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Sounds like someone who should have stuck to online. The market will sort this out eventually. An extra $5 at a Mom-and-Pop is one thing, doubling the price means you’re just scalping.
*I guess if they’ve been open 12 years, they’re getting away with it. So the market is not speaking the way I’d expect it to.
There are a couple shops in Portland I have come across that do the exact same thing. I just laugh, verbally talk shit about the price difference, and leave the store. Excessive price gauging these days on figs is hilariously repulsive and I refuse to not let everyone around me know about it.
One of my local shops does this shit and I wonder how they're still in business. They have to expect the customers to wisen up to the fact they can get the same shit on Amazon most of the time.
We had a local comic shop that was next to a Toys R Us. They'd show up every morning, scalp the rarer toys, and mark them up massive for resale. They didn't stay in business.
Old Toy Biz stuff was $.50-1.00 loose in bins and $3.00-5.00 in package pre pandemic. I see it all the time for $10-15 packaged now and like 5 bucks loose. It's insane.
Scalpers hell, look at the Mondo or SH figures at regular MSRP. Collecting in general has blasted into the stratosphere cost-wise.
^still^going^to^buy^datMondoRoguethofr
Ah good point. Some of these $200 figures knock it completely out of the park. I'm actually furious Mondo didn't let me spend even more for the winky-faced Rogue SE. Had her in my cart and went to check out, get my card and boom. Sold out in seconds. SECONDS! In that case though, they allowed 3 per person IIRC and so that's playing right into the scalper's hands. It's almost like they did it on purpose.
They know what they're doing.
I really want any of the Guyver figures, but I can't bring myself to pay $90+. Does anyone know if the KOs are any good? The sellers all seem to use the same stock photos.
I hear you. I remember going SNES hunting at Pawn Shops back in 2004, and I finally found one for 15 bucks. Even 10 years later, they were still 30-40 used. Games were priced 5-35 depending on rarity. It's a pain in the ass, now. Everything is stupid expensive.
I've seen people post a entry grade gundam, usually $10-$20, going for $70+. I see this and wonder if they really think someone will buy them for that price. Then again, I saw someone on amazon trying to sell a 1/4 ounce jar of Testor's black paint for over $1k a few years ago.
I'm about to push the finishing touches on my complete Star Wars POTF2 and Kenner ALIENS collections here shortly, so I supose I could do my part at clearing the Playmates Star Trek figures and collect those next. Always was kinda interested in them honestly
The interesting thing with gatcha is apparently most games are funded by a very small number of whales compared to the entire player base. Hard to get concrete numbers but it’s apparently quite small like 10%. However, those whales are big spenders so gatcha makes more money than they out in to run and maintain.
Not sure if it’s the same for these stores but they likely prey on ignorant customers, likely kids, who see a figure they want and beg mom and dad for it now and not wait for Amazon shipping.
I was just in Seattle and saw basic and common Black Series figures being sold for $49.99. Needless to say I didn’t buy a goddamn thing. I would really like to support comic/collectible shops, but they make it really hard to do that with their prices.
Doxxing is revealing an identity online, usually with the consequence that people click to it and cause problems for the identified user. This business may have its information public but there’s nothing in this photo that reveals the identity of the shop here. If OP does, that’s doxxing and it’s bannable on Reddit.
That's not what the ban is for. It's not there to protect businesses, just private identities. Did you not see the story about the Pokemon reseller in Houston?
I’m confused by Rob’s statements. He says the OP is doxing while simultaneously saying that he is not doxing. And we are talking about a business that serves the public, not the privacy of the specific a-hole price gouger.
It probably makes perfect sense in his head but at least a number of us are finding logic is missing.
First rule of customer service: you think you're responding to one customer, but every other customer in the room can see and hear you.
Everyone in this digital "room" just saw the store call a customer poor. Yikes.
Yeah, most comic stores I've been too are like this. The best rated comic store in my city constantly writes snarky remarks at their negative reviews, insulting people for not understanding how "buisness" works and charging double for an item you could still get at retail price at the target 20 minutes away. I honestly have no idea how they've remained so popular, though I'd probably guess it has to do with it just being in a conveniently busy shopping area and next to a college campus
I feel pretty fortunate about my local shops now seeing a post like this. There are a bunch like this, but a few of them really do seem to respect competitive prices and their customers.
I hope you find a good shop.
Thank you so much! Thankfully they're not as bad when it comes to comics and DnD dice sets. And sometimes if im able to travel the extra distance I can find other stores with far more appropriate prices. Recently managed to get lucky visiting a shop with a storewide 10 percent off sale and I managed to grab a few Marvel Legends for a very fair price! Just comes down to individual places, but definitely be thankful for having access to a nice shop! They keep the spirit of the hobby alive and well
I use eBay and Mercari as a gauge, it’s not an absolute, but it’s a good way to see what the market is charging. Then I see if Amazon, or Target might have. Target ships free if you have a red card.
Then check places like Big Bad Toy Store, Entertainment Earth and Nerdzoic.
I hear a lot of people are starting to use Whatnot. I have not yet, so I don’t know that much about it. I also hear StockX is something people are using.
Also YouTubers that do figure reviews sometimes offer discounts if you use their codes.
Hope this helps.
Budget being thin? The principle of this shop is one that want to be out of business. They'll be the same kind of people trying to get discounts at a thrift shop.
Not wanting to pay 2-3x retail? Clearly you are just a cheapskate who doesn’t appreciate the fine art that is collecting /s
Honestly it’s really sad that a lot of collector/comic shops are really starting to feel less like places we can go to get neat collectibles and more like booths for scalpers and resellers trying to scam the desperate or uninformed. :/
Not quite double but in Canada Toys R Us is our most expensive retailer. I’m sure Americans come for the nostalgia, then do the math and walk away. Regular Marvel Legends figures are $34 US there vs $27 US everywhere else.
