william-james88 wrote:Randomhero wrote:william-james88 wrote:Randomhero wrote: He's not worth takaras price for a small bit of re-engineering and a little extra paint.
For the last freaken time, he might cost you more because of shipping but Takara charges the same as Hasbro for their Transfomer Toys! In reality Hasbro is the one who is more expensively priced because they charge the same giving you less.
Takaras is $220. Hasbros was $130 I paid $140 for mine with the shipping. Sorry But an extra $80+ for elbows and a slightly different deco doesn't justify it in my opinion. I could even buy perfect effects kit that give elbows and still not spend as much as the online prices for Takaras
No, Hasbro's was initially 150$-160$ and Takara's is still available at 152$. When talking about PRICE Takara and Hasbro are charging, you have to compare what Hasbro is charging in its local market compared to Takara in theirs. Not a discounted Hasbro retailer vs an importer's Takara. Get your facts straight and open your eyes. Hasbro itself is charging the same for less.
Counterpunch wrote:william-james88 wrote:Randomhero wrote:william-james88 wrote:Randomhero wrote: He's not worth takaras price for a small bit of re-engineering and a little extra paint.
For the last freaken time, he might cost you more because of shipping but Takara charges the same as Hasbro for their Transfomer Toys! In reality Hasbro is the one who is more expensively priced because they charge the same giving you less.
Takaras is $220. Hasbros was $130 I paid $140 for mine with the shipping. Sorry But an extra $80+ for elbows and a slightly different deco doesn't justify it in my opinion. I could even buy perfect effects kit that give elbows and still not spend as much as the online prices for Takaras
No, Hasbro's was initially 150$-160$ and Takara's is still available at 152$. When talking about PRICE Takara and Hasbro are charging, you have to compare what Hasbro is charging in its local market compared to Takara in theirs. Not a discounted Hasbro retailer vs an importer's Takara. Get your facts straight and open your eyes. Hasbro itself is charging the same for less.
You are being kind of aggressive on this for not really understanding that $152 dollars in the US is not the same buying power as $152 dollars in Japan. Exchange rates matter.
Your general point about Hasbro over-costing this has some merit though. I think the $110 discount price in the US is probably closer to the real cost plus mark-up. It's hard to tell what's what with larger toys and the factors that play into them though.
william-james88 wrote:If ever Sabrblade decides to go on vacation, I am glad to know we can rely on you.
Hellscream9999 wrote:Plus, depending on shipping, if it gets upwards of online retail, you may as well just go through bbts, I dunno what shipping would cost everyone, if it would get up to $70, yeah, may as well go through bbts...
I got my math wrong. I actually paid $140 for Takara Devastator through Anime-Export. Once shipping's calculated and my order ships, I expect Takara Devy to cost $170 all-in. Maximum.Randomhero wrote:No I'm fine paying what I paid. I got it cheaper than toysrus and it's an awesome figure. It'd one of the coolest things hasbro has put out in my opinion. If you feel like paying $80-$100 for "import pricing" for a little extra paint and elbows and that's how you justify it with "no it's the same price I'm just paying for a rediculous shipping cost for something I can drive to a toy store and buy" that's fine
And who are you to judge exactly? I paid $45 less than you for Hasbro Devastator. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it's all relative. So whatever, I guess.Randomhero wrote:but that's also honestly sad too.
Issues of purchasing power matter if you're comparing what an American/Canadian citizen can buy vs. what a Japanese citizen can buy, but that's not the discussion (I assumed). It's more what an American can buy here vs. what that same person can buy over in Japan. To us it's the same money.Counterpunch wrote:You are being kind of aggressive on this for not really understanding that $152 dollars in the US is not the same buying power as $152 dollars in Japan. Exchange rates matter.
Cobotron wrote:Hey! You seemed to have attracted a wild Megatronus. They're hard to find, but boy are they fun when you catch one!
william-james88 wrote:Hellscream9999 wrote:Plus, depending on shipping, if it gets upwards of online retail, you may as well just go through bbts, I dunno what shipping would cost everyone, if it would get up to $70, yeah, may as well go through bbts...
Its still cheaper to import and plus BBTS doesnt give anyone outside the US an advantage over the costs they may avoid. In a forum populated by people from all over the world discussing about a toy that is not released locally, BBTS becomes much less of a rule to measure things by.
william-james88 wrote:If ever Sabrblade decides to go on vacation, I am glad to know we can rely on you.
Counterpunch wrote:william-james88 wrote:Randomhero wrote:william-james88 wrote:Randomhero wrote: He's not worth takaras price for a small bit of re-engineering and a little extra paint.
For the last freaken time, he might cost you more because of shipping but Takara charges the same as Hasbro for their Transfomer Toys! In reality Hasbro is the one who is more expensively priced because they charge the same giving you less.
