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To The Ragged Limits We Tread!

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To The Ragged Limits We Tread!
Kessimus

Kessimus

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First, allow me to apologize if this follows too closely to another thread that I haven't seen.

So, I've only read threads over shoulders really. I made an account initially because I was interested in purchasing pins, but then I started getting curious. Since I first started helping my girlfriend's collection with the Designer Doll series, specifically when all the remaining dolls were released at once, I've watched as more and more sellers showed up locally and on eBay. But then, and maybe I was just ignorant at first, I noticed that sellers suddenly started having multiples in stock. Most recently with the release of the Frozen 17" pair, where someone had 8 of Anna to sell. So I'm now curious how long this secondhand market can continue growing before it becomes too much? I doubt that supply could ever outpace demand considering how popular Disney is as a whole, but what about a point where the majority of collectors take the personal hit and refuse to purchase from people who are only in it for cash?

There are so many parts to that though! We buy an extra so we have a bargaining chip to get closer to our grail, or so we can afford the next release, and that's just how it is. Collections can't grow without some sort of secondhand market, but I guess it just bothers me to see so many pins and dolls going to sellers who don't seem to care about the fact that they prevented multiple collectors from adding to their, well, collections!

Back to my point, though. I am curious, and I want to know, what are people's limits? I know my point of view is both biased and narrow, because it's just my point of view, so I would like to find out just how far everyone is willing to go for their collections and if there would ever be a point where we all take a step back and make a change.

/end.rant :roll:
 
Im very new to the Disney collecting scene but I would never buy merch that I didnt intend to keep. Buying extras to sell later or use as a bargaining chip doesnt seem fair to me, because of the limited edition size I feel like i would be taking those orders away from people who truly wanted them. I might buy extras for friends on the boards but I would pretty much sell them for cost plus time/resources. As far as buying secondhand I limit myself to buying the doll for cost plus whatever fees I feel would be appropriate for the cost of acquiring the doll in the first place. As in, If I had asked this person to go all the way to the store to buy this doll for me, what would be appropriate compensation for their time? If I feel like the asking price is too outrageous I will simply do without or continue searching so that I dont create incentive for scalpers
 
the LE frozen dolls were going to be the first collectible dolls i was going to get, but they sold out before i got the chance to get them :(
i wasn't surprised that there were people who were going to try to snipe these dolls to sell second-hand but what is surprising me is how people are actually buying them at such inflated prices right now - they are more expensive than other dolls than came out before them.
 
I think what you talked about is already in the works, at least with dolls. On ebay yesterday the dolls were selling ing the $150/$160 range with shipping included. After ebay and paypal fees they are just breaking even.

For me right now my max is retail, but that's because I'm at an unpaid internship and I wouldn't ask my fiance to pay inflated prices for me. Once I'm actually making money again, I'd say $250 is my max, or double retail. Depending.
 
I should add, $250 is my limit from the secondary market. If I had had the money I would have bought the Harrods set no problem.
 
I have pretty much stopped buying these dolls off eBay. For one, I can't afford to buy them from eBay anymore and two I have been fortunate enough to get the dolls I wanted for my collection. However, with how hard it is getting for real collectors to get their dolls it makes it difficult for me to want to collect. I collect because I do enjoy it, but it is getting harder to enjoy it when it is so stressful. I've already decided next year I will not be buying any of the designers and most likely the only 17" dolls I will collect will be, any Frozen dolls and Maleficent. I'm just not willing to pay the eBay price for these dolls anymore, if I can't get them in-store or online then it wasn't meant to be which helps to reduce the stress. It does bother me though how many more scalpers have been hitting my DisneyStore....we didn't use to have any now we have quite a few......and the only reason I know they are scalpers is because they admit it. They don't care about the dolls, they just want to re-sell and make a profit. I know everyone wants to make money but it gets to a point where it just seems silly to me, especially since it seems they are not really making hardly any profit since the market is flooded.....
 
I feel OK with buying vintage stuff for + price on ebay. Maybe even things that are not particularly old perhaps, something discontinued for a year. But I don't think I could handle buying something that was released a few days back for a 20%+ increase - and the thought of buying something at 100% increase on release day or as a presale just makes me dizzy!!
 
I agree with MountedArcher, in that if we miss a release online or at the store we just don't get the doll. It's tough, but unless it's at or near retail then it just isn't worth it. At least for dolls, anyways. Much harder are pins, since even paying the inflated prices of eBay or some sellers on the forums is still cheaper than the flight and subsequent hotel costs to go get the pin in person.

I guess it comes down to personal budget, and the doll in question! For a Designer or Fairytale, I have a hard time going above $250, for the most sought-after ones, whereas I'd spend about $500 for a 17" Snow. I cried a little bit when I saw the $960 charge on my Visa for the Harrods set, but those tears dried as soon as we unpacked the dolls and put them on the shelf.
But I guess that also means that I'm also okay with paying a bit more when I know that he item holds value and has held value, as opposed to something that's only been on the market for a few days or weeks.

then again, this is mostly applicable in scale to dolls, as pins are a whole different world! So many LE pins of so many characters that will never be released in doll forms, it makes it harder to be reasonable when it comes to collecting pins, in my opinion.
 
