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Hasbro Toy Prices Going Up Again


JayC

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This is really going to change the stuff I collect. I honestly might have to limit my ML collection to only MCU and comic Spider-Man, I currently have most of the most recognizable characters I'd want from Avengers/X-Men/Villains, etc, but if prices go above $25 I might have to sell them off to fund even just the new MCU and Spider-Man figures. My other collections are already limited, Black Series is Mandalorian, Transformers is Bumblebee and Prime, Power Rangers and GI Joe are few and far between. 

It does make me wonder though, because though there will still be people buying everything, from what I've heard a large majority of collectors are either in my boat or stopping collecting entirely. Is it worth it from Hasbro's perspective to raise costs but have fewer products being purchased when possibly the same amount of sales could have been gathered from more people buying more product at lower costs?

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Is it worth it from Hasbro's perspective to raise costs but have fewer products being purchased when possibly the same amount of sales could have been gathered from more people buying more product at lower costs?

Generally no.  You will always make more on higher volume/higher sales.  This is kind of weird territory when it comes to collectibles because the actual value of a product is determined exclusively by us, the consumer.  Hasbro has had years to establish metrics for manufacturing so I'm curious if they're just going to assume that retail will simply go with 'standard' quantities at the higher prices.  Unfortunately, even if there is some sort of mass exodus when it comes to ML sales, Hasbro wouldn't really know about it or be able to adjust to it until months later; major retailers order, aren't able to sell, adjust order quantities accordingly over time until finally Hasbro sees their profit margins diminish and they're stuck with huge amounts of unwanted inventory.  

That's a big reason why this move seems to ridiculous to me, especially considering the price hikes we've already seen.  It's a leap of faith based exclusively on brand loyalty and, what, a year's worth of incremental price increases?  Seems like way too small a sample size to be make this sort of decision.  Almost all recently released waves are selling below MSRP and are readily available anywhere.  That should already be giving them pause before they try to screw over their retailers even more. 

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On 4/22/2022 at 7:23 PM, Typhis said:

He said in an interview he did with Shartimusprime that he's not going to..that he will keep his prices as they are for the fans...he goes into great detail about what is going on now...

And he has said since he has no choice but to raise the prices. Plus, that interview was over a year ago and things have changed since. You really can't use an old interview as the basis of your argument. 

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On 4/22/2022 at 8:31 AM, Virtualzach said:

Also...

Manufacturing cost my ass.  News of a price hike followed by 3% stock growth and a big jump in operating profit growth?  wtf

Mic drop. Sadly, facts like this don't matter to the apologists for these companies. 

They've sacked thousands of employees, while sending billions of dollars to shareholders. Walmart's CEO distributed more than $10 billion to its investors during the pandemic, while laying off 1,200 corporate office employees. When I hear someone saying Hasbro is "not making that much profit", their own notices report: "Hasbro has reported financial net revenues increased 17% to $6.42b, with the Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming segment revenues up 42%. Meanwhile, the company reported its Entertainment segment revenues were up 27%, and Consumer Products segment revenues up 9%. Operating profit of $763.3m, or 11.9% of revenue, was up from 9.2% of revenue in 2020. 

But don't get me wrong. I'm not ragging on these guys. If you can make money- Go for it! And as a consumer, if I can SAVE money- I'm also going for it. The Legends line has been putting out these figures at ever higher prices, but are they worth it, is the question. Blatant errors, sloppy attention to detail, bizarre choices just don't warrant the consumers' cash anymore. I don't think collectors are going to have any choice but to cherry pick waves now (which I've already done for years now), 'cause there's no end in sight to these hikes. 

The even sadder fact is, Legends may respond to consumers by cutting back on their selection. That means certain teams may never be made, others never completed, and figures we all wanted won't appear. 

Let's hope not.

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On 4/22/2022 at 12:02 PM, sentinelofliberty41 said:

And that's why the Knull/Venom 2 Pack is my last Legends purchase. I get it but since my pay is staying the same while Legends increase' I have to back out. It's been fun though.

Thats pretty much how I am. I am not pissed or anything but just saying I will be done soon.

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On 4/22/2022 at 10:11 PM, tarot said:

part of me want to save all the people who are saying the are done and repost them whenever they come and complain about not finding the figure or asking why a figure is made

 

Lol 😆 

Why you always gotta talk sh!t dude? Just relax and enjoy life. Just because people say they maybe done, does not mean the end of the world lol.

