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Post by theaxehennig on Jul 22, 2019 15:30:41 GMT -5
I found Backlund and Wolfe in the wild, but have yet to have seen Dunne or Sherri and have little hope of finding many if any of the future exclusives. It's sad that people who will actually buy those figures aren't able to locate them and buy them. Mattel is losing out on money here.Not really. Mattel makes their money by selling to stores. Whatever the stores do with the figures after they pay Mattel, Mattel doesnt get a dime from it. I’ve heard conflicting theories about this. The theory that aligns with what you said, which makes the most sense and then the theory about companies essentially “consigning” inventory through stores. We saw this when TRU closed, reps went to TRU and retrieved boxes of figures to sell through another outlet.
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Post by Fighter Hayabusa on Jul 22, 2019 15:40:49 GMT -5
Why can’t each store just get a separate case of the exclusives? Like why can’t Mattel do two Elite exclusives per set per store and do a six figure case of each? For example...IF Patterson and Brisco would have been in the same Elite series, they could have been packed in their own case of three each. That way there would be the regular Elite series and a smaller case of just the exclusives. Tbh They’re hard to find enough as it is without stores not stocking. So they’re limited one per case at separate stores. This really limits everyone! Can I be a nerd and reference Bill and co to the Star Trek episode of The Toys That Made Us. In the Playmates segment they talked about a limited exclusive Picard or something. Basically it was so limited that hardcore collectors stopped or slowed down buying because of not being able to find it. I’ve actually stopped collecting Monster High, Ninja Turtles and a few other lines because of limited quantities of figures. To collectors, it sours us when we can’t find certain products. Yeah it’s cool to do exclusives but when they’re so scarce it’s just a damper A whole case of 8 Patterson figures for each store would warm super hard.
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FUSamBaker
Main Eventer
Biggest crush on Sami Zayn.
Joined on: Sept 6, 2005 19:25:20 GMT -5
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Post by FUSamBaker on Jul 22, 2019 15:45:59 GMT -5
Why can’t each store just get a separate case of the exclusives? Like why can’t Mattel do two Elite exclusives per set per store and do a six figure case of each? For example...IF Patterson and Brisco would have been in the same Elite series, they could have been packed in their own case of three each. That way there would be the regular Elite series and a smaller case of just the exclusives. Tbh They’re hard to find enough as it is without stores not stocking. So they’re limited one per case at separate stores. This really limits everyone! Can I be a nerd and reference Bill and co to the Star Trek episode of The Toys That Made Us. In the Playmates segment they talked about a limited exclusive Picard or something. Basically it was so limited that hardcore collectors stopped or slowed down buying because of not being able to find it. I’ve actually stopped collecting Monster High, Ninja Turtles and a few other lines because of limited quantities of figures. To collectors, it sours us when we can’t find certain products. Yeah it’s cool to do exclusives but when they’re so scarce it’s just a damper A whole case of 8 Patterson figures for each store would warm super hard. If you read the entire thing, I suggested making two stores exclusive Elites per series and packing them separately in cases of six. That would be three Patterson’s and three of another exclusive. Or heck pack the exclusives and the chases together in cases of their own. I feel like they’ll probably start doing more chases so have the exclusives and chases together. There really isn’t a reason why these things should be this difficult to find in areas.
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monroe
Mid-Carder
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Post by monroe on Jul 22, 2019 15:57:19 GMT -5
the wave has yet to hit stores in maryland
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Post by MKSavage on Jul 22, 2019 16:19:35 GMT -5
The figure right now that I'm worried about is Muraco. It seems like figures that are supposed to come out at the end of the year always get short changed when it comes to the number of figures they put out in stores. They usually don't come out when they are supposed to because older series figures are still clogging the shelves at some stores so Walmart and Target don't seem to order the new stuff. Then when they do come out they only get a run or two then, in January, stores start putting out the new figures for the new year. I've had to order a few figures from Ringside because of this.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2019 16:21:27 GMT -5
This has already happened, the traffic on these boards has declined in the past year quite a bit and a lot of collectors have gotten out due to the frustration in finding figures at retail. Also, what is the #1 complaint you keep seeing on these boards- the inability to find these damn store exclusives and Mattel's horrible distribution (which go hand in hand IMO).
