Is this really where things have got to?
- Thread starter jambobbyb
- Start date
tiefighterboy
Grand Master
It's called facebook and the AFA posse.
Thanks for the replies guys, I posted on that thread 18 months ago you could get an AFA 80 12 back DT luke for that sort of money and it got removed. A lot of those face book groups appear to be designed to gouge the most out of unsuspecting newbies, and some of the newbies appear to have unlimited funds. a lad posted his three month collection must have been 25 carded figures 12 of which are 12/20/21 backs.
Richard_H
Grand Master
The prices on the fb groups in the main are ridiculous. Some of the crap I've seen for £10 is unbelievable. I've given stuff away that people are asking money for.
Mr-shifter
Sith Lord
Unfortunately, I have found the Facebook groups mostly to be full of people who would place all of their faith in everything into the numbers on a grading label.
Sadly, there seems to be a growing group of people who believe that grading an item retains the value in it and they are being seen as investments.
The problem this is creating is that there is a little group of guys buying all the best condition ungraded stuff, grading it and then selling it on the Facebook groups for 3 to 4 x cost. As long as these idiots pay this money it will continue to happen. Less nice ungraded stuff available for those who don't need Afa to tell them if a piece is in good condition or not.
Sadly, there seems to be a growing group of people who believe that grading an item retains the value in it and they are being seen as investments.
The problem this is creating is that there is a little group of guys buying all the best condition ungraded stuff, grading it and then selling it on the Facebook groups for 3 to 4 x cost. As long as these idiots pay this money it will continue to happen. Less nice ungraded stuff available for those who don't need Afa to tell them if a piece is in good condition or not.
I think sticking well clear of FB is going to be the way forward. I do wonder what comes next, I can't afford to collect I have been able to for months given the recent price rises, a mint 12 back luke is genuine thing of beauty but it's not a 3k figure.
SOJ
Sith Lord
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2014
- Messages
- 1,075
It's true there are countless cunts on FB. However there are also some very good guys. If you're careful and keep an eye on whose sales have gone well, you can get some great stuff safely.
Last year I got 6 of my ESB MOC's without issue and made some new friends in the process which led to other purchases.
Ross Barr's groups are pretty good and much like Todd he won't suffer any pricks.
SWFUK's sales thread is always my first port of call, but FB is a good source for stuff just be very, very careful and never gift payment.
Last year I got 6 of my ESB MOC's without issue and made some new friends in the process which led to other purchases.
Ross Barr's groups are pretty good and much like Todd he won't suffer any pricks.
SWFUK's sales thread is always my first port of call, but FB is a good source for stuff just be very, very careful and never gift payment.
Mr-shifter
Sith Lord
jambobbyb said:
Hit the nail on the head here mate. This is not a £3k figure, no matter what Zack thinks.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2014
- Messages
- 8,772
Love AFA, never evan looked at a Star Wars Facebook group. £5000 for a 12 back Luke is ridiculous I don't care what AFA rating it is. As has been pointed out though these guys seem to have unlimited funds. I don't think collector's like myself realise that vintage collecting is not just for a small group of hardcore collectors like 20 years ago. Demand is outstripping supply by a lot especially for the high end stuff.
Also because of AFA these guys just flip everything.
Also because of AFA these guys just flip everything.
_Lee_
Sith Lord
- Joined
- May 7, 2008
- Messages
- 2,387
This will only get worse, sad but true. The rise i have seen from 2005 up until now is amazing and is creeping up more and more. Prepare for it to get worse when TFA is released.
Thank god i started again in 94/95 then went full pelt around 98 onwards. Thank god for Bendems!!!
as it was those but drew me back in
Thank god i started again in 94/95 then went full pelt around 98 onwards. Thank god for Bendems!!!
as it was those but drew me back in It seems that things have become pretty nasty out there, I can understand why but when I came I to this hobby things were really pretty relaxed ever since this new film was announced it seems everyone and there dogs have started collecting and they are all now experts.....
