Author Topic: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?  (Read 235865 times)

Offline Scott

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #450 on: July 25, 2014, 09:57 AM »
Actually, 6" prices are going to go up a couple dollars in the next waves.

Someone else said that recently...  did I miss a memo?  Why does everyone think the price is going up?

I was looking at figures on Beyond Mortality yesterday.  Wave 5 and 6 figures are at 21.99, while earlier ones are 19.99 (including the Stormtrooper).

But, yeah, I feel that I can't spend too much more than that right now, so I might be pulling the plug on 6" figures.
I also saw that they were soliciting a case that has not been announced yet and contains figures from a JTA rumor list...I wouldn't put too much stock in a price hike (yet).

Offline Jeff

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #451 on: July 25, 2014, 10:26 AM »
they've cut back and aren't doing it much at all in 4" scale now...  costs and all that jazz.  They're seeing that $10 is a threshold for 4" figures where people really are hesitant to spend it.  I think they're at this point afraid to raise a basic figure above that because they know price has hurt that line far more than any other factor.
I realize that a lot of things are going up in price, but there has to be a breaking point.

I agree with Jesse.  I think we hit the breaking point at $10.  Hasbro's afraid to cross it, so instead of $12 figures, we're getting watered down $10 figures now.  It's also why the Saga Legends 5POA reset happened to drastically reboot "kid figures" back down to $5-6 range.

Jesse has said it a number of times before and I agree 100% - the future has to lie in the middle somewhere for collector figures to live on much longer.  I think Jesse's example is like the 2007/2008 stuff - decent articulation (10-12 points) in the $8 range.  Not everything needs to be ball-joints, but 5POA is way below what they are capable of making.


I was looking at figures on Beyond Mortality yesterday.  Wave 5 and 6 figures are at 21.99, while earlier ones are 19.99 (including the Stormtrooper).

It will be interesting to see if that's a real retail-wide price hike or just the "Previews Effect" of shops buying the Previews solid-figure cases, which will indeed cost more because of the single figure pack-outs.  It's something that hasn't really been talked about much but it's the price you'll pay to get better access to certain figures.

The little signs with the figures at SDCC and the recent Hasbro press releases have all said $19.99 for the standard MSRP on the 6" Black Series figures still though.
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Offline P-Siddy

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #452 on: July 25, 2014, 10:40 AM »
To add to the price issue, and maybe it's proof or maybe it's shooting one's self in the foot, but K-Mart has upped their 6" prices from 19.99 to 21.99 online and in stores.

Offline Nicklab

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #453 on: July 25, 2014, 10:41 AM »
There's also the matter of the Disney store.  Of all brick & mortar retail, they've started to be a go-to destination for Star Wars figures.  And TBS basic figures sell there for $10.99 each.
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Offline P-Siddy

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #454 on: July 25, 2014, 10:42 AM »
There's also the matter of the Disney store.  Of all brick & mortar retail, they've started to be a go-to destination for Star Wars figures.  And TBS basic figures sell there for $10.99 each.

And $24.99 for 6".

Offline Jeff

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #455 on: July 25, 2014, 10:58 AM »
K-Mart has upped their 6" prices from 19.99 to 21.99 online and in stores.

Hasn't K-Mart always charged $21.99 for the 6" stuff?  Not sure about wave 1, but $21.99 was what they were charging for Wave 2 last November. ;)
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #456 on: July 25, 2014, 02:22 PM »
Hmmm, I'll check that next time I'm in.  I never really looked.  4" is same price as everyone else.
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Offline McMetal

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #457 on: July 25, 2014, 02:36 PM »
I just paid $21.99 for a 6" Stormtrooper at Kroger. (Grocery store chain) Their 4" stuff was priced as usual though. ruh-roh
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Offline Jeff

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #458 on: August 18, 2014, 02:54 PM »
Back to the topic of price hikes, I'm seeing lots of Twitter/Facebook reports of Target stores raising prices on the 3.75" stuff...

Saga Legends = $7.19-$7.59 (up from $5.99-$6.49)
Black Series = $10.49-$11.49 (up from $9.99)

No signs yet if this is Target being Target (historically they always jack up the price when a new line is hitting, going back to 1999) or if it's a Hasbro thing.  Kinda surprised if it's a Hasbro thing as all the SDCC info indicated $5.99/$9.99 for the basic figure lines.   :-\
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Offline RyanMan12

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #459 on: August 18, 2014, 03:03 PM »
I don't understand why Target hikes prices. I'm already skeptical of the quality of the star wars products, don't go raising the prices.

Offline Jayson

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #460 on: August 18, 2014, 03:45 PM »
I think the price hike on the SL/Mission Series is a harder pill to swallow than the increase on the TBS figures. Granted, haters of the SL figures weren't going to be swayed with a price drop on this line either, but it sure hurts the enthuiasm I have had for the line.
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Offline Rob

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #461 on: August 18, 2014, 05:31 PM »
I bought a Legends Stormtrooper at Target Saturday and it was $5.99 if that means anything...

Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #462 on: August 18, 2014, 08:46 PM »
Prices were the status quo here, a store that's done the resets, but that's just my own store.

I am in the camp that further price hikes are a real nut punch from Hasbro, if it's Hasbro, but K-Mart reset and the prices were all the SDCC listed ones.  Guess this might just be SOME Targets testing the waters?  Target's a weird duck.

I think a hike in price is equally a kick in the dick for the 5POA or the Black Series stuff...  5POA is supposed to be the affordable thing, the paint apps have been so-so but kind of expected.  Black Series (and the collector line in general) has already seemingly priced itself out of the realm of "casual purchase" territory and anything further is damaging.  Also Hasbro's clearly made cutbacks in quality where they can on any given figure, and paint apps are down across the board on the TBS 4" line.  Any price hike is pretty devastating to something that's struggling and has been since really 2012.

It's the topic of the day.  The sky isn't falling yet though.
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Offline Diddly

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #463 on: August 18, 2014, 09:55 PM »
My local Targets should think about actually stocking figures before they consider raising prices.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #464 on: August 18, 2014, 10:51 PM »
Yeah I've not seen a 4" new figure at a Target store in eons.  K-Mart and TRU usually get anything long beforehand actually.  Target was the first locally to put out the 6" deluxe though and what new reset they've done with the 2014 packaging look.

Still yet to see one of those big X-Wings and I'm apparently the only guy not whining about them.  :-\
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