Why Hot Toys taking so long to sell out?

[CollectorNC]

I know it's not a HT, but I was looking at SSC's CA - James 'Bucky' Barnes Premium Format Figure still in stock. I think it's 1/4 scale? It looks like a very nice statue/figure. I'm surprised it hasn't sold out yet considering pre-orders commenced on Sept. of 2010! The edition size isn't that big at 1,000. Does anyone know something about this PF figure that I should know about? Is there a problem with it, maybe? Why would it not be sold out?

It's like The Rocketeer PF EX of only 375. It's a great statue but has not sold out. I think the regular sold out as some didn't like the EX head. But even still, it is surprising some of these really nice PF's are still out, including the Bucky Cap.

 

[CollectorNC]

Yeah, it's really strange that Hot Toys figures that were released last year are still on sale at Sideshow .

As a collector, I think I'm done with Hot Toys. I do have the two Batman 89 figures on pre-order, but those might be the very last Hot Toys figures that I'll ever purchase. The last time I collected mass-produced figures was in high school, when I used to buy Transformers from Wal-Mart and Target. I have zero interest in doing something like that again, let alone, with more expensive figures.

Yeah, exactly. I'd rather buy blister packs of 7-8" figures at 15-20 USD over a 12" at 300+ that has no edition size.

 

[kajobaldisimo]

hot toys not selling out at retail is a good thing.

no need to deal with scalper prices for figures you are just now ready to get.

 

[Raymond F.]

If you own a figure where ht made or is making a 2.0 of, why should it devalue the original? If you were a true fan of the character and ht, you'd proudly keep it in your collection. I've seen many pics where collectors have kept every iteration of a certain character and have not complained once. Why didn't they complain? Because they have a passion for the hobby and it's their fav character.

No way no how. If I want the best version of a character and they go and do a better one why the hell would i need the inferior one? Its just going to take up space and that's money I could use to buy a brand new character I don't have.

It's the exact same reason why I don't buy every single stupid 3 3/4 inch Darth Vader or every stupid Darth Vader maquette statue bust or helmet. I don't need all that crap. I need one good Darth Vader and since I do buy the little guys one or two good little ones.

If it truly is about "love for the character" I have no love for seeing him hideously represented beside something that is a lot better overall.

 

[a-dev]

True, too many upgrade their figures with new versions and remakes, upgrading is something you do with technology not collectibles IMHO it's ruining the hobby & brand.

I can't agree with that. I know I'm the guy who mentioned the Tumbler and not wanting to have my version rendered obsolete by a new version with upgrades but thats just a funny, exceptional case. Its a huge, expensive item that I can't afford the money or space to buy a new one and I wouldn't be able to sell my old one for any sort of profit because of the new one coming out and because of massive shipping costs out of Ireland.

However generally I support upgrades. Should I, as a Terminator fan, have been content with the MMS02 T-800 with the hamburger face considering what they can put out now? Absolutely no way. Iconic characters should be made to the best of that days standards and if standards then improve further - to a very noticeable degree - then the character ought to be made again. Note my emphasis there. If the improvements are only minor it becomes a bit iffy.

 

[Singuy]

I don't understand why people look at these figures as an investment. The most someone will make off of these toys is $400. In the end can that pay for your mortgage? Can it feed your family for an entire year? No, that's what jobs are for. These are high end collectibles, for YOUR hot toys COLLECTION....not high end sell it off years later to make a few extra bucks.

For a lot of people, they are not thinking of it as an investment, but a justification to own a bunch of toys when they are 40 and married with children. There's a big difference between collecting sea shells or 7 inch figures at 10 dollars/piece than Hot Toys. It's okay for a grown man to waste 50 dollars a month on a hobby he enjoys, but it gets a little crazy when you have a PO of 3000 dollars worth of plastic coming your way (I have 3000 dollars worth of PO coming my way btw because I love what they have to offer...but If Hot Toys keep making my purchases worth less and less, then forget it..I can put this money towards my mortgage and just buy used Hot Toys figures later at a discount..or wait for 5.0s, the longer you wait the better figures you get..I'll get the Mark7 with a fully functioning jetpack).

At the end of the day, Hot Toys or any collectibles of this price are a big waste of money UNLESS you justify them to yourself that they are actually worth more than what you paid. If hot toys take this aspect of collecting away from their customers, then they are driving their clients away in the long run.



If Hot Toys keep making 2.0 and 3.0s, then might as well go collect computers and TVs. If Hot Toys are considered to be "art", then treat it as such. There's no such things as Mona Lisa 2.0s.

