I feel like Im reliving a bitter part of my childhood

[mynameisash]

I enter WalMart, I run to the toy section, and all I see are...empty pegs. I see maybe a Stalker, a cobra commander, a roadblack......but nothing else hardly. Luckily I had to visit 4 WM's last night to even find a Rock N Roll, or a Armored CC. Still no torpedo. YOU may think IM lucky but unfrotunately, these Joes are becoming harder to find. The 2 pks are hard to find, the single packs are becoming scarce. Its funny to see the Star Wars and Marvel Legends pegs over flowing, but as for the Joes, we have to go on a bounty hunt for them.

[BrotherShane]

I agree, I have still yet to see Wave 5 or 6 in retail stores.

[ARROW]

Well, since you are no longer actually living in your childhood, why are you still going about things as if you were? LOL!

 

Order the stuff on line, get the figures easily, and the day the parcel arrives will be like Christmas/birthdays etc all over again.

Repeat as often as wallet and your sense of bliss can handle.

[Crimson Twins]

At least there are pegwarmers at your Wal-Marts. The three stores I check regularly haven't had ANY Joe related items for over a month now.

[Whitewolf]

Yeah. To be perfectly honest, I completely agree with Arrow here. Even though I work for TRU, and have access to a lot of figures literally "right off the truck", I stopped buying them right when the cases were cracked open because too many local known scalpers and eBayers (and a few legitimate collectors--these I don't have a problem with whatsoever) began bitching on a nearly constant basis to my store manager. It wasn't because we were keeping the pegs empty...far from it. Their beef was that THEY weren't getting first crack at them so that THEY could dump them onto THEIR auction sites to sell at a ridiculous markup. My store manager finally told one of the eBayers that TRU is not his personal distribution center for his website business and that he'll have to take his chances finding figures like everyone else. If he wanted a distributor, she could provide him information on buying his stuff wholesale in bulk if he wished. The look on the guy's face was absolutely priceless...you would have thought she told him that we shot the Pope or something. He then did the typical "well, you won't be getting MY business anymore! And I spend a lot more each week than most of your other customers!" She shrugged it off, saying that sometimes its not the quantity or the money, but the quality of the customer.

 

The point here is that scalpers have made a booming business out of "The Hunt" thing that Hasbro (and other manufacturers) pitches to collectors. Scouring practically every store, practically everyday of the week early in the mornings to clean out a store's inventory of the current "hot items" so that they can turn a quick buck themselves...and in turn, creating a mini-monopoly in a given area of the country on said items. The ideology of "if you want it bad enough, you'll have to go through me to get it" is king with these types. But they'll always argue this point vehemently with anyone that questions their less-than-scrupulous business practices; citing that they're shopping like any other customer...and what they do with their merchandise after they purchase it is none of the store's business whatsoever. This is true...but its dirty pool nonetheless. I'm sure Microsoft tried this arguement of "fuzzy logic" when it went to court over monopolizing the internet 10 years ago...it didn't work there either.

 

Buying online is the best way to go nowadays...and this is coming from someone who works in retail! Not that I'm trying to deter business from my own stores, but as a collector I have found myself feeling the same way as you do when looking for something I really want...and coming across nothing but empty pegs. The shipping that you pay is going to come to less than what you're putting into your gas tank (especially now that gas is supposed to hit near or at $4/gallon by summer) to travel all over town looking for these figures. Some will argue that part of the whole experience is the actual footwork of going from store to store to get their hands on a possible treasure...but when it becomes more of a source of annoyance (and you aren't the only one who's posted about this frustration lately), its time to look into alternative sources for your collecting.

 

I had to order the Noks comic pack from BBTS because our store never has gotten in Wave 2. We jumped straight from Wave 1 and Wave 1.5 to Wave 3. Such is the ways of Hasbro, I suppose. I've also preordered Wave 7 with the Cobra Vipers in it, because we all know that the Vipers are going to be the troop-builder du jour of that wave...and will be nearly impossible to find anywhere. True, you don't get the instant gratification you get when you walk into a store and actually find what you've been looking for, but by ordering online, you know you've scored what you want without even leaving the house. And within a week, you get what you ordered knowing that you did so without having to beat a scalper to it.

