Just thought it might be nice to have a thread dedicated to the different online retail options that are out there, so anyone who might be curious about a particular e-store can check out how their business is.  I haven't ordered from a ton a different places, but here's some of my opinions:

Kebco I did some preordering through them starting last year, around May, during a major drought in figures in my area.  I ordered some 2003 basic figures, as well as the Han/Boba/Yoda and the Chewie/Luke Unleashed waves through them.  As of today, I have received each and every item that I ordered from them...although I will say that some took quite awhile.  The Unleashed I all got reasonable quick, and well before I found them in stores...but the basic figures that I preordered in May of last year I didn't receive until November/December-ish.  I am understanding that this was a shipment from Hasbro problem, and not their own though.  Overall, I'll say that I have always gotten what I have ordered...but sometimes a little slow.

Brians ToysI haven't ordered from here in quite some time now, but I did when I first got into collecting Star Wars.  I used them to pick up a bunch of loose POTF2 figs that I missed out on, as well as some loose vintage stuff.  At the times I ordered, I always received things very quickly (within a few days usually), and for loose vintage and POTF2, I think the prices are not too bad.  However, if you want anything new, be prepared to pay a TON for it, from what I can see.  I will say, good service whenever I have dealt with them (even replaced a vintage loose figure that I didn't think was C-9), but I haven't used them in quite some time.  Wouldn't recommend for newer stuff though.

Amazon I have used Amazon from time to time, with some TRU exclusive stuff and/or when they have figs in stock.  I've always had pretty good luck with them, however I am an opener, so I'm not sure how good card condition is with them most of the time.  I haven't ordered figures for awhile now because they charge $7.99 for the newer ones (but I think eventually come down).  Overall though, I'm pretty happy with their service.

KB Toys Another one I haven't used for awhile, although I have had decent luck with them as well.  Again, being a loose collector, card condition might be a concern for others.  They do use big stickers here across the front if I remember correctly (but they come off).  They don't usually have a lot of Star Wars stuff in stock (at least recently), but I have ordered a couple of SW things, as well as some LOTR stuff there.  Delivery is quick, prices are so-so for what I have bought.

I haven't used Entertainment Earth, Newforce, Big Bad Toy Store, etc., but have heard good things about all of them from time to time.  I am sure many others can give more details experiences of them though.  Thanks for any opinions everyone!

Just curious as to what types of shoes you wear, or you prefer.  To be honest, I have pretty much been brand-loyal to Nike since I was in junior high, just because they have always felt good on my feet (I have very flat feet), I've always liked them, and they were always our team shoes for athletics in high school.  For some reason, I have a lot of troubles finding shoes in stores (I wear anywhere from a 13 to a 14), and usually end up ordering them online.  My current sneaks are a pair of Jordan Trunners from a year or two ago that my wife got me as a gift.  I also got a pair of K-Swiss shoes from my in-laws for Christmas, although I haven't worn them much.  I also keep quite a few of my older shoes to wear when working outside, walking the dog, etc.  I have some Nike Metal Max shoes that I got from an Eastbay clearance catalog, along with some other Nike running shoes.  I also have some "flip flops" that get a lot of use, and some boots and loafers for dressier occasions.  I haven't ever been one to be able to spend $100-plus on shoes, and anymore I usually look for $70 or less if possible.  Anyways, what kind of shoes do you have, or would you like to have?

I know there gets to be a lot of OT vs. PT debate, and this topic has been discussed before, but I was just thinking about this a little bit today.  I too am one of many of you who believe the OT is infinitely better than the PT, although I do enjoy the PT movies for the most part as well (especially looking forward to III).  I'm not a big fan of Phantom Menace, and honestly, if it wasn't Star Wars...I probably wouldn't ever watch it really (I rarely do anyways).  I enjoyed Attack of the Clones a lot when it first came out, and do think it is a good Star Wars movie...its just not quite the same for some reason.  Nostalgia might be a big part of that, but for many of us there is more.  What do you think the Original Trilogy had, that the Prequels are missing (for you personally)?

There are many things that we can point to probably, the "magic" and story being two main ones.  We'll cover a lot of them I'm sure, but I thought I'd bring up something I have been thinking about...characters.  I was thinking today how so many characters from the OT are iconic.  Han, Luke, Leia, Chewie, R2, 3PO, Vader, Yoda, Fett, Lando....these characters are all, for the most part, common knowledge in the world today.  Plus, one thing that might have helped this is that...with the exception of different clothing, they were the same character...age wise, etc.  With the prequels, we have Anakin as a boy, then ten years later (with a different actor), and now leading into Episode III (which will probably be our favorite version of Anakin from the prequels).  It seems that with many of the characters, there is too much jumping around (Maul..Jango...Dooku...Sidious).

Another thing about characters is the fact that in the prequels, many come and go.  We had Darth Maul (who many really liked), but then at the end of the movie, he's gone.  Next we have Jango, then he's gone.  Dooku appears, and by his absence in the OT...he's most likely gone as well.  We'll also have another baddie in Episode III, that I'll leave out of the discussion because of spoilers.  In the OT, you associated "evil" and "bad" with Darth Vader.  The character, the costume, the music, etc.  I think it is hard to build that association with some of the prequel villains, for the main fact that they aren't around long enough too.  Much can be said of the "good guys" too, although I do think they (and Ewan McGregor) have done a nice job with Obi-Wan Kenobi in these movies.

