Will Hot Toys ever lose their value?

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After over 25 years of collecting (I am 39) I have seen my collections peak and then fall. Many times seeing an 80% price reduction from highs. Star Wars 12", Starting Lineup (sports figures), Dragon (military), baseball cards and many others collections. Ebay has been the best and worst thing for collectors. Items are now readily available for us all from all over the world, just 14 years ago you had to rely on your local card shop or comics store. This availablility killed "so called" rare items from 20 or more years ago, but has made collecting things I would have never had the opportunity to today (such as Hot Toys). I think we will see a peak and fall, I don't expect it to be as harsh as we older guys have seen in the past, but fall it will. Enjoy it for what it is "a hobby". If you are investing - Hope you have a crystal ball and exit wisely. Hot Toys can be their and our worst enemy also. If we continue to see multiple releases such as we have BL, HL Joker, Jack Sparrow and the like, saturation is headed our way.
 
I agree that it was a terrible comparison (finding examples with past toys going up and then down in demand/value is surely possible and would make a lot more sense here), but just to be clear there are definitely people who do collect outdated TVs.

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Yes of course there are people who collect TVs. There are people who collect their navel fluff too:

https://www.feargod.net/fluff.html

..but TVs are NOT sold as collectibles, and in most circumstances people would not look at the lint in their belly buttons and see a new addition to their collection.

Hot Toys figures are designed, manufactured, marketed and distributed - and then purchased - as collectibles. People who buy them are collectors. People who buy TVs mostly just want to watch TV.

And good luck buying the latest 3D edge-lit LED LCD and flipping it on ebay 12 months later for anything close to half what you paid for it. That's because there are always plenty of TVs to go round for everyone who wants one and can afford MSRP. The same cannot be said for 99% of Hot Toys figures 12 months on from their release date.
 
Ha! I wasn't talking about what they sell for, whether they appreciate, etc, I was just noting that there is actually a market for old TVs as collectibles, answering a comment made. I stumbled across those pictures on a blog not too long ago and I had it in mind. I wasn't trying to make any point related to figures here and at the top of the very post from me that you're quoted I even said the comparison was terrible...

To your comment though, things don't have to be marketed as "collectibles" for them to be collectibles. I think that's a pretty nonsensical thought. In fact, I'd say those things that sell themselves as "collectible" are generally less collectible than those that aren't, oddly enough...

Old Coke bottles are collectibles, ash trays are collectibles, old GI Joes are collectibles, comics, posters, etc, etc, etc. Anything people collect as a "collectible" is a collectible. It doesn't require a box with 'COLLECTIBLE' written on the front, nor marketing that pushes it as a "collector's item," for it to be a collectible, to suggest otherwise is just plainly ludicrous.
 
Yeh, I knew that was where you were coming from, I just didn't want Myers getting any ideas that his bringing into comparison a Hot Toys figure and a TV held any water with respect to supply and demand and the future value of these things :wink1:

p.s. The Collectors is one of my favourite TV shows - a couple weeks back there was a bloke showing off his 1/6 military collection.
 
I'm not so much into that show, I haven't watched it in a while though.

13 years ago, I knew a woman who collected these little stuffed animals and spent a small fortune on them. I was amazed at how fast these little buggers shot up in price and she always would brag about the very low edition size of certain critters and how fast the value of her collection was appreciating.

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Do I want my HT/Sideshow PFs to retain their value? Absolutely. Do I think they will long term? Not a chance.

This is not the most flattering example but it seems to me that there's nothing to suggest that this isn't the same route today's HT figures will go. That's not to say that they'll one day be worthless or even below MSRP, I don't believe that's at all likely, just that some of you seem to be very naive in your inability to accept this as even a possibility. You see prices on eBay and you think that's eternal, and your entire argument is pointing at these prices (am I wrong?), but things go up all the time, it's not some rare occurrence to see this in things marketed as "collectible," and many times they come down again (and sometimes, too, they go up again...). To think that Hot Toys is somehow above this, which seems to be the thought of a few of you here, is either self-delusion, or, as has been suggested several times before, simply naive.

I feel like I'm coming off as argumentative with the above but I don't mean to be so. I just find this an interesting discussion is all and am genuinely curious about where people are coming from here.
 
I'm not so much into that show, I haven't watched it in a while though.



