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chuckdawg1999 wrote:Maybe we'll see a streamlining of size classes, smaller figures at a lower price point.
I dunno, feels a bit weird for them to do that right after deleting the core class. Fewer large figures is fine, but I doubt they'll immediately go back to core and etc.
I'm thinking just deluxe.
That seems to have been their go to size for the cartoon supported lines for the past 10 years, so they are basically already there for the kids toys. Which is in line with what Cocks was saying about keeping prices lower as a standard for the toys targetting just kids/families.
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Motto:"The man, the myth, the legend... yeah right."
Weapon: Saber Blade
william-james88 wrote:
chuckdawg1999 wrote:
Mudwire wrote:
chuckdawg1999 wrote:Maybe we'll see a streamlining of size classes, smaller figures at a lower price point.
I dunno, feels a bit weird for them to do that right after deleting the core class. Fewer large figures is fine, but I doubt they'll immediately go back to core and etc.
I'm thinking just deluxe.
That seems to have been their go to size for the cartoon supported lines for the past 10 years, so they are basically already there for the kids toys. Which is in line with what Cocks was saying about keeping prices lower as a standard for the toys targetting just kids/families.
But are we sure Hasbro views lines like Earthspark and Cyberworld as kid lines? Like I said above I think they only view the Epic Heroes and mission fleet lines as kid friendly.
chuckdawg1999 wrote:Maybe we'll see a streamlining of size classes, smaller figures at a lower price point.
I dunno, feels a bit weird for them to do that right after deleting the core class. Fewer large figures is fine, but I doubt they'll immediately go back to core and etc.
I'm thinking just deluxe.
The last time they tried that it went... poorly.
It was the one time I was really turned off from collecting Transformers, though I did end up buying all of the superior Japanese releases. Obviously that wouldn't be an option this time.
chuckdawg1999 wrote:Maybe we'll see a streamlining of size classes, smaller figures at a lower price point.
I dunno, feels a bit weird for them to do that right after deleting the core class. Fewer large figures is fine, but I doubt they'll immediately go back to core and etc.
I'm thinking just deluxe.
That seems to have been their go to size for the cartoon supported lines for the past 10 years, so they are basically already there for the kids toys. Which is in line with what Cocks was saying about keeping prices lower as a standard for the toys targetting just kids/families.
But are we sure Hasbro views lines like Earthspark and Cyberworld as kid lines? Like I said above I think they only view the Epic Heroes and mission fleet lines as kid friendly.
Yes, I am pretty sure they see those lines as lines for kids. They even have a whole different team working on them so the separation is pretty clear in the organization structure.
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Seriously, they should close down the factories in China and Vietnam and make the toys in the USA. "Muh slave wages" labor costs is an inacceptable excuse. They conveniently ignore the fact that shipping the raw materials and the finished products back and forth all around the world is not free.
Plus, if the things are made locally, it will add more jobs not only in the manufacturing process, but all around them too, making an economic boom. Finally, the government should CUT DOWN TAXES as a result of all these jobs coming back. The fact that they keep sending the jobs to foreign countries for decades was/is because there's so much taxes and pointless regulations that it make creating a new entreprise almost unsustainable.
As a Canadian, I'm unironically happy about Trump's tarifs. For once, Canadian patriotism is on the rise. The "we have no culture" crowd finally STFU. It is time for us Canadians to take a page from Trump's book and bring back our manufacturing jobs here. And secure our damn border for real. But I bet it will only be done once Poilievre win the upcoming elections... That is, once our dictator-in-chief Trudeau finally start them.
In the meantime, I may not buy "everything", but I'll buy what I like the most. As the news stated, the "kids" lines will be spared (maybe). This mean that I will enjoy Cyberworld with reckless abadons.
Come see my latest creation, the COMPLETE combiner team, Scorponok and his Pretenders, forming SHELLSHOCK
I haven't seen more than 2 new transformers in stores within 6-8 months. I have actually given up on trying to hunt for them. With the prices skyrocketing and only appearing to be getting worse, I went to pre-order. I contacted Amazon about their pre-order guarantee. They said they cannot hold that up on everything, especially if the manufacturer increases base cost. What? I wish I had a screenshot of that.
factories are outside the US is due to the low wages. Just to give you an idea of how low, the minimum wage in Vietnam is $0.94 per hour
The fact that they actually said and admit to wanting to keep costs as low as possible via this route is is f#cking evil. Bad things need to happen to all those CEO's that have this mindset just to make sure their pockets stay fat.
