I thought Slingshot was due in January?

 

It's funny how you talk about "reality" and speak in absolute terms when your statements make it clear you know next to nothing about NA retailer business operations.

 

The price retailers set for consumers is fundamentally related to the price they are charged by the manufacturer or distributor.
Manufacturers set the price retailers pay to acquire and import their consumer goods made overseas. It is a much higher price than is paid by people who pull a truck up to the factory and buy a few cases directly from the loading dock or warehouse and then turn around and sell it to customers in North America. They also have very few business costs for things like insurance, warehousing, employees, etc, so their margins are even higher.

Dislike reality all you want. Being irrational is a privilege you have. But there is no price fixing in the true sense of the term. The larger retailers tend to copy whatever price the first one to list an item uses because their acquisition costs are effectively the same, and many of the smaller retailers often price things cheaper since price is generally the best mechanism they have to attract business.

What we have experienced through ShowZ, eBay, and Taobao, is a natural competitive force. Be thankful for it. It helps keep things in balance. What manufacturers choose to do in response is also their prerogative. They value having business partners overseas who can buy in bulk, which makes their production and finance operations easier. Consumers do benefit from that as well, but if the only thing you look at is dollar signs, you're not going to recognize the benefit retailers bring with their purchasing power. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes with retailers advocating on behalf of individual customers and because of their purchasing power, manufacturers are more inclined to listen.

 

I mean, c'mon.

Now, I've used and continue to use places like ShowZ plenty of times. Why, not so long ago I bought TFC's new Optimus from them because it was $30 cheaper than domestic prices. Now, maybe there are good reasons why retailers in the States charge more, but as a consumer I'd be foolish not to buy from China.

However, TF-Direct's "best price" is a meager 5 cents less than TFSource, and 95 cents more than Captured Prey's on Silver Arrow (I didn't see preorders for the last two at TF-Direct). The best prices look like they're at Robot Kingdom, although their prices don't include shipping. From experience , though, shipping will put them back in the same ballpark. ShowZ looks to have the best price out-the-door among retailers, and it looks like you'll save around $5. Is $5 really worth getting bent out of shape over?

 

So interesting how people demand a product, but bitch about paying the price for that product. This is how Zeta is choosing to do business. If you don’t like it, don’t give them your business. If you want their product, then that’s how they’re choosing to distribute it. It’s that simple.

Complaining about the price of an entirely frivolous luxury product - a plastic toy with virtually zero utility other than the joy it brings those with enough privilege and satisfied needs to make such a thing a priority in their lives - is nothing but whiny bitching.

 

I live in Canada and the only semi-reasonable retailer here is A3U. And they charge more, charge shipping, and don't offer a loyalty discounts. It's fine for Americans to be all for this seeing as they have the luxury of competitive pricing but for me, there are no viable "local" options. Why should I pay a bunch of extra money? To "help" local retailers who overcharge? Who's ripping off who?

 

Seems some folks are misinformed. You can buy from any retailer/reseller you want to go with, just don't expect Zeta to directly support you if you don't buy from your own region. Of course your reseller/retailer should be the ones to support you in an event that you have issues with your purchase.

 

Even if the same price, but the company forcing me to buy only from certain store while the others are perfect normal and legitimate stores as well, I would say it's a dick act.

 

And if $5 means more to someone than having direct aftercare support, they are welcome to make that choice. Nobody is being forced to do anything other than to make a choice as to which benefit is more important to them. Those who prefer to buy from a retailer regardless, have already made that choice. Those who prefer to save every penny can continue to do so.

 

For Zeta stuff...as mikez pointed out above...the pricing is not even that different.

Sure some of us did use ebay 15% off sales and our fav ebayers to good effect but i'm perfectly OK with that being out of the loop of the "aftercare". it was a known issue and i elected to gamble on one of the first two limbs and if it bits me in the ass...oh well its $60 if i want another form a North ameican source. with silver arrow costing more (sure ebay discounts will be bigger in dollar amount) and being more complex and including the combiner torso...i'm going to pick a good north american retailer for that. we all have our favorites for one reason or another and the good ones last because of the service they provide and support offered. Sure i might save $20-30 or so if i use an overseas source and wait for an ebay sale or go through taobao..but is it worth it when you might have to fork out another $140 later? nah...not for me.

 

Let me correct you, tf-direct ships FREE to Canada and tfsource charges roughly $25 CAD on a $99 figure. That's 25% more. Not 5 cents more not even close. It's way the hell high on a few hundred figures.

 

for example, if I ordered from tfsource like you suggest, and paid their $25 shipping on 200 figures, it would rack up to a whopping $5000 in shipping fees. Wooooowww am I cheap or unreasonable? $5000 says I'm not crazy. Even from my own country, A3U has $10 flat fee shipping. On 200 figures, that's $2000 I saved thanks to tf-direct FREE shipping

 

I don't get your logic about "you might have to fork out another $140 later?" Why?
The ebay seller like Baba or netclow all have good service support if some item goes wrong. I requested multiple times about missing parts from Baba, didn't cost me a cent.

 

So the difference there is shipping cost, which is typical for Canada. It's too bad A3U isn't a good option for you since they should have a much better shipping charge being in the same country as you, unlike TFS.

 

A3U would be my go-to but they charge shipping, +7% sales tax, and no loyalty discount. It's literally thousands of $$ difference I saved over the years. Might not be significant for all countries/collectors but it definitely is for Canadians

 

yes they are doing that out of their own to keep their reputation. they either go through zeta and pretend the customer is local (in china) to them or are breaking down new stock out on their own dime to get you replacement parts. they don't have to do that but they'd be afraid of negative ebay reviews. also you'll have to wait longer for shipping from china both for the order and for the replacement parts. a north american retailer...i'm sure they have some obligation to do that when they signed up to sell zeta stuff as you'd be an in region customer.
also keep in mind you are citing two very well known sellers with very good reputations....not everyone is buying from them and they usually aren't the cheapest for those looking to get that last bit of discount the free market will allow for.

 

I have just seen from the Facebook page "Third party unlimited" that Slingshot is scheduled for April and Skydive in May.
The supplier of my buying group told us that he will ship Silverbolt January 2th.
We paid Onslaugth €135 shipping included, this time we have to pay €150.

 

Well damn, I was liking this combiner till I saw the new pics. Another pants-former. This is really the best they can do in todays world? It's almost as bad as the menasor that's basically a paper doll with tab on clothing, or a bot with silicon calf and bicep implants. For the price of these toys we deserve a little more effort. Take a chance, get creative.

 

They might not be the cheapest . But they are among the lower price ones on ebay, and with the ebay flash sale, their price is usually much better than the NA retailer, and with their good service, why shouldn't I buy from them?