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Comments
There is no definition of collecting, as some have mentioned. The only fair definition of collecting that can be pieced together, is that collecting's definition is in the eye of the beholder.
That either means:
Having every single set, ever created, MISB.
Having every single set, ever created, opened and on display.
Having every single set from a theme, MISB.
Having every single set from a theme, opened and on display.
Having 5 sets out of 34 in a theme, opened and on display.
The same applies to minifigures.
In a sense, everyone is collecting. We're all searching for a goal, whether it is realistic or un-attainable. Some might be searching to have every single set in existence. Another might be looking to purchase every single Star Wars battlepack ever created. Both have a goal in mind. Some may see the first example as truly collecting, while the other is just your average joe buying a LEGO set. That's your opinion. But if purchasing every SW battle pack is what that person thinks is collecting, then more power to them.
That's one of the beauties of collecting, we can make it whatever we want to be. There are naturally limitations, but it's mostly a free world that we get to explore and make our own.
I see that as one of the reasons we clash so often. The beauty is also the ugly. We each have our own definition of collecting, and thus we bicker so often.
Whether that's collector vs. collector, re-seller vs re-seller, or collector vs. re-seller.
I'm perfectly fine with re-selling. I do it myself from time to time, on both sets and minifigures. Re-selling actually brings me some joy in the nature of collecting. I find myself, even selling at markup, helping another collector out to complete what their definition of collecting is. What I usually make, then in turns fund my hobby and my definition of collecting.
Some re-sellers may not look at it this way, and in turn focus more on the actual dollar being made. The dollar that helps pay for their child's tuition, the broken car out back, the new dishwasher, or perhaps a LEGO set. That's fine too. They can still be a LEGO collector, their definition is just different than mine.
At times though I do become irked with some re-selling habits though, and they go much in coherence with what others have stated. At these times, is when I can't help but get my blood boiling a little bit, so much so that my definition of collecting clashes with theirs.
Already stated, but:
-People blatantly stating their hauls. Whether that's saying they purchased 14 construct a zurgs the other day, or how they got 10 #41999s.
-People blatantly/publicly stating how they circumvented limits/guidelines... how they got around the system
-What I like to call the "re-selling" plague, dis-easing other threads that tend to not have anything to do with re-selling.
I think that's why we've seen the recent clash.
I'm fine with some happiness over a set and its potential re-sale value, but #41999 started to take over everything. I saw evidence of all 3 above not only in re-selling threads, but others too. The first day was fine. The second was alright. By the third, people were still raving about it, and I started getting a little peeved... by the seventh day I had a headache.
I think there are a few things we can pull from all of this:
1) Re-selling topics do need to stay confined to their separate threads. Discussion is fine, I even like to take part in them from time to time, but they shouldn't be allowed to become a "plague" and turn every discussion into "I have 8", "this has such great potential value", etc..
2) We all have our own definition of collecting, and we do need to try and respect each others. Discussion, even debate, is perfectly fine regarding them. However in all of it, there does need to be some line of respect that we each have our own definition of it.
3) I can't take anything @LegoFanTexas says seriously because of his new avatar.
I have always said that explicitly stating how big of a haul you just got seems to be bragging a bit and then taking a picture of your haul compounds the problem.
A mute option would ruin the flow of any conversation one would try to follow. Not a good idea.
If you are a hardcore minifig collector and don't want to shell out $250 for a new set just to get that special figure that only comes in that expensive set, so instead you buy it from Fuddy-Duddy's Lego Emporium on bricklink for $75, do you feel bad about yourself for buying from someone who has taken advantage of the "System"...? Or do you feel good about yourself because you got what you wanted without having to pay the full amount for the entire set for which it was included...?
And after you receive your figure in a timely fashion, do you leave Fuddy Duddy a Positive for being a great seller or a Negative for being a crooked reseller who took a possible birthday gift away from some child who may have enjoyed it more than you..?
As a mature adults, I don't think we need to go to great lengths to piss other people off. If you have to think about your comments toward another, then you probably shouldn't post it. To be fair, I'm guilty of this from time to time.
How many people do we really think are willing to pay well over retail? We act like everybody (except us) does it all the time! And yes, the sets sell, more or less, but if there's even 100 or 1000 "speculators" hoarding Helms Deep, Jabba's Palace, and the mods because the party line is "buy big sets," that's an enormous quantity of sets saturating the aftermarket. At that point it is a nonissue whether they are AFOLs or just mom-n-pop's ebay biz. So in short I would surmise that relying upon reselling for anything other than kicks and grins is a dangerous wave to ride. But sure, that wave could be 100 FBs high and stretched out for 10 years...
I imagine that the recent Mr. Gold decision along with the #41999 mania will result in the increase of such practices unless they hear otherwise. I would think something along the lines of disappointment would work much better than 'I refuse to buy any of your products ever again'.
