Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Thanks for various reports on social media and multiple users on Cybertron.ca, we've learned that Toys R Us Canada has now made all "Collector" figure products as Final Sale.

That means no returns or exchanges at all, even for defective items on arrival/opening the package.


Does this affect your shopping habits? What are your thoughts? Discuss on the cybertron.ca boards!

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

D’oh! And I just got a TRU gift card.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Death knell for TRU.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

so this gives TRU the out that if they ship a customer a rock in a box instead of an action figure by mistake they don't have to accept the return per the policy . That is just too awesome for words.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Did several returns of "collector figures" over weekend at TRU in the GTA. No issues and even got a $10 coupon for the trouble at one location.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

I recently bought the world's collide pack and was told I has until January to return it

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Not gonna buy a damn thing from them anymore if this is true. This might prevent figure swapping, but there’s some people out there that actually get a figure with defects and just wanna replace it or get their hard earned money back. Huge L for TRU.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

I already avoid buying anything from TRU, I'll only go after the exclusives they carry, and that's only if I have no other choice. Honestly the price is not that different if you get them from Pulse. My TRU has the Legacy Red Cog for $32.87 claiming it's 40% off and then have the Marvel Legends Into the Spider-Verse Noir and Spider-Ham as $84.99 claiming it to be a 2-pack, when that Spider-Ham Came packed in with Spider-Gwen little over a year ago for like $30. Huge Pass.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

The quality control for TF products have been the worst out of all of Hasbro's products, I have certainly relied on doing exchanges at TRU in order to get one with fewer paint issues (when the store later got in more stock).



It's a sad day for TRU because collectors aren't going to put up with Hasbro's bullcrap (blind boxes, constant price increases, quality control issues) AND TRU's issues (huge markups over MSRP, inability to return or exchange products).



It's a perfect storm for losing customers right as the holiday buying season approaches.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

I think it's understandable. I heard once someone bought an MP Thundercracker from Toysrus. But a year or 2 later, Toysrus recycled that sku to MP Soundwave. So that person returned his Thundercracker and got the Soundwave price back.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Now what exactly is driving this? Severe issues with figure swapping/parts theft?

The nature of collectors refusing to buy product that has been opened?
Basic greed?


Regardless of why, it's an exceptionally rare event to piss money away at TRU and now that money will simply be nonexistent to them.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

One more nail in the coffin.


I don't see TRU making it past 2023. We are witnessing the slow death of a toy empire.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Its mostly to do with scalpers and problems with returns. Scalpers would go into TRU (ive seen this first hand) and take all of the new legends, transformers, gijoes and pops.. especially exclusives. They would try and sell them for inflated prices on ebay and facebook then whatever they couldnt sell.. return for full refund. 0% risk sales.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

But TRU isn't good with stock anymore and get nothing first anyways. Sure, could work for exclusives but for anything else, we are already shopping elsewhere online.
No one is scalping non exclusives from TRU

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

A whole gijoe classified line was TRU exclusive.. cobra island? Numerous funko pop exdclusives with every con and event. It effects our world less but this was rampant in other toys. TRU also used to be much more competitive with their distribution.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Man, I remember the good ol days, my peak TRU experience HAD to be, getting all four CW limbs from the StLaurent TRU during a sale, all four were 8 bucks each (pre-tax)

*sighs wistfully*

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

yeah, but they arent now, so I don't really get the point of this discussion. Scalping is no longer a thing for non exclusives at TRU. And I am starting to doubt it even being a thing with exclusives now too. Don't see anyone selling Buzzworthy terrorsaur or cybertron Bumblebee on local marketplaces at twice the TRU markup.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Yup, I remember that day, got a set of combaticons at TRU Anjou.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Well you are arguing scalping does not exist anymore. If you look at the Canada wide transformers facebook forum you will see a few 80$ cosmos on there if you need to know more. Also like to point out TRU takes forever to do anything.. this policy change is a result of the last few years not just the current climate.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

I remember the day when I got CW Bruticus. Onslaught, and all 4 limbs for $55 total. All on sale.

But on the topic here, it is very rare that I would ever have to return a Transformer. It has happened once, Siege Ultra Magnus, was such garbage that the manager agreed with me that it had to be defective.
Long ago, I remember getting Generations Sandstorm, getting it home, opening it, and finding it was missing a fender, that went back the next day for another one.

If I ever bought something that didn't have a window to see the product, and it was defective, missing something, or had the wrong toy inside the box, I will be yelling and
screaming till they took it back. Especially at these exorbitantly inflated prices. If you have a receipt, this rule must be illegal. Someone needs to check consumer laws and regulations.

I will be shopping at Walmart for my rare Transformers purchases. At least they follow the MSRP.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Just a few months ago I watched someone put all the new Masterverse figures in their cart, at least a dozen figures. A few weeks later the shelves were stocked again, I assume from returns. In the meantime, TRU probably based their next orders on those figures selling out.

Sure, it's tougher for scalpers to sell those with the inflated TRU prices, but as others have mentioned, there's no risk in them trying.

