There's been a lot of threads about this so far. So, I figured instead of having a new thread like this pop up every other day, why not just merge them all into this one instead or something?  

All Universal Board Rules Apply. Let's keep it civil, and keep it safe.  


What is everybody's thoughts on the Toy Price Inflation this year?

How has it been affecting your purchasing as of late, if at all?

It's not only happening to mainline toys but 3rd party toys and KO's as well.

Do you think the prices will continue to climb?

Do you think The quality of the toys is also a factor?

Share your thoughts on this economic epidemic that seems to be driving a lot of collectors into insanity.  

 

I've spending a lot less, but that's because my interest is fading in and out of Transformers.
Yes prices will climb just because that's how inflation works.
Quality of toys is decreasing which sucks, but they are getting (in some cases) more complex which balances it out. Anyways, I'm not a huge stickler for plastic quality unless it falls to pieces, I just care about the toy.  

 

^ A very logical post.

and I must say, i agree.  

 

Might as well post this in an attempt to create some understanding:

There are several members who are not from the US or indeed even UK, who have to pay much more for their transformers, where prices of $42 (or more) for a deluxe or $68 (or more) for a voyager is the norm.

Please keep this in mind as you read this thread and the replies.

If people point this out to you, It most likely is just them venting their frustration about their prices and they want some sympathy for their situation.

I understand that you are frustrated about your prices and it is difficult to show them that sympathy, especially when the people pointing this out may also have a hard time being sympathetic to your current price increase...but please try to.

They merely perceive their retail situation to be far worse, and people in general have a hard time sympathising with others who have it better off than they do.

It doesn't mean that the higher price you pay doesn't suck, I'm sure it does. I'm just asking you to be mindful of the fact that there are some who would have a bigger smile than Jack Nicholson(on laughing gas - winning the lottery) if they were paying US or UK prices at retail, and I ask you to show some fan love and considderation for these people.

Thank you.

 

Took only 4 post for the 'Non-US people pay more for toys so you can't complain' reply. Bravo!

 

To be fair though, I never said this was a U.S. thread. Therefore, it's obviously for everybody effected as I asked everybody to share their thoughts.  

That being said, opinions are opinions. we all have them and can all share them. As long as they are logical and well explained replies, why not?  

 

Prices have been somewhat more stable here in the UK, apart from the scary Tesco and Asda Legion hike to £7 each, so rising prices haven't been as much of a factor to my purchases. However I have bought far far less this year just because money has been tighter in general and the prices of everything has been going up. I've picked up a handful of PRID and that's been about it apart from car boot sale finds, and the PRID have all been picked up for less than retail.

If the prices, especially on Deluxes, goes up here though I'll buy even less. And if it's in concert with further reduced quailty then even moreso. As it stands the cost-cutting measures Hasbro have taken mean many figures are already teetering on the edge of me skipping buying them as no longer being 'worth it' to me. And it's probably only going to get worse.

May I offer my community spirit to everyone here that's bummed out by the reduction in quality and the rise in prices, in whichever country you live. Some have it worse and some have it better, but apart from a few better-off people we're all negatively-affected in some way.

 

He didn't say don't complain, he said be mindfull that some people have it even worse.


To the OP, I'm blessed with the ability to skip entire lines because of lack of interest, which means the higher prices only marginally affect me. If I was getting TFP stuff, Kre-o stuff, AND Generations stuff, it'd be a different story. As it stands, since I'm only getting Generations, I've usually got a fair stretch between waves to save up, barring GDO stuff hitting all at once.

 

I've been purchasing more carefully. I still pretty much buy the same amount in the end, but now I'll really only buy must-haves when I first see them, and wait for sales for anything else. If it's a Deluxe figure and I don't HAVE to have it, I won't pay over $15 for it if I know I can get it for a few dollars less with a sale/coupon that can usually be found every couple weeks or so. It adds up.

 

I've definitely been purchasing more carefully, too. The prices over here in New Zealand are insane. Deluxes are about NZ$30 (works out to be about US$25), and the Voyagers are anywhere from NZ$50-55 (~US$40-45). I definitely get sick of prices going up and quality coming down. I bought my first FoC figure (Jazz) recently, and whilst the mould is nice, it feels REALLY cheaply made. Not knock-off quality, but just quite cheap by Hasbro standards.

I've found it much cheaper to import Transformers from Japan as of late, so I have a bunch of the Arms Micron figures instead of their Hasbro counterparts. They only cost me NZ$25 from HLJ, and I usually chuck them in a shipment with some other stuff, so I don't even bother including the shipping cost in how much the figures cost me.

Thankfully, the last inflation of prices we had were the voyagers jumping up $5 and leaders up $10 with Dark of the Moon. That being said, I'm NOT paying NZ$20 for a Generations Cassetticon two-pack. WHAT. THE. HELL. I want them, but not for that price. They're spring-loaded, miniature robots that turn into DISCS. Plus, I don't have Soundwave for them anyway (and knowing this dumb country, we'll probably never get him).

