This is Steven Allen. I am one of the owners of Timewalker Toys & Collectibles. I don't spend a lot of time on the forums. As a business owner I simply don't have the time. However, I have asked various customers and employees to keep an eye on things for me so that I can stay informed of the latest in 1/6th (retailers don't always get all the information they need from their distributors) and be informed when the occasional forum participant speculates on a subject for which he or she has no facts.
As a retailer, we have been a wholesale customer of Sideshow Collectibles for over 15 years. We have the highest regard and respect for Sideshow. Sideshow is highly reliable cornerstone in this industry for both retailers and end consumers alike. Like any solid, reliable, and successful business, Sideshow has a set of rules that retailers must follow. Timewalker Toys & Collectibles has never, not once, violated the terms of our contract with Sideshow. We have always operated well within the parameters of our agreement with Sideshow as we have with all of the vendors with whom we have a working relationship.
For those who prefer facts over speculation, here are the facts regarding our recent listing of the Royal Guard and Emperor Palpatine. First the Royal Guard ~ we thought it strange that Hot Toys did not release this item as a twin pack (or at least provide this option), since most Star Wars fans who reflect on the films think of the Royal Guard as coming in sets of two. We thought it might be a natural inclination for Hot Toys buyers to want to pick up two, so we created our own grouping of two Royal Guards. All of you know this a very expensive hobby. So we though it would be nice to offer a mild discount on a set of two, if someone was willing to shell out the money to have two, instead of settling for one. Our discounted preorder price was well within Sideshow's MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) policy. If you come to our website now, you will find that our special Grouping of Two Royal Guards is no longer available. Why? It is because Sideshow "got to" us? No. It is because our intuition about the end consumer's desire to buy this item in a set of Two was too successful. What many of you do not know is that retailers are capped on the number of pieces that can be purchased for inventory on Hot Toys products. Overnight, our Grouping of Two Royal Guards has pushed us right up the edge of what we will be allowed to purchase for inventory, hence the reason for turning the product record for the Grouping of Two off, and removing our standard preorder discount for the single purchase Royal Guard product record.
So what about the Emperor? Why did we adjust our preorder pricing on these two offerings? Because, like the Royal Guard, sales on the Emperor, for us at least, was over-heating. Many of you who picked up your Royal Guard(s) from us in the last 24 hours also picked up Emperor Palpatine in one form or the other, which means it is very likely that our preorder allocation will sell out long before the preorder period ends. From a retailer's perspective this is, contrary to what you might think, unsettling, since this item doesn't come out until the 1st Quarter of 2019. It means we are unlikely to have stock for the store. We thought it was clear the Emperor didn't need the extra help, so we made a mild adjustment to our preorder price. Once again, it was a pragmatic move by Timewalker, and it was not because Sideshow "got to" us.
So, congratulations to those who got their preorders in early. We appreciate your support!
