Price of toys to increase 10% in 2008?

[iFett]

Toy shortages expected for the holidays

Hmm...could this be the lead in before a possible increase in toys?

[Jeff]

So, will we see $7.75 for Star Wars figures in 2008? 

Now that we are a ways into 2008, I thought it would be a good time to bump this thread... 

Based on what we've seen so far, it sure seems like a lot of the toy lines out there have seen the predicted 10% price increase (or more):

- GI Joe basic figure prices have gone up almost $1
- MSRP on new Clone Wars figs = $7.99 (yet to be seen at stores though)
- Titaniums = 2008 price increase
- Galactic Heroes = 2008 price increase

I'm sure there are other increases out there, these are just off the top of my head.

Thoughts?  Have the price increases led you to stop collecting any particular line? 

[efranks]

Thoughts?  Have the price increases led you to stop collecting any particular line? 

They're about to.  I just posted in the GI Joe thread about this.  It's going to get me to cut back on that line already.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the SW lines when they get bumped, presumably, on July 26th.

I cut back some during the first couple months of the year as there were only two waves of SW due, but last week I picked up a half dozen Indy figs plus a couple GI Joe figures and I'm looking to add both Indy trucks plus a couple Deluxe sets next time I find them.  If it weren't for the Target coupon, though, I might not have picked up any of the Indy figures last week.  That brought them to a slighly more affordable price of $6.24.

I guess I'm going to have to think about the SW line over the next two months and decide what I'm going to do. 

   E...

[Brian]

The whole price issue has definitely got me to start prioritizing what I collect even more so than I have in the past.  Part of it is due to the price per item increase, but to be honest a lot of it is just the fact that there is so much stuff out in a given year for the lines I'm interested in (Star Wars in particular).  Not that I don't like the product, but as I've mentioned in some other threads here, I kind of envy those first years of modern Star Wars where there was only 12-30 figures per year.  I'd want more than 12, but the overall releases could definitely slow down for me - especially when we're getting $100 vehicles too .  I think, as far as the items go, this is the most I've enjoyed collecting in a long time.  Great things like the new Falcon, VOTC figures, Indy figures, and the great comic stuff is all really spiffy - but the budget is having a tougher time handling it all these days.  I miss the days of $4.99 figures .

[Morgbug]

We haven't seen much of a price increase up north really.  Prices were in many instances pretty darn steep anyway (SW $9.99 per basic fig; marvel legends $14.95, etc.) plus I think we're sort of reaping some benefit of the US dollar falling relative to Canadian dollar.  So we haven't really been affected too much as our prices were always substantially higher.  I think most Canadian product comes out of distribution in the US rather than directly from overseas, so our purchasing power went up while your dollar went down.

Has it affected me?  Nah, not really.  I'm sort of naturally declining in terms of collecting anyway, much as many others are.  For me it has meant not buying everything regardless of whether I actually want it or not.  Selectivity kicked in before any price increases actually started to affect me.  So it's been largely a non-issue for me.

[Chris M]

I can't remember the last modern figure I bought.  So the price increase isn't affecting me at all.

But, I will probably dish out money for my first modern purchase in years when I pick up the MF this summer.  I've got to have one of those.

[Jesse James]

It pretty much cut in where I figured it would.  I've cut back on duplicates of anything I buy, I will not be collecting animated CW figures for certain, and so on.  Unfortunately my 1:18 military toy line(s) are seeing a bump in price due to shorter production runs, but it's a hell of a lot more than 10%, so I'll be cutting back there as well.  It's mostly on vehicles, not figures, so figures are still $4.99 or $5.99 depending where you shop (and $8.99-ish for 2-packs).

SW figures I know I've cut back on some army building where I otherwise wouldn't have (FU troopers I've passed on now, and Juno Eclipse figures).  The cost of gasoline hasn't helped either.  Had that been cheaper I maybe wouldn't have thought so much about that extra figure here and there, but at the current prices it's a much easier pass.