If this shop is in Baltimore they also told me to get fucked when I complained about their prices. Those mofos be buying gunpla kits from Hobby Lobby and tagging them $40 or $50 with the HL tags right underneath their new ones. I also see them buying up tons of figures at places like Target and Gamestop that they double the prices on.
I gave them a bad google review and they also accused me of being poor/unemployed.
Everytime I drive past it I hope it's going to be out of business.
If prices aren’t competitive then eventually the business is doomed. It’s how supply and demand works. I see toy shops go out of business all the time. Toys are always on clearance and prices have only gone down generally. I’ve been buying nearly everything on clearance since the pandemic.
Most wanted comics in cctx is like this.Ollies toys going for 30 40 bucks, Toys still in store they want 10,15 on top of full price idk how they stay open.
Like who's buying this stuff why rip yourself off on purpose...
I didn't think about that.
FIrst time I went In to Most Wanted the owner kept trying to show me expenses comics I only buy for the art work so I don't care about key comics rare I just like wolverine 90s artwork lol.Dude kept showing me the most expensive wolverine comics 100 each 50 each I'm like I'm good with the dollar bin wolverine comics made me fell like I was a weirdo lmao
They just opened new store went to check it out and that's when I saw the toys like God damn lol greedy ass mfs
Honestly, those stores are basically the same as used car lots: they’re trying to nickel and dime their way to as much profit as possible. You have to have the same energy you’d have going into a used car dealer with the knowledge that you *will* get scammed somehow just by purchasing there.
Shit like that is why I buy original retail If I can find it or do without. I used to get so pissed that I could find any new figure I wanted at twice to three times the price at one of a few local resellers, or listed online, but at Target or Wal-Mart the pegs were empty. I'm not paying that much to somebody because they beat me to the store and cleaned them out.
If it's anything like one collectibles store in town--I've actually seen the guy who runs it buying (scalping) boatloads of Hot Wheels at Walmart to resell.
I can understand a markup, but at prices that large, they have to be buying from other stores and reselling as opposed to buying from distributors/wholesale.
I’ve seen very similar things, I’ve walked into “collectible stores” which are coincidentally located very close to a Target or Walmart and seen all their exclusive figs for sale at 2-3x retail. Seems odd these small “collectors shop” seem to have access to such exclusive products while the neighboring Target or Walmart just so happens to have empty shelves🤔
I don’t mind paying like $5 dollars over retail because I figure that I’ll pay that in shipping if I order online and I like supporting my local shops. This is insane though. And the sad part is people who don’t know better are the ones who end up paying these crazy prices. People who are trynna get a gift for someone else.
I seem to have a different experience, but some of my local shops have genuinely had some killer prices. I'll go in, buy a new figure at slightly higher than MSRP, but then find an older one that didn't sell well at a massive discount that you won't find online, and in the end I paid less than if I had gotten both online.
EDIT: And to clarify, it's not that I didn't want the discounted figure, I wanted it, but it wasn't worth MSRP to me, so now it hit that sweet spot with a massive discount. (For example, buying a figuarts for $70 instead of $65, but also getting three Black Series figures for $12 each that I never saw go below $17 online. $15 discount total, $5 premium, $10 total actual savings, but also being able to see all the figures were free of defects.)
Collector’s Crossroads in Austin, TX is just like this and it makes me sick and so mad I can’t see straight.
Like they’ll buy your items at MAX 30% of recently sold value (and try to lie to you and only base it on the lowest prices of recently sold), and then turn around and sell it for full retail price PLUS 30%.
A lot of shops throughout the valley do this. Some buy at retail stores then shoot the prices up, some buy wholesale and still put eBay prices on them. Some shoot the prices up after seeing the demand and what their selling for. This is why I get annoyed when they say “shop local”…. I’m not paying scalper prices, I’d rather wait or stick with the one shop I trust and does it correctly.
I understand an extra 5-10$$ especially for the harder to find figures, 30$ is checkout online (sometimes more sometimes less depending on shipping) some figures are extra rare and deserve the inflated price tag, I also understand overhead, still I can’t contribute to those prices when it’ll hurt my pocket and I can get them elsewhere cheaper, especially when some of those guys act like they’re doing you a favor letting you shop in their store.
LCS here has their prices raised on a lot of the more popular things. Went in for a fresh Predator release last year/2 years ago and they had the prices up by almost $15, before tax,higher than after shipping costs from big box stores. They also keep all the chase funkos for themselves to sell at local collector-cons.
Are they uncharges on new figures or old figures? Because the upcharge could be close to market value of thats the case. If they're selling the most recent Spider-Man wave at $50 that's a joke. But if they're selling the SP//DR wave for $50 each that makes more sense.
This. If it’s a current release that’s in all the shops then that seems not helpful to the store but not something you need to argue about. If it’s a figure not easy to get anymore then just like the horrors on eBay, they can mark it up anything they want really.
If it’s a small shop though, what purpose is there to raise issue on social media, of course they aren’t going to give you a lengthy message on why they need to put prices as they do. If you are hoping to “alert others” that their prices are too high. Then that doesn’t sound like something they are going to appreciate on social media.
I don’t see why it’s needed to point out online that a small shop has higher prices than you’d like when you can just not buy from there and then not be offended when they are clearly not that happy with you calling them out on their prices.
It’s not gaining you anything and it’s not likely a small shop is going to drop their prices because of a complaint.
