I am posting this with a valid complaint. Masterpiece Grimlock is selling for rm 499.90 in Toys R Us Malaysia. If you convert this price to USD, it is around 154. This is scalping price by the importers in Malaysia and toys r us. This price is 2x what I paid for the same grimlock (different packaging) a few years ago. I paid for mine last time for rm 200++ (can't remember exact pricing). So, I know I am ranting but please view it from my point of view, you'll know why I have a bone to pick with Malaysia's importers, especially Hasbro Malaysia and our Toys R Us. That's the reason why I stopped collecting transformers from the movie line. I was a heavy supporter but the price increases by the importers, are simply not justifiable. Even if we take your American prices, add a bit of import taxes, it still should not go up to this level. That's why I eventually have to quit collecting them because Malaysia's Hasbro branch is either too greedy or too corrupt.
Wasn't the original Grimlock, the Takara version, around $200+ for US buyers to import? And even the online retailers sold it for that price? And then later on the US TRU exclusive version only was around $70-$80? That's just how importing works, it's always going to cost more when you get an item from another country and the company still needs to make some sort of a profit off the item as well. I can understand your frustration with the price but it's nothing all that surprising or all that new when it comes to import toys.
This isn't the Japanese Takara version. It's the Hasbro US version. Remember, I bought from the same company, who sold it for RM 200++ last time. They are selling the SAME product just different packaging but they jacked the price up almost 2x. Btw, this is OFFICIAL Hasbro Malaysia, not some grey importer mind you. It is the OFFICIAL representative of US Hasbro for Malaysia.. and they've got the nerve to scalp their own customer base here, when they sold the same product last time for half the price.
Not this round. I already have it, from the same importer/tru a few years ago when it was half the price last time. I am just talking about the business practices of a legitimate Hasbro branch.
That's not entirely true. Speaking of Japanese items at Japanese retailers. For instance, the Autobot MP cars were selling at around $90 plus shipping through American retailers, and about $65 shipped (Through EMS) for the Japanese Retailers. That said, Toys are us will raise the price on items that are hot. They seem to be doing it more often now though. I got my OG MP Grimlock in 2010 for $60, and this time around it was only that price fora week. I do wonder though, what the economy is like in Malaysia that they can price a toy that high and still expect to sell them.
Tru makes there own prices as most businesses. Hasbro sell tru the product and tru puts there mark up on it. If anything be mad at tru no hasbro.
You'll get a lot of "so......?" And " don't like don't buy" responses with this kind of post, but we over in the UK can empathise. Hasbro (F)UK/ TRU are going to charge £60 for MP Prowl and £100 for MP Grimlock which even allowing for all the factors my Economics Degree tells me go into importing and middle-manning is still a fucking laughable mark up on the base US retail price. But whaddyagonnado?
You are absolutely right. I have no freaking idea how anyone can afford this at a horrendously jacked up price. Even at original price converted from the US dollar it's already expensive, what more it's jacked up 2x more. Malaysians don't make much but quite many are bad at personal finance and will spend till they're in debts, as most TF fans here are similar. That being said, you've got to be not very smart to buy MP grimlock at this jacked up price and I am sorry if any fellow Malaysians felt offended by this. But there're many who got MP grimlock last time before me, for much cheaper when it shelf warmed here, so many got it for rm 90 to rm 189. I used my TRU membership points discount to get the price below the rm 200 range. Now they're reselling the same thing under AOE line packaging but at rm 499.95. I think this is ridiculous and don't believe Hasbro US condones such action, so I believe it is an independent decision by Hasbro Malaysia with employee/management that are dishonest and greedy.
This is not new. Prices around this region is high. Look at your neighbouring countries. It's even more expensive.
Except that when it appears (not this but other AOE line) in other non-TRU toy store, they are the same retail pricing. I believe this price is set by Hasbro Malaysia, not TRU, but TRU Malaysia also has been guilty of jacking up the price, but only IF they import directly from hongkong (Toys Li Fung is TRU owner), that they will jack the price up. This MP grimlock seems to be obtained from Hasbro Malaysia directly, so unless it is an exclusive, it might appear in other non-TRU stores for the same rm 499.95 price.
This time I think the MP grimlock could actually be cheaper in Singapore. Either way, if it's really not by Hasbro, they need to start looking to sell their products in other ways that don't depend on these greedy asian branch Toys Li Fung, owner of Asia Toys R Us.
That's an insane price. I think I paid less than RM$200 for the original Grimlock when I visited your country years ago at a Toys R Us. But that's how things work out...even other product lines like Marvel Legends and Star Wars are higher than US priced after (currency) conversion.
Inflation, supply and demand, cost to manufacture..... all have increased. So do prices. If you don't like it, don't buy it.
If you convert anything to another currency that's higher at the moment it sounds high, it's not Hasbro Malaysia setting the TRU retail price anyway.
U r wrong pal. Singapore is selling it at SGD 199.95, which is a little bit more expensive. I am surprise u got so much negative response though. I have been lurking around here for quite a while, and i have seen many people complaining about prices getting more and more expensive. Over in the far east not only are we enduring the price hikes; to begin with we gotta make do with the much higher MSRP as well... Not to mention our lesser purchasing power too. Not trying to rant or gain sympathy here... But just feel that as fellow collectors, all of us should be in it together... The standard of frustration for over priced items should be the same across regions.
If you say it's not Hasbro malaysia, then it is Toys Li Fung then, the fake Toys R Us store of asia... damn hongkies. The real Toys R Us should revoke license from Toys Li Fung, these greedy scumbags.
The UK is paying the equivalent of nearly $170 for Hasbro Grimlock. It's still much cheaper than TT's offering (more like $250). What can you do? It's a luxury item. The only way to really get the message across is not buy it. But chances are, someone will.
Well these regions are going to sell what the market can bare. I bet there is less amount of figures being sold there then in the US, hence a higher price point. In all honesty, the only thing you can do is not buy it and hope that others don't buy it as well. Then it should go on discount and you can get it at the price you want. Then and only then the retailer may realize they are selling these items at too high of a price. Either they'll lower the price, or cease to sell the product and say Transformers MP just don't sell. If others buy at that price, then you don't have a chance. It means the market is willing to bear the price of product. As for the negative responses you got, don't be surprised, these are the boards. They throw money at the screen whenever something goes for sale and protect the toy to the ends of the world even if there is something wrong with it and it is beyond evident there is something wrong with it. Just the way it goes. Tune out that noise though.