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I'm already very selective about what figures I get but if I want a figure I will get it no matter what, even if it's over $50, but again I can do this only because I never get full waves and abstain from movie figures. But the real issue seems that we went from 19.99 to 25 and then to 27 and 32 real fast, if it was more gradual hate wouldn't be as strong and vocal.

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On 4/24/2022 at 4:56 PM, SpiderS said:

"... I will get it no matter what, even if it's over $50....the real issue seems that we went from 19.99 to 25 and then to 27 and 32 real fast..."

Which is why I couldn't pay $50.00 for a figure that at best shouldn't be more than $25.00. Hasbro is simply not producing figures at that quality that warrant that price. But if people pay it, they'll raise those prices. Just the other day I saw that "kenner" retro Falcon on wm for $29.00. Its in stores and sites now though for $11.00. smh

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Well for me I will be cutting down to just MCU and comic Avengers. In recent years I began to broaden my scope and started getting into other teams like XMen and Alpha Flight plus for every figure I did get I was getting two, one to open and one to keep in box. but it’s just not financially responsible for me to continue either practice. 

Storage is becoming an issue anyway but Hasbro is pricing me out of impulse buying and any unrelated to the Avengers figures that look too cool to pass up ( so long future Ghost Riders, Kingpins and Punishers) 

ive got to say the future is as bleak as it has ever been for this beloved hobby. Just a year ago the Sheer amount of product was immense but I was able to snag favorites plus bonus characters or awesome BAFS like Ursa Major. But at these prices if I don’t want every character, I just can’t justify building a BAF I think is cool. And forget about box sets like the Children of a Thanos ( for example) going forward. That set was pricey at reasonable prices... I honestly can’t image Hasbro soliciting a similar set with the announced prices. That would put a 5 figure set over $200.. I just can’t believe things like this will be offered any longer. And will Hasbro continue to push out the amount of product we’ve seen in recent years? It stands to reason that if they can’t keep prices down they surely can’t keep producing the same amount of product. Especially if collectors are being more choosy.

So yeah, Hasbro raising prices means I’m buying less. I fear if the majority of collectors do the same we can mark this announcement of prices rising as the beginning of the end. 

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On 4/25/2022 at 5:16 AM, Atlantis said:

Which is why I couldn't pay $50.00 for a figure that at best shouldn't be more than $25.00. Hasbro is simply not producing figures at that quality that warrant that price. But if people pay it, they'll raise those prices. Just the other day I saw that "kenner" retro Falcon on wm for $29.00. Its in stores and sites now though for $11.00. smh

Yeah, I feel that but here I am tracking down older Marvel/DC figures that were 8-15 dollars but are 40+ on the aftermarket, so when I put that in comparison 30 dollars doesn't seem like the end of the world when I get at max 7-10 new Marvel Legends figures per year.

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On 4/24/2022 at 9:47 PM, McHogan said:

Well for me I will be cutting down to just MCU and comic Avengers. In recent years I began to broaden my scope and started getting into other teams like XMen and Alpha Flight plus for every figure I did get I was getting two, one to open and one to keep in box. but it’s just not financially responsible for me to continue either practice. 

Storage is becoming an issue anyway but Hasbro is pricing me out of impulse buying and any unrelated to the Avengers figures that look too cool to pass up ( so long future Ghost Riders, Kingpins and Punishers) 

ive got to say the future is as bleak as it has ever been for this beloved hobby. Just a year ago the Sheer amount of product was immense but I was able to snag favorites plus bonus characters or awesome BAFS like Ursa Major. But at these prices if I don’t want every character, I just can’t justify building a BAF I think is cool. And forget about box sets like the Children of a Thanos ( for example) going forward. That set was pricey at reasonable prices... I honestly can’t image Hasbro soliciting a similar set with the announced prices. That would put a 5 figure set over $200.. I just can’t believe things like this will be offered any longer. And will Hasbro continue to push out the amount of product we’ve seen in recent years? It stands to reason that if they can’t keep prices down they surely can’t keep producing the same amount of product. Especially if collectors are being more choosy.

So yeah, Hasbro raising prices means I’m buying less. I fear if the majority of collectors do the same we can mark this announcement of prices rising as the beginning of the end. 

To add to my previous post here are a few more concerns:

Hasbro loves the repaint. Look no further than the Fantastic Four figures. So far we’ve gotten 3 version of the team (Walgreens, the modern suits and the retro versions.). At announced prices, it seems folly to expect fans to pay for another version. Especially one as niche as the modern suits.

