Are toy shows still worth going to?

[hauntedhal]

With ebay around, does anyone find rare stuff(like sixties Hasbro items)at toy shows anymore? If so, why do you think the dealer sells at the show instead of trying ebay(unless he doesn't have a computer of course)? What has anyone found in the last few years that's hard to find? Any items from the gallery?

[ChrisW]

I was just looking at listings of toy shows in the PA-MD region...
Are they still worth going to? Well, thanks to ebay I haven't been to a "toy/collectible show" in about 4 years. BUT - Wonderfest has a large dealers area that has quite a few new and used toy dealers. I made out very well on a blushing Frankenstein, probably at a third of what he's been going for on ebay. The dealer was willing to negotiate, something you can't do in an ebay auction (not counting "best offer" items). And there were quite a few other items on display at what I thought were pretty reasonable prices.
At a show I always keep in mind that the dealer has overhead - show fee, travel, probably room and board - so I don't expect a lot in the discount department. But they always want to make some cash and take less inventory home with them, so its worth a shot.
Bottom line, if its not too far a drive and not too expensive to get in, I'd give it a shot.
Do you ever go to auctions? I've had some of my best finds/purchases at them...

[Roback]

Unless it's to get together with friends I'd say toy shows are a horrible place to buy stuff. Hopefully next weeks New York Comic Con will prove me wrong but I'm not going to hold my breath.

[hauntedhal]

Because of ebay, I haven't been to a toy show for many years. I wondered if rare items still turn up there. What type of auctions are you referring to? Estate auctions?

[ChattyLMS]

We don't have any shows around here.

[Gasport]

Certainly the place for the best overall ''deals" is eBay. But there is nothing like the sensory overload experienced in a large dealers room full of toys. The Chiller Theatre shows feature an overwhelmingly big dealer's room full of just about everything imaginable. I spend a great deal of my time at these shows visiting and revisiting this area. Right up until the last minute on Sunday you still stumble upon thing you didn't see previously. Not only that, but you have access to companies like Moebius and Amok Time, etc where they have current kits/figures and prototypes of upcoming items on display along with company representatives who can give you the latest info on them.   Sunday [like all shows] is the day to deal. Like Chris said, sometimes a dealer would rather negotiate on the price rather than have to re-pack something. This is how i acquired both my Great Garloo and King Zor toys at prices way below what i see on eBay. Yes, you do have to consider time and travel expenses on your part, [and DON'T go if you don't like crowds] but after it's all over you can't help but be impressed at what you witnessed over the span of just one weekend.

[packy120353]

We have a couple-three shows a year here around the Twin Cities and I go to any of them I can. I'm not talking cons, just toy shows. I have found some decent deals. One way the in which experience differs from ebay is that the seller may not know for sure what he has. Most of the time an ebay seller will have predetermined to some extent the value of an item in order. At a show I've found both Palmer and MPC monsters in "junk boxes" of plastic figures (.25 - .50) and so on. One lady specialized in dolls but had a nice Monster Squad board game under the table without even a price on it, I got it for a buck. I also collect vintage army men and there are tons of guys who will let you put together a custom bag of specific guys I want for a good price. At one large show last year I stopped at a table with all monster stuff, starting chatting to the couple running it, and one of them in passing referred to a "Creepy Jeff"  - I said whoa -  Creepy Jeepy is my monster little brother! She not only knocked a few bucks off my Funstuff Dracula she gave me her number so we could hook up in the future. I guess you can tell I really like toy shows - except for the one I drove 45 minutes to discover it was all cars, trucks tractors etc.  Not my cup o tea.
And you do learn quickly which dealers are clowns to stay away from.  If anyone in this area wants to go to the next toy show around here let me know - it would be fun indeed to have a compadre!

pk

[ChrisW]

HauntedHal - yea, estate auctions. I've done well at a few auctions in our area. At one auction there was a Hootin' Holler Haunted House in good, working condition. It went higher than I was willing to spend, but at $550.00 it was much less than you usually see it advertised for.
I won an Odd Ogg (no box, unfortunately) for 9 bucks, a Barnabas Collins game for 3, and a number of other items. They have been a source of old collectible toys and games that I've sold at shows and on ebay over the years.
I do a haunt for Halloween and have gotten a number of cool props - my favorite so far is an authentic old fashioned hospital gurney. I describe it as the kind you expect a re-animated corpse to be rising from. The cost? 2 bucks...

[Wicked Lester]

I have not been to a toy/collector show in maybe 4 years. At the time my thing was the 60s pressed steel trucks like Tonka Structo etc. The prices asked were literally double of Ebay for the same condition. People looked , laughed and got nowhere when the seller would not come down much and everyone lost out and went home empty handed.

[hauzy]

I find flea markets and house sales the best. Just sold a Mighty Men and Monster maker set for $48 on ebay and I only paid $1 at the flea market this summer for it. Consignment shops are good and so is the salvation army sometimes.

Hauzy

[hhwolfman]

Here is my set up, at the Glendale Toy, show a couple of weeks ago. You might have found something there.  HHW

[poseablemonster]

Nice set up, HHW. 
I still prefer toy shows to eBay, and I do find things for my collection.  Nothing beats personally inspecting an item before you buy it.

[ramsey37]

There's an interesting story at the Mego Museum about a recent find at a white elephant sale:
http://megomuseum.com/community/showthread.php?t=21470
The poster found a rare Mego Red Haired Dracula figure for .50!
George

[Jscareshock]

Short of going to a monster show, most toy shows are now non-existent here in Pennsylvania.  The few that remain focus on cars.  While Ebay is a joy, I have to agree with Gasport that there is nothing like going to a toy show and actually seeing these gems close up.

[preyer]

i used to sell used toys as an outside vendor at a flea market (been out of it for going on ten years now, got everything sold off by now). my biggest customers were other vendors! i always had something 'new' they were too lazy to go out and find themselves, and the vast majority of what i picked up came from garage sales. of course, it was all used, rarely did i have a box, etc., but it's practically the only place you could find old stuff someone thought was junk for cheap. usually it was someone's mom clearing out the basement or someone desperate to sell because they were moving. nothing is funner than just buying a big box of junk for five bucks knowing that the few items on top will pay for the whole box then finding a treasure at the bottom once you've dumped it out on the living room floor.

i believe ebay to be the best indicator of an item's real worth (caveats apply to this general statement), but you're apt to also pay top dollar for it. i've found a few good deals on ebay, though the overwhelming majority of what i've bought i wouldn't consider a particularly great deal. real life auctions are better because you're not in competition with the entire world. what's bad about that is it's much easier to get carried away and overbid, so you really have to excercise control unless you love buyer's remorse.

indoor 'vendors' at a flea market are great because you see the item, don't have to worry about shipping and handling charges/insurance, not waiting and worrying, and can often negotiate with the seller. as a rule, we didn't like to pay more than 30% of what we'd ask for. be cool and you can get him to knock off a little bit. go in with 'i just saw this for ten bucks cheaper on ebay!' and you might be told the same thing i'd tell you ~ 'then go buy it on ebay.' there's always one guy with a nice selection. pricing is often based on collecting magazines, then a little bit is taken off to make you think the dealer is giving you a better deal (these price guides typically overprice for this reason. the savvy buyer knows this). these guys tend to have a ton of stuff in storage, so ask for something if you don't see it, and more often than not operate an ebay store.

of course, it really amounts to simply finding the item, who's got it, and how much you personally are willing to spend.