by NicholasPrime » Tue Feb 07, 2012 4:03 pm
- Weapon: Concussion Blaster Gun
Not produced for sale? In that case, why did they ship to Canada?
So what Hasbro really said was, "WalMart told us to stick our collector friendly toyline up our exhaust pipe, in favor of a more gimicky, kid friendly toyline (Robots in Disguise) that will sell to soccer moms and minivan dads throughout America. And we had to listen because if you want to sell toys in the US you have to blow WalMart's crankshaft pretty hard."
And that is the sad reality of toy retail. All of the other toy outlets don't even come close to Walmart's purchasing power, and it's only made worse in this economy. They will continue to dictate what makes it to production as long as there is no serious competition. And there may never be again. Toys R Us did it for a long time in the late 80's and 90's, until the government stepped in and broke up some of their shadier dealings. Not that that should/could happen in this case, but...
It kills me that larger toy manufacturers only see that bigger picture, and don't work with smaller retailers on some level to produce content and projects through alternative channels. Not putting all their eggs in one basket, as it were. Something more along the lines of DC Direct in partnership with comic/specialty shops. Somehow, the collector market is able to support itself in Japan so much that they get an endless array of repaints, variants, and all around better paint jobs at higher price points. Things like eHobby seemingly flourish.
Why is it that these things sell in foreign markets but not here?
Last edited by
NicholasPrime on Tue Feb 07, 2012 4:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Currently For Sale/Trade: Urban Camo Ruination in damaged sealed box, and TRU reiss. Starscream in damaged sealed box.
PM if interested.