[Darth_Ice]

Its ok I will just make sure that I do not buy the repacks and repaints...I had already planned on cutting back this year..just makes it that much easier.

[Jeff]

Is the price of our favorite toys going up again this Fall?

Hasbro hosted a webconference this morning to announce their Second Quarter 2008 Results (follow the link to listen for yourself). Included in the presentation was news of a mid-level, single digit percent price hike on all Hasbro toys beginning September 1st.


In the webconference, Hasbro said that all of the customers (their customers, not us) have been informed of the price hikes.  I am really hoping that means that Target's recent round of price increases this month (on Indy, SW, GI Joe, etc) was them staying ahead of the curve on this one because it's really going to suck if the price of everything is going up again in a few months.   

[Sprry75]

Man, Star Wars guys aren't worth eight bucks each.  If they really hit nine, I am sooo done.

[efranks]

Honestly, $7.99 for a basic action figure is pretty ridiculous in the 3.75" scale.  Even in the Saga Legends wave, with the new Equipment Lockers.  Is a 3.75" Clone Trooper with maybe a blaster and antenna now worth $8 when we were paying $6.50 last week at Wal-Mart?  Not really.  You walk into Target with $20 and you get 2 figures and the change won't even get you half a gallon of gas at the pump now.

If they go to $8.99 that'll be a $2 raise in one year and $4 in three years, nearly doubling the price from the ROTS line.

I knew that I would be cutting back in 2008 again, after an expanded 2007, but I had planned on buying the Indy figures and some select GI Joe figures.  Now I'm cutting way back on the Joes, almost to the point of not buying basic carded figures (but the DVD Battle Packs are a helluva deal at $20), and I may skip the Indy line altogether even though I was looking forward to the Last Crusade and Temple of Doom waves.

Friday night I plan on getting a CW R2-D2 and 5 of the first wave of TLC figures (and the free Holo Grievous) and that's it.  That's just over $50 with tax.  Beyond that I do want pretty much the entire wave 2 of TLC but none of wave 3.  I'm looking at two figures (Ahsoka & Oddball) from wave 2 of the CW line and one (Plo Koon) from wave 3. 

I'm now planning on skipping both the AT-TE and Falcon and the only vehicles I'll probably buy are the Republic Gunships, including the action figure size, Titanium and Lego.  The rest I'll skip or wait on, wait for sales, coupons, re-packs, something.

   E...

[Brian]

I have to admit, I'm one of the suckers that's kept buying as the prices have continued to go up.  Things are starting to get a little too expensive to do that at this point though, with price increases in Star Wars, Indy, Joe, and about everything else I'm interested in.  I'd be curious to see how many people would cut back or drop out if we start seeing $9 basic figures.  Heck, it sounds like we'll be at $8 the way it is, so its not far off.  So far, the price increase is leading me to think about the "other" lines I collect, but I've been sticking with Star Wars so far.

The other thing is that combined with the price increases, the just crazy pace of releases (with Star Wars in particular) is just a lot to keep up with anymore, at least for me.  Heck, that's why I have to pick and choose with the big release this weekend.  There seems to be more stuff out (money wise at least) than there was for the ROTS release, a movie that was much more hyped than the Clone Wars Animated stuff is.  If we're going to get in a situation where basic figures are $10+ (VOTC prices, or even worse), then the only way I could likely keep up is if the releases were cut back to the early POTF2 type numbers of 20-30 figures per year.  That's something I wouldn't mind personally (the release pace slowing, not the price increases), although I know others probably feel differently.

[Rob]

At $7.99 I'm drawing all sorts of lines...

No more carded and loose collecting, I'm only buying loose.

And no more army building of any kind - Hasbro gets to sell me one of everything from here on out and no more.

[BrentS]

I've pretty much given up on collecting Hasbro figures.  I've even been comptemplating dumping the whole lot.  Feels like I'm selling a piece of my soul if I do that though.  I've been buying lots of Kubricks and Sidesdow Figures so that is more than enough cash to keep my collecting habit going.