Author Topic: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!  (Read 259125 times)

Offline MasterFisto

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #795 on: June 29, 2012, 11:13 AM »
What about $16 a piece?

I'll probably still be at it, as long as Hasbro keeps pumping out cool stuff.  For me, any "price point" is kinda arbitrary.  I'll keep going as long as my interest remains high for the toys.  All things being considered equal, their price tag is irrelevant for me.  I'll stop collecting only when I lose interest, not when it exceeds my comfort level in terms of cost (and honestly I have no idea where that would be). 

Offline Jeff

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #796 on: June 29, 2012, 11:20 AM »
You can't charge MORE money for INFERIOR product...that's a 1-2 punch to the gut no one can accept easily.

Yeah, that's my major problem with the CW line right now.  We're being asked to swallow cost-cutting measures (putting less NEW figures in a wave/case, using reduced paint-aps/deco, and less articulation) to accomodate for higher manufacturing costs, but at the same time we're being asked to also absorb a $1 per figure hike to offset the cost of shipping too?  Ugh.

It's just too much.  I just picked up a Scuba Ahsoka from a fellow collector this week and she is likely my last CW figure for the foreseeable future.  I won't say I'm done completely as there are a few others I'd pick up if they made them (Satine, Sugi, Onaconda Farr, Krell), but I'm definitely done buying 1x everything new or clone repaints at $11 each. :(
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Offline McMetal

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #797 on: June 29, 2012, 12:33 PM »
TRU has a sale going on for SW figures, playsets, etc...Buy One, get One 40% off.

Absolutely nothing at my store worth buying though.
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Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #798 on: June 29, 2012, 01:52 PM »
TRU has a sale going on for SW figures, playsets, etc...Buy One, get One 40% off.

Absolutely nothing at my store worth buying though.

Mine either - not to mention the fact that if you did that with the Class I vehicles - which are $22 at TRU (but $17 at WalMart), all that discount does is roughly make the cost of two equal what you would have paid at a more reasonably priced store.  :-X
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #799 on: June 29, 2012, 07:35 PM »
To me, this is pretty excuseless...  Whatever Hasbro's tossing out is simply masking what I personally feel is a $1 increase being passed onto consumers due to the line's either faltering popularity or mishandling.  I think it's more than likely this is all-in from both Hasbro and the retailers, and they're thinking it'll compensate a little for the cluster**** that has been the line since 2009/2010.

Though, as with all previous price-hikes since 2008, I look at this as another step backwards...  Higher prices seemingly, at least to my eyes, have shown to only slow sales rates...  This can only hurt the line.

I'll second too that any flaw, cost cut, or regression in quality is now a HUGE punch in the nuts.  Hell, I think for $8 you have a good gripe on even miinor flaws.  Now stuff like the Fleet Trooper not having a holster, the DST having republic logos on his shoulders, sloppy (or non-existant) paint aps, or things like miscolored pins in joints...  ALL Lame.  Any regression in articulation is inexcusable...  Those battlepack figures, which one can only assume those'll go up in price too, really look like a rip off now.

I'm having a tough time finding where to cut out figures again...  It's hard to scale back further for me.  Looks like army building is out the window for good now though, as is customizing bits.
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Offline Brian

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #800 on: June 29, 2012, 09:20 PM »
Just got done with a long post in the "future" thread, but the price hike is only going to hurt the future of the line more, as mentioned.  I've started to get more selective as well, but will be doing even more so with the prices these days.  I still enjoy collecting Star Wars, but it is getting to where I can't afford it.  It used to be a fun little hobby, but now it is becoming so expensive (and sometimes stressful) just to keep up.  Like others, I'm likely done with CW/Movie Heroes type stuff for the most part for these prices (only a select few, like Jeff mentioned), and TVC (or whatever it becomes) will see further cutbacks as well.  I was just opening some figures this week that I had gotten from BBTS, and was looking at something like the 501st Trooper in there - which is nice and all, but as I went to put it in the case and next to the other 501st troopers we've gotten, I just didn't see that I needed it.  It made me rethink some of those PT purchases, and whether or not the upgrade is really significant enough to earn my $12.  These prices are really getting out of hand though.  They always talk about making stuff "for the kids", but how many kids are going to get their parents to pay $12 (or more) for a single action figure?  At that point they are getting into the "greatest hits" video game price range, which might seem like a better option for the kid.

Offline Scockery

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #801 on: June 30, 2012, 08:18 PM »
What is minimum wage in the US? $7.25 in a lot of places.  All parents aren't middle class or better. Major brand action figures are an increasingly obsolescent luxury.








Offline Phrubruh

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #802 on: June 30, 2012, 10:26 PM »
How could there be an increase in shipping when Hasbro doesn't ship anything new? Also why are Batman: DKR figures only $5.99 while Star Wars is $9.99 at Target?
« Last Edit: June 30, 2012, 10:27 PM by Master_Phruby »
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Offline Sprry75

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #803 on: June 30, 2012, 10:42 PM »
To be fair, those DKR figures are basically Happy Meal toys...total garbage.
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Offline Phrubruh

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #804 on: June 30, 2012, 11:55 PM »
Ok. I accept that. At least the Spiderman and Avengers stuff is $9.99. It seems like a lot for what they are.
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Offline iFett

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #805 on: July 13, 2012, 12:11 PM »
Got a coupon from TRU.com for 20% off any 1 item good only today and tomorrow.  Is that Y-Wing on clearance yet?
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Offline McMetal

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #806 on: July 13, 2012, 01:54 PM »
Ok, TRU has a couple of sales, the $7 figure thing is in effect, not sure if that is brand new or what, but they also have Deluxe/Class I sets for $9.49.

Ironic timing because they just barely managed to undercut TJ Maxx on the exact same items. (Geo speeder, Yavin sled, etc)
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Offline Scockery

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #807 on: July 16, 2012, 11:36 AM »
A super Wal-Mart here got in some Imperial ARC-170's...they hadn't had them back when they did winter clearance...where'd they come from? Still marked $64.99...I didn't scan them.

Had a TIE BOMBER, too...$24.

This store never clearanced Episode 1 Dewbacks or Droid fighters, but somehow sold most of them (I guess).

Offline JediJman

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #808 on: July 16, 2012, 12:53 PM »
Does anyone else feel like every Walmart you've ever been in has EXACTLY the product you're looking for - it's just hidden or lost somewhere in the back room or some weird endcap in fabrics?
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Vintage Collection Pricing - Sales, Discounts, Price Hikes!
« Reply #809 on: July 17, 2012, 02:12 AM »
Almost every WM in my area has the Vulture/Dewback Fighters...  That's the norm here.  Very few clearanced.  Those that did still have both I think.

The Droid sets finally sold out once people realized the price was discounted but not marked.  Not all stores got that second shipment of those though, so there weren't many around to clearance.
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