Vintage Masters of the Universe - Commemorative Man at Arms and Zodac, Horde Trooper, Moss Man, Roboto, Sy-Klone, and Stratos
A new vintage toy shop opened up in my area this week. I'm not going to mention names but I didn't have a great time.
A few weeks ago, a toy shop that I had frequented in the past began to share the posts of a new store that was opening near their location. As the pictures scrolled across my feed, my anticipation began to build. Just the thought of a new vintage toy store gave me the excitement that I used to have when I had birthday money to spend as a child. You know the feeling, it's the joy of open ended opportunities just being a fingertip away.
As the days continued on, my joy began to turn into concern, no price tags. The store was posting lots of great stuff but there wasn't a single price listing to be seen. I don't know about you, but I have always found that disconcerting. I understand that the vintage toy industry has really become a sellers' market these days. I also completely understand that a brick and mortar store has to pay their bills so I already expect to pay a much higher price than I would from an online seller. However, I feel a seller should at least be out in the open about what their expectations are. Either way, I tried to put my worries out of my head and just be ready to enjoy the experience.
The 8 AM alarm went off on my cell phone and I was off to prepare for my journey. The store was about 45 minutes away from my home so I planned my morning around this trip. I printed off shipping labels for my recently sold items on Ebay, dropped them off at the post office, grabbed a McDonalds breakfast and hit the open road.
As I ventured into my destination, I took moment just to smile while my eyes took in the hundreds of great memories that hung across the walls: G.I. Joe, Silverhawks, Star Wars, Toy Biz Marvel, Transformers, and, my quarry for the day, Masters of the Universe.
Complete in Box Castle Grayskull, Snake Mountain, and the Fright Zone.
Loose but complete Eternia.
Lots of carded 200X and some loose vintage.
I walked up to the owner, shook his hand, and thanked him for bringing us a new shop. It's a risky venture and I truly appreciated him for it. Then, I took some time just to walk around and admire the memories before zeroing in on things I would want to purchase. After narrowing it down, I asked the man in charge how much he was expecting for certain things. Some prices I expected and some surprised me, but there were a few I genuinely liked.
He also had some things that were being sold by his co-owner but he went ahead and gave me a price that I agreed with but I had to wait for his partner to come in to the shop. I browsed a few minutes more before he also arrived. The two owners chatted about business a moment before he motioned his partner my way. He let him know that I was interested in purchasing one of his items and then quoted a price that was double what he told me.
It took a moment for that to sink in. I kindly asked if he misspoke and reminded him of the price he gave me. He laughingly shook his head and disagreed. I apologized, mentioning that I must have misheard. I went ahead and purchased two loose figures instead and decided to try my luck at the neighboring stores.
Now, maybe it was an honest mistake and maybe he was trying to intentionally snag me with a switch up. Either way, my thoughts went right back to my ill at ease concerns from earlier. I don't think I will be doing business with this gentleman again.
On to some more positive news, the other shops had some great finds - including mint on card commemorative figures! I decided to spend the exact amount I had intended at the new shop with the more intentionally honest store. I am very glad that I did because the owner mentioned that he had some more MOTU stuff in the back that he was going to bring up in the next few weeks.
My buys:
- Commemorative Man at Arms and Zodac
Master Mechanics
Brothers in Arms
Cosmic Rivals
I know some people might be upset with me for opening these up but I've never been a mint on card collector. Now had these been original 82s, I wouldn't have even purchased them. Am I a monster? Maybe, but I'm not completely awful. I don't know why, but the fact that these came with a warranty just kind of makes me chuckle.
- Loose Roboto, Sy-Klone, Moss Man, Stratos, and Horde Trooper
The life we save.
Or Masters of the Universe?
A few weeks ago, a toy shop that I had frequented in the past began to share the posts of a new store that was opening near their location. As the pictures scrolled across my feed, my anticipation began to build. Just the thought of a new vintage toy store gave me the excitement that I used to have when I had birthday money to spend as a child. You know the feeling, it's the joy of open ended opportunities just being a fingertip away.
As the days continued on, my joy began to turn into concern, no price tags. The store was posting lots of great stuff but there wasn't a single price listing to be seen. I don't know about you, but I have always found that disconcerting. I understand that the vintage toy industry has really become a sellers' market these days. I also completely understand that a brick and mortar store has to pay their bills so I already expect to pay a much higher price than I would from an online seller. However, I feel a seller should at least be out in the open about what their expectations are. Either way, I tried to put my worries out of my head and just be ready to enjoy the experience.
The 8 AM alarm went off on my cell phone and I was off to prepare for my journey. The store was about 45 minutes away from my home so I planned my morning around this trip. I printed off shipping labels for my recently sold items on Ebay, dropped them off at the post office, grabbed a McDonalds breakfast and hit the open road.
As I ventured into my destination, I took moment just to smile while my eyes took in the hundreds of great memories that hung across the walls: G.I. Joe, Silverhawks, Star Wars, Toy Biz Marvel, Transformers, and, my quarry for the day, Masters of the Universe.
Complete in Box Castle Grayskull, Snake Mountain, and the Fright Zone.
Loose but complete Eternia.
Lots of carded 200X and some loose vintage.
I walked up to the owner, shook his hand, and thanked him for bringing us a new shop. It's a risky venture and I truly appreciated him for it. Then, I took some time just to walk around and admire the memories before zeroing in on things I would want to purchase. After narrowing it down, I asked the man in charge how much he was expecting for certain things. Some prices I expected and some surprised me, but there were a few I genuinely liked.
He also had some things that were being sold by his co-owner but he went ahead and gave me a price that I agreed with but I had to wait for his partner to come in to the shop. I browsed a few minutes more before he also arrived. The two owners chatted about business a moment before he motioned his partner my way. He let him know that I was interested in purchasing one of his items and then quoted a price that was double what he told me.
It took a moment for that to sink in. I kindly asked if he misspoke and reminded him of the price he gave me. He laughingly shook his head and disagreed. I apologized, mentioning that I must have misheard. I went ahead and purchased two loose figures instead and decided to try my luck at the neighboring stores.
Now, maybe it was an honest mistake and maybe he was trying to intentionally snag me with a switch up. Either way, my thoughts went right back to my ill at ease concerns from earlier. I don't think I will be doing business with this gentleman again.
On to some more positive news, the other shops had some great finds - including mint on card commemorative figures! I decided to spend the exact amount I had intended at the new shop with the more intentionally honest store. I am very glad that I did because the owner mentioned that he had some more MOTU stuff in the back that he was going to bring up in the next few weeks.
My buys:
- Commemorative Man at Arms and Zodac
Master Mechanics
Brothers in Arms
Cosmic Rivals
I know some people might be upset with me for opening these up but I've never been a mint on card collector. Now had these been original 82s, I wouldn't have even purchased them. Am I a monster? Maybe, but I'm not completely awful. I don't know why, but the fact that these came with a warranty just kind of makes me chuckle.
- Loose Roboto, Sy-Klone, Moss Man, Stratos, and Horde Trooper
The life we save.
A bit of the old 200X ultra violence? Honestly, this blaster was way too heavy for the MOTUC Man at Arms. I might try to get a true 200X version and see how compatible it is with this vintage Man at Arms.
Heroic Warriors?
Or Masters of the Universe?
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