Subject:
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Re: The difference between hobbyists and collectors...
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto
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Date:
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Tue, 9 Jan 2007 16:53:14 GMT
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Viewed:
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1726 times
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In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Calum Tsang wrote:
> In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, David Koudys wrote:
>
>
> > > how does it harm you or calum? if you dont want it... dont buy it.
>
> > However, my personal opinion--jackass. As you say--it's not a matter of 'right
> > or wrong' or morals, because it is, indeed, a matter of opinion. My opinion is
> > that it hurts the hobby and hurts us all. It's the 'Ebenezer Scrooge' single
> > person hoarding to the loss of the community.
>
> Well, hoarding is fine, Chris loses the opportunity of using that money for
> something else, or the bricks for something else.
>
> > I've seen it before--John Doe has an excellent idea for designing something new
> > and great. 'Ahh, but I need part 'x' and only Richard Roe has part 'x' and he
> > wants a gazillion dollars for it.'
> >
> > There goes the idea.
>
> It also can't be taken as a loss to the community--come on Dave, Chris paid for
> it fair and square. These things aren't like organ transplants or
> something...again, you said it, they're mass manufactured.
>
> Where is it a negative to the community?
Agreed-if Chris has, hypothetically, some Technic subs sitting in his basement
that he plans on selling in some years time for some profit--no issues from me.
As stated before, that's not the issue--it's the degree of profit. If Chris
puts up the Technic sub tomorrow on eBay for 400 dollars, he's gouging the
market. If he puts it up for whatever 'fair market value' is, and the bids go
up to 400 dollars, entirely different situation.
>
> a) When jackass (love that on Corner Gas when Oscar says it...my favourite
> catchphrase) goes around an area's stores or online, buying all the stock so
> everyone, meaning kids, AFOLs, whoever, can't get any sets. Example: Star Wars
> action figures where some "dealer" goes and scoops up all the delivery before
> anyone else can get any. Another example: Buying out all of a certain set on
> S@H.
Well, now we're into this issue where these 'dealers' are just making a monopoly
of the market--just as set 345 isn't available anywhere else, this guy wants
loads of money for it.
But again, as another note--I reember BF a few years back--at the store, we were
all given the opportunity to buy X sets for whatever price and then if the sets
weren't sold, they'd go to Troy. We had the opportunity to buy 'em before they
went to a dealer. Now Troy is, I think, a reputable dealer who makes his living
off buying and selling LEGO sets 'n pieces. I don't think that Troy, trying to
keep his reputation intact, would advertise a set for 400 dollars when the
original purchase price was somewhere around 20 bucks.
> BTW, there used to be someone in the GTA (actually a few) who did such things.
>
> b) When jackasses started on ebay on the rtl/atl timeframe, creating a
> collector's market. Previous to this, you'd never pay more than MSRP plus a bit
> for a fellow AFOL's help to buy a set you didn't have. But now that ebay is a
> part of regular mainstream culture, you can't really complain someone's gonna
> put stuff up for sale on auction. It's done.
If you are willing to *gasp* wait, you will find what you need for the price you
want to pay on eBay. You can get RCX's for under 50 bucks a pop, and you can
even get complete Mindstorms kits for substantially less than MSRP. But that
requires patience and discernment--two qualities lacking in todays culture of 'I
want it now!'
Which reminds me of that famous saying (so famous that I've forgotten where I
saw it first)
You can have it fast and you can have it cheap, but it won't be good.
You can have it good and you can have it cheap, but it won't be fast.
You can have it fast and you can have it good, but it won't be cheap.
I'm willing to wait for someting to come into my price range or when I really
have the disposable income to afford it (NXT readily comes to mind)
> > for some reasonable profit.
>
> If you're makin' money, the only reason profit is the most profit you can get
> away with. Anything else is a value judgement.
All this is a value judgement
> A while ago I bought a 4031 Fire Rescue boat to use in a project. It's sat on
> my shelf now for ten years waiting. If I were to sell, I would expect no less
> than to sell for what the market wants. Anything else would be shooting myself
> in the foot.
Agreed--would you list it on eBay starting at 400 dollars?
> "Dealers" making money off of a hobby used to be distasteful for me beceause
> they were ruining a "fun" community. I don't like people making money from
> something I have fun from, but I don't know why. It doesn't feel good.
And I totally agree with this point.
> But I don't know how I can resolve that with a respect for the free market.
> People will do whatever is legally (well, illegally in one guy's case) way to
> make whatever they can. That is the market system we have chosen. So I can't
> fault Chris for thinking he's going make a mint off that 8880 in his basement,
> and I can't fault Chris for wanting everything he can get on it.
Since Chris is my friend and I want him to be successful in all his endeavours,
I also want him to get everythign he can get for it, withouth compromising his
integrity.
If he lists it at a gazillion dollars to start, then his integrety is in
question.
> What I can only fault on, is the concept of making money by excluding everyone
> else (eg buying all the Maersk ships off S@H) or not playing fair (eg, Bill
> Swanberg).
>
> Calum
Dave K
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