The Energon Pub

Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:12 pm

I think this would make a good poll question, myself.....

I definitely have changed my ways of where and how I buy my TF's too. As stated in other posts, the lack of shelves being stocked, more and more of the TF's I want only being Asian exclusives, plus the fact that I'm not at all happy over the FOC line (higher price for a smaller figure) have led me to change it up quite a bit. I'm now just either buying the Takara MP line, going back and finding reissues I said I wanted, and just saving up for third party guys. I have no more faith in Hasbro, so it looks like they will get little, if any more, of my money. And by saying that, I don't mean I'm pissed and going on one of the usual rants about Hasbro. I'm saying that probably like Hasbro ( if this is their thoughts on the subject), I don't care anymore......To be honest, it is my opinion (emphasis on "MY" opinion) that Hasbro may be doing this on purpose. They may not want to do these toys anymore. Maybe after all that bank they made on the movies, Hasbro might want to do something different for a change, themselves..... :-?

.......anyone else share that same thought?

News Credits: 15 · Fri Sep 07, 2012 5:06 pm

I certainly am. While I've been buying online for a while now (With a quite a few Prime items. FE Starscream, PRiD K.O, and AM Breakdown), I find myself slowing down because, well, not a lot of figures are impressing me anymore. Honestly, I'm only buying 5 figures out of the new FoC Generations line so far, and those are Shockwave, Jazz, Grimlock, Onslaught, and Starscream. And I only need Grimlock, Onslaught, and Starscream.

Aside from that, I'm really focusing on my Prime collection, and even that's being limited because of the clog-ass retail nowadays. I'm pretty sure my local Target or Wal Mart has 3 or 4 boxes of Wave 3s in the back, but everyone's too lazy to check or put them out. Even if they do, I miss them.

Not to mention the cheap-ass plastic Hasbro uses now.

So of course, I'm turning to online purchases more often. But this is not just Transformers. Everything is getting cheap. Everything is having poor (to fair) distribution. And the prices just go up. And it's because our American businesses are lazy, greedy peoples. :roll:

News Credits: 4 · Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:36 pm

From the closing days of Beast Wars, through to Classics, I bought in brick and mortar shops. In fact, it wasn't until 2010 that I ordered my first TF online (Henkei Megatron) and it was a slippery slope from there. I still like to buy things from actual humans in actual shops. Sadly, it seems that the stores and the companies supplying the products to the stores are unable to put the things I want on the shelves.

Price is rarely the issue. Although I am more likely to pick up a single figure on a whim if I see it in front of me, than I am to order it. I tend to try and buy a few TFs at once, to cut down on shipping costs, since the online stores are rarely much cheaper than the products would theoretically be if a physical shop had them on the shelves. Usually, the online stores, and ebay especially, are much more expensive. There are bargains now and then, but in general, I pay more buying online. However, I am at least given some variety in things I can buy. If I go to a brick and mortar shop, I can buy Bumblebee, or maybe Optimus Prime.

Having branched out into buying 3rd Party items has encouraged my shopping online as well, as you're not going to see the latest FP or iGear stuff in a supermarket or Toys R Us. That and the abundance of exclusives, either by store, or by region, mean that it is usually the only way to get the things I want.

The one thing I'm still reluctant to do is pre-order too many things. Uncertain release dates mean that I might find myself getting $400 worth of stuff come out all within a couple weeks of each other, or I might get one item every few months. It IS the only way to guarantee getting some things, but I grudge paying up front for stuff that I may not see for 6months or more, and paying when it's released runs me the risk of getting stung for loads of stuff at the same time and ending up completely broke at the start of a month or going overdrawn if it's at the end of a month.

News Credits: 1 · Fri Sep 07, 2012 8:04 pm

The local hobby stores provide for my every TF need.

The added cost of shipping makes it not worth it, sometimes. Plus, getting a defective item replaced can be a bit of a hassle. As a rule, I only buy online if I can't find what I want at a hobby store.

News Credits: 9 · Sat Sep 08, 2012 5:08 am

When I resumed my collecting about six years ago I went hunting down past figures like Alt/Bin so I had to make most of my purchases online. Now, thanks to no improvements in distribution I have to make most of my purchases online.

No change.

Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:12 pm

My habits changed in the last year. I dont think Ill ever buy from retail again. The KO G1 reissues are a dream come true (even with the imperfections). I'm too old to be buying toys from a cute cashier. I'll leave the current toys to the new generation of collectors.

Also, I swore off 3rd party stuff. No Uranus, I'd be happy with the G1 (I know, I have problems) Superion. As cool as they are, they always leave me feeling like it's not quite what I want on the shelf/boxed in the closet.