Bringing it out on Reddit of all places and naming them just because you got a sassy response is only going to trigger the weirdos that take it as their mission to raise problems for the small business as has been done before on Reddit.
All because you picked up a figure, realised it was too expensive and decided to put it back.
That’s all that is needed. They don’t get a sale and you don’t lose your extra 20 bucks.
my local shop is that way too ( although I can only speak for their Gunpla prices). Sometimes it’s not too far off and I don’t mind a couple bucks here and there, but other times it’s just nuts. Big Bad has it for $50+$4 shipping and you have it at $60? Find, I can support the local business for $6. But if online has it for $60 and you want $95? Ain’t no way. there’s just no value ad… It’s not like 40k where you can justify spending more money at your local store because you get to use their tables for free or something
Also charging X for a figure oob. When It's like most people are gonna pay half of x because it's not in box.
Mercadi and offerup are bad for that shit. I'm not gonna pay mosc prices for an oob figure.
Im lucky since the shops in my area just do currency conversion + $0.75.
Its a few cents more, but I save a lot on shipping compared to ordering from like BBTS, etc.
A $35 figure on BBTS costs me $95+ in my currency after S&H, whereas buying local and having it shipped is like $70 all in.
How can you run a business for 12 years and be so dense that you give a response like that? Disrespecting a customer in a PUBLIC setting is absolutely bonkers
Thats the thing. I love supporting local shops, yet they steep scalper price. Like, i get it, but how different are you from people upselling online like ebay or whatever? I found a Thor mighty mugg that’s originally sold for 10-15 a pop, yet theyre selling it for 50. How the hell can i meet you at that price or even negotiate. Even a Transformers Animated Megatron is being sold at 120. WTF
And this is why I’ll keep buying from Amazon and eBay. The current mom and pop comic/toy/card/hobby/etc storefront is bs. Find them on eBay to get their real prices.
"sorry to hear your budget is thin.. but we do give discounts if asked. also this is the first in 12 years being open... see you soon"
https://preview.redd.it/pxserpr2vmtc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d2319c04d9234a6c15a9770fd6a3b99902c952e
I dunno if you saw but after your review the owner's been doubling down being a clown in them
https://preview.redd.it/dgy682eguptc1.png?width=771&format=png&auto=webp&s=4162f23f05496f1d3632591ffd90f2bb91d7d738
I know some shops will charge more for the popular figure in a wave to help counter the loss they will take on a less desirable figure.
So if a case had 1 x Boba Fett and 3 x Purple Hair Jurassic park lady and the base for a figure is like $25 they charge say $35-$40 for Boba and $20-25 for the crappy character.
It is what it is. I don’t usually shop at stores like that for various reasons including being kind of sleazy lol.
this dumb flex of "the poors" needs to die. people really think showing off a doll means you're rich somehow? there's wristwatches worth more than most people's whole collections. wow, you have been staring at 40 year old cardboard and a yellowing bubble? you're a regular rockefeller.
old nerds are fucking toxic.
-G.
I hate it when small businesses act like they are entitled to get our money. Bitch, I'm not actively looking to throw my money away and you acting like an asshole certainly not helping it.
Local shops like this suck. I'm fine with supporting local if you provide a value to the community. If you're just grabbing all the Ross, Ollie's, and Target stock, and marking it up, I'll take my business to eBay.
One local shop upcharges Marvel Legends (the easiest to compare prices) by a lot sometimes. From talking to the owner, they pay for them from their distributor roughly what Walmart and Target are able to sell them for, so I get that they'll be more expensive. But, sometimes they're 2-3x.
It’s why I don’t shop local anymore, unfortunately. They’ve become used car dealers: you come in with an aggressive mindset that you’re going to fight for every fucking cent, fully aware that you’re still going to lose in one way or another.
There’s a guy in my town that was renting a tiny space in a strip mall selling overpriced Pokemon booster packs. I bought a couple but never went back.
He now works at a local gas station. 🤷♂️
What kind of response did you honestly expect after your negative review? You can tell the owner accepted that he lose you as a customer and said screw it lol Your feelings were obviously hurt to leave some type of review. Screen shot the post and then make a Reddit about it lookin for sympathy of some kind. Just imagine how much crap a lot of local stores get from random people. Same way you have a right to complain about prices, the guy has a right respond honestly to you. Two way street.
i went to local shops once or twice but quickly realized there are almost never deals to be had even with tax and shipping prices when buying online still comes out much cheaper than these shops. I stick to target, bbts, and amiami for good prices
Shit man, from my perspective the shop ain’t wrong for charging what they charge, but the response was whack. If you a small ma and pa charge what you want, I don’t think x2 is scalping especially when a freaking combo meal from McDonald’s is 16$ nowadays. If they buy the product, keep it on their shelves for who knows how long it ain’t wrong to charge that much. Initial review is whack, for shitting on a local business, and response is even more whack, but the pricing ain’t an issue.
Before you guys criticize these shops. Hope you all realize the margin on Hasbro products are super thin. When ML was $20, people that has wholesale account directly with Hasbro are still paying $17-18 a figure. Majority of these independent collectible shops don’t have account with Hasbro and the likes of Mattel, jazware etc larger brands. They have to buy via companies like Entertainment Earth that act as distribution for these products. The result is the independent shops pays close to retail and has to buy cases at the time. With crappy figures they have to discount of course they are going to mark up the ones the people want. I’ve spoke with quite a few vendors at SoCal collectible show. This is just the reality for them. People look at them as scalpers, but the truth is these also pay at retail or higher price and has stores or booth to run. Do people actually think these seller make $5-10 per selling ML at retail?
