Too Much Too Fast ?

[greenlucario]

4 hours ago, bashpics99 said:

 I think the two keys to avoid going crazy with buying MLs are

1.  Avoid building most BAFs , instead focus on 1-3 figs from each wave that are both characters you think will be hot sellers AND ones that you really want in your collection.  

 2.  Try to minimize buying figures just to "complete a team".  If the figure isn't appealing on its own based on the look or character,  then skip it, at least for now.   Even though i really like the core of the Giant Size X-men team,  i don't really feel like i need a Banshee figure.  or Thunderbird for that matter.

 Someone compiled a list after sdcc and found there are roughly 144 figures scheduled for release during 2019.  So its going to take a lot of time and/or money to be a completionist when it comes to MLs.  I've bought most of hasbros' MLs the past few years but this year i've moved to cherry picking waves and find it more satisfying even though you do end up with some extra BAF parts and i might miss out on a few figures that weren't high enough priority for me to pay full price for (MJ comes to mind)

This worked for me, until the 80th Anniversary stuff dropped.  Kind of hard to apply this logic/method in the midst of all these definitive updates.

[Squigiman]

Yeah, I guess it's a sort of double-edged sword.  Of course, it sucked when I ended up getting into DCUC because there was simply barely any ML to collect at the time (though I do regret passing up some TRU 2-packs like Widow/Winter Soldier, when I thought the RETAIL PRICES were too much to shell out at the time (*SIGH*)), but now, there are new figures coming out almost every week, it seems.

 

I'd rather have more than less, for sure, but it does get to be too much, and if you don't see a wave in stores, its space on pegs/shelves is already quickly replaced by the next one, and then you're forced to rely on the secondary market for what you missed out on.  Of course, with no TRU, it's also much easier to miss out, too, unless you go the online only route, which often means the added expense of shipping costs, not to mention taking away the fun of finding what you want in the wild, and/or being able to look over a given figure or multiple options in a store, checking for paint issues or whatever.

I don't know what the ideal situation is, right now.  Maybe for me to have more disposable income.

 

 

   -Zach

[McHogan]

On 6/20/2019 at 10:15 AM, mars396 said:

Marvel Legends has gone from a "Get Em All!" collection, to a "OK, what do I really want?" collection.

Hasbro is putting out too much too fast.  I cannot keep up.

My other collections are also hurting as a result, as I only have so much disposable income to go around.

Anyone else feel this way ?

My collecting habits used to be only Avenger / Avenger related characters and  Justice League characters from DC Universe Classics. Then I added MCU and DCUC ended.

I collected every 3.75 Marvel Universe figures because at $10 a pop ( when they were first released)it was my opportunity to collect the entire Marvel Universe in addition to my beloved Avengers. 

I still pretty much only get Avengers and MCU characters now but a few like Ghost Rider were just too awesome to pass up. 

Ive been lucky in that as I’ve increased in age likewise has my income. Also have a spouse that not only supports my hobby buy actively goes on hunts with me to find new releases. So even if I wanted to collect more than Avengers / MCU characters I limit myself to those that have special meaning to me. 

The past few years have been awesome for me personally but I am glad that Hasbro's focus has shifted to X-Men as this gives my wallet a chance to breath. Although the best BAFS have been non Avenger lately ( Kingpin, Wendigo) and that Wolverine, Cyclops Jean set is to perfect. 

[DarthOdette]

If you’re going to buy them all, that’s your prerogative, but it’s not a mandate for the line.  Hasbro is concerned with general audiences just as much as they are with fans, and they don’t consider the fact that general audiences are going to buy them all, that would be a ridiculous notion.  They think, the more they put out, the more they can sell to whoever is buying.  I for one welcome it.  I don’t buy them all, because I think that’s a waste of my money, personally.  For instance, not a single figure from the Moltan man wave was remotely interesting for my taste, so I skipped them.  Which is good because all the 80th stuff, retro ice man and storm, and Nightcrawler are coming to me any day now.  No, not too much too fast.  Just too much if you need to have every single figure as soon as they see release.

