I think the bigger problem is who actually wanted this item? There are enough Star Wars collectors out there who purchase everything Hasbro. Is that number about 5,000 people? Who really knows. I live in a small state and I haven't collected Hasbro for a while, but I always check the toy section at Target and Walmart if I happen to be there just to see what is out. The vast majority of the time I see nothing on the shelves or maybe one beat up figure sitting there. So either people are still buying in droves or distribution is just as poor as it was ten years ago.
First problem with this item is that it is pretty niche. The 6" scale overall seems pretty popular, but I never got on board due mainly to space, but not wanted to collect yet another figure scale. Previous large items in this line haven't sold all that well. This item takes up a lot of space. The Barge takes up a lot of space, the Razor Crest takes up a lot of space and it is yet to ship, so people are justifiably hesitant on this item. The bonus tiers are lackluster. Just look at them compared to what you get with either the GI Joe or Ghostbusters offerings. I had a bunch of GI Joe toys in my youth, including the Skystriker. If I collected from all three fandoms and could only afford one of these items, GI Joe would win. If I could back only two, I would probably lean towards Ghostbusters second.
Overall, this is just a bad choice in my opinion. They really should have stuck with 3 3/4". The fanbase has wanted a Death Star playset forever. They should have maybe done a poll just to see where interest lies.