It has occurred to me that, when I'm out hunting the latest Droid, Jedi, or Decepticon, when I see another adult in the action figure aisle at whatever store I'm at I immediately get defensive. I want to tell them, "Hey you! Yeah, you! Get outta here until I'm done looking because I know you're just here to buy shit to scalp on eBay. Out! Out!" This probably comes from years of watching mullet-scalper, scruffy-scalper, tubbo-scalper, and those-fucking-Hot-Wheels-scalpers beat me to the punch. I just want this stuff for me and rarely do I pick up extras for others. I figure if people stop selling this crap on eBay and picking it up for other people, that the people looking for the latest robot or Sith Lord can actually find them at their local stores.

While I'm very grateful to the guy who found me a McRebel a couple weeks back, I can't help think that if he could have just told me where it was that I could have picked it up myself. I come to find out that the next week he bought all the McRebels that another store got in, probably 3 or more. Who does that help? If I was still looking for one, I would have been pissed knowing he bought them all mere minutes before I got to the store. Leave them for the rest of the people, dude.

Then there's mullet-scalper who was always at the local Target before they opened, every day, and would do a walk-run to the action figures, scooping all the newest figures (and I do mean all) for sale to the local scalper shop and eBay. He left the area and I forgot about him. But then I saw him in the area again in the middle of last year. Ever since then, I've had problems finding things. I suppose it's my own fault. I like to sleep in when I should be running around buying up all the toys so that other collectors and the kids and their parents can't find them.

Rebelscum has a very nice philosophy posted on their web site called Collect to Collect. It's a really good read and if more collectors followed this, collecting would be a lot easier and more fun for everyone. Everyone except the scalpers, I suppose. Go on, click on the link and read it. I'll wait... *makes a PB & J sandwich, pours a glass of milk, eats and drinks* Oh, you're back? Good, what did you think?

It reminds me of a time when I was trying to find Transmetal Rattrap a number of years ago. My search was finally at an end when I found one at a local Toys R Us. There was a young boy thumbing through the Transformers as well and he asked if I'd seen another Rattrap. I said I hadn't, but I helped him go through the remaining pegs only to come up empty handed. So, I handed the Rattrap I coveted over to him and told him to buy it. He lit up and was so happy and it made me so glad I did what I did. About 2 weeks later, I found another. I had a similar experience when I found a Hot Wheels motorcycle that I was looking for. It was in a big bin at KB and a boy and his Mom were looking for it too. There weren't any others, so I let them buy it. Warm feelings all around.

In closing, as a collector I like to help people. It makes me all knotted up inside when I hear of others buying all of a particular toy for whatever reason (unless it's the only one there - no harm in that, right?). I've often called friends while at stores to let them know that I've found stuff for them. Now, I have bought stuff for others as well, which doesn't help other people in the area I know. I am aware that I'm a hypocrite in that regard. I guess it's all a part of the materialistic, capitalistic society we live in.