What exactly do Skylanders ™ and filing a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 Bankruptcy have in common? You can end up paying too much for both.
If you do not know what Skylanders ™ is, here is a brief overview. It is a video game that you play using characters that you place on a “portal” that is attached to your video game device. These characters, when placed on the “portal,” come to life on your television allowing you to control them during game play. It is an amazing game that both my younger children enjoy. There are dozens of characters to choose from, and their suggested retail price is reasonable. The problem however is finding the more sought-after characters, characters that have special or distinct abilities or profiles. Although these sought-after characters have similar, if not the same suggested retail price from the manufacturer, finding them for that price has proven frustrating because there are some people buying these characters in large numbers and then reselling them at heavily inflated prices. This of course is a basic tenet in economics, supply and demand. Unfortunately the supply has been artificially impacted by those who are hoarding large numbers of these characters.
The same thing can be said about filing a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 Bankruptcy in Arizona. While there are sufficient numbers of attorneys who practice bankruptcy law as compared to just a few years ago, competition, and thus the cost to file, does not seem to be following the basic principles of economics. I believe the reason for this is simple. Debtors are making hasty and stress-induced decisions and are simply not shopping around for an attorney. The majority of attorneys who provide assistance in consumer bankruptcies offer free initial consultations, and yet many people retain the first attorney with which they meet. This can prove to be a costly mistake.
It is important to speak with more than one attorney before you make the decision to file a bankruptcy. There are not only a large number of attorneys who will offer free consultations there are some, like myself, that also offer free telephonic consultations. You really have nothing to lose to speak with two or three attorneys before you hire someone, nothing to lose other than your hard-earned money.
As for the Skylanders ™ character my children were looking for, they are still looking and watching the price fluctuations that happen daily (if not hourly). With some luck and patience, they will soon be playing with the character of their choice after paying a reasonable, and not inflated price for the opportunity. Take your time before you make the decision to hire an attorney to file your Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. You will be rewarded for your patience and effort.