I guess maybe it is unfair to compare them, because in a way...they are different trilogies.  The OT seemed a little clearer-cut "good vs. evil" movie, while the PT becomes more blurred with Anakin's transition, much of the behind the scenes "secretive" stuff (Palpatine), and maybe isn't quite as cut and dry.  Although I enjoy the entire saga, and really look forward to Episode III.....something just isn't the same with these prequel trilogies.  Since I'm an NBA fan, I often use this analogy to my friends who ask me what I think of the movies:  To me it is like Michael Jordan...I was a huge Jordan fan when he was with the Bulls...he was just the greatest to ever play....then when he came back with the Wizards, I followed him again...and still liked him, he was still good (but older), but it just wasn't the same.  Sorry for my extended ramblings, one of our servers is down at work so I don't have much to do right now...and this is just something that I've been thinking about.  I'd be anxious to read any of your opinions/suggestions.

This encompasses both Star Wars and any other lines/props, etc. that anyone might collect, so I hope that this is the right place for this.  For awhile, i was finally able to have the majority of my stuff displayed (thanks to some new shelving), although my vintage Star Wars stuff is still packed away.  However, space is becoming an issue again, so I have started to look at stuff that might be able to be packed away for now.  Anyways, I was curious how much of your collection(s) you are able to display, and if you can't display it all, how you decide on what gets put away.  I guess one example of things I have been doing, if there has been a superior sculpt/figure offered in the modern lines (POTJ/Saga), I have packed away the same figure's POTF2 counterpart (mostly the buff versions).  I am also considering packing away my small (6 figure) Marvel Legends collection, as well as possibly some Episode I stuff.  I finally this weekend got around to pitching a little bit of my boxes from Star Wars stuff, and flattening out all the rest that I could, to free up some space in our storage tubs for anything I might need to pack away.  The space I have to display stuff just isn't large enough I guess.  I was just wondering what some of you do, or have done.

Not sure where this should be posted, since some of this will be Saga product and some might be OTC.  Anyways, this list was just posted over at Rebelscum, and since it included the Sandcrawler, I figured I would post it here:

New Hasbro Stock List
Posted by Jeremy on February 25, 2004:

Thanks to Sprout we now have an inkling of what Hasbro will be bringing us this year. The list was good and long, and aside from the figures, multipacks and vehicles Rebelscum has already posted (see Related Stories at the bottom of this post) the following items are new and unannounced:

Basic Figures 4-pack Assortment

3-3/4" Naboo Final Conflict (June 2004)

3-3/4" Jedi Council Scene Packs

3-3/4" Jedi Council Scene I Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Adi Mundi (March 2004)
3-3/4" Jedi Council Scene II Obi Wan, Plo Kloon, Ickath (May 2004)
3-3/4" Jedi Council Scene III Shaak Ti, Chema, Sta Sta (July 2004)
3-3/4" Jedi Council Scene IV Anakin, Sae Sae, Adegalia (September 2004)
3-3/4" Convention / Toy Fair Figure (July 2004)

Classic Vehicle Assortment

3-3/4" Y Wing (August 2004)
3-3/4" Tie Fighter w/New Wings & Pilot (July 2004)
3-3/4" Sandcrawler (June 2004)
3-3/4" ESB Slave I with Boba Fett (July 2004)

So, it looks to be there will be another 4 Jedi council sets (thus allowing us to utter the immortal phrase "the circle is complete"!), a mystery promotional figure, another Y-wing (rehashed or remodelled we do not know), a TIE Fighter with NEW wings and a re-released Slave I (which has been rumoured for some months now - but will it be the SOTE/POTF2 or Saga one?). The scale of the Sandcrawler has now been answered as well, calming fears that rumoured pricepoints would not have allowed it to be 3-3/4" scale.

All of the above items are FOB, meaning that retailers must order them in bulk direct from Hong Kong so remember that release dates are when they will be available for shipping from the Far East and NOT when they will be available on shelves. You should add 4 to 8 weeks to get a better estimate when you will actually see these toys arriving.

I was curious as to what some of your opinions were on the POTF2 Rebo Band pairs, as well as the Rancor.  These are two things/characters that I have always wanted to have in my collection, and I have been considering trying to pick them up on ebay (eventually).  I kind of held out in case they were "re-done" like many other figures are these days, but I don't think that they (particularly the Rancor, due to size) will be.  Anyways, I was wondering if many of you think the sculpts, etc. hold up well compared to the current-day offerings from Hasbro.  If you can offer any of your opinions on these pieces, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

I was just curious if any of you have (or are considering) preordering the "vintage" OTC figures.  Although we have only seen Obi, Han, and Luke (and Leia on the cardback) so far, I think that these look like some of the best modern figures Hasbro has ever released...and to me, are the "ultimate-ish" versions many of us have wanted.  I have been trying to stay away from ordering online for the most part (we don't use our credit card much), and with the help of some nice people here at JD (and a little luck at the stores now and then), I have been able to keep somewhat caught up on the figures this year.  However, with the rumors of these being a "one time deal" and not seeing multiple shippings of these waves, I am worried about missing out on these.  I have seen that EE has cases for preorder (of Wave I), and Kebco also has these figures up for pre-order.  I guess I am just trying to decide what to do, and I am curious what many of my fellow collectors are doing about these figures.  Anymore, I usually try to wait it out on things, because between friends on the forums and later shippings to the stores, I can usually find what I am looking for (or pick it up on ebay or something later).  However, if these are a "one time deal" I am afraid they might become quite pricey after they are released.  Anyways, what are many of you doing about these figures?