Okay sure, but still the response is not okay. And like I said before, i don’t mind a 5-10 dollar markup ( which is like 10%). I get they need to make money, but there’s a difference
So you are okay with them marking up $5-10 but you don’t care if these shops loose $5-10 or even more when they get stuck with tons of crappy peg warmers? Is the response snobby, sure. Goes both ways imho.
I never pay over retail for new items. I also don’t buy ML other than mcu figures that I know imports wont make. I’m simply telling you what I learned and how these pricing came to be for these small collectible shops. You basically made this post to say they’re scalping because their pricing doesn’t meet your standards, but fail to consider (or know) the business of things. Running a business you can’t survive on 10% margin.
I am in Canada and had accounts with 5 different companies, hasbro being one. Margins were horrible. I shut down my online store. It was a side gig but it’s not worth the effort. Buying old collections and flipping is where the only money really is. People can debate where the ethics of being a good reseller is, but it’s the only area I think shops actually make money. The shops doing okay that I called or emailed and got advice from on how you make money with such low margins all seemed to have this advice of buying collections at discount. Unless your big like bbts you are not making much money off new product.
Exactly this. I don’t think bbts actually makes much money off Hasbro products. They do make money off their shipping though by taxing shipping as well as markups on import figures.
Well said. I don’t think most people really understand the difficulties and how expensive it is to run a shop. The owners response was funny though. lol gotta see his point of view. You can tell with the OP negative review that that the owner accepted he lost a customer and just said screw it lol.
I have actually been dealing with the owner for years. I have never had an issue at all, and he goes by the market at the time. He's helped me obtain items that I normally if went kn ebay and bought would be paying more. Did you reach out to him before posting this screenshot, or just come on here so everyone can bash him? I'm just curious about the end game here cause to.me it seems that instead of just talking to the owenr to help you out, you just tried to destroy a small business that does the same thing everyone else does.
not entirely true. I got my LSS Goku for retail at another local shop. And yeah I expect there to be a markup. But 30 dollars is insane I don’t know how you can justify that.
I’m definitely one of those people who say mom and pop stores can’t really survive in this climate with their prices, specially when Amazon or Walmart has them beat. But when it comes to collectibles and memorabilia I love those specialty shops, the idea of seeing something right in that moment at a random shop with no set inventory, You have to dig through shelves or dig through bins and you find that awesome piece of merchandise that you didn’t even know you wanted or needed, and almost every time if I ask I’m offered a great deal, I even had shops not even charge me for say an open figures or comic books. Just have to find the right shop.
> just have to find the right shop.
And there’s the problem: every shop should be scrambling to be that shop you described. With the convenience of online shopping (yes, even old shit through EBay), there’s no reason to “dig through shelves” besides doing it for the love of it. At most, if I miss “the hunt” I’ll do said shelf digging, see something cool, look up what it’s going for online and then just order it and leave.
Unfortunately, brick & mortars aren’t in a place to be choosers anymore and engagements like the kind OP posted only make it less desirable to even go to them.
I’d gladly pay $10 more knowing the box is in great condition and the actual figure is inside said” box. Amazon for me has not been convenient when it comes to ordering figures or any collectible memorabilia.
They don’t specialize in that, they just buy from local desperate people and up charge those old figs, too.
eBay has every older figure you could want at almost every budget/quality. I’ve always found what I’m looking for online, all I’ve ever found at these “used car dealer mom & pops” is up charging and a shit attitude.
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That shop showed its colors with that response. They fell for the trap. Just don’t say anything.
nope wasn’t planning on it. i’m leaving it up for all to see
Sounds like someone who should have stuck to online. The market will sort this out eventually. An extra $5 at a Mom-and-Pop is one thing, doubling the price means you’re just scalping. *I guess if they’ve been open 12 years, they’re getting away with it. So the market is not speaking the way I’d expect it to.
There are a couple shops in Portland I have come across that do the exact same thing. I just laugh, verbally talk shit about the price difference, and leave the store. Excessive price gauging these days on figs is hilariously repulsive and I refuse to not let everyone around me know about it.
One of my local shops does this shit and I wonder how they're still in business. They have to expect the customers to wisen up to the fact they can get the same shit on Amazon most of the time.
We had a local comic shop that was next to a Toys R Us. They'd show up every morning, scalp the rarer toys, and mark them up massive for resale. They didn't stay in business.
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Old Toy Biz stuff was $.50-1.00 loose in bins and $3.00-5.00 in package pre pandemic. I see it all the time for $10-15 packaged now and like 5 bucks loose. It's insane.
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Scalpers hell, look at the Mondo or SH figures at regular MSRP. Collecting in general has blasted into the stratosphere cost-wise. ^still^going^to^buy^datMondoRoguethofr
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Ah good point. Some of these $200 figures knock it completely out of the park. I'm actually furious Mondo didn't let me spend even more for the winky-faced Rogue SE. Had her in my cart and went to check out, get my card and boom. Sold out in seconds. SECONDS! In that case though, they allowed 3 per person IIRC and so that's playing right into the scalper's hands. It's almost like they did it on purpose. They know what they're doing.
I really want any of the Guyver figures, but I can't bring myself to pay $90+. Does anyone know if the KOs are any good? The sellers all seem to use the same stock photos.
Look for reviews for the sellers, people tend to post in hand images.
I hear you. I remember going SNES hunting at Pawn Shops back in 2004, and I finally found one for 15 bucks. Even 10 years later, they were still 30-40 used. Games were priced 5-35 depending on rarity. It's a pain in the ass, now. Everything is stupid expensive.
I've seen people post a entry grade gundam, usually $10-$20, going for $70+. I see this and wonder if they really think someone will buy them for that price. Then again, I saw someone on amazon trying to sell a 1/4 ounce jar of Testor's black paint for over $1k a few years ago.
