Ok. Call me a conspiracy freak, but SSC has a win win here with a TBD edition size and high price.
1)They price it at $70 and sell a boat load. $$$$$
or
2)The poorer collectors (like me) pass and the figure ends up getting a small edition size and sky rockets on the aftermarket thus making SSC look good.
SSC is going to make sure that important characters are priced nice (with high edition sizes) to keep the large base happy, but I think by listing obscure characters "TBD" and pricing them at premiums (compare the accessories of ANH Luke vs Ki Adi and Aayla) is really shrinking the particular market for that character.
I always thought less important characters should be priced LOWER thus encouraging MORE PEOPLE to buy. But Ki Adi is the complete opposite, using ANH Luke and Han as a basis point, SSC is actually DISCOURAGING people from buying an already obscure Ki Adi.
You seem to be making the assumption that the prices of the recent Luke and Han figures are symptomatic of some kind of strategy on SSC's part, but I think they're cheaper simply because they were announced back before SSC's recent spate of price increases. If they announced Han or Luke today, they'd likely be even more expensive than Ki Adi Mundi because they have more accessories.
I'm with icruise on this one, I think you're implying conspiracy and thought processes where there are none, at least along the lines of your implication.
It's been awhile so I don't remember totally, but I believe there was a moan fest when Han and Luke went up for order that there was a price increase and people saw no reason for it.
The fact is, for whatever the reasons, the price scale for Sideshow 1/6 figures has shifted.
Basic, minimal pack in figures like Ki-Adi and Aayla are going to be in the $70 price range, with more loaded figures like Indy and CW Obi-Wan and Gandalf coming in at $90.
Pricing should be discussed around here, it's a driving factor for us all, but to make comparisons, one has to be observant of trends and current market status and such. Comparing a $70 figure today to a $70 figure of 6 months ago can't be done, within that time frame, figure prices have jumped $20; ANH Luke is about equivalent to Gandalf and Gandalf is $20 more. It sucks, but comparing prices, you almost have to do it with figures released within about a month or so of each other. Compared to a CW Obi-Wan or Indy, Ki-Adi is a less inclusive figure and rationally compared to the price of those figures, Ki-Adi is appropriately marked down.
