I know it isn't necessarily MSRP, and might not be related, but I was reading through
Hasbro's Press Release where it mentions the "Approximate Retail Price" of $7.99 for both CW and Vintage. Sure, we won't (and aren't) seeing that, but I just thought it was interesting they were both listed at the same price (which may be a typo too - I didn't see this posted anywhere else off hand).
I'll be curious to see what the true tipping point is going to be with the line. I think many to most of us have already cut back in some capacity. I know that I have. I was never the army builder that many people here are/were, but I've cut back even more in that capacity. I've also start to just skip many clones. Part of it may be cloned out, but part of it is that I'm happy enough with the previous versions (thinking of things like Utapau, AT-RT Driver, 501st, AOTC, etc.) I originally wanted to get a couple more of the Utapau troops, but it sounds like they may have wonky helmets and/or discolorations, so I'll probably just pass. Same with the recent Stormtrooper - I'm really not a fan of that helmet either, and I have enough of previous versions that I'm happy with, that with the price being that high, I'll just skip it.
I consider myself someone who will always be buying these things in some capacity, unless we hit some crazy price like $15-20 a figure (an extreme of course). $9-10 is bad enough already, I agree. I'm already skipping some things, and like Jesse mentioned above, if things got worse I'd likely go to OT only and break it down further from there (or drop the "other" things I collect to increase the SW budget). The prices are getting hard to stomach, that is for sure. It does seem to be happening to most toy lines though (Hasbro or otherwise), because I know things like Marvel and DC stuff has been steadily creeping up as well (and GI Joe for that matter). Like Jeff mentioned in his post, I'm sure the actual Star Wars team isn't real happy about it either, and I don't blame them. I feel bad in a way that they bear a lot of the brunt of this type of stuff in Q and A's, conventions, etc., because I get the impression that guys like Derryl and co. really are fans of the line just like we are.
It will be interesting to see what the actual tipping point will be to get the majority of people to jump ship. Would it/could it affect the line to the point that they cut it back further (or even - panic button - drop it altogether?). I know just in our little community here, we've seen a lot of people quit the line, significantly cut back, or at least start talking about stopping over the past few years. Not just casual ones either, but people who have rooms and storage units full of this stuff. That has to be concerning for Hasbro. Sure, they can talk about "new fans" that have come in with the PT or CW, but for some reason I just don't know that they have the staying power that the older generation has (for the most part anyways). I look at age groups like my brother (early 20s) or even nephews (10-ish), and things don't hold either the nostalgia or interest for them the way it does for us (with SW, Joe, TF, etc.) It is an interesting time for the line, that's for sure.
Summing up a way too long post, I'm interested to see what the tipping point will be for people. Some have already hit it, and if prices keep rising, many more will. I think we'll see a line for awhile (through the movie re-releases at least), but I'm wondering how limited it might become after that.