[michiganjfrog]

48 minutes ago, DarthOdette said:

If you’re going to buy them all, that’s your prerogative, but it’s not a mandate for the line.  Hasbro is concerned with general audiences just as much as they are with fans, and they don’t consider the fact that general audiences are going to buy them all, that would be a ridiculous notion.  They think, the more they put out, the more they can sell to whoever is buying.  I for one welcome it.  I don’t buy them all, because I think that’s a waste of my money, personally.  For instance, not a single figure from the Moltan man wave was remotely interesting for my taste, so I skipped them.  Which is good because all the 80th stuff, retro ice man and storm, and Nightcrawler are coming to me any day now.  No, not too much too fast.  Just too much if you need to have every single figure as soon as they see release.

well said

[DJ_Ole]

I'm not a completionist, I don't need them all. I just want all of the MCU, and comics core X-men and Spider Man characters. Not a lot came out in past few years that can't be linked to those three. 😜 Damn you Hasbro. 🤪

I try to skip on the repaints and two packs that are reissue of existing figures. I get only the one I need on E-bay. Also I skipped on characters like Citizen V, Serpent society and such. I still have a feeling I'm spending too much too quickly.

I started to be bothered with my display space as well. I feel like I crammed to many of them into my cabinets. So I need to take out more space for cabinets. I find myself going to IKEA more often than I would like.

In general I'm conflicted. I'm very happy and excited about the stuff Hasbro is putting out, and then on the other hand, I'm worried if I'm going to burn out and start asking myself is this really making me happy.

Future will show. 😎

[mars396]

 

Dear Hasbro:

You are losing a loyal customer since the beginning of Marvel Legends.

I collect(ed) Marvel Legends because they were the $10, then $15, then $20, now $25-$30 Marvel action figures I could afford.  I never got a single Hot Toy, sh Figurart, Kotobukiya, nor one:12, because of the pricepoint.   I stayed loyal to Marvel Legends. (OK, I got the occasional Marvel Select, but always in addition to, not instead of its Marvel Legend), but these past two months have turned my favorite pastime into a source of frustration and stress.   I used the hunt for little plastic people as a distraction from all the troubles in the World, but now…..

 

Store Exclusives and short-packs were one thing, but the onslaught on our wallets have caused me to consider ending our relationship.  I have neglected my other collections so that I was financially ready for Marvel Legends.  I have changed my shopping habits so that I ended up in a Target or Walgreens, so that I can hopefully find “that figure” that eludes me.  I have even gone against my own rules and dabbled in the Secondary Market for a few missing pieces.  Enough is enough.

 

I have maintained an Excel spreadsheet of every Marvel Legend, going back to the Toy Biz days, and the column with the “X”s keeps getting more and more empty cells.  I am still scrambling to complete Apocalypse, and he was 11 Bulid-A-Figures ago !   Then BAM!  Wendigo. Vintage X-Men.  80th Anniversary $50 and $60 packs.  All at once, with Bro-Thor and a whole assortment of “Fan Channel Exclusives” about to show up any day now.  I had to switch my “buy everything Marvel Legend” attitude and rank all this excess by importance, and decided to zero in on Storm, a Marvel Legend I have wanted since Series 1 in 2002.  But she is apparently made of Unobtanium.  Nobody has her.  I see Bomber Jacket Dazzler, Mascara Wolverine, split-face Iceman, and even candy-eyed Cyclops and Silver Samurai everywhere.  But no Storm.  Not even online.   This is a problem.

 

My collection has too many missing holes at this point, and with your release schedule as it is, I cannot see anyway I can possibly catch up.  You are losing a loyal customer.

 

[memocromatico]

2 hours ago, mars396 said:

Storm, a Marvel Legend I have wanted since Series 1 in 2002.  But she is apparently made of Unobtanium.  Nobody has her.

