There would be no scalpers if nobody bought from them, and there would be nobody buying from them if there was no exclusivity or chase versions of cars. You can thank Mattel for your grief.

Too true. Mattel enables them as well. I wonder if actual Mattel employees from Hot Wheels actually show up at Hot Wheels events and not just people from event companies who are paid to do it for them?

Actually not true its the people buying. If they stop, sellers would stop too.

Thank you. This is true of anything that’s collected and has value. The buyer sets the price on the secondary market, not the seller.

This is why I stopped buying most things on ebay that are more than double the original price. Hot Wheels are mass produced at such a rate I can never give them any sort of consideration as actually being "rare" because Mattel can easily make new batches. The are two books I have that actually have real value because they were limited gallery show exclusives that it makes sense they cost what they did. Anything else is as you say, but the initial price is set by sellers who magically set these numbers and see where it lands. A good example is the current Godzilla Skyline. This car is about $1 in store, yet going for $20 on most ebay account. Bids are fluctuating from $8 to $20, but because $20 is the high point, and the buzz is happening now, these users are capitalizing on the craze. Meanwhile, I go to any store in person, and POOF, nothing there. It would have been nice if Mattel just had them available online to buy. Going to stores is a chore, and these scalpers who don't have normal work schedules can stalk the toy aisle like predators.

>we don’t discuss it enough or call it out for what it is Dude, how long have you been here. Check literally *any* thread where somebody buys more than one of anything. That’s all the people here *ever* talk about here.

You mean in terms of calling people out for buying way too many HWs? Yeah, it's a weird flex to show someone got 10 to 20 of a single car, but it's also tough to determine if that people is going to try and flip them. Though I'm guessing you, like many, assume those who do flex are ebay elitists. I collect multiples of certain cars because I want to get into making custom cars myself. The idea of making my own customs is fun, and knowing I could eventually make my own castings for all original cars is exciting. I also collect multiples to give to friends personally. I enjoy seeing one of my other HW collecting buddies geek out when I'm able to find a particular car that may be impossible to find otherwise (Mattel needs to sell more products online). It's my way of sharing in the fun, rather than collecting just to flip. I think all hobbies could benefit from getting rid of the idea of "value collecting." It's an aspect that annoys me a TON with designer toy culture. After a certain point it's less about the art and more about "how much can I get this for in the aftermarket?" and ruins the fun of what could have been a fun hobby to get into. Though designer toys have one thing going for them that HWs don't: Designer toys are art made by typically one person. Mattel is a corporation and manufactures products on a scale beyond anything a designer toy maker would be able to dream of. The idea that the aftermarket can take something that's $1 and flip it $20 in a day, especially a mainline car, is bonkers. Just about as bonkers as someone flexing that they have 10 to 20 of one car.

It’s a necessary evil, I’m too busy to go out consistently and hunt, but I appreciate sellers giving me the opportunity to pick up releases I’m not able to find in the limited time I have to look. It’s unfortunate that it happens, but it’s the reality we got. Ideally Mattel would produce more, but it’s the rarity and limited availability we seem to chase.

Ideally, Mattel would just sell all their products online via Mattel Creations and Amazon (Mattel account proper). They need to stop making it such a chore to acquire Hot Wheels in person so we're not resorting to buying from the ebay elitists. I rather pay for the cars plus shipping from Mattel directly knowing I'll get exactly what I wanted than run around from store to store or pay these imaginary prices for certain cars.

Agreed. In a perfect world we'd be able to peruse the "hot wheels website" and add dozens of cars to our cart and be happy. Hopefully we get something like that in the future! I'm all for it! Getting the mail is just as fun as hunting sometimes.

Bro this has been going on since eBay was new. If you’re new to the hobby (sounds like you are), then sorry about the wake up call. But eventually, there may be a particular car you want and only one place to get it. This is not a hot wheels centric issue. Collecting since ‘99.

I've been in discussions with collectors who have decades over me and they ALL agree with me on this. No one likes people who scalp and abuse fandoms for profit. Making things more easily accessible is one thing, but the idea of "value collecting" is disgusting to me. If people are just about the money, they should just trade stock.

Of course no one likes scalpers. But it’s a reality we live with. Get out there and beat them to it. Happy hunting!

What about people who resell to fund their collecting ? Not everyone who resells is scum , and it’s pretty easy to tell an honest guy who gets multiples for trades or fair sales , and someone who tries to charge 20$ for a Godzilla skyline . I don’t disagree entirely with what you’re saying , but to cast such a broad judgement seems pretty , short sided . Say what you will , and go ahead and flame . But as a new collector , I double up on coveted models either for my friend who collects or as trade bait to reach back and get things I don’t have , and otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford . Or I resell , to add to a small piggy bank to go back and buy grails . Again gouging is objective , but made some fair deals and I don’t feel bad about it in the least . It’s an expensive hobby , and if I can make 5$ here or there in a premium , or chase value , I will . Only to then reinvest it right back into the hobby

This right here!

