If they aren't going to expand their online store presence, I think it makes more sense for them to just go through Amazon, Ebay, and Walmart for any direct sales and to do their exclusives through Entertainment Earth, Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

 

I wonder if the Amazon listings will shiop to the UK, unlike HTS

 

sounds like a great idea. wont work though. as soon as their returns start dipping enough to make anyone notice, they'll get a bailout from the US Government

yup

this right here. looks like i'm never getting another SDCC exclusive ever again, because I refuse to feed scalpers.

 

People still buy Transformers?!

 

I think SDCC and other con exclusives may end up at Barnes and Noble and/or GameStop. They've both gotten other con exclusives in the past.

 

Yes. Look up the thing about Walmart and Vlasic pickles. Basically, when you're a quarter-plus of the sales market, you can fuck your suppliers as hard as you want.

 

That's a bummer; I got my first import Transformer (Lio Convoy) from the proto Hasbro Toy Shop 20-ish years ago.

 

Wouldn't be the first big mistake Hasbro made in its history of existences..... 

I'm on the same "SDCC" boat on what will happen with them. I suspect they'll just peddle them through Wally World or something. Now with Tokyo Comic-Con added, I'm sure will play a role on where they will be offered. OR worse. They will discontinue them all together. I feel like every year that "yes" the exclusives are easier to get but I also feel like they don't all sell out like they used to either. Sure, a set or two does but not at half or more, when compared to years past. Time will tell and we'll just have to wait until the next SDCC to see what happens.

 

That’s my luck. After doing a crappy job with The Last Knight figures (HTS still doesn’t even have Wave 3 figures on their website, but oh well), HTS became pretty reliable for shopping for Studio Series figures.

 

"Hasbro does not sell directly to people."

HTS is not Hasbro; Hasbro licensed the name to a third party vendor".

I guess the thing I'll miss the most is the ignorance. No matter how much proof existed, there was always 1-2 guys on a thread to tell us that HTS did not exist.  

Re: HTS closure?
HTS was doing a lousy job as time went on - less discounts, more restrictions, and bad website design choices (site redesign was worse than what it "fixed"!). Hearing Hasbro just give up on HTS? It kind of sounds like Hasbro's new attitude of dumping things quick rather than working with feedback to make general improvements.

On the other hand, if Hasbro prefers to pay Walmart/Target/etc. a fee to use their services, it's not like they don't have experience with that: Great deals from hasbrotoyshop | eBay stores

 

I never had that problem with them using FedEx. Perhaps that's a regional issue?

One thing I do remember recently is trying to apply their 20% off coupon to Predaking on Black Friday. The site would get the math wrong and only take off 10%  No matter now since I got it off Amazon even cheaper!

 

Why when the e-tailers we all know and love have much better infrastructures and reputations.

 

If HTS is going away as the primary means of selling convention figures, Hasbro will likely turn to the e-tailers who have thus far had to rely on scalping items they bought themselves at full price.

 

GameStop is going under according to an article I read this weejend. Not enough cash flow.

 

Sorry to hear it, although I stopped using the horribly revamped site once they stopped consistently stocking things. Four years ago it was my go-to.

 

Actually, yeah. Walmart is the world's largest retailer and covers a lot of area in the world, more than we'd like to admit. If they drop Hasbro, it'll hurt. Yes, Target is currently the winner and top dog after TRU's demise, but they only cover the US and Walmart corners the market on the world. Amazon also serves the world but is second and doesn't carry all of what Walmart does for Walmart's prices. It really does affect Hasbro's bottom line.

It sucks, but the only way to beat Walmart is to stop shopping Walmart.

Walmart needs products, yes, but they get them from everyone else and have an OEM toy manufacturer produce toys for them in those red boxes near the infant toys. They'll always find someone willing to play ball or create a new game with new players. Hasbro needs Walmart, not the other way around, unfortunately. Would they lose some sales? Yes. Would it affect them overall? No. Hasbro's screwed.

Chances are, Walmart really is their top buyer. It makes sense, too. Why do you think we see so many OLD cases and large numbers of them, pop up at Walmart months later? It's not like Hasbro's firing up the molds again, though they did for wave 2 POTP over the summer/early Fall, but instead, Walmart is buying big chunks and sending them to their warehouses and distros while they wait for the stores to sell through what they currently have. Problem is, they try to make sure the bigger, better stores get more of the stock and by the time it gets to the smaller stores, we're on wave 3 or another series altogether and then Walmart has to order and bring in the new stuff so they're not left behind on stuff like the transition from POTP to S:WFC.

They think we're going to buy more than we really are and it suffers and Hasbro and other retailers are left twiddling their thumbs while Walmart plays catch up and requests a head start they never actually take advantage of.

Walmart has plenty of wiggle room for such bad management, other retailers do not and they jump at the chance to sell new even if they're not supposed to. I'll give BBTS a little bit of credit because they try to follow the rules and come to the party late, but they need to be as aggressive as the competition. The only way to beat Walmart is to play the game like Walmart. Screw their embargo, get that money.

 

Someone clarified on another thread - HTS apparently isn't going anywhere. Apparently, each brand had a separate store front (ex. play-doh, transformers) that people could also order from. It appears that these separate storefronts are what is actually going away

 

HTS had it's flaws. For sure. And as noted the site has been less reliable as of late. But it was a tool that helped at times, greatly even. The idea that it's closing up to become part of even worse outlets is troubling. It's just going to make collecting harder for some, at atime when collecting was already getting harder.

 

Not defending Walmart, but HTS did kinda suck as time went on.... There search engine became terrible and, despite knowing I had an account it wouldn't let me log in.

Password expired? ok i'll change it. oops I can't. ok i'll make a new account. can't because I already have one...

 

Honestly, I have no idea what this press release is actually saying. Until I get a better explanation (from Hasbro), I'm not going to Chicken Little anything.