Consoomers / Consoomer Culture - Because if it has a recogniseable brand on it, I’d buy it!

[The Lawgiver]

I dunno if it is Tik Tok unboxing shit or if they are chasing the super duper rare collectors edition cards but..its a fucking problem.

Around right before corona happened and all this started one of the first things to get sucked into scalper hell and only get worse in some cases was blind box figure stuff. Foudn that out the hard way watching some blind box figures from the 2000s spike to 60 and then 100 then 600 each over the course of like a week for no reason. it's been made infinitely worse by tiktok much like pokemon stuff did.

EDIT: I was far too lenient witht he timeframe (originally said 5-3 months), Just remembered how quick it shot up on my example and yes I am still mad about it because it's not even something there's any demand for like the current shit being scalped. the "value speculator" people just scooped up some stupid old shit I wanted tied to a video game for no reason and have been squatting on it since. wasn't even a super currently popular one either.

 

[stupid frog]

Were they scalpers or collectors? So many questions.

Probably both.

 

[Negev]

I dunno if it is Tik Tok unboxing shit or if they are chasing the super duper rare collectors edition cards but..its a fucking problem.

I think its a mix of people wanting to copy whatever their favorite gay twitch streamer/youtuber and the people seeing those people and knowing they will be able to scalp them and the twitch/youtubers for LOADS of money. Just look at youtubers buying cards for thousands or even millions of dollars, and then their fans want the same cards and buy tons of them too. As usual streamers are a cancer to all they touch.

 

[The Lawgiver]

I think its a mix of people wanting to copy whatever their favorite gay twitch streamer/youtuber and the people seeing those people and knowing they will be able to scalp them and the twitch/youtubers for LOADS of money. Just look at youtubers buying cards for thousands or even millions of dollars, and then their fans want the same cards and buy tons of them too. As usual streamers are a cancer to all they touch.

That's how lego prices as a whole shot up to the point you have people charging 800+ dollars for a single bionicle part. I watched that shit happen live with the fucking depowered nuva masks fromt he bohrok kal packs when "lego expert influencers" started treating them as rare promo items or misprints, which they weren't at all.

 

[Cuntspiracy Man]

I was "lucky" enough to be at Traget today and witness a Pokemon card restocking in person. There were five or six guys in their twenties hovered around the shelf and a female employee was sort of holding them back while another male employee was unpacking boxes. I guess they weren't allowed to touch the cards until he was finished. Once he was done, the female employee stepped aside and they all started shoving boxes into their carts or baskets by the armful. Shelf was cleared in literally ten seconds flat. Never seen anything like it. I stood there and watched the whole thing. I'm a gigantic fucking loser and even I was cringing.

I wanted to talk to them and figure out how they knew there was going to be a restock at that specific date and time. Do they just hang out there all day waiting for the boxes come out? I don't get it. Were they scalpers or collectors? So many questions.

sounds like scalpers to me, which I wouldn't call consumers, just a, probably much worse, link in the chain from seller to consumer

 

[SuzukaKobayashi]

Scalpers ruin anything they touch, be it from a toy for kids to a niche thing that because of low demand less is made so they just buy in bulks all of them and then sell at a ridiculous price. This happens with popular things too, you got the opportunist retard buying the same plushie a million times to fuck with the stock and now no one can buy even one. They make CONSOOMING harder but for things that people would actually want to use/have and not just mindlessly buying, it's kinda like the other side of the coin in a way, they consume but in a more pitiful way because they're greedy to another level, at least the funko pop idiots keep them and actually want them, regardless of how distasteful they are.

 

[The Lawgiver]

Scalpers ruin anything they touch, be it from a toy for kids to a niche thing that because of low demand less is made so they just buy in bulks all of them and then sell at a ridiculous price. This happens with popular things too, you got the opportunist retard buying the same plushie a million times to fuck with the stock and now no one can buy even one. They make CONSOOMING harder but for things that people would actually want to use/have and not just mindlessly buying, it's kinda like the other side of the coin in a way, they consume but in a more pitiful way because they're greedy to another level, at least the funko pop idiots keep them and actually want them, regardless of how distasteful they are.

I already brought up earlier how scalpers are basically the endgame/ultimate consoomer, especially in their current state the last several years.

 

[Sleazy Car Salesman]

Were they scalpers or collectors?

When it comes to TCGs there is no difference between the two. There are so many worthless trash cards they're buying the packs to find the one card that's either worth money or good competitively at which point it is removed and either sold as an individual lot for a massive markup or added to their deck and then all the other 100+ cards are bundled up and either shoved in a giant Tupperware tote and forgotten about, thrown away, or sold as a bulk lot for a massive markup.

