A friend of mine went Walgreens and found three Joes with repacked figures. Two HISS drone Fireflys and Snake Eyes repacked with cheesy dollar store knock-offs. Some repacking jerk bought the original figures, removed them and replaced the Joe figures with crap figures and returned them to the store, knowing that it was unlikely the clerk would know the difference or taking advantage of a liberal return policy where as long as there's a receipt, it can be returned. Essentially the repacker gets the figure for free, or at least minus the cost of the cheesy repacked figure. This hurts the collectors,the store and the manufacturer. If a repack figure is hanging on the peg, it's in the store's inventory as being the proper item, the store doesn't think that they're selling it, and won't order more. The store and the manufacturer are out the price of the figure. The collector is not able to check inventory at that store because the peg is not being restocked with the proper items

The Night Viper is a popular troop builder that most collectors are looking for. The Scalper is someone who will buy multiples of a figure like this, often drain a store's inventory of that figure and resell them at a considerably higher price. This makes it difficult for collectors, especially those on a limited budget, to be able to acquire these figures. One of the biggest problems with this though is that there are people who will pay those outrageous prices, making it so the scalpers can continue doing this. Sometimes scalpers will have a person on the inside who works at a particular store, or be an employee the store themselves, and those figures will never actually see the shelves and they will be bought right away by the scalper, making it less fair to other collectors.

Both of these types of individuals will be spending eternity in a special level of Hell usually reserved for rapists and pedophiles, but who is the bigger A-hole? Scalpers or Repackers. Choose one.

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I went with the repacker option. This person is only in it for themselves and is intentionally creating mischief. They are probably keeping the figures for themselves and are hurting stores due to their selfishness.

A scalper is at least legitimately buying items, which clears the shelves and allowing more product to come in. The scalper, even though charging a higher price, is at least allowing someone else to get an item they were looking for.

Going by your definition of "The Scalper is someone who will buy multiples of a figure like this", I daresay we all have fallen into that category at some point. We may not sell them to others at a significantly higher price, but we all have purchased as many figures of a certain character to use.

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This is a good argument, except that most stores I go to, get one case of something, if you're lucky. So, they never restock.

Scalpers was my answer. It's way more prevelant. I've never even seen a re-pack in person. So, it's scalpers that piss me off. I know there's one working at the TRU in Altoona, PA. That's the only explanation.

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Repackers are worse. Its theft. EBay scalpers make it so you voluntarily give them money

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I had to vote "repacker". So much work for just a figure (or Transformer, or whatever). I'm realizing more and more that many stores simply won't reorder GIJoe stuff if the pegs aren't empty (hence the great Target clearances of Arctic Destro and Wave 1 Retaliation). TRU on Mississippi (okay, Ironton) has loads of Jurassic Park dinosaur sets with NO FIGURES! And only one of them has been red-tagged for discount. They really don't care if the product might be wrong, they'll keep it out until they can sell it. Scalpers are morally screwed, but the product is still getting out to collectors (kids don't buy toys anymore anyway). And in a perfect world, Walgreens would restock the pegs with another case of Night Vipers, right?

Then that would be on the store for only having a limited amount of items. I'm not gonna fault someone for buying the product that is on the shelf if that is the only product there.

If I go to Target and they have the entire wave of new Marvel Universe, but just one set, am I in the wrong for getting them all?

How many of us have grabbed every Professor X we can find? (I've got two, the only two I've seen)

Or any of the Night-Vipers?

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Over the years I've figured this out: there's nothing wrong with scalping. Treated right, it's more demand for the stuff we want and will help in the long run. Is it frustrating? Maybe, but I'm at the stage where I don't care anymore and I don't buy from scalpers. Besides, that's like what? $5 profit? $10? Everyone has to reach a point at which they do the economics and figure out they're better off getting a decent job or whatever.

Scalping is annoying, but they are actually supporting the line/lines, etc. Besides all this, if you can't find what you want, they absolutely provide a way for you to get it.

Repackers are thieves. No comparison.

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I went with repacker, although I don't think it's theft ... I think it's fraud -

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Scalpers don't make us buy their stuff. I feel repackers are jerks.

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Bottm line is that one activity is illegal and one is not.

The scalper -- as long as he or she doesn't work for the retailer and intercept product before it hits the shelf -- is doing nothing wrong. In fact, I've often been grateful to have someone else hunt down what I'm after, even if I do end up paying a bit of a premium, because I sure don't have the time to hit five-to-ten stores in the hope I'll luck into a freshly-stocked peg before some other desperate collector gets there.

I blame the desperation that allows scalpers to charge what they do on the toy companies' crappy distribution and the stores' ordering practices. As far as I'm concerned, scalpers of Hasbro product are providing an often necessary service and should be compensated for their efforts.

Repackers should have their homes burglarized and all their favorite stuff replaced with cardboard or paper representations of their stuff. They are scum and their activity actually contributes to the distribution issues that I referenced above. Stores won't order more product if they think its just sitting on their shelves.

Scalpers are just successful at the game of Capitalism, regardless of ones feelings about that. They're simply playing the game to their best immediate advantage.

Repackers are thieving scum, deserving of boots in their asses and faces.

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agree with most of the above. re-packing is dishonest and illegal. scalping is at worst being opportunistic.

if there weren't such poor distribution and pack-out choices being made by the manufacturer and/or retailer, scalpers wouldn't have much to do anyway.

also, I don't "scalp" as it were, but I do buy figures all the time. when I buy one that is considered "rare" you can bet that I don't open it until I'm sure I need it for a project. and if I don't then I post it up for sale at a later date. I list it cheaply, and if the market decides it worth more than I paid, then so be it.

the biggest difference between a scalper and someone who buys and keeps their collection intact is that the scalper desires a quick profit/return, while the collector (often, if not usually) hopes for a long term increase on the value of the collection.

EDIT: Though I also just as often find a figure and know a bud is looking for it, and work out a trade, FWIW...

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Where's the third option, the people who keep scalpers in business?

Repackers for sure. They buy a toy, keep the toy, return something of lesser value or broken toy. Then some unsuspecting kid or family member buys it for them. Or it rots on the shelf until underpaid retail employee notices it and puts it in the "loss" bin. If you don't want to pay for an item, don't buy the item.

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Repackers obviously.

They hurt for the reasons listed in the first post.

Scalpers... not their fault that people are willing to spend the high prices. Don't like it, don't buy it, the scalper goes out of business.