Author Topic: Drop in Collector Interest?  (Read 44042 times)

Offline Greg

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #75 on: February 19, 2010, 03:37 PM »
Some of that may have to do with many collectors having more responsibilities these days - such as kids of their own, house payments, etc. 

This is probably the case for me with forum participation. I don't post nearly as much as I used to, but I don't feel any different about the hobby. I still enjoy reading people's thoughts on the upoming and current releases, but catching up on all of the posts during the day usually takes 30-45 minutes. By that time I'm ready to move on to something else, like studying, work, etc.

Offline Morgbug

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #76 on: March 15, 2010, 06:18 PM »
None of those apply to me.  I'm just finding I don't give a crap anymore about what Hasbro has to offer.  The biggest part is distribution it seems.  I know I'm not going to see anything where I am but for the Clone Wars stuff.  Great cartoon, don't need a whole new subline to collect.  No Legacy but for Legends, don't care.  No announcements of plans going forward so I'm out for the most part.  At least with respect to the Canadian market, Hasbro intentionally or unintentionally said to me as a collector that they don't want my money.  S'ok with me. 
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #77 on: March 16, 2010, 11:58 AM »
I'm losing even more interest lately due to the extreme lack of anything in the stores that is targeted at me.  I'm sick of seeing only Clone Wars and Legends, with the occasional Legacy figure.  The lull in collecting isn't making me look more forward to the vintage line either - if anything, it's just making me bored with Hasbro.

Offline JACKOFTRADZE

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #78 on: March 16, 2010, 12:58 PM »
Dude, I hear you! The only things keeping me engaged are my collection room and my customs. I have been adding to my collection room shelves, more figures & new shelf paper backdrops among other things. (I will have updated collection pics soon!) I am also making a custom Jabba Throne room display, I am really into to it and is going to be awesome.

Once I am finished that I really will want to add some new figures and vehicles. I have reserved space for the Snowspeeder, CC and AT-AT. The lack of new product is taking it's toll. Rumor boards are literally pathetic as all you see is mini skirmishes on irrelevant details. (referring to RS) You can see the lack of interest in fan forums and even eBay as all SW prices have dropped like no tomorrow. They do more harm by having such long droughts. All their energy is clearly in IM2 right now. Even Joe is suffering as they are just clearing the remaining ROC inventory. This is not good for the long term as they have run this formula steady for the last three years and in the time we have seen the greatest decline. There is no denying this in my opinion counts for at least 50% of the overall problem.

So what's next TF2 packs, last of the comic packs and the EU wave. The majority of that is redecoed stuff and stuff we have known about for a very long time it's like we already have it. Sad, very sad.
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Offline Brian

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #79 on: March 16, 2010, 01:12 PM »
Yeah, we've discussed it before on here, but this whole "drought" strategy that has been working itself out over the past three years really seems to be hurting the line.  I can see why people are losing interest when there isn't anything on the pegs for them anyways.  I've been trying to keep up with the "collector's challenge" again this year, and keeping close track of my spending, and I've bought virtually nothing Star Wars-wise for 2010.  Heck, I've bought more Iron Man figures than Star Wars figures.  I'll continue to pick up a few CW figures here and there, but there's a part of me that thinks I should slow that down as those are really for "today's Star Wars fans" more than us.  I really like the show, and enjoy the line (I think its a great line for kids especially), but I'm more into the movie stuff like many of us on here are.  I'll likely continue to grab some here and there, especially since that is virtually all there will be until late July for Star Wars.

Like it was mentioned, there is some exclusive stuff trickling out, but so much of that has been known about for so long, it does seem like old news - and I'm not even sure how much of it I'm going to try to track down.  I'd like to get the TRU exclusive wave, or at least some of it, but I'm not going to go crazy trying to track it down either.  I'm definitely looking forward to the vintage line in the fall though, and I'll likely be buying most to all of that (and maybe - yikes - a carded set, at least of the OT ones).  That being said though, I'm still wondering that unless we see a movie re-release (or blu ray, etc.), we might just see this vintage line run for 2-3 years and they may wrap the realistic stuff up - at least until the live action tv stuff starts up.  It is tough to say, but the focus for toy lines these days (action figures in particular) is stuff with "current entertainment" to support it.  We're fortunate in many ways to have the Star Wars line for as long as we have.  Looking at virtually every other line, they are almost all lines with current movies and/or cartoon shows.  Even GI Joe is pretty much all movie based, or an offshoot, at this point.

Offline McMetal

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #80 on: March 16, 2010, 01:54 PM »
You can see the lack of interest in fan forums and even eBay as all SW prices have dropped like no tomorrow. They do more harm by having such long droughts.

That's interesting, I am an avid eBayer and I have noticed just the opposite with the vintage auctions. Those prices have really skyrocketed since the end of last year. Maybe collectors are using the lull to fill in gaps with their older stuff?

I don't have a problem with $100 for a Blue Snags, but $60+ for a lousy A-Wing pilot?!?! That is discouraging.
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Offline JACKOFTRADZE

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #81 on: March 16, 2010, 03:35 PM »
You can see the lack of interest in fan forums and even eBay as all SW prices have dropped like no tomorrow. They do more harm by having such long droughts.

