I'm sure I'm not the first person to notice this, but when I searched for an answer, I couldn't find much about why the pre-order price for this figure is a full $50 cheaper on TCP than TFSource.

Does anyone have any idea why and know of other current instances like this? I've been trying to settle on primary retailer, but seeing such massive price differences really makes me question whether just chasing the sales prices is the right move.

 

TF source is a RIP off for one, without checking their site, it's been a preorder item at $129 for ages on countless websites.

 

Mpm3 is over $200... Unbelievable...

 

I’m going to have to dig more because I’ve seen it at $170 on ShowZ and TFS.

 

Correction: It's $123 on ShowZ. Good to see.

 

There's still no actual official release window is there?

Guessing they are all making it up.

 

Fourth quarter is all I've seen. I'm already on the hook until at least the end of the year and have been bouncing back and forth between pre-ordering Andras and possibly the Eligos repaint, so I'm not adding another "fourth quarter maybe at some point when we get around to it" order to that pile by picking up Virtus just yet.

 

will say what i said in another thread the other day i really don't know why anyone one would use tfsource .. and for some bizarre reason people will defend their reasons for doing so it's like some people just love throwing their money away , the same with bbts .... tfsource throw their dummy out of the pram about other retailers charging less than them and having to compete with chinese retailers but are not willing to lower their prices to compete ! after the fiasco of credit card numbers being compromised should have been enough of a warning flag too .. one of those stores that will end up dying

 

There was a recent price change at TFSource. My preorder is at $129. I assume that at some point, they will tell me that the cost per unit went up and they can't honor that price... BUT, that said, they don't set the cost per unit. XTB does. Just look at the ridiculous over price on their Quintesson. I may be wrong but dont be surprized if the price goes up at all the other retailers too. As of writing this, the listing has been pulled from BBTS.

 

Tfsource technically does. They just tell XTB to make everyone else match their chosen price or else they won’t carry, and XTB always bends the knee. Showz has straight up said Tfsource in fact bullies XTB and other companies into raising prices elsewhere.

 

There is no way this is releasing Q4 2020. It will probably be a Q4 2021 release

 

I get what you're saying, but aside from price-comparison, the last order I placed with them was strictly because the figure was sold out everywhere else and TF Source had one remaining copy.

The data breach(s) alone are enough to make me even think twice about doing that though.

 

That's not the way retail works. The wholesaler sets the wholesale price per unit based on dev costs, materials and such. If the retailer has full control over the wholesale price, the wholesaler would never make any money and eventually go out of business. The retailer can negotiate the wholesale price but there is only so much they can do unless the retailer is massive, like walmart, and the unit numbers are huge, like 100k's of units. 3rd party, each run is a few thousand at best all divided up with every retailer over the world. These small numbers and this high demand, the wholesaler has all the power. Even more so with the fly-by-night 3rd party retailers popping up all over. Even if they dont last. 3rd party companies will sell out their run no matter what. Ultimately, the customer sets the amount they are willing to pay.

TFSource keeps in touch with their wholesalers more than most and are always blamed for driving up prices (amongst other things they get blamed for) when they are really just the first to make the adjustment from the wholesaler. ShowZ is a china retailer and there is no way that a domestic retailer can offer the same retail price after paying the same price per unit (and the all do unless subjected to a "gweilo tax" as most china businesses apply to US businesses) then have to pay the logistics of international shipping and import fees (and the do). Showz also skirts import fees by declaring every package under $20 (just look at the shipping label... I've also asked them). Lately ShowZ prices have been going up because wholesale prices are going up not because of a singular "big bad" retailer "bulling" them. It just does not add up and makes no sense. You've made these accusations before and provided no real proof. One retailer cannot tell other retailers how to run their business or to raise prices. it makes no sense. If a single reatler went up against all the other retailers in the world, as you suggest, and told a wholesaler to not sell to the rest of the world if everyone else doesn't raise their prices, they'd loose. TFSourse is not big enough to dictate that. The business that XTB gets from all the other retailers far outweighs just TFSource. XTB sets the wholesale per unit price for their product and no one else. That's how it works.

It makes no sense that one retailer sets the retail price. If one retailer sets their prices way over the rest of the world, they would never sell anything as the entire world would undercut them. By your logic, every other retailer raising their price to match TFSource speaks volumes of greed on their part and not TFS because they could always undercut them. It makes no sense. There is also price regulation in some domestic markets. My family owns a retail armory and nearly every item has a regulated minimum retail price. There are fines and penalties not to mention loss of a wholesaler. I work in the toy industry as the lead digital sculptor and 3d modeler for the whole company and often have to deal with factories and retail buyers and it's the same with toys depending on the sales contract. The factory sets their price for production and the only real negotiation we can do is cut features like parts count and deco and the like. Even placing items on sale, we as the wholesaler set the minimum price or the retailer is in breach. Even on sale. The only times where we need to bend are with the massive global retailers like amazon and walmart. And when we don't work out a deal, we eventually sell the entire run out to other retailers. The wholesaler has nearly all the power. You have to be a massive global business to do any "bulling" and even then it's not that much. That is the simple version.

Virtus has been in preorder for over 2 years now, iirc. Cost of everything has gone up sence then. XTB sku cost have been going up. Again, just look at their Quintesson Judge. Or look at their stunticons. Other preorders that have been out there for over 18-24 months are being relisted at higher prices (not just transformers). Preorder prices are subject to change and are changing and it's not the big bad boogeyman TFSource.

It makes no sense.

Either all the other retailers are going to raise their price because the wholesale cost went up or TFSource is going to lower their price back down to $129 (where it was when they first put it up for preorder) or TFSource are going to be undercut by the entire world and take a bath in unsold stock. In any case why do you care so much to bash them every chance you get if you don't use their service. One can assume you have some biased "beef" with them. We've gotten in this discussion several times before in several other threads and not once have you provided any unbiased proof.

 

I'm not going to read all that but I did skim it. And yes, retailers do that. Walmart is pretty famous for doing it to the point that they put a supplier's bottom line in jeopardy.

 

Sorry... that was a really long rant.

 

TFsource is bigger than you think. It might be true about them bullying the 3p companies...

 

Whatever makes you happy at night. I'll take my chances and believe the words of the retailers that have always been cheaper than tfsource and only have select figures raise in price. Showz's word vs your "I refuse to believe it".

 

You are really seem to have been deeply wronged by them at some point. I can appreciate your passion but you are obviously biased and take every opportunity to bash whenever you can as if on a vendetta. I am not ruling out the thuggery you claim, but my experience with them has always been exemplary and I have yet to hear or see any of this proof you claim. Even now you write, "believe the words of the retailers that have always been cheaper than tfsource and only have select figures raise in price". That statement in itself is not objective. I have also had this discussion with ShowZ and I have not been able to confirm your story. Just that many 3rd parties are raising prices. I'm not ruling it out but until there is definitave unbiased proof out there of market manipulation, I will do my part to share my experience.

I'm sorry for the rant. Text, does not convey tone. I'm not angry or picking a fight. I'm really dont intent as an attack. These matters need to be discussed to get to the truth. One way or the other.

 

Not a single bad purchase from them, I simply see past the bullshit and stopped supporting them. Turns out if I stuck around with them any longer and actually saved my credit card on there, I would have had my credit card leak like they've done several times before.

Anyways, Here's your confirmation. Showz's account, on Showz's thread.

 

There is also an interview video from Bobby Skullface on youtube where this topic and these practices are discussed.