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Originally Posted by imfallenangel
Your points are fine and most are valid, but you seem to miss one fundamental thing.. why are we on this forum?
And remember that the question was "If you think the Siege Deluxe at $29.99 is absurd..." in reference to the OP's first comment being about overpricing in toys, and most replies from members have been that yes, toys and anything that's now considered collectable is overpriced and it's getting worse.
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I never once said they should cost this much, only that the reasons for them costing so much, are plainly evident. I am fully in concurrence that toys cost way too much, but I acknowledge the futility of complaining about it - for all your complaints, you said you still bought the new figures anyway. Hasbro doesn't care about if you think it should cost less, when you already gave them your money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by imfallenangel
To tell anyone that loves (has a passion) for collecting something and tell them "don't complain or don't buy" is a very simplistic view on it as we are collectors here, at least last time I checked. I don't understand the opposition against people stating that they find that prices are getting ridiculous, and quite a few have stated that they are now considering or actual getting out of collecting because of this.
That's like telling someone that cannot afford it to suck it up and not have a collection.... I'd rather see reasonable prices.
Note that I collect other items, and those can be much more overpriced so I seldom get any, but those are (most are anyways) true collectables as opposed to what Transformers are, children's toys...
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Well, yes, pretty much. If collecting transformers is creating a financial burden, you should collect less. Companies aren't cutting out their bottom line to get you prices that fit your budget. If it costs too much, don't buy it. It's a simple view, but lots of people would be saved hardship by having it. "Live within your means" as they say.
I'm not saying anyone who's getting priced out should give up their passion or their hobby. I'm saying people should be reasonable with their income and not miss mortgage payments because TF's went up $10. If you can't afford every figure, or two of every figure, or whatever your standard used to be, lower your standard, don't bitch and scream at a wall that will never listen.
And I'm not saying this from a position of power. I buy one or two figures a wave, because that's what I budget for. I would *like* all of the TF's in the world, but I realize that I can't afford that, and scale back my hobby accordingly. "Be happy with what you have", don't expect the world to do you favours.
No one is any more or less of a fan by the size of their collection. But if you live in a dump and starve so you can buy every TF on the shelf, your priorities might need realignment. I've seen people get to full-on addict levels with their collections, letting pets die so they could use the food money to buy more figures. I'm advocating for people to collect responsibly.
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Originally Posted by Sun Swipe Prime
Personally, I think the issue here is the passionate and emphatic claim that Hasbro is screwing the consumer and overpricing children's toys, etc. etc. etc., and that we shouldn't stand for these Siege prices, and then you saying you caved and paid the piper anyway.
I'm not sure if it's irony, but it sure is amusing to me.
Because a few weeks after Siege started showing up, they went on sale and anyone could have picked them up for about the same price as POTP. I know I did.
If anything, in terms of business, you caving to the price hike, is a prime example of why Hasbro could and probably should raised prices. They knew they had some people by the shorties, and they would eat it like a good consumer.
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QFT.
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Originally Posted by ngnaw
@Nocturn
You're being naive and falling into what they want you to believe. A parent looking at those figures at $30 a piece will not buy it. After the collectors buy them they will shelf warm hardcore more than before... Call them wtv you want, a parent looking at a 5 inch figure will find it hard to swallow paying $30 for it.
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Call me naive, trips to TRU confirm that big brands don't really shelfwarm. You'd be hard pressed to find a Transformer that's been on shelves since this time last year, maybe some stores still have some early wave TLK stuff, but that may have been (and likely was) a re-order, or older figures shipping in later waves. There's obviously exceptions, like YOTM Optimus Primal, but TF's, even the overpriced ones, tend to not stick around for long.
TF's have mass appeal, and the kids I've known aren't quick to accept substitutes. The parent may have a hard time with the dollar value, and go for a smaller figure, or fewer figures, or whatever the case may be. At the end of the day, Transformers fans will get Transformers.
It's like LEGO. LEGO can charge whatever the hell they want, and people will buy it, because it's LEGO. It doesn't matter that Mega Blocks are an aisle over and half the price, because of the brand power LEGO has. They charge 10c a brick (on average) for something that costs them a fraction of a cent. They will maximize their profit by charging as much as people are willing to pay. Transformers is getting to that point. The brand is very strong.
Please note that I'm not happy with prices increasing, I don't agree with what Hasbro/the toy industry is doing, and I would prefer to live in a world where everything is free for everyone. But reality is Black Widow and Ryu for $29.99.