I have her. Many have gotten her. I'm sorry you're finding frustration in something that used to bring you joy.

It's nobody's fault right now, IMO. Hasbro does their best as a business to appease their market and keep everything in check, even the things out of their control. Sure it is a lot that's coming out... and I'm sorry you're having so much trouble finding what you want, but it's all about patience.

I remember when Anakin came out in the Black Series. That wave never made it to Mexico, I thought I'd never get him or would have to pay a ridiculous amount for him. It's coming out in the reissue line and even better looking. So just wait for the perfect Storm to show up... it may take a few more weeks, months, days or years... but if it's something you want then it'll be worth it.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed or frustrated by the hobby, I stop, and remind myself not to make a need out of a want. It's something I want, I don't need it, if I find it, great... if I don't life moves on.

[Jmacq1]

2 hours ago, mars396 said:

 

Dear Hasbro:

You are losing a loyal customer since the beginning of Marvel Legends.

I collect(ed) Marvel Legends because they were the $10, then $15, then $20, now $25-$30 Marvel action figures I could afford.  I never got a single Hot Toy, sh Figurart, Kotobukiya, nor one:12, because of the pricepoint.   I stayed loyal to Marvel Legends. (OK, I got the occasional Marvel Select, but always in addition to, not instead of its Marvel Legend), but these past two months have turned my favorite pastime into a source of frustration and stress.   I used the hunt for little plastic people as a distraction from all the troubles in the World, but now…..

 

Store Exclusives and short-packs were one thing, but the onslaught on our wallets have caused me to consider ending our relationship.  I have neglected my other collections so that I was financially ready for Marvel Legends.  I have changed my shopping habits so that I ended up in a Target or Walgreens, so that I can hopefully find “that figure” that eludes me.  I have even gone against my own rules and dabbled in the Secondary Market for a few missing pieces.  Enough is enough.

 

I have maintained an Excel spreadsheet of every Marvel Legend, going back to the Toy Biz days, and the column with the “X”s keeps getting more and more empty cells.  I am still scrambling to complete Apocalypse, and he was 11 Bulid-A-Figures ago !   Then BAM!  Wendigo. Vintage X-Men.  80th Anniversary $50 and $60 packs.  All at once, with Bro-Thor and a whole assortment of “Fan Channel Exclusives” about to show up any day now.  I had to switch my “buy everything Marvel Legend” attitude and rank all this excess by importance, and decided to zero in on Storm, a Marvel Legend I have wanted since Series 1 in 2002.  But she is apparently made of Unobtanium.  Nobody has her.  I see Bomber Jacket Dazzler, Mascara Wolverine, split-face Iceman, and even candy-eyed Cyclops and Silver Samurai everywhere.  But no Storm.  Not even online.   This is a problem.

 

My collection has too many missing holes at this point, and with your release schedule as it is, I cannot see anyway I can possibly catch up.  You are losing a loyal customer.

 

Do you not have access to preorders where you are?  That's usually the way to get the figures you want most (and think might be hard to find).    Sometimes you might have to get a "second wave" preorder but you still eventually get them.  HasbroPulse has been reliable for me, and Amazon mostly (but not entirely) reliable (had a couple that got delayed and/or cancelled).

Though it sounds like you're a real completist, which might make preordering everything that's coming out at once financially un-feasible (which is why I suggest focusing on the ones you want most).

