The ridiculous price of new figures

[proteus]

the price of oil has made the price of new figures astronomical the star rwars figures in the uk have risen from 5.99 (uk pounds) to 11.99
for a star wars figure?

the toy market is declinig they say - is it any wonder?

[victoryleo19]

It's good and bad I guess. Many businesses in the US would simply not stay above water if they couldn't offshore and outsource. The real villian is the consumer. We want it all cheap, and we want to be paid more more more for the jobs we do. Unions may have been a good idea on paper, but they have destroyed a lot of what America and the world used to be.

[Megatron]

Jul 23, 2011 16:22:48 GMT -6 victoryleo19 said:

It's good and bad I guess. Many businesses in the US would simply not stay above water if they couldn't offshore and outsource. The real villian is the consumer. We want it all cheap, and we want to be paid more more more for the jobs we do. Unions may have been a good idea on paper, but they have destroyed a lot of what America and the world used to be.

Yes and no yes we should get it cheaper because alot of us are getting paid less than we have in the past...And it's because companies are on the cheap and because of the "Trickle Down" economics that was done in the late 80's that started the whole China thing...Rich get richer well you know...

[rihia2k]

It never fails to get me. The price of new, carelessly made, crap plastic toys is often no cheaper than some beautiful vintage specimens.
I'm proud of the fact most of my collection is re-appreciating old petroleum/plastic.
Just like I wear 2nd hand - I wanna' support as few a$$hole companies as I can.
While I consider clothing manufacturers t' be more evil than toy companies, let's face it - GREED.
I see plenty of plastic / oil based products than aren't as exorbitant as the big name toys.

[mrjayberry]

As a guy who routinly spends up to 8.99 on Marvel Universe figures I say I was as shocked as proteus to see a $10.99 price tag on a Star Wars figure. It doubly sucks because I just wanted the head for a MU custom I'm in the planning stage of. I'm hoping some of it was because I was at Toys R Us and I'll find the same head a few dollars cheaper at another store but still. Your not going to get many casual sales that way leaving the serious collectors to have every last penny squeezed out of them. Marvel Universe is probably next for the price hike.

[proteus]

it really is absurd i see parents in stores saying ..how much!.?...the toy prices here have almost doubled.i think casual buyers are a thing of the past i know i havnt bought any new figures for over a year until this week

[alfi]

$10.99 for a Star Wars figure? You are lucky. The Star Wars figures are 15€ in stores here, that's $21.50!!

[proteus]

outrageous! do they really think people will pay it?

[rawlin]

They are really expensive here too, about as alfi. I thought it would be fun to start collecting the animated series but I changed my mind when I saw what they cost.

[rocklord74]

:DTHAT'S why I stick to vintage, lol.

[countzackula]

I honestly pretty much stopped buying anything new...for many reason, actually...but price is definitely on of the top reasons! I wish there was one main reason I could blame, but I'm not really an economist or businessy-type guy. I just happen to like toys and ignorantly wonder why the darn things seem to keep rising in price. I guess I like to think that toy companies slowly started realizing a lot of adult collectors can get pretty hardcore and lots of parents may be willing to "spoil" their kiddies and have slowly risen the price and allowed the consumer to just as slowly get used to it? Man, am I some kinda conspiracy nut, or what! I started to realize I was being far to willing to lay down such-n-such amount of dollars on certain figures simply 'cause I believed it to be an accepted price. It took me a while to officially wake up to the fact I was being totally stupid for paying eight bucks for something that should be four. I'm not saying my fellow collectors are dumb for paying whatever price for whatever toy...whatever you wanna do with your life and your money is up to you. I just got really disgusted by the increasingly ridiculous prices. Let's not forget annoying things like availability of not only certain figures, but certain toy lines. Oh, and figure quality...that's a huge factor. Yeah, I rarely even glance at the action figure aisles anymore. I'm slowly becoming a vintage-only collector.

[victoryleo19]

Trickle down is definitely a factor. I think video games sapping 90% of the marketable demographic away is also an issue. There just weren't as many options for kids in the 80's/90's as there are today. Video games have evolved to the point that some kids spend their LIVES playing them. To each their own, but it's sad that personal imagination has become so uninteresting to many of todays kids.

The only new toylines I collect are MOTUC, Legos, and the upcoming Thundercats.

[10incher]

This is why I wait for figures to go on clearance at Walmart & Target. Usually its only less popular movie lines, but i just picked up the entire first series of Tron Legacy figures for $1 each at Walmart!

[it better be red]

I am guilty of shelling out 160.00 (shipped) for a presale of the Sucker Punch 1/6 Baby Doll figure coming out soon. My son and I loved the movie, and the figure was a MUST HAVE! hey....some things are just more important than paying delinquent back taxes to the government.