Takaras is $220. Hasbros was $130 I paid $140 for mine with the shipping. Sorry But an extra $80+ for elbows and a slightly different deco doesn't justify it in my opinion. I could even buy perfect effects kit that give elbows and still not spend as much as the online prices for Takaras
No, Hasbro's was initially 150$-160$ and Takara's is still available at 152$. When talking about PRICE Takara and Hasbro are charging, you have to compare what Hasbro is charging in its local market compared to Takara in theirs. Not a discounted Hasbro retailer vs an importer's Takara. Get your facts straight and open your eyes. Hasbro itself is charging the same for less.
You are being kind of aggressive on this for not really understanding that $152 dollars in the US is not the same buying power as $152 dollars in Japan. Exchange rates matter.
Your general point about Hasbro over-costing this has some merit though. I think the $110 discount price in the US is probably closer to the real cost plus mark-up. It's hard to tell what's what with larger toys and the factors that play into them though.
Hellscream9999 wrote:william-james88 wrote:Hellscream9999 wrote:Plus, depending on shipping, if it gets upwards of online retail, you may as well just go through bbts, I dunno what shipping would cost everyone, if it would get up to $70, yeah, may as well go through bbts...
Its still cheaper to import and plus BBTS doesnt give anyone outside the US an advantage over the costs they may avoid. In a forum populated by people from all over the world discussing about a toy that is not released locally, BBTS becomes much less of a rule to measure things by.
I know, but outside the US, isn't amiami and the like much less expensive? I was using it as reference for people in the states, as I thought amiami was cheaper everywhere else
megatronus wrote:Issues of purchasing power matter if you're comparing what an American/Canadian citizen can buy vs. what a Japanese citizen can buy, but that's not the discussion (I assumed). It's more what an American can buy here vs. what that same person can buy over in Japan. To us it's the same money.Counterpunch wrote:You are being kind of aggressive on this for not really understanding that $152 dollars in the US is not the same buying power as $152 dollars in Japan. Exchange rates matter.
megatronus wrote:Issues of purchasing power matter if you're comparing what an American/Canadian citizen can buy vs. what a Japanese citizen can buy, but that's not the discussion (I assumed). It's more what an American can buy here vs. what that same person can buy over in Japan. To us it's the same money.Counterpunch wrote:You are being kind of aggressive on this for not really understanding that $152 dollars in the US is not the same buying power as $152 dollars in Japan. Exchange rates matter.
Counterpunch wrote:TL;DR Without significant discounts on the domestic Hasbro Devastator, everyone is better off and gets more for their money (by importing) a Takara United Devastator.
Also, I would venture to say that Hasbro is taking a much, much higher margin on this figure than Takara, considering their effectively higher cost and lower production costs.
Counterpunch wrote:TL;DR Without significant discounts on the domestic Hasbro Devastator, everyone is better off and gets more for their money (by importing) a Takara United Devastator.
Also, I would venture to say that Hasbro is taking a much, much higher margin on this figure than Takara, considering their effectively higher cost and lower production costs.
william-james88 wrote:If ever Sabrblade decides to go on vacation, I am glad to know we can rely on you.
william-james88 wrote:D-Maximus_Prime wrote:Devy looks very good as expected and the Defensor Groove chest is just too funny
Yeah, I think that is what we call a fail
william-james88 wrote:Counterpunch wrote:TL;DR Without significant discounts on the domestic Hasbro Devastator, everyone is better off and gets more for their money (by importing) a Takara United Devastator.
Also, I would venture to say that Hasbro is taking a much, much higher margin on this figure than Takara, considering their effectively higher cost and lower production costs.
Counterpunch, please forget anything I may have written previously, your statements above sum up everything I have been trying to say quite eloquently. yes, we were all saying the same thing, but it's easy to get confused, so thanks for summing it all up this well
Randomus wrote:william-james88 wrote:Counterpunch wrote:TL;DR Without significant discounts on the domestic Hasbro Devastator, everyone is better off and gets more for their money (by importing) a Takara United Devastator.
Also, I would venture to say that Hasbro is taking a much, much higher margin on this figure than Takara, considering their effectively higher cost and lower production costs.
Counterpunch, please forget anything I may have written previously, your statements above sum up everything I have been trying to say quite eloquently. yes, we were all saying the same thing, but it's easy to get confused, so thanks for summing it all up this well
You should just copy/paste that that every time! Hell, Randomhero is the second “Random” (after me) that you had this conversation with in, what, a week? The enormity of how often you have this conversation just dawned on me.
In fairness, I think there may be two different conversations here:
1) Whether UW Devy is worth the extra money that Takara makes over Hasbro. (The answer is technically “yes”, since Takara apparently doesn’t make more money off their Devy than Hasbro makes off theirs.)
2) Whether UW Devy is still worth it after considering costs associated with importing and shipping which aren’t Takara’s fault. For this, I can see why the final price may drive folks away.
