The Energon Pub

It finally happened, the big toy retailers are now selling some deluxe Transformers for 20$ (both in Canada and the US). It seems like just yesterday the average price for deluxe tfs and deluxe sized toys was 10$. I remember getting some marvel legends wave 1 (the one with Cap and Iron Man) for my little brother for 10$. Those toys and TFs climbed to 15$ eventually and just last year that was still the ballpark price for a deluxe Transformer toy.

But now it is either really near or at 20$ and what I was anticipating to happen in the next five years happened in a year. So I wondered, what about other toys. 6 inch Marvel Legends were 15$ (canadian dollars, but we were on par with the US for the the past 5 years and are only losing that now) last time I checked. This is what I found when I explored the non tf toy sections (which I rarely do):













I could not believe these prices. Especially for that exclusive stuff. 1 small exclusive power ranger is over 30$ when six months ago I got the Exclusive Evolution Optimus 2 pack which had a Classics Optimus and AOE EM Optimus in premium deco for just 50$ (that's for 2 voyagers!).

How are Marvel Legends toys more expensive than Deluxe Transformers?! Transformers have near infinite times more engineering costs, and the engineering is handled by one of the most legendary Japanese toy companies of all time and the ultimate superstars of toy design. For less than the price of a similarly sized fully articulated action figure, TF fans get one that turns into something else, giving all kids literally two toys in one.

While I thought the prices were getting too damn high, I find myself quite fortunate that Hasbro has found ways to control costs, letting me get these wonderful engineering marvels for less than their own Marvel figures.

Peace out!

When I read the title of the thread, I though, "Not this crap again!"

But surprise, surprise, it was something really well thought out. Nice one.




I'm glad that someone else is seeing that North American prices aren't too bad in the grand scheme of things. Toy prices in general really suck, but nothing we can do about it.

Economics class made my other classmates sleep. But being the boring type, you'll learn that it's the inflation and all that technical goobledygook that's to blame.

In Japan, they have been in deflation until Abe's most recent tax increases. (Even in deflation, a lot of JP products are more expensive (not to mention all the bling they add). The recent drop in oil per barrel should theoretically translate in lower prices but if you factor in wage hikes etc, it will be offset.

Especially when the economy picks up, prices will go up. When the economy is in the doldrums, it also (prices) goes up.

Then again, our hobby is not in the category of essentials.....DOUBLE WHAMMY!

Inflation usually happens so slowly that it's almost hard to see happening.
Why did prices inflate 20 years worth in one year?

Thanks Obama

Optimum Supreme wrote:Thanks Obama

This.

Better than over here in Aus, as Hasbro Au has to pay Hasbro US a flat rate per toy sold, in USD, rather than a % of the cost - as our dollar goes down vs the USD, prices go up.
Though when CW was introduced, there was a serious introductory sale that left most figures actually cheaper than online pricing even with currency conversion... However, back to normal now - $20 legends (from $10-15) $30 Deluxes (was $20) and $50 voyagers (were $30-35)

I guess its not too bad in the theme of things, and not exactly a neccessity to life, but blergh.

I have a feeling the cost of the Marvel figures is due to licensing/royalties. Hasbro owns the rights to Transformers, so they don't need to charge themselves for the right to produce the toys, comic/movie figures on the other hand - sometimes ~50% of the wholesale cost is royalties.

As far as price goes it makes the choice for me purchasing 3rd party options over has/tak options all the more easy to make....

At least now that we are out of the movie cycle for TF's we are getting appealing classics offerings all though the product may still not equal asking price it's at least characters/bots done in the "classics" styling I prefer to shell out my slave wages for.

A constant for Has/Tak for me will always consist of cherry picking selections and have much welcomes wallet breaks when they pursue their generic summer blockbuster cash grabs.

I do miss 10$(hell even 15$) deluxe figures dearly though. But with all that said I'm thankful I have the means to participate in such a frivolous action of buying toys for my enjoyment and don't want to get to jaded with a western mentality.

... Obama had absolutely nothing to do with it. If any President did, it'd have been Bush (look at when the crash started, and who ORIGINALLY proposed the bailouts), which began a horrible period for the economy we're really only recently climbing out of. HOWEVER< NEITHER president had any darn thing to do with it, they have far less power than 99% of Americans seem to think they do.

As for current prices... they're still better than they should be. In 1984, gas was about $1.20 a gallon, a gallon of milk was $1.90, and Starscream (roughly the size of modern Deluxes) was $11.99 - $12.99 or so, depending on where you shopped. Now gas is about $2.50 a gallon (DOWN from a high of nearly $4 a gallon last year), milk averages just below $4 a gallon, and how much are Transformers? About $20. Which means their prices increased more SLOWLY than the other indicators, and got far more detailed and articulated with more complex transforms.

So, yeah, complain away about the TF prices. If you REALLY want to.