Not a sheeple. Think for yourself, don't let the magic TV box and social media do the thinking for you. Question EVERYTHING!! Just because you have a youtube review channel doesn't make you special. I look forward to attending a Botcon soon only to settle matters with several idiots in person (yes this is a threat).
factories are outside the US is due to the low wages. Just to give you an idea of how low, the minimum wage in Vietnam is $0.94 per hour
The fact that they actually said and admit to wanting to keep costs as low as possible via this route is is f#cking evil. Bad things need to happen to all those CEO's that have this mindset just to make sure their pockets stay fat.
Agree 100%. But appart some mystical Karma, I don't see any changes in the forceable future. Corporate gives zero F about morality, despite the little flags they display for certain months. Corporate speak only only language: MONEY.
So, corporate must see that producing things with people that earn NORMAL wages locally is more profitable. And it start by reducing taxes locally to a minimum on top of tarifs for imports.
Come see my latest creation, the COMPLETE combiner team, Scorponok and his Pretenders, forming SHELLSHOCK
factories are outside the US is due to the low wages. Just to give you an idea of how low, the minimum wage in Vietnam is $0.94 per hour
The fact that they actually said and admit to wanting to keep costs as low as possible via this route is is f#cking evil. Bad things need to happen to all those CEO's that have this mindset just to make sure their pockets stay fat.
Agree 100%. But appart some mystical Karma, I don't see any changes in the forceable future. Corporate gives zero F about morality, despite the little flags they display for certain months. Corporate speak only only language: MONEY.
So, corporate must see that producing things with people that earn NORMAL wages locally is more profitable. And it start by reducing taxes locally to a minimum on top of tarifs for imports.
Casting memory back, it seemed that every 2-4 years, photos, stories, or other evidence would leak out from the sweat shops in China or elsewhere about the deplorable conditions, the low pay, and flat-out abuse of the workers. And like clockwork, the same pattern would be followed.
1) There would be a public outrage. 2) The American boss of the company which was using the sweatshop would have some kind of press conference. 3) The boss figure (and yes, Hasbro has done this) would make a statement saying they were 'concerned' about the revelations of worker abuses/slave labor conditions. 4) The boss figure would say something like 'We're gonna investigate this thoroughly', or 'we're gonna get to the bottom of this'. 5) The boss figure would promise that 'swift actions would be taken to address these concerns', to 'make sure that workers are treated fairly'. 6) The reporters would nod and clap like trained seals in a circus act, then everyone would disperse. 7) NOTHING would be done at all beyond perfunctory, token gestures towards 'investigating' the sweat shops. 8 ) A couple weeks would pass, everybody forgets the whole thing, and the sweat shop abuses go right back to normal operation.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
"No matter where you go or what you do, always remember, I'm right behind you!" - Death
factories are outside the US is due to the low wages. Just to give you an idea of how low, the minimum wage in Vietnam is $0.94 per hour
The fact that they actually said and admit to wanting to keep costs as low as possible via this route is is f#cking evil. Bad things need to happen to all those CEO's that have this mindset just to make sure their pockets stay fat.
Agree 100%. But appart some mystical Karma, I don't see any changes in the forceable future. Corporate gives zero F about morality, despite the little flags they display for certain months. Corporate speak only only language: MONEY.
So, corporate must see that producing things with people that earn NORMAL wages locally is more profitable. And it start by reducing taxes locally to a minimum on top of tarifs for imports.
Casting memory back, it seemed that every 2-4 years, photos, stories, or other evidence would leak out from the sweat shops in China or elsewhere about the deplorable conditions, the low pay, and flat-out abuse of the workers. And like clockwork, the same pattern would be followed.
1) There would be a public outrage. 2) The American boss of the company which was using the sweatshop would have some kind of press conference. 3) The boss figure (and yes, Hasbro has done this) would make a statement saying they were 'concerned' about the revelations of worker abuses/slave labor conditions. 4) The boss figure would say something like 'We're gonna investigate this thoroughly', or 'we're gonna get to the bottom of this'. 5) The boss figure would promise that 'swift actions would be taken to address these concerns', to 'make sure that workers are treated fairly'. 6) The reporters would nod and clap like trained seals in a circus act, then everyone would disperse. 7) NOTHING would be done at all beyond perfunctory, token gestures towards 'investigating' the sweat shops. 8 ) A couple weeks would pass, everybody forgets the whole thing, and the sweat shop abuses go right back to normal operation.
