REALLY needed to vent (>.<)###

sorry... a few of these people crossed me ALL at the same day today...

Moderator, I've read the rules and such already, i'm not targeting anyone specifically, so I'm ok I guess?

If this post is violating any rules, my apologies, It's probably due to misunderstanding the rules on the rules post.....here goes....

 

What is up with hobby beggar??? Hobbies are luxury, it is certainly not a need, you can survive without it... DO NOT BEG people to support your hobby, WE HERE ALL work very hard for our money to support our hobbies. If you cannot afford it, DON'T BUY IT!!!! "Oh, i'm so poor, it will take me xxxxxx yrs to save up for this and that"

 

Then there are there are those who complain and complain about what people or even stores are pricing their products at... same thing.. if you can't afford it... don't buy it!!! Sure we all like to live in big houses with in-door swimming pools and maids/butlers, and drive exotic cars.. but come on.. be realistic here. Dollfies as a PERFECT example is NOT a cheap hobby at all. It was NOT meant to be a cheap hobby, and it will NEVER be a cheap hobby. Retail at $600-1200USD, that is easily rent for a month, or living expense for a student for a month. So STOP COMPLAINING about how expensive DDs cost. if I walk into a fancy car dealership and complain about how expensive they sell these fancy cars for... "BUT I really want to drove a Benz.. oh can you sell it to me for the price of a toyota? oh please please please??" come on.. wake up!

 

Same goes for stores... yes.. they are stores, they are there to sell and make money, sounds logical??? "oh they always mark things up"... YES, that's what they do as a store... specially web stores that make "Japan-Only" products available to the rest of the world, yes they have mark ups.. SO WHAT?! do you expect people to just do this for free??

 

I sometimes will put some of my collections on ebay and i'm not not going to give them away. I admit, I'm not the type to mark things up ridiculously, but I will sell at or close to market value. If you have a gold bar that is worth what gold is worth today, would you sell for cheaper just because???? I get potential buyers on ebay that message me and complaint about how expensive i sell my items at, and that other places are cheaper... GOOD, go buy from them then, why even approach me if I'm SOOOOO expensive.

 

sorry guys.. i'm probably starting to repeat myself now... just so needed to vent... GRRRRRRRR

 

Thanks for listening

I think your point is valid that sellers can't sell for less. Sellers that do sell for less usually need money quickly. I think you have the right to sell at the price you want to sell. It is hard to get complaints. It is stressful to want to help but not be able to afford to give things away.

It sounds like you had a really bad day (or a few) otakusan, sorry to hear that.

 

At times I've been tempted to get a DD just for the sake of resale because I know her fair market value will go up. Take the Sabers for instance. I'm not sure if her value will double after release but it very likely could happen.. Yuki was also a pre-sale DD and her prices are skyrocketing!!!!

 

My big fears are not being able to let her go. But also how the community would react to me buying and selling for a profit. I wouldn't be trying to make a huge profit but if I could make a 25% profit in a few months then that's better than the stock market usually gives. (and in many ways - less risky!!!)

 

I wouldn't expect someone who has a brand new Yuki in the box to sell her for the $638 that she originally cost, not when she can easily go for $2,500 or $3,000. To expect a seller to do that is ridiculous. I'm a big believer in the free market and that value is set by demand. Is Sasara and Yuki really worth so much more than Mari or Mai. No, it's only their demand that makes them more valuable.

 

... I think you have the right to sell at the price you want to sell. It is hard to get complaints. It is stressful to want to help but not be able to afford to give things away.

Yes... It's nice if you can help someone out by getting them something they want/need but you shouldn't be expected to do that. If someone makes you feel that way then they are really wrong to do so.

 

Everybody has the right to try selling their DD, clothing, accessory, or whatever - at any price they want to. If someone is willing to pay that much for it, than that's proof that the item was worth that much. If they list it at a high price and nobody buys it, then hopefully the seller will learn and lower the price.

 

As for stores who sell items at a mark up... They need to make a profit as well. They don't sell DD items for a hobby, it's their livelihood.

 

I've been wanting to start my own business for over a year now. One that that really delayed me is realizing how thin profit margins are. I know how much I can buy PVC anime figures for at wholesale and I see what they are selling for online... There isn't a lot of profit. Plus out of that profit I need to pay to ship the items from the wholesaler, then buy packaging material, and ideally since it's a business I'd like to pay for my time it takes to do all this. There isn't much left after that.

 

Stores such as Dollfie Dreams do have some high prices at times but it's their business to run as they see fit. We don't know what they had to pay to get that item, ship it, store it, and get it out the door to a customer.

 

Buying from another owner doesn't have as many of these costs but it's still a matter of it being the sellers item and they have the right to set whatever price they want to sell it. If you don't like it then wait for it to show up in another place.

 

To me, part of this hobby is searching for a good deal. Learn to look at all the places where owners sell items. Our own Balldylox is great at this. I've seen him get some fantastic deals on DD clothing because he's checking these places frequently.... When you find a good deal, grab it. If something is over priced as far as your concerned, ignore it.

 

No matter what, if your having trouble affording something because of your bills, or your living paycheck to paycheck, get control of your finances and take care of your responsibilities first before you look at your hobby. I'm not perfect with it yet but I do try. My all time dream girl is Sasara and when I heard about her for 2 grand, she was still available.... I just knew I could not do it - not without a huge financial strain.... to much for me to bear so I had to pass on her, even though it hurt. I'll just keep my eyes open for another opportunity when I'm ready for her.

 

 

Sorry, I guess I just picked the baton up from where Otakusan left it. Sorry for my ranting.

 

**James.

There's a fine line between lamenting your inability to get that doll/outfit you want right now and sounding like you're begging, I'll admit it. I'm pretty sure no one here intends to sound grating about it, though. I hope you feel better now that it's off your chest, OtakuDepot!

