Collect to Collect is a program started
here at Rebelscum to promote the hobby of Star Wars collecting.
The principles behind the Collect to Collect credo are two-fold: aid your fellow Star
Wars enthusiast and discourage those who collect strictly for the sake of profit.
Collect to Collect means doing your best to observe the following
collecting etiquette:
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- Buy only what you need and make
sure others get one before you get many.
- Acquire
pieces for your collection because you want them, not because
you plan to profit from them.
- Help others achieve their
collecting goals for the sake of the hobby, not profit.
- When you trade or sell
available toys, do so at cost.
- When you trade or sell
unavailable toys, do so keeping the golden rule in mind:
you'll always win in the long run if you don't take advantage
of people.
- Buy from scalpers as a very
last resort. They exist because people buy from them and
do not make collecting toys easier. Scalping only promotes
decay within the hobby.
- Understand it is more important
for a kid to have the toys than you; help them out whenever
possible. You're likely to get another chance at the toy, he/she may
not. |
Collecting Star Wars toys means
different things to different people. For some it may be one of each
Star Wars action figure to play with, for others it may be two of each
package and figure variation in the world. Either way, it's up to you.
You don't have to agree with the collecting goals of others, but you should
respect them.
What is "scalping"?
Toy scalping is an often misunderstood term within collecting. The
simplest definition of scalping is:
Somebody who buys currently
available toys from any source other than an authorized toy
distributor or manufacturer, to sell at a profit.
Scalping is not about money or price. Scalping
is about limiting the availability of toys, which in turn makes it
both difficult and frustrating for collectors to complete their
collections. Below are a few examples to make it easier to grasp the
"scalping" concept:
| Joe
goes to Wal-Mart and buys five desirable figures for later
resale at the local flea market where he charges $10.00 each.
Joe is a scalper. Avoid Joe. The results of his actions means
less desirable toys at the store, frustrated toy buyers and
higher prices for everybody. The trickle down effect is
enormous, even affecting how stores purchase the toys and
Hasbro's distribution decisions. |
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| Wal-Mart
and FAO Schwarz both buy from Hasbro directly. Wal-Mart sells
figures for $5.76 or less, and FAO Schwarz typically sells
them for about $9.99. While FAO sells figures at a
substantially higher price, neither of these companies is
scalping. Neither company is making it more difficult for collectors to
complete their collections by taking toys from the hands of a
kid or a collector solely for the purpose of making a quick
buck off of a potential buyer. |
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| George,
a collector, goes to Wal-Mart and buys two Biker Scouts: one
for himself and an extra to sell to a dealer at a toy show.
George is a scalper. He not only bought a toy he didn't need
(a toy the next collector won't be finding on the shelf), but
become a supplier to a scalper. |
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| Ben,
another collector, walked into his local Toys 'R' Us and
bought three orange-carded C-3PO. He opened two for
his diorama and kept the third in package. Two years later Ben
decided to sell that third packaged trooper to a friend for $15.00. Is Ben scalping? No, and only because after two
years that C-3PO is no longer available on store
shelves. True, Ben did buy too many figures and made it
difficult for another collector to waltz into that same TRU to
buy a C-3PO. Bad form. His action did not help the collecting
community at large. He is not branded a scalper, however,
because he did not set out to buy an available toy then turn
around to sell it at a profit. |
If you fit within the above definition
of scalping and you aren't happy, or disagree, with our position on
this, we have just one thing to say: we don't argue your right to
scalp. We do, in the interest of our hobby, have every right to
attempt to prevent you from being successful doing it.
Discouraging scalping and being an
active member in the Collect to Collect community is not easy,
particularly if you are in an area where new toys are difficult to find.
Observing the Collect to Collect methodology will, however, help keep the hobby healthy and enjoyable.
The eBay Equation:
Are eBay auctions a form of scalping? Some are, yes. Not all auctions
can be considered scalping, however. Auctioning vintage toys is not
scalping. Auctioning a prototype is not scalping. Auctioning any item
not currently available in a store is not scalping. Auctioning the
Stormtrooper you bought yesterday at K-Mart is scalping.
See the trend? The key is to remember
that scalping is
not about price - scalping is about availability. The auction for the
vintage 12-back Ben Kenobi doesn't stop anyone from walking into a
store and finding the latest figure.
Got What It Takes?
If you are a webmaster whose collecting ideals run concurrent with the
Collect to Collect credo and would like to show your support by
displaying a Rebelscum.com "Collect to Collect" Badge Of
Honor, please write in with
your page URL. It is our goal to spread this initiative as far across the web
as possible - it's a great way to actively support the collecting community.
Web Page Badge Of
Honor Links
Please link the graphic to http://www.rebelscum.com/collect.asp
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