I know that at least if the Beast Hunters and the Movie 4 toys, if I don't like them, then I'll just go after all previous lines that I have missed until something new comes out that I like.

 

For me it's not the cost, it's the availability. The price hike does suck, but I'm use to paying alot more for my TFs anyway. With importing, vintage, and exclusives.... $15 for a deluxe (I actually want) still seems cheap to me.

I sure miss the days of being able to find new stuff in stores.  

 

*Looks at pre orders for stuff I have*

$600 1989 Batmobile
$250 Batman figure
$250 Joker figure
$70 Red Alert figure
$160 Soundwave figure
$120 Devastator figure
$300 Forttress Maximus figure
$50 for miscellaneous Batmobile cars
$100 for MP Cassettes

This all comes out in the next 5 months  

Yup toy collecting is fucking expensive hahahaha.

 

I'll take a different approach to it:

If a company sells 1 000 toys at $10 ($10 000) and then raises
the price and sells 900 toys at $20 ($18 000) then no, it's not too expensive.

They've found a way to increase their profits - It's not until they actually make less of a profit due to an increase in price (due to too low sales nubers) that something is too expensive.

The 100 people in my example who won't buy it at that price might be pissed off, rage, etc, etc. But as long as losing their business doesn't have a negative impact on the profit then that won't matter.

(same principle is of course true about lowering the price - if you can get alot more people to buy at a lower price then that is the right move)

No, they are not too expensive.

I'm not a big Hasbro guy to begin with, If I buy new releases then it's usually Takara or 3d party, but is the current stuff on the shelves too expensive for me personally? Yes - it doesn't really appeal to me.

If they do appeal to me like henkei does for example then I'd be willing to pay $100 + shipping fees + customs fees for it.

I might be interested in a Hotspot or a Wheelie for $8/$6 but to me they are not worth more and I wouldn't pay more than that (I have a more cartoon accurate deluxe Wheelie, and Hotspot? My internal monologue goes "Nah...well...kinda...nah" when thinking about wether I want him, regardless of price.) The thing that kills it for me is the lack of a combiner mode. If he actually could turn into a well thought out Defensor torso then I'd be more than willing to pay around $75 - probably more.

 

That's a wack example. as I preoder stuff all the time, 9 times out of 10 I only end up getting 1 preorder out of the 30 or so i have ordered.  

when it comes to BBTS which is the only place I shop online, I only get things from them 2 - 4 times a year in most cases. Between 2006-now, I only bought 20 items from them. only 3 of which were over 100.00 the rest being under 40 all were purchases I saved up for.

 

Modern retail prices? Nope, they are fine.

Aftermarket on some things? Flat out ******ed in either direction. Some shit has no business being as cheap as it is, while some things are nowhere NEAR worth what some people pay for them. However, as someone WILL pay marked up prices, they never drop.

 

I'm 14 now but ever since I was 10 and that whole economic crash happened I've really tried not to make my parents spend to much money on toys. My dad, who owns a successful IT company could afford them now as his buisiness is good once again, but now even if my parents were to give me money I dont spend it lol. My dad on the other hand has bought 4 cars in less than a month!
(2013 Mercedes S550, 2010 Porsche 911, 2006 Mercedes SLK 350, and a 2012 Audi Q7!)

So I can tell I'm gonna probably grow up to be a cheap adult lol but I would like to have an effective hobby such as my ad whose a car guy. I mean its better to spend more money on something you use for years than toys that just sit on the shelf

(I know that probably makes no sense)

 

It's pretty much a no brainer that the American dollar means less nowadays...

People really need to think about things before they go off blaming Hasbro.

Though that's giving them too much credit I suppose..

 

  yup.

 

The Hasbro prices I can deal with. Yea it's not very fun paying a few dollars more but with GI Joe pretty much dead, giving up on collecting the Marvel Universe figures, and Hasbro not putting out as many must have figures I just haven't had much trouble working the price increase into my hobby budget.

Third party and exclusives are just priced way too far out of my price range.

 

mind you...prices aren't helped by the fact that more & more ppl are buying their TFs online...like Ebay ect...& you have to take into consideration P&P, Shipping & maybe in some cases a Customs Charge! which can dramatically increase the price from what it was advertised as.

 

Buying toys is like Smoking or drinking it costs people a fortune and it usually isn't very productive - but people still do it anyway as it's an addiction.

The sensible thing to do is only buy something if you think it is emotionally important to you - however some are not sensible when it comes to toys which is why it's oft called "Plastic Crack".

