The Energon Pub

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and to toy buying so forgive the puerility of my comments/ questions.

As someone who has never gone into the collecting side of toy buying, and who only started because of the movie, I've got a question for you expert folks.

The new batch of transformer deluxe figures arrived at 3 different TRUs on Friday. Within a few hours, it was all gone. I spoke to a store assistant: he said one idiot bought about 40 '08 Bumblebees.

The selfishness of people aside, I certainly understand that most people like to make a quick buck. But I find it amazing that anyone would think he could find over 30 people to sell the figures to. Does that happen a lot in the States too?

If anyone can understand Hasbro psychology, I'd be glad if you could explain it me. I see two possible scenarios:

1. Hasbro realises that Bumblebee 08 is sold out real quick. They order more batches from China. Hopefully a stage will arrive such that enough are left on the shelves for the normal people (that's me) to purchase. I'm hoping this will be the case, that Hasbro only wishes to sell as many as they can, and don't worry about making some of their toys limited issue items and worth more to collectors.

2. Hasbro realises that they probably should release only a few more batches and then stop production, because that will ensure that whatever manufactured gets sold out completely and they're not left with unbought stocks that eventually go on sale.

I've observed this phenomenon and the similarities to the stock market fascinate me. For instance, before the movie came out, there were tonnes of Bumblebees, Barricades, Leader Primes and Megatrons, etc gathering dust at TRU. After the movie came out all these were gone.

So the hobby stores can sell at inflated prices. Collectors would have bought the toys early, so these last people buying are mainstream people who probably wouldn't have cared for plasticky looking Jazz and Bumblebee, but now suddenly get caught in the wave and desperately want one too, due to inflated sense of value they never had.

Whatever is left is then bought up anyway: first it was the Jazzes, then Brawls, and finally people are buying up Bonecrusher and Wreckage. (Suits me fine though... my two favourite deluxe decepticons)

Are people who haven't bought their Bumblebees 08 concerned that even online store pre-orders have sold out, or are you confident (at least in the States where you are) that there will be a time down the road where you can buy at leisure instead of hunting everywhere?

PS: I live in Southeast Asia.

First of all, buying 40 Bumblebees is quite a stretch. I think they only come two per case.


I feel the figures will show up at US retail after the initial rush. It's Bumblebee, one of the main characters of the movie, and Hasbro has to have anticipated a high demand for the toy.

Lapse Of Reason wrote:First of all, buying 40 Bumblebees is quite a stretch. I think they only come two per case.


I feel the figures will show up at US retail after the initial rush. It's Bumblebee, one of the main characters of the movie, and Hasbro has to have anticipated a high demand for the toy.

Well, it is possible that they put two cases out. Although it never seems to happen around here.

Otherwise, agreed, I think that come late Aug/early Sep, he'll be relatively easy to come by. Also consider that he is going to be in a two-pack with Voyager Prime, and I'm sure he'll turn up again in some two-fer bundles before year's end..

I made a replie like this to a question about buying leader prime, basicly hasbro is going to milk this movie and its ability to push related merchandise for all it's worth. Now the holidays will come and I'm sure the toy isles will be full of movie toys as well as online stores. Not to mention a sequel or two in the works utterly ensures movie related product will be readily available for the immediate future.TX

Expect plenty more to be released, repainted, and re-released, oh for probably about the next 6 months to a year.

After all, they have nothing new really going until Summer/Fall '08, from what I remember from Botcon, besides the Robot Heroes, Movie line, and Real Gears.

Supposedly some Walmarts are already taking down their TF movie displays and even going so far as to tell people that they aren't planning to receive more stock. Someone here said they were told this, and he was the second person I've seen post something similar. Hearsay sure, so take it with a grain of salt.

Bonecrusher27 wrote:Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and to toy buying so forgive the puerility of my comments/ questions.

As someone who has never gone into the collecting side of toy buying, and who only started because of the movie, I've got a question for you expert folks.

The new batch of transformer deluxe figures arrived at 3 different TRUs on Friday. Within a few hours, it was all gone. I spoke to a store assistant: he said one idiot bought about 40 '08 Bumblebees.

The selfishness of people aside, I certainly understand that most people like to make a quick buck. But I find it amazing that anyone would think he could find over 30 people to sell the figures to. Does that happen a lot in the States too?

If anyone can understand Hasbro psychology, I'd be glad if you could explain it me. I see two possible scenarios:

1. Hasbro realises that Bumblebee 08 is sold out real quick. They order more batches from China. Hopefully a stage will arrive such that enough are left on the shelves for the normal people (that's me) to purchase. I'm hoping this will be the case, that Hasbro only wishes to sell as many as they can, and don't worry about making some of their toys limited issue items and worth more to collectors.

2. Hasbro realises that they probably should release only a few more batches and then stop production, because that will ensure that whatever manufactured gets sold out completely and they're not left with unbought stocks that eventually go on sale.

I've observed this phenomenon and the similarities to the stock market fascinate me. For instance, before the movie came out, there were tonnes of Bumblebees, Barricades, Leader Primes and Megatrons, etc gathering dust at TRU. After the movie came out all these were gone.

So the hobby stores can sell at inflated prices. Collectors would have bought the toys early, so these last people buying are mainstream people who probably wouldn't have cared for plasticky looking Jazz and Bumblebee, but now suddenly get caught in the wave and desperately want one too, due to inflated sense of value they never had.

Whatever is left is then bought up anyway: first it was the Jazzes, then Brawls, and finally people are buying up Bonecrusher and Wreckage. (Suits me fine though... my two favourite deluxe decepticons)

Are people who haven't bought their Bumblebees 08 concerned that even online store pre-orders have sold out, or are you confident (at least in the States where you are) that there will be a time down the road where you can buy at leisure instead of hunting everywhere?

PS: I live in Southeast Asia.

that happened to my country as well toykingdom (philippines's toys r' us) reordered a new stock of barricade and 08 bb then there was this whoever freak guy who bought all the stock and never left any single trace and i ask the guy with the apron uniform what time its was sold and he said it was like after the mall opened the guy was already lurking like an idiot and sadly, all the people looking for these two figures just heard the news and not even able to see hte toys...

The 08 bumblebee did come 2 to a case I work at target and it just so happened that I stocked the toys when these arrived we got 2 cases of this wave and I made sure all 4 bumblebee's got on the shelves but I bought 2 of them.

Savage_Prime wrote:The 08 bumblebee did come 2 to a case I work at target and it just so happened that I stocked the toys when these arrived we got 2 cases of this wave and I made sure all 4 bumblebee's got on the shelves but I bought 2 of them.

Scalper!

I know people want new TFs, but seriously, these will be around, how can they not be with all the time between now and the next cartoon series, and the eventual release of Universe?