I am a new collector of Johnny lightning 1/64 cars.Although I live in a large city there is almost no store product available here.I figure there must be a lot of collectors out there opening cases with a ton of surplus cars to unload.What I'm looking for is subsets as they come out of the 12 count cases.I will buy in lots of 12 or 24 to save on shipping.Post here or email me at tenlotguy@yahoo.ca

Welcome to the board!!:wave:

What series are you after?

What city do you live in, and why do you suppose you can't find something? Usually, people that get into the cases leave something behind...

I live in Edmonton Alberta a city of about 800,000.Diecast collecting has suffered a major decline here,so stores don't bring much in.We have about 20 scalpers,internet vendors, and hoarders who travel throughout the city clearing out all hot wheels and johnny lightning of major interest to collectors.Some of them even go into store rooms without consent to cherry pick the cases.One manager told me they had to get a restraining order against one storeroom raider to keep him out of the store.Since I just started collecting JL at present I have six white lightnings and 14 commons.I have about 20 more on the way that I bought on ebay in the past two weeks. In the past I thought JL was too expensive to collect but I recently went to a collectors show and saw JL commons selling for 1.00 a car.Thats where I got my first commons.After that I checked ebay and bought some more for as little as 50 cents.I figured that with all these people dumping commons there must be some people out there selling subsets.I've been gouged a few times on shipping by ebay vendors so I thought I'd give this a try.My major interests are trick painted hod rods and antiques like the 29 ford pickup. sixtieschild

welcome to the board

Why don't you order complete cases from an online dealer like the ones that are on this forum. I had a heck of a time trying to collect the Matchbox New Superfast from different stores. I gave up. Finally I placed an order with an online supplier and I get the cases when they first come out. This is extremely less stressful. Also with the cost of gas at $ 3.00 a gallon it is actually cheaper to buy online than run to the different stores. Oh, and one more thing. Some of these guys actually ship the sealed cases so you get a VERY good chance of finding a White Lightning when you buy a case of Johnny Lightning !

I'm in the midst of buying some clearance cases.The trouble with cases is what do you do with the unwanted commons? When I was seriously into hot wheels I had about 2000 unwanted commons I got rid of them in case lots of 72 cars with six t hunts at a dollar a car.I could have given away the commons and got the same money for the hunts. Sixtieschild

Hey Sixtieschild, you have a PM.

A restraining order??? Man, that's pretty sad. What some people will try, though.

Welcome to the board, both new members. :thumbsup:

sixtieschild, any particular series you're looking for?

Since I just started collecting JL at present I have six white lightnings and 14 commons.
sixtieschild
Consider yourself lucky. Some of us have several hundred "common" JLs
and only a couple WLs after many years of collecting.
There are not a lot of JLs to found for sale at most stores in Canada.
Basically unless you are in the store in the morning when it opens and beat the door-crashers, miners, and hoarders to the pegs; you are SOL.
It is a lot easier to deal with OLDs or trade with known members on boards
like HT. Good luck in your quest and welcome to HT.

Cheers. Cobra

I'm in the midst of buying some clearance cases.The trouble with cases is what do you do with the unwanted commons? Sixtieschild
Let me know what you are trying to move, as long as the price is reasonable.
I would interested in buying 12 or 24 at a time or possibly more.
I like doing wheel ant tire swaps in particular.

Cheers. Cobra

It breaks my heart every time I meet a collector who has never found a White Lightning or T hunt.Since I started collecting again about a month ago I have gotten 5 new T hunts from two stores. Many store owners and workers hate scalpers and hoarders. They also bleed for honest collectors who can't find any sought after collectables. My strategy is to find a store with 40 to 60 peg warmers and a low turnover. I buy one or two cars each time I visit if there is someone in the area filling shelves. I talk to the workers about the hobby and how tough it is to get good cars. If they don't volunteer to go bring out a new case I politely ask if they will. When I find someone who will bring out a fresh case I buy about half of the cherrys and point out to the worker the good stuff I'm leaving behind for the next guy. Once I've found a cooperative worker I make an effort to be frendly with them each time I visit the store , I pick up cars that have fallen from the pegs and I only request a new case once in every two to three weeks. Freindly communication and goodwill is the key.

It breaks my heart every time I meet a collector who has never found a White Lightning or T hunt.Since I started collecting again about a month ago I have gotten 5 new T hunts from two stores. Many store owners and workers hate scalpers and hoarders. They also bleed for honest collectors who can't find any sought after collectables. My strategy is to find a store with 40 to 60 peg warmers and a low turnover. I buy one or two cars each time I visit if there is someone in the area filling shelves. I talk to the workers about the hobby and how tough it is to get good cars. If they don't volunteer to go bring out a new case I politely ask if they will. When I find someone who will bring out a fresh case I buy about half of the cherrys and point out to the worker the good stuff I'm leaving behind for the next guy. Once I've found a cooperative worker I make an effort to be frendly with them each time I visit the store , I pick up cars that have fallen from the pegs and I only request a new case once in every two to three weeks. Freindly communication and goodwill is the key.

you couldnt have said it better!

however the scalpers here make the employees so mad that being nice and helping by getting the cars on the floor back on the pegs doesnt make them happy because of the mourning guys here the workers hate us all

ive been collecting since 2000 i always put the fallin cars back up and chat with employees the only friend i ever made was the manager at kb if it wasnt for him id have never gotten a th he brought out a case one time i got a panoz roadster from 2002 then a few months later he brought out a case for me and i got a shoebox from 2003 those are the only 2 ive ever got and that kb closed awhile back so i doubt ill see another

ive found 4 wl total 1 was at shopko late in the afternoon it was a buffy the vampire car years ago and was the only one form that set looked like one a scalper had hid then a worker found it and put it back it was lying on the shelf then 3 years ago before thanksgiving i went to tru and some seasonal workers put all the jl cars up at 11:30 right as i got there and i got just 1 wl from the mooneyes set i thought all wls had white rims then so i prolly missed a few from other sets with diffrent traits also the manager there usually give a guy first pick and the seasonal workers were fired within days then last year after readin big lots had cars on here i went there and they were puttin them up right as i came in lots of them were already opened when in back and the guy stocking them said a guy there wanted the white wheel ones well he made my original mistake of not knowing the characteristics he got all the clue wls and pez and some others but i got a firebird form hot rod mag rel with white interior cause it didnt have white wheels so he passed it up lol then i drove 45 min the next day to a diffrent big lots got there arround 3pm all the cars were picked over but i found a wl from the older hot rod realease the ones on the red cards

my grandpa has had better luck then me on ths he has found 10 3 at kenn freds right before x mas on a display in hardware prolly why they were there still 2 at freds in richland the guy was stocking he got there just at the right time 3 form albertsons at diffrent times no one looks there often and he got 2 at wallmart arround christmas again seasonal workers had put the cars out only time ive seen anytihng good AT THAT WM since they give a ex employee first pick also the guy now works at the rich wm where he gets first pick now also he goes from store to sotre working for a few months at each to meet workers so he can get first pick he has no life

my grandpa has found 1 wl at a diffrent big lots 2 days after i found mine it was a spiderman one

sry for the long read