially when it comes to Star Wars.

 

[The Josh]

First off I have to say dude I think you might have some issues you need to deal with.

You people are all so very very wrong.

Really? Thanks for letting me know.

It's not Ebay. It's not the scalpers. It's not the dumb collectors who are willing to pay inflated $$.
IT'S SIDESHOW'S FAULT. 100% of the problem is SIDESHOW's.

It's SS fault? Really? Are they making the folks go to ebay and pay $150 for the exclusive Luke? No, I don't think they are. I don't even blame the scalpers for it they are just doing what folks who lack the ability to not pay over a certain amount.

Let me guess though your one of the folks on ebay who has had an auction shut down by this board or by SS emailing ebay?

By creating a product and purposely limiting the quantities available to collectors, THEY create a secondary market, and artificially inflate the value of their products. If they deliberately make something that will sell out in 30 minutes then they are entirely to blame for cutting out collectors who want their items. Why don't they just make everything unlimited and let people buy when they want, or make them available for a year at a time?

HELLO!!! They do limited edition figures at what point did this not come acorss as a big ass billboard to you. They aren't Hasbro and they don't produce crap that is a money losing proposition. That's one of the reasons they dropped the line is because nobody was buying these shelfwarmers. Now, that they are limited folks are freaking out. SS isn't doing that to them their lack of self control is.

Better yet I bet your one of the folks who lacks the self control to not be able to not buy one of these at 3x the price.

Face it, people have more interest in a sideshow plastic doll because it's "special" and only a select few people can have one. Not because they are extremely difficult to produce (after all they do make thousands of them all identical) but because they deliberately manipulate the market by limiting the supply.

First off they aren't dolls! They are figures! I ain't gonna be on my bed goin YA! You're dead now QG! I don't care if I have one and you don't it doesn't make me feel that special. I think you have SS and Bill Gates confused.

There is abolutely nothing to prevent Sideshow from making 30000 Qui-Gon's or Mace Windu's or leaving the pre-order's up for 4 months to make sure everybody has ample opportunity to get one. You would kill the secondary market and please all the "true collectors" who really want the item for it's quality and workmanship, not it's ebay value.

Uh yeah there is. They don't want to saturate the freaking market with 4 million of each that way nobody buys from them. Again, these are limited and not everyone is gonna get one just like not everyone in life is gonna be a millionare. Well, even if they left it up not every "True Collector" would get one. Because not ever "True Collector" would no.

So stop with the self-appointed ebay policing already and start attacking the problem at it's source SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES.

Why don't you stop with the crying and relaize as the Rolling Stones once said, "You don't always get what you".

As much as Sideshow wants to pretend they are catering to true collectors, they are running a business just like anybody else. Having a product that sells out in 30 minutes creates a buzz and makes the next one sell out even faster.

They are catering to true collectors as many as they can without making this stuff just like Hasbros crap. As far as being a business and having stuff sell out fast being good and creating a buzz.

I think that deserves a big DUH

You can't possibly tell me they didn't know their product was going to sell out that fast - it has done the exact same thing on every 12" Star Wars figure they released so far. That means the quantity was deliberately set lower than the demand they KNEW they were going to have for the explicit purpose of selling out of product in less than an hour and creating even more buzz and popularity for their brand name and products. I'm sure every fan site has a headliner now saying "Sideshow Qui-Gon sells out in record time" or something to that effect, and just as many forum treads talking about it.

No, I think they did which is why they went after the SW and LOTR licenses. Pretty damn smart if ya ask me. They sell limited edition figures so they anre't trying to set the ES lower than the demand they just don't over produce them. As far as the last part your wrong actually.

Meanwhile Sideshow is busy lining up as many characters as they can to milk this cash cow of a license. What is this now, a new figure announced every 2 weeks, at $50 a pop you could quickly be into this line for $2000 plus. Repeat business by fanatical consumers will make Sideshow rich. How many people on this forum brag about being in the 7 of 7 exclusive club or whatever it's up to now? Every one of you are to blame for buying into the concept of Limited Edition and Exclusive Edition and loyally waiting to buy your figure at 10:01 PST every other Friday, and thus supporting Sideshow's money machine.

Yup, pretty smart move by SS. Getting the SW line, making great limited edition figures to a rabid fanbase. Pretty mucking smart business move. I don't wear having ordered them all as a badge of honor so you need to check yourself there.

Your right the buyers who can't control themselves are to blame. You might wanna check into drinking DeCaf.

I SEE JOSH COMING....HIDE QUICK! HIDE !!

LOL I'm too busy laughing over this to get upset. It's some funny stuff.

 

[miteethor]

Lots of stuff in here

I don't understand your post. You basically agreed with everything I said, yet you formatted it like you were opposed to it.

Sideshow is completely capabale of making more figures with the same quality so every single collector can have one at a reasonable price. By choosing to make less figures than the demand they create the secondary market. You reap what you sow as the old saying goes.

 

[Darth Loki]

Which is what makes it a collectible. It's the same thing Attakus, Code 3, Gentle Giant, and Master Replicas all do. Why should they be forced to mass produce just to please the general public. I have news for you, the general public isn't going to pay $50 for a figure. It's the collectors that drive this bus, and there just happen to be a lot of SW collectors. The collectors are turning this into what it is by paying triple on eBay before the first one has even shipped. This is a game of supply and demand, if you don't like it take your ball and go home.

 

[miteethor]

Exactly.

Just to make things clear, I have absolutely no problems with Sideshow's business model, Limited Editions, collectibles, or the secondary market. I have a huge collection of stuff and sometimes I will sell something to buy something else.