[abnuggler]

Im understand and am also feeling at some moments what everyone is saying hasbro is making too many figures and its hurting wallets, other collections and in some cases having to change focus on what to buy and what not to. In my case I can see a change in how I buy my ML figures (I mainly buy X-Men and Spiderman based characters, and some comic avengers and a couple other added figures) In my country I've opted for preorders on Amazon and its helped out a lot (since its almost imposible to find figures in regular convenience stores now a days, and in the "specialty" stores where you find them easier they are marked up) so I try and just preorder the figures I really want and know will be hard to find and leave the rest I want but know will never sell out for when they are on sale, sometimes as a collector its hard to pass up on figures you like but know you will be able to find them cheaper in a couple months but because of the combination of so many figures coming out and the rise in prices you have to wait for the sales to get the lesser known characters (the only drawback to this is that if you want the BAF youll have to wait a while to get all the pieces, if you dont want to build the BAF and plan on selling the BAF pieces you dont want having to wait for discounts also means youll probably end up with BAF pieces nobody cares about or will have to sell for close to nothing).

In the end I dont complain too much, Id rather be able to choose what figures to get over the times where I ended up getting figures I didnt really want just because there werent too many figures being produced. I dont see myself buying ML figures for a long time since Im getting close to completing the teams I want, so probably my ML buying will eventually go down to just a couple figures here and there that I find intresting.

[Benn]

8 hours ago, mars396 said:

I had to switch my “buy everything Marvel Legend” attitude and rank all this excess by importance, and decided to zero in on Storm, a Marvel Legend I have wanted since Series 1 in 2002.  But she is apparently made of Unobtanium.  Nobody has her.  I see Bomber Jacket Dazzler, Mascara Wolverine, split-face Iceman, and even candy-eyed Cyclops and Silver Samurai everywhere.  But no Storm.  Not even online.   This is a problem.

 

You're in north Jersey, right? You ever make it down to Philly for any reason? My store will literally have 12 more copies of Storm coming in in October. I'm happy to hold one for you until you can make it down. Just say the word. I hate to see this all getting so frustrating for you.

Which parts of Apocalypse are you missing? I personally have a Magneto new-in-box I'd sell you. Say the word, and I'll pull it from eBay and hold it (you can pick it up along with Storm, if you'd like). I also know nearby stores that still have Multiple Man and Storm in stock (they're GameStops, though, so $22.99 each). And speaking of which, Gladiator is also on clearance for $5 at GameStop right now if you have any near you and feel like calling them.

[mars396]

2 hours ago, Benn said:

You're in north Jersey, right? You ever make it down to Philly for any reason? My store will literally have 12 more copies of Storm coming in in October. I'm happy to hold one for you until you can make it down. Just say the word. I hate to see this all getting so frustrating for you.

Which parts of Apocalypse are you missing? I personally have a Magneto new-in-box I'd sell you. Say the word, and I'll pull it from eBay and hold it (you can pick it up along with Storm, if you'd like). I also know nearby stores that still have Multiple Man and Storm in stock (they're GameStops, though, so $22.99 each). And speaking of which, Gladiator is also on clearance for $5 at GameStop right now if you have any near you and feel like calling them.

Thanks, but like I said, I am done driving hours for this hobby.  I went to every Gamestop in Central NJ this past weekend, and didn't see a single $5 figure.  Not one.  All cleaned out before I got there. I'm done with all this stress. 

It shouldn't be this hard to give Hasbro my money (well technically retailers who support Hasbro, but you get my point)

[Benn]

24 minutes ago, mars396 said:

Thanks, but like I said, I am done driving hours for this hobby.  I went to every Gamestop in Central NJ this past weekend, and didn't see a single $5 figure.  Not one.  All cleaned out before I got there. I'm done with all this stress. 

It shouldn't be this hard to give Hasbro my money (well technically retailers who support Hasbro, but you get my point)

No worries. Let me know if you change your mind. To be clear, I'm offering to hold one for you until such time as you find yourself in Philly for some other reason, not suggesting you drive an hour just to pick up a toy. The $5 GameStop figures did largely clear out on Sunday when the sale started, at least around here, but it's also worth noting that none of the GameStops I went to had bothered to relabel the clearance figures. Most were still marked at $22.99.

[mars396]

7 hours ago, Benn said:

 Let me know if you change your mind. To be clear, I'm offering to hold one for you until such time as you find yourself in Philly for some other reason, not suggesting you drive an hour just to pick up a toy. 