That's interesting, I am an avid eBayer and I have noticed just the opposite with the vintage auctions. Those prices have really skyrocketed since the end of last year. Maybe collectors are using the lull to fill in gaps with their older stuff?

I don't have a problem with $100 for a Blue Snags, but $60+ for a lousy A-Wing pilot?!?! That is discouraging.

It is. I have sold SW items every week on eBay for 4 years straight, I am just shy of 2000 FB, a Power Seller and also a Top Rated Seller. SW modern items have dropped in price dramatically, especially large figure lots. While I do not deal with vintage anymore I can speak for the modern era stuff. I have seen a dramatic decline in pricing & demand. It's a good time to catch up on past items if you missed them, but not the best time to sell. Like many other things there are economic factors involved as well but the lack of interest and engagement have taken a toll across the board from collectors to sellers.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2010, 03:36 PM by JACKOFTRADZE »
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #82 on: March 16, 2010, 05:55 PM »
Lackluster economy probably has a big bearing on ebay selling like you said. 
« Last Edit: March 16, 2010, 05:55 PM by CHEWIE »

Offline JACKOFTRADZE

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #83 on: March 16, 2010, 06:21 PM »
Lackluster economy probably has a big bearing on ebay selling like you said. 

For sure, but I really have seen the drop in collector interest effect also take a toll. Your typical eBay SW buyer is more collector focused and like the rest of us if there is not "wood" for the fire it takes a backseat interest wise and keeps on moving back the less that comes our way.
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #84 on: March 16, 2010, 07:04 PM »
Not that I doubt there's some dropped interest (which I mostly blame on Hasbro), but I seem to recall hearing that all of ebay has seen a decline in sales the past couple years.  I also see more and more people selling their collections because of losing their job, etc.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #85 on: March 16, 2010, 08:18 PM »
I wouldn't doubt that Ebay in general is losing a lot of membership because of their increasingly asinine policies...  or so I hear/read from others anyway.  It seems like Ebay's steadily made it more difficult to sell, and less financially motivating as well.
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Offline Keonobi

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #86 on: March 17, 2010, 10:15 AM »
From the few searches I've done lately on Ebay I've noticed how a lot of auctions are dominated by "Buy it Now" sellers with frankly unrealistic expectations.  I don't know whether that's a reflection of the auctions I'm looking at, a change of selling style by sellers, or whether the auction sellers have left the site because of policy changes (like JJ mentioned).
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Offline McMetal

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #87 on: March 17, 2010, 12:06 PM »
From the few searches I've done lately on Ebay I've noticed how a lot of auctions are dominated by "Buy it Now" sellers with frankly unrealistic expectations.  I don't know whether that's a reflection of the auctions I'm looking at, a change of selling style by sellers, or whether the auction sellers have left the site because of policy changes (like JJ mentioned).

"Wildly unrealistic expectations" is how I would describe it. I agree 100% - this is just lazy and greedy, IMO. Do some research and see what stuff is actually selling for before slapping some insane price tag on your auction.

I wish I could post some examples here but eBay is blocked for me at work.

One of the most irritating things for me on the retail landscape right now is the low quantities of new stuff stores are ordering. They get a case of new stuff, it sells out quickly, and then nothing. I think if they ordered larger quantities of new stuff and put it all out on the shelves at once they would have more sales and less junk hanging around. Target seems to have noticed this lately as I have seen more multi-case displays for the new TCW stuff (well, Wave 2 anyway) but not so much Walmart. TRU is just bizarre. They get a new case of figures here and once that sells it takes MONTHS to restock the same wave.

They need to understand there is a limited window of collector interest. This is why most of the DVD's in stores are new stuff, not old titles. Keep it fresh, and people will become regular customers. (I know it's a lot more complicated than that but this was just an idle rant)
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Offline shmashwitdaclub

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #88 on: March 17, 2010, 01:12 PM »
I am personally all caught up with everything that has been released this year - I have purchased just about one of everything, if not more in regards to a select few army building type figures - so I am not really effected by anything going on at the moment.

But I will say something about Target here and their availability of the "Legacy" line.  I have 2 Targets in my area.  The "main" Target has been sold out of "Legacy" figures for a month now - pretty close to the same situation at the other Target (It has been less than 1 month since they have been completely sold out of all their Legacy figures - but they are sold out now).

Now, what does Target do to fix the situation, fill the pegs?  No.  Why, I don't know - perhaps there are no figures to be shipped in the distribution center.  However, this could also be because of another issue.  A common practice I see at Target is for the employees just to make sure that every peg is filled.  When there is a empty peg they scan it and check the warehouse to see if there is any product in the back to fill it - when there isn't they just "flex" it out because they don't want to make management angry at the end of the night during the dept walkthru.  So, in response, every time I go into Target now, I make it a habit to just stop and take a second if I have the time and put SW product on their appropriate pegs to clean it up a bit, and hope that someone will continue to take notice of the missing product and address the issue.

I guess another reason I am doing this is in part to help the line.  Hasbro says "Legacy" figures aren't selling well - I disagree.  Get the product out there and it will sell.

 

Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Drop in Collector Interest/Figures?
« Reply #89 on: March 17, 2010, 01:22 PM »
Hasbro says "Legacy" figures aren't selling well - I disagree.  Get the product out there and it will sell.

Agreed 200%.  They have really disgusted me with that sentiment over the past six months.