 

[Cuntspiracy Man]

I already brought up earlier how scalpers are basically the endgame/ultimate consoomer, especially in their current state the last several years.

And I've already explained how that's wrong because owning something to sell means you inherently don't consume it

A bar owner is not an alcoholic because he owns lots of booze

 

[The Lawgiver]

And I've already explained how that's wrong because owning something to sell means you inherently don't consume it

A bar owner is not an alcoholic because he owns lots of booze

He is if he's guzzling it and attempting to price gouge stock at the same time. It's how you end up with feedback loops that produce 2000 dollar lego men. drunks pretending to be bartenders and "trick" other drunks to fuel their own booze addiction.

I watched a guy fucking make scalper ebay listings for shit before he even bought it a week back, It's only further solidified my view of em. They're junkies high off their own supply... if their supply was from someone that made it and they bought to resell it... which druggies already do so uh.... well shit.

 

[Skylavijas]

It is seriously bizarre that something as basic as card games are getting commodified to a point that many people see them as nothing else, but as a physical stock investment.

 

[The Lawgiver]

It is seriously bizarre that something as basic as card games are getting commodified to a point that many people see them as nothing else, but as a physical stock investment.

it's only the english versions too, unless that changed. Last I checked the JP pokemon cards are still dirt cheap. Then again last time I checked was like a year or so back, but this is still true for vidya.

 

[XL xQgg?QcQCaTYDMjqoDnYpG]

It is seriously bizarre that something as basic as card games are getting commodified to a point that many people see them as nothing else, but as a physical stock investment.

If you believe that the behavior of treating unusual objects as speculative trading vehicles is somehow caused by a regress of culture and "commodification", then may I introduce you to the tulip mania of the 1630s during the Dutch Golden Age?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania

At least cardstock and plastic have a much longer shelf life than tulip bulbs do

 

[Soso]

It is seriously bizarre that something as basic as card games are getting commodified to a point that many people see them as nothing else, but as a physical stock investment.

I also feel bad for the workers who have to deal with these man children as well. They apparently one of the worst customers to deal with, and have actual tantrums.

 

[Cuntspiracy Man]

He is if he's guzzling it and attempting to price gouge stock at the same time.

And again, the conclusion is the same
>It's not consumption
>It is if he's ALSO consuming

Yes, X thing isn't Y, but it IS if it's X and also Y
But X thing itself still isn't Y
If you have to add "But what about cases where it's also Y!" then you admit it's not Y inherently

 

[Skylavijas]

If you believe that the behavior of treating unusual objects as speculative trading vehicles is somehow caused by a regress of culture and "commodification", then may I introduce you to the tulip mania of the 1630s during the Dutch Golden Age?

It's not an alien concept for me. I am aware that places like prisons had used soups, candy bars and cigarettes as substitute for currency or even low-value stocks. When I was doing military training, there was one bloke that was a non-smoker, but still would buy a pack of cigarettes, purely to gain favors or in exchange for other minor things like chocolate pieces. If your platoon is stuck in the barracks for an extended period of time, not let out for the weekend, the value on civilian store items starts to balloon, due to scarcity. And there are a LOT of nicotine addicts in those places, that had paid the monetary value of a whole pack worth of money for just a few cigs, to get that hit.

However, I do not in any sort of way equate that to scalping of video game consoles or pokemon cards, as scarcity is artificial by design to control people. The inmates/conscripts act good? They get to bring more civilian goodies. They start a riot? They'll get fuck-all for the next month. Done the right way, commodification on insignificant goods can actually promote socially acceptable behavior, in a "carrot and a stick" sort of way. But scalping absolutely doesn't do that. As seen with the covid pandemic, it takes something as basic as purchasing toilet paper into competition. Since people are encouraged to horde, that promotes numerous other behaviors like overspending, selfishness, or even stealing. Ethical behavior gets punished, while consumption at the expense of others is rewarded. That's not social cohesion. Social cohesion is when people purchase as much as they need and have restraint to not overbuy, so that other people within their community wouldn't lose access to such products.

I will admit that "cultural degeneration" has become an utterly loaded term, that is used to justify ANYTHING, from Islamic theocracy, to communist dictatorship, to anarcho-primitivism, but I'm gonna call a spade a spade here and say that scalping, more often than not, is an objective negative on society, even if I at times find myself sympathizing with people who are desperate for money to pay off their loans or child support or whatever.