Based on comments Bill has made in the past, I think WWE is to blame for the change in direction with flashbacks and the decision to make them store exclusives. From 2012-2016 they were including flashback/legends figures in the main line and most of them were selling well as evidenced by the fact that they went from including 1 or 2 flashbacks/legends in a set to some sets being comprised of half flashbacks and half current roster. Then, according to Bill, WWE told them they wanted to see more of the current stuff in the main line so Mattel were forced to remove the flashbacks and move them into their own line (hence the launch of the store exclusive lines). After a couple years of this, WWE complained again that stores were not stocking enough of the main line and were mainly carrying the store exclusives (rightfully so IMO as flashback/legend figures were selling well for them AND they paid a premium for these store exclusives so it stands to reason they would prefer to carry those over the regular elites). Mattel were once again forced into a change, bit by bit they have gotten rid of the store exclusive lines thus forcing retailers to carry the main line and further alienated flashback/legends collectors. I hope they fix the distribution problems that plague this line, making it easier for collectors to find these figures (especially the store exclusive ones) but at this point it doesn't look very promising.
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Post by Vamp55 on Jul 22, 2019 16:40:23 GMT -5
I’m sure it will be okay, sure it will be hard to find and a pain in arse, but Sherri ended up becoming a little more accessible (stacks on evil bay right now). Probably going to get stuck paying double retail, Mattel doesn’t seem to care at this point so I have just accepted it.
I am not afraid to say it, I have started to pick up chase figures to resell to try and offset the cost of ones I wasn’t able to find. Sucks and I don’t really like doing it, but goodwill only goes so far. Welcome to collecting WWE in 2019
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Post by stc13 on Jul 22, 2019 17:08:05 GMT -5
Based on comments Bill has made in the past, I think WWE is to blame for the change in direction with flashbacks and the decision to make them store exclusives. From 2012-2016 they were including flashback/legends figures in the main line and most of them were selling well as evidenced by the fact that they went from including 1 or 2 flashbacks/legends in a set to some sets being comprised of half flashbacks and half current roster. Then, according to Bill, WWE told them they wanted to see more of the current stuff in the main line so Mattel were forced to remove the flashbacks and move them into their own line (hence the launch of the store exclusive lines). After a couple years of this, WWE complained again that stores were not stocking enough of the main line and were mainly carrying the store exclusives (rightfully so IMO as flashback/legend figures were selling well for them AND they paid a premium for these store exclusives so it stands to reason they would prefer to carry those over the regular elites). Mattel were once again forced into a change, bit by bit they have gotten rid of the store exclusive lines thus forcing retailers to carry the main line and further alienated flashback/legends collectors. I hope they fix the distribution problems that plague this line, making it easier for collectors to find these figures (especially the store exclusive ones) but at this point it doesn't look very promising.
I think we're dealing with a prime example of not being able to put the genie back in the bottle. On its own, wanting to cross-market your current product makes total sense. But popularity and viewers have been trending down for years, and now have reached what has to be near rock bottom. WWE's inability to create new stars pushed them to try to force the spotlight onto the current roster and away from the past in an inorganic way. The line stagnates, and legends collectors start to lose interest or get out completely, and sales slump. The main line is loaded with current wrestlers, who fewer and fewer people are watching. And all the while, nostalgia properties are probably at a record high across all media. But you can't reboot wrestling the same you can other media properties. So you've turned off a large segment of your collector base, while at the same time trying to push a current product that continues to lose popularity. Declining sales lead to less pull at retail and retailers having greater say over how the product is designed. It just seems like a feedback loop that continues to spiral in on itself. And at this stage, I quite honestly don't know that there's any way out. At best, this is just our new status quo. Mattel, whether directly or indirectly at fault, has burned bridges with the very customer base that they probably need right now to pull themselves out of this. Just for the record, I love modern wrestling and collect legends, NXT, and main roster figures. But the way Mattel has handled the balance between classic characters and promoting the modern product has shot themselves in the foot, no doubt in my mind.
