I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I think I am done hunting around and just order online what I really wanted. It looks like each freaking TRU or Walmart location ordered 1 case of each Siege class in wave 2. May be the bulk of it will come soon but it is almost wave 3 time and I haven’t even seen a single Leader, Yoyager and “Micromasters” from wave 2. And this is wave 2 not the last one. With the prices of them went up now I probably won’t get every single one anyway. Not to mention hunting around cost time and money at the end. At least the last few seasons only the last wave was hard to track down. Last year I got whole set of wave 2 sometimes in March! I am not feeling too well this week and have to stay put, but I am thinking to myself it feels real nice not have to go around chasing these stupid things down...

I’ve just preordered Siege Jetfire at Amazon CA (on sales anyway and free shipping) and I think that’s what I will do. Just like what I do with MPs and third parties, all at the comfort of my home.

I know I am not the first one who ranted but this really frustrated me recently. And sorry if I won’t be contributing to the Sighting thread that much from niw on. Anyhow, sorry for the rant...

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I hear ya and I'm sure a lot of us have been through it. Did that with Soundwave from Amazon. Onlt saw him in a store yesterday and still haven't seen an aimless anywhere

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I think that it's a question that I find that waves are too far in between and that I'd rather would have them release the figures a few at a time, so smaller waves, but more of them, and have them overlap a bit to ensure that one that misses a figure or two for various reasons can still find them up to a year later, just reduce the number per box as time permits.

Trouble is, Transformers tend to be a "lower" item as the shelves on many stores seems (maybe just to me) to be very small and limited.. for some reason, the crap waves or series end up shelfwarming so much, but others end up barely ever staying in stores that if you hesitate on seeing something, it's gone... and never coming back.

Another huge factor is that as time goes by, collectors tend to end up with their collection fairly full... I know that I've seen some collectors that grab e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, and others that are very picky... some that can only grab the "standard/cheap" stuff and others have a LOT of disposable income and get the 3rd parties, collection editions, etc. that cost more than my mortgage.

And it sucks when you don't have the money at the time, but want a figure, then 1 or 2 years later when you can afford it, it's being bleed out at 2-3-4-5X the price, and so it's still unobtainable.

How I miss having Kmarts and Zellers and Woolcos and all the other long gone stores (Consumers Distributing is worth mentioning) where you'd find so much selection and always the odd few from a year or two behind that you missed in all their glory that you get to take them home, damaged packaging be damned!

That said, then the hunt turns into the "older" stuff at garage sales, flea markets, the odd and ends conventions and comicons and similar, and once in a while you find them online at a reasonable price that if you miss it, someone else won't.

And now that everyone is a collector these days, we ARE each other's competition, so when I go in a store and it's bare, I have to wonder how many collectors or even scalpers have been there already... heck, I look at Kijiji and find that I will see stuff that's barely out and can't be easily found being scalped at a very price. I already seen a few Ectotrons selling at 40-50$ over the price.

So what needs to stay in focus is that it IS a hobby, the reasons for collecting them are probably different for many, but in the end, it's a passion... some "hunt" for the trill of seeing it in their hands and getting them, others just want to get them and having them is the goal.

I rarely hunt unless it's a special circumstances and don't make special trip unless the goal is to get something, and that I'm fairly certain that the odds will be on my side. I'll stop at TrU only when I'm actually passing by it, while Walmart or Winners, I go there to shop regardless, so I just detour to the toy section when I'm there.

It's a question that it's no longer like it used to be, the internet has changed that. Some would rather see it first, have it in their hands as soon as they can, while online, you can be at the mercy of the seller's stock's quality and the shipping delays and possible damage. So it's give and take regardless.

And note that this only applies to regular stuff as 3rd parties stuff, there's no real or easy way to get them aside online or "cons" (and in my area, it's freaking rare to find something really "special"). Heck, just went to the "Geek flea market" and there was almost no Transformers or similar... but did get a few pearls that I didn't expect (a Votom figure and an Walker Galliar, both at 5$ each)... and last similar flea market/con I got an Orguss 1/40 in amazing shape at at least half or online prices). So the hunt can bring rewards

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

The hunt do have merits but it is just getting tiresome lately for new regular stuffs. Sure, there are some at various cons and toyshows, or thrift stores and what not but it is far in between (esp. now with everyone looking).

And speaking about getting third parties and MPs locally: being in a larger metro area means there are local dealers but look at the grossly inflated prices! I know everyone needs to make a living but with so many reliable Japanese (for official MPs) and Chinese (for third parties) websites why should I bother esp. when I have a budget? I don’t even bother to look locally since it is a waste of my time and gas/bus fare when I most definitely won’t seal the deal. And did I ever mention the slowless? I got my FH Double Evil/Overlord way before a local shop and that’s with a 2, almost 3 weeks ship time on my side! And way cheaper!

