Are Beyblade Resellers Scammers Who Overcharge?

If anyone has been selling for a few years, they are not out there to scam you. That being said, if an opportunity presents, they might overcharge or scam—there’s really no protection here. These items are mostly used and have no working MRP. If you don’t know better, someone can sell you something for more than it’s currently selling for in other selling circles. That’s a legit concern, especially for new buyers. I wrote a guide on this on the Indian Beyblade subreddit.

Participating in the Community

So, what’s the solution?

Well, over time, your circle of knowledge about your region’s Beyblade collectors/buyers community will grow. You will find ways to check prices, find reports on sellers, get first-hand reviews, check for fake/authentic parts, and so on. It takes time. If you’re new, don’t be afraid to ask around and join more groups, converse on online forums, and ask questions to those who know better.

Sadly, there’s no way to quicken this. In a few months, you will be a better judge of whom to buy from and whom to steer clear of.

Respecting Sellers

Once you do that (or if you’ve already reached that point), you need to respect legitimate sellers/resellers for their time and effort. Here’s the typical importing experience (can speak only for Japan to India as I’ve imported multiple parcels, many for selling and many for collecting, without being a proper seller).

1. Bidding/Buying: You go to proxy sites to place bids or directly buy. They have a small commission. Finding the right value-for-money deals based on your knowledge is kind of a full-time, excruciating job. It can be a severe headache to track bids and lots sometimes.
2. Payment: You find a good lot and you pay for it. Let’s say you grabbed a lot for ₹20,000 that includes 20-25 Beyblades and some accessories. You’re sure it will sell for ₹30,000 to ₹40,000. Now, you need to wait.
3. Shipping: The proxy service (or if you know someone) will pack your stuff, weigh it, do the necessary paperwork, and tell you the shipping cost. You pay the shipping cost to receive your Beys in 2-3 weeks (minimum) or 1-2 months (surface shipping, for example).
4. Customs: The lot/parcel arrives at your closest India Post. It will most likely be slapped with a customs duty. The amazing thing about customs? It’s like magic. You never know what you’re going to get. Many others and I have learned it the hard way. Some parcels go duty-free sometimes. Many parcels (especially bigger or heavier ones) can have anywhere from 50% to 100% customs duty. If you used a proxy service like ZenMarket, they’ll know the value, seeing the invoice. If you use someone, they can undervalue the parcel for you, so the resulting customs duty is lower. Many sellers have a dedicated person in countries like the US, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, etc., through whom they import. Customs can still slap 200%, it’s totally arbitrary, so this isn’t a complete guarantee.

You pay the customs duty and get your parcel from the post office. Now begins the hard part.

1. You have to list items. Not everything will be sold in a week. But your inventory needs to move. So you list again and again.
2. Multiple buyers will negotiate, no matter how competitive or good your prices are. You have to field all those messages all the time, even when you work. If you don’t reply, you’re called out for the same.
3. Some buyers can be nitpicky and irritating, especially those new to collecting. You have to tolerate them and inch closer to a deal.
4. Then, you have to ship all those Beys. Unless you’re making insane profits (or are just exhausted), you won’t be doing private courier pickups. You’ll be manually travelling to the post office in the first half to book your parcels and ship a tiny PHW Bull for ₹500 to a random pincode.
5. Repeat.

For example, check this page on NIB/Mint Bakuten Shoot Beyblades at BeybladeArtShop:

I’ve personally helped him with this website and know precisely how Shopify works. Maintaining and updating all this isn’t easy. If he feels an item is worth X amount for him based on years of buying/selling, seeing others’ prices, and knowing his own importing expenses, it will be pretty close to the truth. He’s not out there to scam you personally. Neither are any of the other well-known sellers, such as World Hobby Shop, Beyblade Shop India, Yoginstinct, Beyy Universe, and so on.

That being said, no seller is an omniscient God. They do their best. They can make mistakes, including accidentally overpricing stuff, having incorrect parts, etc. Check multiple sources and be a part of groups with experts to cross-check listings before you invest big money into authentic Beyblades.

People forget that it’s not just the original price, commission, shipping, and customs that sellers have to pay. Sellers have to pay in effort and time, too. That has to be worth something, doesn’t it?

But … They Make Money!

But surely, they are making profits in exchange for all that?

Nope.

Not all sellers are making profits all the time. Most sellers reinvest back in their own collections. Even those that have a good buyer base and a good way to snag amazing deals are not making massive profits to call it a livelihood. This is the reason why almost all sellers have a job or do some kind of work. If reselling were so profitable, it would be much more common to find sellers who just chill all day.

Give them a break. Be patient with them. If they don’t give you tracking info 24 hours after paying, don’t harass them or call them scammers. Everybody has a life.

But of course, all this only applies if you’re dealing with reputable and legitimate sellers. These folks have a reputation to protect. They won’t be scamming you for a ₹5000 Dragoon Galaxy, trust me.