I'm just gonna leave this here:

Five Reasons Why Action Figures Cost More Today | BattleGrip

 

You inspired me. I just went out and bought a couple at Targets buy 1 get one 50% off sale. I got Airachnid and Knockout for $30 ( my job also gives me a discount at target ). For $15 each I will buy them but that is the limit for these figures ( in Australia that is a REALLY good price ).

 

That's a good read; thanks for sharing  

 

It is an interesting read, and I think that it explains SOME of the price rises, but I dont think that it goes all the way. I still think that there is some price rising to maximise general profits and compensate for poor sales, and that there is some masking of these behind genuine reasoning.

 

I don't know if this was mentioned in here (search didn't find it), but I just got back from my local TRU in Central Florida. Yep, MP10 is $130. All deluxes (even DOTM) are $16.

...And voyagers are now $30. Prime and GDO.

I could understand the rising prices, if they happened over a long period of time. As in: in 2001, deluxes cost $10. In 2003, they were $11. In 2005, they were $12. In 2007, they were $13. Etc. Etc. Etc.

But jumping up prices so quickly - in the case of MP10, within a couple of months - is not "the higher cost of doing business", its "we can get more money from the buyers".

 

Supply and demand, I'm afraid. They already know there's a fairly rabid demand for MP-10 after their pre-order fiasco, so they figure why not tap the well until it runs dry?

After all, their allegiance is ultimately to the bottom line...not the customer.

 

It's not just transformers that the prices are raising on. Its TMNT action figures, and RC cars to name two. The TRU exclusive Rc car "snake bite" has went up 15 dollars in 2 weeks. The TMNT figures have went up a dollar at walmart.

 

I am half expecting MP-10 to not actually show up over here in the UK, despite the fact that TRU says that they have already arrived, to leave more stock for the US market. It has happened many times before.

 

If that happens, I'll hunt one down for you. No fan should miss a chance at MP-10. It's that damn good.

 

I agree, I've only seen one in stock at TRU and it didn't even have a place on the shelf for it. I would have loved to have gotten it but didn't have the extra cash to go towards it.

 

That was a good read, but I'm not completely buying into the rising costs of materials reason. If that was the reason for the price increases, then why it hasn't that affected things across the board? Why is it ONLY the deluxes that got their price raised multiple times this year and nothing else?

Voyagers, which certainly must cost Hasbro more to manufacture and ship than deluxes are still at the same $20 price point(on average) that they have been for years now. Weaponizers are still at the same price they were when first released. Cyberverse figs haven't had the prices increased, and neither have Bot Shots or Kre-O stuff.

I just don't buy the rising cost of materials as the reason for it.

 

Used to feel pretty strongly about the hikes, and while I still do believe that it is mostly due to profit maximizing, I realize that production costs and supplies play a part. I don't, however, think you can skimp on the plastic quality, the amount of plastic used, yet still try to justify the product being more. That is completely contradictory to any logic and implies profit maximizing, which is where I still stand.

Regardless, toys are a luxury not a necessity. I can leave foc toys on the shelf and my life goes on. It's really not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but as a avid tf fan/collector it does hurt. But like all things, if it becomes too expensive and your heart just isn't in it anymore, better to look towards a different hobby then dwell on one that will keep going up. All the rage in the world isn't going to change that. If you wanna play, you gotta pay.

 

Thanks man. Appreciated. I have a guy in the US who helps me out. He sends me DotM HA Leadfoot, Universe Dirge/Roadbuster, Universe Ratbat/Springer, DotM Commander Shockwave, Prime SDCC Arcee/Bee, and a load of other stuff, and I sent him.... RtS Windcharger, and a lot of cash.  

 

wow, so I just got ahold of FOC Starscream, smaller? Maybe. Poorer/lesser Quality? Not in the slightest! this is some NICE grade plastic in my hand! I'll pay extra if it means getting figures like this.

 

I've actually felt the same way for a while. I had just read that article literally minutes before I saw this thread, so thought it was semi-relevant. But yeah, the Deluxe : Voyager ratio has bugged me for a bit.

 

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I was at a local TRU today and they have raised the prices of DLX generations to 16.99. I wonder when the other Deluxe figures will follow?

 

Funny thing is, in my country the prices has been aprox. $23 for the deluxe and $46 for the voyagers since the ROTF days without change.

When people started reporting the price increase in the US, I noticed the opposite here, prices lowered to $15-19 for deluxes and $38 for voyagers, which isn't much in comparison, but it still is an interesting occurrence.

 

I think they just found their groove with the new way things are done.

Plus Voyagers are actually you know Voyager sized again.

 

The Beast Hunters are $18.49 at my local Peabody, MA Toys R Us right now. I practically threw Beast Hunters Soundwave back onto the pegs.

 

You gots to pay to play!

Makes me miss the $7.77 dlxs at Walmart during TFA.
Legends - $5
Deluxe - $10
Voyager - $20
Ultra - $25 to $30 depending on store
Leader - $40 to $45 depending on store
That's the pricing structure I've been used to.
Oh well, what are ya gonna do? For me, there hasn't been many "must haves" at retail for years. I couldn't wait to buy the FOC cassette/data things, but those have been aquired. I'm looking forward to the Autobot cassette/data discs. That's about it.