And, touch wood, I hardly have issue with my online purchases for the last 2 decades? I have had two incidents (missing a part and a damaged weapon) off the top of my head and they were professionally handled by the online shops. And I have shipped various things from Gunpla kits, MPs, Soul of Chogokins, Sentinels, etc.

Yes, picking up and look at the actual products is nice and all, and is different from looking at pics online. But at this point I am so frustrated with the TF hunt. Those Siege Micronasters shouldn’t be this hard to acquire - should be just go to the store, pick it from the peg and go! It is not sone freaking multi-hundred dollars or exclusive toys!

I supposed I am sick and probably come off a bit whiny but it is good to get it out if the chest so to speak.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I don’t know why but it feels like this year WalMart is getting new figures at an absolute trickle: often one box (which is a pair of Voyagers or like 6 deluxes) a month if that. And TRU has just stopped dead at Wave 1 Siege.

I’m used to mostly nada when I check a Wally but this year it seems like 49/50 visits are unchanged stock.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

Nah man, not whiny at all! ... Venting/unloading our thoughts or feelings at times is healthy :)

I hear what youre saying about the hunt and the frustrations and disappointments that can come with it though. ... However, it sounds like you have a good plan with going the Amazon route :cool:

Ive been feeling the collectors fatigue recently myself as well. And have considered everything from simply scaling things back to down right selling off everything, lol. ... For the time being I’ll leave things as is and reevalute later on this summer, once I feel more solidified in the best direction to go :o

It began last month when my dog became quite ill (he’s doing much better now, thankfully) and was going to emerg weekly with the little guy. ... During that time my only concern was his well being.

And after all the craziness has finally died down now, I find its the simpler things Im enjoying more; taking the fur ball for a walk, watching some Raps action with him in tow & most importanly seeing his tail flap away again when I pick up his favourite green ball.

I went to a few Walmarts & TRU’s over the past week or so and find nothing there really resonates as much. And while there have been some cool previews online the same lack of overall elation is present. ... It’s not to say Im done with or do not like TFs as a whole anymore. But just how Im engaging towards it I find to be somewhat hollow.

Whether it be the hunt being more challenging, the increased price point & somewhat a shift in the online community towards a more cattish/passive aggressive vibe has degraded my overall enjoyment of this hobby.

This can and may very well change in time but for now Im ok with focusing on and enjoying others things.

Thanks for creating this thread, QuadESL63! ... It’s always interesting to hear how others feel towards collecting and what they deem as good, bad & everything in between :D

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

Thanks for the heads up Jetfire and Omega are on sale, preordered them

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

You are absolutely right! It used to be fun to "hunt" for figures when you knew that there were actually figures to hunt for! Stock is ridiculous at both TRU and Walmart and it just discourage's you to want to look for anything anymore. I looked and looked for SS38 Optimus Prime and no luck. In the end I ordered him from amazon which cost about 4 bucks more than what TRU or Walmart is selling him, but at least I wont be spending money on gas and wasting time anymore "hunting".

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

It's a part of the reason I basically left Transformers behind for years, man. Crap distribution, pretty much all the stores in my area that carried them stopping (or closing/moving) other than the TRU, designs I didn't like, crap prices/paint/articulation/hollow spaces/only looking good from one angle...

I used to be able to visit the TRU, Zellers, Bay, Sears, and Wal-Mart in one walk, and they'd all stock stuff.

These days I'd much rather than order an occasional KO MP and have it shipped for free than go out and find disappointment.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

Distribution does seem to be getting worse and worse. Of the three things I primarily collect (Transformers, Marvel Legends, and Star Wars Black Series), Transformers are getting depressingly hard to find. I have 2 Walmart’s, 2TRUs, and 2 EBGames in my area, and still haven’t found anything from Siege Wave 2, and am getting pretty far behind in the Studio Series line as well (no Bonecrusher, Rampage, Bee Prime, Scrapmetal or even Shatter).

And it’s just as bad, if not worse, on the Star Wars front. Pretty sure Canada in general has been skipped over for the last wave of figures (Mace Windu, Padme, etc), and the wave before that was sparse at best.

Of the three biggies for me, only Marvel Legends seem to be getting decent distribution, thanks to TRU and EB grabbing the exclusive figures and the MCU being such a box office force that the regular waves are usually stocked, but even with those I haven’t seen the last Spider-Man wave in my area.

And all 3 are made by Hasbro.

I know there’s all kinds of reasoning for this, but yeah. I’m pretty sick of going out and finding either empty pegs or 100 dust covered full price shelf warmers from last year. I usually don’t buy online, but I feel like those days are coming to an end.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

Honestly, I grew tired of the hunt years ago. And for the most part, patience has paid off almost every time, because stuff tends to show up eventually. Over the last five years or so, I've only missed one figure because I didn't jump on the first sighting and that's Sky Lynx.

