Nice profit if you can get it!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VERY-RARE-John-Menzies-Offer-Vintage-Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-Tie-Fighter-Boxed-/141908223619?hash=item210a63a683:g:EdwAAOSwll1Wx19l

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-1977-70s-PALITOY-STAR-WARS-DARTH-VADER-TIE-FIGHTER-VEHICLE-BOXED-/121892036561?hash=item1c6154dfd1%3Ag%3AROoAAOSwezVWvQEJ&nma=true&si=D31QN%252Ftu%252FTVFa6pkHGiKIN4Kbms%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

:roll:

Ian

Palifan said:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VERY-RARE-John-Menzies-Offer-Vintage-Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-Tie-Fighter-Boxed-/141908223619?hash=item210a63a683:g:EdwAAOSwll1Wx19l

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-1977-70s-PALITOY-STAR-WARS-DARTH-VADER-TIE-FIGHTER-VEHICLE-BOXED-/121892036561?hash=item1c6154dfd1%3Ag%3AROoAAOSwezVWvQEJ&nma=true&si=D31QN%252Ftu%252FTVFa6pkHGiKIN4Kbms%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

:roll:

Ian

Click to expand...

He is a member on here.

I did wonder but it does seem to be quite a mark up. shame it didn't go to someone who actually wanted it first.....maybe I'm just being old fashioned though?

Ian

Mikestrange is no stranger (no pun intended) to the buy to flip concept..http://starwarsforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=26857&p=360995

For as much as this **** pisses me off..it is what it is and what the hobby seems to be about these days. Hell, he got £330 for a battered Trilogo Leia the other day that I probably wouldn't have paid £150 for so I guess if he has people willing to pay these silly prices then he's going to continue to do it.

PS: The fact that he's a member here doesn't mean he's above being called out for stuff like this however I wouldn't expect a reply, even if he does read it.

PPS: He's also one of a few people I've seen on Facebook who has pretended to own a Trilogo Madine. He even used a picture of a figure that is (or was at the time) owned by a friend of mine.

Claiming to own something you don't just for likes is something I'll never understand.

C'mon guys he's only selling it to fund the purchase of a grail item for his focus :roll:

This is always one of those difficult things.

On one side it's his money and no one has ownership of the concept of collecting, so in reality there is nothing 'wrong' with buying to make money. And money earned could be reinvested in to buying something that's more expensive so need extra finances.

On the other hand, the large number of people doing this can drive prices up and lead the hobby in the direction of becoming something only the rich can afford to do.

Of course because of the second one it makes people do the first one, otherwise they'd not be able to collect...it's a bit of a cycle...catch 22...dark path etc. :?

Lets see if it sells at that price before we get too worried

Seen loads of crazy prices recently but most of them are still sitting there months later.

For me it's the speed it was bought and then re-listed, I don't even really understand why he's on here as he doesn't seem to care about Star Wars or the collectors that much (well unless their paying his prices). It's also quite a slap in the face for the original seller who now has to see it re-listed for much higher (potentially). It could have been put up for sale somewhere else at least.

It's up to him what he wants to charge but I just thought I'd let people know what was paid for this item recently so that they can make their mind up as to what it's really worth and also if they're happy paying around the asking price when they know how much it was bought for. I actually noticed this listing before it was bought and thought it wouldn't last long but hoped it would find the right home. There must be someone out there who buys vintage Star Wars because they want to have it in their collection?

This buying to flip, to then raise funds for a grail item is something that I'm uninterested in for myself and feel that it probably doesn't happen as much as people think (or claim in their listings). Selling a piece you've owned and enjoyed for a while to fund a new purchase is a completely different thing than just taking it out of one persons hands to then pass it on for triple the price.

Happy days!

Ian

I can see both sides of the argument but at the end of the day he can do what he wants.
He's trying to make a big margin on a vintage (and has to be said) rare stickered box t-fighter which he got for a good price in first place.
For me this kind of activity is far less worse than all these people selling these fake custom carded figures.

The old ethics of selling issues. It's a dirty old game, that seems to get muckier the more money is involved.

Is there a solution? You could start by selling me all your Mocs at bargain prices. They will then be locked up in my spare room, never to be seen again. At least they won't be flipped.

Mr-shifter said:

The old ethics of selling issues. It's a dirty old game, that seems to get muckier the more money is involved.

Is there a solution? You could start by selling me all your Mocs at bargain prices. They will then be locked up in my spare room, never to be seen again. At least they won't be flipped.

Click to expand...

Yer that's one way of doing it
Flipping has always went on (especially AFA and UKG) with collectables and antiques of all varieties.
If it didn't carded figures would still be £1.30 - it's just some people take the flipping piss!

Hi

I just don't like it when people flip it straight away. I personally buy to collect the stuff.

Occasionally have to sell because of wanting something else but don't like it when people just buy it to sell to make profit.

Just don't think this is what the hobby or this forum is about.

Just my opinion!

Flipping immediately at 3 times the price is a bit of a pisstake if you ask me. I bought a boxed 12 inch 3-PO from Iain for £100 which was a decent price. When I bought it I wanted it and thought I might start collecting them but then realised I wanted to concentrate on other things rather than starting something new and resold it here for £100, to Mike. I could have sold it for more on eBay but I didn't because it wouldn't sit well with me, I'd rather offer it to one of the guys here for no profit. No disrespect meant to Mike by the way, was a nice bloke to deal with.

It's the age old grumble of collectors from any hobby and one I can relate to.

I don't like flipping when it's taking advantage of places like this: you see something cheap and snap it up simply to make a profit on it. Forums like this are there for the collector, not the dealer....

