As prices go up do you start to change?

[OSCORP]

Got to be uber picky. After MOS Superman i have nothing on order, Only thing i really want is HT Rocky DX and BTTF. And eventually ASM2 Spidey.

 

[Bustajesse]

Now that almost every figure costs over $200 I've pretty much stopped collecting 1/6. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of nice stuff coming out but when a figure like Bruce Banner costs more than Bane (who wasn't even released a year ago) you know something is wrong.

I love the stuff I currently have, but unless something blows me away like 1/4 TDK Batman did or Mime Joker, I won't be buying.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

I gave up 1/6 collecting, the prices just got too ridiculous. I only have one figure on order, and I'm still debating whether I want to end up paying almost $300 for it.

 

[lerath666]

Got to be uber picky. After MOS Superman i have nothing on order, Only thing i really want is HT Rocky DX and BTTF. And eventually ASM2 Spidey.

Now that almost every figure costs over $200 I've pretty much stopped collecting 1/6. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of nice stuff coming out but when a figure like Bruce Banner costs more than Bane (who wasn't even released a year ago) you know something is wrong.

I love the stuff I currently have, but unless something blows me away like 1/4 TDK Batman did or Mime Joker, I won't be buying.

I gave up 1/6 collecting, the prices just got too ridiculous. I only have one figure on order, and I'm still debating whether I want to end up paying almost $300 for it.

and yet some people refuse to see the writing on the wall about a pending "bubble burst"

As these attitudes become MORE widespread ( and believe me, they will) the 1/6th hobby spirals towards a reckoning.

 

[Invictus Sol]

Granted, I've only been following the boards for two years, but this bubble burst talk has been going on for longer than that and prices keep going up (along with detail). Yes, I guess at some point, it will "burst", but that could be next year or a decade from now (or longer). Basically saying that is the same as saying the stock market will eventually have a crash.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

I'd say the bubble already has burst. Hot Toys is really the only company producing 1/6 with regularity. Releases from other companies, even SSC who used to pump out loads of 1/6 every year, are sporadic at best these days.

 

[Mike86]

So far my collection is fairly focused on mostly Batman and Terminator figures. I plan to pretty much keep it that way with a few figures of characters I really like here and there sprinkled in that I'd like represented in my collection. For me I can see a time where there will be less that I'll want. I generally am not the type of collector who needs everything from a particular line unless it's something that I really love.

 

[Doctor Who]

I'd say the bubble already has burst. Hot Toys is really the only company producing 1/6 with regularity. Releases from other companies, even SSC who used to pump out loads of 1/6 every year, are sporadic at best these days.

Gotta agree.

This year I've bought about 3 figures total. Why? There's nothing interesting. A lot of companies are sort of moving on towards 1/4th, statues/figurines, or just things that I'm not interested in.

And I'm seeing that the companies who do release a lot at a steady pace seem to be doing a lot of variants and re-uses aswell as the same character over and over. And I feel like HT is starting to become a frequent *****-kicker. First they release the Hulk, then a pack with him and Bruce. The Tumbler re-release. Pointless exclusives and silly repaints. MMS figures they suddenly release a better DX of a few months later.

I'm also noticing a slight decrease in build quality with HT, if you read the threads on recent items. A lot of QC issues.

 

[Gipetto0812]

You make a good point in this last paragraph. It seems some people are happy to buy several pieces a month. I find it exhausting, and stale. I'm pretty happy that I'm down to buying just a fee pieces a year. One every few months, maybe even less. After I buy 66 Batman and Robin my focus will be strictly Star Wars I think.



Sent from my LG-E739 using Tapatalk 2

Yea (as you know, Fiend) I've gone through the "I'm gonna quit" phase and just ended up changing my collecting habbits. It's a hot time right now w/ all the superman merch right now but it will blow over until the next one. I'm happy buying only a few pieces every now and then. I have more money for other things, more important things and don't feel stupid any more like I used to when I had no money b/c of toys I don't have a stopping point any time soon. Transformers have outlived original fans and will outlive me as well I'm sure. Only thing that will probably stop before I keel over will be Johnny Depp collectibles lol

 

[Voorhees27]

Over the past 2-3 years I've only bought figures that I absolutely had to have. So far so good.

 

[Darth Con]

Because of price increases, ive gone from getting all the things i like, to only getting the things i REALLY like.

 

[SnakeDoctor]

Not really. For decision-making purposes, the distinction between a $175 toy and a $225 toy isn't all that significant. They're both ridiculously expensive for an action figure ... so I always restrained myself quite a bit. Just the stuff I like enough to look at on the shelf for the next decade ... iconic characters with solid representations from only my favorite franchises. I could always afford a lot more than I actually bought.

