I've been buying Hot Toys since the first Predator and Colonial Marine figure kits and I've never had to pre-order anything in advance in order to get the figures I've wanted for retail price or less.
I think some of these changes might be due to Sideshow's new rules that make it harder for retailers to make a profit on their items by reducing the amount of units retailers can order and limiting the discount margin they're allowed to offer. Retailers have to resort to new ways to turn a profit, and selling in stock items for a higher profit margin, is one way of doing that. I think this limit is also creating a false sense of scarcity for collectors as well. They see these things sell out at retailers and start going into panic mode, but I'm betting most waitlist reservations will be fulfilled, which in turn will lead to more money for Sideshow since they're holding all the stock in house rather than giving it to the retailers.
I only had one wait list cancel then a few weeks later I get email they found one....
