Quoted from delt31:If I’m stern, I’m changing absolutely nothing and seeing how ridiculous this hobby can get. I love when people try to “figure it out” for stern. There is nothing to fix - stern is literally printing money at this point and unless people stop buying at these prices, it will continue to get worse. I don’t blame them - just like I don’t blame them for selling overpriced toppers b/c idiots keep on buying them.
Well, I'd argue that when people spend an extra $3k on a "flipped" game that they missed out on through direct channels, that's theoretically $3k less they have to spend on Stern product. So looking forward past the initial sale, it actually can affect Stern. I make this same exact same argument about toppers. When they don't make enough, it's not Stern that profits.
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My suggested fix for "flipper" buyers, would just be to require them to sign a contract before they buy an LE. The contract would stipulate that the buyer must provide verification of actually having opened and setup the game. Give them 60 days, or something like that, to send in a photo. If they don't they'll be billed an extra $2k dollars. Would immediately put a stop to NIB flippers.
You could take it a step further and require them to hold onto the game for at least 6 months. Might seem intense, but Batman SLE buyers proved that plenty of collectors will go to extremes to get their highly-sought-after LE games.