I own 50 of set XXXXX
Picture of 50 XXXXXs in your closet
Say I post a 50% off R2-D2, if you buy ten, you don't have go "I just bought 10" especially if it sells out within a short time. Just post thanks, got my order in.
Now if you post that you bought 10 in the brag thread, then no one should say jack, because, its a bloody bragging thread.
This is an above 16 age thread.
Are we all so childish as to not respect each other and post in specific areas that pertain to our comments? I think we're all knowledgeable enough to know beforehand what goes in what threads, and what doesn't.
We don't need more rules, just try and be more aware. It's a big issue, that's a nagging problem, that's an easy fix. :o)
"Did you hear that FB is finally going to retire?"...
the other guy : "No way!"
"Waaay"
A BL store that parts out a set allows multiple people to benefit from one set. I recently bought a Bane minifigure; I didn't want the whole $40 set, just the minifigure. In this case, the reseller didn't snag up a bunch of limited sets just to flip them for profit. That set is readily available. The reseller is just assuming the risk of parting it out for me and I pay a premium for the minifigure.
In the case of #41999, limited edition sets were bought just to be sold the next day. Someone mentioned that those resellers were meeting a demand that TLG couldn't. That just doesn't make sense (in this specific case) because if resellers didn't gobble them up, people that want to collect or play with them would eventually buy them all. That said, I don't have any issue with someone buying a bunch of some set to resell later down the road, so long as the set isn't an extremely limited production. And yes, what 'limited' is can be subjective, but it isn't the main issue here.
That said, Lego knew just what they were doing with 41999. The secondary market explosion WAS the intended result. Don't think for a moment it wasn't. People shouldn't be surprised that people will take advantage and make money when the opportunity arises. It goes with the territory. The same thing happens with hot wheels, sports cards, comics, action figures....you name it. As they say, don't hate the player, hate the game.
There is no reason why Lego couldn't have produced 50,000 or 100,000 copies of 41999, but then ask yourself, would we be having this conversation? Nope. Collectors want it because it is in short supply. Re-sellers buy them to sell them to the collectors. Limits are easy to circumvent and so people get around them. Its no different from the guy who gets to Target at 8 am to get all the treasure hunt hot wheels and then sells them on Ebay. The manufacturer intended to create this situation. That is where the ire should be directed.
" Heard from a Lego store employee, FB has finally retired"
The other guy: " DID NOT"
"DID TOO"
"DID NOT"........:-))
Edit: ( sorry for yelling)
Anyone of you that uses Bricklink for buying or selling has no room to talk about what resellers do because you are no better...
You people are being hypocrites about resellers... I simply cannot fathom how it is ok in your eyes for these huge bricklink stores to buy out 100's and 100's of clearanced sets and sell the parts to you that meet your needs, but if someone else buys up up those same sets and resells them, they are the bad guy...
In both situations each reseller is making a profit and many times it is the huge bricklink stores who make it immediately while the other guy has to sit on his sets...
Here is a question, if you go to a bricklink store that has a million parts and they have all of the parts that you need at good prices, but you notice that they have Four #41999 sets for sale also, do you still buy from them, or do you go to another store who's prices are not as good and doesn't have as many parts but are not selling any exclusives..?
My guess is that you look the other way while you hit the checkout button for the first store...
And calling anyone who uses BL (and lets say ebay too) a hypocrite is wrong. Not everyone who sells on BL is a reseller, some people just sell their old stuff or stuff they do not want anymore. Life isnt black and white.
@Margot. Men do talk a lot. I just had a heated discussion about putting a refrigerator in my bathroom.
I said I didn't have an issue with people buying out clearance isles. I can agree with and disagree with different parts of reselling. If someone is registered as a Democrat or Republican, do they have to agree with every single issue or ideology? No. It's not black and white.
I'm not sure what your specific hypotheticals add to the conversation, but I might think twice about moving to the next store...it's hard to say.
Is someone that disagrees with the mistreatment of animals and how they're slaughtered still allowed to eat meat? If I disagree with how some people go about reselling lego, I can still buy lego from a reseller.
Reseller that I have no problem with bricklink sellers because my wife is one of them...
What I have an problem with is people that think buying parts on bricklink from resellers is just fine, but anyone else buying up sets is doing a huge disservice to the world...
Anyone else have similar success?
/edit whoops, wrong thread. please feel free to move to the TRU 41999 topic.
So the cooler isn't working out for you anymore? :)
(I am kidding)
I will acknowledge on behalf of the entire group that you believe resellers of sets are no different than resellers of parts. That being said, no one here (i.e. not a single person) is bemoaning the concept of reselling, just the behaviors that some resellers employ. You're shadow boxing.