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Post by legendsguy on Jul 22, 2019 17:27:32 GMT -5
Based on comments Bill has made in the past, I think WWE is to blame for the change in direction with flashbacks and the decision to make them store exclusives. From 2012-2016 they were including flashback/legends figures in the main line and most of them were selling well as evidenced by the fact that they went from including 1 or 2 flashbacks/legends in a set to some sets being comprised of half flashbacks and half current roster. Then, according to Bill, WWE told them they wanted to see more of the current stuff in the main line so Mattel were forced to remove the flashbacks and move them into their own line (hence the launch of the store exclusive lines). After a couple years of this, WWE complained again that stores were not stocking enough of the main line and were mainly carrying the store exclusives (rightfully so IMO as flashback/legend figures were selling well for them AND they paid a premium for these store exclusives so it stands to reason they would prefer to carry those over the regular elites). Mattel were once again forced into a change, bit by bit they have gotten rid of the store exclusive lines thus forcing retailers to carry the main line and further alienated flashback/legends collectors. I hope they fix the distribution problems that plague this line, making it easier for collectors to find these figures (especially the store exclusive ones) but at this point it doesn't look very promising.
I think we're dealing with a prime example of not being able to put the genie back in the bottle. On its own, wanting to cross-market your current product makes total sense. But popularity and viewers have been trending down for years, and now have reached what has to be near rock bottom. WWE's inability to create new stars pushed them to try to force the spotlight onto the current roster and away from the past in an inorganic way. The line stagnates, and legends collectors start to lose interest or get out completely, and sales slump. The main line is loaded with current wrestlers, who fewer and fewer people are watching. And all the while, nostalgia properties are probably at a record high across all media. But you can't reboot wrestling the same you can other media properties. So you've turned off a large segment of your collector base, while at the same time trying to push a current product that continues to lose popularity. Declining sales lead to less pull at retail and retailers having greater say over how the product is designed. It just seems like a feedback loop that continues to spiral in on itself. And at this stage, I quite honestly don't know that there's any way out. At best, this is just our new status quo. Mattel, whether directly or indirectly at fault, has burned bridges with the very customer base that they probably need right now to pull themselves out of this. Just for the record, I love modern wrestling and collect legends, NXT, and main roster figures. But the way Mattel has handled the balance between classic characters and promoting the modern product has shot themselves in the foot, no doubt in my mind. the only way out would be to reboot a separate line.. which they always end up cancelling. and its always a big blow everytime. I thought the FB lines and HOC lines were working..until we got the info that's all stores were ordering.. my rebuttal is so..what.. they were stocking figures and people bought them. but that wasn't enough to keep it going.lol. I get why the explanation given but honestly now look at what we have on pegs... nothing.. and 11 Top Picks AJs rotting.
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powerfred3k
Main Eventer
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Post by powerfred3k on Jul 22, 2019 17:48:11 GMT -5
If mattel had dedicated vendors maybe people could actually buy new figures and not hope and pray the pat patterson figure is gonna be another Harley Race situation all over again.
That or just make all legends online exclusive, Amazon, ringside, etc.
People should not have to get into arguments and fights to buy a damn wrestling figure.
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Post by LA Times on Jul 22, 2019 19:16:42 GMT -5
If mattel had dedicated vendors maybe people could actually buy new figures and not hope and pray the pat patterson figure is gonna be another Harley Race situation all over again. That or just make all legends online exclusive, Amazon, ringside, etc.People should not have to get into arguments and fights to buy a damn wrestling figure. Mattel did that in 2011 with Mattycollector. There were many great figures like The Rockers and King Kong Bundy but nobody bought them. RIP Matty Collector, way ahead of its time.
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Cane Dewey Riley
Superstar
Has there ever been a time when more companies have been making wrestling figures at the same time?
Joined on: Apr 9, 2016 17:54:59 GMT -5
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Post by Cane Dewey Riley on Jul 22, 2019 19:19:54 GMT -5
I have yet to find a single store exclusive "chase" figure in stores. The only reason I have Bob Backlund was because WWEShop listed him for a short while. If Mattel is going to continue with this garbage they need to increase the number of figures included in each case. There is no reason why they are packed one per case. I found two Bob Backlunds at Walmart when that series hit. One had this giant slit down the front of the plastic packaging, like someone opened the case a little too hard and the other one I bought.
