[EricCC]

Part of the reason you see these figures going up in price is there was a 12% price increase to toy dealers from Hasbro. The MSRP (Suggestest Retail Price) of the Marvel Universe figures was $8.99. A lot of the big box stores (TRU, Target, Wal-mart, etc) were able to sell the figures for less, depending on volume, but usually 6.99 to 8.99.

Because of the price increase from Hasbro, they have marked the MSRP of the latter part of Wave 12, as well as Wave 13 and 14 (these are pre-ordered, and are release in April and May), they have told us the MSRP is now $12.49.

That's a huge jump, and it means that some retailers are not ordering new cases. Toy sellers don't have to charge MSRP, of course, but many do set the price of Marvel Universe figures at that as a base (and then charge a premium for rares and variants).

Having a small toy store, I'll never compete with Target or Wal-mart on price...but you also won't come to my shop and find 12 Stealth Ops Iron Man and 15 Captain Americas as the only selections on the peg.

Now, for those who might be interested, we have several variants in stock. We aren't the cheapest, but we aren't the most expensive. We cater to collectors, and we want to help people enhance their collections.

If you're interested, please click the link below, and it will take you to a filtered link of the variants we have in stock. If you're looking for something, and you don't see it listed on the site, send me a PM, and I will see if I can get it for you. We have stock in our retail store that is not listed on the website.

Marvel Universe Variants at The Comic Crew