I'm not defending TRU though. At the end of the day this is bad for us consumers. It doesn't have to be one or the other, TRU and scalpers can both suck :p

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

The marked up prices were already hard to swallow, this basically seals the deal for me. I'm done with shopping at TRU

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

If scalping really is the reason, then shortening the return window to say 10 days would alleviate most of that.

Also I'm surprised they are stopping exchanges, especially if the product is truly defective and you can show that.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Unless Toys'R'Us Canada gets deals with companies to get more 'exclusive collector' items, OR Hasbro switches to a non-blind policy, this is going to hurt them.


Even getting more 'exclusives' might hurt them. People may say 'fuck em', and wait for TRU to put them on sale.



I get most of my stuff via ToySnowMan now anyway (except exclusives), and alot of the times, exclusive stuff shows up on HasbroPulse.


Will I still shop at TRU for exclusives? We'll see.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

It might be the case where Visa could possibly help if the product sold is quite defective or the wrong item, as you do have some degree of consumer protection via their Resolutions Department. If you are just trying to get the same item, same condition, new, but with slightly better mint condition, that will likely be a bit of an issue.

With the high costs at TRU and this policy that differs from almost all other retailers worldwide, they are accelerating their demise. I think they tried 2-3 yrs ago to put each product with its own SKU, and it failed, so they decided to piss everyone off at the same time while raising prices...

And what do they consider Collector items? I assume this only applies to certain product lines, likely not baby stuff no books. This will depend alot on the store managers. Its too bad as some of the staff are very nice and are great for their company, hope they dont lose out in the end.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

At this point, the coffin is mostly nails with a touch of coffin in for flavour...

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

They could also max out at 2 or 3 of the same figure like Hasbro Pulse does with their exclusives. This would also mean having each item with their own SKU, rather then the whole lot with the same SKU.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

:eek::eek:
Matrix, that's amaze!


Me too. TRU prolly knows most complaints are kids breaking toys, so no return there.

I have no problem returning an item that is missing parts, and I find that is rare.
But I guess picky collectors have abused the return policy, leading to this.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Good idea for the 1st.

Maybe they're changing the rule to avoid common abuse. But are willing to return on true defects, as a case of.
"We'll make an exception."

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Bought redcog and jhiaxus today at TRU. Asked them what the return policy on these toys was and was told that I have up to January to return them due to the Christmas extension.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Hilarious if true.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

better open those windowless boxes in front of a manager before you leave the store, kids

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

My take here is that TRU is trying to mitigate the trolls returning improper figures. It would not shock me if Walmart follows suit. They may have to modify the policy for honest people.

It is kinda funny how Hasbro knew they already had a problem with figure swapping YEARS ago - and they went ahead and made it worse for themselves.

Having said all that I don't blame TRU or Hasbro for this. YES the inflation of prices on both sides is out of control - and YES I would concede that high costs may be driving the increase of figure swapping - BUT - those individuals who figure swap are still Shop Lifters - Hard Stop. You have no valid reason to do it and you are a horrible person for doing so.

I like to think most people in the collecting community are awesome - it is a shame we have people out there who need to ruin it for everyone.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

HAH! I saw it a TFCON a few weeks back for the new Cosmos. The scalpers know where to sell.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Sure, but Cosmos is an exclusive and I was mainly talking about non exclusives.

Either way, the policy mentionned originally that started this topic is not widely spread. So far, it is only at the local level.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Yes - I'm gonna toss this in here - the official TRU Return Policy page has NOT changed (yet):

https://www.toysrus.ca/en/help?fid=returns

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

Yes it has, you missed the fine print.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

I think the issue for me, it just a blanket statement collector figures. I've seen signs at stores saying no returns on Funko.

Which you can argue is a collectors item through and through.

Transformers is a mixed bag. Are you not going to allow a parent to return some Cyberverse (Earthspark now) because transformers are deemed collectors items? What about a core class, or deluxe?

I already brought up the new policy with my wife when talk about my sons upcoming birthday came up. Like manyy parents, we'll find a gift ahead of time, and if said item goes on sale somewhere else or his interests suddenly change we will return it.

Now she doesn't want to shop there at all. Its easy enough of anyone with a smartphone to check prices online or walmart down the street when at TRU shopping. Also another reason she doesn't want to shop there anymore.

I think this policy needs refinement. No returns on commander and Titan, sure I kinda understand. But most Tfs, deosn't make sense.

Re: Toys R Us Canada Announces all Collector Items Products as FINAL SALE
 

I think the major issue is they're passing the buck onto the responsibility to the customer.

I remember people complaining about their Black Zarak's with incorrect antennas on the head.

GameStop was super helpful with helping buyers with this issue to find a replacement.

TRU is going to tell a customer you contact Hasbro Canada on the issue and mail a hulking huge TF to exchange?

Returns comes with the cost of doing business, deal with it.

I would rather shop somewhere else with a return policy, not that their higher than MSRP prices haven't already shot themselves in the foot already.

The employee reviews at the Putman distribution company sure shows what a shitty work environment and culture it is in his companies: https://ca.indeed.com/cmp/Everest-Toys/reviews

Kind of shows your what direction they're taking it to.