price bump to deluxes

[Dominic]

I have been seeing reports (including at least one picture) that the Deluxe price-point has hit the $20 mark (technically "$19.99" if you are being anal retentive....not that anybody would be).

Looks like I found Airraid just in time.

At one point, I half-joked to myself that when Deluxes hit the $20 mark, I would be done. In the last few years, Hasbro has bumped the price while dropping the complexity of the figures. Inflation is one thing. I do not expect Deluxes to run ~$12, as they did a decade or more back. Similarly, I did not mind paying a bit more on the aftermarket or at "remnant" ("Tier 6") stores like Rite Aid.

But, I do expect toys to improve over time and with price bumps. The stuff we are getting now is close to mid-UT figures than to post '07/'08 figures. About 2 years back, buying a Deluxe required me to have a $20 bill that I could afford to not have. And, it would leave me with enough to buy a slice of pizza. Now, it gets me a figure and (maybe) something from a vending machine.

With the current bump, I will need $20 plus a buck and some change to buy....a deluxe. If taking money from a bank machine, that is effectively $30 or $40 dollars. (I do not like buying toys with a credit card or bank card.)

It is safe to assume that the core-body figures will be bumped up to $30 and that the Scouts will be bumped up to $15. (Regular "Star Wars" and Marvel figures are now hovering around the $15 mark, even if the moulding on most of them is several years old.)

I hope that I find the rest of the Stunticons before the new prices become a regular thing around here. As it is, I am wavering on the Stunticons. I am *not* paying $20 for modern Deluxes. Not even willing to consider it.

[andersonh1]

Yeah, not paying $20 for a deluxe. I've pretty much been out of regular collecting since they went to the $15 price point, only occasionally buying a figure here and there. The Combiners are luring me back in, but that will change if they jack prices up again. There's no way a deluxe sized figure is worth $20. Not to me, anyway.

[Sparky Prime]

2 weeks ago when I was at a Toys R Us, I noticed the deluxes were at $19.99. Although Target and Wal-Mart were still at $15.99 last I saw a few days ago. Prices going up over the years I guess is to be expected, but $20 for a deluxe figure is a bit ridiculous.

[Almighty Unicron]

I wonder if hasbro is trying to kill the deluxe/"warrior" price point. They seem to be pushing legion figs and those shitty, auto-transforming figures a lot more these days.

[JediTricks]

I think the SRP on these is $16.99 now, which is bonkers.

Hasbro first blamed the price of oil, then the price of everything because oil was up, then the price of manufacturing in China, but the CW figures I got are all made in Vietnam now. The problem is the overhead at Hasbro, I think.

[Dominic]

I wonder if hasbro is trying to kill the deluxe/"warrior" price point. They seem to be pushing legion figs and those shitty, auto-transforming figures a lot more these days.

If they wanted to get rid of that pricepoint, they could just....I dunno, stop making it.

My guess is that Hasbro is just trying to get more for less.

They have cut the design and manufacturing quality about as much as they really can. But, they are probably banking that they can raise prices a bit more, especially on "Combiner Wars" where more figures arguably "add value" to other figures a collector may have. As it is, Hasbro is pricing SW figures at $15, despite most of the "black series" figures being repacks/recolours from 5 years ago. Marvel figures are priced similarly.


This pretty much kills it for me though. The current prices as steep enough. But, $20 for limbs is simply too much. I might buy the Stunticons if I can find them before the price bump hits. But, there is no way that I am going to find the Protectobots before the price bump hits.

I might buy Viper (guessing that will get bumped to $15). But, that will be it.

[Almighty Unicron]

It's all good because between my computer desk, bedroom shelves and desk at work I pretty much have nowhere else I could possibly display a TF. I've reserved a bit of space for CW Devy but that's about it.

[Onslaught Six]

I saw this in person last week at TRU and was shocked. It's pretty bullshit! I'm glad I have enough money to still justify the hobby (and the mountain of GI Joe vehicles that I probably paid too much for is a testament to that) so I'll probably stick with it until I'm too broke or they make stuff I'm not interested in. Frankly, once Combiner Wars gets past the initial "big four" Scramble City guys, my interest drops hugely. I have no attachment to the Predacons like some seem to have, and groups like the Technobots or Terrorcons don't interest me on their own--probably the only other one I might buy is the Seacons because Masterforce, and even then, I'd need a bunch of other Masterforce guys to justify it.

[JediTricks]

I think TRU is having "off-season" pricing, they also raised Star Wars Saga Legends figures to $10 without raising Mission Series, making the price of 1 low-articulated figure the same as 2 articulated figures from that line. Once toy buying season comes up (late spring through summer) I bet we'll see the price drop a little.

[Dominic]

Who is going to buy a 5 points of articulation figure for more than 5 or 6 bucks?