There was this recent thread on RS which discussed the high prices of late: http://forum.rebelscum.com/t1116272/#post19517562 It looks like it actually started out as one guy bashing an ungraded (but rare) item in the classifieds that he saw listed for a high price (probably because of a lack of understanding on his part) but there were a few good replies in the thread which related to the prices of late and the hows and whys.
This one was one of my favourites:
I've had my say on price increases several times this year and I think most people on here and on most forums agree that things are silly. The thing that baffles me is that none of this stuff isn't any rarer than it was 3-4 or even 5 years ago (if anything the rise in prices is bringing even MORE of it out of the woodwork) so why are prices continuing to rise? The other thing is: Regardless of your financial position or your income, I think we can all agree that £500-£1K is a lot of money to spend on a toy or multiple toys, especially when you've got kids, rent/a mortgage etc. I don't think it's unreasonable for people to spend amount a couple of times a year..but not every other week (and in many cases spending more than that a week). I've heard of people spending upwards of $3K per figure (whether that's a high grade AFA 12 back or a pre production piece it's still $3k+ per purchase!) How long can you do that for before cashing out?
It almost feels like everyone has won the lottery or had an amazing inheritance (or is using credit cards to fund their buys) and they are just throwing money at Star Wars because it's popular right now (or might be an investment in the future), they don't even seem to worry if they overpay - it's just "I've got to own this RIGHT ****ING NOW" - nobody is thrifty or bargain hunting any more.
The almost grail-like status that high grade AFA toys have achieved in the last few years is a huge part of it too but the blame there falls firmly on the buyers shoulders for believing in the labels and the grades. It's short sighted and silly but it is what it is.
Sad times indeed, the greed and idiocy in this hobby is at an all time high that's for sure.
This one was one of my favourites:
Shawn Byrne said:
I've had my say on price increases several times this year and I think most people on here and on most forums agree that things are silly. The thing that baffles me is that none of this stuff isn't any rarer than it was 3-4 or even 5 years ago (if anything the rise in prices is bringing even MORE of it out of the woodwork) so why are prices continuing to rise? The other thing is: Regardless of your financial position or your income, I think we can all agree that £500-£1K is a lot of money to spend on a toy or multiple toys, especially when you've got kids, rent/a mortgage etc. I don't think it's unreasonable for people to spend amount a couple of times a year..but not every other week (and in many cases spending more than that a week). I've heard of people spending upwards of $3K per figure (whether that's a high grade AFA 12 back or a pre production piece it's still $3k+ per purchase!) How long can you do that for before cashing out?
It almost feels like everyone has won the lottery or had an amazing inheritance (or is using credit cards to fund their buys) and they are just throwing money at Star Wars because it's popular right now (or might be an investment in the future), they don't even seem to worry if they overpay - it's just "I've got to own this RIGHT ****ING NOW" - nobody is thrifty or bargain hunting any more.
The almost grail-like status that high grade AFA toys have achieved in the last few years is a huge part of it too but the blame there falls firmly on the buyers shoulders for believing in the labels and the grades. It's short sighted and silly but it is what it is.
Sad times indeed, the greed and idiocy in this hobby is at an all time high that's for sure.
One thing I forgot to mention is about FB. While I am someone that believes that being involved in *certain* FB groups while simultaneously using the forums is a good idea, I do believe that the majority of FB groups have created a place on the internet for collectors to play some kind of horrible "keeping up with the neighbours" one-upmanship game.
Collector A shows off a high grade item and the following week 5 more have gone out and bought the first one they've seen for sale and then show theirs off..they then repeat this cycle a thousand times over.
One of the old timers on RS recently said if he sees another set of AFA 85 12 backs limelighted on FB, he might actually puke over his monitor! To be honest, while I love seeing Vintage and I like seeing people achieve their goals - I kind of agree. High grade AFA 12 back & Early Bird stuff has a crazy loyal following right now and while I love the figures and have almost always collected stuff relating to the figures, I find myself feeling totally numb and unimpressed by a set of 12 backs, regardless of the condition. Even clear bubble ROTJ's bore the pants off of me lately whereas they used to be quite cool to see..
I quite often find myself feeling lost in this hobby of late, I don't relate to the "new breed" in any way, shape or form and the majority of the people I collected alongside left the hobby due to all this **** years ago. I never thought I would be collecting forever but I thought I would at least enjoy it for quite a while..as time goes on that seems less likely.
