[TheBlueMarvel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmacq1

Here's the thing though: Retail, and particularly mass retail is a much different beast. There has to be a certain minimum of overall sales expected before retailers like Wal-Mart or Target are going to buy in, and many of the smaller/indie/collector-oriented companies simply don't have the capital to shift to that level of mass production.

There used to be considerably more outlets for adult-oriented collectibles, just as they used to have a higher presence in mass retail markets. But there are reasons that many of those outlets have disappeared and the toy shelves are starting to be laden with blatantly kid-oriented product while collector-friendly material gets shunted off to the corner.

I get what you're trying to say, Hell, I've even fantasized about hitting one of those big lotteries and opening up a "geek paradise" type megastore that sold all this kinda stuff at decent prices without even having to worry about whether or not the business was making or losing money. But I tend to believe it would, in fact, lose money.

A "one stop collector shop" might seem like a good idea on the surface, but unless you managed nationwide coverage right out of the gate, it's not going to do much to discourage scalpers and it's not likely to "grow the market."

If you're not talking about nationwide coverage, then basically you're opening a slightly specialized version of the local comic shop...and those certainly don't seem to have mitigated the scalper problem.

I appreciate what you bring up about retail vs "mass" retail. The movement in the brick-and-mortar space has been toward the "big box stores" like Costco, Walmart, Target, and others. However, this concept of "bigger is better" may not endure, or a the very least, may end up being inappropriate for certain items. Without going too far off subject, some consumers are finding that the Costco(s) of the world provide too much of the "product" for which they are looking. I've no children, but enjoy Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast (it's my thing...what can I say?). What use have I for a "mega-family size" box of Cheerios??? My gf and I could eat this stuff 3 times a day for a week and still have 2-3wks of cereal left over. My point is that the mass trend of "overproduction" does not serve everyone's needs and can be pretty wasteful.

Extrapolate this thinking over to toys. I'm not advocating a "superstore" of action figure toys, instead, I say scale down and be smarter and more strategic about marketing. Interests could be combined. We all are aware (adult consumers and marketers) that there is a great deal of overlay between toy figures, hobby-craft, comics, sci-fi/horror/fantasy themed media, table top gaming, card gaming, and video-gaming for the adult aficionado/"American Otaku/Nerd". Put all of those interests together, and like Kev Costner in Field of Dreams, "those geeks will come baby!" Yes, this opinion is commonly regarded as a pipe-dream. However, most wildly successful endeavors started in much the same way. Why? Because someone bucked the trend (in this case overproduction to fill the shelves of huge outlets) and said, "I can do that better." Put all these geeky items in one medium sized setting and you have the makings of a new shopping experience and the potential for "nerd-interest" cross pollination/consumption. Not to mention, a cultural phenomenon since being a nerd has become vogue now.

I disagree that the "market" needs to "grow" at this stage. It's already grown given the legitimacy the mainstream affords comics/video games/and action figures (the fact that "adult collector" is even a "thing" speaks volumes) with marketers aiming for our demographic like never before. What this market needs (IMO) is to be serviced/captured/sold to more intelligently. We represent a great deal of buying power...if we didn't, none of these toys would even be made and websites like this one wouldn't exist. I hear where you are coming from, but status quo will always tell you it can't be done.