:) This is not the most flattering example but it seems to me that there's nothing to suggest that this isn't the same route today's HT figures will go. That's not to say that they'll one day be worthless or even below MSRP, I don't believe that's at all likely, just that some of you seem to be very naive in your inability to accept this as even a possibility. You see prices on eBay and you think that's eternal, and your entire argument is pointing at these prices (am I wrong?), but things go up all the time, it's not some rare occurrence to see this in things marketed as "collectible," and many times they come down again (and sometimes, too, they go up again...). To think that Hot Toys is somehow above this, which seems to be the thought of a few of you here, is either self-delusion, or, as has been suggested several times before, simply naive.

I feel like I'm coming off as argumentative with the above but I don't mean to be so. I just find this an interesting discussion is all and am curious about where people are coming from here.

Yeh, I think many of those arguing that HT figures are not likely to lose their value point to the MSRP as the yardstick for a figure's value, not the crazy aftermarket prices we find on ebay.

The example I gave earlier was that someone who has seen the 'value' of their Jack Sparrow fall after the announcement of the DX06 should look to the MSRP when considering whether the value of the figure has fallen. In other words if JS sold for say, $400 pre-DX06 announcement and is now only selling for $300 - well that's still something like $150 above the initial MSRP, so I wouldn't consider that the figure has lost any of its initial value, simply that the profit is reduced.

Now if people are arguing that the price of Hot Toys figures will continue to rise unabated, the, yeh, that's over optimistic and a tad deluded I'd say.
 
As long as HT makes the same quality figures I dont care about aftermarket or beforemarket prices. (as long as its not like I buy it for 200$ and after 1 month its 10$ and I get screwed)
If in 1 year I find this figures are worth 1$ I will not get upset as its the figures that give me utility rather than their cost. I dont plan on selling them. (as long as they dont increase in price 4 times, which is unlikely)
 
I have read some board members compare this type of collecting with baseball cards and comic books (and dare I say, beanie babies). This hobby has not hit that level of collecting yet. This means that the figures so far are still rare and will go up in value. When Toys R Us, Target, and Wal-Mart begin displaying Hot Toys figures then the bubble will pop big time. Beanie babies were being sold at garage sales, Hot Toys are available at only a few locations. Right now the hobby is still for the few but growing. The prices are high, interest is low, and the end is far from sight.

Collect on, my friends, collect on.
 
I hope hot toys don't milk us with multiple figures of the same version( movie masterpiece and dx line ), that's my two cents.
 
I have read some board members compare this type of collecting with baseball cards and comic books (and dare I say, beanie babies). This hobby has not hit that level of collecting yet. This means that the figures so far are still rare and will go up in value. When Toys R Us, Target, and Wal-Mart begin displaying Hot Toys figures then the bubble will pop big time. Beanie babies were being sold at garage sales, Hot Toys are available at only a few locations. Right now the hobby is still for the few but growing. The prices are high, interest is low, and the end is far from sight.

Collect on, my friends, collect on.

LMFAO....:rotfl

Right now the hobby is still for the few but growing.
What, you think 1/6th scale figure collecting started when Hot Toys first started? Are you kidding me?

Hot Toys are available at only a few locations.
Pfft...:rotfl LMFAO...

Yeah, the few places you can get 'em worlwide on the internet, retail toy spots and anywhere where collectibles are sold. Again, very limited and almost impossible to get.... :cuckoo:

Thanks for the laugh.
 
"Right now the hobby is still for the few but growing."

What, you think 1/6th scale figure collecting started when Hot Toys first started? Are you kidding me?


Pfft...:rotfl LMFAO...


I think what JohnnyT means by "Right now the hobby is still for the few but growing." is that relatively speaking...compared to the "World population" we 1/6 figure collectors are a small and very tiny minority. most people don't collect toys, let alone 1/6 scale figures. In fact, if you talk to your co-workers, college/high school friends or family friends and ask them what they think of Hot toys figures, most won't know what the hell you're talking about. Go to a random person down the street and ask them what they think of hot toys figures and watch all the blank stares you'll get. Nobody knows about these figures because all the major retailers don't sell them. Now when you start seeing hot toys figures at walmart, toys r us, etc...where most of mainstream america shops, then yes- more people will know about these awesome figures, but by then, the production run will be so high that they will no longer sky-rocket in value as they appear to be doing now.