Things are not going to change on any industries prices, until CEO's and executives take about a 80% pay cut they deserve. Most of the tariffs are just equal to the tariffs other countries have on USA made products.
It's easy to blame companies and CEOs, but unless we're willing to pay $50 USD or whatever for a Deluxe figure things aren't going to change. The majority of us aren't willing to do that. Same goes for Marvel and Star Wars collectors. US plastic manufacturing pays roughly $20 per hour. Sure, logistics would be cheaper than shipping by water from Asia, but then things get messy for Europe and Asia, and especially for Takara Tomy who also uses the same Vietnamese factory. Do they also move production to the US raising their own prices or do they end their partnership with Hasbro (which helped fund some of Hasbro's projects) and start doing their own releases again with their own molds?
It's a very tricky situation with a lot of variables and no easy answer for anyone.
[quote]Casting memory back, it seemed that every 2-4 years, photos, stories, or other evidence would leak out from the sweat shops in China or elsewhere about the deplorable conditions, the low pay, and flat-out abuse of the workers. And like clockwork, the same pattern would be followed.
1) There would be a public outrage. 2) The American boss of the company which was using the sweatshop would have some kind of press conference. 3) The boss figure (and yes, Hasbro has done this) would make a statement saying they were 'concerned' about the revelations of worker abuses/slave labor conditions. 4) The boss figure would say something like 'We're gonna investigate this thoroughly', or 'we're gonna get to the bottom of this'. 5) The boss figure would promise that 'swift actions would be taken to address these concerns', to 'make sure that workers are treated fairly'. 6) The reporters would nod and clap like trained seals in a circus act, then everyone would disperse. 7) NOTHING would be done at all beyond perfunctory, token gestures towards 'investigating' the sweat shops. 8 ) A couple weeks would pass, everybody forgets the whole thing, and the sweat shop abuses go right back to normal operation.
Lather, rinse, repeat.[/quote]
Lucky for us, the last time we had photos and videos of the Transformers manufacturing facility, it was received positively, with people remarking about how it didnt look like a sweat shop with no room. No joke, the conditions in this video look better than what’s been reported as conditions in American factories and food processing
Motto:"The man, the myth, the legend... yeah right."
Weapon: Saber Blade
Emerje wrote:It's easy to blame companies and CEOs, but unless we're willing to pay $50 USD or whatever for a Deluxe figure things aren't going to change. The majority of us aren't willing to do that. Same goes for Marvel and Star Wars collectors. US plastic manufacturing pays roughly $20 per hour. Sure, logistics would be cheaper than shipping by water from Asia, but then things get messy for Europe and Asia, and especially for Takara Tomy who also uses the same Vietnamese factory. Do they also move production to the US raising their own prices or do they end their partnership with Hasbro (which helped fund some of Hasbro's projects) and start doing their own releases again with their own molds?
It's a very tricky situation with a lot of variables and no easy answer for anyone.
Emerje
Transformers is the odd brand out since it's a partnership between two companies based in two different countries. As I mentioned above the wage problems here have to do with minimum wage laws and overly powerful unions. There's no clear solution.
Emerje wrote:It's easy to blame companies and CEOs, but unless we're willing to pay $50 USD or whatever for a Deluxe figure things aren't going to change. The majority of us aren't willing to do that. Same goes for Marvel and Star Wars collectors. US plastic manufacturing pays roughly $20 per hour. Sure, logistics would be cheaper than shipping by water from Asia, but then things get messy for Europe and Asia, and especially for Takara Tomy who also uses the same Vietnamese factory. Do they also move production to the US raising their own prices or do they end their partnership with Hasbro (which helped fund some of Hasbro's projects) and start doing their own releases again with their own molds?
It's a very tricky situation with a lot of variables and no easy answer for anyone.
Emerje
Transformers is the odd brand out since it's a partnership between two companies based in two different countries. As I mentioned above the wage problems here have to do with minimum wage laws and overly powerful unions. There's no clear solution.
Add to that the fact that neither Takara nor Hasbro own the factories producing their toys. With the toy market shrinking and Hasbro already pivoting away from the toy business, they will end all toy production before even contemplating about investing in a new factory.
-Kanrabat- wrote:Seriously, they should close down the factories in China and Vietnam and make the toys in the USA. "Muh slave wages" labor costs is an inacceptable excuse. They conveniently ignore the fact that shipping the raw materials and the finished products back and forth all around the world is not free.
It isnt free but since they have to ship across the world and not just the US, having the US become your initial shipping hub will also increase their cost because US shippers dont make “slave wages” unlike the workers in the asian hubs they currently use. So when it comes to the effects on shipping, you are looking at either no gain or a net loss.