I think part of it is my collection is getting pretty big, and a part of me is in that been-there-done-that mode. After years and years of collecting, I know just because I can't get it now doesn't mean I can't get it later and for a good price. All it takes is for a newer and maybe better version of that character to come out, and suddenly, that hard to find figure is all over the place. Or, I just skip that old figure and just get the newer one.

I wonder how many people put up their Classics Sideswipe for sale once they saw the new Siege one?

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

Yeah the useless hunts drove me out of the TF collecting as well. Thought I would try my hand and Marvel Legends till I also found that exhausting and mostly pointless. Still not sure why they include a BAF piece with the most popular characters that sell out instantly. - even the Amazon pre-orders proved to be useless in some cases. So I gave up hunting and went to LEGO - online store ALWAYS has stock on the set release date and haven't been let down yet LOL

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I got to the point that I would rather not buy a single figure from an ML Wave if I couldnt find the set to complete the BAF. Like the recent Thanos Endgame one, Maw was no where to be seen but EASILY 3 sets were at TRU that day, just 3 of Maw with MIA. Without Maw you cant complete Thanos, so I said F*** it. It's just no longer worth the money or time collecting some of this stuff. I still can't find a Bumblebee Prime. Not interested in paying an inflated price for it either. I guess at the end of the day I am also just tired of the hunt. It's not as fun as it used to be. Maybe it is age sinking in, maybe it's really just such poor distribution making me think it's my age sinking in. I dunno. I seem to care less and less about Hasbro products these days.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

For the BB Prime.. I bought it, found that he was amazing looking, but ended up returning it because of the many flaws it had (which others have had similar)... I only saw another but decided to pass...

He is a very nice looking figure, but I get the feeling that they will end up reusing the design and we'll get an improved version at some point, heck, maybe with trailer.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

WM.ca listed the W2 Deluxes sometime over the weekend (I last looked on Friday)... Ironhide is OOS now, but the other 3 are in-stock currently.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I've said a couple of times I was going to move exclusively to online, with the time saved stopping at places being worth the extra money. But I still find myself just wanting to pop into a Walmart if I'm going by just to see if there's something new. It's that rush you get walking up to the shelf and seeing the figure you were hoping for, or something that hasn't been sighted before.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I agree with all that has been said, I know that in my area the walmart is crap and eb games is nothing about funko pop. I picked up Sixgun for a cheaper price with shipping from Amazon then walmart plus I save on gas and boot leather ordering online then running to the stores and having to deal with people who use stores as meeting places.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

The hunt can be frustrating, so I just make sure that any of my trips to the store are not ONLY to see if they have a new toy. Because then you get burnt out quick. I have several Walmarts close to my home or on my way to work so thats where I shop most for groceries. I just stop by to look at the toy aisle when I go in for something else.
As for TRU, some are next door to walmarts I shop at and I often go with my kids to spend a little time there. The kids like to play with the demo cars on hand and such so I check out the TF aisle then.
Like that, none of these are ever wasted trips and finding new TFs is a lucky bonus instead of a mission in and of itself.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

Just as a thing... Seige Wave 2 has been horrible. A lot of shops in N.A have been waiting on a 2nd shipment - which did not appear. They had been ordered and were supposedly on a boat - when the boat arrived - there was no shipment. Distribution has blamed Hasbro. This isn't meant to get all your panties in a bunch..but just use this info when you're about to go all over the city looking for stuff and then get frustrated if you can't find it.

Walmart has some online and so does A3U -etc.

https://www.agesthreeandup.ca/produc...ader-shockwave

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I've had these types of thoughts numerous times over the past 23 years of collecting. I just don't go looking as much, rely on the sightings boards and try to get some stuff online.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I still prefer hunting in person just to make sure the robot modes QC is good enough.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

Yes, but most online shops have good exchange policy, even oversea ones. It is a hassle, yes, as I have done it a couple of times, but you are looked after.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I just preordered a Siege Refleckors set at A3U, Siege Jetfire at Amazon Canada (on sale) and Siege Omega at TRU (with a discount code). These are my most wanted anyway so I will guarantee to have them. Screw the hunt...

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

When I was still collecting I ended up going the same route. I would still check in on stores from time to time if I was already going there, but it was so much easier to simply order what I wanted from BBTS and wait for it to arrive.

It's ironic that when I was looking for certain figures before, I wouldn't see them, but now that I don't buy them anymore, the Walmart here seems to get the new stuff at a decent pace.

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

I gave up being a hunter way back with the classics line..I found myself spending most of my day off running all over town checking the toy departments in several stores...some days I managed to capture the one I was looking for...other days the hunt turned up nothing...I began to order from a few different online stores and it made my collecting so much easier...the mail was delivered to my post office and I knew exactly what was in the box..

Re: I am sick of the “hunt”...
 

What sucks is when they no longer have the product in stock. So sure you get your money back and the return is smooth, but then you dont have the toy and have to resort to the hunt again.