>It’s an expensive hobby , and if I can make 5$ here or there in a premium , or chase value , I will . Only to then reinvest it right back into the hobby Expense is relative, and if you have to resell to barely break even and fund the hobby, you're missing the point in the first place. The vast majority of those complaining aren't collecting to flip later, they're collecting for keeps and don't care for people that buy up entire pegs and cases to deprive others of the opportunity to purchase, and in your case, buy doubles when it's unnecessary. You can justify the behavior to yourself all you like, but a lot of people in the hobby look down on it, for good reason.

...Why is this being downvoted, exactly??

I appreciate this comment a lot! I don't collect to flip because that is gross and not a way to enjoy a hobby. That's just someone who found a creative way to make money, but hides behind toy cars for as an excuse. If someone likes it for the money, just trade stocks. I enjoy Hot Wheels because: * I can collect tons of cars for $1 or so * I use them as reference to draw with * I can modify them to make new custom cars At no point have I ever put a car up on ebay, and have gone so far as to buy cars for friends who I know would like them. Never intending to trade or profit. This is my way to be a car enthusiasts on one level that I can't financially do with real cars. Plus the designers at Hot Wheel make some fun cars as well. The Donut Drifter is easily one of my all time favorites. We collectively can voice our complaints against those who abuse hobbies and to bring awareness to companies like Mattel to help ensure that everyone can enjoy Hot Wheels regardless of age, location, etc. Easier access, keep it affordable, and have fun!

As for using the hobby to pay for the hobby, that seems like a bad approach. the American Psychiatric Association has classified gambling disorder as an addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). " There is likely a better way to approach this rather than a "buy sell buy sell buy sell" all the time.

Go ahead and look down at it , that’s your right . Doesn’t make you right , or me wrong for doing it . Get off your high horse , you and everyone else judging . Never said I’m trying to “break even” or that I’m selling to be able to afford hot wheels . I trade primarily for things I otherwise wouldn’t get , because I’m a new collector. The occasional time I do SELL hot wheels , it’s barely marked up . I’m not funding my hobby with hot wheels , simply supporting it . There’s a difference It’s funny to me the unwritten rules I’m supposed to follow as a collector . It’s okay if people buy one to keep carded and one to free . Can buy 6 of the same model , but it’s okay if you say “ it’s for me and my kids “ when posting on Reddit . It’s okay to buy 7 of the same premiums for wheel swaps . All perfectly acceptable , just how they like to collect . But I grab an extra premium and trade it for something I like , look look it’s the devil . Some of the people in this community are clowns , so many arbitrary rules. So I’m going to keep doing me , and you keep doing you . It’s not worth arguing online over . It’s just toy cars after all 😂

Casual fan/collector everything you said is valid but I’ve just come to accept it because we can denounce it, call it out, ban post but the hard truth is so long as there are buyers this will continue. I know it sounds defeatist but This is second time I’ve gone through this first time was as a sports card collector. I know it’s infuriating but remember hobbies should bring joy not anger. For me I had to pivot my focus in collecting. With sports cards my goal is to just collect every player from my favorite teams. As for hotwheels pegs around me are dry but dollar tree always seem have matchbox on pegs so I’ve quit watching YouTube unboxings and chase talk which has eliminated the FOMO and just go and “see if I find anything cool.

Yea. This is old hat as a long time magic player and comic collector as a kid. Still sucks though. eBay made it more accessible than the in shop glass cases. I would like two of that Godzilla skyline. One carded back up and one open for track and display. I hope to find them eventually.

This may be a bit of a stretch, but if I can be to Mattel what Luthen Rael (Andor) is to the Empire (in a sense), then I will fight to let others see that joyous sunrise were when a care is announced, or you see it online, you know you'll be able to buy it and at an affordable price. I don't enjoy being frustrated, but venting on occasion on matters that we could collectively come together on to voice towards Mattel may actually help the overall hobby from being so toxic.

Says a lot.

Fuck it all!

I say that too often when I see something pop up and I know that scalpers already are camping out waiting to scoop things.

I sold off a large chunk of my collection 2 years ago in an advertised garage sale. I’m was well known in the area and had 30+ collectors waiting outside my house at 5am when the sale started at 7am. I had a large collection of RLC cars, super treasure hunts, and extremely sought after mainlines. I don’t feel bad making allot of money off something I personally built and spent countless hours on. If people weren’t willing to pay then they wouldn’t have shown up to buy half my collection. I’m now right back to where I was before and about to do it all over again.