 

I'm finding myself moving more and more toward online purchases where these figures are concerned...its just easier all the way around.

[ARROW]

The ideology of "if you want it bad enough, you'll have to go through me to get it" is king with these types. But they'll always argue this point vehemently with anyone that questions their less-than-scrupulous business practices; citing that they're shopping like any other customer...and what they do with their merchandise after they purchase it is none of the store's business whatsoever. This is true...but its dirty pool nonetheless. I'm sure Microsoft tried this arguement of "fuzzy logic" when it went to court over monopolizing the internet 10 years ago...it didn't work there either.

 

The wonderful thing is.......no-one has to go thru scalpers or even expending energy hunting for these toys.....unless they want to. We savvy collectors can also "shop like any other customer" and buy well outside the scalpers sphere of influence.

This is how to beat scalpers......just do not have any traffic with them and their customer base will dry up and they will leave the toys alone.

 

By all means DO keep checking out the stores too, because they do want and likely deserve your business as well, to pick up one-offs and extras, but keep your major wants for on-line orders.

Encourage other collectors you know to do the same and it won't be long before scalpers fall out of the game.

[Whitewolf]

Well, yes...one-offs and the occasional troop builder is perfectly fine for store purchases. These are figures that you may stumble upon once in a blue moon (or when the initial rush to get a particular "hot" figure has died down) while out shopping for other things. I was mainly speaking in terms of "gotta-have-it" items where online purchases are concerned (Wave 7, Wave 4 comic packs, etc.).

 

Just wanted to clarify that...

[umanumanamo]

I've found the best way to find what I want is:

 

-paying attention to a few trustworthy message boards such as this one here, making friends with posters.

-only checking stores for new stuff when I need to go out. as in - don't waste gas on toys.

-patience. remember when wave 3 or 4 was hard to find?

-online retailers. HTS, TRU, BBTS, Walmart...

[Eric]

I've found the best way to find what I want is:

 

-paying attention to a few trustworthy message boards such as this one here, making friends with posters.

-only checking stores for new stuff when I need to go out. as in - don't waste gas on toys.

-patience. remember when wave 3 or 4 was hard to find?

-online retailers. HTS, TRU, BBTS, Walmart...

 

Is BBTS really a good place to order from?

 

I've contemplated buying from them multiple times but never have because it seems like I see a lot of posts with people saying, "I'm still waiting for my _________ order from BBTS." Is that with just the preorder stuff? Or some isolated incidents? Or is it with everything they sell? I'm a patient man, but I'd rather not place an order for something and then have no idea when it will be shipped. I'd rather wait to find it in a store (if I'm lucky).

[falcon7]

I work at Target in the Backroom and the problem we are having is we are not getting the figures in. And when we do its the same old thing. To this day as for as the two packs we have only received the first wave and some are still warming the pegs. As far as the singles We mainly get wave three and four and they too are warming the pegs to some degree. My question like most is where is the rest of the stuff that is suppose to be out there. I have resigned to the fact that if I want to keep up the only way to do that is to order direct. The only problem with that is I miss the hunt.

[Whitewolf]

I've found the best way to find what I want is:

 

-paying attention to a few trustworthy message boards such as this one here, making friends with posters.

-only checking stores for new stuff when I need to go out. as in - don't waste gas on toys.

-patience. remember when wave 3 or 4 was hard to find?

-online retailers. HTS, TRU, BBTS, Walmart...

 

Is BBTS really a good place to order from?

 

I've contemplated buying from them multiple times but never have because it seems like I see a lot of posts with people saying, "I'm still waiting for my _________ order from BBTS." Is that with just the preorder stuff? Or some isolated incidents? Or is it with everything they sell? I'm a patient man, but I'd rather not place an order for something and then have no idea when it will be shipped. I'd rather wait to find it in a store (if I'm lucky).

 

I've never had a problem with BBTS at all. Yes, I'm still waiting for my two sets of Wave 7 25th Anniversary figures, but they are preorders...that aren't even supposed to hit pegs until April. And as far as shipment notification, BBTS sends an email telling you that your item(s) have shipped, along with a link to your account on the website. From the website, you can even track your package if you've opted for a method of shipping like UPS or FedEx.

[umanumanamo]

I've found the best way to find what I want is:

 

-paying attention to a few trustworthy message boards such as this one here, making friends with posters.