It may not be on Takara, but international shipping is a lot to pay for a little more purple and elbows you won't use if you want to just leave it in combined mode.
william-james88 wrote:Cause if you really want to compare general costs and what is worth it over the other in all fairness, you have to look at both sides, meaning: How much would it cost for someone to get Hasbro's Devastator in Japan? No one ever thinks of that here, but it is a very valid way to measure equivalence. If someone in japan wanted to buy Hasbro's Devy today, their cheapest price would be 203.73$ US. Takara's Devy instead costs westerners about 180$ US (being very conservative here). So while we are discussing what is better, to pay 140$ for Hasbro's (current price at BBTS) or 180$ for Takara's when it comes out, people in Japan are wondering what's a better price: getting hasbro's now for 203.73$ or waiting for Takara Devy for 152$? I know this sounds ridiculous, paying 50$ more for an inferior version, but it is an easy way to look at the parity in full and to see how fair Takara's price truly is.
While Takara may cost me a little more (becasue I dont live in Japan), I preffer supporting their fairer pricing and business practice over Hasbro's. For some reason, even if I am paying more, I feel I am getting a much better and fairer deal.
william-james88 wrote:If ever Sabrblade decides to go on vacation, I am glad to know we can rely on you.
Takara toys cost more, so you would expect them to be ‘better’. Hasbro product is cheaper because it’s priced cheaper.
it’s not so much ‘Takara is better’, but more along the lines of ‘you get what you pay for'
Takara versions are regularly better than Hasbro ones because they tend to have a greater number and detail in paint applications. If that weren’t the case, it’d be rather difficult to justify the comparatively higher price.
william-james88 wrote:I know there is as much paint on the hasbro version, but you guys have no idea how much a difference it is that Takara chose to paint the foot made by Mixmaster. It just gives it that extra G1 flare in Combined mode and makes up for the alt mode being different than G1.
Oh and while I have you all here, I wanted to show you why I get fired up a bit about being clear about what causes a difference in how much takara will cost an westerner over a local Hasbro product. This is from an actual article published on the TFSource blog discussing if Takara is better than Hasbro and tell me if you have any credibility for it:Takara toys cost more, so you would expect them to be ‘better’. Hasbro product is cheaper because it’s priced cheaper.it’s not so much ‘Takara is better’, but more along the lines of ‘you get what you pay for'Takara versions are regularly better than Hasbro ones because they tend to have a greater number and detail in paint applications. If that weren’t the case, it’d be rather difficult to justify the comparatively higher price.
Randomhero, it is articles like these that propagate the misinformation, which all refer to a higher price associated to the quality (or supposed quaity) rather than the simple fact that they arent distributed here. And these excerpts are from supposed references who turn out to, as we have learnt today, not know what they are talking about. The only reason TFSource charges more for Takara product than a Hasbro product is because of importing (they cant even buy directly from Takara), no other reason. None of it is linked to an actual difference in the product's quality or appearance.
fenrir72 wrote:william-james88 wrote:I know there is as much paint on the hasbro version, but you guys have no idea how much a difference it is that Takara chose to paint the foot made by Mixmaster. It just gives it that extra G1 flare in Combined mode and makes up for the alt mode being different than G1.
Oh and while I have you all here, I wanted to show you why I get fired up a bit about being clear about what causes a difference in how much takara will cost an westerner over a local Hasbro product. This is from an actual article published on the TFSource blog discussing if Takara is better than Hasbro and tell me if you have any credibility for it:Takara toys cost more, so you would expect them to be ‘better’. Hasbro product is cheaper because it’s priced cheaper.it’s not so much ‘Takara is better’, but more along the lines of ‘you get what you pay for'Takara versions are regularly better than Hasbro ones because they tend to have a greater number and detail in paint applications. If that weren’t the case, it’d be rather difficult to justify the comparatively higher price.
Randomhero, it is articles like these that propagate the misinformation, which all refer to a higher price associated to the quality (or supposed quaity) rather than the simple fact that they arent distributed here. And these excerpts are from supposed references who turn out to, as we have learnt today, not know what they are talking about. The only reason TFSource charges more for Takara product than a Hasbro product is because of importing (they cant even buy directly from Takara), no other reason. None of it is linked to an actual difference in the product's quality or appearance.
Hah! I remember that controversial article by Maz very well.The so called "collectors cum experts" sources who were interviewed by Maz.
They're just about an expert in the field of astronomy as I am in the field of paleontology. ( I'm in the field of medicine fyi so you'll get my drift )
But being in the field of medicine doesn't blind me to the nuances of economics 101 which I passed despite the strong symptoms of narcolepsy that pervaded the course.
Extra accessory=extra expediture
Shipping=extra expenditure
Foreign exchange fluctuation= extar or less expediture
Customs fees=extra costs
william-james88 wrote:If ever Sabrblade decides to go on vacation, I am glad to know we can rely on you.
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