I've noticed that too and I've even cancelled orders for stuff that I found in stores months before their own expected shipping date - I think I did that with Wave 6 as a matter of fact.
It used to be that they would get stuff at the same time as say WM or Target, now they seem to be at least a month behind.
I wonder what changed in the marketplace to cause this.
It's Hasbro. Other than brick and mortar (b/m) retailers (read most internet retailers) are having their orders filled last. This is so the big box companies can get the procduct first and sell first. Those big box companies order much more in bulk than internet sites, so Hasbro makes a ton more money from them. If Hasbro shipped continually to net retailers, they would see the b/m orders drop. While many of we collectors have turned to the net for ease, there are still plenty of b/m consumers out there. Without them Hasbro would surely go broke.
E-tailers still get their product just a little bit later. Personally I don't mind waiting for cases of figures. I know I'm going to get them and at what case breakdown. I make my deals for the extras that I'll have, so I'm not stuck and help a fellow collector out as well. Typically I'm saving a bit on figures too, barring b/m sales. Though I almost never order through EE because they are the same or close enough to retail price, so they arren't worth ordering through. Especially given that they receive product later.
Find another e-tailer. I have no problems with mine. Sometimes I get stuff a little early, sometimes at the same time and on occassion a week or so later. Point is I always get what I order and always pay less. That little extra bit of research doing so has saved me a couple of hundred dollars this year (which of course I promptly put into other toy lines, lol...).
Regardless that the Mando seet is supposed to be exclusive to EE, I now there are sites out there that are selling them and you can probably find it cheaper that EE's price. How so? Simple those e-tailors buy in bulk from EE at a cheaper rate. They in turn pass a portion of those saving onto the customer thereby circumventing EE's price. (I know this from experience from buying from my e-tailer.)
Just so you all know, I'm not trying to be secretive about who my e-tailer is, I just don't want to say it publically and then get the site pissed at me if I say one thing and then they can't deliver (never has been a problem in the past, but I don't want to jinx it). If you want to know who I deal with just PM me, and no, I'll get nothing in return if you reference my name.
-Sal
