Are we too easily pleased?

[Solarsailor]

Things have bothered me in this past year of collecting. Namely the lack of quality coming out of these big company's and it's really got me doing a double take.

I frequent a few threads as I'm interested in a lot of lines and of late I can say that a lot of freaks seem to just gloss over details that would usually be of concern in any other hobby.

The recent Obi-Wan mythos statue such has a missing hilt saber, even though it's clearly pictured on the website and even the box it comes packaged in. It also seems to have an issue with the numbering system.

The Hulk Maquette has a funny looking eyebrow and the "limited" on the base is spelt wrong?

Some people received DX luke with missing letters on the box cut out.

Entebay's Joker had a sticky paint issue and some broken legs.

The Samurai Predator Alien head was a completely different colour from the proto and was fobbed off with some excuse.

It seems to be across all companies across all lines. I'm struggling to think of another Hobby that offers such an abundant amount of muck ups for a premium price. Would we buy a new pair of jeans if a button was missing? Would we buy a painting with some slight staining on the corner? Would we buy a TV with a scratch on the frame?

I guess the question is - Should we be firmer and if so how? Will someone just take our place in line and the problems continue?

Is this normal? Have we now reached the point where there are more people willing to buy sub par products at the risk of losing out?

I guess one for the older collectors would be - Was it always like this?

 

[Skywalker(OG)Kush]

I think we are already too picky otherwise we wouldn't be spending 200 plus on figures. We would settle on neca or other cheaper brands!! Or just stick to the movie masters or other formats. Not sure about statues as I don't collect them but I would assume the same principles apply in that there are cheaper statue brands that people don't even consider purchasing.

If your talking quality and value received based on current prices then that's a discussion for a whole another thread. I mean we will always want more in return for a dollar but it appears prices go up and we receive less value in return (nasty inflation). In terms of being picky though, we have to be to even consider buying this stuff.

People that want or seek out the best goods are never easily pleased. They seek out the best for a reason and that is because they are picky with what they purchase. Go to any 5 star resturaunt, you will here people complain about the stupidest things, only because when they spend top dollar they expect everything to be perfect! I have heard people complain about too many ice cubes in their water lol

 

[Stampe]

On a board where you can see posts like this I would say no.

 

[kl241]

As much effing money we pay these companies to get it right and we receive items with various QC problems I'd say no.

 

[Mr. EcKo]

Yup........... plastic crack intrigues me

 

[SwedishHeat]

A thread about OCD complaints is asking if we're too easily pleased??

Irony abounds.

 

[SAB]

"But if I don't buy it, someone else will and then they'll be sold out!"


Things will never change and these companies will continue to have the worst QC of any high end good around.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Hulks eyebrows aren't messed up

 

[Ex-Parrot]

For as long as collectors value exclusivity over quality, nothing will ever change.

 

[Collectorcol]

Blame the Chinese but they don't care as they're heading for world domination.

 

[divo]

Easy to be forgiving when you have an addiction & glassy eyes.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

GEE . . .

What's next?

Constant complaining & criticisms (justified or not) from individuals who don't even own the actual item/product let alone have any valid reason to need/want to own it?

 

[David Dunn]

Solar, I've been thinking the same thing for awhile now. For hundreds of dollars a statue, you expect better quality control. It's certainly a business decision on how much QC to devote to these things, but I have scaled way back due to the mistakes. I remember when I received an inaccurate number on my Snake-eyes statue. I really wondered how that can happen. Misspellings, the numerous complaints on multiple forums, bait and switch tactics, etc.... it just gets crazy. When Sideshow started the NRD without an edition size on limited edition $350 statues, I was pretty surprised more collectors didn't push back. Regardless, there is only so much one can collect. I already see over saturation, much like other limited edition statues. When collectors stop getting returns on their investments when they have to (not talking about flippers, but they won't last long), the problem may correct itself.

 

[s_paulik87]

The Hulk Maquette has a funny looking eyebrow and the "limited" on the base is spelt wrong?

This made me lulz. Intentional or not.

 

[Solarsailor]

This made me lulz. Intentional or not.

I think you can use both though? Saying that I went to school in Scotland...

It's just tough. Your kind of cornered into just buying these things regardless of the quality. The obi-wan mythos statue is the sort of thing I'm talking about. It's unique but it comes incomplete and has a problem with the number. So your left with the decision of missing out completely or just giving up your $450 (with Australian shipping) for something that you just have to deal with. $450 to me is very high end for a statue. Especially one that's in 1/5 scale.

Perhaps the introduction of these open edition statue's is actually a good thing in the end. With no urge to buy and less chance of missing out perhaps people can spread their funds smarter.

 

[Ex-Parrot]

You can.

In England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand and other such English speaking territories 'spelt' is still considered grammatically correct (many would argue that it is preferable), and it is basically interchangeable with 'spelled'. The latter has become, arguably, increasingly popular in recent years mainly due to auto-corrective technology not properly identifying certain non US based words 'out of the box'. By and large people are lazy, and if a piece of software tells them to use 'spelled' instead of 'spelt' then they tend to do just that, and assume that the software is correct, even when it isn't.

America, as with many other examples of both words and particular spellings, has a rather unique view on such matters, and in American English 'spelt' in this context would be wrong, and it would always be written as 'spelled' there instead.

 

[bigb888]

I think most people on these boards are fair. If I pre-ordered months in advance for a product which I subsequently paid good money for and received a Rouge, Spider Woman or Chun-Li in return, I would be critical too.

 

[SAB]

This made me lulz. Intentional or not.

Correct spelling is definitely hilarious

 

[masterkeying]

I've been collecting for several years now, and the older pieces are much better than the newer ones, the paint was way better, for example the T2 battle damaged life size bust, even had a glass eye in it, but more and more, we see constant problems on these forums, and the price is going way up, but the quality way down, any statue that costs this much should be museum quality, no excuses. That wolf predator for 2K, should have been FLAWLESS !
I think we have all forgotten exactly how much 2K is, for that price a statue should like it belongs in an art gallery.

 

[riky]

As long as people don't vote with their wallets things won't change. If a handful of peeps return a statue or accept a small discount there is no incentive to change.
If the majority of buyers demanded a full refund and they knew the returned stock would not resell the problems would be addressed and corrected.
But that is not the case. Most people just settle and grumble a bit online