Oh, we'll see $30.00 Deluxes. Just not right now. Hasbro's not suicidal. We give 'em a lot of flack and talk crap on their collective intelligence, but they're not that stupid. Not yet. We jumped from $20 to $23 in less than a handful of years (I think a lot of it is that their main budget goes towards Deluxes, those are the main meat and potatoes of each line, I hear.) so I'd say $25 as a small price jump for the time being. We'll all find a way to settle in and get it paid for and then they'll hit us with the $30.00.

Commanders are already planning on going up to $100.00, so we're told, next year. Rodimus looks to be the last $80.00 one. The rest of your prices are right on target, though.

I'm getting there, I really am...

Bingo!

It reminds me of a video I watched last night on YouTube. The guy used to be a manager for Walmart, the pay was good but the abuse was awful. Then, they made a good profit that year, and decided to actually cut wages to all of the employees. Some lost as much as $35,000.00 a year. Because they MADE more money than the year they paid better. It's absolute insanity. It seems Hasbro's doing the same thing with their products.

$5.00 more a Deluxe would put us at $28.00, not quite $30.00, but still...close enough. I could see Voyagers selling for $35.00, Leaders for $55.00... (Although, the prices listed above are more likely.)

The problem is, even if we do come out of this on the other end doing better and the economy is back to a good place, a healthy place, Hasbro will be used to making this kind of money and they'll never cut costs again. They'll cut figures, they'll cut lines, they'll cut people, but they'll never cut costs for the consumer's sake. Ever. Again.

This pandemic is basically a way for companies to print money. They're asking ridiculous sums for what's being produced, and not just Hasbro. I could see retailers saying "No. We're done. Your products cost too much as-is, and we're stuck with a lot of overstock right now, and we're not taking on more. Our contract is finished." Then, and only then, you might see prices drop if they get that desperate. Problem is, everyone's willing to open their wallet because they don't look at the whole picture.

The future's going to suck, pricewise, just want y'all to know that.

 

Well, world economy is gonna tank and we are heading for dark times ahead so little plastic robots will be the least of our problems.

 

I guess they really expect people to believe this nonsense, eh?

 

The current prices for these toys are basically the maximum I'm willing to spend. I quit this hobby a few years ago because I noticed the toys were getting more expensive and yet their quality was dropping (I skipped TR and POTP and all that entirely). Only got back into it because the Siege line seemed of significantly better quality.

If prices hike again, I'm out. Pretty much got everything I've ever wanted out of the SS/WFC figures anyway.

 

Yes. And it will still work because we are all slaves to this dumb fandom. Some people here have a Siege or Earthrise Optimus but will still buy whatever next Optimus come out no matter what.

 

yup.

absolute power may not corrupt absolutely but damned if they aren't trying.

when the world goes full mad max in 2029 be sure to check out Fallout's Fan First Friday, where i scavenge the debris of fargo-wells for the last remaining natural sustenance on earth!

 

You mean by 2022 at this rate?

 

I'm pretty sure the only thing truly raising was the jump from $20 to $23, which is across the board for all of Hasbro's $20 products. I swear you guys read one thing and you run around like chickens with their heads cut off.

 

I hope Hasbro is budgeting for alot less people buying their toys.

Quality cuts and price increases are not a successful formula

 

I'm already at the point where I only bought about 1/3 of my WFC collection because of sales. If the prices get any higher, without obvious increases in quality, I'll have to start only buying items on sale.

 

$100 Commanders... If we get Commander Optimal in the future, I'll stick with my nice, complete $65 original I bought last year.

Thought that was a good bang for your buck price point, but not at $100. I would pass on Rodimus if he cost that much.

 

this really sucks.

 

Gosh, if only there were some way for the megacorporation to avoid passing these production cost increases onto the consumer...

 

yeah with the way these price hikes r looking imma just get those new stunticons and that tfp optimus/bulkhead and head out

 

To be honest you've got a good point. I've seen people (including parents) go and say that Transformers pre-Kingdom where expensive, never mind post this new increase.

 

Oh well, never intended to become a big-time collector anyway. Now I'm just holding out for any Transmetals, Inferno, and Tarantulas. Maybe a Megatron, Starscream, and Optimus as well, depending on what next year's offerings will be like.

 

As much as I understand people being frustrated, and times right now are tough for a lot of us due to things.. I'm starting to lean in that direction myself.

This is shitty for sure, and it will probably make it harder for some more than others, but I mean... this is the obvious side effect of all the lockdowns and stuff. We can't do that repeatedly without there being any consequences. :/

 

This doesn't surprise me. I've been limiting myself anyway and until they do UT/RID01 updates I'm gonna do what I've been doing since Combiner Wars and buy like one or two figs at most from a line

 

1/01/2022 The price hike incident