Thanks.  I already have Magneto

[McHogan]

I too understand the frustration noted above. It seems odd with so much product out that there are still a few that seem to elude me and I am forced to go online to buy (Guardian is one somehow?!?). granted it is few and far in-between but you'd think with all the brick and mortar options I would be able to find any particular figure I am hunting after a few stops. 

I have most of the figures I want but the ones I have never seen in store are becoming more common ( Mystique, 80th Cap, Guardian (how?!?).

In retrospect, I have seen some white whales that others have not yet fond like the Retro Storm,  Worthy Cap... so i guess it is luck of the draw. 

I have given up many hobby's that used to make me happy due to financial reasons. I used to collect comics but when Marvel started their variant cover push they priced me out of the hobby I loved since I was a kid. One of their comics, U.S. Avengers had 50(!) variants for a single issue. 50!!! Instead of the horrible feeling I was having for wasting money on variant covers I gave it up. I still hold some resentment towards Marvel comics silly as that seems. I wasn't being forced to buy all those variants but having the option to buy them all soured me on my once beloved hobby. So now I buy trade paper backs, and Marvel gets less of my money.

My advice, don't try to be a completist. Hasbro doesn't care that their product is putting a strain on your finances, if you can't buy them all someone else will. Just grab the ones that you truly want. It takes a lot of will power to change your shopping habits, I still miss new comic Wednesdays, but if you want to still enjoy this hobby for the sake of your finances and well being you have to adapt. 

[Jmacq1]

11 hours ago, mars396 said:

Thanks, but like I said, I am done driving hours for this hobby.  I went to every Gamestop in Central NJ this past weekend, and didn't see a single $5 figure.  Not one.  All cleaned out before I got there. I'm done with all this stress. 

It shouldn't be this hard to give Hasbro my money (well technically retailers who support Hasbro, but you get my point)

I ask again:  Do you refuse to take advantage of online pre-orders?

[mars396]

21 minutes ago, Jmacq1 said:

I ask again:  Do you refuse to take advantage of online pre-orders?

I say again.   Storm was PRE Sold Out online.    No preorders were possible.  

[Jmacq1]

39 minutes ago, mars396 said:

I say again.   Storm was PRE Sold Out online.    No preorders were possible.  

Except for all the people that preordered, sure.  She was up for multiple days before she sold out, at least on Amazon.

[memocromatico]

4 hours ago, mars396 said:

Thanks.  I already have Magneto

If I read correctly, it would be Storm too. But you're free to do as you choose 🙂 Hope you find one soon, or find something else to make you happy.

[mars396]

12 minutes ago, Jmacq1 said:

Except for all the people that preordered, sure.  She was up for multiple days before she sold out, at least on Amazon.

Same for BBTS, Dorkside, and everywhere else I looked (yes, I am aware she is allegedly available for presale on Entertainment Earth for October, but I'll believe that when I see it.)

 

My issue is with the production of this figure.  If presales are sold out, then nowhere near enough was produced.  It is beyond my comprehension that anyone in Hasbro's Marvel Legends Division didn't know Storm would be in much more demand than any other retro X-Man.  They should know their product !  ! ! 

[memocromatico]

26 minutes ago, mars396 said:

Same for BBTS, Dorkside, and everywhere else I looked (yes, I am aware she is allegedly available for presale on Entertainment Earth for October, but I'll believe that when I see it.)

 

My issue is with the production of this figure.  If presales are sold out, then nowhere near enough was produced.  It is beyond my comprehension that anyone in Hasbro's Marvel Legends Division didn't know Storm would be in much more demand than any other retro X-Man.  They should know their product !  ! ! 

Or, you know, people are a-holes and buy multiples for resale. A hot figure like Storm is x-mas for them, you buy 8, keep 2, and sell the rest for up to 3x the original cost? How is that not a good way to make money by pissing on someone else's opportunity to find a toy in a store or online?