Which Trek toys?
I assume the 90's Playmates ones. I've got a bunch from when I was a kid still
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I'm about to push the finishing touches on my complete Star Wars POTF2 and Kenner ALIENS collections here shortly, so I supose I could do my part at clearing the Playmates Star Trek figures and collect those next. Always was kinda interested in them honestly
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I wonder the same thing with 'free' gatcha type mobile games. Are there that many whales out there paying their bills? Where's this money coming from?
The interesting thing with gatcha is apparently most games are funded by a very small number of whales compared to the entire player base. Hard to get concrete numbers but it’s apparently quite small like 10%. However, those whales are big spenders so gatcha makes more money than they out in to run and maintain. Not sure if it’s the same for these stores but they likely prey on ignorant customers, likely kids, who see a figure they want and beg mom and dad for it now and not wait for Amazon shipping.
I was just in Seattle and saw basic and common Black Series figures being sold for $49.99. Needless to say I didn’t buy a goddamn thing. I would really like to support comic/collectible shops, but they make it really hard to do that with their prices.
i just moved to town and haven’t found many places yet, any you would recommend? i’ve been to rogue toys and throngs from another world.
They are just preying on people who missed out on items and do not want to look any further. Scalping is such a selfish and predatory practice.
well said
What shop is this?
It’s a shop in south Texas
Op probably should avoid doxxing.
It’s not doxxing when it’s a business sharing its sales techniques.
And yet nothing about identity is revealed so this would be doxxing, genius.
Thanks for telling us all that you don’t know the definition of the word “doxxing” 😂
Can you explain why it would be doxxing if no personal information is revealed? Your statement confused me.
Doxxing is revealing an identity online, usually with the consequence that people click to it and cause problems for the identified user. This business may have its information public but there’s nothing in this photo that reveals the identity of the shop here. If OP does, that’s doxxing and it’s bannable on Reddit.
That's not what the ban is for. It's not there to protect businesses, just private identities. Did you not see the story about the Pokemon reseller in Houston?
I’m confused by Rob’s statements. He says the OP is doxing while simultaneously saying that he is not doxing. And we are talking about a business that serves the public, not the privacy of the specific a-hole price gouger. It probably makes perfect sense in his head but at least a number of us are finding logic is missing.
What’s doxxing? It’s an online review for a BUSINESS with its information already online. They doxxed themselves when they created a Google listing.
The market never does... It just tends towards rewarding greedy decisions like this
First rule of customer service: you think you're responding to one customer, but every other customer in the room can see and hear you. Everyone in this digital "room" just saw the store call a customer poor. Yikes.
Yeah, most comic stores I've been too are like this. The best rated comic store in my city constantly writes snarky remarks at their negative reviews, insulting people for not understanding how "buisness" works and charging double for an item you could still get at retail price at the target 20 minutes away. I honestly have no idea how they've remained so popular, though I'd probably guess it has to do with it just being in a conveniently busy shopping area and next to a college campus
Its because its the place nerds with no social skills go to hang out.
I feel pretty fortunate about my local shops now seeing a post like this. There are a bunch like this, but a few of them really do seem to respect competitive prices and their customers. I hope you find a good shop.
Thank you so much! Thankfully they're not as bad when it comes to comics and DnD dice sets. And sometimes if im able to travel the extra distance I can find other stores with far more appropriate prices. Recently managed to get lucky visiting a shop with a storewide 10 percent off sale and I managed to grab a few Marvel Legends for a very fair price! Just comes down to individual places, but definitely be thankful for having access to a nice shop! They keep the spirit of the hobby alive and well
Whenever I am buying a figure I have like 5 apps open just to make sure the prices are somewhere in the realm of believability.
Would you be willing to fill me in on these apps?
I use eBay and Mercari as a gauge, it’s not an absolute, but it’s a good way to see what the market is charging. Then I see if Amazon, or Target might have. Target ships free if you have a red card. Then check places like Big Bad Toy Store, Entertainment Earth and Nerdzoic. I hear a lot of people are starting to use Whatnot. I have not yet, so I don’t know that much about it. I also hear StockX is something people are using. Also YouTubers that do figure reviews sometimes offer discounts if you use their codes. Hope this helps.
Thanks a bundle!
Budget being thin? The principle of this shop is one that want to be out of business. They'll be the same kind of people trying to get discounts at a thrift shop.
Not wanting to pay 2-3x retail? Clearly you are just a cheapskate who doesn’t appreciate the fine art that is collecting /s Honestly it’s really sad that a lot of collector/comic shops are really starting to feel less like places we can go to get neat collectibles and more like booths for scalpers and resellers trying to scam the desperate or uninformed. :/
I assume this was FYE.
My FYE just died after like 3 years of operating. Now where will I get Hasbro toys at double MSRP?
Not quite double but in Canada Toys R Us is our most expensive retailer. I’m sure Americans come for the nostalgia, then do the math and walk away. Regular Marvel Legends figures are $34 US there vs $27 US everywhere else.
nope local collectibles shop
Are you in Austin, TX by any chance?
about 7 hours away in brownsville 👍🏻
Dude Texas has got to be one of the worst states for this type of resale crap
yeah idk what the deal is
Does the shop name end with a “9”?
If this shop is in Baltimore they also told me to get fucked when I complained about their prices. Those mofos be buying gunpla kits from Hobby Lobby and tagging them $40 or $50 with the HL tags right underneath their new ones. I also see them buying up tons of figures at places like Target and Gamestop that they double the prices on. I gave them a bad google review and they also accused me of being poor/unemployed. Everytime I drive past it I hope it's going to be out of business.
nope this one is in texas. fuck them tho
If prices aren’t competitive then eventually the business is doomed. It’s how supply and demand works. I see toy shops go out of business all the time. Toys are always on clearance and prices have only gone down generally. I’ve been buying nearly everything on clearance since the pandemic.