I should also mention Toy World. I believe they're owned by Toys R Us. Anyway, I believe Toys R Us does the same, but basically, they're the one place you don't want to go to, unless you've got really deep pockets and are also stupid, and those two don't usually go hand-in-hand.

 

I've also been purchasing more carefully due to a combination of lack of interest and lack of stock in retail stores. Something about having to buy my figures at online retailers has taken the fun out of the hunt and collecting as of late. It feels more like a chore than a hobby. when something isn't fun anymore it's time to find something else.

 

This thread is far too balanced and civil.... it wont survive!  

I do have sympathy when prices go up anywhere. I dont want fellow collectors to pay more for their toys, and it doesnt make mine cheaper.

It does seem that prices have climbed a lot recently. It feels like that in the UK, even when prices have been stable, because of the decline in size and quality overall. I feel this more because I am in this for the engineering. I suspect that people who display only, and only want a cool G1 inspired robot are largely insulated from these issues - although paint probably hits them harder.

I have decided that this hobby is not what I am looking for, in general, any more. The frustration of seeing loads of stuff come out in the US and Asia, and knowing that if it was on a shelf we would pay loads more, and most of this stuff we have to import and therefore double that cost again, is just not worth it any more. Coupled with the decrease in size means that I simply get less for more cost, and at some point something has to give. In this case, its my wallet.

 

Everytime another American makes a thread about paying higher prices I feel joy at their pain, welcome to the rest of the world!!!!

Nah I'm only joking. Seriously, a joke.

This subject is very old and inflation being what it is, means toy prices going up is practically inevitable. Having said that, if my thinking is correct then pound for pound/dollar for dollar we pay LESS today for our Transformers then we did in the 80's. I mean Deluxes (or equivalent) back in the 80's used to cost £7 or £8, which is what in todays money, a Gagillion pounds?

 

The way I see it, prices have increased since (as an example) ten years ago, but at the same time I'm earning quite a lot more than I was back then, so over time I've spent the same proportion of my income on toys. Same goes for food, appliances, electronics, etc. so it all balances out in the end.

 

I Somewhat agree with you on this. While its not a true example for every figure, Remember that Ft. Max was $129.99 back in 1987. Using that figure's base 80's price, add in infaltion, and estimate what Ft. Max would cost today using the 80's price tag. Using a Inflation claculator Ft. Max would be $266.52 in today's markets, yet the Encore is $329, higher than the inflation price of the original release.

 

Dealing with inflation is one thing; the truth is we have been grossly underpaying for Transformers for a long time.

However, rising prices combined with declining quality, on the other hand, make this tougher. We have figures of declining size... that's gotten pretty impossible to deny. But Deluxes seem to have gotten simpler, and definitely smaller (FoC Brawl is lighter than Scout-sized RotF/Universe Brawl). And... honestly there have been fewer figures coming out that I'm interested in. I feel like Hasbro has been "playing it safe" and not trying to release anything too different, so we're getting a bunch of show-characters and relatively dull cars and trucks.

The other thing is Cyberverse Commanders... I love these guys. I really do. That said, they're still smaller, simpler, and less articulated than Scout/Basic-sized Transformers of yore, despite costing more. It's just tough to accept that, considering the fandom is leaping for joy when a CC has neck articulation while pretty much all Scouts/Basics had a fairly full range of articulation, regularly lacking only forearm/wrist swivels.

It bugs me personally to be paying more for less. Looking at it objectively, a TF is still an obscenely good deal compared to... pretty much everything else in the toy aisle. GI Joes and Marvel Universe figures are about the same price as a CC, if not more and are... about the same size (and has a lot of part reuse, can't transform, and fewer accessory capabilities); anything Mattel puts out is grossly overpriced and will have less articulation, and honestly it all goes downhill from there

tl;dr Quality is down, price is up, but Transformers are still a good deal compared to everything else in the toy aisle.

Not a good example... rereleases are always more expensive, since they're collectors' items, and it's a Japanese release which means it's going to be more expensive already.

 

Omega Supreme cost, what, £35 back in 1985? About £90 in today's money.

Encore Omega Supreme cost about £95 back in 2008, so the effect has been somewhat minimal, I'd say!

 

130 to 330 over 25 years is just 3.7% per year (compounded), which is less than the annual inflation in a lot of countries. And yeah, you have to factor in changes in the USD/JPY rate over the same period.

 

its hard to shell out $15.47 for a toy size that just a couple of years ago was around $10. i still collect i'm just a lot more selective on my purchases. the days of buying every thing as it was released are gone for me :-(

 

I have had to not buy some toys due to my "budget." The quality of them is an issue also, because you seem ripped off for buying a toy that is five inches high that has the plastic quality of a mcdonalds toy three months back. (Seriously, I held both in my hand, a FoC prime and a mcdonalds happy meal toy, and they had about the same plastic quality.)