Hotwheels and Matchbox reach $1.11 each at Wal-Mart

[livnxxxl]

I swear every time I go into Wal-Mart these days the prices just keep getting higher and higher. It was not just a couple of days ago that the Hot Wheels were the normal expected price of .98 each. The Matchbox was like .87 each. Not any more.

I wonder what the excuse is this time?

I sure am glad that I stopped collecting Hot Wheels like I used to do. I used to buy them a couple of hundred at a time. Now I have so many and with the recent price increase I do not even want to buy them at all.

On the brigher side at least I won't have to hear cheapo's say I can get those at Wal-Mart for a dollar. (referring to older Hot Wheels from the 90's no longer sold in stores) Not any more.

[geoffdude]

I swear every time I go into Wal-Mart these days the prices just keep getting higher and higher. It was not just a couple of days ago that the Hot Wheels were the normal expected price of .98 each. The Matchbox was like .87 each. Not any more.

I wonder what the excuse is this time?

I sure am glad that I stopped collecting Hot Wheels like I used to do. I used to buy them a couple of hundred at a time. Now I have so many and with the recent price increase I do not even want to buy them at all.

On the brigher side at least I won't have to hear cheapo's say I can get those at Wal-Mart for a dollar. (referring to older Hot Wheels from the 90's no longer sold in stores) Not any more.

That's a bargain compared to action figure price increases. Most figures have gone up $2-$3 in the last two weeks... add that to the increase of about 10% every year or so for the last 4-5 years and we are at $16-17 per 6" inch figure and $9-$10 for the smaller $3/3/4 figures. That's insane prices. One of the main reasons I'm pretty much getting out of new figure collecting.

Probably best for the most part... I've been doing this way too long.

Regards,

Geoff

[ScottA]

I noticed it Monday while I was out, although here they are $1.09.

[Werewolf]

I was just looking at pics online of the first Hot Wheels and the original store stickers were priced from 84 to 99 cents and that was in 1968. It's actually pretty darn amazing they've been able to keep them so cheap for so long. A little over 40 years later they went up about a dime. Still cheap and a heck of a good deal.

[toys2cool]

they've been a buck or so for a while, so I can understand it going up a lil bit, still compared to most toys including cheap dollar store crap, it's still a bargain

[The Toyroom]

I was just looking at pics online of the first Hot Wheels and the original store stickers were priced from 84 to 99 cents and that was in 1968. It's actually pretty darn amazing they've been able to keep them so cheap for so long. A little over 40 years later they went up about a dime. Still cheap and a heck of a good deal.

That's what I was gonna say...I remember my brother paying anywheres between 79 and 99 cents back in the 70s for Matchbox cars....

[HardyGirl]

They're .89 at Lucky Food Stores.

[jemboy2004]

an 8" mego was like 2.99-3.99 in the 70's but now they are 20.00 (or more), so the hot wheels still seems like a bargin to me.

I buy hot wheels for my godson all the time and I've been saying how the h*ll have they kept them at this price since I remember them being about that price when I was a kid in the 70's. I wish action figures faired as well.

[johnnystorm]

The fact that Hot Wheels & other diecast cars are mostly sold everywhere, with the "exclusives" being limited to a certain one or a set certainly must contribute to the pricing. WallyWorld may keep it at a $1.11, but K-Mart or the dollar stores will still have them at other prices or sales as well. More competition keeps prices low.

Sadly, action figures are now limited as to who has them, who has what wave, etc. Thus the chains can gouge the prices if they want, the excuse being oil costs, shipping costs, etc.

Also, the dealers who stalk the shelves, payoff the stockers etc to grab up the lines & variants as they hit don't help. I know that Hot Wheel sellers are just as bad, but since you can find the cars at supermarkets, dollar trees, and other places, the chances of finding a tougher piece or treasure hunt car is better. I'd wager that most times I did find one it was at the grocery store, where they get stocked randomly as opposed to people knowing the ship date and what time the truck arrives at TRU. Can't say that'll happen when a wave of DCU figures hits K-Mart.

[jds1911a1]

My son's favorite toys are hotwheels and I can afford to get him one anytime we go out. I can imagine for a collector the # of paint vairiations must drive them crazy, (my son must have 5 different 2010 GT mustangs) but for me to see the same HW molds I had as a kid (like Hotbird and Rescue Ranger) are still produced for my son to have is awesome. While it is a fact this helps to keep the prduction costs lowere (the dies were made decades ago) it is still really cool to see, add in the new ones with cars I always wanted (like a 69 gto or 72 torino and ranchero), just love em. Sure there are some cheaper ones for like 80 cents still (maisto) but I remember them at 50-75 cents when I was a kid and for a buck now that is great. the only "hard" part is when a car he likes is only in a multipack - they have to wait for birthdays

I mean a Star wars figure in 77 was 1.99 -2.99 and now they are 8-11 each so the HW and matchbox getting to 1.11 no big deal (plus the paint jobs are way more detailed than when I was a kid)

compared to the 2-5 apeace for a Johhny lightning I will take hot wheels any day

[livnxxxl]

Hey gang, I meant to post a follow up to this thread, but then I got busy and the thread got burried. Now that I seen it resurface I am going to post my follow up.


Check this out....I go back to the same Wally's about three days later and guess what?

The price all of a sudden dropped from $1.11 to $1.09. My whole point of this thread is that Wal-mart is price gouging when they do not have to do it for no reason at all. The price was increased, the cars were not selling as well, the pegs was still full as a result, so the price was lowered. To me that is gouging plain and simple.