Lastly, my granny recently let me use her to set up an ebay card. She is wonderful. I haven't used it recently, but no more than 5 minutes ago, I just won a Rock/Jewell Lords Solitaire complete in great condition for 125. I had to jump on it!! I cant believe I found her (with the weapon too

)!!! Thank you so much granny!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of her favorite card games was always solitaire , I'm so blessed to have someone helpin me :saint:

News Credits: 5 · Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:58 pm

I went from no online orders to 250-300$ a month POLs at BBTS.

Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:56 pm

I'm 95% online. It was the other way around about 5 years ago though.

But as stated before, distribution is the shits and i honestly don't really like what has been coming out from Hasbro for some time now. The only figures i've purchased at retail or from Hasbro this year are Prime WHeeljack (retail) and Dead End (online, Ebay). I KNOW i'll never see Dead End in my neck of the woods at a retail store.

Plus i don't feel comfortable going into stores and buying figures from a cute half my age cashier anymore either. I'm getting a little long in the tooth for it.

So as it stands. Either i'm buying vintage or 3rd party and all of that is done online or if something new from Hasbro comes out that i actually like, I'll go too Ebay rather than prowl around B&M stores wasting valuable time and ultimately getting disappointed.

Does Hasbro even have an online store? I think i tried looking once eons ago but it was non existent or just really pathetic. I can't remember.

Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:26 am

monstergrotusque wrote:I'm 95% online. It was the other way around about 5 years ago though.

But as stated before, distribution is the shits and i honestly don't really like what has been coming out from Hasbro for some time now. The only figures i've purchased at retail or from Hasbro this year are Prime WHeeljack (retail) and Dead End (online, Ebay). I KNOW i'll never see Dead End in my neck of the woods at a retail store.

Plus i don't feel comfortable going into stores and buying figures from a cute half my age cashier anymore either. I'm getting a little long in the tooth for it.

So as it stands. Either i'm buying vintage or 3rd party and all of that is done online or if something new from Hasbro comes out that i actually like, I'll go too Ebay rather than prowl around B&M stores wasting valuable time and ultimately getting disappointed.

Does Hasbro even have an online store? I think i tried looking once eons ago but it was non existent or just really pathetic. I can't remember.

hasbrotoyshop.com. That site does me no good, though. By the time I get there, the campers already got what I was looking for. Besides, as you said, I'm not really liking what they are putting out (giggity) anymore. I'm just getting old G1 reissues, third party. and MP stuff now. Hey, at least I can get the Takara Mp stuff now.....

News Credits: 1 · Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:19 am

I completely agree. A few years ago I would have never really thought about buying online for any new US releases. Why do that when you can just buy it in the store, right? Well, since then it seems harder and harder to find the new waves. Add this to all of the driving and frustration from hunting and buying online just makes more sense.

Recently, I went ahead and bought all 3 figures from the FOC first wave from BBTS. With shipping they cost me about $1.25 more than I would have paid at a brick and mortar store with tax. The gas I saved more than made up for this.

Now, I've been searching for Dreadwing with no luck. So, the other main reason buying online is now a good option is because should you miss the wave in stores (which could be very short lived from some of the stores I've seen) you'll still have to end up buying it for even more later on if you really want it.

Needless to say, I am buying more and more online.

Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:24 am

I used to buy one or two online. Now it's pretty much all online. Nothing on the shelves, not to mention I'm cutting back overall on my TF spending.

Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:11 pm

The past month or three has had me spending pretty minimally. Haven't been having much luck with ebay and the price bump in the deluxes and commanders has me totally turned off. I really REALLY like FoC Shockwave and Prime FRumble...but there's no way I'm paying 15+ for either of them, small as they are. I'm really excited for Voyager Ultra Magnus though, and I spend right about $22 on Kre-O MegaBee and Sideswipe, both of which I'm quite happy with! :grin:

Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:49 pm

When was Solar Storm Grapple released? 18 months ago? That was my last purchase at retail.

Its not even worth going to the stores that are around me in Australia. There's next to no distribution so now I just stack it or POL it. The prices are cheaper too, so as long as I let it build up for a month or two, the shipping evens out and I'm guaranteed my figures without the hassle of searching.

Sad really. I actually used to enjoy trawling the stores for new figs. Sometimes there would be a nice surprise. RTS windcharger was one of those.

Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:54 pm

quickmixed wrote:
Sad really. I actually used to enjoy trawling the stores for new figs. Sometimes there would be a nice surprise. RTS windcharger was one of those.

Yeah... i miss those "surprise" figs that you didn't expect too see and scooped up,paid for at the till and went home with a restrained frenzy of excitement to open up when ya got back home.