I do have a problem with people who want their collection to be special and valuable but at the same time don't want anyone to sell a similar item on Ebay. They blame Ebay when in fact it's Sideshow/Attakus/Gentle Giant/Master Replicas/Code 3 that created this market. If they are angry enough to cruise Ebay every day and report scalpers then it must be affecting them personally at some level. If they don't want to buy something on Ebay then don't. Nothing is forcing you to have a Qui-Gon with a poncho and you certainly won't DIE if you can't have a little plastic Sidious hologram.

My point is that if Sideshow was truly concerned about making sure everyone could have one at their price they would make more. Then every "true collector" could have one at retail price and there would be nothing to buy on Ebay. The fact that they continue to quite deliberately make their stuff rare and hard to acquire just goes to show they like the effects that Ebay has on their products. If you are going to hate, hate on the manufacturer and your economics teacher.

 

[EVILFACE]

Hmmmm

If they make one for every collector, then it would not be limited or collectible.

Sounds like you are wanting mass production, if so, then Hasbro made a few 12" figures in the tens of thousands. You'd love em!

 

[darthviper107]

It is nice to be able to say that "Hey, I paid $50 for that figure and now people are paing $150 dollars for the same thing."

BUT, the Ebay scalping is wrong.

If you think making more figures is the solution, no, not really, notice how long it takes to sell out the regular figures? If there were as many figures as you want it wouldn't sell out at all and the company would loose money.

And besides, that wouldn't help scalping, because once the figure is discontinued the scalping would resume. Take the Star Wars Lego for instance, there is a $20 AAT Lego set that is now being sold on Ebay for $150+ dollars now. That's just because you can't get it at the store anymore. And that was a mass produced item. Didn't stop scalping...

And besides, if you've gotten all of your figures that you want and you're a Sideshow fan, what are you complaining about?

 

[The Josh]

I don't understand your post. You basically agreed with everything I said, yet you formatted it like you were opposed to it.

I agree with you their business model is a great one. Get licenses that sell like hot cakes. I don't agree that the high costs are on SS shoulders but the buyers because nobody is forcing them to pay these costs.

So no I don't basically agree with you.

 

[miteethor]

It is nice to be able to say that "Hey, I paid $50 for that figure and now people are paing $150 dollars for the same thing."

BUT, the Ebay scalping is wrong.

If you think making more figures is the solution, no, not really, notice how long it takes to sell out the regular figures? If there were as many figures as you want it wouldn't sell out at all and the company would loose money.

And besides, that wouldn't help scalping, because once the figure is discontinued the scalping would resume. Take the Star Wars Lego for instance, there is a $20 AAT Lego set that is now being sold on Ebay for $150+ dollars now. That's just because you can't get it at the store anymore. And that was a mass produced item. Didn't stop scalping...

And besides, if you've gotten all of your figures that you want and you're a Sideshow fan, what are you complaining about?

I could ask this same question of you? If you have been ordering all of your figures why do you care what goes up on Ebay?

If Sideshow REALLY wanted ebay scalping to stop, all they have to do is have every version be unlimited. That way we all get one of the same high quality and materials. Make it available for direct purchase from now until forever, and every 6 months make a new batch to fill all the new orders. There will never be a need to go to Ebay if you missed out because it will always be available from the manufacturer. Plus they will never need to make more than the quantity that was ordered, so they don't lose out either, and possibly make MORE money because they have more product to sell.

Of course, this also means that your collection would never go up in value, and you would never be able to sell an Anakin to pick up a Boba Fett sometime down the line. Here is a good example - type "sideshow balrog" on Ebay and see what comes up. Today there is one Limited edition listed for $3899, and there are 32 unlimited editions listed between $75 and $150. Original retail price was $150 so there is not a single scalped unlimited edition balrog in that list. That also means anyone who bought one of those thinking their investment would be protected is probably not very happy at the moment.

Again, I have absolutely no issues with Sideshow's business model or Ebay or the quality of their merchandise. But I do wish the self-appointed scalping police would realize that their own desire to have something special coupled with Sideshow's deliberate limited item numbering policy is the underlying cause of the issue, and not Ebay or the people willing to pay above retail to get a "rare" item.

Several years back I bought the very first MR Luke lightsaber for retail price (around $300 I think) and let it sit on a shelf. Later on I dediced I was more into the bad guys and sold it on Ebay for $900. I used that money to pick up an Attakus Boba Fett via Ebay which I later had signed by Jeremy Bulloch at a convention. Would I do that again? Absolutely - wish I had bought 100 of them...

 

[tomandshell]

Selling on eBay is not bad in and of itself. Once the items have shipped, we can begin selling and the average going rate will establish itself. The scalpers pre-selling in violation of eBay's rules are screwing up the value and artificially inflating it based on a false sense of limited supply. There may only be one or two on eBay months in advance, because everybody else is waiting to sell when it is ready to ship, in accordance with eBay policy. Once it ships, there will be the usual "flood" of figures available for purchase.

You can't honestly tell me that if every single Luke stayed off eBay until they were all in hand, and then they all went up at once, that they would sell for as much as they do individually months in advance. The scalpers know this, and in order to get the most money possible, they scalp in advance, going against the rules established by eBay. Waiting to sell (that is, following the rules) would get them the going rate established by the BUYERS--but they want more than that, so they sell in advance (that is, breaking the rules) at an inflated price set by the SELLER. If everybody followed the rules set by eBay, we would have a larger pool of figures for sale at the same time, along with a realistic idea of fair market value, with happier collectors paying less money for their sought after items. The only ones who would be hurt by this are the scalpers, who would have to settle for "only" double their money. But they want $$$ and will break the rules to sell before the flood.

(Did I mention that they are breaking the rules established by eBay when they do that?)