 

[Lee in MI]

A-dev, I don't get your argument about the Tumbler. You could sell it at cost, not a profit, and buy the new one. Regardless how inconvenient selling it would be.

Seems like if you accept remakes, you accept remakes. If you don't, you don't.

I think Hot Toys has just seen the light. They see how much money they've left on the table and they want to capture that revenue...it's a business decision. They aren't make investment anything! Not stocks, bonds or art. They are making a commodity called toys, hence Hot TOYS...

If they make more but end up with back stock, they probably still turn a major profit. So they discount a few hundred here or there but they might sell 2, maybe 300 more than they would at whatever their previous benchmark was. That's just a part of sales.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

I can't agree with that. I know I'm the guy who mentioned the Tumbler and not wanting to have my version rendered obsolete by a new version with upgrades but thats just a funny, exceptional case. Its a huge, expensive item that I can't afford the money or space to buy a new one and I wouldn't be able to sell my old one for any sort of profit because of the new one coming out and because of massive shipping costs out of Ireland.

However generally I support upgrades. Should I, as a Terminator fan, have been content with the MMS02 T-800 with the hamburger face considering what they can put out now? Absolutely no way. Iconic characters should be made to the best of that days standards and if standards then improve further - to a very noticeable degree - then the character ought to be made again. Note my emphasis there. If the improvements are only minor it becomes a bit iffy.

I'm not 100% against it, if there was a new T1000 in about 5-6 years that blew my one away i'd be very likely be swayed, but that's 5-6 years away, though remakes are a done a few years apart which is generally okay, currently there are new versions of characters only months after one hits, there will be those who sell off their Captain America to get the Avengers version, which defeats the purpose of buying that version in the first place when upgrading too quickly. Not to mention that over the last 1-2 years the same characters are being done multiple times in relatively close succession which leaves new characters not even getting their first figure let only third or fourth or fifth version.

If Hot Toys are considered to be "art", then treat it as such. There's no such things as Mona Lisa 2.0s.

I like this sentiment

 

[a-dev]

A-dev, I don't get your argument about the Tumbler. You could sell it at cost, not a profit, and buy the new one. Regardless how inconvenient selling it would be.

I'd probably end up making a loss on what I paid, despite the fact I got it at retail, because of what it cost to ship to me and what it would cost for me to ship out of Ireland. Thats my reluctance to sell. In any case, theres no need to worry about that now.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

I'd probably end up making a loss on what I paid, despite the fact I got it at retail, because of what it cost to ship to me and what it would cost for me to ship out of Ireland. Thats my reluctance to sell. In any case, theres no need to worry about that now.

I thought the "new" tumbler was a straight re-issue, not any better than your current one?

 

[a-dev]

I thought the "new" tumbler was a straight re-issue, not any better than your current one?

True, thats why I said ''theres no need to worry now'' in my last post. Also I missed your post above mine - I get you now. I thought you were speaking out against the same character ever being made more than once but that was stupid of me. I certainly agree, remakes so close to the originals and where the improvement isn't all that massive frustrate me when they come at the expense of a new character being made. I always had the same feelings RE: the Hasbro Star Wars lines. I also agree about people selling version A to buy version B. If version A (lets take the First Avenger: Captain America and version B is the Joss Whedon's Avengers version) is so unimportant to you why did you buy it in the first place. This renting of figures as you've said in the past - is not 'collecting'.

 

[BrooklynWolf X]

For a lot of people, they are not thinking of it as an investment, but a justification to own a bunch of toys when they are 40 and married with children. There's a big difference between collecting sea shells or 7 inch figures at 10 dollars/piece than Hot Toys. It's okay for a grown man to waste 50 dollars a month on a hobby he enjoys, but it gets a little crazy when you have a PO of 3000 dollars worth of plastic coming your way (I have 3000 dollars worth of PO coming my way btw because I love what they have to offer...but If Hot Toys keep making my purchases worth less and less, then forget it..I can put this money towards my mortgage and just buy used Hot Toys figures later at a discount..or wait for 5.0s, the longer you wait the better figures you get..I'll get the Mark7 with a fully functioning jetpack).

At the end of the day, Hot Toys or any collectibles of this price are a big waste of money UNLESS you justify them to yourself that they are actually worth more than what you paid. If hot toys take this aspect of collecting away from their customers, then they are driving their clients away in the long run.



If Hot Toys keep making 2.0 and 3.0s, then might as well go collect computers and TVs. If Hot Toys are considered to be "art", then treat it as such. There's no such things as Mona Lisa 2.0s.