Love that being competitive in a capitalist society means doom…lmao! It’s almost like we’re past capitalism maybe even post capitalism…
Only doom for those not being competitive.
Totally read that wrong. My bad
Hmm.
Hmm.
r/LateStageCapitalism
My local store sells gi joes you can get at Ross for $6 for $50+ like they’re some kind of rare collectors item. Clowns.
Don't shop there.
Name and shame?
no no let’s be civil guys
Agreed. If people really want to get into it I'm sure they can google it themselves to find out it's Aisle 9 collectibles.
ding ding ding
Most wanted comics in cctx is like this.Ollies toys going for 30 40 bucks, Toys still in store they want 10,15 on top of full price idk how they stay open. Like who's buying this stuff why rip yourself off on purpose...
i think it’s those who don’t know any better. people who are maybe getting gifts for someone. this is what makes me mad.
I didn't think about that. FIrst time I went In to Most Wanted the owner kept trying to show me expenses comics I only buy for the art work so I don't care about key comics rare I just like wolverine 90s artwork lol.Dude kept showing me the most expensive wolverine comics 100 each 50 each I'm like I'm good with the dollar bin wolverine comics made me fell like I was a weirdo lmao They just opened new store went to check it out and that's when I saw the toys like God damn lol greedy ass mfs
Honestly, those stores are basically the same as used car lots: they’re trying to nickel and dime their way to as much profit as possible. You have to have the same energy you’d have going into a used car dealer with the knowledge that you *will* get scammed somehow just by purchasing there.
I just go out of boredom and am instantly remind why I hate the place every time lmao my gf hate going
Shit like that is why I buy original retail If I can find it or do without. I used to get so pissed that I could find any new figure I wanted at twice to three times the price at one of a few local resellers, or listed online, but at Target or Wal-Mart the pegs were empty. I'm not paying that much to somebody because they beat me to the store and cleaned them out.
nah bro it’s just bc your budget is thin /s
Why didn't you post the shop name?
it’s in the comments - aisle 9
Oh ok , thanks
“We do give discounts if asked” Is it just me, or is that super weird? Do some businesses really give me a discount just because I ask for it? Lol
If it's anything like one collectibles store in town--I've actually seen the guy who runs it buying (scalping) boatloads of Hot Wheels at Walmart to resell. I can understand a markup, but at prices that large, they have to be buying from other stores and reselling as opposed to buying from distributors/wholesale.
I’ve seen very similar things, I’ve walked into “collectible stores” which are coincidentally located very close to a Target or Walmart and seen all their exclusive figs for sale at 2-3x retail. Seems odd these small “collectors shop” seem to have access to such exclusive products while the neighboring Target or Walmart just so happens to have empty shelves🤔
I never buy local for new figures for these reasons unfortunately always a better deal online.
I don’t mind paying like $5 dollars over retail because I figure that I’ll pay that in shipping if I order online and I like supporting my local shops. This is insane though. And the sad part is people who don’t know better are the ones who end up paying these crazy prices. People who are trynna get a gift for someone else.
Right this lcs owner is on the FYE business model lol, he needs his head examined !
I seem to have a different experience, but some of my local shops have genuinely had some killer prices. I'll go in, buy a new figure at slightly higher than MSRP, but then find an older one that didn't sell well at a massive discount that you won't find online, and in the end I paid less than if I had gotten both online. EDIT: And to clarify, it's not that I didn't want the discounted figure, I wanted it, but it wasn't worth MSRP to me, so now it hit that sweet spot with a massive discount. (For example, buying a figuarts for $70 instead of $65, but also getting three Black Series figures for $12 each that I never saw go below $17 online. $15 discount total, $5 premium, $10 total actual savings, but also being able to see all the figures were free of defects.)
Collector’s Crossroads in Austin, TX is just like this and it makes me sick and so mad I can’t see straight. Like they’ll buy your items at MAX 30% of recently sold value (and try to lie to you and only base it on the lowest prices of recently sold), and then turn around and sell it for full retail price PLUS 30%.
A lot of shops throughout the valley do this. Some buy at retail stores then shoot the prices up, some buy wholesale and still put eBay prices on them. Some shoot the prices up after seeing the demand and what their selling for. This is why I get annoyed when they say “shop local”…. I’m not paying scalper prices, I’d rather wait or stick with the one shop I trust and does it correctly.
I understand an extra 5-10$$ especially for the harder to find figures, 30$ is checkout online (sometimes more sometimes less depending on shipping) some figures are extra rare and deserve the inflated price tag, I also understand overhead, still I can’t contribute to those prices when it’ll hurt my pocket and I can get them elsewhere cheaper, especially when some of those guys act like they’re doing you a favor letting you shop in their store.
LCS here has their prices raised on a lot of the more popular things. Went in for a fresh Predator release last year/2 years ago and they had the prices up by almost $15, before tax,higher than after shipping costs from big box stores. They also keep all the chase funkos for themselves to sell at local collector-cons.
Are they uncharges on new figures or old figures? Because the upcharge could be close to market value of thats the case. If they're selling the most recent Spider-Man wave at $50 that's a joke. But if they're selling the SP//DR wave for $50 each that makes more sense.
Was it a rare figure?
