carytheone wrote:
I still don't understand why exclusives just don't go up for preorder before manufacturering begins. That way everyone who wants one gets one. Make the deposits non refundable of you're scared of back outs.
I've learned if you want a thing, get it as soon as possible. Otherwise be prepared to pay more. It's the sad truth of collecting.
2 things, one is that Hasbro has to have a minimum run of an x amount to come out above even. Which has to cover not just making the toy but the Logistics of transit blah blah blah. Now, that said,
The Model Train Hobby in the smaller scales has gone almost exclusively to that format for evwrything that is not basic necessity (track and scenrty materials). Every Engine, every train car, if you want it you have to get in the door or you are SOL, because if their minimum production run is 2,000, and they get 2,005 orders they are making 2,010. Don't have the money for it right then? Too bad. You either miss your pre-order or have to burn your hobby shop with an item they bought expecting you to buy it from them. The Model Train manufacturers have forced the stores, little mom and pop shops, to decide what excess inventory exists and be the ones responsible for warehousing it. And many engines run in the 2-300 range, so the number of shops stocking 1 or 2 extras is small. Because of things like this, Pre Orders are not a good representative of Demand, only a glimpse of Demand
right now. And I'm not saying stores have a right to hold onto Shelf Warmer quantities of stock, but only fulfilling the Pre-Order quota is no different than the empty peg issues we have now.
Of course, Transformers is a lot different. Instead of $200 they are only 20 or 30. Which means its easier to set aside the scratch for what you want whenever it comes out. The lower Market prices though (what we are willing to pay) mean that Hasbro has to stretch its Production Costs across more units, because profits per unit off a $200 piece will be higher on average than a$20 piece. The Advantage to Toys is that they are simpler than Model Trains, fewer parts, and in the case of Hot Rod, that tooling is already paid for so the overhead is much less. But for new Exclusives like Punch/Counterpunch and Repugnus, Those sales have to cover the tooling. Hasbro knows we aren't crazy about paying $60 for a Deluxe as a habit (Botcon being the only exception and that was once a year. And not every year for some fans) and certainly their Target Market (Children. Don't forget that Generations is pulling Double Duty for Kids and Fans) cant afford that, so they make more toys.
The point to my long-winded runaway is that Pre-Ordering stuff sucks, may not guarentee a Break Even point for Hasbro even though they would easily sell out what they need to be ahead, and is a dangerous slippery slope because not everyone may be able to put the dough together in time, limits the amount of excess stock for new or future Collectors out there; putting the stores in control of stock levels, and no store wants unguarenteed sales.
As it is, many of us are having to trn to Preordering anyway because we cant guarentee it will be on shelves at all. And while it might be more accessible, for tight budgets its not more convienent
(I may be biased as I pretty much listen to eighties stuff all day lately)
