Integration

Tony_Bacala · 11-07-2022, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T0ySick

No it does not. At least no more than any other company has to pay to have a toy shipped to the US from a Chinese factory. Most things purchased (non-essential) in the United States are imported from other countries. Import toy cost is a price gouging tactic companies have convinced the consumer is a standard and warranted practice so they never mind the fee and profit they gain.

I think there are some other factors tho. Import costs for toys like this I think generally means that each retailer is securing and shipping small lots of product to themselves directly.

With Hasbro, they make 100,000 units of said thing, and ship it on containers with other Hasbro products, and get the discount for bulk. It then lands and gets delivered to one place by large trucks or trains, to be distributed elsewhere in the US.

With let's say BBTS for example, he obtains 500 units of one product and ships it either by boat via a partial container, or if he's lucky fills an entire container and then trucks/flies it to the BBTS warehouse. And for others, just straight uses China Post/USPS or flies it here. With no bulk ongoing discount with the company or the shippers.

In addition, he may not have an account directly with Medicom/Mafex in Asia because it's not allowed, so he's paying a middle man with elevated wholesale price, or, just paying Asian retail for the units.

If Mafex has a US Distrubution arm, where they are sending all products to the US constantly, and that one warehouse receives it, then that can bring costs down, because BBTS etc can just pick it up there, or it can be mailed from there to a US address. MAFEX's own costs would be built into the cost BBTS etc pay tho. Most don't have that. I think that's why Storm went with BBTS, to have that method available in the States.

Not saying import pricing isn't a gouge at times, but there are factors at play to increase things for small retailers.

I think the ease of international ordering and lower cost of individual packages from overseas has spoiled us in recent years. But it doesn't negate that there is cost for importing small batch items.

/end_dork

11-07-2022, 06:15 AM	#21
Tony_Bacala Administrator Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 7,669	Quote: Originally Posted by T0ySick No it does not. At least no more than any other company has to pay to have a toy shipped to the US from a Chinese factory. Most things purchased (non-essential) in the United States are imported from other countries. Import toy cost is a price gouging tactic companies have convinced the consumer is a standard and warranted practice so they never mind the fee and profit they gain. I think there are some other factors tho. Import costs for toys like this I think generally means that each retailer is securing and shipping small lots of product to themselves directly. With Hasbro, they make 100,000 units of said thing, and ship it on containers with other Hasbro products, and get the discount for bulk. It then lands and gets delivered to one place by large trucks or trains, to be distributed elsewhere in the US. With let's say BBTS for example, he obtains 500 units of one product and ships it either by boat via a partial container, or if he's lucky fills an entire container and then trucks/flies it to the BBTS warehouse. And for others, just straight uses China Post/USPS or flies it here. With no bulk ongoing discount with the company or the shippers. In addition, he may not have an account directly with Medicom/Mafex in Asia because it's not allowed, so he's paying a middle man with elevated wholesale price, or, just paying Asian retail for the units. If Mafex has a US Distrubution arm, where they are sending all products to the US constantly, and that one warehouse receives it, then that can bring costs down, because BBTS etc can just pick it up there, or it can be mailed from there to a US address. MAFEX's own costs would be built into the cost BBTS etc pay tho. Most don't have that. I think that's why Storm went with BBTS, to have that method available in the States. Not saying import pricing isn't a gouge at times, but there are factors at play to increase things for small retailers. I think the ease of international ordering and lower cost of individual packages from overseas has spoiled us in recent years. But it doesn't negate that there is cost for importing small batch items. /end_dork __________________ Transformers at TFW2005.com!