-only checking stores for new stuff when I need to go out. as in - don't waste gas on toys.

-patience. remember when wave 3 or 4 was hard to find?

-online retailers. HTS, TRU, BBTS, Walmart...

 

Is BBTS really a good place to order from?

 

I've contemplated buying from them multiple times but never have because it seems like I see a lot of posts with people saying, "I'm still waiting for my _________ order from BBTS." Is that with just the preorder stuff? Or some isolated incidents? Or is it with everything they sell? I'm a patient man, but I'd rather not place an order for something and then have no idea when it will be shipped. I'd rather wait to find it in a store (if I'm lucky).

 

I've never had a problem with BBTS at all. Yes, I'm still waiting for my two sets of Wave 7 25th Anniversary figures, but they are preorders...that aren't even supposed to hit pegs until April. And as far as shipment notification, BBTS sends an email telling you that your item(s) have shipped, along with a link to your account on the website. From the website, you can even track your package if you've opted for a method of shipping like UPS or FedEx.

 

 

I've only done one order with BBTS. However, I was very satisfied. My product arrived when I expected it, it kept my hunting costs to a minimum, and I still didn't pay much over retail. The key is to be patient. Some people think that 'preorder' must mean 'I'll get it a week after I order it.'

 

Also, know your case assortments. If you miss a figure from an earlier wave, there's a good chance he'll be offered again in another wave case or revision case.

[ARROW]

Is BBTS really a good place to order from?

 

I've placed 3 orders with them in the past 4 months--and I'll be using them again I'm sure.

 

I tried them on a lark last November, when I was down to looking at a couple of places for some NECA God of War figures for my step-sons.

BBTS had them for the better price and their reputation seemed okay.

Ordered and they shipped promptly, package arrived a couple weeks later.

Really well packed in a good sturdy box, good clear receipt--their shipping costs are not cheap, but they are not a gouge either. They fairly charge what it costs and they give you lots of options to ship by.

 

I will probably not go with pre-orders with them, because I have followed some of the travails of others and noted that sometimes pre-orders do get cancelled with them. No problem-I'll order stuff when they have the items in stock.

My past two orders were items that were on discount, and I was delighted to see they had some older stock on for really good discounts. With the shipping costs added in, I'm still getting deals. They've got a really good variety of stuff on hand, and a bit of casual browsing is sure to find something you'd want to get.

 

I have NO complaints about their service at all. They have a good clear site, really good ordering set up, and a prompt notification via email for shipping.

[Cmdr_Y]

I've ordered from Bigbadtoystore several times and I have no qualms about doing so in the future.

 

Years ago I ordered a few things from Entertainment Earth, but I was disappointed - either by shipping, cost, whatever. I recently bought a few things from them again and didn't have any trouble.

 

I recommend either/both Bigbadtoystore and Entertainment Earth. Both are solid, professional sites with good customer service.

[Ren]

I nominate this thread for "Best Thread Ever" ! I've been ordering online for awhile know and still go on the occasional hunt (mainly for exclusives)

[Eric]

Thanks for all the responses about BBTS, everyone (unless you didn't respond, ya jerk ).

 

It sounds like it's just the preorder thing that kept people waiting, so I'll probably go ahead and order from them when I'm ready to spend more money (I've put myself on probation for at least the next week and a half after going so nuts recently).

[Checkmate598]

I've found the best way to find what I want is:

 

-paying attention to a few trustworthy message boards such as this one here, making friends with posters.

-only checking stores for new stuff when I need to go out. as in - don't waste gas on toys.

-patience. remember when wave 3 or 4 was hard to find?

-online retailers. HTS, TRU, BBTS, Walmart...

 

 

BBTS is the way to go for me. I use their 'Pile of loot' option which saves me a little money on shipping cost. 'The Hunt' for me does not exist. I just go to my local TRU just to look at the toys on display same with Target. IF i see a CG or Optimus Prime MP thats the only time I buy something. But to complete the new waves of Joes I dont even bother because they are always out of stock.

 

I gave up on the hunt years ago and BBTS is really a god send for me and recently learned that I can trust online friends for trades. For the original poster, my advice to you is go online! no need to be sad little buddy. @loll@