But i get the same excitement now waiting for that wrapped up present at my front door to open up like as if i was a kid again. It's the same vibe just different execution.

News Credits: 15 · Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:59 pm

monstergrotusque wrote:
quickmixed wrote:
Sad really. I actually used to enjoy trawling the stores for new figs. Sometimes there would be a nice surprise. RTS windcharger was one of those.

Yeah... i miss those "surprise" figs that you didn't expect too see and scooped up,paid for at the till and went home with a restrained frenzy of excitement to open up when ya got back home.

It's the same thing for some of us now, except we're doing it with figures that should be common. It really is sad.

Tue Sep 11, 2012 11:01 pm

monstergrotusque wrote:
But i get the same excitement now waiting for that wrapped up present at my front door to open up like as if i was a kid again. It's the same vibe just different execution.

Very, very true.

Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:44 pm

PrymeStriker wrote:
monstergrotusque wrote:
quickmixed wrote:
Sad really. I actually used to enjoy trawling the stores for new figs. Sometimes there would be a nice surprise. RTS windcharger was one of those.

Yeah... i miss those "surprise" figs that you didn't expect too see and scooped up,paid for at the till and went home with a restrained frenzy of excitement to open up when ya got back home.

It's the same thing for some of us now, except we're doing it with figures that should be common. It really is sad.

Sad, indeed. Even my wife has a concern over me being down in the dumps about this. Don't get me wrong, she loves the fact of not being drug around every retail store in the tri-county area, but she knows how I loved hunting them down. She said I have developed this look of defeat on my face... :-(

News Credits: 1 · Wed Sep 12, 2012 9:05 pm

Well Christmas is right around the corner, hopefully that will increase the inflow and outflow of transformers.

Thu Sep 13, 2012 9:52 am

headsortails wrote:Sad, indeed. Even my wife has a concern over me being down in the dumps about this.

I just went through something very similar. I actually told my wife I was done collecting. I feel so beat up over it as well. I mean, I know it's a toy, but when you get down to it, it feels a bit like defeat. And defeat can be hard sometimes.

Then...lo and behold I see new figures released online and I get tempted to start up again.

I ask myself, will this ever stop and do I want to feel like this for the rest of my collecting life?

Sometimes, I feel like I should just wait until the end of a line and then go back and collect all of them. At least hunting for past toys, whether it be on here or on eBay, can be fun. You know people have them and you know someone has spent enough time with them that they might be willing to part with them.

I don't know, but I just feel like throwing in the collecting towel. It's seriously irritating.

News Credits: 2 · Thu Sep 13, 2012 10:59 am

UK stores have been terrible for a long time, unless you like Movieverse/Prime stuff. The last TF I bought in a UK store was about 6 years ago - and I got some last autumn in the US.

Mon Sep 17, 2012 1:47 pm

It's the evolution of business, my friends. e-Commerce is the way of the future. I feel more and more people are willing to pay 10-20 for shipping now than trekking out to a store and pick up TFs. A lot of the time, especially at my local TRU, they don't even have what I want in stock when I get there.

News Credits: 12 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:34 am

I just ordered a case of Prime Voyagers from BBTS: the one with Ultra Magnus, Skyquake, Thundertron and Optimus. It won't cost much more than buying them at retail, and I won't have to run around all over town looking for these figures.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 2:39 pm

GuyIncognito wrote:I just ordered a case of Prime Voyagers from BBTS: the one with Ultra Magnus, Skyquake, Thundertron and Optimus. It won't cost much more than buying them at retail, and I won't have to run around all over town looking for these figures.

Hmmm...I've been strongly considering doing the same thing! I've been looking all over for Dreadwing with no luck at all. I've literally looked at 11 different stores with multiple trips to half of them. :BANG_HEAD:

The amount of time, frustration and gas I've spent should definitely justify purchasing the case just as GuyIncognito did!

Just to confirm, Dreadwing (and Skyquake eventually) is only 1 to a case right? This should make them just as rare/sparse as the RID Vehicon, which again justifies ordering online!

News Credits: 2 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 4:40 pm

I never did (and still don't) shop stores for TF's. All of my purchases are online. The only thing that has changed recently is that I use ebay a lot more simply because I've been catching up on lines I missed, so a lot of that older stuff can't be found anywhere else.

News Credits: 12 · Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:06 am

There's one downside to buying online, particularly when it comes to preorders. As Tom Petty sang, the waiting is the hardest part. I've got three shipments that I'm waiting for, and it's killing me! It's awesome to come home and find a package on the doorstep, but the waiting sucks. There's something to be said for the instant gratification of walking into a store and buying a figure.