by Dan Reynolds (w/TJ Norris)
What the Flip?
So with all the excitement over the last few months about the release of Funko's Groot Pop! and now the growing excitement around Target's newest exclusive (Unmasked) Batman the subject of "flipping" has really been in the air. Recently a friend got pretty upset about how employees at Hot Topic purportedly handle exclusives and rare figures. (Editor Note: We have noted in several shops that Hot Topic is, in fact, trying to curb the practice of consumers buying in excess of three exclusives per visit). He was unable to get his hands on a Chase piece that he had been searching for because an employee said it was "spoken" for by a staff member.
When asked "Aaron the Relentless" of Facebook noted: "In regards of flipping within the Funko community, these individuals are gouging and chipping away at a community of good people. This type of activity turns a hobby into a headache, for some". He continued "I saw someone asking to trade a Bloody Chase Leatherface for an (Unmasked) Batman before he was even officially released! In regards to (that type of) trading, that is absurd. Plus how could we forget about the Groot gougings?".
FLIPPERPHOBIA: If you are lightheaded about this subject - don't be alarmed. We were interested in the "other side of the story" here and Troy from Facebook responded saying "As a reseller I love the hunt as much as the collector. I visit stores daily, I take trips out of town weekly, and I spend what some of my friends spend on rent monthly on toys. I take risks based on my perception of the market, and yes, sometimes I get burned. I have helped many collectors finish their sets. I even risk shipping to other countries so they can have items not available overseas. I see myself as a secondary retailer. To me, it's about filling a gap that retailers are unable to."
There are collectors and resellers who are often vying for the same thing, some who buy up stock and cause collecting to become far more difficult or expensive for the rest of us. A few examples are folks who are doubling or tripling prices on Pops and other nerdy merch. Though some people "make a living" doing this. Some of these so-called "Flippers" take advantage of people's patience by causing a limited supply to become nil. While we are aware that there have been other articles recently about this on our fellow site Funkorific and others we really want to get a healthy discussion going about this topic so we know what YOU think. Please share your experiences and thoughts. Let's have an open dialogue.
PS: Note to self - Collecting in 2014 is vastly different from decades past. Thanks www!
PPS: This story was updated.