Hellscream9999 wrote: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
Though in this instance, all the 'extra' stuff was supposed to be 'standard'; hasbro just chose to rip us off instead
Technically, Hasbro "ripping us" is kind of "harsh" They put out an order/investment/R & D for the molds to TT. That's money spent, then pay for the shipping from China back to North America at the lowest cost possible (hence we get the non enhanced domestic versions) at Hasbros biggest bottom line profit.. That's world wide distribution kimosabe (and most of the time, their distribution does suck I'fd give you that)
In TT's case, shipping from China to Japan won't be that high. It's only us gaijin who just hunger for their plastic crack which in turn has spawned the import figure market.
Another thing, concerning the pricing of two online shops we are speaking off and the prices quoted by seibertron's Japanese resident/contact, it was only recently that hlj's prices more or matched amiami's/hs. So most of the time back then, their prices were higher. maybe due to the competition (eco 101) that forced all online shops to put their prices at parity.
Plus you also have to contend on the recent economic policies implemented in Japan where Abe increased their taxes and devalued their Yen........and Japan still dropped into economic recession. Makes you head spin eh? So the parity in pricing may also be an offsoot of the Japanese government's economic policies as well.