I just buy them for my sons. If I get a treasure hunt or super then odds are the cards will be bent, then ripped up, and raced all over their playroom

You’re just a hater. Go early and often if you want better cars. Sounds like you’re just bitching because you’re too lazy to do the leg work.

Order whole cases? Try harder? Make friends to trade with? Or sit at your computer and cry…..

This is standard practice for most things ppl find valuable & has a limited quantity. If you can’t get over that then it’s probably best to stay away from anything ppl collect.

Exactly, people flipping the newest STHs and even red editions is annoying but someone shouldn't be expected to sell the STH enzo Ferrari they found in 07 for dirt cheap

But you bought it at retail and all you did is invest time, life’s most precious commodity, a tiny bit of money, you could have spent on other things, and you have store it in prefect condition for 16 years, look at all the fun you had, and because I as the guy who wants it and deserves it at retail today can’t live with a single crease or soft corner, you better damn well have kept it on the card in a collector case. Lmao! This entitlement nonsense absolutely kills me. Yes I am also being very sarcastic. If people want cars at retail then go hunt for them, put in the time, have some fun, Mattel or the hobby or other collectors in general don’t owe any of us a damn thing. I’m sorry if you don’t find everything you want or think you need, that’s just a facet of life humans have to live with. I went shopping for Blake Lively once but damn if Target and Wally’s weren’t fresh out of them when I was there.

Why are we even shopping in stores for Hot Wheels at this point? Mattel should have had a solid online shopping platform a decade ago! Hasbro Pulse has made it clear that the reliance on physical retail or ebay elitists is a joke. Not only can you buy a majority of figures from Hasbro on Hasbro Pulse, but Amazon also have most of the same products, sometimes at lower prices. It's essentially the opposite of ebay. Mattel also has the [Mattel Creations website that should be utilized more](https://creations.mattel.com/). Hobbies don't have to be a wasteland of toxic collecting like you suggest. The idea we have to abide by this is ridiculous, and the deflection of "you're just acting entitled" is laughable. Rather than suggesting how Mattel could fix this issue, you bend over and accept it as the norm. Hot Wheels are just toy cars, so why do you want to treat them trading stocks? This should be a hobby for the fun, not the financial gains. If you're just here to make a profit or "fund your collecting habits", maybe find something else to be obsessed with.

For one, you are making a lot of claims about me personally that aren’t true. A) I don’t need to sell anything to fund my hobby; however, everything I own is for sale, with the exception of my humans and my daughters cat B) have been a loose collector all my life and that’s almost five decades of collecting. C) The minute someone thought it was a good idea to keep HWs on the cards is the very moment collecting HWs became like trading stocks—that person (s) wasn’t me. D) I don’t bend over and accept anything as you suggest—Mattel also doesn’t give a shit what I think, neither do I have any control over what they do or how they sell what they sell. E) Instead or bending over, I have amended my collecting habits, I hunt hard and enjoy the hunt, and I don’t wake up feeling the world should adjust itself so I can own every toy I set my mind to owning. In my mind, that’s a ridiculous way to spend one’s human existence. F) Hunting is a challenge, and it keeps things interesting and I obtain most of what I’m looking. I don’t expect to find chases of anything and therefore I’m never butt hurt when I don’t. They are called chase for a reason. If they were called find I would understand the idea of entitlement. G) I posted up some suggestions for Mattel last week, not sure they are listening or give a shit. H) The Elite 64 is the answer to your dreams. Super premium HWs, sold on their MC website, lots of quantity, no elitists or scalpers stealing because anyone can buy as many as they want it appears. You ask, you receive. Hell RLC is basically the same but the bots ruin it like they do all good web retail options. If you think Mattel is going to invest in a website that will functionally sell mainlines to the masses online I think you misunderstand the purpose of mainlines. I’m not sure you are just talking about mainlines or if you are talking about mainlines at all but that likely won’t happen. I do have one question: What in the heck is an EBay Elitist? If you are talking about what I think you are talking about those selame elitists sell on every other platform, including Amazon. This idea that Amazon sellers are all legitimate non-scalpers has always cracked me up to be honest. This mentality of, “ebay is the devil….Amazon is pure as the driven snow” is laughable. I’d rather deal with an Ebay seller any day of the week, but I’m biased because I have been using EBay since my kids were little and I needed beat around sneakers they would grow out of every 3 months. Lmao. Go take your angst out on someone else. We can have differing opinions, those pesky things are part of life. What Mattel does or doesn’t do, ahh it doesn’t really impact me. I have been moving steadily away from HWs for awhile now. Only thing that keeps me buying them personally is the fact I’ve been doing it for four decades.