SnakeDoc

 

[subzro]

The price increases has not changed my buying habits yet. I keep focused on what actors/characters i really like from my favorite films and limit myself to those. I also do not have a ton of space to display these and that more than price helps me decide if I really want something.

I already know what figures i would like to have (if they make them) over the next 2 to 3 years and there is only 9 of them. If prices go up to $300 for a normal plain MMS in a couple years then I will stop collecting and just enjoy what I have.

 

[xequae]

The price increases definitely effect what I get. I have most of the Sideshow Star Wars figures from the first few years, but now I have gotten very selective and even had to pass some that I really wanted like the snow trooper.

I think I'm done with Hot Toys for the time being. There are just not many figures I can justify spending over $200 on. That doesn't mean I won't pick up a figure if the right one comes along, but I just don't have the budget for many $200+ figures.

 

[devilof76]

sooo. you're saying no one should buy 3A or Hot toys, or most of the new sideshow stuff?

If a person feels that a figure costs too much, they should not buy it. If they buy it, they should not complain that it costs too much.

Over the past 2-3 years I've only bought figures that I absolutely had to have. So far so good.

Exactly.

 

[karamazov80]

Oddly, the increase in SSC and Hot Toys items has pushed me to buy even more expensive custom work. Reason being, it's easier for me to justify, say, a $500 hand made piece of a character from a film I love when the mass produced stuff based on crowd-pleasing pop films is only half that price or whatever. I think the '66 Batman figures are the only HT figures on the horizon that I plan on getting. But at the same time, like EF says, I've become more and more selective of what I get in general.

 

[freestylex06x]

i used to collect hot toys when they were around $130 a pop and $150 at most. i stopped buying when the figures that they sold for for $130 started selling for $190-200 and then milking the crap out of iron man. i love collecting but even i know when it is madness to shell out almost $300 for a single figure.

 

[Johnny Utah]

I usually get caught up in the hype of an upcoming film like the Marvel or DC films. Get really excited about the figures, lose all excitement when it's out. The only licenses that get me extremely hyped and warm inside are Schwarzenegger related, Alien/Predator, RoboCop, basically classic films from my youth.

Really looking forward to the BTTF figures, as well as any possible Stallone figures in the near future.

 

[a-dev]

I usually get caught up in the hype of an upcoming film like the Marvel or DC films. Get really excited about the figures, lose all excitement when it's out. The only licenses that get me extremely hyped and warm inside are Schwarzenegger related, Alien/Predator, RoboCop, basically classic films from my youth.

Really looking forward to the BTTF figures, as well as any possible Stallone figures in the near future.

Back to the Future jumped onto my ''face it, will probably not be able to resist'' list so I'll be buying those. Yeah, classic childhood movies. It'll add a little diversity to my collection. But as a penance for having added it I feel I need to not buy certain other things, like any new HT Predators, I'm thinking I'm good with the small NECA figures for that. Also, with exception of Keaton Batman (of whom I would add Returns Batman to my '89 version) I will not buy more than one incarnation of a particular superhero. There I will operate on a sell and replace basis if a better version comes along.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

I don't know what to think about the rising prices. I started collecting about 5 years ago when Sideshow figures were $65-$90 and HT were around $125. The prices have jumped dramatically from year to year and I would have thought it would have scared everyone off by now. But it seems that for every one person who says he's out, there are several more just starting in the hobby. And to those just starting, $200 figures is the norm. They don't know how it was when figures were less than half that, so they have no problem plopping down the money. They'll stick around til figures are $300+ and then say they're getting priced out. And then there will be more newbies coming in who think nothing of $300 figures.

Maybe at this point and in these bad economic times the people coming in to the hobby will start to diminish. But I don't see companies start to lower their prices. The best we can hope for is that they will keep the prices level without any increase when they see sales are down.

I slowed down considerably after the first two years because of money and because I began to evaluate my choices more strongly. I only buy figures I absolutely love and I feel good about what I have. I now only get 2-4 figures a year, but mostly because those are the ones that I truly want. The ones that I may have considered I let go and I don't miss them. When I spent $350 on the Tamashii Threepio, it hurt, but not too bad because he was one of only three figures I got this year (the others being Wolverine and Brothers Production Deckard).

Next year I only have Hoth Han and the Tauntaun as definites. The Probot is likely, but I'll cut it from the list if I need to. And the new Vader is a maybe. I also wait to pre-order nowadays. The figures seem to stay in stock for a good amount of time after release, so I have time to wait for a coupon or a price cut. I have a good amount of points saved up, and have been gathering the new Christmas points too, so I'm ready to cash in my chips!

BTW, I also don't understand why someone would sell off their collection if they stop collecting. Why not enjoy what you do have? Maybe just trim the fat, but surely there must be a few figures in there that still mean something you the collector...