But thats besides the point, for the toy industry, the biggest expense is the initial casting mold along with labor. Thats why the CEO said any saving from design changes or distribution optimization (which includes shipping) would be a drop in the bucket.
Basically, Hasbro’s entire business model for their toy business has always depended on low wages. First it was China (G1) and then it was Vietnam (now) when China got too expensive.
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I'm wondering how this gonna affect europe. We already have higher prices. A 20$ toy in US usually is around 30 here. So we already pay the shipping costs and the taxes, if they are gonna up the prices even more, means that now deluxes will cost 35/40 €, Voyagers 50/60 € Leaders 70/80€ and of course comanders 120/130€? If that's so, this is the end for me.
It's liberation day, with Trump placing the highest US tariffs of the generation against nations which are at the centre of our beloved Transformers toy brand. Firstly, all US imports will have a 10% tax. This part is not inherently out of line when compared to how the rest of the world functions, it's similar to VAT (UK) or GST (Canada), where the government taxes imports so that citizens pay the government a similar tax to what they would pay if they bought the item locally. This is basically the duty fee American fans have probably seen or heard of from international collectors when they order from Amazon Japan (or Amazon US). So it brings the US up to speed with other nations in that regard.
However, there are also reciprocal tariffs which may or may not be additional to the 10% duty fee mentioned above. And the country most impacted by that is none other than Vietnam, where Transformers are made. Trump's tariff on anything made in Vietnam and brought into the US is a whopping 46%. This is strategic as Vietnam has become a place where American companies, like Hasbro and Nike, have found cheap labor with minimal tariffs (until today). For those who like to import from Japan, there is bad news there too as Trump has placed 24% tariffs on Japan. This will definitely impact those who buy Takara exclusives and since places like BBTS import from Japan as well, you will see those prices rise very soon and by quite a bit.
Collectors will be impacted most from this since Chris Cocks has stated that tariffs will not impact all toys proportionally. Instead collector oriented toys will take a larger portion of their increased costs so that toys made for young kids remain as affordable as possible to parents.
While the idea behind this is said to force companies to bring manufacturing "back" to the US, we must remember that Transformers have never been manufactured in the US. The only injection plastic factories in the US are for larger and more expensive/high margin items. The US has never been a world leader in toy manufacturing and since the process for action figures still requires labor (rather than being fully automated, like Lego), these tariffs are not even close to the discrepancy in hourly wages between a Vietnamese factory worker ($3.10) and a US factory worker ($17). Also, Hasbro does not own the factories, so they are dependent on not only cheap labor but also on the existence of a factory in the first place. All to say there is no logical path where Hasbro, a multinational corporation distributing globally, would have Transformers production move to the US.
If it's between that and ending toy manufacturing all together, it's more likely the later option, which is in line with their shift in corporate strategy and identity, focusing more on games. If you are curious to know more about the tariffs placed, here is a breakdown from Sky News in the UK.
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Not one, not two but three ads for funko pops and three ads for temu on this site now…what the hell has happened to this site? Really are just alienating everyone with this trash huh? First reporting a fraction of what everyone else reports(not including 3p. Aware of that stance) sometimes days even a week at times behind and now more ads than news.
It won't be ME impacted by tariffs. If the prices go up any higher, it will be VERY easy to quit collecting. I stopped Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black Series. I can stop Transformers. Hasbro will be affected.
Randomhero wrote:Not one, not two but three ads for funko pops and three ads for temu on this site now…what the hell has happened to this site? Really are just alienating everyone with this trash huh? First reporting a fraction of what everyone else reports(not including 3p. Aware of that stance) sometimes days even a week at times behind and now more ads than news.
Solrac333 wrote:It won't be ME impacted by tariffs. If the prices go up any higher, it will be VERY easy to quit collecting. I stopped Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black Series. I can stop Transformers. Hasbro will be affected.
Because the only logical response to this topic is to sh!t all over each deck-chair on the Titanic.
Canadian here. I wonder if the price between Canada and the USA will be much different.
But really, I just wanted my G1 collection done (just a few minibots left, really). But then AOTP got announced and I pushed my collection up to get the 12 Primes before I will drastically scale down my purchases. So even if the tariffs give Cocks another excuse to empty wallets even more, hopefully mine's not gonna hurt for too long. There are only a few characters post-G1 I want in RID & UT. Love BW & TFA the show but never had the toys so I'm immune. And the only Prime toys I want to replace is Ratchet and Smokescreens. Anything else I should be fine skipping unless it's something like Thunderwing.