Dude, no offense, but that's really asinine. That's like saying why are porsche sold for a ridiculous amount of money. I want one but I can't afford it, but when I can afford one, they come out with a new model making the one I just bought obsolete.

These are expensive toys, no doubts about it, and these toys in the end are a luxury to have. The way HT is operating nowadays is no different than say apple. You wanna skip iPad 3 and wait for iPad 4, great, do so. I've skipped iron man mks 1-3. Why? I knew they were gonna improve when they make the eventual 4-6. Did I buy the secret projects and milk variants? No, cause I don't want to spend hundreds on repaints that never friggin appeared in the movies! See where I'm going with this?

You felt that HT is making your collection worth less...how? You buy the figs brand new, for the amount during that time. What's so hard to grasp about that? If you're a family man with debts or mortgages to pay, without any disposable income, I'd say having a hobby buying expensive TOYS should be the least of your priorities. Like you said, you'd rather hold off and buy the better product...well, then you're better off not buying anything in that case. But like you said, you like what they have to offer, as do I, but with each new release, that shouldn't make your collection worth less. It's worth is ultimately up to the owner.

And you can't compare toys to the Mona Lisa's...these are TOYS. Finely crafted toys. Manufactured of the highest degree for the adult male to buy, pose, take pics of and argue over Internet forums. You consider it art, that's great. Biggest compliment HT as a toy company can get.

 

[BrooklynWolf X]

No way no how. If I want the best version of a character and they go and do a better one why the hell would i need the inferior one? Its just going to take up space and that's money I could use to buy a brand new character I don't have.

It's the exact same reason why I don't buy every single stupid 3 3/4 inch Darth Vader or every stupid Darth Vader maquette statue bust or helmet. I don't need all that crap. I need one good Darth Vader and since I do buy the little guys one or two good little ones.

If it truly is about "love for the character" I have no love for seeing him hideously represented beside something that is a lot better overall.

Well now you're accustomed to how ht make and release their products. Wait till they make the better version. You wanna know which licenses are gonna get updates or get milked? Look at the box office.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

You wanna know which licenses are gonna get updates or get milked? Look at the box office.

Yep just look at all the versions and variants and characters from Avatar

 

[BrooklynWolf X]

Yep just look at all the versions and variants and characters from Avatar

Look at green lantern, Watchmen, the spirit.

As much as a huge success avatar is, I can't imagine those figs flying off the shelves like an iron man or batman.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

you wanna know which licenses are gonna get updates or get milked? Look at the box office.

As much as a huge success avatar is, I can't imagine those figs flying off the shelves like an iron man or batman.

Mmmmmkay... You just said the amount of figures or 'milking' is based on box office, and Avatar has the biggest box office, so by your logic not mine should have the most figures

 

[meanstreak]

They aren't selling out because they are overpriced and they are making too many of them.

 

[toystales]

I would say the price is the main reason why they are not selling out..

 

[dino76m]

not really u can get below retail on ebay, i just scored one extra superman reeves for 50$ less than i got when i pre ordered my first one,.they have increased their production, because they know thei market is big and interest will be there for years after one item is released, its just a myth that the hot toys bubble has burst, it will only burst if another company released something better from the same lines, but i suspect enterbay and 3a gaining film rights, that might have already started . lets see where this will go

 

[Singuy]

Dude, no offense, but that's really asinine. That's like saying why are porsche sold for a ridiculous amount of money. I want one but I can't afford it, but when I can afford one, they come out with a new model making the one I just bought obsolete.

What? Porsches are expensive because they are of quality (not for display, but for it's performance and pedigree)...and they are not really expensive if you compare to what you actually get.

Hot toys should be like Enzos (mostly for display, and knowing that you have one), which are limited and if there's a new model..it's completely different..making them collector items. Their value only goes up (as long as you don't drive them across country). Porsches, are like Lexus and Infinities..who the heck collects them, you are suppose to use them?

When it comes to plastics, you can't get more expensive than Hot Toys. Like what people said, it SHOULD be limited with edition sizes.

Most people have "disposable income" while they have a credit debt, mortgage, and student loans. Just because you are making your monthly payments, doesn't really mean you have disposible income UNTIL all your debts are paid off (because any disposable income should go towards your debt).

If you want to spend thousands on hot toys if you are debt free and have no kids, be my guest..but that's not the case for most people...and this is why it is necessary for Hot Toy figures to retain their value(at least their retail price) for it to be justified as a worthy "investment" (investment as in, you don't want to look at cash, so you turn the cash into something you want to look at like Hot Toys without a financial lost).