Official Transformers Collectors' Club Deadline March 18, 2016

Discussion in 'Transformers News and Rumors' started by PoweredConvoy, Mar 15, 2016.

  1. Exinferis

    Exinferis Liberate me Ex Inferis!

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    $82 for International fans? $82?! Almost double the price of a US subscription? For some magazines and a repaint?

    They're 'aving a laugh!
     
  2. griffin-of-oz

    griffin-of-oz Ozformers site-owner

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    Most of that cost is for postage and packaging, for seven items to be posted to you (six magazines and one toy). You try to post 7 separate items to another country and see what it costs. Using the USPS postage calculator for America to Australia, sending six magazines and one toy would cost US$54... plus the cost of the envelopes and box. FunPub use a third party to send items in bulk, but I'd imagine the costs wouldn't be too much under $40 for us non-Americans... which has to be added to what the Americans are paying for their memberships.

    If the Club had made it more obvious (as I kept recommending to them) by selling a "base membership fee", with the four types of postage added to show where the difference in prices were going (1st class, 3rd class, Canada, overseas), it would have made the membership look even cheaper (because the $40 membership is actually including about $10 of postage), making that membership toy only cost about $20 from the Membership fee (the other $10 goes to the magazine, "website", running costs, etc).

    Even though they excessively over-charge postage on Club Store purchases, their Membership fees are more than fair.
     
  3. Johntimus Prime

    Johntimus Prime Where's my perfect Legends-scale Ultra Magnus?

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    Yeah, it's silly that the Club never accepted PayPal, despite being the preferred method of payment of a lot of people here. And I feel for my overseas brothers with shipping fees.

    Since most care about the toys most of all, they should offer a package that's for toys only, no magazine. That would drastically reduce shipping fees.
     
  4. griffin-of-oz

    griffin-of-oz Ozformers site-owner

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    The shipping period of the fifth set may not have been revealed yet, but since their license expires December 31st, they wouldn't be allowed to conduct business under the Transformers or Club banner beyond that date.
    They would be able to sell off their excess stock as a private entity, but they wouldn't be able to promote sales (or installments) as "The Official Transformers Club"... which is why I think they'd post out the fifth set by the end of the year, just to prevent any legal issues that could arise if they were still sending out products under the Official Club banner. (or charging installments beyond December 31st, because they don't have the license to do so)

    And I really doubt they would want to be hanging around, just to ship out Transformers toys for several months into 2017, when they would want to end all operations at the end of 2016.

    I think it's quite respectable of them to want to see out their period and responsibilities (if they actually do), and not just drop everything and walk away from a mess that Hasbro has to clean up (like last time, in 2004).
    (credit where credit due)
     
  5. Johntimus Prime

    Johntimus Prime Where's my perfect Legends-scale Ultra Magnus?

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    If anything it means we're getting more toys in one year. Hey, I'm not complaining.

    What exactly DID happen with the previous licensee before FP took over? And yes, I've read about it on the Wiki, but what's the whole story?
     
  6. G.B. Blackrock

    G.B. Blackrock Autobot Ally

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    The whole story has never been, and likely will never be, told. Suffice it to say, there were a few known problems with the previous convention runners (including an apparently acrimonious split between those who founded it and the guy doing most of the day-to-day running of things), culminating in the company's inability to have one of the exclusives (Sentinel Maximus) available at the convention itself (although, by this time, Hasbro has apparently already made a decision, as Brian Savage is known to have been scouting things out at OFTCC 2004).
     
  7. griffin-of-oz

    griffin-of-oz Ozformers site-owner

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    As GBB noted, we will never know the full story (and it isn't really necessary either), but I think it just came down to someone who's dreams were just too big for reality (at least, in a corporate environment, because you have to deal with Hasbro for every decision when you have an actual Brand license).

    The guy who bought licenses for an Official Club and Official Convention in 2002 (Glen), really didn't need them, as the BotCon convention was growing every year (with Hasbro support), and if any business wanted to swoop in to get a license, Hasbro probably would have been too close to the BotCon team and concept to go behind their back and prevent them from doing future Transformers Conventions (by selling a Convention license to a new entity). But in the process of buying these licenses, Glen ended up removing the Hartmans from their own creation, by creating a new company with a similar name to the Hartmans' company. It resulted in him having sole ownership of the licenses, so that he could undertake his grand plans of expansion of the convention and other fan activities (like creating an official club), without anyone stopping him.

    But with wanting to do big and bold things, and only one person running things (and Hasbro being known for its slow processing of approvals), Glen either failed to provide items on time, or at all. And with out the name "BotCon" behind him (or the Hartmans), the convention just didn't have that same feel to it for the fandom.

    Some of the events at the time (2004-2005) can be read here, as I documented much of it for our local fan newsletter, which I included in my BotCon 2005 adventure report.