More flippers than collectors?

indianawars

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So I've been giving the rising prices a thought... and I've come to the conclusion that there are currently more flippers than collectors.
Everyone jumping on the bandwagon and trying to make a quick buck off vintage toys, which is driving the prices up because they're all trying to add their piece on top.
I've seen a trend of certain items doing the rounds and every time with a mark-up.
An item found in the attic and sold for £10 will eventually double or triple in price within the year because of it being traded several times.

I think this is quite a plausible explanation to our rising price situation.
 

SublevelStudios

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It depends on how you define dealer I guess, but yes, there are certainly times when you buy something solely to sell. For some collectors this is a great way of obtaining a piece they need.

A couple of years ago, walking round the NEC toy fair, there was hardly any vintage SW, and what there was was tat. Walk round today and it's a different story.
 

Wreck-It Ralph

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SublevelStudios said:
It depends on how you define dealer I guess, but yes, there are certainly times when you buy something solely to sell. For some collectors this is a great way of obtaining a piece they need.

A couple of years ago, walking round the NEC toy fair, there was hardly any vintage SW, and what there was was tat. Walk round today and it's a different story.

I went to Comic Con (old Memrobilia) in the NEC last Saturday and all I saw was tat.
 

Lindo

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I recently bought a huge lot of afa graded figures and vehicles, it was a huge amount of money but I did buy it to sell on, I kept a few pieces and made a fair few thousand off the rest, I wouldn't like to think of myself as a flipper because I reinvested the extra in some nice pieces, guess what I'm trying to say is that if it is to buy something from the profit I see it as a good way to get what you want
 

Wreck-It Ralph

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Lindo said:
I recently bought a huge lot of afa graded figures and vehicles, it was a huge amount of money but I did buy it to sell on, I kept a few pieces and made a fair few thousand off the rest, I wouldn't like to think of myself as a flipper because I reinvested the extra in some nice pieces, guess what I'm trying to say is that if it is to buy something from the profit I see it as a good way to get what you want

I agree I think the term flipper should almost exclusively be used for Investors. Sometimes a collector may have to buy a collection just to get a few key pieces and the rest is duplication which will either be traded or sold this does not make them a flipper.
 

indianawars

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It's getting a little off key.

The point I'm making... with more and more people buying things with the intentions of flipping it, and then that person buys it to then flip it, I can only see the prices continue to rise. So that's what I mean, there are more flippers than (us) collectors.
 

Gaz46&2

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You could be right. I see buying as a game, I have my strategy to get what I want in my collection. If I see something cheap and I have the money. I will buy it and sometimes I will flip it, but not always. I do it to increase my spending money and to add to my collection. But it's not something I do in a business sense. An increase in prices benefits us collectors too, I bet most of us are sitting on a small fortune.
 

Gaz46&2

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To answer question though. How can anyone know if there are more flippers than collectors? Stuff sells for whatever people are willing to pay. A lot of dealers I used to see at conventions had the same stuff on sale year after year due to their exorbitant prices.
 

SublevelStudios

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IMO it's not flippers driving the prices, it's the reinvigoration of the franchise bringing new collectors into the hobby and older ones investing/adding to their established collections.
 

momike

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I don't have a problem with people making money, nothing sweater than making a thew quid out of something you enjoy : ) I have been on the scene a while and been to many shows and fairs but have noticed over the past thew years when it come to vintage Star Wars seems to be a lot of collectors and dealers and all they go on about is money and how they paid this for it and sold it for x amount, I find it really vulgar tbh and is definitely something I have noticed on the rise over the last thew years, people who collect and sell other collectibles don't talk like that in my experience
 

Michael Sith

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indianawars said:
It's getting a little off key.

The point I'm making... with more and more people buying things with the intentions of flipping it, and then that person buys it to then flip it, I can only see the prices continue to rise. So that's what I mean, there are more flippers than (us) collectors.


I get where you are coming from.

There are collectors...will buy for their collection, and trade to increase, upgrade the items in their collection.

But, with the new films, the Disney logo,and vintage being more in the "limelight" you will get non collectors seeing SW vintage as a commodity with a buy price, a mark up and a margin, simply to make money, and as you say the buyer may do the same so an item over 12 months could increase in price by say 25% this type of buyer will buy volume and cream the market until it dies down and tge next thing comes out.

Where there a value, there will be buyers who buy to sell, purely to make money, that's the way of the world, but for collectors on the negative side prices rise, on the positive side, it will level out in time.
 

momike

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That's it in a nutshell vintage Star Wars = money......sad state of affairs but would seem that is where we are at with it :(
 

scooternick

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Why not sell what you can do without whilst the market is buoyant, hold the profit and be patient. Purchase what you want when the market takes a wobble, which it will at some point. I think nowadays the best asset for a collector is patience!
 

Mr-shifter

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I have recently sold a fair chunk of my collection in the form of Kenner Mocs (easy ones) and potf last 17 (I have fallen out love with last 17 because of the inability to find a sensible priced yak moc. Thanks impatient new collectors). I have reinvested this money in a few choice bits I wouldn't normally shell out on but the expensive pieces seem to have not increased as much as the more common stuff and I have made a load of money on the other bits so I guess it's all relative.

Is it flipping? Most of the stuff sold has been in my collection for at least 3 years and it's more of a change of direction. High prices means I can sell stuff and have access to pieces that I never thought I would be able to.

The only slight bummer is it has made completing my loose collection a bit more expensive but I'm nearly there and patience and help from friends has seen me nearly finish that off without too much issue.
 

Wreck-It Ralph

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Michael Sith said:
indianawars said:
It's getting a little off key.

The point I'm making... with more and more people buying things with the intentions of flipping it, and then that person buys it to then flip it, I can only see the prices continue to rise. So that's what I mean, there are more flippers than (us) collectors.


I get where you are coming from.

There are collectors...will buy for their collection, and trade to increase, upgrade the items in their collection.

But, with the new films, the Disney logo,and vintage being more in the "limelight" you will get non collectors seeing SW vintage as a commodity with a buy price, a mark up and a margin, simply to make money, and as you say the buyer may do the same so an item over 12 months could increase in price by say 25% this type of buyer will buy volume and cream the market until it dies down and tge next thing comes out.

Where there a value, there will be buyers who buy to sell, purely to make money, that's the way of the world, but for collectors on the negative side prices rise, on the positive side, it will level out in time.

This is what seems to have happened with the 35 cent version of Star Wars 1 comic (rare version) this comic has more than tripled in asking price over the last 3 years I am sure this is more to do with investors flipping and market speculation than an increase in collector demand.
 
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