[rawlin]

Just bought ahsoka tano on ebay, yep sold out in all stores and impossible to find, probably because the ones buying it in the stores are the ones selling it on ebay for 30£ uk. I feel sorry for the kids, no way parents can keep this up. Clone wars is the best made line since vintage imo.

It seems to me they are somehow focusing more on the collectors then the kids these days. The vintage toys where not cheap either here when I was a kid, but at least my parents could afford me some, if it had been these prices I probably would have had none. Not talking about Lego. I dunno why that is so popular but the lego cost more then the real figures...

I saw that in USA some figures cost like 5-6$ so you can hoard up on the troopers. But here all figures cost around 16euro each no matter what it is.

[it better be red]

I could cut out junkfood from the budget... as long as my finances allow me enough money to purchase a small popcorn...a box of Goobers and a Dr. pepper at the movies each week.

Back on the topic of this post. I agree that in the stores ...and of course on a more inflated level on Ebay, the prices for new stuff is getting out of hand. However there are still lines that come out that are half way decent and fairly affordable.... The Generator Rex figures (from the Cartoon Network show) they retailed for 5.00-6.00 and were pretty decent. Of course people were scalping the on ebay when they first came out for 12-15.

The Green lantern and Thor figures that came out for the movie releases weren't too bad price-wise either. I wasn't into them...but I have a seven year old son who of course wanted a few after seeing the movie, and I didn't mind shelling out 6.97 apiece for a couple of those.

(got to support his habit as well as my own)

[rawlin]

Was in the food store today and bought a couple of figures, snapped a photo while no one watched, sorry for shitty picture.

You can see star wars basic clone wars at 169sek no matter which one it is. That's around 24.8dollars per figure. Just makes me mad to see the same figures in stores in US for 5$ lol. The small ships cost almost 300sek(kr) which is 47dollars.

[rawlin]

It's the worst ones I've seen and I hate it because it makes it "very" hard to collect the line, and I am not picking up those vehicles because 300sek is way overpriced, even with all the shipping and taxes it's still way over. Also seeing what these normally cost in other countries kinda confirms that there these are not more expensive to buy then other toys, they just take more then twice the price to haul in on the parents and collectors. Don't think a kid can afford this. Now I am not fund of Lego, but Lego Star Wars is actually more expensive then these... soon the three large boxes I got stored since kid will be worth more then gold.

[Ghouldrool]

With the dollar relatively low compared to the Euro, it really doesn't make sense anymore to buy figures at retail here in the Netherlands. Why should I pay € 12,99, if I can get the figure I want loose for $ 6,00 with free shipping from one of the Hong Kong Ebay sellers? And nine times out of ten, MONTHS before the figures even hit retail here in the Netherlands anyway. These prices have made sure I never buy a Star Wars figure at retail ever again. I mean, there's really no point!

[rawlin]

I know what you mean, I wish they cost 13€ here though. It's about 16€ in stores here... i've bought 3 in stores but I'm buying on ebay now, mocs go for 10$ or below most of the time. Even with the shipping it's cheaper. I'm waiting for around 20 figurs now, get 3 counting shipping, for the price of one in the stores here.
I've seen prices from 149-169sek so it does varies. The worst part is that all major stores have the same prices, probably check each other out and pick the same. I don't think these sell well in sweden and no wonders...

[den82]

Only modern line I like is MOTUC. Do I buy them? No.

The toy companies today target adult collectors, who, sad to say, are sheep who'll buy ANYTHING regardless of how lame and recycled of an idea it is at ANY price and I could never collect modern stuff as I cannot be a monkey for corporations.

I even see modern collectors bitch. "WHAT THE HELL, HASBRO IS RELEASING YET ANOTHER LUKE IN JEDI OUTFIT?!?!", but they buy it anyway. They bitch because it's another thing they "have to" buy. Why not just not buy it, you monkey? Why be a puppet for corporations?

Sadly, toy companies were always like this. But at least in the past, the toys they made were played with and enjoyed by kids. Today, it's adults buying them to automatically stick on a shelf. What's the point? At least with vintage stuff, there is nostalgia behind it and 50% of the thrill of having it, is finding it.

[rawlin]

Yes but still the price differences between the countries for example US and Sweden is 400% maybe more. This to me indicate that it's the stores that are responsible for these prices.

About MOTUC, I wonder why they are expensive, since Mattel makes their packaging out of Rainforest even today. Another reason not to buy new Barbie or MOTUC.

[it better be red]

Hey Den...

