Is new pricing keeping you away?

[xueyue2]

Originally Posted by Goaliebot

These price hikes were inevitable, because toy sales are falling more and more every year, yet Hasbro's management team must deliver higher and higher profits every quarter or be fired by the Board of Directors, who would be following the orders of the largest shareholders.

But it's hitting the tipping point where profit growth will start to drop no matter what the management team does (again, toy sales fall every year) and they'll get canned (with golden parachutes so boo-hoo). A new team will be brought in with the mandate and promise of restoring profit growth. There will be much fanfare, blah blah blah. Staff will be cut, and drastic toy changes will be made (options are lower quality, even higher prices, and/or cutting lines and variety massively).

But the new team will fail too, because people buy fewer toys year after year.

Either at the second team's failure or maybe a third team failing, the big investors will bail. Stock price will tank and Hasbro will become a much smaller company. At that point they either become a niche supplier of collectibles or they just make toddler toys (the only toy demo left by the end).

Basically, we are entering the endgame of the old toy market. These repeated steep hikes are the first major sign it's begun.

which is totally fine for me, at this price Hasbro doesn't matter to me any more, plus I have 3rd parties to fill all the collection need, their toys are better made, more interesting (instead of always Bumblebee or Optimus Prime), and sometime even cheaper.

[ssjgoku22]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

Deluxes jumped from 19.99 to 29.99 long before Covid hit.

That's my point though, Hasbro uses everything as an excuse to justify their price increases, but they were planning to increase their prices regardless.

[ManitobaMando]

Yes, the new prices are keeping me away.

Repaint after repaint, same mold, new colors..look I get it, this is how its always been done, but enough is enough. $42.99 for a deluxe? I do not think so. I can be content with the collection built, and simply ignore what to come, because none of it is worth the price.

[delrue]

Only place selling deluxes for $43 is TRU.

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by delrue

Only place selling deluxes for $43 is TRU.

Correct. But prices also jumped from 30 to 33 to 35 and now 37 in barely two years.

[canprime]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

Correct. But prices also jumped from 30 to 33 to 35 and now 37 in barely two years.

And another increase coming sometime mid-year according to Hasbro. So I expect $40 to the be norm before the end of the year.

[Sun Swipe Prime]

Originally Posted by RNSrobot

Deluxes jumped from 19.99 to 29.99 long before Covid hit.

Was in TRU today and saw the price tag on the shelf for deluxes. They're almost $10 more than other places. WTF.

[Grimlocked]

Did anyone see the price on the new Metroplex on Gamestop? I'm hoping that price isn't finalized...

[ssjgoku22]

Originally Posted by Grimlocked

Did anyone see the price on the new Metroplex on Gamestop? I'm hoping that price isn't finalized...

That's price is probably cemented. Every retailer selling the figure in Canada has it for $300 (or around their).

I don't want to say this, but we are also part of this problem. If these figures continue to fly off the shelves at these prices, Hasbro looks at it like "see even at these prices, they'll buy them, increase the price some more". It's pretty much a vicious cycle. Like this whole collection thing is a passion, something that we all like to do. What I'm asking myself more and more lately though is how much is this hobby really worth?

[imfallenangel]

Originally Posted by ssjgoku22

That's price is probably cemented. Every retailer selling the figure in Canada has it for $300 (or around their).

I don't want to say this, but we are also part of this problem. If these figures continue to fly off the shelves at these prices, Hasbro looks at it like "see even at these prices, they'll buy them, increase the price some more". It's pretty much a vicious cycle. Like this whole collection thing is a passion, something that we all like to do. What I'm asking myself more and more lately though is how much is this hobby really worth?

Yup, I agree on this, mentioned it and only got arrogance about it.

What it's worth is what it means to you really. To me it's not that I can't afford it, it is that it's just crazy that they are this expensive for the crap quality of late (quality issues, lack of paint, so many gaps, lack of accessories, etc.), the overall value for them, and I am so glad that I feel that I'm at the end of all of it as I have just about every figure that I wanted and have no plans to buy new versions. Legacy has been such a let down that I'm glad that it was.

Anything new has to amaze me, and in the next 6 months and more, so far, only the SS BB Arcee has done that. Every other reveal has been an easy pass.

Heck, I've bought a bunch of 3rd parties which I never did until last year or so, and feel that I got a LOT more value for them, and most were NOT more expensive than similar sized Hasbro, but the part count, the quality, the engineering makes Hasbro figures almost all look like cheap dollar store toys. If Hasbro would have done these, they'd be double, triple the prices that I paid.

But yeah, every new figure that I can see is far from great, expensive as hell, and very little value for the price, and still they sell out everywhere... it's just weird to me.

Then I see posts about people having to save up, making budget over toys, having to renegotiate these budgets, some ending up having to resell the toys to pay for their rent, have money to fix their cars, worry about the pre-order coming out before payday as their payment method will bounce, etc... it's just... *sigh*... just wow... it's just toys and Hasbro is milking the fans so hard.