what is up with this guy from the Netherlands ? LINK His website, ebay and instagram are flipperific! He puts his logo on all kinds of great stuff from different makers and sell it for jacked up prices. On Ebay right now hes auctioning Yabanjin, Elegab, SHB, ITbear and so much more, has he ever been called out as a total douche ?
I do see this has been discussed here before and that he has apparently worked legit-ly with some makers. Seems pretty Fliptastic to me.
I think he somewhere stated that he, essentially, buys from makers and artists(wholesale and/or retail) and sets the prices at whatever he wants. But I also know of stuff he's gotten retail from booths or sites and puts them on eBay or his own booth for a shit ton increased amount. I had a qualm with him over cancelling someone's around $250 winning bid on a GID Walking Cadaver(that I lost the bid on), and relisting it for over $300 buy it now. Seemed like he didn't get as much as he wanted, so he just went sketchy with it. After I made mention of it here he PM'd me(on here) and tried to make me an offer on it, to which I promptly declined, and was subsequently helped out on a generously legitimate level by a fellow board member.
You know, it's a shame really because I don't think he's a bad dude. And they produce/distribute some really nice stuff sometimes, that I don't think I would have access to normally. Specifically the SHB stuff. The prices are typically a tragedy tho. The one or two that I purchased from them I won for fairly cheap on eBay (maybe even a bit below reatail). I would never be able/want to purchase something from their website.
I met him at NYCC '14, and he honestly seems like a pretty nice dude. Just looks like he's into makin' the quick dollar in the hobby and capitalize, with total disregard to the artists and their craft.
If you want to look thru some stuff about him on here @topher, his sb handle is Martoy Black. A lot of people on here will tell you that he's the human equivalent of a weasel.
The whole cancellation of a bid thing is something this guy does on a regular basis with "hype" toys. I avidly check eBay and add just about any toy I know is going to go sky-high onto my watch list. It's a small form of entertainment for me, to be perfectly honest... I'll go and check the "Ended" auctions on my Watch List and laugh at how high they went. (I guess it also makes me feel a bit better about how stingy I am with this hobby, haha.) This dude will constantly cancel his top bids and relist for a Buy It Now price. I think he's on his third eBay handle now.
Oh yeah completely correct on who kaijumonster is and yes Martoy Black is a fucking parasite. I remember when he first came here asking questions about Shikaruna toys, thinking he was an actual collector, and then he just completely saw a buck to be made and ran with it. So many stories of toys being sent to him and suddenly 'they go missing in the mail' with paypal claims being brought against good members. That's the thing about SB, people come and go and everyone is a dick once in awhile BUT someone here will always remember the parasites. I would have hoped he would moved on by now but apparently is still trying to run the same scams.
He had one of the blue ITBears, that auction ended/sold (high of course) and now another one ends in under an hour - I wonder if he managed to snag 2 or if he just wasn't happy with how the last one ended and re-listed. It's too bad, I'd love to have that color, but I'm not bidding with a sketchy seller.
Ah Martoy black! That explains a lot. He DMd me on Instagram scolding me for customizing a Zollmen figure... I really hate the way his Instagram looks (LINK) putting his logo/info on all these great figures. Thumbs down to this guy.
Skullbrain is circling the drain . . . Martoy Black is just one link in a long chain on the plug that's being pulled! Toys being flipped, lame new toys at retarded pricing, good toys being ruined at alarming rates, asshats jumping the bandwagon to take advantage, needy collectors collecting for instaspam glory, ass-kissers, inane cheerleaders and wannabe sofubi God's! Most of 'em deserve each other!
It's a sad state of affairs. People keep feeding off of hype, hype attracts flippers, flippers make money, money gets people interested in making hype toys, toys get made, hype gets drummed up, repeat cycle indefinitely... I'll be over here with my dear collection of "misfit, uncool toys."
Weasels always serve as cautionary tales. The more we're educated about non-karmic activity, the better we can circle the wagons.
Is he the dude on the far right? or fourth in from the right ( my right) ? those two dudes look pretty shady with their matching beards . ..
Please let it go, the horse is dead. Consider what is happening in Japan today also is happening to everyone who cares for anything from there at this point. If you guys can not just agree to disagree, go paint something or take a bath perhaps with a Kaiju or 2? I plan to place my ass firmly against the wall in my apartment to let my annoying neighbors feel the vibrations of my inner stench. OK that was weird but maybe I will?