Local GI JOE Find

[den82]

I went to a yard sale I saw advertized on Craigslist. They mentioned "vintage toys", so I figured it was worth checking out. I bought 2 Shogun Warriors (Mazinga and Dragun) in really beat condition for $5 each. I also got an incomplete Terrordrome for $15.

This woman has a BUTTLOAD of GI JOE vehicles and parts...including the Defiant and parts of the Flagg. There is about 3 plastic bins, one large cardboard box and a ton of it thrown around here yard. Yes, you heard right. This one has parts of the Flagg sitting outside getting rained on.

She said she sold me the Terrordrome, but really didn't want to. She showed me the shit, but seemed to have little interest in selling it and I kept getting a million different stories from her. I offered $200, next day she got me up to $300 and still refused the offer.

She said she wants to try and piece it together. It's "fun" for her and the last story she gave me was that her brother bought a storage unit for $1,000 and he gave her all of it to piece together.

I was really being jerked around, but I want this stuff. I think they're just waiting for me to keep getting higher and higher. I cannot really get a straight answer out of her or her husband.

What should I do? I can't get it out of my head. Even $300 is a lot, but there could be some really killer pieces here.

[planetaryte]

Sometimes you have to play it cool on these types of people. I would contact her one more time with an offer of maybe $350. Tell her you have cash and can save her a ton of time and the hassle of research. If she balks again leave your name and number. Sometimes I get people who think their stuff is priceless, but after a week or so of no offers or lowball offers they usually contact me again.

On a side note - check out the Ebay prices on Defiant and Flagg parts. There is a good sum of money to be made from clean, unbroken parts.

[den82]

I'm afraid she's going to horde the good stuff and not tell me, then sell the rest to me for that price now. The first day she wanted to complete it as it was fun for her son. Next day, it was all about her brother buying it from a storage unit and spending over $1,000 on it.

Like I said, I hate being jerked around.

[joeybones]

Why dont you pay the grand. Didn't you play hardball last time and loose? Just pay it and get it over with. my advice.

[den82]

They told me today $500 is the bottom number, but right now, I do not think I can do it. Yeah there is parts of the Flagg, Defiant, but still...I'm not sure how much there is.

[joeybones]

Blow em off, say its worthless without it being complete.. The most I'd pay is $300.. I bet you'd get it...

[The Riddler]

Yea say 300 is all you can do and leave your name and number.....i bet they call in a week!

[Megatron]

Yea morons like this seem to think that they can bankroll on a bunch of incomplete 80's toys are REALLY stretching it I know ALOT of people like this they will never get it if they could sell a pile of dog crap for $1,000 they would one world greedy....I would use the it's incomplete it's not worth it angle especially for parts that are in the elements and are turning into crap...

[joeybones]

Yea for sure... Play up the 'its incomplete'.. Come up with some reference they understand... like this...

'Its like buying a Monopoly boardgame with no money..... Have you ever tried to play monopoly with colored sugar packets instead of the money they give you? I have, it sucks. $300 Take it or leave it.'

I havn't thats just some card I'd play.

[80s Action Figures]

So are you wanting to buy this stuff for your own collection? So you will get a partial Flagg and Trror Drome and piece it together to make one for yourself? Or you want to buy it and then keep a bit but mostly sell it?

Your time is worth money as well...so add that to the $300 to $400 (I always double the number so me it would be $600 to $800) and see if you can make that kinda money. From what you have said you dont have a chance to make that type of return buy selling.

If you are keeping it all $300 to $400 will buy you an awful lot so again is it worth it?

[den82]

I don't know. I pulled every trick in the book. $300 and the whole walking away thing....this woman is just a hard head and totally indifferent. Her husband told me her and her brother are convinced they could pull a $1,000 out of it.

I'm going to end up keeping most, so I doubt I'll be making money here.

Not even sure how much of the flagg is there either. I don't trust the lady. I think she'll keep all the easy to sell on ebay pieces and hide them from me.

I'm done with her. It just kills me to think parts of the Flagg are under a blue tarp in a backyard.

[mdc113]

i hear ya about the "it kills ya knowing part" But i always tell myself for every pile of stuff u find, theres about 10 more piles of cool stuff out there. And it always makes me feel better about having to walk away from a deal. Chances are your the only one in your area who will pay that kind of money for her stuff, so if u cant get it, no one will. I would stand firm at ur price, chances are some stuff will be broke, missing, sun faded, torn up, etc.

if its meant to be its meant to be .Good Luck

[den82]

There are 2 other local collectors/dealers that I know of. I'm sure one of them would pay the $500, as based on his eBay store, he's the kind who puts gigantic Buy-It-Now prices on things and will sit on them for as long as it takes until it sells (I like to move stuff quick). I think his personal collection is bigger than mine, so most of this stuff is pure profit for him.

[Megatron]

Oct 11, 2011 11:20:36 GMT -6 den82 said:

There are 2 other local collectors/dealers that I know of. I'm sure one of them would pay the $500, as based on his eBay store, he's the kind who puts gigantic Buy-It-Now prices on things and will sit on them for as long as it takes until it sells (I like to move stuff quick). I think his personal collection is bigger than mine, so most of this stuff is pure profit for him.