(PS: Hobby drama sucks the life out of me too - but that's unrelated..most of the time )
Collector A shows off a high grade item and the following week 5 more have gone out and bought the first one they've seen for sale and then show theirs off..they then repeat this cycle a thousand times over.
One of the old timers on RS recently said if he sees another set of AFA 85 12 backs limelighted on FB, he might actually puke over his monitor! To be honest, while I love seeing Vintage and I like seeing people achieve their goals - I kind of agree. High grade AFA 12 back & Early Bird stuff has a crazy loyal following right now and while I love the figures and have almost always collected stuff relating to the figures, I find myself feeling totally numb and unimpressed by a set of 12 backs, regardless of the condition. Even clear bubble ROTJ's bore the pants off of me lately whereas they used to be quite cool to see..
I quite often find myself feeling lost in this hobby of late, I don't relate to the "new breed" in any way, shape or form and the majority of the people I collected alongside left the hobby due to all this **** years ago. I never thought I would be collecting forever but I thought I would at least enjoy it for quite a while..as time goes on that seems less likely.
(PS: Hobby drama sucks the life out of me too - but that's unrelated..most of the time
)It's a good post that Joe and I tend to agree with everything both yourself and Shawn B said, I think EB and 12 backs are cool I always did but I am fully aware non of its rare I think the new breed have gone for earliest is best, if you showed most of these muppets a general marine in real life they wouldn't know what it was or why it was significant.
I said ages back I was selling up I don't have a huge collection but I think it should cover a big chunk of the cost of replacing my double glazing, I will buy it all back in 3-4 years time when things have calmed down
I said ages back I was selling up I don't have a huge collection but I think it should cover a big chunk of the cost of replacing my double glazing, I will buy it all back in 3-4 years time when things have calmed down
_Lee_
Sith Lord
- Joined
- May 7, 2008
- Messages
- 2,387
Dont know what you are whinging for Joe-you collect probably the dullest figure in the line :wink:
Great posts buddy. Reminds me why i dont do facebook.
Great posts buddy. Reminds me why i dont do facebook.
Palitoy78 said:
Nah Lee,I proudly collect the dullest figure in the line! :lol:
_Lee_
Sith Lord
- Joined
- May 7, 2008
- Messages
- 2,387
DarthStanley said:
At least he hung around with Lando a bit
Haha Mark :lol:
I think the most annoying thing of late is that 9 times out of 10, the ones flashing the cash on this stuff have no ****ing clue..literally no clue! Some of the discussions in the FB groups make me want to punch myself in the face (because of the obvious lack of research/understanding and common sense) yet these guys are all posting pictures of carded Vinyl Cape Jawa's and AFA 85 EB sets etc.
Just yesterday I saw someone post up a picture of a Kenner slide with a CIB COA..I mean I can understand a COA for something out of this world or unique..but a slide? One of thousands that are out there? Who is the COA for? Did they pay extra for it? Is it warranted? I mean it's just a slide of a figure..it's cool but a COA? :|
I have to keep reminding myself I am only 30..not quite reached grumpy old man age yet but sometimes it's really ****ing hard not to be this grump with the amount of muppets that are out there. :lol:
I think the most annoying thing of late is that 9 times out of 10, the ones flashing the cash on this stuff have no ****ing clue..literally no clue! Some of the discussions in the FB groups make me want to punch myself in the face (because of the obvious lack of research/understanding and common sense) yet these guys are all posting pictures of carded Vinyl Cape Jawa's and AFA 85 EB sets etc.
Just yesterday I saw someone post up a picture of a Kenner slide with a CIB COA..I mean I can understand a COA for something out of this world or unique..but a slide? One of thousands that are out there? Who is the COA for? Did they pay extra for it? Is it warranted? I mean it's just a slide of a figure..it's cool but a COA? :|
I have to keep reminding myself I am only 30..not quite reached grumpy old man age yet but sometimes it's really ****ing hard not to be this grump with the amount of muppets that are out there. :lol:
