The Energon Pub

News Credits: 8 · Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:15 pm

I've been watching my local Wal Marts very closely since a toy section reset has been in the works for some time. I noticed that once they got the reset done that that deluxe prices had jumped to $15.47 with Target sitting at $14.99. I know price hikes are inevitable but has Wal Mart ever actually been more that Target?

Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:57 pm

Actually, I've seen a couple of Targets in my area selling Deluxes for $16.49 (or something like that). Target is in the middle of a price transition, it seems.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:12 pm

Yeah, that stinks. I'm kinda selective with my Transformer purchases as is, mostly sticking to Classics/classics looking characters I don't have, but I'm really going to have to reconsider figures I'm thinking about getting.

Unless prices go down, Bruticus will end up over $75 to complete. Not exactly what I want to spend for something that only looks "okay" and sadly, may have fidgety quality.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:56 pm

Really? Bleh. Hadn't even notice, but since the PRID line started I think I've only bought one figure from there anyway. Target seems to be the only place I find things this year :/ Not even TRU gives me luck, which is annoying but certainly helpful to my wallet.

Thu Aug 16, 2012 10:14 pm

This is nice, now not only are the Wal Marts around me not going to stock their shelves, they're going to be more expensive as well? One more reason to not even bother with this chain anymore.

Thu Aug 16, 2012 11:57 pm

i notice when i was looking at my walmart for TFPrime toys in hope of them restocking some day. 16 bucks for a small toy. I'm not buying any doubles unless it is a vehicon of which i have not seen in a store yet to this day.

Fri Aug 17, 2012 5:32 am

Well since no store around here is even putting any on the shelves, the price hike doesn't seem to matter to me right now. Besides, the only ones I'm interested in anymore are the MPs coming out........then again, wouldn't be surprised if they don't hit the shelves too.............

News Credits: 14 · Fri Aug 17, 2012 8:58 am

Think yourself lucky your not based in the U.K.!

Irregular distribution, lateness, cancellations and considerably more pricey than America!

A $15.00 deluxe at the current exchange rate would be around £10 here. That is of course a pipedream as we get charged around £15.00+ which is around $20.00+.

If ever I make it over the pond I will be buying a large empty suitcase and loading up on deluxe, voyager and exclusives to bring back home!!

News Credits: 3646 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 1:57 pm

The retail prices of Transformers toys and other popular brands continues to increase at stores across America. These price increases continue at nationwide chains such as Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, Kmart and others. Is there an end in sight? How much is too much? Is there a limit to how high these prices will climb before you stop collecting? Sure oil prices and overseas labor costs have increased ... but is that enough to justify almost doubling the prices of these toys in the past 2 or 3 years? Share your thoughts and comments by joining our discussion by clicking here.

Pictured below are some new price tags of Transformers and Marvel Universe toys at the Rosemont Target near Chicago, IL. Time to front page this so that others can join the discussion about this issue.

News Credits: 4 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:08 pm

I absolutely refuse to buy any Deluxe toy at retail for that price until/unless Hasbro can give us a good and clear explanation for why the prices are suddenly on the rise after staying mostly the same for the better part of 20 years. And why Voyagers aren't getting price-jacked.

Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:10 pm

Seibertron wrote:The retail prices of Transformers toys and other popular brands continues to increase at stores across America. These price increases continue at nationwide chains such as Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, Kmart and others. Is there an end in sight? How much is too much? Is there a limit to how high these prices will climb before you stop collecting? Sure oil prices and overseas labor costs have increased ... but is that enough to justify almost doubling the prices of these toys in the past 2 or 3 years? Share your thoughts and comments by joining our discussion by clicking here.

Pictured below are some new price tags of Transformers and Marvel Universe toys at the Rosemont Target near Chicago, IL. Time to front page this so that others can join the discussion about this issue.

$17.39 plus tax??? if this gets around to California i’m done with retail it’s going to be all about online

News Credits: 4 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:11 pm

It's been a growing concern for me since Dark of the Moon came out. Smaller deluxes at inflated prices. They could have done one or the other, but instead they did both. The new deluxes are barely larger than the size of Energon basics. I remember when deluxes were $6.99-7.99. I am tapping out on buying multiples unless its classics. It really is ridiculous. I just spent $34 on Dreadwing at retail. I am ordering almost exclusively through BBTS from here on out. KMart has some deluxes at 12.99, the day they became the low cost provider I started to lose my marbles.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:17 pm

Is this across the board or just a few stores playing the price hike game?

