|
I hope this doesn't come across as me presuming I know a lot about
this hobby. I just thought it'd be cool if I shared some of the stuff
I've learned from collecting and making mistakes. Most of it is
common sense, common courtesy, and a little etiquette.
Dealers:
Dealers are someone who buys something relatively cheaply and then
tacks on a profit. When dealing with a dealer or professional seller
expect to pay more. He or she is in it only for the money and has no
sentimental attachment to their pieces (as hard as that is to
believe). I understand that everyone has to make a living, but look
out for the dealer who says this is so rare, that is the hottest
piece and I got this other guy who wants it. They're probably full of
it and just want to get you to pay more for the toy. You may want to
wait and see if the item pops up somewhere else. A good example of
this is ebay. Almost every ad says !!!RARE!!! I'm sorry but the
Shogun Sky Arrow is not rare. Do your homework, decide how badly you
need the piece and set your price. Remember that collecting diecast
robots is not a race. Sure you can build a giant collection in one
year, but you're going to pay way too much. Take your time. Enjoy the hunt.
Haggling:
Don't pay what the seller asks for. Try to cut a deal. Maybe ask him
to drop the shipping or the tax. Also try to buy multiple items at
the same time. If you're buying $500 worth of toys, a seller may drop
10% off the price, if you ask. That's $50 you can put towards another
purchase! On the other hand don't be ridiculous. If a toy is selling
for $100 don't offer the guy $5. That's an insult. You can usually
start haggling as low as 50% off . But the secret to haggling is you
being able to walk away. If you try to haggle a piece you just have
to get, it may work, but you just won't have the ability to walk away
from his table and wait an hour to come back.
How bad do you want it?
This is the deciding factor and the thing that causes ulcers to form
in a 30 year old mans stomach.
You've seen the toy on the shelf everytime you went to the store but
they won't bring the price down, so you figure you'll wait. Then one
Saturday you decide, what the heck, you really want the piece. You go
to the shop and go up to the shelf where the toy once sat, but it is
gone. The room begins to spin and an empty wrenching feeling tears
through your gut. The first reaction is to find the clerk and clear
up this mistake, but of course there is no mistake. The toy was sold
to someone else twenty minutes earlier.
Of course this is contrasted by the pure joy of acquiring a new
piece. Feeling for that brief moment that you have reached perfect
balance and harmony within your collection.
Remember that with time, both these feelings pass and its on to the
next piece. It took me twelve years to get my first MIB Godaikin
Combattra. But now its just sitting on my shelf. Its still one of my
favorites, but I've found that the thrill of anticipating the owning
of a toy greatly exceeds the final possessing of it. Just something
to think about when your standing in front of that dealers table.
Payment
If your dealing face to face cash is king. Sometimes you can get a
better price if you use cash instead of plastic. Many places will
only accept cash so make sure you've got enough money. There is
nothing worse than seeing the piece you've been looking for, only to
be a few bucks short. ATMs have made this a whole lot easier to deal with.
But with the internet playing such a major role in our commerce these
days cash probably isn't the way to go. So far I've found everyone
I've dealt with to be fairly honest. Sometimes the toy isn't in the
kind of shape I thought it would be in, but I got the toy. To protect
yourself always keep receipts of you money orders or bank orders. You
may also want to certify you letter so you know that it got where it
was going. Please, don't send cash anywhere, unless you really trust
and know the person, and even then the letter may get lost. If you're
dealing with an internet person you don't know, get references from
other people. Use common sense and you should be fine.
Did I get what I paid for?
This is part of the reason I made this page. Don't pay the same price
for a Shogun Great Mazinga 2nd version as for a 1st. Learn your toys
and become an expert. Also be careful of the re-issue thing. I have a
nice original Votoms Scopedog box, but I painted the toy. I could
easily take my re-issue and put it in the box and most people
wouldn't be the wiser. I haven't seen it yet, but be wary of someone
passing of a re-issued toy as the more valuable original. If
something like this does happen to you, see if the seller will refund
you your money. Many sellers don't know what they're selling and they
may have made a legitimate mistake.
Good luck, I hope this helps some of you out. If you've got comments
or thoughts on any of these subjects, just drop me a line. |