Apology figures / re-issues with more accurate details. I own 4 Infinity War / End Game Thanos figures ( among others. Looking at you IW/ EG Iron Man) It took Hasbro 4 try’s and a number of years to give us their it best shot. Again, at the prices we are heading for, this is unacceptable.

another under this topic is the D+ US Agent figure. Recent years made us expect ( maybe unfairly but hey, Hasbro was on the ball with apology figures : MCU Red Guardian) an updated accurate figure within a relatively short span of the first inaccurate version. I’m speaking in generalities but Hasbro had been quick to fix these with better figures. Got to think we are heading back to the days of when we got what they gave us and there won’t be another shot.

Paint app / lack of detail: wasn’t a fan of the Classic Dr Strange with his demon symbol being so close to the rest of his tunic. Even though he costed more I justified a potential repurchase with a better paint app by thinking a re-release may also include more accessories. If standard figures cost as much as Deluxe/ exclusives they damn better be the definitive version on the first try

Box sets/ Deluxe figures. With prices so high if fans wait until these go on clearance to buy, will Hasbro take the chance to give us a MCU Vulture or a Toxin if they can’t sell them for asking price.

niche / oddball inclusions: I see these dropping off entirely and Hasbro sticking to what they know will sell. Get ready for lots more Spidey, Wolverine, Cap, and Iron  Man to anchor EVERY wave 

for me  it breaks down like this:

at old prices my purchases were:

75% of nearly every wave. If I wanted the BAF it was 100% 

Awesome  figures unrelated to the Avengers that were too cool to pass on

Exclusives ala Alpha Flight, Excalibur, Children of Thanos

Deluxe sets ( Venom, Toxin)

Pulse exclusives

ALL MCU product

If you were an Avenger you got bought

Avenger villains. 

Updated ( more accurate ) figures

impulse buys. Figures I’m on the fence with

Double Dipping: that awesome but not quite comic accurate Scarlet Witch in the Family Matters 3 pack as well as the retro version

at announced price increase

ALL MCU

AVENGERS / Avengers adjacent figures

That’s it.

Math doesn’t work out in a Hasbro’s favor. Plus I have other toy interests and you know, a mortgage...

this is why I’m calling it as the beginning of the end of the greatest toyline in history. Believe me, I hope it isn’t true but if Hasbro continues to pump out the immense amount of product that people aren’t unwilling to buy for MSRP  ( or at least until stores clearance them out) as we have in the past the only result is less product or  the end of the line. 

Ok so there were my cons. Here are the pros I can see:

figures that would have been harder to track down may be more readily available as the general fan / parents / impulse buyers may not like the asking price

lm actually forecasting spending less money

 

 

 

 

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On 4/24/2022 at 6:37 PM, McHogan said:

"....here are a few more concerns: Hasbro loves the repaint. Look no further than the Fantastic Four figures. So far we’ve gotten 3 version of the team (Walgreens, the modern suits and the retro versions.). At announced prices, it seems folly to expect fans to pay for another version. Especially one as niche as the modern suits...."

I hear you but at the same time, I there are cases where a repaint makes sense. The F4 are still the same people and have the same form whether its the classic blue/black suits or the blackish-blue/white "negative zone" outfits, right? My biggest complaint about the F4 is that the figures were all too basic, and the wrong heights. They finally got the flamed on Human Torch right but still, he and the Invisible Woman aren't tall as or taller than Mr. Fantastic. The Thing really could have had biceps swivel. But otherwise, I don't see an issue with their suits being repaints. 

"Paint app / lack of detail: wasn’t a fan of the Classic Dr Strange with his demon symbol being so close to the rest of his tunic. Even though he costed more I justified a potential repurchase with a better paint app by thinking a re-release may also include more accessories...." agree, and I really thought it was underhanded. They never glued his cloak on before so why now? And why the painted over emblem that they managed to get right on every other classic outfit?? No, they knew what they were doing because they probably are gonna have the corrected version down the line- orange gloves/belt , removable cape, accessories, etc. Correct cloak....In fact they'll probably make it a "deluxe" two pack with classic Dormammu, this time with his corrected eyes and mouth instead of a just a flame head. Increased price of course.

"niche / oddball inclusions: I see these dropping off entirely and Hasbro sticking to what they know will sell. Get ready for lots more Spidey, Wolverine, Cap, and Iron  Man to anchor EVERY wave...." my biggest worry. None of the teams we wanted that haven't been made yet, chances are the incomplete teams will stay that way. Red Wolf, El Aguila, classic Shang-Chi, Iron Fist, M-11...nope. Maybe, maybe, we'll get first appearance Cap, but none of the rest of the Golden Age figures. That would be a real shame.

 

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