DisneyStore Limited Edition 17" Dolls Discussion
So I've sat back and listened for a while to the back-and-forth discussion about scalpers, which is pleasantly civil so far and full of fascinating debate about whether or not to let new people in on all the "inside information." Now that my anger at UPS has finally blown over (yay!) I feel I have two cents to add.
I would just like to point out to everyone (new and old collectors alike) that scalpers are not necessarily new people; it's wishful thinking to assume all scalpers must be new because there's no way they wouldn't have gotten caught if they'd been scalping for a year or more. I didn't have a great example of this ideology until last week. A "collector" who shall remain nameless has been very vocal on a particular FB group. Well, the day the newest wave of Frozen dolls came out he was furious that his order for an LE Anna was canceled and made the mistake of venting about it on the group. I guess he got it figured out because last night I saw his advertisement for that same doll for $260...on that same FB page. I know for a fact this person has been actively "collecting" for at least as long as I have (one year next month), and probably longer. Then there is another group full of veteran collectors called Disney Flea Market, which has all but endorsed scalping for as long as I'd been a member. Another incident relating to the newest wave of Frozen dolls happened the day the dolls were released in-store and before the online release on that page when a scalper tried to sell the whole set for $800. When a group of people immediately commented about how completely inappropriate it was to want that much for the dolls before they finished selling at retail, the admins deleted all of their comments. Then they came back with a pinned post saying they would ban anyone who created "unnecessary drama" before the actual release, and then commented back and forth literally for hours about how ridiculous it was for anybody to complain about the scalper's prices in the first place. I know plenty of well-respected, high up collectors on that page who scalp frequently and are never maligned by anyone for it because of how long they have been "collecting." Needless to say, I am no longer a visitor to their page.
So that said, I don't think scalping should have much of anything to do with collecting experience; they are not one and the same, and a person on this page should not automatically be trusted just by their join date or the size of their collection. It's true that it's a huge factor in determining who might be a scalper, but it's not the only factor. I have four LE dolls, including two that are on their way to me, and I'm sure that most people here have more than that if not entire sets of Disney LE dolls. But I am no scalper and buy only the dolls I want for my collection to begin with, since I don't want all the characters or want to hold off in the hopes of buying earlier ones.
But on the flip side, I think newer collectors, including myself, HAVE to understand that it's perfectly logical for veteran collectors to be suspicious of us at first. I would say why, but most of them have already said it so perfectly I don't see the need. I also agree that discussion, particularly about the non-financial details of the dolls such as whether or not the Cinderella dolls really look like Lily James (the jury's still out on that one, lol), what costumes they will pick for upcoming dolls, whether there will be more Harrods sets, etc. is a great indicator of who's really interested in the dolls for their intended purpose. And like veterans have already said, if you've been on the forum for a while AND contributed to the thread during non-release seasons that's really the best way for anyone to see if someone's a scalper or not. I too am suspicious of guests who lurk around the forum and read posts since at least one is probably on a reconnaissance mission for eBay at any one time, but at the end of the day I don't think it's right to be overly paranoid and hide information to the point where most of us are in the dark. It's great to talk to a group of people who share this love of Disney and the LE dolls, and I absolutely love reading discussions here so long as they are polite, which they are 95% of the time. I'd hate to see the strong community feeling of this thread be ruined because of scalper paranoia.
I am sorry if this came out as babble, since it is rather long-winded now that I've read it over to myself! But really, on a personal level I have felt very welcome here on the forum and look forward to future discussions with all of you, whether you joined this morning or have been collecting since the beginning.
this. /thumbs up