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You can apply all kinds of factors like region, strength of the currency, the job market, the oil prices, etc.

It doesn't matter.

The basic fact is that the toys suffer from "Less More Syndrome."

Less quality.
Less quantity of materials, especially metal.
Less in size.

All for:

More money.

Whenever there is a situation in the consumer market that reveals LESS of an item costs MORE money, the consumers go elsewhere or stop buying the item. It's unavoidable and HasBLO will feel it. So will the retailers when they try to unload all the crap.

User897 wrote:the consumers go elsewhere or stop buying the item.

Unless you live in a society of passive consumerism (which most of Western society is) in which case consumers just go along with it and companies continue to price gouge with complete impunity.

No, it's a valid point, but the difference still seems extreme to me. I've been paying about twice what people in the US have been paying for over 25 years now, and I can tell you that $30k isn't a bad salary for a Dutchman either. Not bad at all.

But, honestly, to me it's not just about the prices, it's about seeing only a fraction of what you know is out there pop up in stores here, seeing reviews appear online for things that won't get released here for at least another six months or so, if at all, missing out on some of the coolest stuff, AND THEN having to pay their ridiculous prices for whatever they do get.

Here, the price for deluxes went up by 5 Euros (7 dollars) overnight. And I wouldn't even mind paying that if I just had more than four deluxes to choose from.

I just wanted to say here, that I have always had a lot of respect for fellow fans around the world who have always paid more and who have learned to not have the "gotta catch em all" syndrome. This is a shout out to you guys who have ALWAYS paid more, ALWAYS had bad distribution, and still maintained a love for the hobby.

I read a thread on another set of boards once where people from around Europe were talking about how finding whatever happened to ship into their areas was what gave their collection it's personality, what made it specifically the individual's. Thought that was such a good attitude to have, as opposed to here in the states, where there are SO many hoarders that Hasbro can't even make enough figures for the rest of us.

In a thread on Scalpers and rising toy prices on TFW2005 I actually mentioned that from now on I am adopting your guys' attitudes towards my collecting, because it is a simple shift in perspective which is really going to evolve my buying habits.

The unbelievable power of the scalper plus the new prices coming from our devalued currency are going to end distribution in the US as fans here know it and it's going to be like collecting around the world very soon. And BBTS isn't going to save us, LOL, they are already charging 20 bucks a piece for the 5 Bruticus toys at 100.00 a set.

Scalpers will ruin Transformers forever. FOREVER. But seriously, if you buy an entire case from Big Bad for roughly $114 before shipping, it breaks out to 14.25 per toy. That's a $0.75 savings from retail.

The price hike sucks, but it won't affect me much anyway since I can't find anything new at retail to buy.
I think the last TF I bought at retail was Prime Knockout. But I'm definitely going to look less now, as I need to save up money for the FP not-Menasor figures, and reissue Fortress Maximus! If Hasbro doesn't want me to buy their figures, I guess I can oblige them.

Yuck. I haven't bought a deluxe since Dead End (when they were still $13). Once FoC came out and the price hikes started, I haven't even bothered to touch them. The only things I've bought at retail are things that haven't gone up to ridiculous heights, Botshot Powerglide, Legion Flamewar, Kre-O Megabee, Sideswipe, Ratchet, and Sentinel sets on deep sale, and GDO Laserbeak. The sad part is, I REALLY want Shockwave, he's so cool, but for $15+? Not even worth it, he's so tiny too.

RAcast wrote:The sad part is, I REALLY want Shockwave, he's so cool, but for $15+? Not even worth it, he's so tiny too.

Agreed. Just not worth it. The alt mode is meh anyway.

The import shops and online stores here in The Netherlands charge 20 euro's for a FOC deluxe,

now the niche importshops are cheaper then regular retail!!!!!!

Madness, I shall ebay/importshop all figures.

I was okay with the first jump in price cause it wasn't that much. But this? Almost 20 dollars for these newer, simpler deluxe figures?! I'm sticking with Bot Shots and Cyberverse from now on.