View source for Toy swapping

[[Image:Blackviperswap.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Rare factory error variant! Could be yours for only $1000!"]]

'''Toy swapping''', in the context of toy collecting, refers to a heinous practice (some might consider it outright ''theft'') that involves buying a new toy, opening the packaging, replacing the content with another toy (or something else entirely), then returning the packaging with the replaced content to the store and claiming the money back. In essence, this means getting a new toy for free while leaving the store with an older toy (or complete junk) that will most likely never sell. Obviously, this situation is anything but desirable.

The problems of toy swapping are multifold. Fans and collectors usually know what the toy they're looking for is supposed to look like, so they most likely won't pick up a swapped toy, unless they're not paying attention for whatever reason. Therefore, the most likely victims of this practice are parents who buy a toy for their kid. Imagine the look on a child's face when he gets [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Movie Leader Class Optimus Prime]] for his birthday, opens the packaging and finds an old, beat-up [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime]] inside.

[[Image:CybPrime_swap.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"Details and color may vary".]]

The practice of toy swapping is not limited to the Transformers toylines, but is considered an easy way of getting new toys for "free" by fans from all kinds of different toylines. Examples of reported Transformers-related incidents include:

*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Armada Giga-Con Jetfire]], with the packaging including ''nothing'' but the chest plate.
*One half of a broken up [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Robots in Disguise]] Ultra Magnus in a much smaller box that belonged to a toy from a later line.
*[[Dead End (G1)|Alternators Dead End]], with the packaging containing a non-transforming black Dodge Viper convertible model car. This was actually sold on eBay as a "rare factory error variant" of [[Sideswipe (G1)|Alternators Side Swipe]].
*A painted piece of wood (!) in a Transformers packaging.
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Cybertron Leader Class Optimus Prime]], with the packaging containing a random bootleg toy robot.
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Movie Voyager Ratchet]] and [[Ironhide (Movie)|Movie Voyager Ironhide]], with the packaging containing either [[Demolishor|Cybertron Deluxe Demolishor]] or [[Mudflap|Cybertron Voyager Mudflap]].
*a pair of binoculars in transformer packaging

Interestingly enough, the only large-scale reports of such occurrences hail from North America (i.e. USA and Canada), with overtly liberal store policies allowing people to return opened products to stores and claiming their money back usually being blamed. Also, stores like Wal*Mart are often accused of not paying their employees enough to care for checking if they're being deceived, as is their policy of always giving customers the benefit of the doubt, especially when the product's packaging includes a note saying "details and color may vary".

Meanwhile, reports from Australia, Asia or Europe, where stores either don't allow returning opened products, or if they do, usually give them a closer examination, are much scarcer, or even pretty much non-existing.


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[[Category: Toys]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>