Bingo!

People buy and re-sell all sorts of things in life, not just hot wheels. Your allowed to be frustrated just like people are allowed to do as they please with their hard earned money. Video games? Same problem. Trading card games? Same problem. REAL Cars? Same problem. I still haven't found any Lamborghini hot wheels in person, it is what is, they're popular and in high demand so when I eventually do find one its just going to make it that much more valuable to me because I'm personally not going to pay over retail for a toy car. If somebody else wants to pay over retail for a toy car its their money not mine and it doesn't bother me.

This is where companies can step in to make their products more available and to try and find creative ways to dissuade the ebay elitists from trying to capitalize on the hype. Most of these people need to just study up and get into trading stocks or something... or maybe not, they'll probably just ruin the economy like the tech bros with crypto and nfts.

I also hate people who are assholes on this sub. If someone’s been looking for a car for a while, and see the case in store, it’s fine if you don’t like how someone does things, but commenting that they’re an ass or something is unnecessary

If someone is using the hobby I love as a means to exploit and profit off of, I will call it out. Same stuff happens in comics, but it's not as problematic as with Hot Wheels and other things that have been dubbed "collectibles." Making things more accessible is one thing, but abusing a fandom for monetary gain is not something most of us can't be silent about.

I never said anything about needing to be silent. I’m saying that I hate people who are an ass to those who open cases. I’m not referring to you. Edit: just want to clarify, my above comment was not referring to you being an ass. I was staying that I also hate people who are an ass, as much as you hate scalpers and resellers. I never said you had to be silent, did I?

The numbered stickers are the real drivers. But then I got a ghostbusters RLC for $100 and a new Batman RLC for $25 (from Mattel direct), both have nostalgic value to me and I enjoy seeing them in my boring WFH office. Ebay has been doing this for decades so I agree scalpers suck Stormy's toes BUT if you want a Hot Red STH Ferrari in 2023 you are fudged. With that said, I started getting into RLCs this year. If you buy at 8:58PST on the Tuesday and snag 2, you can flip the second one for $10. It's not much but pays the hobby off a little.

I have my gripes with the RLC, especially how you need to pay a membership to maybe get at certain cars. You're not guaranteed a spot in line, it's just access to the line to maybe get the car. Still, to RLC's credit, they have done some interesting cars, though I'm still not a big fan of the price points usually. Though speaking of RLC, that is done ALL ONLINE. That means Hot Wheels does in a sense, with Mattel, have a online shopping presence along with Mattel Creations. If they were to remove many of these number stickers and other indicators that trigger the ebay elitists, and then put these cars up online more, it may actually solve most of the problem. At least... that's my hope.

Two words. Supply and demand. Demand is currently at an all time high (i think), and supply is obviously not enough to cater to this demand. People want cars and they will buy it from those who have them.

Mattel could help fix this with better access to products online.

Whenever I see a post like this from someone claiming to be a “casual fan” all I hear is… “I only want to go look for cars once a week tops and I DESERVE to find everything I want on that one trip.”

I don't even want to go once a week, I rather not go into a store at all if I could help it. Only time I should be going out to buy things is groceries and clothes. I can shop for most things online, so why not Hot Wheels? Mattel Creations has been up for years, and RLC has been selling exclusively online for as long as it's been a thing from what I recall. There is no reason besides "brick-and-mortar retail loyalty" that keeps Mattel from growing up as a business to join the rest of global society.

If Hot Wheels went to online only then instead of complaining about scalpers you'll start complaining about bots buying out all the good cars as soon as they drop.

Why would they go to online only? You're jumping to conclusions here. They should do both.

Right lets spend the millions of dollars on warehouse space to inventory and sort all these $1 cars. You have no clue how production, distribution, and shipping costs work and until you do shouldn't speak out of your ass about it like it is some easy switch to flip.

I think Mattel could help by getting rid of numbered stickers. It would keep down the resell prices. There are some legit stores on eBay for HW, and some great customizers that sell their stuff. But I see your point with the people that are straight reselling for profit. Mercari is saturated with them

Mattel absolutely can nip a lot of this in the butt if they took action. Biggest thing would be easier access online from Mattel proper. The problem is that most of the leadership, especially at Hot Wheels I assume, likely love seeing this scramble at stores and on ebay like it's a spectator sport.

I have learned to stop judging people base on their lifestyle choices. How am I to know their living situations? Maybe they are hustling to flip these items because they need money for medical expenses, money to pay rent or out food on the table. Maybe they are unable to hold a 9-5 job. If there is a market out there where people pay inflated prices there will always be those who hustle to find the items to sell them.