I never buy dolls for more than the retail price. If I miss it, I miss it. I will keep checking ebay to see if I get lucky and find one that is selling for retail price though. Right now I'm wishing I tried harder to get the original designer Snow and Jasmine when they came out, because I refuse to pay the 2 to 4x retail price they are now selling for from ebay.
 
This is a great topic so thank you for starting this thread!

I have mentioned this before but I only found out about these Disney dolls last year around July when the LE Merida had come out. I never collected dolls prior to that but I was a huge Disney fan and wanted to start collecting something Disney and after seeing the dolls I know that is what I wanted to collect. However because I only found out about the series when Merida came out, that means that if I wanted to complete the collection I would have to buy any dolls released prior to Merida on the secondary market.

Most people on the forum know that I am a completest especially when it comes to these dolls, I managed to buy every single LE doll released to date including the ones that are not part of the heirloom collection e.g Buzz and Woody, Jessie, Sgt Calhoun and China Doll. So as you can guess I spent a lot of money completing my collection as I had to buy a majority of them through the secondary market.

Because I already live in a country where there are no Disney Stores around which means that I would have to pay shipping costs regardless of where I buy items from I knew that if I wanted to save money in the future I had to stay well informed and on top of these releases. Which is what I did this year and am pleased to say that I did not have to resort to the secondary market for releases this year.

However I fear that in the coming years with an increase in demand for these dolls and Disney starting to release some exclusive and rare editions it may become more difficult and very costly to stay on top of these releases and remain a completest.

I don't have an issue with buying items from the secondary market because it will always exist and you cannot judge someone for selling something because for starters the item is theirs and they can do whatever they want with it. Also you don't know what their situation is so you cannot really judge them for wanting to sell an item. Also the way I see it if someone is willing to buy the item at the inflated price well then that really isn't anyone else's business other than the buyer and seller. Besides there is nothing we can really do to stop people from buying these items at inflated prices, at the end of the day everyone values these dolls differently, for some they value them enough to pay whatever it costs to own them, whereas for others the dolls are not worth paying more than retail. In terms of my view I am willing to pay for an item if I deem it worth it based on how much I want it, I know for a fact that what I paid for say Wedding Rapunzel was significantly less than what I paid for say Snow White and Alice.

What I have found interesting is that of all the recent releases none have even come close to what Snow White and Alice demand on the secondary market. Also in terms of the Designer's the Princess Ariel doll released in 2011 is still the most coveted which is why it still demands a price of around $350-400. I know that some of the DFDC doll sets sold for this amount if not more however this was during the initial sell out where people purchased these items during the hype but after about a week or two this dies down and the price decreases. However in the case of the Designer Ariel this has just stagnated at the $350-400 mark. In the case of Snow and Alice I know that Snow has stagnated around the $600 mark and Alice has increased since when I bought her.

At the end of the day both views are fair and valid and it is because of this that I think the best way to overcome this really is to keep yourself well informed and help other fellow collectors because who knows maybe one day you may need their help.

This is why I love the forum, it brings all these people who love the same thing together, to discuss their interests, excitement and passion for these items without judging or criticising them for it. Granted you have a couple of people who do not understand this however I found that most people I have met through the forum I have befriended.
 
I only tend to pay way above cost on very old items, my main collection is hercules and considering all the stuff was released in 1997, I ignore original cost and weigh up the item availability and such. With new releases I don't buy from sellers marking up at ridiculous profit. for pins and an LE id go about $40 depending on the edition size. This is my first doll but I wouldnt buy her from the secondary market at those prices.
 
I'm glad to have seen this, I missed getting the LE Elsa doll. I just couldn't get the funds for her, and I was really down about it.
I know I haven't seen the movie, but I allowed myself to be spoiled on what happened in the movie, and I love Elsa's character and
shes beautiful. I really want to get her for Christmas, and i'm wondering if it's even worth it to get her on ebay. I'm not sure if anyone
has an extra of her, she seems very well liked. But, paying a lot more for her on ebay quite sad, when she was $99 to begin with. i'm just
conflicted.
 
Well, the secondhand market isn't horrible, or as bad as I thought it was going to be for the Frozen LE dolls. But it does seem like there are a lot more people after the dolls than there are sellers, which surprises me as well. I didn't personally pay attention to the dolls and the market immediately following their release though, I've been back and forth and scrambling to find the surprise Elsa pin, since my girlfriend and I kept hesitating to get it >>.

I can totally agree with the viewpoint of paying the high cost for the older, vintage items, because the fact of the matter is, the value of those items are exactly what a person is willing to pay for it. And seeing it that way, I can see where Polaris looks at it from, too.

Whether it's from the secondhand market or not, I guess my real issue is when I could have gotten it at retail when it was released and due to hesitation or second guessing I don't, leaving me to find it secondhand at whatever the cost may be.

But it's true that collections would stagnate, new ones wouldn't start, or grow without the secondhand market.
 
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