Also wondering if this has anything to do with the holidays coming and/or future sales so the store(s) can gain more profits while making the consumer think they are saving...

News Credits: 1 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:18 pm

That Bot wrote:And why Voyagers aren't getting price-jacked.

...yet.

This is getting a little bit ridiculous. There was a thread I commented on awhile back about changes in TF buying habits. This pricing further justifies buying online from BBTS, TFSource or the like. Not to mention the gas money you save and you don't even have to suffer the frustration from not finding what you want! Online stores will probably see an increase in purchasing...assuming they don't go up in price!

News Credits: 1 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:18 pm

I don't care, really. I like to find deals & whatnot, but I am a completist and will buy them regardless of the price. I see what you are saying Ryan, about the absurdity of the situation, but those who can not afford it will simply quit buying. Those of us fortunate enough to be able to afford these figures will continue to buy them if we choose to do so. I don't really see the big deal.

News Credits: 3646 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:22 pm

Erailea wrote:Is this across the board or just a few stores playing the price hike game?

Also wondering if this has anything to do with the holidays coming and/or future sales so the store(s) can gain more profits while making the consumer think they are saving...

I've been wondering that myself.

Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:23 pm

My local WalMarts (in California btw) aren't quite that high yet. I'm sure it's only a matter of time though.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:25 pm

#&%*ing oil-prices!

To whoever killed the electric car back in the day: Jolt is hunting you down as I type this.

If I saw proof that Hasbro had abandoned sweatshop labor entirely, I wouldn't mind as much, but we seriously need to stop using oil as fuel wherever possible so that it can be used for plastics as Primus intended. There may not be a realistic alternative for rocket and aircraft fuel, but if the U.S. had switched to some sort of electric/solar/flywheel combination for cars 20 years ago, we could've led the whole world away from this situation.

And no, that's not trivial, since the rise in plastic prices is surely hurting products that we actually need.

Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:26 pm

*Yawn* Wake me up when there's something new. I have been paying 19 dollars each for a deluxe ever since 3 years ago. Peace out~

Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:28 pm

Prices can go up it costs more to make...

But I believe it is because the demand is so high. Collectors buy out these toys as soon as they hit the shelves(you know who you are). Collectors will continue to snatch these toys up no matter the cost and Hasbro will continue to raise it.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:34 pm

Wow, there is no way I can be reading that price tag correctly! You know it's bad when that officially puts Wal-Mart as the most expensive retail store. I never thought I'd see the day TRU beat WM at deluxe pricing! Well, if that happens here, my buying strategy will be changing tremendously. I've been considering ditching the smaller lines (save a few here and there that really grab me) and focusing on MP's alone, and this may be the move that does it. With the increase in number of MP's, not to mention how great they're coming along, it's getting harder to resist. And as much as I love the show Prime, most of the toys are decent, but very few "must haves", it's been mostly for the completionist in me. I understand price increases, I really do... but (roughly) $7 in 2 or 3 years?!? Yeah, I've gotta draw a line somewhere ... :-?

News Credits: 15 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:40 pm

Are you frigging kidding me? That's it...I'm not buying toys at retail anymore. :roll:

News Credits: 3 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:40 pm

In the last three years, I have rarely paid retail for any figure in any line. The hobby has been too expensive for my income for a while now.

Most of my purchases are either from reduced-price liquidators like Marshalls or old lots on eBay.

On a related note, I think this is one of the reasons why Cyberverse and Kre-o are so popular. It's a bit like the Squinkees phenomena. When the regular-scale toys are so expensive, the micro-scales seem like a bargain by comparison (even if they aren't).

News Credits: 402 · Updated Oct 21, 2022

It's not the rising costs that bothers me too much so long as quality wasn't sacrificed as well. But with rising costs mixed with diminishing quality and it's no wonder 3rd Parties are getting more and more collector attention.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Oct 03, 2012 3:03 pm

Part of this is the holiday season. Prices will relax come February.

Another part of this might be due to competing toy packaging within the same line of toys. Prime, Generations, Bot Shots and Cyberverse - these are all competing for the same shelf space while ultimately being the same thing. And quite frankly, that's a frustrating product to sell because consumers want one and maybe not the other.

Raising the prices also means store can hold "sales" where the product remains "discounted" throughout the season. Of course, the sale price is the the MSRP. HTS always offers the toys at MSRP (though it is telling FoC/Generations went from $12.00 with OP, Jazz and Shockwave to $15.00 with the Combaticons).

Some food for thought.