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Post by vampiroporvida on Jun 16, 2014 23:19:54 GMT -5
Does anyone know why prices have skyrocketed for figures at the store, these days? When I was really into collecting, $3-5 was what most were, and the really expensive things were like $20 to $25. Looking at them now, most are not even under $15. What happened? I know technology got better, and license fees may have been allowed to go up, but materials are virtually the same (which are probably cheaper now), and those fees tend have been recouped ten fold.... why, logistically, do they keep pricing them the same? I know it is capitalism, and we are paying the prices, so it is our fault, etc., but is there any valid manufacturing answer? Thanks for the help, and I look forward to the discussion.
VPV
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Post by BØRNS on Jun 16, 2014 23:38:05 GMT -5
People are going to say it's mainly the cost of shipping and supplies. But like you say, at the end of the day, they keep raising prices, and we're still paying them. Think about it - a single Elite toy sells for $20!!!! at retail. $20 for a single figure. If I had little kids, I'd have a hard time justifying buying them. Of course, I'd still buy toys for them, but not at that spending rate. I've limited my purchases quite a bit over the years simply because the prices are getting too high. I don't buy many figures anymore. I only get the ones that I really, really want.
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TheXtremisT
Main Eventer
10 Year Member
This is the way
Joined on: May 3, 2008 8:03:15 GMT -5
Posts: 3,868
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Post by TheXtremisT on Jun 17, 2014 5:51:17 GMT -5
I'd look no further than pinning it on the state of the economy. Inflation has happened over the last x amount of years, so naturally merchandise and products all go up even if they're not related directly.
Plus I can't say how you think materials cost the same or are cheaper? Oil prices dictate plastic costs, and they are at an all time high. That is why the cost of producing toys is more expensive, and why the retail prices are higher.
I'm not even going to get into the greedy basterds on the secondary market that drive prices up also.
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Post by ahunter8056 on Jun 17, 2014 9:44:29 GMT -5
Because the prices of materials have gone up. In your post you state that the cost of materials have gone down. But that is definitely not true, and in fact the correct statement is the opposite. That is why prices have gone up, because the price of materials have also gone up. That is why not only have the prices of toys have gone up, but the quality has gone down as well, because manufacturers try to cut as many corners as they can.
I don't know if anyone here is familiar with the Doctor Who toy line, but I'll go on anyway. Doctor Who toys are manufactured by a company called Character Options. In 2006 they released a toy of the TARDIS, called the Flight Control TARDIS, which was in scale with the Doctor Who figures, which were of the 5" scale. This toy made a variety of sound effects when lifted up and placed down onto a surface, and flashed the lantern appropriately. It had a panel with a telephone molded on, and interior lights to make the outside appear lit up as well. In 2010 they released a new version. This version was similar to the past version, except it had no interior lighting. In 2013 they released what was basically a new version of the Flight Control TARDIS, except this was in the new figure scale of 3.75", and called the Spin And Fly TARDIS. This version had no interior lighting, it had less sound effects, and the telephone panel wasn't openable, meaning there obviously wasn't a molded on telephone, which was one of the main selling points of the original Flight Control TARDIS.
So to summarise, in 2006 for £10-£15 you could get a Flight Control TARDIS with a ton of features. In 2013 for £13 you could get a smaller and much inferior version with most of the main features taken away. And I'd guess it's only going to get even worse as time goes on.
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Post by vampiroporvida on Jun 17, 2014 13:54:47 GMT -5
People are going to say it's mainly the cost of shipping and supplies. But like you say, at the end of the day, they keep raising prices, and we're still paying them. Think about it - a single Elite toy sells for $20!!!! at retail. $20 for a single figure. If I had little kids, I'd have a hard time justifying buying them. Of course, I'd still buy toys for them, but not at that spending rate. I've limited my purchases quite a bit over the years simply because the prices are getting too high. I don't buy many figures anymore. I only get the ones that I really, really want. Thanks man. I am glad someone understands my feelings on this. TheXtremisT and ahunter8056 I apologize that I got that wrong. I was not thinking of it in those terms. I was thinking about over time technology makes things cheaper and faster to produce. I would ask though, since plastic is recycled/reused quite a bit, wouldn't that help bring the price of plastic down a bit, based on supply/demand? On a side note, I have seen some children's toys use recycled plastic, could action figures? And, do the dollar store wrestling figures not contain as much plastic as the standard editions? Also, just because a business does have higher costs in certain areas, that does not mean that they have to pass on any/all of those costs to the consumer. Thanks for the honest discussion. VPV |
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Deleted
Joined on: Apr 18, 2024 4:31:23 GMT -5
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 15:42:03 GMT -5
I stopped collecting due to price.
The figures are awesome. Better than they have ever been.
However, I simply cannot justify spending $20 for one wrestling toy when gasoline is $4 per gallon.
