Action figure economics

[Werewolf]

Seriously. $6 for a Barbie doll? That's stunning to me. Their costs must truly be laughable, the numbers so high.

When you get into the $10 and under range the dolls become fairly basic. $6 dolls generally don't even have full clothes anymore. I'm seeing molded tops becoming much more common. When you get into the higher end non-playline dolls the prices can get rather high.

Barbie actually has collecting tiers. Pink Label being the lowest (which is above playline in quality but still with massmarket unlimited production runs) and Platinum Label (the most limited and very expensive) which is the highest.

Barbie Collecting Tiers. I hope this helps a bit.

http://www.barbiecollector.com/collecting/tiers/

[PNGwynne]

The Mcdonald's stuff is paid for by Mattel and DC. Promotions like that are bought and paid for under their annual advertising budget, not production budget. It's supervised by an entirely different arm of the company.

It would be nice if right hand actually got to meet left at Mattel. Maybe someday...

Scott

That would prob. be like matter & anti-matter meeting in the Star Trek mythos--we'd all suffer...

[The Bat]

[QUOTE=Astronut;616940]

A friend of mine has a comic shop and sold the new retro megos for $15 and he still made a profit.QUOTE]

That's interesting... I thought someone posted on here the comic shops had to charge $25+ just to make a tiny profit...

Newberry Comics charges $29.99 for retro Heroes.

[PNGwynne]

^As does my local shop.

[wayne foundation 07]

how does ctvt toys manage to sell there figures for about 5 bucks?

[livnxxxl]

What are your thoughts about these?

These are nice 11" figures with clothing, lots of accessories, boots and very attractive packaging all for only $5.00 each. Is that great deal or what?











These did not take no $12 million dollar a year CEO to stand behind others to produce. Some times companies spend millions of dollars to save a quarter. Not very good business sense IMO.

[Werewolf]

What are your thoughts about these?

They are bootleg level toys. I personally wouldn't feel safe letting a child play with them.

[Doc]

[QUOTE=The Bat;616972]

Newberry Comics charges $29.99 for retro Heroes.

I was talking all the new Star Trek And POTA in particular. I mean DR Mego is closer to the source (He made them) My friend was paying Doc (HIs profit margin) and to have them delivered. He should have been more expensive then Dr Megos site NOT the other way around. Now toys are us has a huge inplace infilstructure. Definatly not a small specialty shop.And they are charging even more?

I worked as a manager for Walmart... They control the factories in China, They own the ships, trucks, planes. They control the distribution centers right to the shelf... You dont have any middle person saying I need to make a profit here. Thus they can undersell anybody... Hell LIke Milo in catch 22. They can diliberatly lose money and still get a head.

[livnxxxl]

[QUOTE=Doc;617005]

Hell LIke Milo in catch 22. They can diliberatly lose money and still get a head.

Probably more like Brewster's Millions. The more they try to get rid of their money the more money they make.

[livnxxxl]

They are bootleg level toys. I personally wouldn't feel safe letting a child play with them.

You are defiitely entitled to your opinion just like everyone else here and that is the reason why I asked.

I was just wondering about your comment of them not being safe for a child. I thought ALL toys had to meet certain safety requirements before they are to be sold in a retail store?

[LonnieFisher]

What are your thoughts about these?

These are nice 11" figures with clothing, lots of accessories, boots and very attractive packaging all for only $5.00 each. Is that great deal or what?

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn184/livnxxxl/2010/DSC09939.jpg

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn184/livnxxxl/2010/DSC09941.jpg

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn184/livnxxxl/2010/DSC09940.jpg

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn184/livnxxxl/2010/DSC09943.jpg

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn184/livnxxxl/2010/DSC09942.jpg

These did not take no $12 million dollar a year CEO to stand behind others to produce. Some times companies spend millions of dollars to save a quarter. Not very good business sense IMO.

I'd love to be able to get smaller superheroes of that quality for that price! I'd buy cases of them.

[BlackKnight]

They are bootleg level toys. I personally wouldn't feel safe letting a child play with them.

Post of the Day !
Considering the Quality Control of Retro-Heroes.

[Werewolf]

Post of the Day !
Considering the Quality Control of Retro-Heroes.

Comparing dollar store GI JOE bootlegs to Retro Action heroes is like comparing those 99 cent blow molded knock off fashion dolls with a few sprigs of hair to collector Barbies. Retro Action dolls might have trouble holding some poses but you know they will be safe to actually play with.

Yes, those bootlegs and knockoffs you find at dollar stores, big lots and flea markets are dirt cheap. When you can slip under the legal radar of safety regulations and don't have to worry about little things like toxins in the plastics and paints you use or if parts are too small or sharp and you can ignore pesky things like intellectual property rights and license fees you can be amazingly cheap.

This is getting silly.

[BlackKnight]

Comparing dollar store GI JOE bootlegs to Retro Action heroes is like comparing those 99 cent blow molded knock off fashion dolls with a few sprigs of hair to collector Barbies. Retro Action dolls might have trouble holding some poses but you know they will be safe to actually play with.

Yes, those bootlegs and knockoffs you find at dollar stores, big lots and flea markets are dirt cheap. When you can slip under the legal radar of safety regulations and don't have to worry about little things like toxins in the plastics and paints you use or if parts are too small or sharp and you can ignore pesky things like intellectual property rights and license fees you can be amazingly cheap.

This is getting silly.

This Post is Silly for the most part.
Retro Heroes fall apart, Are on a Body, that Now Mattel Has addressed that needs to be Retooled . The Body looks like a Retooled Shrunk Big Jim Body for the most part. That Somebody didn't do thier Homework Properly on , when they decided to string it. They Don't Stand, They are on the Thin Paper like Cards. None of the Head Sculpts are Iconic to the Characters they Represent, almost Your " Knock Off" like Comment . Mosture is Trapped in the Figures, that has been addressed as over Siliconed Coats. Yeah, I want My Kid Sucking on a Superman Head real quick. Suits come raced out. And The Emblems come Cracked, Off Centered, and in some Cases fall off of the figures right after opening them. And People have to "Fix them" or Put them on Different Bodies to Truely Enjoy them. Nothing like Buying a Brand New Toy ... And " Fixing it " . Superman's got Pink Undies. Let me race right out and drop another 20+ on Something I gotta Fix. This All Screams " Knock Off" to Me. All this from a Muti-Million Dollar Company, Who has the Most Capital to Be able to put out the Very Best In Quality , and does it with other Lines. They Should be Leading the Charge even More so with a Super Hero License, ( How do you screw that up ? ) Instead they are Blocks behind EMCE & Castaway and Even so far Zica's Body.

You Stated yourself That you Don't Buy them. For someone Who doesn't Buy them, or Has any to inspect for Himself, Must not have The Knowledge for Debate, and Is using this Thread to Argue about unclear Opinons on the Subject. Just an Observation.

[Werewolf]

You Stated yourself That you Don't Buy them. For someone Who doesn't Buy them, or Has any to inspect for Himself, Must not have The Knowledge for Debate, and Is using this Thread to Argue about unclear Opinons on the Subject. Just an Observation.

No, I don't collect them. I have zero interest in the characters up until WW and Cheetah.

But I did pick up Green Arrow and first series figures. I soon regretted buying them and not because of floppy body issues. It's because I have so little interest in the characters and it's money I could have spent on characters I like better.

The bodies are floppy but comparing the prices on them to bootlegs is getting a bit silly. It's also totally unrealistic to think a licensed figure made in limited numbers for a niche market should sell for what mass market Barbie dolls do that are made in absolutely enormous production runs.