Craig,how are sales doing?

[ukmegoboy]

They've been in the Previews catalog twice here in the US so I'm not sure why the weren't available in the UK via Diamond. Maybe next time you're in one of the stores you could ask who their distributor is for the EMCE/Bif Bang Pow merchandise. It's possible that their distributor is Entertainment Earth who unfortunately chose not to carry the Buck Rogers figures.

The other main distributor in the UK is Forbidden planet international. They have a website, try emailing them direct.
Personally, as long as you don`t make a loss, I`d wholesale them out. That way you build the brand and live to fight another day.

[ZICA]

The other main distributor in the UK is Forbidden planet international. They have a website, try emailing them direct.
Personally, as long as you don`t make a loss, I`d wholesale them out. That way you build the brand and live to fight another day.

Thanks for the info, I'll check them out.

[ukmegoboy]

Contact Us : Forbidden Planet International, Your Online Entertainment Superstore for Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek and more

DCD Retailer Services Website - International Customers

Craig, hopefully these links will assist. If not let me know and I`ll do some research. Your product is too good to fail, its a marketing issue, we can sort it! Chris

[ZICA]

Contact Us : Forbidden Planet International, Your Online Entertainment Superstore for Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek and more

DCD Retailer Services Website - International Customers

Craig, hopefully these links will assist. If not let me know and I`ll do some research. Your product is too good to fail, its a marketing issue, we can sort it! Chris

Thanks for the links Chris, I really appreciate it.

Craig

[Gorn Captain]

I still believe the BR fan base is big enough to make this line work.
I think it's a matter of the product getting to the customer, so a matter of distribution. And that is the hardest part. It's like writing a terrific book, but not getting the right publisher or agent. This problem can kill any product, no matter how good.
15 years ago, myself and a couple of others published an anime magazine. We were doing so well, that we received the "best article in the English language" award from UK publishers. We decided to go international with glossy color pages, invested all our money. Then we were scr**ed by the middleman distributor who let the magazines rot for months in his warehouse. Six months later, our articles really were "last year's news", the magazine crashed and burned.

I don't know how toy distribution works, but it seems to me that the distributors are dropping the ball, and Buck Rogers takes the fall. I cannot understand why the bigger toy sellers won't take on this line....

[JediJaida]

This is really sad to hear. I was really, REALLY looking forward to getting a Hawk figure in the future.

I thought that sales were doing much better than this, but I guess I was wrong.

I am so sorry that this hasn't done better for you Craig. Your attention to quality is second to none, and you have an excellent eye for detail.

I saw a couple of Buck and Tigerman figures at Dragoncon, but I think only one guy was selling them.

Maybe the female figure will do better; when it finally comes out.

[ukmegoboy]

Alternatively, Craig, you could do a `relaunch`. Repackage the figures in a clam shell with backing card a ala Castaway (I love your boxes but they don`t fit with the general perception of `retro`) and number the cards ie relaunch the figures as numbered ltd editions.
I know this would require a further investment but it would reboot what you have and be a fresh start. Chris

[starsky]

maybe have gil gerard sign them as part of a limited set.

[ZICA]

Alternatively, Craig, you could do a `relaunch`. Repackage the figures in a clam shell with backing card a ala Castaway (I love your boxes but they don`t fit with the general perception of `retro`) and number the cards ie relaunch the figures as numbered ltd editions.
I know this would require a further investment but it would reboot what you have and be a fresh start. Chris

Actually the boxes are a mixture of the old style G.I. Joe/Captain Action boxes and window style Mego boxes so I think they have a perfect "retro" look to them. The clam shell or blister card style packaging doesn't, in my opinion, fit the standard I'm trying to set with these figures which is why I prefer not to use it.

[ukmegoboy]

Craig, I love the boxes, but I don`t think they`re as store friendly as the clamshell type. It would also be an opportunity to sell the figures twice to us diehards!

[ZICA]

Craig, I love the boxes, but I don`t think they`re as store friendly as the clamshell type. It would also be an opportunity to sell the figures twice to us diehards!

I doubt that reissuing the figures in a clamshell type packaging would boost sales that much, if at all. Also, the figures weren't designed with the idea of having them sold off of pegs in a Toys R Us or similar store. They're geared more toward the collector market, not children.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the suggestions but it would mean me taking things in a different direction which I don't want to do.

[Teemu]

I think the Boxes were perfect.

[JediJaida]

Yeah, I thought they were pretty cool!

[jacoblb]

I'm shocked to read Entertainment Earth didn't want to carry the Buck figures, which is so weird because of the quality of the line and that it's sci-fi. Would it have helped the distribution cause if fans wrote to EE?

[ZICA]

I'm shocked to read Entertainment Earth didn't want to carry the Buck figures, which is so weird because of the quality of the line and that it's sci-fi. Would it have helped the distribution cause if fans wrote to EE?

I honestly don't think that writing to them would have made a difference.