I don't think it's Hasbro's fault at all. It's people screwing people over.

[Jmacq1]

1 hour ago, mars396 said:

Same for BBTS, Dorkside, and everywhere else I looked (yes, I am aware she is allegedly available for presale on Entertainment Earth for October, but I'll believe that when I see it.)

 

My issue is with the production of this figure.  If presales are sold out, then nowhere near enough was produced.  It is beyond my comprehension that anyone in Hasbro's Marvel Legends Division didn't know Storm would be in much more demand than any other retro X-Man.  They should know their product !  ! ! 

So did you order the Entertainment Earth one?  I mean...you say you'll believe it when you see it but you won't know either way until you order it.  If it gets cancelled then it's no skin off your teeth.  If you find her somewhere else in the meantime cancel your preorder.

 

There's like a hundred of her for sale on Ebay right at this moment, which means they didn't underproduce her.  People (read: Scalpers) just knew she was going to be a hot seller and have taken advantage.  Hasbro can't really stop that from happening, and overproducing would be money out of their pocket.

[Benn]

5 hours ago, memocromatico said:

I don't think it's Hasbro's fault at all. It's people screwing people over.

I mentioned this before, but Hasbro does share some culpability. They have an extremely risk-averse business model, where they effectively produce entirely based on preorders and let wholesalers shoulder the risk, many of whom do the same, effectively passing the risk on to retailers. Many order conservatively because their preorders are often due before they can talk about the product.

5 hours ago, mars396 said:

My issue is with the production of this figure.  If presales are sold out, then nowhere near enough was produced.  It is beyond my comprehension that anyone in Hasbro's Marvel Legends Division didn't know Storm would be in much more demand than any other retro X-Man.  They should know their product !  ! ! 

...but, as I've also mentioned, Hasbro keeps taking preorders until interest dries up, and keeps producing to meet those orders. I concede their model is parasitic and needlessly confusing, but they can't solicit orders for individual figures until they've revealed those figures to the public, and then they need lead time to produce them, so regardless of how popular Storm is, the first few production runs have the figures produced in equal numbers. October is when the first wave of single-figure cases arrives, so that's when the supply of Storms comparatively skyrockets. Unfortunately, many retailers don't jump on the single-figure cases for fear that demand might no longer be there, and the big box stores just aren't paying enough attention to individual figures. Many of them don't even track individual figures in a wave separately from each other, instead listing them all as "X-Men 2019 wave" or whatever else. So, if Best Buy has 10 Iceman and Silver Samurai figures sitting on a shelf, all they're seeing is that the wave isn't selling great.

[mars396]

On 8/29/2019 at 11:32 AM, memocromatico said:

Or, you know, people are a-holes and buy multiples for resale. A hot figure like Storm is x-mas for them, you buy 8, keep 2, and sell the rest for up to 3x the original cost? How is that not a good way to make money by pissing on someone else's opportunity to find a toy in a store or online?

I don't think it's Hasbro's fault at all. It's people screwing people over.

If Hasbro made enough for everyone who wanted one could actually get one, then there would be NO secondary market for these a-holes to sell to, and this would end, here and now.   

But Hasbro is too busy producing the next four or five waves they plan to flood the market with.   

"Storm sold out!   She's a success story.  Time to move on the next one!"

Leaving us loyal fans empty handed.

 

[memocromatico]

On 8/31/2019 at 8:36 AM, mars396 said:

If Hasbro made enough for everyone who wanted one could actually get one, then there would be NO secondary market for these a-holes to sell to, and this would end, here and now.   

If Hasbro made enough for everyone who wanted one, there would still be a-holes buying out the hot figures to screw people over. I've seen it happen. Hasbro made full cases of Mysterio, they disappeared in a day. Did SDCC Hulk really sell out to everyone who wanted one? Or did some people buy it out to sell it again in the aftermarket? We can point fingers all we want, in the end we have to work with the things that are in our own control.