On amazon, a titan class transformer costs around 300 AUD (which is 10 times the price of a deluxe.)
I understand that the toys need to be profitable but It wouldn't cost 300 bucks to make a plastic figure.

 

Some are overpriced. Like some of the so called leader class or commander class toys like Galvatron or Rodimus which in my view ought to be in a lower class.

That being said, that Kingdom Galvatron is my favourite toy ever so the cost was worth it to me. It is in permanent rotation on my desk and I take it with me when I travel  

 

If the question is as to Takara masterpieces then the answer is yes.
Also when they repaint something and charge $30 and it is usually 20.00 that isn't ideal either.

Though sometimes they 'make mistakes' like no one wanted that particular Megatron "with Stickers" I don't think anyone really wanted Breakdown with stickers either - if they'd painted Megatron in a nice flat metallic silver and included and optional hand and all his arms microns (only painted) I'd have paid $100 for that without even thinking - but an ugly reissue - yeah I was only buying that for the microns.

Transformers look cheap next to Diaclone reboot however. Toys in general are far from cheap these days though.

 

It’s overpriced jumping in. It’s overpriced when they increase the price, it’s overpriced when I’m broke.

It’s fine when I when I accept the price and when it’s on sales it’s twice as nice.

Green energon and ham.

 

In a way, sort-of but not really.

Some fans have been saying that examples such as Kingdom Rodimus Prime are HasTak ripping off their customers and while that wasn't an ideal value for everyone (And there are indeed some mediocre) figures that I do think aren't worth their pricepoint, but honestly, I can say that some TF fans could be a bit out-of-touch in terms of what you get, and more often than not any other collectible toylines out there have an even worse price to value ratio than Transformer.

Some of you probably never paid for imported anime robot figures or model kits some of which cost hundreds of dollars, that are more delicate than even the most fragile of HasTak stuff, only comes with the barest minimum of accessories, and has little to no playability whatsoever; collectible lines such as MAFEX, SHFiguarts, Figma, Sentinel figures, Gundam Metal Build, Robot Damashii, Hot Toys, etc while looks fantastic on display, are nothing but glorified posable statues that can be easily damaged even with careful handling.

I have a couple of Robot Damashii Gundam figures such as the Robot Damashii RX-78-2 Ver. A.N.I.M.E, and while it's a fantastic, solid figure with a ton of accessories and great posability; it doesn't change that the RD RX-78-2 Ver A.N.I.M.E. I mentioned has an original MSRP price of $48, for a figure who size-wise was barely larger than your average Deluxe-class without its vast array of accessories), and that's not even going into the Metal Robot Damashii or Metal Build figures, where the price can range all the way to over hundreds of dollars.



Even the MPs, which I wince at the pricing of, are infinitely a better value than most of the Metal Robot Damashii and Metal Build figures, which while I love how they look but I can't bring myself to pay the cost. $20-$30 for a good-looking functional transforming robot isn't a bad value/price given the larger market.

 

I know alot of people have probably already mentioned this example in multiple places but I have to say that I think the TFxJP set is overpriced. I understand the price and materials going up and I get that. But in the crossover set, based on current MSRP prices, you get a $53 leader class toy and a $23 deluxe. that is $76. I know there are also licensing fees to consider but an almost $30 mark up is a little steep. I know this can be argued for the rest of the crossover toys too (like X-Spanse). That being said, I did still get the TFxJP set because I had a gift card and some promo credit to knock the price down to $37 but I can see that high mark up being a turn off for a lot of people.


One more thing I will mention, I grew up during the days of KB toys, and I remember scoffing at the idea of them charging $13 for a deluxe that I could get for $10 at Wal-Mart or TRU. Knowing then what I know now with deluxes costing $23, I would have never complained about the $13 price tags.

 

Depends. Quality, Retail or secondary market, weight and parts count play factors too. Each figure is different.

 

Yes and no. But they are high enough where I started looking at third parties and debating.

 

As a whole I'm going to vote Not Overpriced. Yes there are the occasional figures or sets that underwhelm, but generally I feel like there are a whole lot worse ways to spend $23 than a deluxe figure. Even looking at the Titan/Commander class there still seems to be a lot of visual presence/physical heft/play value bang for the buck.
When it comes to to Masterpieces their initial pricing seems in line with competitive product of high end robot/mecha figures (Bandai SoC, Sentinel and Arcadia stuff, etc.)

 

I have been out of the hobby for about 10 years and it has been a bit of a shock looking at current prices. Especially since I found one of my old receipts from TRU for a bunch of g1 reissues for $5 each since they were all shelfwarmers back then.

That being said, I don't think they are very overpriced since I think that Transformers are a more of a niche product and I have been impressed with the engineering involved. Also, since I am not a completionist, so the prices really help narrowing down what I really want.

 

legacy toys are now $10 less than the average voyager class on amazon. that's $40 Australian dollaridoos. i thought that $36 was pushing it but for the price you pay for the size of the figure, you're better off spending the same amount on a 3rd party legends class figure

 

I wouldn't say figures today are overpriced, which (to me) suggests they are charging more than they reasonably should.
I will say that they are too expensive for me to afford most of what they are producing. So now I've drastically scaled back. I'm probably spending as much as I ever did...but I'm getting far fewer figures. And, with rare exception, I've given up even trying to get figures above the voyager price.

 

I honestly feel like not all toys are equally worth their price point. Some Deluxes I’ve handled feel like complete rip-offs, and others feel like they are worth every penny.

 

Market sets the price. People are buying them, so I guess not.

 

Yes and no. People still think of deluxes, voyagers and leader classes as size classes when really they are price points. They built up an expectation that if it costs this much it should be this big. Rodimus is a commander class because he needs that trailer and that trailer is sizeable; much more robust that Earthrise Prime's trailer. On top of that he has much more complex transformation than SkyLynx, who is a much larger commander class.

Than being said Shockwave is overpriced because they artificially increased his price point with unnessacary accessories. Also Bumblebee and Cliffjumper are overpriced because they are not much bigger that Legends toys and the accessory while comparatively large doesn't equate to bulking out the price point to $20+.

 

It's funny, when this thread was created I would have said "Nah, though occasionally they push it a little". Back in the 2000s TFs were a freaking BARGAIN.

Now? Yes.

 

Yes.

 

Yes.. regardless how much many accept it, or try to validate Hasbro's prices by comparing it to other lines that aren't in the same league, they are not.. Not as toys that are supposed to have children at their main audience/target, and not for the quality that's going down the drain again.

 

Right now, we're paying more for less. Transformers toys are smaller and, at times, simpler and less painted than what we were getting about 15 years ago, while costing much, much more. Regardless of whatever the reasons are for this, I'm no longer willing to pay the kinds of prices I'm being asked to pay for what we're getting. It's not limited to Transformers, either. Here in Australia, the price of a Lego Star Wars battle pack is about to go up by nearly %50 from what the last one cost, 2 years ago. I've been so bored by Lego's output, in recent years and now we're finally seeing some decent Lego SW waves again, only for these absurd prices to put me right off.

 

Nope.