Sifting through garbage gets annoying doesn't it?

Is it me or does it seem like even the most common figure complete in decent shape is getting hard to find . Ebay is loaded with junk everyday . Sellers are wanting 20$ for a complete beat to shit klaatu.
Its become frustrating to say the least .

New collectors must be frustrated as well , i mean really is this what the hobby has become? if i click on 90% of the complete figures being auctioned they turn up with repro garbage attached !!!
I really feel for people trying to complete even a basic set as it must be unbelievably annoying . Sorry if i ranting but having my morning coffee and looking at ebay has become my morning ritual over the years
and its just unreal what im seeing . There are millions of vintage figures out there , are all thats left really just the overinflated or straight up JUNK????

I think avoidIng eBay might help. I've paid $12, $15, and $20 or more for complete figures, but locally it's a lot easier to tell if you got a repro weapon. That being said I don't have the best trained eye and I have made a few mistakes.

I've got all the figures complete (except 12 of the last 17 & 5 or 6 weapons) and after going through TIG recently, I believe I've only bought 2 repro guns and 3 lightsabers. That's really due to rushing and not looking at them well in the case of the guns. As for the lightsabers, I just hadn't seen enough examples in person.

Just saying that I've bought complete figures with legit weapons for $12 and $15 dollars, mostly Jabbas goons at that price but still lol

Yes, it's bad, and it's going to get worse.

Ebay just sent me updated seller terms kicking in starting April. If you lose top rated status, they will increase fees by 4%. They are also cutting top rated seller fee discounts from 20% down to 10%. This inevitably leads to sellers jacking up prices. I stopped selling on ebay about a year ago, thanks to fees and scammers taking advantage of "buyer protection". They claim they never received a figure if you send it without tracking, and for us in Canada, no one will pay for a single tracked figure when shipping costs the same as the figure itself.

The hobby has pretty much driven out collectors on a budget.

Ian

ebay is a love hate thing for me and reading this post Ian, this crap has made me feel even worse about it . oh well .... it's not like prices weren't ridiculous anyway

thanks for the info

Just wanted to share that I walked into a comic shop I've never been in yesterday.

They had an unpunched Nien Nunb (with a taaaack through the punch area!!) on the wall. It looked like it had previously been folded into quarters (who can imagine why) for $40 cad and I didn't buy it because the card looked like hell and it was Nien Nunb.

Is there something wrong with me? lol should have scooped a pic

the89thchris wrote:They had an unpunched Nien Nunb (with a taaaack through the punch area!!) on the wall. It looked like it had previously been folded into quarters (who can imagine why) for $40 cad and I didn't buy it because the card looked like hell and it was Nien Nunb.

I've run across 2 Nien Numb cardbacks that have been folded into quarters.  Maybe they sent them thru the mail that way at some point in time, because they ran out of mailer boxes?  I'm pretty sure that my childhood figure came in a mailer box.  I have the mailer sheet somewhere as well.  Here is one of the cardbacks.

[500][You must be registered and logged in to see this image.][/500]

Nah good choice nien numb has the appeal of going to work on monday mornings

In that condition, maybe you could haggle it down to $30?

At that cost, it's probably a cheap way to get a carded one, with the intention to upgrade in the future.

Ian

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Ian, do you have any thoughts on why we see Canadian Nien Nunb's MOC's folded like that? I've got 2 cardbacks and the one Chris saw, makes it too much of a coincidence.

I don't know personally. Mine is virtually mint.

My guess would be that it might have something to do with the mailaway promotion. When I had mine, they came in small white mailer boxes. Maybe at some point, they used carded ones that were overstock to fulfill late orders for the mailaway. Better to ask Scott Bradley, as he'd have a better idea.

Ian

Yeah Clint the one I saw had a decent bubble and was unpunched.

I've seen figures mailed from Kenner having cards cut around the bubble but I'm pretty sure that's common.(?)

i got myself the most beautiful beaters in the post today from ebay. rare no. but amazing very much so :-)

bought a poorly listed joblot for £29 last night bad pictures from a none collector. probably beaters...now i shall play the waiting game.

theres always hope Chris . keep us posted

I have seen a few like this Canadian Nien Nunb' one guy I know here in Victoria that I got some of my collection from and is also has his items listed in the wishbook had the figure on the card with the mailer box folded the same way.

bill - came today nothing interesting except a bobble head vader...pah..

Since Clint explained that the Nien Nunb I saw was likely a "mailer", I made a tip back there and offered the guy $30 for it. I'll take some nice photos on the weekend and maybe Clint can lay out his theory and supporting photos in a thread. I might not have passed on it the first time if I knew the theory beforehand.

I feel like 3 examples on the same exact card is beyond coincidence.

poncho wrote:bill - came today nothing interesting except a bobble head vader...pah..

lol thats how it goes i guess . theres always next time Chris

I have not been collecting for very long, you are right about eBay. I have been trying to get (very good/mint) Boba Fetts, but most of them are over priced.

Darkest_Logic wrote:I have not been collecting for very long, you are right about eBay. I have been trying to get (very good/mint) Boba Fetts, but most of them are over priced.

yes its tough especially for newer collectors with prices and repros your starting this hobby backed against a wall .

Darkest_Logic wrote:I have not been collecting for very long, you are right about eBay. I have been trying to get (very good/mint) Boba Fetts, but most of them are over priced.

 on board.  Just remember, this hobby is supposed to be fun, so take your time, and you will find that nice Fett at a time when you least expect it.

If you introduce yourself here, it might help with networking on the forum.
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hellhippie wrote:

Darkest_Logic wrote:I have not been collecting for very long, you are right about eBay. I have been trying to get (very good/mint) Boba Fetts, but most of them are over priced.

 yes its tough especially for newer collectors with prices and repros your starting this hobby backed against a wall .

Commander Clint wrote:

Darkest_Logic wrote:I have not been collecting for very long, you are right about eBay. I have been trying to get (very good/mint) Boba Fetts, but most of them are over priced.

 on board.  Just remember, this hobby is supposed to be fun, so take your time, and you will find that nice Fett at a time when you least expect it.

If you introduce yourself here, it might help with networking on the forum.
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Hello Bill, I found some not too bad ones recently, I know that I could have graded ones but I prefer them loose.

Hello Clint, thanks for the welcome and the kind words, you are correct about finding figures when you lease expect it, always new items pop up for sale.

cool theres lots of loose collectors . I am one of them , theres actually a lot of us out there .ive actually broken graded figures out of their plastic tombs .

check the recent aquistions thread go back a few pages and you'll see . like we say .. welcome aboard

hellhippie wrote:cool theres lots of loose collectors . I am one of them , theres actually a lot of us out there .ive actually broken graded figures out of their plastic tombs .

check the recent aquistions thread go back a few pages and you'll see . like we say .. welcome aboard

Just went on there and saw the pictures of the loose Luke, don't think I would do that haha, I think the only ones I would have graded are moc's or a Lili Ledy Boba Fett removable rocket, just for me to know they are genuine.

Thanks again for the Welcome .

I hear ya about the ultra rare , or me the onl graded stuff I would get (which i'm not by the way) would be

burgundy cape ledy bib fortuna and removable rocket fett as well

green limbs poch bossk

and maybe a dt ben or something silly like that