[downwardspiral]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UrsaMagnus

Generally I've given up trying to find new figures at retail. I just get everything from BBTS these days. Far less hassle, stress and wasted fuel.

[Start rant/]
This is so very true. I lurk on the site alot but this is my sentiments exactly. I always have felt that the best part of collecting is going on the hunt. With the way things look at brick and mortar retail, it has taken so much away from the actual fun part of this hobby. I am willing to pay a buck or few bucks more at retail because I enjoy the search. I enjoy finding the bounty. But when you travel to the same stores time and time again only to find the same stuff clogging the shelf. I have hit the same Toys R Us about 1 every two weeks for the past year and I can guarantee that I see the same figures lining the shelf as I did a year ago.

I collect MU first and foremost but have expanded back into GI Joe with the lack of MU news. I collect the original trilogy Star Wars Black series 6 inch and I dabble in WWE. I understand that we live in a world where scalpers will always get their first as they have connections with the workers but the fact that there are never any scraps left over to get just defeats the purpose of going to the stores. Either my TRU doesn't get the 6 inch Star Wars figures ever or the scalpers buy the entire box from the back room and then returns the Greedos, Slave Leias and Episode 3 Obi Wans that they got from other stores at 1/2 off. I have not seens any of the blue packaging figures in the wild. They are 4 series deep in blue packagaing and I have yet to see any of them.

We never saw wave 2 or 3 of Avengers Infinite. We never saw the middle waves of MU's end - the Kraven, Professor X, Scarlet Witch, Angel, Kang lines. But when they do get Waves in, it is always months after they have hit retail stores in other areas and I have gone the online route for fear that I will not see them in the wild. If only I waited 3 months I could go there today and pick up the 13 Beasts that litter the shelves.

I got back on the GI Joe train after finding my collection of 25th and 30th anniversary figures while going through my Comic/Figure room. I got all excited that there was going to be a new wave of figures hitting shelves. The newest waves of 3 packs and 2 packs are released as TRU exclusives. Can I find them in stores? No. Why? Because there are dozens of 2 packs fromt he first wave that landed 8 months back.

It is depressing that the combination of scalpers and lack of distrbution/bad ordering by stores(? im just trying to give the stores an out) has ruined the fun. Will I continue to go to stores to hunt? Of course. But I will never not be prepared for figures that I need to own in my collection. I will always go online for this.

{/End Rant]

Hooray for us collectors who keep this train moving! I am excited that there were figures announced at SDCC and will be more excited if/when we get more news at NYCC. Hopefully we continue to see new product no matter how shotty we think the product is, some of us just like having new product!

High Fives all around!