I've dipped in and out of this thread since it started without commenting. However over the past few weeks some of the FB pages have hit an all time low and I feel like I need to get my thoughts out there.
The prime example for me is Echo. When I joined this page 2 years or so ago there were 200 odd members. it was fairly easy going and I sold a fair bit on there. As the group started the swell and the number of "experts" started to increase I had gotten heavily into Empire MOC's for which the pickings were slim on Echo, so I used the page less and less. In the time since the group has grown to over 8,500 members with many active members chasing a loose run at all costs.
I get the impression there are many collectors there who seem to solely use this page for their purchases, when if they knew their stuff they could pick up many of these item on ebay for less than the prices they are paying on there. Okay yes their is a risk or "repos" however the ebay money back guarantee is a safety net I wish I had 15 years ago when I started my loose collection. There has been 2 occasions this year alone when I've had to return vintage items, but for every bad experience I've had 20 good ones. With a little knowledge, patience and saved searches ignoring auctions with the word "vintage" in the title there are bargains to be found. Recently on Echo a new rule means you can't even reference the price an item sold for on ebay without the risk of a ban. For the life of me, I can't get my head around that one.
The thing that really took the cherry for me though was an arsehole who replied to a post linking to a SWCA article about the plans Kenner had for the next round of POTF toy had the line continued with loads of pictures of the prototypes. The arsehole's reply to the post was along the lines of "that's all fake, some guy made them and was trying to sell them but got found out". As more photos got posted in the thread of the items, the arsehole continued to call them out as fake.
I could not believe what I was reading, I knew this article and read it a while back. The chap who originally posted the link was really disappointed and believed what he was being told by the arsehole and I felt bad for him. He had taken the time to look up this stuff up and do some research. He was really excited about it and wanted to share what he found with the group. Then this ****ing arsehole just starts talking **** to look like he knows stuff. I sent several responses calling this arsehole out, he clearly didn't know what the SWCA is or who Gus Lopez is. Couple of other forum member also backed me up. However that post is now lost in the deepest darkest depths of facebook like tears in the rain and anyone who read that thread early on and doesn't know better will now think that stuff is all fake because of the arsehole. All the fuss that gets made about "rules" on Echo but that **** is allowed to fly.
Every time I read "Echo spirit" or "Echo Prices" I just roll my eyes.