The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

So, do you love going to the stores and looking up online to get that figure? Is it about getting that awesome price?

Or do you hate it and just want your figure even if it means paying a lil extra?

Are you finding 2020 to be annoying when it comes to getting a fig or no different than the previous year(s)?

Re: The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

I always been a fan of the hunt.



New to Transformers but a long time collector.. I strongly believe in supporting local comic and toy stores so that they exist for younger kids. I grew up riding my bike to Phoenix Comics in Calgary every weekend and i found it such a magical place.. so I have a rule that i do not buy anything online... but its getting harder and harder to maintain that rule (staring at that sky lynx on toyrus.ca)



Most online exclusives I have to find at comic con or mini cons or facebook... it can be annoying but just plugging in your credit card and searching amazon takes all the fun out of collecting. In fact i recently gave up the funko pop game because of everything just being exclusives to some website with 30 dollar shipping.


Sorry not meant to be a rant.. just my collecting parameters (it also helps the wallet from becoming bare) and the reasons behind it.

Re: The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

Maybe it's just a somewhat fond memory of my parents taking me out shopping to a department store (Eatons, Sears, Zellers, Woolco, Towers, The Bay, etc. etc.) and running off to the toy department to see what TF are there... The hunt as an adult used to take me back to those days, but now with the power to buy.

But now, fewer stores, store exclusives, and poor distribution killed that aspect of collecting for me. Stopping at Walmart and Toys R Us every other day (pre-CoViD) and almost always never seeing things I might want is not fun or worthwhile.

So online it mostly is for me... whether it be Walmart, Amazon, friendly (Local) gaming stores, and the like...

Re: The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

Hate it, it's a waste of time and gas. 2020 is for sure worse than before because of COVID

I prefer buy online if it's possible.

Re: The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

I used to enjoy the hunt and scoring a transformer on sale, but it's no longer in the cards for me due to my work schedule and growing family. These days I mostly preorder what I can from A3U.

Re: The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

I used to like the hunt, especially at Winners or Marshals when you could pick up old figures for cheap (X-mas toy drive or customization fodder). I also liked the thrill of the hunt when I was reasonably sure of getting the figure I wanted (eventually). But for the last few years, however, I can't guarantee that I'll see any specific figure "in the wild". And the "deals" have dried up a bit, in my experience.
2020 has made it worse because wandering the stores for non-essential items is somewhat less socially responsible during a pandemic (IMO).
Now, the whole thing feels like a waste of gas, and my time.

So for me, the hunt in 2020 SUX.

Re: The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

Hunt

Re: The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

I used to love it, but distribution and shortages and the other problems...I loathe it now. If someone thing comes out tomorrow and sells out, we may not see it for months, if ever. It's a huge reason I stopped with Marvel Legends. That 1 off to complete the BAF has been a thing since Toybiz days but back then you got a BAF, you got a massive figure with needing only 5 figures. Now you have to buy more figures for a regular size BAF AND ebay scalper prices to complete the BAF. I reached a point that I would just rather not own any of it. Back then Toybiz ML figures were 15.00 and now they are 30 for less substance.
I'm sure my lack of business isn't hurting them but...I just don't care about the hunt anymore.

Re: The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

The store hunt for me used to be a regular event. Now it’s a “if I’m there I’ll have a look” but never a special trip anymore. Online hunting has completely replaced that. Prices are comparable (I don’t even mind a couple bucks over MSRP because I’m not spending gas on the hunt. Also: there’s just not as many places to hunt as there used to be. No Zeller’s. RCSS has almost nothing for toys. Sears is gone. Target was ok for the short time it was here. Even before COVID, there’s really only Wal-Mart, TRU and Eb Games that are worth looking at.

Re: The Hunt: Love it or Hate it?
 

I've noticed the selection growing less and less varied as time goes by, so the hunt has kinda lost its appeal to me. Moreso now because of COVID. These days, if I want anything, I generally just buy it online or through A3U. I just don't have the time or energy or resources to devote to going to various stores to check stock.