Big Bad Toy Store and Warbotron Crap

[Bruticus]

I see several people on both sides of the fence here, and everyone has a valid point. As one of the resellers that was also forced out from having these figures, let me state where my logic lies.

The main fault for all this comes from the Warbotron Team. They made agreements with the Distributors who in turn made agreements with the relailers, like BBTS, A3U, TFSource, Slayback, Nullray, us, etc., etc. They are also the ones that went back to the Distributors, after the fact, and told them "Don't ship to X, Y, and Z or else you won't receive any more of our future products." Telling other resellers to "go buy it from BBTS wholesale" when they closed such a division a year ago, then saying "well we didn't know they did that." tells me that they never asked the question and didn't care because of what they were getting in return.

A part of the blame does fall upon BBTS, though. They knew that this product had been reserved for all retailers and went above and beyond to make it an exclusive to them. As mentioned earlier, when a retailer announces something as an exclusive, that's all fine as long as it's announced that way from the very beginning, but when it is already promised to all retailers and it is moved into an exclusive agreement after-the-fact, that is usually because someone approached the Manufacturer with the idea and came with some serious incentives that would make the Manufacturer pull away from all the other retailers, including major ones like TFSource, Robot Kingdom, and others.

Overall, as others have mentioned, it's shady business practices that has a negative effect on the entire Community. Not sure if the agreement is going to continue into the other bots, but Warbotron says the next 2 will be released in June, so it may. Sad day.

[Buhawi]

I'm guessing zfarsh is right on this one.

Remove the real culprit like I have and you wouldn't give two shits where they get their stuff.

[Bruticus]

Originally Posted by Buhawi

I'm guessing zfarsh is right on this one.

Remove the real culprit like I have and you wouldn't give two shits where they get their stuff.

Yes and no. You are right where most of the blame is on WB, but BBTS had a master plan too. When BBTS closed their wholesale division, they sent a letter to all of the members inviting them to continue buying from them at full retail price with no wholesale discounts. So their motive for this move was to get all retailers to buy from them at retail prices, then having to jack up the price (or take a loss because they don't offer free shipping). That would mean that BBTS is still "the lowest price around" and would sell out of their stock faster than anyone else.

The marketing strategy works at the higher, distribution levels, but isn't very fair to resellers of Collectors at the retail level, especially when there is no one in Canada to support either.

[zfarsh]

Originally Posted by Slayback

Oh -sorry my anger was more directed at BBTS than Warbotron -but i've already given Warbotron an earful and a lot of other companies has done so as well. Why am i irritated with BBTS? Because they are a bigger company that has tried to do this on more than one occasion. To my knowledge and experience - they did it with ToyWorld's Hardbone figure. Next was Igear's sharkies and now this. More than frustrating. You don't think that BBTS used their leverage as a bigger online service to get what they wanted out of this deal?
Yah Warbotron are also responsible for this fiasco. It was shitty business practices and they're going to suffer for this.
Realistically will people boycott either of the 2? Doubtful -but i'm hoping people will.

Wait, you are saying a bigger company should not use the leverage of bigger purchase to make a request, and this is their fault for making a request, not the company accepting it? And it is not warbotron's fault for not being upfront with the other etailers, but rather that of BBTS? We should be mad at BBTS instead of at Warbotron because they asked for more with their much larger buying power then the small guys, and Warbotron agreed it, instead of giving them a better price discount or something else?

Hope you wont be supporting their Warbotron's future products and telling fans why, and not trying to blame another etailer for it again.

Originally Posted by Bruticus

Yes and no. You are right where most of the blame is on WB, but BBTS had a master plan too. When BBTS closed their wholesale division, they sent a letter to all of the members inviting them to continue buying from them at full retail price with no wholesale discounts. So their motive for this move was to get all retailers to buy from them at retail prices, then having to jack up the price (or take a loss because they don't offer free shipping). That would mean that BBTS is still "the lowest price around" and would sell out of their stock faster than anyone else.

The marketing strategy works at the higher, distribution levels, but isn't very fair to resellers of Collectors at the retail level, especially when there is no one in Canada to support either.

Again, it is Warbotron who agreed. It doesn't matter what the etailers ask for, they are all competing with each other, and want to grow in business, and it's up to the manufacturer to set the rules for all their customer, meaning both etailers and end users. What matters is Warbotron agree to it. You don't see every 3rd party agreeing to such demands? They are the ones who set the rules. You cant point fingers at an etailer for wanting more. Anyone here, as a customer who buys much more products then the next wants a better deal or something that will tip it in their favor.

[Buhawi]

I was talking about distribution at all.

I'm talking about not caring about where you get your shit. lol

After that, price alone talks and that's it.

No more headaches.

Why I'm here? I see fellow members with huge headaches and apparently heartaches.

[Buhawi]

How to do that?

Here it is again.

Originally Posted by Buhawi

Tired of all the BS?

You know what to do.

[elburrito]

The only way there is any advantage to Warbotron's maker from this sort of thing is if BBTS bought more stock than all of the others combined. Can anyone suggest another reason?

Generally showing up at a supplier and buying all the stock of something (so no one else can get any) and then selling it off at a markup is referred to as 'scalping'. In the big picture, I can't see how this is anything different.

[Bruticus]

Originally Posted by zfarsh

Again, it is Warbotron who agreed. It doesn't matter what the etailers ask for, they are all competing with each other, and want to grow in business, and it's up to the manufacturer to set the rules for all their customer, meaning both etailers and end users. What matters is Warbotron agree to it. You don't see every 3rd party agreeing to such demands? They are the ones who set the rules. You cant point fingers at an etailer for wanting more. Anyone here, as a customer who buys much more products then the next wants a better deal or something that will tip it in their favor.

I have said that Warbotron is the major blame in my previous post, that is not up for debate. I agree that they have to agree to the proposal in front of them and, upon that agreement, it put them in the wrong.

What I am ALSO saying, which you seem to have a problem with (for some ungodly reason) is that BBTS is not a saint in this matter. True they want to use their buying power to get something exclusive, and they have the full rights to do that. Warbotron revealed that they were doing this set shortly after TFCon last year, and it was promised out to vendors around December/January, so for 6 months, BBTS had the opportunity to negotiate it as being an exclusive, but did not.

I am not blaming BBTS for making Warbotron's decision... that was completely their choice. What I am blaming BBTS for is making it harder on the Canadian Community to get something that they want by making it less available. When you order from BBTS (in USD), you are virtually guaranteed to pay a high price for shipping (seeing they only use USPS Priority/Express or UPS) and they always claim full value at the border, so there are few times it does not get stung for duty.

[Bruticus]

Originally Posted by elburrito

The only way there is any advantage to Warbotron's maker from this sort of thing is if BBTS bought more stock than all of the others combined. Can anyone suggest another reason?

Generally showing up at a supplier and buying all the stock of something (so no one else can get any) and then selling it off at a markup is referred to as 'scalping'. In the big picture, I can't see how this is anything different.

This^ BBTS bought "all the North American stock".

[zfarsh]

Ok, someone already started this, but if fans can email Warbotron directly, telling them their dis-satisfaction of Warbotron having a time exclusive or sending all their stock from the first batch to a single etailer, then surely they will be hit hard with all the emails, and do things differently if they want to survive.

So pls, everyone, email Warbotron, and let them know of your dissatisfaction. Pls be polite in your email.

Here is the email I use:
admin@warbotron.com