Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

I've seen some stuff come out and normally, if it's new and in a line I'm collecting, I'll just buy it.

For the toy and the small hit of dopamine if gives me.

Now, I have to look at the price.

Feels like a 50% increase in the last couple of years and while I understand inflation and freight are WAY up, I still can't justify what these things are starting to cost now.

Anyone else just getting less satisfaction at these prices?

It's like I've gone a from a weed addiction to a cocaine problem.

Value in vs value out is just out of whack for me now.

Re: Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

I just saw the title of this thread and before even reading it I thought "Yes! Absolutely!".

Collecting isn't the same for me anymore when it comes to retail. It's sad to say but I don't even care to go to retail stores anymore to check because no matter what I find, the price throws me off. The feeling of satisfaction that you mentioned is just not really there anymore.

I was very much a Generations collector but within the last couple of years I've barely touched that line. It's been mostly other things now (TCG, Kre-O, comics, Studio Series but not from retail).

Ok enough with my rant. I still love collecting but it's just from another angle now.

Re: Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

Yes. I'm in a toysrus right now fully stocked but $50 for silverstreak is unbelievable

Re: Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

No I'm not. I was driven away by the old price hike 2 years ago already.

Re: Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

I have bought 2 items at full price so far this year (not counting preorders that are due to ship this year).

Neither item was a Transformer.

Everything else has been purchased on sale/clearance. The price increases, especially the most recent, have just made it too expensive to be worthwhile in most cases.

TRU is a deserted town in my mind now. Walmart is only a go to for me when I am doing shopping, and Amazon/ GameStop are basically only online hunting for deals, with the odd preorder for something I really want. (Though no preorders with Amazon since last year)

I actually have spent more with the online retailers here than in stores.

So yeah pricing has made it less enjoyable for me, and that is actually a good thing. It has made me take that extra beat to think before buying, which has helped avoid buyer's remorse. Also it has lead me to enjoy some of my older stuff more because I am not constantly buying new stuff.

I think it will be interesting to compare things again later in the year and see if anything has changed.

Re: Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

Same as I said the last time this topic was raised:

-> thrift shops are your friend
-> make your own discounts (WM Rewards MasterCard)
-> pounce on any exclusives you are interested in, cause aftermarket only gets worse, not better

But actually I'll add a new one, a dream for the future:
-> let EB take Target's exclusives/Buzzworthy line so we can ditch TRU forever

Re: Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

Not yet. I didn't start collecting until Siege and it's still cheaper to buy the new figures than it is back collecting or 3rd party. As long as the articulation doesn't start to suffer I'll keep buying figures that interest me for now.


Also, NEVER sign up for a credit card just for the rewards points.

Re: Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

Its definitely made me more selective now. Legacy blitzwing in the past maybe at $60 I can overlook some of the bad designs, at $77 and tax no thanks.

Ss bee movie guys look interesting but not at $36 and tax, core class guys for $16-17 easy pass.

Also with supply issues and overall I think a lot more collectors now than before covid you have to pretty much preorder to get stuff. High gas prices i don't feel like driving around trying to find a figure.

Eb is pretty much the best place to get a small.discount if you have an edge card and you don't need to pay up front, they have been my go to the past 2 years.

Re: Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

Yup. I would've jumped into legacy by now but I'll wait for a huge sale just to get last years' ridiculous price points.

Listening to Proto's podcast with AA just got me bummed about how everything has changed since Armada. Yeah I'm they are making show accurate G1 goodies but everything is tiny and the quality of the plastic is cheaper. I would love to jump back into MPs but not at 200$ a pop.

And the distribution issues are a pain. I paid for a few joe figures ages ago but I have zero idea when they'll get here.
You had me Hasbro but I'm almost all the way out the door.

Re: Is new pricing keeping you away?
 

Definitely!

I bought every release of the Prime war trilogy and Siege and Earthrise and early studio series. Now I've ditched studio series (except some '86) and cherry picking trough Kingdom.

When a leader cost as much as a new videogame release, I know where my money's going. I'd rather play 100+ hours on Elden Ring which will last me a few months, than get a figure that's going to get dusty then thrown into storage when next wave comes. That Blitzwing sure does look great tough.....