The Price is Allways Too HIGH

[Boba Ben]

New member here. I have read a ton of threads and there is one common theme.

The price is always too high.

Doesn't matter what it is, it seems like most of the posts are about the price.

I feel like when I started back in the day, it wasn't this way, but as the prices have crept up over the years to close to $200 or more for the Hot Toys and Sideshow stuff, threads have become more and more about debating the price of these toys. Both sides don't really listen to each other and it's not very constructive. Kind of sad, really.

 

[Taibhse]

The way some people carry on here you'd think some evil entity was compelling them to shell out their hard-earned cash for a dolly they don't want.

 

[Darkseed]

I feel like when I started back in the day, it wasn't this way, but as the prices have crept up over the years to close to $200 or more for the Hot Toys and Sideshow stuff, threads have become more and more about debating the price of these toys. Both sides don't really listen to each other and it's not very constructive. Kind of sad, really.

collectors mindset has changed from spirited debates to full blown douchery because opinions differ. Way to serious about toy talk

 

[SnakeDoctor]

If you're willing to pay it -- the price isn't too high. From a business perspective, its right where it should be ... high enough that you whine about it, but low enough that you pay-up anyway. The goldilocks zone.

If you're not willing to pay it, but somebody else is ... it still may not be too high. Maybe you're just not committed enough. Their market is well-to-do collectors to whom a few hundred bucks ain't that big a deal, and obsessed fans who don't care that they're too broke to afford this stuff. If you're neither of those, then you're not their target market.

The price is too high when there aren't enough buyers to justify production. We're not there, yet.

SnakeDoc

 

[karamazov80]

I feel like when I started back in the day, it wasn't this way, but as the prices have crept up over the years to close to $200 or more for the Hot Toys and Sideshow stuff, threads have become more and more about debating the price of these toys. Both sides don't really listen to each other and it's not very constructive. Kind of sad, really.

Wish I listened to others' posts. If so, I would probably say that Ben had a good point. But I don't, so I can't say that.

 

[Lejuan]

$279.99 for this?! You can take your inflated price and *place order* shove it up *confirm purchase* my backside Hot Toys!

 

[vodoun]

But OP didn't single out the commerce section. Price is being brought up more and more in HT threads because there is a perception that HT prices have increased out of reasonable proportion to what they were a couple of years back, and sometimes on pretty bare-boned sets (ie Selina Kyle). Few people complain about EB or medicom prices because their prices have remained pretty constant, albeit from a relatively high base.

Edit: er, yeh, what Kara and Dave just said while I was writing all that

Customs are having a huge influence on it. I do wonder what would have happened if it didn't have such a big effect like all the coverage here.

Look at the trend. A popular custom becomes a Hot Toys item. Mass flood of customs up for sale because Hot Toys made it better. With a huge price.

 

[Batty]

I'm a fan of people saying that Sideshow is charging HT prices for some of their figures. That never gets old!

 

[EVILFACE]

Nothing wrong with selling something you own for what is it worth.

 

[vodoun]

Nothing wrong with selling something you own for what is it worth.

Hot Toys has proven over the years on their Facebook page they get annoyed at flipping. So to compensate, pricier figures presently. I'm sure hidden amongst others.

 

[karamazov80]

Look at the trend. A popular custom becomes a Hot Toys item. Mass flood of customs up for sale because Hot Toys made it better. With a huge price.

That's a pretty rare occurrence though, ain't it? We've seen Kato outfit Joker and Alfred recently, and. . .what else? Seems like most of the customs stuff is way less mainstream than anything HT would tackle.

 

[karamazov80]

And those figures are produced in edition sizes of less than 100 in most cases, so it's just a small drop in the bucket of anything that would matter to HT (which produces figures in the thousands) or dominate discussions.

Hot Toys has proven over the years on their Facebook page they get annoyed at flipping. So to compensate, pricier figures presently.

You think Hot Toys' sets its prices higher in order to inhibit flipping? What kind of business logic does that follow?

 

[vodoun]

How old is it since that? How long ago since all the $200 - $300 Batman 89 figures before Hot Toys announced it.

 

[vodoun]

You think Hot Toys' sets its prices higher in order to inhibit flipping? What kind of business logic does that follow?

What was the excuse for Jack Nicholson that everybody was screaming about years ago, that the current prices causes it to look cheaper.

 

[koon]

Customs duty suck. Along with shipping increases, it really inflates those prices international customers have to pay to get something they want.

And that's something observations on eBay tend to forget. Some of those higher prices actually include international shipping, but we choose to forget when we say it costs this much...

 

[karamazov80]

I think I'm missing your argument here vodoun. What are you suggesting? That the guys who owned the old '89 Batman customs were causing a huge stir about the cost of Hot Toys figures, and that it was dominating threads in a negative way? Maybe I'm just missing those discussions, but I don't remember very much of that at all.

 

[Boba Ben]

Flippers and the collectible market share a symbiotic relationship.

 

[Mr. EcKo]

Funny how all the people on here that are arguing with everybody are the ones that actually flipped the Rainman pieces. Or are Rainman's top customers

 

[Envyme]

Yeah it is annoying but its part of the market, you gota get on things immediately. Look at the EX White Storm, Red/Blue Spartans (halo). Edition size was extremely low and they sold out in minutes. ES of 150 ...... after shipping 30-50 will be on eBay. It sucks but you gota pull the trigger quickly. That being said go into the for sale section, some people are not trying to rip off other collectors. For instance I just picked up a Punisher CQ for $250 from another collector. Just gota find the good ones.

That being said I am upset , the other day I lost out on a Gambit PF EX .... the guy that beat me to it has a thread saying getting out of collecting selling his marvel peices ......kinda pissed about losing the statue to that guy. I would have that front and center in my collection. he bought it just to flip it.

 

[karamazov80]

I don't see anyone here who has flipped Rainman pieces, and I pay pretty close attention to what goes on with his figures. . .in fact, Dave and I may be the only Rainman customers in this thread