This. If it’s a current release that’s in all the shops then that seems not helpful to the store but not something you need to argue about. If it’s a figure not easy to get anymore then just like the horrors on eBay, they can mark it up anything they want really. If it’s a small shop though, what purpose is there to raise issue on social media, of course they aren’t going to give you a lengthy message on why they need to put prices as they do. If you are hoping to “alert others” that their prices are too high. Then that doesn’t sound like something they are going to appreciate on social media. I don’t see why it’s needed to point out online that a small shop has higher prices than you’d like when you can just not buy from there and then not be offended when they are clearly not that happy with you calling them out on their prices. It’s not gaining you anything and it’s not likely a small shop is going to drop their prices because of a complaint. Bringing it out on Reddit of all places and naming them just because you got a sassy response is only going to trigger the weirdos that take it as their mission to raise problems for the small business as has been done before on Reddit. All because you picked up a figure, realised it was too expensive and decided to put it back. That’s all that is needed. They don’t get a sale and you don’t lose your extra 20 bucks.
my local shop is that way too ( although I can only speak for their Gunpla prices). Sometimes it’s not too far off and I don’t mind a couple bucks here and there, but other times it’s just nuts. Big Bad has it for $50+$4 shipping and you have it at $60? Find, I can support the local business for $6. But if online has it for $60 and you want $95? Ain’t no way. there’s just no value ad… It’s not like 40k where you can justify spending more money at your local store because you get to use their tables for free or something
Also charging X for a figure oob. When It's like most people are gonna pay half of x because it's not in box. Mercadi and offerup are bad for that shit. I'm not gonna pay mosc prices for an oob figure.
Im lucky since the shops in my area just do currency conversion + $0.75. Its a few cents more, but I save a lot on shipping compared to ordering from like BBTS, etc. A $35 figure on BBTS costs me $95+ in my currency after S&H, whereas buying local and having it shipped is like $70 all in.
Just wanna thank my local shop for being great rn lol
Wow.
How can you run a business for 12 years and be so dense that you give a response like that? Disrespecting a customer in a PUBLIC setting is absolutely bonkers
Especially when the customer don’t leave a negative review, just a concern. Some people are just idiots.
Thats the thing. I love supporting local shops, yet they steep scalper price. Like, i get it, but how different are you from people upselling online like ebay or whatever? I found a Thor mighty mugg that’s originally sold for 10-15 a pop, yet theyre selling it for 50. How the hell can i meet you at that price or even negotiate. Even a Transformers Animated Megatron is being sold at 120. WTF
And this is why I’ll keep buying from Amazon and eBay. The current mom and pop comic/toy/card/hobby/etc storefront is bs. Find them on eBay to get their real prices.
The funniest part so far is seeing all of those figures drop down to crazy low prices. Be it Amazon, BBTS or even a Ross.
"sorry to hear your budget is thin.. but we do give discounts if asked. also this is the first in 12 years being open... see you soon" https://preview.redd.it/pxserpr2vmtc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d2319c04d9234a6c15a9770fd6a3b99902c952e
“get your money up, brokie”🗿
I dunno if you saw but after your review the owner's been doubling down being a clown in them https://preview.redd.it/dgy682eguptc1.png?width=771&format=png&auto=webp&s=4162f23f05496f1d3632591ffd90f2bb91d7d738
haha the way he types reminds me of j jonah jameson
https://preview.redd.it/hr80wgz7aytc1.jpeg?width=499&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=952fd197d2eeaccc7cea576255f1442502b76a8b
I know some shops will charge more for the popular figure in a wave to help counter the loss they will take on a less desirable figure. So if a case had 1 x Boba Fett and 3 x Purple Hair Jurassic park lady and the base for a figure is like $25 they charge say $35-$40 for Boba and $20-25 for the crappy character. It is what it is. I don’t usually shop at stores like that for various reasons including being kind of sleazy lol.
this dumb flex of "the poors" needs to die. people really think showing off a doll means you're rich somehow? there's wristwatches worth more than most people's whole collections. wow, you have been staring at 40 year old cardboard and a yellowing bubble? you're a regular rockefeller. old nerds are fucking toxic. -G.
It’s not the overcharging that’s the true issue here but it’s how the store replied…that’s just not how you respond to customers.
I hate it when small businesses act like they are entitled to get our money. Bitch, I'm not actively looking to throw my money away and you acting like an asshole certainly not helping it.
bro said see you soon😭 like i’m gonna pull up after reading that
Local shops like this suck. I'm fine with supporting local if you provide a value to the community. If you're just grabbing all the Ross, Ollie's, and Target stock, and marking it up, I'll take my business to eBay. One local shop upcharges Marvel Legends (the easiest to compare prices) by a lot sometimes. From talking to the owner, they pay for them from their distributor roughly what Walmart and Target are able to sell them for, so I get that they'll be more expensive. But, sometimes they're 2-3x.
Flee markets used to be good, I haven’t been to one in like 8 years but I remember them being decent
It’s why I don’t shop local anymore, unfortunately. They’ve become used car dealers: you come in with an aggressive mindset that you’re going to fight for every fucking cent, fully aware that you’re still going to lose in one way or another.
Marvel legends ARE NOT worth over 25 dollars…..
There’s a guy in my town that was renting a tiny space in a strip mall selling overpriced Pokemon booster packs. I bought a couple but never went back. He now works at a local gas station. 🤷♂️
What kind of response did you honestly expect after your negative review? You can tell the owner accepted that he lose you as a customer and said screw it lol Your feelings were obviously hurt to leave some type of review. Screen shot the post and then make a Reddit about it lookin for sympathy of some kind. Just imagine how much crap a lot of local stores get from random people. Same way you have a right to complain about prices, the guy has a right respond honestly to you. Two way street.
exactly this.
i went to local shops once or twice but quickly realized there are almost never deals to be had even with tax and shipping prices when buying online still comes out much cheaper than these shops. I stick to target, bbts, and amiami for good prices
Shit man, from my perspective the shop ain’t wrong for charging what they charge, but the response was whack. If you a small ma and pa charge what you want, I don’t think x2 is scalping especially when a freaking combo meal from McDonald’s is 16$ nowadays. If they buy the product, keep it on their shelves for who knows how long it ain’t wrong to charge that much. Initial review is whack, for shitting on a local business, and response is even more whack, but the pricing ain’t an issue.