Hasbro already has a large price discrepancy between Transformers in North America vs those in the U.K. Given this situation there may be a huge price difference between Canada and the U.S. after this settles down.
It may not be long before Hasbro starts canceling factory orders in Vietnam (hit with 46% tariffs), making it impossible to finish the lines that have been scheduled for this year and the upcoming years. This might be the death knell for production for Hasbro in Vietnam, but not for to TakaraTomy. Collectors may just switch over to them to finish the lines that have already been announced and then see what happens next. Japan has gone it alone in the past. When G1 ended in the rest of the world they continued with three more series in Japan with figures only Japan got.
The other concern though is that this is gonna be severely disruptive and destructive to the export industries in Vietnam who are now being targeted directly. So factory closures may pick up pace because it's simply not economical anymore to operate. Adding fuel to the fire affecting TakaraTomy too. Third party TFs from China will also be impacted like this.
Let's see what happens.
Last edited by Dino-Snarl on Thu Apr 03, 2025 7:13 am, edited 4 times in total.
Well, Trump is a businessmen and he want a deal. So, people will have to negociate.
Stiiiiiilllll.....
I don't see why can't we follow the logic that's already printed on North American Transformers boxes (It's written "Longueuil, Québec" in the copyrights section) and import all Transformers pre-made parts in Canada. Then we build the toys and put the finishing touch, pack them here, and they become Canadian goods.
This could work for the USA too I think.
Come see my latest creation, the COMPLETE combiner team, Scorponok and his Pretenders, forming SHELLSHOCK
-Kanrabat- wrote:Well, Trump is a businessmen and he want a deal. So, people will have to negociate.
*koff*koff* protection racket / shakedown Which incidentally only works if you're the only game in town and everyone else is dependent on you, which is... not the US' reality.
-Kanrabat- wrote:I don't see why can't we follow the logic that's already printed on North American Transformers boxes (It's written "Longueuil, Québec" in the copyrights section) and import all Transformers pre-made parts in Canada. Then we build the toys and put the finishing touch, pack them here, and they become Canadian goods.
This could work for the USA too I think.
More serious answer, also applies to the first point, is the US simply doesn't have the manufacturing capacity and can't just 'spin up' a few hundred new factories to make stuff domestically, even if they didn't have to import the raw materials (which they would - and no, importing parts and doing the final assembly onshore doesn't magically make them tariff-free domestic goods. Ask the auto industry). And the US cost of living is such that you could never make up the difference that way - physical goods are (relatively) cheap because manufacturing is outsourced to places with much lower costs and greater capacity, period. That's all the "trade deficit" is: the econ term for "buying stuff."
As to the effects on toy prices, it's going to royally suck for a while until/unless market pressures force a rollback and/or someone "negotiates" an exemption (I don't see toy collectors as a high economic priority...). For us outside the US, I'm not clear where the supply lines go - e.g. whether Hasbro UK buys its product directly from the Vietnamese factory (in which case, no tariff change) or via the US parent (so, hit coming and going). But given Hasbro's appropriately-named CEO's comments on disproportionately hiking collector lines, I assume we'll also get squeezed if at all possible.
(Not discounting the possibility that they simply cancel whole lines / franchises as non-viable, but that's a separate discussion.)
william-james88 wrote:Firstly, all US imports will have a 10% tax. This part is not inherently out of line when compared to how the rest of the world functions, it's similar to VAT (UK) or GST (Canada), where the government taxes imports so that citizens pay the government a similar tax to what they would pay if they bought the item locally. This is basically the duty fee American fans have probably seen or heard of from international collectors when they order from Amazon Japan (or Amazon US). So it brings the US up to speed with other nations in that regard.
This is wrong, btw. VAT and GST are roughly equivalent to US sales tax, not tariffs, as they apply to both imported AND domestic goods at the point of sale. Customs duties (roughly, tariffs) apply to imported goods at the point they cross the border, but not as a blanket rate for all goods from a certain country - they are set based on industrial sectors, used to protect already-existing domestic industry from a flood of cheap imports, and typically negotiated & agreed with the exporting nation via trade deals. What the Trump Admin is doing here is nearly unprecedented in both the breadth of the tariffs and the amount, not "bringing the US up to speed".
Psychout wrote:Im not scared of a gender confused minibot!
Least we forget, it wasn't that long ago Apple factories had suicide nets in china. Such bad conditions it's better to end urself; 
[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