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Post by finnbalor1 on Jul 22, 2019 19:22:46 GMT -5
I've found all the store exclusives pretty easy so far Sherri has been the least I've seen of any of them and I saw two of her.
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alphadeltaxray
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Post by alphadeltaxray on Jul 22, 2019 19:55:06 GMT -5
I wouldn't worry about it at all until Elite 68 hits retail. Is there some kind of talk of it not being released at all with 68? If it is then I would expect another Dunne/Wolfe/Sherri situation where it's out there but extremely tough to find.
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alphadeltaxray
Main Eventer
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Post by alphadeltaxray on Jul 22, 2019 19:56:24 GMT -5
Only that one store that had the Patterson signing. And the one on Uncle Trucker’s route I see so many "Uncle who's a trucker" jokes on here. Can someone briefly explain to me what that's all about? Been curious for months now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2019 20:00:12 GMT -5
Mattel, whether directly or indirectly at fault, has burned bridges with the very customer base that they probably need right now to pull themselves out of this.
Spot on with this point, with flashback/legends collectors you have a loyal fan base that are comprised mainly of adults who have more disposable income and thus can buy more and were buying more until the bottom fell out thanks to Mattel's crappy distribution. I concur that they are isolating the very fan base that they need especially now that they are going through financial difficulties but I am not entirely sure if Mattel is at fault- I would put more blame on WWE as they are the licensor and thus call the shots.
This is the model I (and I am sure many others) would like to see and frankly don't understand why they won't go in this direction?! Legends figures have been slowly pushed out, depending on who you believe this is due to poor sales or WWE wanting the focus on the current stars. That's fine, keep the main lines at retail for the current product and move releases of flashbacks/legends online- there are still many first time in the line figures that would do well, they can intersperse releases of these with releases of the popular guys in attires that have not been released before.
Those didn't sell because they were released at the wrong time (just like the legends line) and from what I read they were more expensive (higher price and high shipping cost). Legends collectors were few and far between when the Mattel line began (for various reasons), they did not jump on board until a few years into the line. Look at the legends figs released between 2012-2016 when they were putting them in the main line, those releases did well because more people jumped on board. Now, thanks the distribution problems and cancellation of the exclusive lines (where most legends figures were being placed), many collectors have gotten out. I am close to getting out as well, I am going to hang in until Valentine is released as he is a big want for me, hopefully he won't be as difficult to find as it looks like he might be.
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Post by Nivro™ on Jul 22, 2019 20:08:06 GMT -5
It wont be any harder to find then Backlund & Sherri. The problem with the Race figure is the line was cancelled as the series was being released. Once it hits the system as a clearance item they're not going to order more in.
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Hasbromaniac
Main Eventer
Joined on: Nov 17, 2004 16:13:30 GMT -5
Posts: 3,625
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Post by Hasbromaniac on Jul 22, 2019 20:09:39 GMT -5
Every kid will now want the former 24/7 champ.lol
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Post by Fighter Hayabusa on Jul 22, 2019 20:50:24 GMT -5
And the one on Uncle Trucker’s route I see so many "Uncle who's a trucker" jokes on here. Can someone briefly explain to me what that's all about? Been curious for months now. Member on here supposedly from French Canada said his uncle was a truck driver in the US and always finds him hard to find figures. Started plausible with guys like Race but then he started posting pics of figs that haven’t hit stores anywhere.
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Post by WCWThunderRosa on Jul 22, 2019 21:12:47 GMT -5
If mattel had dedicated vendors maybe people could actually buy new figures and not hope and pray the pat patterson figure is gonna be another Harley Race situation all over again. That or just make all legends online exclusive, Amazon, ringside, etc.People should not have to get into arguments and fights to buy a damn wrestling figure. Mattel did that in 2011 with Mattycollector. There were many great figures like The Rockers and King Kong Bundy but nobody bought them. RIP Matty Collector, way ahead of its time. Because MattyCollector sucked, I’m glad it’s dead. Terrible customer service, expensive shipping that wasn’t worth the quality, and they were barely promoted
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