In short, I think JohnnyT is right. The mainstream population still does not know anything about hot toys figures. The only people that know about hot toys are the die-hard collectors like us, who go on these 1/6 forums. The majority of the population are not even aware that hot toys exist. And even amongst toy collectors, most do not know about hot toys because most do not collect 1/6 scale figures. If you did a survey around the world of how many toy collectors collect 1/6 scale figures, transformers, star wars 3 3/4inch figures, hot wheels, etc...I bet the 1/6 scale figure collectors will be the smallest group.



Yeah, the few places you can get 'em worlwide on the internet, retail toy spots and anywhere where collectibles are sold. Again, very limited and almost impossible to get.... :cuckoo:

Thanks for the laugh.

Most major retail outlets(i.e. toys R us, walmart), don't carry hot toys figures. So in a sense, JohnnyT is right again IMO in that these figures are still difficult to find and buy if you don't know where to look. Again, go to a random person on the street and ask them where can they find a "hot toys" figure. Chances are they will first not know what the hell a "Hot toys" figure is or what you're talking about. Then the next thing they will do is guess and say, "try walmart or toys r us" because those are the only places that most of the mainstream population goes to buy toys.

Can you go up on the internet and type "hot toys" and see all the retail collectible web pages pop up before your eyes? sure, but you can also type "underwater basket weaving" and probably see thousands of retail websites that popup as well. Hell, type anything you want on the internet and you'll find a bunch of websites selling whatever it is that you type. Fact is, you may know about sideshow collectibles, or cornerstore comics, or toys2.net, but most of the mainstream population doesn't. So from this perspective, I think he is right that hot toys figures are hard to get and buy for the mainstream population. Look at the youtube videos of hot toys figures and read the comments that people post. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people post things like, "wow, those figures are awsome, who makes them?" Or "Where can I buy these figures?" Fact is, as popular as hot toys figures are to us, there is still a huge lack of awareness about hot toys figures in the mainstream population. Most people don't know about hot toys, or where to buy them.

Remember, just because you grew up in the internet age, doesn't automatically mean that everybody else knows how to go on the internet and find where to buy these things. Hell, ask your parents where they can go buy a hot toys figure and see what kind of a response you get. And if your parents comeback to you and say, "well son, did you try Sideshow collectibles, or cornerstore comics?" Then you're a lucky dude! But chances are, if your parents are like my parents, they'll probably say: "son, did you try Toys R us?" :wink1:
 
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Remember, just because you grew up in the internet age, doesn't automatically mean that everybody else knows how to go on the internet and find where to buy these things. Hell, ask your parents where they can go buy a hot toys figure and see what kind of a response you get. And if your parents comeback to you and say, "well son, did you try Sideshow collectibles, or cornerstore comics?" Then you're a lucky dude! But chances are, they probably say: "try Toys R us son." :wink1:

:rotfl:rotfl:rotfl:rotfl:rotfl:thud::rotfl :rotfl :rotfl
 
LMFAO....:rotfl


What, you think 1/6th scale figure collecting started when Hot Toys first started? Are you kidding me?


Pfft...:rotfl LMFAO...

Yeah, the few places you can get 'em worlwide on the internet, retail toy spots and anywhere where collectibles are sold. Again, very limited and almost impossible to get.... :cuckoo:

Thanks for the laugh.

Dude, Kaybee Toys has been out of business since February 2009 :thud:
My bad. good point! I took it out. Thanks for the heads up :wink1:
 
Thank you, work13, for your support!

Stupid facts like KB Toys doesn't exist does not matter in this situation.

The facts are the facts. Cavemen probably took the bones of dead animals and used them for 1/6th toys. The hobby sure has been around for a while. So has statue making. So has the written word and music and gold...and customs! I guess everything is worthless. Man, that is depressing. (and untrue!)
 
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Thank you, work13, for your support!

...

You don't have to thank me for agreeing with you buddy. Your post made sense to me is all. You made a good argument.

This is a fun and very interesting thread, despite the fact that this thread topic seems so simple and general when you first read it. It would be really nice to know what the actual production run of each hot toys figure is. I talked to some toy dealers and asked this question to them. One guy told me they release close to 10,000 per figure. Another dealer said Hot toys releases no more than 4500 of each figure. Who knows, it's anyone's guess.
 
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