Yeah, distribution is wonky all over... I see a lot of people around the sites claim that "if you go out and look, you'll find it", but the reality is that regional distribution varies greatly...
Many areas saw the EU figures in 98, for example, but Pittsburgh saw NOTHING of those figures really. Maybe one shipment or two, and they went just as fast. None on clearance either. Those were some of the only figures I never saw at retail except for the Fan Club.
The Y-Wing was another fine example of regional distribution blunder. Target's had just opened in the area, and while the West Coast was claiming they sat and even clearanced, out here they were non-existant.
Something odd too, Ach Med Beq... Everywhere had TONS of him I have heard, to the point they still have that figure on pegs, but he really saw a normal shipment here... Came and went, like he should've.
I sorta think it's misleading to tell people "If you get out there and look, you'll find it!" then. I think that, unless you live in their area, you can't really say what ranks as a shelf-warmer and what doesn't. It's weird how things are distributed. I know Bobafett14 travels all over creation, and he's told me how one area has FX-7's on the pegs as recently as this past Summer I think... I mean, that's an awesome figure that flew off shelves here as quickly as the Imp Officer that he was packed in with did. It's really strange. And I believe that was just down over the state lines in Maryland as I recall too.