Ahh, good old entitlement issues, how I love them!

 

I totally feel your pain Otakusan and James. I know how it is to deal with "beggars" and people who always want a deal. Back when I was collecting Star Wars items, it was the same but much worse. I saw people DAILY ranting and raving about how they couldn't get Item X or if they could then it was way too expensive. Just as was stated before, if you can't afford it, don't buy it and don't whine about it!

 

I think a lot of this stems from the internet making things way easier to find. People see something ONCE at a certain price and then think ALL other items like it should be the same price or availability. The market for collectibles does NOT work this way. It's good old supply and demand at work again. Limited supply equals higher demand. Just because you want something and can't afford it doesn't mean people need to cater to YOUR price bracket and lose out. That's like going to Walmart and telling them that their prices are too high on coffee so they need to sell it to you for for less than they paid for it. You'll be laughed out of the store. People think that because it's online, it SHOULD be cheaper, and that's just sad.

 

And Otakusan is completely right in that this hobby is expensive and it's a hobby. No one NEEDS a DD. Well , maybe *some* of us do LOL, but we know these are luxury items. And those things cost money.

 

And thank you James for pointing me out. We used to say the same thing in the SW community where the older and more experienced collectors would tell the newer ones how to get things. All you have to do is HOMEWORK. I know it seems like I am always getting stuff in for my girls and always adding a new daughter to the family. But the reason I do this is because I shop around DAILY and look for deals. Check out places like YJA and Ebay daily, go to other sites like Alices Collections and see what's on sale, check with friends and see if they are making orders you can jump on to save BOTH of you shipping costs. Little things like that add up quickly.

 

And I make LOTS of contacts. The more people you talk to and make friends with, the more sets of eyes you'll have out there helping you find that item you're looking for. I can't tell you how often I get emails from friends going "Hey, I know you were looking for this and it's available here." Recently I got 4 emails in one day on the same item from the same place. THAT is how a hobby should work! People helping each other out and having FUN! FUN is what this hobby is all about. The social aspect is also great.... I've made many wonderful friends thru this hobby and I am glad for each and every one of them. And whenever anyone tells me about something I was looking for, I *always* make sure to thank them, regardless of if I have already seen it or bought it. Treat others as you like to be treated, it's simple and easy.

 

So in closing, I understand your feelings Otakusan and I'm glad you vented here. Sometimes it's best to do that so others know what is out there and how to react to those things. Hopefully more people will understand why these things are like they are and accept it. But ALL hobbies will have their share of goofballs and turds so we won't ever be able to lose them. But we CAN be ready for them and know how to better deal with them.

 

 

Billy

No matter what, if your having trouble affording something because of your bills, or your living paycheck to paycheck, get control of your finances and take care of your responsibilities first before you look at your hobby.

I realized, now in the morning after a few hours of sleep, that this may have come across wrong. I didn't want to sound like I was complaining. I just think it's very important to make sure you don't get yourself in financial trouble - Trust me, I've been there and it's a very tough hold to crawl out of.

 

I also don't have any first hand experience with this. I've seen places on the web where comments were made, like the ones Otakusan is referring to. I just haven't tried to sell any of my DD stuff yet, I've just been a consumer so far.

 

... And thank you James for pointing me out....

I hope you don't mind. I just know you put a lot of work into finding the deals you get and you totally deserve them. (I'm especially thinking of a collection of outfits you got not too long ago....)

 

**James

I hope you don't mind. I just know you put a lot of work into finding the deals you get and you totally deserve them. (I'm especially thinking of a collection of outfits you got not too long ago....)

 

No, I don't mind one bit, I'm actually glad you said something. I have no problems helping people find things and also help people understand how to collect things without being silly about it.

 

Sometimes it's all about doing the legwork on something. Reading and gathering information is critical to understanding how your hobby works as well as understanding other collectors. Knowing the market is a big thing and if you don't try and do that, you'll miss out on stuff.

 

And other times, it's all dumb luck. Like that deal you spoke of above. I was in the right place at the right time and got extremely lucky with it. There's no other explanation for it other than working off a hunch and a feeling. But getting those feelings and hunches takes time and work. And also, knowing when to act on those hunches is key. I've learned over the years to trust my gut instincts on stuff so when I get them, I know I need to act immediately or I'll regret it.

 

It also paid to ask the person selling those items for a total price for everything. Whenever someone has multiple items for sale, it's WAY easier for them to sell it all in one go than to parts things out in hopes someone will want them all individually. I know doing "bundles" leaves everyone a winner because the seller saves the hassle of time and shipping costs and the buyer gets what they wanted and possible other things to sell off later. I know I used a couple of things in that lot to trade for other things I wanted more later on.

 

This brings up another good point in this hobby. People aren't always wanting MONEY for their stuff. Trading outfits, shoes, wigs, etc is almost always an option I've seen used. If you can't make a deal with someone with money alone, offer up something you aren't using or particularly attached to anymore. Why spend more money when you can trade something you paid for already to help things out? Doing trades gives both people involved another way to get what they want without stepping on toes or feeling like they overpaid on something.

 

I'm glad this topic came up as I think giving insights and tips like this will be good for everyone.

 

 

Billy

Well, I suppose that complaining about price tagging is really annoying, specially when doing it about third-party stores or second hand item. After wall, the seller has ALL the right to choose the price.

 

But, I think that there is a difference about these kind of complains and when you notice how the same seller or brand is selling the same products with totally different prices or payment conditions based on geographic positions.

Thanks for listening everyone... really needed it

Thanks for listening everyone... really needed it

Don't worry about it.

Thanks for listening everyone... really needed it

No problem! Sometimes you need to let off steam or your just going to blow up and nobody wants to clean up after that.

 

**James