....speaking of which.: flipping is exactly what dealers do. We have no problem with them doing it so why the individual? Dealers are a vital part of any hobby. They search out childhood collections and bring fresh products to the market. They also buy low and sell high. If this guy wants to do the same and use the profit to buy a grail item or put the funds towards a car, why does it bother us?

That's my devil's advocate role out of the way. What I really think is this: he found a bargain on ebay, he snapped it up and has tripled the price whilst re-advertising in the same place he bought it. Whether it sells or not we will see. Yes, it would have been much, much better off in a collector's hands and preferably mine at that! Is he taking the piss with the price or has the original reseller missed out by not sticking up a valuation thread somewhere or listing is on auction and properly describing it? We'll have to see.

All in all it leaves a sour taste in the mouth but that's because we care about the hobby. I buy and sell stuff that I like all the time (Lego, board games, old toys, collectibles, comics, etc.) If I like an item and I see a profit I'll buy it and sell it. Sometimes I end up keeping it, but my usual car boot sale finds are for resale. As much as I like the things I buy I don't collect them. Does that make me a flipper, a dealer or an opportunist. I reckon it'll be one answer to anyone outside of the respective hobby and a different answer to those that collect.

Good points from all and it really is up to the individual to decide what they want to do with both buying and selling. For me this sort of practise does wind me up slightly and it probably didn't help that I'd just got back from Portland comic con where so many traders there had been clearly buying up China reproduction lego mini figures for pence and then selling them at $5 a pop! You only have to check ebay to see what these things really go for and I must admit that it really started to annoy me that everyone was doing it and has really made me think twice about this whole collecting thing.

I know for now that I'll just stick to what I like collecting and as vintage Star Wars seems to have become so money orientated I think I'll step out of it for a while (helped by the fact that I feel I've gone to about where I want to with my collection of it ). I'm still very interested in hearing stories about Star Wars related new finds and ideas that get posted on here but unfortunately I have noticed a slight decline in that of late (although the podcast can really quench that thirst). When it does come time to sell some of my collection off I do feel like I need to find some way of getting it into ghecollectors hands but at the moment I can only think of pricing it fairly high to detract someone buying to flip, sad times I know.

Ian

Palifan said:

Good points from all and it really is up to the individual to decide what they want to do with both buying and selling. For me this sort of practise does wind me up slightly and it probably didn't help that I'd just got back from Portland comic con where so many traders there had been clearly buying up China reproduction lego mini figures for pence and then selling them at $5 a pop! You only have to check ebay to see what these things really go for and I must admit that it really started to annoy me that everyone was doing it and has really made me think twice about this whole collecting thing.

I know for now that I'll just stick to what I like collecting and as vintage Star Wars seems to have become so money orientated I think I'll step out of it for a while (helped by the fact that I feel I've gone to about where I want to with my collection of it ). I'm still very interested in hearing stories about Star Wars related new finds and ideas that get posted on here but unfortunately I have noticed a slight decline in that of late (although the podcast can really quench that thirst). When it does come time to sell some of my collection off I do feel like I need to find some way of getting it into ghecollectors hands but at the moment I can only think of pricing it fairly high to detract someone buying to flip, sad times I know.

Ian

Click to expand...

Those Chinese knock off Lego MFs piss me off too :evil: So much of that **** around. Still, if you know the tells they're easy enough to spot. Shame for the mums and dads who don't know any different, though.

Getting disillusioned due to a greedy marketplace seems to becoming more and more common. All I'd say is; don't lose heart and don't sell up. Pack it up, put it in a safe place and sit on them for 6 or 12 months. Then go and have a look at them and see how you feel. Would be a shame to dissolve the collection only to find that the bug is only in hibernation rather exterminated.

Getting disillusioned due to a greedy marketplace seems to becoming more and more common. All I'd say is; don't lose heart and don't sell up. Pack it up, put it in a safe place and sit on them for 6 or 12 months. Then go and have a look at them and see how you feel. Would be a shame to dissolve the collection only to find that the bug is only in hibernation rather exterminated.[/quote]

Thanks for the words of encouragement and no fear of me selling up my collection, I'd only let go of the things I have more than one of ( or three or four :lol: ), through upgrading over the years. I'm thinking I might go back to going to more toy fairs and things like that for this year as even though eBay is an amazing place to find what you're looking for it can take some of the fun out of it (although looking for those bargains can have its merits as well). I've been focusing on other towlines recently, some vintage, some modern, and must admit that even though some of these items still have their fair share of interest in from other people out there I do find things seem to be more evenly priced. It's a way of keeping the toy collecting habit alive and at least there are still places out there like this forum to get my Star Wars fix.

Ian

x-wingMark said:

Hi

I just don't like it when people flip it straight away. I personally buy to collect the stuff.

Occasionally have to sell because of wanting something else but don't like it when people just buy it to sell to make profit.

Just don't think this is what the hobby or this forum is about.

Just my opinion!

Click to expand...

Yer but he might be flipping to pay the bills for all we know.
I see he managed to sell it with best offer.

kingshearer said:

x-wingMark said:

Hi

I just don't like it when people flip it straight away. I personally buy to collect the stuff.

Occasionally have to sell because of wanting something else but don't like it when people just buy it to sell to make profit.

Just don't think this is what the hobby or this forum is about.

Just my opinion!

Click to expand...

Yer but he might be flipping to pay the bills for all we know.
I see he managed to sell it with best offer.

Click to expand...

The description says he is selling to pay for a grail of his. That may be true as he does collect (he's the guy with the AT-AT focus and before that the Leia original focus) but it definitely looks like he finances his purchases by buying and flipping stuff he has no personal interest in.

Well he got 250 GBP so hopefully that will help out with the bills, at least it went for a more realistic price than originally attempted and I think it's now time for me to move on from this but hopefully the person who bought it is happy with the price and maybe even benefitted with their offer from reading this thread.

Ian