Selling Toys - Horror Stories & "Happy" Customers

[Alt]

Question: is there a certain line of figures whose buyers give you the most trouble?

Good discussion.

McFarlane and Black Series. They're the ones most likely to ask for the box and why I don't have the box and why would I throw the box away. They're also the ones that will click a listing for Han Solo and then ask me if have 20 other unrelated characters. I don't know. I'm just not wired to do that when I'm shopping. If you're selling a Batman, I'm assuming if you Green Lanterns or Blue Beetle you're going to list it separately or let me know. I clicked you for the Batman, because I want the Batman.

So many of the McF and Black Series people treat me like they're flipping through the pegs at their personal Walmart and they want me to check the back.

I also find McFarlane people are going to be the most cheapskate and lowballing, while at the same time admitting the scarcity issue as they try to wheel and deal. " know you're the only person with Platinum Collector Wonder Woman in the past 2 years, but do you think you could let it go for 20? I'll let you throw in. Knightfall Catwoman and Batman for free, and you can do my dishes when you drop them off."

Legends collectors will bargain, but nothing outrageous or unexpected. There seems to be a nice momentum where they recognize that you have a rarity or hard to find piece. They're my favorite to sell because for every guy that has a reasonable ask on a loose older figure, there's another guy that will pay you $100 because it fills a hole on his shelf and soul and he needs that validation right now. Marvel is like nostalgia heroin.

Classfied guys can be obnoxious asking for detailed shots and why you don't have the packaging and asking if you'd let that preview snake eyes figure go for $10. He has pins come on. Nobody wants it. That might just be a vocal minority in my area. The majority of Joe people that I actually sell to are chill. It's just the inquiries that make me want to drag them to the highest point in Gotham and enjoy their screams.

Transformers guys are like no questions asked.

Import figures tend to have the most people wanting to do trades. Like they just have a hoard of regret they want to barter with.

But they have various subsects. You get the people that don't understand that a Mafex is not a Marvel Legend. When I sold some of my Joy Toy Warhammer, that's such a niche. Most of those people understood exactly what the valuations were and didn't question anything, but at the same time I took a hit because it's just such a niche.

NECA collectors also tend to lowball while at the same time wanting top dollar for their own listing or trade.

Mythic Legions guys also want you to give them the deal of a lifetime and then you look at their listings and they are asking ludicrous prices and refuse to hear out any bartering.

Specific to my area in sales I dread listing McFarlane and Classified because there are certain people I recognize and I know the games they're going to try and play.

 

[joshsquash729]

I guess, all things considered, I've gotten pretty lucky in that regard. Definitely a fair share of idiots, but I don't really get too many people who cause a problem afterward. Most of the ones who have aren't even figure related, but steelbook related. Steelbook collectors are a whole other breed of crazy. Hot Toys as well. I've never sold any Hot Toys (mostly because I'm not rich enough to really afford many), but the stories I've seen online- not even from sellers, per se, but people who buy directly from Hot Toys and if like one hair is a bit askew or if there's the tiniest of marks that can easily be cleaned or covered, they lose their minds. And sure, when spending a lot, you want good quality, but there's like zero leniency. When it comes to selling, I've seen people refuse to buy pristine figures because it doesn't have the original shipper box.

I'd mostly agree with what Alt said above. Every line has its weirdos who operate differently. Funko collectors want either pristine boxes or they want as many loose ones as possible at as low a price as possible. Lots are a big thing with them.

With McFarlane collectors, they always want to know if I also have X character. Black Series collectors tend to ask if I have X accessory. Both tend to lowball as well in terms of offers. Oddly enough, I haven't really had many, if any, issues with Legends collectors.

That's why I always just say in the listing "what you see is what you get; if not pictured, it's not included." And for the most part, it's more or less worked.