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Post by BØRNS on Jun 17, 2014 16:15:30 GMT -5
People are going to say it's mainly the cost of shipping and supplies. But like you say, at the end of the day, they keep raising prices, and we're still paying them. Think about it - a single Elite toy sells for $20!!!! at retail. $20 for a single figure. If I had little kids, I'd have a hard time justifying buying them. Of course, I'd still buy toys for them, but not at that spending rate. I've limited my purchases quite a bit over the years simply because the prices are getting too high. I don't buy many figures anymore. I only get the ones that I really, really want. Thanks man. I am glad someone understands my feelings on this. TheXtremisT and ahunter8056 I apologize that I got that wrong. I was not thinking of it in those terms. I was thinking about over time technology makes things cheaper and faster to produce. I would ask though, since plastic is recycled/reused quite a bit, wouldn't that help bring the price of plastic down a bit, based on supply/demand? On a side note, I have seen some children's toys use recycled plastic, could action figures? And, do the dollar store wrestling figures not contain as much plastic as the standard editions? Also, just because a business does have higher costs in certain areas, that does not mean that they have to pass on any/all of those costs to the consumer. Thanks for the honest discussion. VPV My issue is that Mattel prices continue to rise and rise and rise. And yet, quality does not appear to be improving, but rather slipping. There are many instances of this: 1. One of Mattel's biggest focal points to their new action figures was authentic scale. They never mention this, and there have been many violations of this, I don't know if the design team has forgotten about this. I don't know if many of you remember, but apparently it's not as important as it used to be. 2. The first year of Mattel every Basic, Elite, and 2-pack figures came with a display stand and a unique nametag (even for the PPV series). Mattel stopped including these collector-specific accessories to "cut costs" to the consumers. But not only did they remove them from the figures completely, they still offered them for sale. So something that used to be complementary to paying consumers we are now charged for. But I'm not buying any of those! 3. Every shirt Mattel made in the Elite line used to be made of cloth. Today, it is very rare for shirts to not be made of plastic. Clearly, this is another shortcut in Mattel's cost-cutting repertoire. And most people on here seem to hate the plastic shirts. 4. Quality control. There has been a skyrocketing number of quality control reports just on this forum. So Mattel is selling product that would have otherwise been detained from shipments before. 5. All of the above has been going on, and yet prices KEEP. GOING. UP. The "cost cutting" isn't keeping prices stagnant. We are getting less and paying more for it. And I will BET ANYTHING that Mattel's profits have been at a record-high. Elites used to be $14.99. Today, you can't buy for one less than $20 out the door. TRU's price is $21.99 + tax for a single figure. Basics used to be $9.99. Now they are at least $10.99 and some are even $12.99. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2014 16:17:37 GMT -5
The dollar isn't worth what it once was.....
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TeamKennedy
Superstar
WF 10+ Year Member
Original Join Date: June 2008
Joined on: Jul 11, 2011 18:44:25 GMT -5
Posts: 593
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Post by TeamKennedy on Jun 17, 2014 20:35:36 GMT -5
When I started collecting RA's were worth $9 back in 2007. Inflation alone probably puts that at $12 or so, so really the prices for Basics are kind of justified. Problem is I never bought DA figures, so I go from buying the cheap Jakks figures to the expensive Mattel figures, kinda messes with your wallet if you catch my drift.
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Post by The Mask of Truth on Jun 18, 2014 1:27:02 GMT -5
The price of oil goes up,.so does figures.
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Deleted
Joined on: Apr 18, 2024 4:31:23 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 9:33:37 GMT -5
When I started collecting RA's were worth $9 back in 2007. Inflation alone probably puts that at $12 or so, so really the prices for Basics are kind of justified. Problem is I never bought DA figures, so I go from buying the cheap Jakks figures to the expensive Mattel figures, kinda messes with your wallet if you catch my drift. this, I collected jakks but kinda grew out of it then one day I walked in and saw that figures were now $17 I couldn't I just couldn't so I just decided to buy a basic. It's getting tough to collect with prices now a days |
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Post by 0,Y on Jun 18, 2014 9:48:47 GMT -5
I stopped collecting due to price. The figures are awesome. Better than they have ever been. However, I simply cannot justify spending $20 for one wrestling toy when gasoline is $4 per gallon. You should come to Germany as we have to pay 7.82$ per gallon. (I converted the euro price per liter). |
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Post by vampiroporvida on Jul 1, 2014 21:12:01 GMT -5
You know guys, I got to thinking, is there enough extra plastic to make elites nearly double the price of basics? I know I haven't ever owned any elites, this is why I ask. I thought elites simply came with accessories that the former didn't. Plus, couldn't recycled plastic be used to bring down prices?
On a side note, I saw an action figure being sold for $5 at a store the other day. Granted it was Dino from the Flinstones, and a tad bit smaller, but it was good to see something that parents could afford to get their kids. It looked cool, and it was Dino after all. Yabbadabbadoo!
Much Love and Respect,
VPV
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