Author Topic: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?  (Read 236473 times)

Offline Nicklab

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #105 on: May 2, 2012, 01:09 PM »
How about the future in the short term?  There may be a summer reset in the works at WalMart stores in the next two weeks.  The focus will largely be on the summer movie season, but all properties are likely to see some new stock.
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #106 on: May 2, 2012, 01:58 PM »
I sure hope so Nicklab!  We need a summer reset desperately... most Wal-Marts in my neck of the woods could easily add 1-3 cases of vintage, and even a case or so of Movie Heroes/Clone Wars.  Same goes for TRU.  I just hope when it happens, it's with new stuff. 

Target isn't even on my radar anymore until Joe stuff starts showing up.  This is the worst year for Star Wars there that I can remember.

Offline McMetal

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #107 on: May 2, 2012, 04:32 PM »
Yeah, Target has really become a complete non-factor, it's as if they've abandoned the SW line completely. I know some people have reported finding the DS Wave figures there, but all the stores around here, and there are at least 10-12, have not restocked with anything new since January. It's pathetic.

When K-Mart is a better option for new SW figures than Target, you know something's wrong.
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Offline Scockery

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #108 on: May 2, 2012, 08:56 PM »
Yeah, no Target restock around here since that 50% coupon sale.

If I even found new figures I'd be tempted to scalp them on ebay. I mean, distribution has turned every collector into a potential scalper...even it's just for 'trading'...we'd be fools to pass up some figures. In the past scalping was mostly about getting things first and selling them to the impatient. Now it's about getting things at all and selling them to the desperate.

Not that I'm gonna scalp. Because I never see anything new, nor do I want to turn the last toy line I collect into a desperate gasp for greed.


Offline Sprry75

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #109 on: May 2, 2012, 09:25 PM »
I hit a Target today and hit the motherlode...of Dengars.  Seriously, if anybody needs about four hundred of them, hit me up.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #110 on: May 2, 2012, 09:43 PM »
K-Mart's almost always outdone Target here...  Not in quantity of any given wave, but getting just about each and every wave?  Sure.

It's funny people knocking them...  Saw every BAD wave there at least once.  Saw every 30AC wave there at least once, including Revan/Malak everyone bitched they never saw...  That's what happens when you don't go looking at a store because you think it's too dirty or something. :)

It's funny too, they're cheaper than TRU, run sales just as good or better (not as often though), and K-Mart didn't order TPM wave here AT ALL.  They're getting it due to repacks, but I never saw an initial Wave 1 shipment, ever, at any KM I visit.  I see them now that they've gotten Wave 2 and/or 3 in though.  That kinda blows, but that's not KM's fault.
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #111 on: May 3, 2012, 09:50 AM »
We can contact the retailers all we want about getting new product in, but it's all about assortment. They don't know case A from case B (we could advise them), but even still new cases have older product in them that aren't selling.

I've contacted Target's CS line before and the person I happened to be talking to didn't even know how their DCPI system works. They then got mad at me when I tried to explain it to them, which they wouldn't believe.
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Offline Brian

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #112 on: May 7, 2012, 01:00 PM »
It might be the prices, but I'm just not sure how much kids care about action figures in general that much anymore (at least not more than having a handful - and there are always exceptions).  I would say the Avengers line has sold decently locally (and maybe will pick up even more now that the movie is such a colossal hit), but honestly, the role play stuff is what is sold out (or close) around here, while many of the figures still hang on.  It may be a thing where they feel like they already have characters like Cap, IM, and Thor from the previous movie lines (which are still on pegs too at TRU or WM).

I was looking over the pics at GH of that upcoming Bespin BP.  Now, not necessarily taking CW into consideration here (not saying I want it to go away though), but if Hasbro does want to have a line for "kids" with the movie releases, I think they might want to go this way with the figures.  That's if - and only if - the price goes down fairly significantly due to the reduction in articulation, etc.  Also, if they keep a Vintage or Vintage-esque line for collectors.  Cut back on the releases, and have a modestly sized collector's line each year (probably at the continued $8-10 prices or more), then in the "movie heroes" slot have this line of nicely sculpted but more basic action figures, and charge closer to six.

I don't know if anyone here is familiar with them, but our nephews (and now our daughter to some extent) enjoys the cartoon Ben 10 - and have some of the figures.  After picking some of these up for Jayma, they run between $6-7, are fairly basic as far as articulation goes, but are nice solid "toys" that kids seem to like (they seem to sell like crazy locally anyways).  Maybe price is what really keeps kids/parents away from SW these days.  If we think $10 is too much for an action figure (and we're a tad obsessive about these things), what is an average consumer, or parent, going to think when they see that?

Offline CHEWIE

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #113 on: May 7, 2012, 02:02 PM »
Price is certainly a factor as we all talk about it here a lot, and parents surely are influenced by it as well.  Not too long ago, you could spend $20 and get 4 new figures, or even a battle pack with 5 figures in it.  Now you get two figures for that price, or a battle pack full of pegwarmers with 3 figures in it.  And as a parent, that influences me on what I splurge on for my son; who is obsessed with GI JOE.  But hey, we can't even find new figures anyway these days. 

