Why the hell would any company that is in the business to make money want fewer customers???? If I was in the toy business I would want as many people as possible to buy my products and not be so arrogant to say we will only sell to the rich.
There is a reason you're not in the toy business. They want fewer buyers because they make more money selling a few very expensive figures to richer people (or bigger spenders) than they do selling a lot of cheap figures to less-rich people. This is not particularly high-level microeconomics.
They know their market -- people that want their toys want near-perfection, and they're willing to pay for it. They want a perfect sculpt and paint. They want tailored clothes. They want realistic and near-functional weapons. They want every license that ever dawned on them. That ain't cheap.
If they wanted to fully maximize the quantity of their customer base, they'd make $20 figures. They lose a lot more customers in the jump from $20 to $150 than they do in the jump from $150 to $250. Their business model is selling high-end figures. The number that are willing to pay $150 for a toy is probably not hugely different from the number that are willing to pay $250. They increase the price by two thirds ... and lose probably less than 20% of the buyers (if any -- they still seem to sell out, it just takes more time). Hell, most of the people here who complain about price just wish they had more money. They'd pay it if they had it. Hardly a line-in-the-sand.
There is also something to be said for brand prestige. A prestige brand stays that way by making something that a lot of people want, but not everybody can afford. If everybody that wanted one could afford it, it loses its exclusivity. People who buy high-end items (toys, cars, guns, watches, etc.) like exclusivity. Exclusivity sells. If everybody has one, it just isn't as impressive on the shelf ... or in the garage, or at the shooting range, or on your wrist.
Few customers that pay alot may work for all of the larger and more pricey items that you listed - ten BMWs sold might pay the wages of all the employees in the factory that made them for a week. When you're dealing with those kinds of numbers, it's easy to go big. Meanwhile, HT needs to sell a large quantity of figures just to break even. It's just not an accurate business example - the profit margins are way off.
It is a completely "accurate business example". The profit margins make complete sense. Guarantee they're making well over $100 per figure -- pure profit. Sell 500, make $50K. Sell 5000, make $500K. They don't release the numbers on each figure's run ... but I'd bet they're selling at least 1000 of each figure. Probably a lot more on the big releases (Batman, Avengers have to be near 10000. If so, at $100 profit per figure, you're looking at $1M on each one).
And, those are conservative numbers ... they're probably making far more than $100 on each figure (I'd bet closer to $150), and probably selling more than 1000 of most releases (including US, Europe and Japan). Their profit margins are fine without chasing lower-end buyers.
SnakeDoc
That said I understand prices go up but they have been pushing the envelope alittle to far to fast, I am not rich and certainly not poor, just mid-level middle class I guess and I have gone from getting 2 or sometimes three figures a month to getting one a month if that. Point is I have slowed down and stopped buying everything that looks cool to getting must haves only. I will likely slow down further on buying them but I can't fault them for that as its mainly a question of my financal prioritys. The higher in price they go the less I buy its simple economics from the buyers standpoint.