Then those are collector's those are "inversters" and sellers and in your case this woman is a dumb ass...Bottom line...It justs kills me that people think that something is from the 80's is worth $$$$$ just like some tool at a show by me was selling loose POTF Figures for $10-15 each (or more) and I heard him say "Well it's Star Wars so it will always go up in value"

[joeybones]

dude, I drove over and hour today to go see this:

tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/clt/2636177601.html

Its seriously a PILE of S---. Its dirty, w/mold and bulls--- on it.. 75% is mcdonalds toys and california raisins. I really only wanted a few things, Big bendie Noid, Zelda figure pvc, and like 2 bill & teds figures.. When I got there the guy said he got this stuff free years ago, people donated it to him, and its been in a box in a stirage unit for years... He tells me $500 for it all, and doesnt want to break it up, wouldnt sell just one thing at all.. I said, $500 dollars? Really? No one will EVER pay you that price, I would have a hard time paying $30. I bounced and was all pissed that I drove that far... But I did score at a small yard sale. $30 for like 65 atari games and controllers in great shape..

[planetaryte]

I drove out to look at a local Godzilla collection today. It was described to me as being huge. The dude said he couldn't count how many figures he had. When I got there dude had 10 2006 6.5" Bandai figures and a boxed 40th anniversary set. He wanted $350. I bounced without even making an offer.

[den82]

Well. In addition to what she had, her husband also has a bunch of Silver Age comics. He wanted like $5 each and like $15 each for stuff like "Tales of Suspense" #45.

I didn't buy any. Now, I regret it. I am 98% sure he had an Avengers #4 (first Silver Age appearance of Captain America).

Now I am thinking of calling them again (although I am afraid of annoying them too much). Offering $450 for the Joe stuff and tell them I'll also buy like $50 worth of comics.

If I could get that comic....I could get back everything I spent plus some profit.

But last time I talked to him he mentioned the comics and told me I could of doubled my money as he checked a few on eBay.

I might of screwed up big time.

[den82]

If I had a "little" bit more cash, I'd just take the risk. But even $500 is going to dent my bank account.

[den82]

WOW...I am dumb founded.

I called again. I told him I thought about it and would do $500. He put me on with his brother-in-law who happened to be there. I told him I wanted it. He asked me what number they gave me, I said "$500". He said, "no way, I have no idea why they gave you that number. A lot smaller just sold for over $2,000 on eBay. So unless you want to come up substantially"...

Hung up, ripped number, tossed it in the can.

[runamuckduck]

My feeling is that if you were willing to pay $500 for that lot, sooner or later, you will see a similar or even better one for that kind of money. Many people don't understand that if they're not a reputable dealer who is willing to put in the time to see EXACTLY what they have, they might have something great, but they have no chance of selling it.

I had this discussion at a toy show this weekend, about how patient you can be. If you were passing up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own this stuff, then yeah, it might be tough to take. The reality is that this ARAH stuff, and A LOT of kids had it, even the big stuff like U.S.S. Defiant and U.S.S. Flagg.

It's their loss, not yours.

[den82]

Indeed. Hopefully a mega score will come my way. I bought an AMAZING lot for $500 beginning of summer.

The $2,000 lot he told me about was 100% complete, near mint with figures. What he has is a scrap yard.

[sf1378]

You didn't play it cool enough...they saw you coming and probably know they could get more for the Terror Drome and Flagg....and the comics.

[den82]

I doubt that's the case. The reality is this moron is A: A moron who paid too much for a storage unit, most likely watching too many episodes of Storage Wars and B: An uneducated moron who thinks he is sitting on a pile of gold.

[Megatron]

Oct 13, 2011 11:45:48 GMT -6 den82 said:

WOW...I am dumb founded.

I called again. I told him I thought about it and would do $500. He put me on with his brother-in-law who happened to be there. I told him I wanted it. He asked me what number they gave me, I said "$500". He said, "no way, I have no idea why they gave you that number. A lot smaller just sold for over $2,000 on eBay. So unless you want to come up substantially"...

Hung up, ripped number, tossed it in the can.

He's just sitting on it because he hasn't sold it yet...

[den82]

I found the exact lot he was talking about, because I asked him "were they asking that or did it sell for that" and he said "44 bids" (with a real hot shot tone).

I will not post the link, but taken from the auction:

"Here it is, a once in a life time chance for a Joe collector!!

Almost the complete GI JOE toy line from 1982-1985!

Almost every toy is MINT and 100%, a few might be missing one bomb, or a guy might be missing one gun but every toy has most of its parts. Terror Drome has a broken gun shield part, and the front landing gear on the raven are a little messed up. Other then that I'm not to sure what else is wrong WITH the whole lot! I mean its that clean! 90% of the figures are AFA quality no joke. If you need photos of a certain figure let me know I will send you a few. "

He said his lot is bigger. But his lot is a scrap yard and cannot compare to the auction he saw. He's going to eat this stuff and I when he chokes on it, I hope he remembers the $500 I offered.

[rocklord74]

if the auction has run its course and has ended i think you can post the link.

[den82]

www.ebay.com/itm/GI-JOE-Collection-1980s-Watch-Video-Figures-Vehicles-COBRA-HUGE-LOT-/290616205649?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43aa136151

[80s Action Figures]

alot of it is not complete, all of seems to be damaged/discolored or worse...thats a garbage lot from what I see from the photos... Might have some nice figures but your offer was sound and not worth a penny more. He will get a negative out of this sale I bet.

[den82]

That's not the lot I wanted to buy. He just used that one as a reference.

[80s Action Figures]

O, I see...thats good. I think who ever gets that lot will be disapointed.