OMG a rare figure, oh wait it's just swapped

[GPM in ICT]

I keep seeing topic after topic about poeple finding swapped figures all over the place. It seems to me like it is just getting worse and worse. There's really not a lot we can do about it, but I have started to do something. Yes I point it out to the store personal and though I wish that would take care of it, I have started to do something else too. In July I got a new phone a (LG Voyager) and was surprised at how well the camera works on it. So now every time I come across a swap I take a picture. I'm gonna post sme tonight and maybe some more tomorrow. They all came from the same Walmart. Hope you enjoy.

 

 

 

[Action Figure Soundwave]

Jeeeeez...... The guy took the turret from the HISS .... that's the worst out of those .

[Ren]

Alright it has to be collectors doing this, scalpers don't take loose figs and turrets.

I want a full blown investigations and names people. This is major problem and exactly what magazines like Toyfare should be writing about instead of "hot" toy lists of figures no one cares about.

[Pit Viper]

Alright it has to be collectors doing this, scalpers don't take loose figs and turrets.

I want a full blown investigations and names people. This is major problem and exactly what magazines like Toyfare should be writing about instead of "hot" toy lists of figures no one cares about.

 

Someone over at YoJoe admitted to doing this with Star wars figures. I find it hard to believe he doesn't still do this with Joes.

[MUNDO]

I actually would have bought one of those blue HISS drivers

[n8dawgaic]

Yeah, this has become quite the epidemic.

 

Something that trumps this in patheticness may be when people swap the .99 Hot Wheels out...

[Ccav]

Yeah, this has become quite the epidemic.

 

Something that trumps this in patheticness may be when people swap the .99 Hot Wheels out...

 

 

Yeah, i hate getting to a store with a new case of hotwheels only to find all the mystery car boxes open.

That Hiss with the stolen turret would casue me to report someone if i saw them do it. The Figs are'nt as bad mainly because some people

will want the blue, however its still stealing..

 

And my God man, how big of a freaking nerd can you look like, stealing toys.

Stealing Toys?! I know that the person who does this is just a pathetic lifeless sap. Seriously

This doesnt help thier hobby, and one day someone will find out who is doing it, and Karma will come full circle...

 

 

With a punch in the gut.

[ninja katt]

I actually would have bought one of those blue HISS drivers

Me too. I didn't really want to buy another hiss just for rip-it. Come to think of it, it's too bad that the guy who swapped him for that c.l.a.w. didn't find those singles first .

[GPM in ICT]

More pics...

 

 

 

 

All these have been found within the last month at th same Walmart. Yeah after thinking about it I went back to pick up one of those rip it's but both were gone. Just like I was tempted to get that LJ, but sice her belts had been cut off and she had no backpack I decided not to. I have more picks somewhere. If anyone else has any please do share.

[RedKat]

More pics...

 

 

 

 

All these have been found within the last month at th same Walmart. Yeah after thinking about it I went back to pick up one of those rip it's but both were gone. Just like I was tempted to get that LJ, but sice her belts had been cut off and she had no backpack I decided not to. I have more picks somewhere. If anyone else has any please do share.

 

lol, this is funny, but why the hell did they put a lady jay from the box set in a single pack when you can sell it on e-bay for 5% more then what you pay for it,

[GPM in ICT]

She didn't have her backpack and the belt that went around her waist was removed, so basiclly if all you wanted was the figure (or her head) then you'd be fine. As for not selling on eBay, maybe this guy don't sell. I did look at the job he did on "repackaging" the lady jaye and Destro. He cut it really clean and then stapled the bubble to the card. It looked really good from the front, but on the back side you could see the staples. My one things that really bother me is that he's returning an aweful lot of merchandise, you would think someone might start getting wise.

[canprime]

She didn't have her backpack and the belt that went around her waist was removed, so basiclly if all you wanted was the figure (or her head) then you'd be fine. As for not selling on eBay, maybe this guy don't sell. I did look at the job he did on "repackaging" the lady jaye and Destro. He cut it really clean and then stapled the bubble to the card. It looked really good from the front, but on the back side you could see the staples. My one things that really bother me is that he's returning an aweful lot of merchandise, you would think someone might start getting wise.

 

 

Honestly man, you should report it to the store. If this all happened in the same store, then I am sure the store manager would want to know. Don't bother with lower level managers, go to the top guy for the store. If he doesn't seem too concerned, then send a quick email to head office with some of the pics.

 

The sheer amount is ridiculous. Just a quick addition and you realize that the guy responsible has basically returned about $85 worth of merchandise in your pics. That's not a small problem.

[GPM in ICT]

Trust me I have and they just listen and look at me like I some crazy old lady at the deli dept wanting two slices of cheese cut a #1 and nothing else. It's a waste of my time to continue to report it. Wahts funny is I don't think I've seen it happening to other lines, if nothing else not to this degree. I used to find ML figures witha BAF part missing, but I don't think I've ever come across this with Star Wars or TF's.

[Ren]

MAN that guy has a nifty little industry in screwing over other collectors, bet he stole the dvd's out of the package, what a dishonest little bastard, someone needs to be taught a lesson.

[yojoebro82]

The thing is...HISS Driver can no longer be counted as a "rare" figure. I see him all the time. Still, that is a rediculous amount of swapping.

[darthhenning]

WOW, now thats just a ridiculous amount of swapping!!!!

 

I've have yet to see this happen, but WOW!

 

Admittedly though, I'd have picked up the rip-its.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@can@

[RobbieDigital]

You know........I thought this was just something that was in some isolated locations......then I finally saw it for myself in my area. I remember seeing this back in 2003-2004 with VvV figures believe it or not. I couldn't believe it when I saw it for myself. Its really a shame when you think about the idea of some kid being cheated out of some really cool figures....I mean the prick actually put in some Mcdonalds figures in the one pic above.......the nerve man. :angry:

 

The last time I saw a figure swap was with the Target Exclusive Hulk ML figures that came out this past summer. It was very obvious.......it was swapped with a Hulk movie figure from the 2003 movie. It was scotch taped shut.....and badly I might add. But the customer service people don't care........its the kids and parents that don't know that suffer.