In that case...our whole Coke drinking, McDonalds consuming, amusement park going, cell phone addicted, zombified television commercial staring, Cigarette smoking, Cable TV subscribing, Advil taking, Nike wearing, Microwave-able society are all monkeys sucking on the mother breast of corperation$.

Planet of the Apes indeed.
(The new movie kicked ass by the way!) Though no-one can ever outshine Charlton Heston delivering the line..."Get your hands off me you filthy ape."

SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!

[rawlin]

Yeah pretty much, got to stay living after all but I can get over 12 liter Coca Cola or I can get 1 action figure for the same price.

When I was a kid star wars figures cost between 40sek to 99sek(around 15dollar), today they cost 169sek and that wouldn't bother me so much if they actually cost that everywhere, but they don't. It become even a lot cheaper for me to go and buy a moc in an eBay store where sometimes I can even get them for 3-4$,

While I have bought 3 in store, i pretty much regret that. I am not rich enough to pay these prices, hell I don't even think they will be worth that much in 30 years.

[rawlin]

Because I saw in a funny review of the Barbie serial I noticed that it had the text "keep it green" on it so I went too green peace site to read up a bit more about Mattel using rainforest, turned out Hasbro and Lego does the same... not good imo, even with these crap high prices I would spend a dollar more per figure if the packaging was made from non rainforest wood.

So on the serial it looked like there should be something on the website about it and it where
corporate.mattel.com/about-us/playingresponsibly/
seems like getting out of the green peace campaign is now in Mattels interests.
I hope they are really doing what they say. And I hope that Hasbro and Lego does the same.

I saw barbie prices in the food store Barbie was at 200kr, Lego is around there as well. it's about 31$.

[rawlin]

I don't really see collecting as a bad habit. It doesn't harm anyone else in most cases, except for some as seen on TV. It's quiet so it doesn't disturb anyone else. Usually the stuff you collect don't lower in value so it could be considered and investment to some point, but most of all I am sure applies to most here, it does make you happy while being a challenge.

But now when I know the packaging is made of rainforest I am not really happy about the new lines. At least I am buying my stuff second hand.

Since our modern society is based on corporations, and wouldn't work without them, except smoking, it's pretty much unavoidable.
I don't think there is such thing as true happiness. Having nothing wouldn't be happiness either, and even if you got a family you love, live in a nice place where you could watch nature all day, I think your bound to pick some hobby up anyway, be it collecting nice stones or carving wood. Even cavemen made a kind of jewelry.

[rawlin]

I guess that's about it :P wow classical music of all stuff. Never thought someone could get destroyed by that. I've been watching a youtube channel named I think it's Jeepers Media. I am not sure but it's pretty funny. The guy got over 250 000 toys and he do look very happy :) Very fun to watch his channel.

But it can loose control as most. And I agree on that stuff need to be put back and a lot left alone. I would buy clone wars figures even if just sold in baggies if it meant not destroying the rainforest for example. Oil in plastic is a bit hard to avoid :P

[slm2024]

i frequently buy power rangers figures at target for 6.99, compared to the 7.99 or higher price of everything else, i'm happy and glad that power rangers are still viewed as lame by the majority of toy consumers. the thing that gets me is that there is more quality in the packaging of figures these days than the toys themselves. someone before mentioned that adult colelctors buy these because they "have to." i couldn't agree more that this is a fact AND lame. that, and marketing (i.e., flashy packaging) used to be obvious and immediately deemed as lame. now it seems people accept this flaw in their shopping routine.

i'm sorry to hear about the pricing of your star wars figures over there rawlin. if shipping doesn't make the overall price the same, i will gladly hunt down some star wars figs here for you.

[rawlin]

I just recieved a package with a moc Ahsoka Tano CW 44 that I bought to keep as display, but the idiot packed it in a 0.5millimeter thick box... so ofc it's trashed, the cardback is bent all over and it wont do for display at all... sigh. I am so getting tired of stuff like this.

i'm sorry to hear about the pricing of your star wars figures over there rawlin. if shipping doesn't make the overall price the same, i will gladly hunt down some star wars figs here for you.

If you want, I really need another Ahsoka Tano CW44 and there are a few others. I want as well. :)

Edit: Was a bit much in combination with the horse to get this as well. I for once used the ebay support which worked out good.

[rawlin]

Of all things I could think of collecting, cd's would probably be my last choice but that's me. Hell it wouldn't even be a choice unless it was nice movies of nice collectibles on them.
Many of my friends had loads of cd's when we where kids, I dunno about now though. I had about 5 :P

Ever seen that buried alive show? about hoarders, it's amazing to see what people can hoard up on.