Announcement

**MIB41** · Mar 20, '11, 8:41 AM

Good question. Free standing stores tend to stock less because a lot of purchasing is done online these days. And depending on who your dealing with, the price can either meet or beat the cost of pulling one off a peg at TRU. For the Retro line, I tend to order online if I'm ready to get them as soon as they are released. TRU has developed a well deserved reputation for being slow to consumer demand. And I've heard enough horror stories, not to order product from them online. Customer service is not their strong point. And as a customer, I weigh not only the value of the product, but whom I buy it from. I work hard for my money. So when I find a product and/or company I believe in, I stand behind them with my money. Castaway and Zica are two of my very favorites. Excellent product, fair price, and a total commitment to satisfying the customer. That's integrity and no one does it better. I support the retro line because Paul and Joe are the real talent behind it. They are making figures none of us ever thought we would see in our life time. And better yet, they listen to alot of the constructive feedback that is handed them. I admire that. It tells me they want to make a quality product for those willing to support the line.

**Audiorij** · Mar 20, '11, 10:25 AM

I think you are right, the more someone wants something, the more impatient they are at getting it. Someone who is almost obsessed with a line will unfairly see the line as moving too slow, when it might very well be moving at a normal pace.

My brother and I run a couple websites for a couple bands, they did a preorder for one album which takes a normal amount of time to produce. The fans went into panic mode and started posting that the album would never come out, and that the band had folded and so on and so forth. Some were actually getting angry, and then the album came out and they started asking when the next one would be started.

**trekman101** · Mar 20, '11, 11:30 AM

Originally posted by boynightwing

I wasn't sure what to call this thread...

However,I got to thinking the other day- Do you suppose our desire for these and other new toys far out weighs any manufacturers ability to produce them and ship them to stores? I think it was October when I started seeing Wave 2 at Toys R Us. It's only March now and people are climbing the walls wondering where wave 4 is. I've never even seen wave 3 anywhere. And this isn't limited to just the group of us. I've seen this on other websites/forums etc where people just can't wait to get the next new thing.

I know it happens to me. I hear about a character I want for my collection and then I worry that it might come out and I'll miss it, or I just can't wait for it to be in my hands. DCUC Classic Robin comes to mind. Had to have it so bad I preordered it just to be sure it came to me. Another is Kup from Transformers. They're making an updated version of him. I've seen pics online, some people already have him somehow. I check Walmart all the time but it's still the wave with Perceptor (which only came out a few weeks ago). Then I realized, its Transformers! He'll be here eventually. I've never NOT seen a character I wanted. So I just have to wait.

I'm thinking of taking that philosophy to the rest of my collecting. Good things will come to those who wait. That and if I have to have it bad enough I can just order it online (or preorder).

You are on the money.....many collectors have no patience for a product as soon as they hear of it and many times this kills their fun for it
I just picked up my wave 2 and 3 yesterday...wave 4 will be held for me as soon as my supplier gets it...I pay no more than the TRU price and get to pick my figures personally....it took me so long to pick up wave 2 because I wasn't sure if I was going to deal with a hobby shop or not...TRU's not getting and not having the best pieces to pick from made up my mind for me....then once I found the right store to go to...it was a no brainier...
I have been looking long and hard for these figures(wave 2) at the right price...TJ Max and such in my area never got them....when I did find them on line for a good or average price I was told many figures were not mint and to get them shipped in a secure package was either extra or not available.....this I do know from my research...wave 2.. especially good Batman's are drying up fast at any price (my guy...a Mattel direct account... only had 9 batman's left...could not get any more unless he got them from another store and the two I picked were from the 3 he put aside because they were mint...the other 6 had screw ups)....if any one is sitting on the fence about wave 2.....buy them now and if others come around later, so be it....they are much better looking in person...if that helps any one

**BlackKnight** · Mar 20, '11, 2:12 PM

I personally Blame Toy Distribution or lack there of, on Crappy Movie Toys Marketed to Promote Summer and Winter Block Busters. Inwhich retail seems to also extremely over order the 1st 2 waves of whatever, so little else is ever stocked of later waves. Retail Stocks the Crap outta these, with Little Else But Star Wars these Days, & Most Star Wars are Re-Hashed, Re-Packaged Same figures, and it's just so Damn hard to even find a New 1. This is where the Focus seems to be these days. Most only get clearanced out a few Months later.

For the last 4 years or so, it's been very, very difficult for me to find Items I collect in Retail. If I can, I just buy online , then be disapointed in seeing a Sea Of Movie Nonsense that looks as if it just doesn't move, ever . I think TransFormers is about the only thing I really can tell that Moves after a Movie..., But then again, they still have thier choosen Peg Warmers and Re-packaged Crap too.

