If you do a search on these forums I'm willing to bet multiple threads will come up regarding this topic dating back a decade-plus. The point is price has always been a concern and rightfully so, you should be thinking about how much you're spending on toys. It's a cop out answer, but prices will get as bad as you want them to. We can discuss all we want about what is it "worth," but if you're buying still, it's worth it. I'm reducing my collection and spending habits. I don't think prices are bad, but I also have reached the point where the worth of these toys (Hasbro, Takara, third party, all in general, some more than others) don't mean as much to me anymore.
I don't think so If it were the case we'd see more marketing agreement for statues and the like. I think they want more into media though.
Well we’ve established that Hasbro kept prices in line with inflation in the US. Seems reasonable right? Your wallet stings more with each price increase regardless? The answer to that is US wages have not kept pace with inflation. Right now in the US it takes a larger percentage of the average workers salary to collect Transformers than it did in 1984. While to some it may seem like Transformers were super expensive back in the day, they weren’t. You have to account for several factors, US society was more frugal then, credit wasn’t as easily available, more households with only one parent working and your station in the workplace vs your parents. All of that is immaterial when we’re dealing with a luxury item. The only thing that matters is what the market will bear. That can be hard to predict. Sooner or later there has to be some kind of correction, Americans can’t spend like a drunken sailor forever.
They have made movement in that direction. But their output in that direction hasn't really reflected that thus far. I'll not talk about content, because I think most Transformers fiction in the last two decennia has been crap. But what do I know? Most people who are into fiction think crap is the second coming. The major problem is that their fiction isn't making any waves. They had some waves with MTMTE and the Bee movie. But for the most part, people couldn't care less about Transformers fiction. And that's hardly a good reputation to have if you want to become a fiction powerhouse.
Yeah, but the media push isn't limited to tf material. Transformers movies have been made, A battleship game inspired movie, a candyland movie is planned along with hungry hippos themed movie on the development table. Hasbro is on the media March, albeit in a drunkenly, circular path.
That's true. I am one of those misguided people who tend to forget Hasbro is trying to push its other properties beside TF too. And I really should know better.
As long as we keep paying the increased prices, they will increase them. Its called supply and demand and we all bring it up on ourselves. Especially when we white knight the fact with excuses, or posting excuses on the net trying to convince first and foremost ourselves, that the new price is worth it.
The point is, though, that the price HASN'T increased when it comes to inflation. At least in the U.S. We're paying just as much for Transformers now as we were in 1985.
Well, you're basically asking to pay discount pricing for Transformers. We got that. It's called Cyberverse. Feel free to browse the merchandise and then come back here and demand our Generations figures cost that much.
It's not a dollar to dollar problem, but a cost to wage problem. As it has been pointed out a dollar in 1984 is equal to two dollars and some change today, and while the price of goods and services have gone up according, the average wage has not, nor can it.
Exactly. People want to completely blame Hasbro and are unable to understand that this is a lot more complex. I was gonna bring up the issue of stagnating wages but I’m glad someone already did and explained it better. However... If you can believe that inflation has raised the costs of all consumer goods across the board, why can’t you believe that this also happened to TFs? If you believe that wages have NOT kept pace with inflation why can’t you believe that TFs feel more expensive? I mean, if minimum wage across the country was $16, a $20 deluxe wouldn’t hurt that much but we’ve dragggggggged our feet on raising the minimum wage.
That's not true. Average US incomes have actually surpassed inflation since 1985. Households can actually afford more Transformers now than even back then. US Average Income by Year The question is all about percieved value. In a world where you can download music for free, paying $20 for a deluxe seems sinister. Too much has been stolen in the name of value that we've diminished the value of what things are actually worth.
Is that per person or per household? Again in 1984 most households only had one source of income today it's two and before too long it'll be three. In fact, my wife has been talking about getting a second job.
This, I agree with. When I was a child in the 80s. It was a miracle to obtain a complete G1 figure, let alone two of them. A full combiner? Your parents were filthy stinkin' rich or too stupid to balance their checkbooks properly. (No slight against either, we've all been on the stupid end of things and if someone actually worked their way to the top, more power to them.) Now? I can actually afford to buy my kids stuff, as well as have a collection of my own. We're not in the 1980s anymore, they really were far worse than things are right now. People look at the past with rose-colored glasses and say it was a better time, but it really wasn't. (This next part is not political, I'm not pro/con anything, anyone tries to go political, I'll report them immediately.) Yes, people are still on Welfare, but it was so bad in the 1980s that the government was actually giving people boxes of no-name cheese and noodles and whatever else, plus gallons of milk. They don't really do that anymore. Yes, we have WIC, yes we have an income disparity, but people can actually afford to own a cheapo cellphone that's prepaid and pay for their bus fare to get back and forth to work and there were plenty who weren't even that fortunate in the 1980s. No home phone, let alone a cellphone, and a lot of people WALKED because they couldn't afford bus fare. I am not remotely joking. I'm not sure what history books people are crackin', I don't know what their upbringing was, but I lived it. I was homeless twice, lived in projects and trailers most of my upbringing, cars constantly breaking down, food stamps, etc. I'm not complaining. Life's a lot better now than it was back then. People cry about prices going up and "I'm not paying that for this" etc. Guess what? I'm happy to be able to buy them, period. A lot of people are. Sadly, we in the US have it pretty good and our overseas brethren are paying 1980s pricing, NOW. Have been for at least a decade. They're burdened by the costs of living over there. Trust me, the 1980s are a very harsh reminder of what things could be. Be glad they're not like that, now. It's not a perfect world, it's a lot more violent in a lot of ways, but it's not as bad as it once was. Believe me.
And few could afford the products a company was selling. As much as we may want everyone to make 15 to 20 bucks an hour, no wants to pay the carry over mark up for that McDonald's hamburger which would quickly shrink to the size of a White Castle slider.
Kinda of off track and a bit random, but you just reminded me of all the movies about homeless people that come out in the 80's. Also it's hard to talk about this this with out getting into politics.