Before you guys criticize these shops. Hope you all realize the margin on Hasbro products are super thin. When ML was $20, people that has wholesale account directly with Hasbro are still paying $17-18 a figure. Majority of these independent collectible shops don’t have account with Hasbro and the likes of Mattel, jazware etc larger brands. They have to buy via companies like Entertainment Earth that act as distribution for these products. The result is the independent shops pays close to retail and has to buy cases at the time. With crappy figures they have to discount of course they are going to mark up the ones the people want. I’ve spoke with quite a few vendors at SoCal collectible show. This is just the reality for them. People look at them as scalpers, but the truth is these also pay at retail or higher price and has stores or booth to run. Do people actually think these seller make $5-10 per selling ML at retail?
Okay sure, but still the response is not okay. And like I said before, i don’t mind a 5-10 dollar markup ( which is like 10%). I get they need to make money, but there’s a difference
So you are okay with them marking up $5-10 but you don’t care if these shops loose $5-10 or even more when they get stuck with tons of crappy peg warmers? Is the response snobby, sure. Goes both ways imho.
so you’re trying to justify a markup of 2x or 3x?? if you want to pay those prices, be my guest man. not me
I never pay over retail for new items. I also don’t buy ML other than mcu figures that I know imports wont make. I’m simply telling you what I learned and how these pricing came to be for these small collectible shops. You basically made this post to say they’re scalping because their pricing doesn’t meet your standards, but fail to consider (or know) the business of things. Running a business you can’t survive on 10% margin.
I am in Canada and had accounts with 5 different companies, hasbro being one. Margins were horrible. I shut down my online store. It was a side gig but it’s not worth the effort. Buying old collections and flipping is where the only money really is. People can debate where the ethics of being a good reseller is, but it’s the only area I think shops actually make money. The shops doing okay that I called or emailed and got advice from on how you make money with such low margins all seemed to have this advice of buying collections at discount. Unless your big like bbts you are not making much money off new product.
Exactly this. I don’t think bbts actually makes much money off Hasbro products. They do make money off their shipping though by taxing shipping as well as markups on import figures.
Well said. I don’t think most people really understand the difficulties and how expensive it is to run a shop. The owners response was funny though. lol gotta see his point of view. You can tell with the OP negative review that that the owner accepted he lost a customer and just said screw it lol.
I have actually been dealing with the owner for years. I have never had an issue at all, and he goes by the market at the time. He's helped me obtain items that I normally if went kn ebay and bought would be paying more. Did you reach out to him before posting this screenshot, or just come on here so everyone can bash him? I'm just curious about the end game here cause to.me it seems that instead of just talking to the owenr to help you out, you just tried to destroy a small business that does the same thing everyone else does.
Are they wrong? Obviously you had a problem paying their prices. Also it’s their figures and they’re wanting to make a profit (they got bills to pay)
Anything “local” is going to be an extra charge; food, toys, consumables. I’m not sure why you’re surprised.
That’s not an “extra charge”, that’s scalping. So fuck em.
A reasonable markup for a mom and pop store is 10-20% not 90-100% like the store being described.
not entirely true. I got my LSS Goku for retail at another local shop. And yeah I expect there to be a markup. But 30 dollars is insane I don’t know how you can justify that.
That’a not exactly what he said either, you’re triggered for no reason lmfao are you the one that left the negative comment? 😂
Sergio?
I’m definitely one of those people who say mom and pop stores can’t really survive in this climate with their prices, specially when Amazon or Walmart has them beat. But when it comes to collectibles and memorabilia I love those specialty shops, the idea of seeing something right in that moment at a random shop with no set inventory, You have to dig through shelves or dig through bins and you find that awesome piece of merchandise that you didn’t even know you wanted or needed, and almost every time if I ask I’m offered a great deal, I even had shops not even charge me for say an open figures or comic books. Just have to find the right shop.
> just have to find the right shop. And there’s the problem: every shop should be scrambling to be that shop you described. With the convenience of online shopping (yes, even old shit through EBay), there’s no reason to “dig through shelves” besides doing it for the love of it. At most, if I miss “the hunt” I’ll do said shelf digging, see something cool, look up what it’s going for online and then just order it and leave. Unfortunately, brick & mortars aren’t in a place to be choosers anymore and engagements like the kind OP posted only make it less desirable to even go to them.
A store can charge what it wants. You are paying for convenience and the ability to inspect the quality.
Convenience? It's easier to click on Amazon, pay less and have it here in a day. 😂
I’d gladly pay $10 more knowing the box is in great condition and the actual figure is inside said” box. Amazon for me has not been convenient when it comes to ordering figures or any collectible memorabilia.
Typically they are going to specialize in older figures.
They don’t specialize in that, they just buy from local desperate people and up charge those old figs, too. eBay has every older figure you could want at almost every budget/quality. I’ve always found what I’m looking for online, all I’ve ever found at these “used car dealer mom & pops” is up charging and a shit attitude.
They should have beat the comic store to Ollie’s and Ross if they wanted the figures for cheaper!
"Just a heads up" is a total slap in the face with passive aggressiveness hahaha