youngone

Please let me make it clear that I have no issue with the selling price of that Panama Canal Set. My problem is with the method that was used to get it there.

I have no problem with a HL piece going up in price and value as it becomes more scarce because of retail sales, popularity, etc. In that case $197, $300, $500 is fine with me. However, in this particular case an unusually large number of these pieces were somehow aquired by one source thus helping to contribute to an "artificially induced" unavailability of the item. Others seem to have also "accumulated extras" of this piece to a lesser degree and for other reasons, but nevertheless contributed to this "premature" shortage. With this environment "created", this seller can/could/did command virtually any sale price. This is the same market environment that happens in sporting events which we call "ticket scalping". The biggest difference is that the "ticket scalper" can only hold out until game time, then the prices tumble.

Additionally, I feel that in this case, the seller misrepresented the item by stating that since HL's was going to start the PHAROS series and selling them internationally, that the "very limited" 4000 Panama Pieces would "now" have to be shared with this new worldwide market and therefore they would become impossible to get. This "emotional appeal" was included in the item description.

These are just SOME of the aspects of this particular transaction that I found objectionable......IMHO