Monday, August 15, 2005
Lesson 2: Network with fellow collectors.
Since I began collecting I've learned that it's better to talk to others than it is to simply view them as someone you're in competition with. Since I’ve begun collecting in late June, I’ve run into all types of people looking for specific SW toys. Sometime I’ll gain an extra pair of eyes that can help me track down the item I want. This has worked to my advantage. Specifically, on one occasion one day a friend drove around the greater Bay Area and found each one of the four limited edition "sneak preview" figures that I had been looking for. I had found a couple figures at the local Target and put them on hold for him just the week before.
Not all networking experiences are profitable. I’ve learned that serious collectors are seldom straightforward with you. Specifically, one morning at the local Target I ran into a guy I’d seen the week before at Toys R Us in the next county. The week earlier he told me about how before had to have to pay higher prices to scalpers/collectors for hard to find items and then wised up and began arriving at stores early to get the toys first thing. This day I had found 4 Red Royal Guards on the pegs that he was too slow to notice. Now I had just purchased one for my collection the day before and had no need for another one. I grabbed them because I was surprised to see them, as I understood that they were difficult to find. Upon taking them he asked me if I was interested in all of them, and I asked him if he wanted some. He said yes and I told him that he could have all of them if he wishes. He bought all four. The next day a different guy shows up at the Target and tells me that he’s trying to find a red Royal Guard. It just so happened that the collector the day before walked in, so I told this guy to ask him if he’d sell a red Royal Guard to him because he purchased four the day before. When I was leaving the guy told me that the collector denied having any extras and said that he didn’t buy any here the day before. I was shocked when I heard this and realized that some people our out there for strictly their own benefit and will be dishonest. This is just one account of serious collectors and their disinterest in aiding anyone without it being profitable for them.
Not all networking experiences are profitable. I’ve learned that serious collectors are seldom straightforward with you. Specifically, one morning at the local Target I ran into a guy I’d seen the week before at Toys R Us in the next county. The week earlier he told me about how before had to have to pay higher prices to scalpers/collectors for hard to find items and then wised up and began arriving at stores early to get the toys first thing. This day I had found 4 Red Royal Guards on the pegs that he was too slow to notice. Now I had just purchased one for my collection the day before and had no need for another one. I grabbed them because I was surprised to see them, as I understood that they were difficult to find. Upon taking them he asked me if I was interested in all of them, and I asked him if he wanted some. He said yes and I told him that he could have all of them if he wishes. He bought all four. The next day a different guy shows up at the Target and tells me that he’s trying to find a red Royal Guard. It just so happened that the collector the day before walked in, so I told this guy to ask him if he’d sell a red Royal Guard to him because he purchased four the day before. When I was leaving the guy told me that the collector denied having any extras and said that he didn’t buy any here the day before. I was shocked when I heard this and realized that some people our out there for strictly their own benefit and will be dishonest. This is just one account of serious collectors and their disinterest in aiding anyone without it being profitable for them.