 

[XL xQgg?QcQCaTYDMjqoDnYpG]

However, I do not in any sort of way equate that to scalping of video game consoles or pokemon cards, as scarcity is artificial by design to control people.

Scarcity in any meaningful sense is a physical attribute. It describes the notion that there can be mutually exclusive and thus conflicting ways of using a thing. For instance, a cake is scarce because you cannot eat it and have it simultaneously. Every physical object is scarce.

Social cohesion is when people purchase as much as they need and have restraint to not overbuy, so that other people within their community wouldn't lose access to such products.

That's cute of you, but what if I go out there and become a Ferrari salesperson and offer to sell Ferraris at 10 bucks a pop?
Of course people will come and get an absurdly good deal because, at that price point, there are way more people willing to buy a Ferrari than there are people willing to manufacture and sell Ferraris. Accordingly, the equilibrium or market-clearing price (that is the price point where everybody who is willing to sell has someone who is willing to buy, and everyone who is willing to buy has someone who is willing to sell) is much higher than 10 bucks. That is the whole idea behind scalping.
Scalping can only occur where an item has a listed "sale" price (so nobody uses the word "scalping" when buying, for instance, stocks, to resell them at a higher price later) and when that price is far lower than the equilibrium price.
I've written quite comprehensive elaborations on what scalping is, what causes scalping, and why scalping is not some ethical or economical problem in this forum before

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

When it comes to TCGs there is no difference between the two. There are so many worthless trash cards they're buying the packs to find the one card that's either worth money or good competitively at which point it is removed and either sold as an individual lot for a massive markup or added to their deck and then all the other 100+ cards are bundled up and either shoved in a giant Tupperware tote and forgotten about, thrown away, or sold as a bulk lot for a massive markup.

It gets really weird in that the only way cracking packs is profitable is when you do enough of it you can do things like that.

Like i play MTG...The only product I buy from WOTC directly is the Set Bundle for the Dice and the Box, aside from that I buy single cards from independent vendors because Cracking Packs is largely just not worth it.

 

[Skylavijas]

Scarcity in any meaningful sense is a physical attribute. It describes the notion that there can be mutually exclusive and thus conflicting ways of using a thing. For instance, a cake is scarce because you cannot eat it and have it simultaneously. Every physical object is scarce.

Don't quite understand the point here. Weight is also a physical attribute, but under most circumstances I wouldn't call an elephant very light, because a mountain is way heavier, or call a mouse really heavy, because it weighs substantially more than a microbe. Depending on the context, gold can be labeled as abundant, because it's more common than Kashmir Sapphire, and oxygen can be described as scarce, because CO2 is substantially more abundant. But if you insist on such rigid understanding of physical properties, insisting on calling coffee a bean soup, I suppose I can't change that.

I've written quite comprehensive elaborations on what scalping is, what causes scalping, and why scalping is not some ethical or economical problem in this forum before

Actually, can you elaborate on that? Why scalping isn't an economical concern? If it promotes hoarding doesn't that on its own lead to the equilibrium being pushed?

 

[XL xQgg?QcQCaTYDMjqoDnYpG]

Don't quite understand the point here. Weight is also a physical attribute, but under most circumstances I wouldn't call an elephant very light, because a mountain is way heavier, or call a mouse really heavy, because it weighs substantially more than a microbe. Depending on the context, gold can be labeled as abundant, because it's more common than Kashmir Sapphire, and oxygen can be described as scarce, because CO2 is substantially more abundant. But if you insist on such rigid understanding of physical properties, insisting on calling coffee bean soup, I suppose I can't change that.

My point is that scarcity is not the opposite of abundance. Sand in a desert is abundant and scarce. The opposite of abundance is shortage.

Actually, can you elaborate on that? Why scalping isn't an economical concern? If it promotes hoarding doesn't that on its own lead to the equilibrium being pushed?

Recall what the equilibrium is: The price point at which every willing seller finds a willing buyer, and vice versa. A price point below the equilibrium has too many people looking to buy - leading to buyers going home empty-handed, a price point above the equilibrium has too few - leading to unsold inventory.
Scalping can only occur
1. For a physical good (there's no such thing of a shortage of digital goods)
2. with a list price (there's no such thing as scalping stocks or shares or currencies)
3. that is significantly below the equilibrium price (the list price has way more people willing to buy)
It's a fairly common tactic to intentionally have a way too low list price for something to drum up demand and advertisement. What better advertisement can you have for a show or an event if people are standing hundreds of meters in line to get a ticket, for instance?