Besides i've already given up buying Comics completely I don't now collect any other toyline (as all the others I did buy are no longer made like Microman, or i'm not overly bothered about any more - like Marvel figures) and I only buy Videogames & Novels 2nd hand now, curiously I'm actually finding i've got a lot more spare cash now - ditching comics seems to have made a big difference.

Besides people buy toys for different reasons - I buy them

1. as I like them to fiddle with while I watch TV
2. I like playing with them
3. I like photographing them
4. I like painting them up a bit.
5) I find a new toy can be cheering if you've had a rough day - so I tend to not open things right away but save them for then I need a little cheering up or as a reward to myself and also so each new toy gets more appreciation and "Love".

I know a good few people see toys as just representations of an idea or a cartoon character and don't really appreciate them as toys - but I'm all about the "Transformation play pattern" which is why the other lines I like or have liked in the past also include toys with that concept to them like Microman, M.A.S.K. or Starcom.

Anyway in sort do what makes you happy in both the short and long term. but bare in mind if you buy the well over 3,000 plus things that are out there you might start to feel a little crowded.

 

Yes and no.

I think the real issue is that the toys themselves are getting more expensive while providing less bang for the buck in terms of accuracy and paint and instead adding useless accessories.

For example, take ROTF Battle Blades Bumblebee vs. DOTM Bumblebee.

ROTFBee was, IMO the best version of Bumblebee from the trilogy toylines. Good sized, well articulated, and with a few relatively easy mods very, very screen accurate.

DOTMBee, on the other hand, was smaller and less accurate.

It feels like you're paying more for less.

Moreover, the costs spike quickly. I can go months without buying a single toy, and then splurge for weeks buying stuff as it shows up in stores or online.

 

I wouldn't say it's terribly expensive given that over the past 2 weeks I've picked up 2 MP Primes & Asia Striker Prime. I will say that importing stuff that hasbro should release is kind of a joke. I have a jet Vehicon, Breakdown, FE Prime & Bulkhead the 1st versions. They've cost me way more than they should've but I guess that was my choice wasn't it?

 

yeah, i got no worries with the retail tf stuff. most i dont even want. when i do want it the prices seem reasonable enough next to mp and 3p. but id rather spend more on what i want than buy crap i dont.

 

Prices matter to me because I do have other hobbies that I do. I'm a shooter and I pay quite a bit per month on ammo, and I've had to really cut down on my toy purchases. With the exception of the last two months, I really only buy one or two figures a month now, at best, due to costs of ammo and supplies for my gun. If a figure is getting close to triple digits like some 3P figures, I'm going to really start evaluating whether I really want that figure, because 100 bucks is 10 boxes of 9mm for me. With TRU MP-10 Optimus Prime up to 120, I'm really thinking that perhaps I really don't need him afterall.

Some figures are going to be irresistible...Warbot Assaulter was the case for me. However, it stands that with rising prices on retail figures and the dropping of overall complexity and quality I liked, I'm going to be extremely picky about what I buy. Every Transformers deluxe I buy is one box of ammo, and every voyager is two. That's the biggest comparison I need to make whenever I decide whether to drop money on a Transformers toy or not.

 

Well, after taxes I have 1280€ every month and after paying my bills I have about 300€ left every month from which I have to buy food from, maybe attend parties if there is money left or I can buy Transformers.

Buying a masterpiece would not prevent me from paying my bills, but my bills prevent me from buying a masterpiece. I'm glad when there is still money left at the end of the month.

As I mostly have to import my Transformers, a deluxe figure can cost me about 50€ so it usually takes a few months to get some figures. Like 3 or 4 figures max in a year. Since this month I'm putting money aside so I can buy the Ace Seeker Set next year.

 

This is a big consideration with me. I have other interests besides Transformers, and also other things that are useful or that I need for my home.

If I don't really love what I buy that's wasted money that could have been better spent elsewhere. It comes down to not just dollar amount, but value: what I'm getting for my money vs. what I *could* get otherwise. I'm not rich and money I spend on Transformers is money that can be used for something else and I always think of that now before I make a decision.

Minus some collector pieces here and there, I feel like I'm done with Transformers collecting wise, barring some major future changes. I'm unsatisfied with the retail toys these days and most anything out there I could buy I'm not really passionate about, so why bother? I can think of quite a few other things I would love more and/or get more use out of.

 

This seems productive enough.

 

same, foc was going to be another completest line, then i seen the toys, kinda killed it bought a couple, quit buying. i'd rather have one assaulter than five foc figures