The issue of reselling has become rampant across various industries. Whenever there's a limited-edition or store-exclusive item, be it a freebie or a product, it often grabs attention, leading to high-priced resales online.
Japanese celebrity and puzzle creator Ryogo Matsumaru recently spoke out in a news interview, advocating for stronger regulations against scalping. Unexpectedly, he later received a private message, allegedly from a scalper, claiming that "manufacturers are actually happy" and telling him to "go learn some economics." Matsumaru subsequently publicized the message, sparking heated discussion.
On the 27th, Ryogo Matsumaru posted, "A scalper sent me an incredibly outrageous, self-justifying private message. I almost couldn't stop myself from replying with some harsh words... Thankfully, I calmed down." He then revealed the content of the message.
The private message read:
"Regarding reselling, you really should educate yourself. Even on secondhand platforms, there's a balance of supply and demand. If supply increases, products might flood the market; and people might not even want them that much. The price isn't determined by the reseller, is it?
"Even if you list an item at a high price, if no one buys it, the price will naturally drop. That's what's called the market price. Ultimately, the market determines the price, not the reseller. It's not guaranteed that items will sell for a high price. Reselling is inherently uncertain, so it's impossible to completely ban it by law.
"Go ahead and try to ban it if you want, but nobody knows how much economic damage that would cause. I've personally lost a lot of money too; everyone involved takes risks. For manufacturers, this is actually beneficial and something to be happy about.
"Of course, I don't hoard or bulk-buy, but from an economic perspective, I support reselling.
In response to this, a representative from the toy and model industry also shared their thoughts on X, stating that "products selling out immediately upon release actually leads to a gradual loss of fans, which is a very serious problem."
The representative explained that manufacturers are willing to invest resources to curb scalping, but scalpers use automated bots or organized groups to bulk-buy, making it nearly impossible for manufacturers to prevent. Otherwise, the only option is to sell products via pre-order. Therefore, "if anyone believes that scalpers actually help manufacturers, then I can tell you that not a single manufacturer in the industry thinks that way, not even a little bit."
Regarding the scalper's direct message challenging him to "go learn some economics," Matsumaru responded:
"I now understand even more clearly why laws are necessary. The purpose of laws is to clearly define what cannot be done. Naturally, laws are still needed to draw that line..."
This reselling phenomenon, whether it's scalping or high-priced resales after bulk-buying, is seen worldwide. Manufacturers earn nothing from these inflated prices and often bear the brunt of public criticism. Curbing these "reselling chefs" is indeed a tough battle.
It seems there's still a long road ahead, whether through government regulation or manufacturers' own efforts to tackle the issue.