In working retail for a few years I do know that it is a common practice to force a retailer to order certain quantities of specific product. I don't know if Sideshow enforces this, I have heard that they have a certain dollar amount a retailer must purchase per year; though I am not sure if the retailer is free to pick exactly which items they want. It is known however that Sideshow has a period of time in which no matter the product a retailer may NOT offer more than a 10% discount from MSRP; and during that time the same items can be usually be found cheaper using different outlets. Again, this is a much larger issue than just "flippers," it is basic economics and supply and demand.
Well, ok, but the basic problem then is that these statues seem 3 times as expensive as they should be to begin with, and so the only way to justify that extremely inflated price they charge is to limit the ES. If this statue was $150, it would sell, no problem. It would even sell at $200, regardless of the ES. SS is not the only company overcharging, either. Bowen and other companies are really overcharging people because people are willing to pay. They just keep creeping up the price for no reason other than that they can. People pay more because there are a limited number of them, which is artificially controlled. I really think it's all B.S. I just want to buy a nice statue that I like, to display in my home. If I don't like it, I don't buy it, regardless of the ES.
As far as I'm concerned, having these statues sit on shelves because they are overpriced for what they ACTUALLY ARE, or are INHERENTLY worth, is what these companies deserve for fleecing the market for these statues for all these years. Couple this with some of the poor paint quality that has been produced by some companies, and you begin to see that these things lose their "art" status, and instead become no better than any other manufactured product, which came out of a mold, but only that they are a LOT more expensive, because they artificially control the ES, instead of letting the market dictate it. They cannot possibly let the market dictate the manufacture of these collectibles, because then no one, or very few people would buy them AT THESE PRICES. I'd love to know what these things actually cost to make. If it is revealed that they actually cost pretty much what everything else in the world costs in relation to the selling price, then needless to say, I take it all back. I think the whole collectibles industry is the problem.
One more thing- In addition, if I don't like a stuate regardless of it's ES, then I don't buy it, because I obviously don't like it enough, then. I basically have to love a statue in order to buy it.
The only basic question is, is a statue cool enough for me to display in my home, and will I enjoy having it for the rest of my life, and then, is it worth the amount of money that they are charging for the item, to let me do that? If these things aren't all yes, I don't buy it. I don't care if there are 5 or 5 million. I didn't buy it to sell, ever. I only buy to just to keep. Is it worth it to me to pay that for it? I will only buy it if it is. I don't care if I need money bad, I won't ever sell it.
Alright I'm done now.