Would re-issuing a limited edition figure bother you? Talky Tina does me.

[kgrhoad]

The only thing that bothers me is paying an exorbitant amount for a figure only to have it re-released at a later point at far below what I paid for it.

First rule of my toys: I don't buy it unless I plan to keep it. Purchasing them just to flip later is asking for heartache.

 

[galactiboy]

I don't think it's a good practice and is disingenuine from the company. Part of the sales of a figure like this is that it is "limited" in nature and that is a benefit to the company leading to a quicker sell-out.

To then go and re-release the exact same figure w/o any sort of limit, (or even a limited 2nd release) is not cool. If they wanted to make more money on the piece they should have upped the ES from the start rather than mislead customers.

 

[Michael Crawford]

It's poor business. It's false advertising and it's outright lying to produce something as a numbered edition, and then re-release exactly the same thing later - simple as that.

I'm tremendously disappointed in BifBangPow for doing something like this - it's not all that hard to alter the item to be something unique for the re-release. This is the sort of behavior that can land them on my Worst list for 2013.

 

[IronManny]

It's poor business. It's false advertising and it's outright lying to produce something as a numbered edition, and then re-release exactly the same thing later - simple as that.

I'm tremendously disappointed in BifBangPow for doing something like this - it's not all that hard to alter the item to be something unique for the re-release. This is the sort of behavior that can land them on my Worst list for 2013.

You can't argue with Captain Toy!

Well said, Michael!

 

[karamazov80]

it's not all that hard to alter the item to be something unique for the re-release.

Well, Medicom does sometimes give their rare chases different production date stamps when they get re-released. . .so I guess that's something.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

It's poor business. It's false advertising and it's outright lying to produce something as a numbered edition, and then re-release exactly the same thing later - simple as that.

I'm tremendously disappointed in BifBangPow for doing something like this - it's not all that hard to alter the item to be something unique for the re-release. This is the sort of behavior that can land them on my Worst list for 2013.

--

QUESTION:

I apologize in advance, but I'm not completely familiar with the figure in question.

The re-release appears to be an exclusive for Entertainment Earth.

Granted, if the re-release is an "exclusive" to Entertainment Earth in terms of edition & specific retailer . . . is the re-release truly an identical "edition"/"release" in comparison to the previous "first edition/release"? I don't know if the first edition/release was an Entertainment Earth exclusive.

This is kind of the same scenario with some folks getting all worked up over the Sideshow retailer exclusive version of THE BARONESS . . . same figure as the regular/exclusive version, but done with a dark blue fabric.

 

[SpaceCrawler]

No it does not bother me at all (unless an item is marketed as being a limited run but the EXACT same thing is re-released at a lower price later).

Re-releases gives other collectors the opportunity to get an item they may have missed out on. I fail to see how this diminishes anyone else's enjoyment of something they already own.

These aren't gold bars or saving's bonds, they are hunks of plastic that will appeal to a very limited number of people for only a short time until their value drops off completely at some point. So buying action figures for the sake of investing or their perceived monetary value is kind of silly (not necessarily saying anyone here is guilty of that). Buy them because you enjoy them.

Sean

 

[galactiboy]

I can't see why it having to also be at a lower price would make a difference. Limited means just that, limited.

To make it unlimited, or to raise the edition size negates the previous claim. I don't think it diminishes the enjoyment one would get out of an item if they already have it, but in terms of value it does hurt secondary market values (if you needed to sell) and also one may choose to pay more early on to secure the piece believing that it's limited and therefore will sell out and disappear.

To me placing an ES on an item is as good as a contract between the company and buyer. To later go and alter that is dishonest.

 

[jstep13]

Not if they are making a substantial improvement. If they are straight re-issuing something with either no improvement or throwing in an extra trinket then yes. Especially if they are framing their collectibles as "limited edition".

 

[galactiboy]

Yeah, with HT it's a bit annoying but understandable as the new figures tend to be far superior than the old one.

 

[karamazov80]

With HT it has become standard practice. You really expect HT to rerelease updated versions of everything. But to release something that's almost exactly the same as something previously released, and previously touted as being "super rare exclusive!!!" is where I take issue. Because they are being disingenuous, and are specifically manipulating those fans who initially collected something in part because of its perceived rarity.

Medicom fans really get the worst of this, as they re-released genuinely hard to find Asian-released 1/96 blind box exclusives as common, cheap figures that you could actually get in the U.S. at Toys R Us!

 

[JacktheRipper]

The bigger kick in the nuts is that I don't think it has even been a year since the first run.

 

[mas5acre]

Not sure who posted it but they mentioned sbout figures being open ended so everyone could get them cheaply. I've paid well above retail for things even when I was a kid. Especially old X-Men toys and Spawn later on. Scalpers suck and stuff becomes rare cause all the scalpers buy them.


I am the OP. Its not the monetary value as much as I would not even now sell my Talky Tina. I bought her right away cause I was afraid they would run out and wanted one. I call that false advertising. I like owning unique things.

Sideshow Chucky and my ronculus mogwais make an appearance every Halloween in the window for photo shoots. Not everyone owns what I own. It makes a collection a bit more unique. You pay a bit more for quality and uniqueness.

 

[KBA]

I think LE monikers are trash, and do nothing but stroke elitist mentalities. Let the niche dictate edition numbers, and give the MSRP a break because of it. Calling mass produced items rare or unique always makes me chuckle.

 

[Mr Walker]

I think LE monikers are trash, and do nothing but stroke elitist mentalities. Let the niche dictate edition numbers, and give the MSRP a break because of it. Calling mass produced items rare or unique always makes me chuckle.

 

[Grosby]

I think LE monikers are trash, and do nothing but stroke elitist mentalities. Let the niche dictate edition numbers, and give the MSRP a break because of it. Calling mass produced items rare or unique always makes me chuckle.

Agree completely. It's just a marketing gimmick and it's crazy that people fall for it. I can understand the thought of owning a 'unique' piece if it were an edition of 5 - 10 (we could debate the number), but when you're talking about 200 - 1,000 or more it's just laughable. Much of the time these 'limited editions' are produced in greater or equal quantities to 'open editions.' Still... They tell you how many they're making, and sometimes pay a bum to individually number them with a pen, and suddenly a select group thinks it's 'unique' and 'rare' and think they've beaten out a million others and picked up a dinosaur egg or something.

 

[karamazov80]

Well it really is relative. I'm not one to go after stuff because of edition size, but I've got 1-off customs, pieces with edition sizes of 20 or 30, and stuff that were produced in thousands. If someone wants to collect something that is supposedly rare because there are "only" 2,000 (like the Enterbay Jordan exclusive just released) or 1,200 (like Joker PF) power to them. And it is wrong for a company to exploit that mindset IMO, only to turn around and act like they didn't really mean it the first time around, regardless of what you think about those who collect for that reason.

 

[galactiboy]

And Limited Edition also means that cost per item is going to be higher due to production costs being spread among a smaller number of items. If 5000 Talky Tinas were initially released the price tag would have been questioned more and should have been lower.

However, if you say it is limited and give a relatively low number (which 1,000 is for a collectible) then a higher price tag is justified. However, now that price does not seem fair given the new open ended release of the same figure.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Yeah, with HT it's a bit annoying but understandable as the new figures tend to be far superior than the old one.

They've announced they are redoing all of the iron man armours... All over again.

Talk about a kick in the nuts for thos completionists who've collected them all

 

[karamazov80]

But like I posted earlier, that is extremely common for HT. I'm almost more surprised when a popular item isn't re-released than when it is.

Where is this Hot Toys announcement by the way? I haven't seen it.