 

Its kinda weird when you see it in the stores.........that someone would actually be that low/cheap to do something like that. But I'm pretty sure it happens everywhere. Really lame.

[PhoenixSword]

BUY THEM AND SELL THEM ON EBAY!!!! EVERYONE ELSE IS

or if you're feeling generous... buy them. put the right figures and parts back and then return them to the store for a loss of $

or you could compile a bunch of pictures(like you have here) and try to talk to the head Walmart guy/gal. who knows if its happening enough maybe they'd try to stop the guy. I mean he is basically shoplifting. (cue Arrow to come in and say "They won't do anything about it because toys are not a source of the stores main income" @smilepunch@ which is true so....)

[Pit Viper]

Camp out in front of the customer service desk 24/7. When you see someone trying to return Joes that have been swapped out, follow him home. Wait for him to leave then break into his place and steal his entire collection. Serve the bastard right. Make sure to leave a note explaining why his stuff was stolen.

[Agent X]

maybe i'm blind. what has been swapped out of the first pic?

[Magic 8 Ball]

WOW.

 

I've never seen any figures swapped in my area, so when people complained about it, I was kinda like "one figure here, two figures there... big whoop." But this... this is something else. The swapper isn't even trying. I mean, the pictures are right there next to the figures, and the employees obviously just don't care as long as there is a figure in there.

 

Reminds me of one time I was in Suncoast (yeah, that long ago) and they had a DBZ figure set with an exclusive Master Roshi in orange jacket (the normal one was black). I looked the set over and realized that the figure in the pack had the black jacket. I brought it to the attention of one of the clerks, who honestly had no idea what I was talking about, what the difference was, and why anyone would care... sadly, that's 99.99999% of the employees of any store.

 

He did check and found that the set had never been purchased/returned, which made me wonder if one of the other employees who DID know about this stuff was responsible.

[Mr Nobody]

Camp out in front of the customer service desk 24/7. When you see someone trying to return Joes that have been swapped out, follow him home. Wait for him to leave then break into his place and steal his entire collection. Serve the bastard right. Make sure to leave a note explaining why his stuff was stolen.

 

I'd have to agree with you on this one. Sometimes the only way to correct this type of behaviour is to show them how it feels. Though honestly, I wouldn't take his stuff; I'd set fire to all of it and make him sit there and watch it burn. I think this kind of lesson in empathy would be an appropriate punishment for someone like that.

 

F*** 'em!

[ARROW]

I know how to solve the swapping dilemma----it finally came to me...... though I doubt many people will like it.

 

 

The primary problem with swapping is that its happening to collectible items sold via major retailers.

Basically the weakness in this is that the major retailer accept returns as a matter of policy, but simply cannot employ the manpower or systems need to give oversight. Smaller retailers are NOT obliged to accept returns AND often have greater oversight on the products they stock and sell.

 

The solution is simple, though drastic: focus the sale of collectibles more through smaller retailers than through larger ones.

 

I can pretty much guarantee that if a perp took one of these swaps back to his LCS for a refund, he'd get his lungs handed to him.....and that would be before he gets arrested for fraud.

Swapping is literally nonexistent at the small retailer level--pretty much because small retailers care.

Larger retailers don't care......they do not have time and the losses are not worth the money to care.

If Hasbro was committed to addressing swapping, they probably offer more stock to smaller retailers and have toy trade mags make PSA's about shopping at collector stores to avoid swapping.

 

Swapping is just yet ANOTHER reason I don't place much stock or faith in finding stuff at major retailers these days. I get better, more reliable service from smaller retailers and on-line.

[ARROW]

Camp out in front of the customer service desk 24/7. When you see someone trying to return Joes that have been swapped out, follow him home. Wait for him to leave then break into his place and steal his entire collection. Serve the bastard right. Make sure to leave a note explaining why his stuff was stolen.

 

I'd have to agree with you on this one. Sometimes the only way to correct this type of behaviour is to show them how it feels. Though honestly, I wouldn't take his stuff; I'd set fire to all of it and make him sit there and watch it burn. I think this kind of lesson in empathy would be an appropriate punishment for someone like that.

 

F*** 'em!

 

The thing is, the large retailer return policies ALLOW for this kind of exploitation. Sure its criminal and all, but their blanket policies regarding returns permits swappers to return stuff like this.

 

Large retailers will NOT invoke a "no return" policy on collectibles simply because it scares off casual non-collector consumers. There's no way to segregate the swappers from anyone else in this, because major retailers figure some loss is worth it if customers come back again and again and spend money on other things.

Thats why toys are considered a loss leader.

Aside from clothing that does not fit, I believe that toys are the second most returned type of products at retail.

This is just no way to effectively beat this.

 

 

The other thing: it is pointless to bring this kind of thing up here.

Its preaching to the choir.

All of us are literal experts on the product--moreso than the stores themselves. None of us can be taken in by these swaps, so they will not affect you and me.

Saying you are "doing it for the kids" or other consumers.............good luck. They are as ignorant about the stuff as the stores are.

The stores just see two items in a package meant for two items and they figure it can be sold. A casual consumer will see two items in a package meant for two items and figures its meant to be that way. Neither will care or pay attention to that fact that the figures inside are not what's meant to be in there.

Caveat emptor.

Its sucks, but that is how it is.

[Wheeljack35]

Wow

 

Too bad there wasn't a collector working the courtesy desk when this jerk bought the stuff back