I think a lot of the blame for seeing pegs full of pegwarmers really has to fall on Hasbro for poor case assortments, figure selections, etc.  The decision makers seem to have gotten very lazy or just gotten dumber.  They seem to have reacted poorly to the rising costs of manufacturing the figures.  They should be putting their best foot forward in these tougher economic times and fighting for our dollars, not curling up into a fetal position by packing Movie Heroes with figures that were lame 10 years ago, carrying forward the same Obi Wan and Qui Gon over and over, being too lazy to make a new helmet for ROTS clones, etc.

It's not like Star Wars is a failure though, year in and year out reports are that it's the number one seller.  But it could be better, one would think, if they tried harder.  They seem to be relying on the popular brand name to get them through a lot of their own manufactured issues.

Offline JACKOFTRADZE

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #114 on: May 7, 2012, 03:53 PM »
I have to agree with others that is the worst year for finding figures at retail and for the overall state of the brand since 2003. I been buying by the case since 2006, I have always been an advocate for that instead of searching stores as historically you come up empty handed but I get the thrill of the hunt position of some collectors. I was always able to buy my army builders and doubles at retail at some point. Case packs were perfect back in the day with 2 per case now it's iffy. I adapted by selling or sometimes returning the unopened case extras for army builders or other figures that I wanted. I was always able to find something I wanted at retail. Now, I cant even find much on the pegs, even Denger is disappearing.  Right now, I am not going to attempt to waste my time/gas to army build the Navy Commander since he is one per case and not yet on the radar of re-release yet. That's 19 figure sales Hasbro has lost from me until they fulfill demand. (Tunghori where are you?) It's such a sad state of affairs right now and it is concerning me for the lines future. (This time I really am concerned, I see the line scaling back big time.). I want another x18 of VC 501's but not sure I will find them. When the Shocktrooper hits it will be the same. I want to buy stuff but can't, it's just crazy. I am also not paying $14 a figure to army build from the etailers. Sorry but I am at a point now that I can wait until a better deal comes along like $4.95 for VC BD's.

Target like almost all box stores have truly become irrelevant when it comes to SW collecting, they do not even cross my mind to even look there. I only check the toy aisles when I go there to get household items. I was always backwards prior, check the toy aisle first then get the household stuff. WM is the only retail game in town and that is not saying much. Other brands outside of SW look the same too - dismal. The economy is still in really bad shape still so this compounds the problem as stores are reluctant to relaod whne they have stock on hand. I can't blame them when they are sitting on top of unmoving product.

The saddest part of all of this is that VC is the best line of figures in the line's history. I am really concerned about the MTT's impact on the line going forward. This one has mark down written all over it. The regular vehicles are struggling at $25-$30, a $130 Pez dispenser from the worst SW film is really going to have a hard time selling. I don't care how much you like it this is the Republic Attack Shuttle on Steroids.

I just want a ESB Slave one and Sailbarge befiore the lights are out on BMF's.
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Offline speedermike

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #115 on: May 7, 2012, 04:14 PM »
And again, Hasbro has another big tentpole movie toyline (Avengers) that they say doesn't have any impact on SW at all, but it's too much of a coincidence that during April/May/June of each year SW is AWOL.
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #116 on: May 7, 2012, 09:02 PM »
I think so much of this could and would be better just this year alone already if they did the following:

Vintage Wave 2 - No carry forwards from Wave 1 other than Darth Maul, and the Battle Droid... make the other carry forwards Bastila Shan, Gamorrean Guard, Magna Guard and then fill in two other slots with new figures, or something good that was previously in demand.

Movie Heroes Wave 1 - Back to the drawing board.  Maybe see THIS thread.  And when Battle Droids are in an assortment, put two in each package.

Clone Wars Wave 1 - Back to the drawing board here too, replace Plo Koon with Darth Sidious for starters.

It really is amazing how poorly they decide on case assortments/wave ratios.  I really think that kills distribution down the pipeline... and they need to start limiting the first wave's production of a new line some.  Stores order so much of the first stuff then they don't want to order subsequent waves.  Hasbro should know this by now. 
« Last Edit: May 7, 2012, 09:03 PM by CHEWIE »

Offline Sybeck1

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #117 on: May 7, 2012, 09:26 PM »

I just want a ESB Slave one and Sailbarge befiore the lights are out on BMF's.

Those and a good speederbike and I am in Sha Ka Ree........

Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #118 on: May 8, 2012, 09:31 AM »

I just want a ESB Slave one and Sailbarge befiore the lights are out on BMF's.

Those and a good speederbike and I am in Sha Ka Ree........

Of all the Star Trek references, you have to reference the worst.  :P
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Offline JACKOFTRADZE

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Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« Reply #119 on: May 8, 2012, 10:54 AM »
I was referencing my concern over the future of BMF's. I am not overly worried about smaller vehicles like the much needed Speederbike. even Mid size I am getting concerned with they have been rotting on pegs like no tomorrow.

That was one of the worst ST references...

In regards to the Avengers I will be interested to see how the Hellicarrier performs at retail.
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