**huedell** · Mar 20, '11, 2:27 PM

Nothing can justify bad toy distribution... not buyer impatience...
not the ability to get items from select online venues.

**Toy Talk** · Mar 20, '11, 6:53 PM

Originally posted by MIB41

Good question. Free standing stores tend to stock less because a lot of purchasing is done online these days. And depending on who your dealing with, the price can either meet or beat the cost of pulling one off a peg at TRU. For the Retro line, I tend to order online if I'm ready to get them as soon as they are released. TRU has developed a well deserved reputation for being slow to consumer demand. And I've heard enough horror stories, not to order product from them online. Customer service is not their strong point. And as a customer, I weigh not only the value of the product, but whom I buy it from. I work hard for my money. So when I find a product and/or company I believe in, I stand behind them with my money. Castaway and Zica are two of my very favorites. Excellent product, fair price, and a total commitment to satisfying the customer. That's integrity and no one does it better. I support the retro line because Paul and Joe are the real talent behind it. They are making figures none of us ever thought we would see in our life time. And better yet, they listen to alot of the constructive feedback that is handed them. I admire that. It tells me they want to make a quality product for those willing to support the line.

No way I could say this any better or sum my thoughts up any other way. As for the new stuff I buy all of it, but not because all of the figures are high on my "want to see made" list. For instance, I have never seen an episode of the Venture Bros or Lost but I have them all. There are so many lines I still want to see produced I feel the compelling need to support all of the lines in hopes of seeing more down the line. As for the rushing to purchase part I am guilty. However, I do not run into TRU. Most of my product comes from online sites.

**Timothy2251** · Mar 20, '11, 7:29 PM

Great thread!

I fall into this trap whenever I see prototype pics and displays at Toy Fair or any comic convention. Like boynightwing, I usually will order what I want online when it becomes available or when preorders start getting accepted. Believe me, though, it was nice to see Mego-style stuff on pegs and the memories it invokes, but the reality is that the internet's where availability is more of a lock.

**drmego** · Mar 21, '11, 8:20 AM

Originally posted by boynightwing

I think it was October when I started seeing Wave 2 at Toys R Us. It's only March now and people are climbing the walls wondering where wave 4 is. I've never even seen wave 3 anywhere. And this isn't limited to just the group of us. I've seen this on other websites/forums etc where people just can't wait to get the next new thing.

Which is why Mattel waits to announce new lines until close to the
delivery date. Too much lead time is not good. Once you get the
desired item, it just become another "thing" in your home.

**boynightwing** · Mar 21, '11, 9:24 AM

Originally posted by drmego

Which is why Mattel waits to announce new lines until close to the
delivery date. Too much lead time is not good. Once you get the
desired item, it just become another "thing" in your home.

That makes a lot of sense. We'd all be freaking out over when wave 8 comes out when wave 5 hasn't shown up. Then people might start crying "doom" for the line when there is no doom to be had.

And yeah, once I get it, it's now another thing in my already huge pile of things.

Incidently...I got the Kup Transformer yesterday. I went to Wizard World Toronto (which wasn't all that great) and found Kup at a booth. My only purchase of the day.

**Trappy Trek Freak** · Mar 21, '11, 9:34 AM

I just order stuff when I see its available or I pre-order. If I see something in the store its cool to be able to buy it like when it was as a kid.

**huedell** · Mar 21, '11, 2:02 PM

Well, if the actual point of this this thread is that people are impatient regarding access to waves/lines announced way in adavance...
instead of the point of this thread being that people have to accept
bad toy distribution....
all I have to say is that I am shocked people care so much and cause
so much problems over something that is so obviously pointless.

Unfortunately, I think the point of this thread is something MORE than
that, as if there's an excuse for horrid distribution... which I cannot justify.

**Audiorij** · Mar 21, '11, 2:53 PM

No I think the point of this thread is about the collector mentality.

There are two different spectrums at play first is good distribution vs bad distribution, and secondly is patient customers vs very impatient customers... collectors are notoriously impatient, myself included.

I think one thing this community needs to keep in mind, is that a restart of the Mego line in the style of Mego is not something easy to get going especially in this day and age with the current economic situation. Its like moving a mountain or getting a train moving. Its slow and rough, but once all the kinks are worked out and they pick up momentum we hope all these issues will be resolved. But, for now we should all be thankful they are being produced at all. How long have we all waited?

**huedell** · Mar 21, '11, 3:27 PM

Fine line, I'm guessing... all I know is, personally, if I am
disturbed by the fact that all I've ever seen in stores is Wave 1...
not even ANY Wave 2... I think I am justified... that's kinda where I
"draw the line", anything MORE than that, I think I'd be being unreasonable.

That said... yes I did eventually buy Wave 2 from a MM member who had them.

Announcement

philosophy and toy collecting

philosophy and toy collecting

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment