[Kirathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

At this point, I'm not even sure this is a procurement/retail "buyer" problem (not sure if that's the term - I know that in media, a "buyer" buys ad-spots within broadcasting time slots of commercial television - I think the vernacular is similar in retail - maybe not). The deeper into this 'exclusive collecting game' we get, the more I believe the problem lies squarely with Hasbro. There was a time when I often opined about what the incentive could be for short shipping certain figures within cases. Wouldn't Hasbro want to provide for the demand of a particular fig and move more units? Then it dawned on me that, outside of it's own website, Hasbro makes it's money not specifically from me (the collector), but from box stores buying large numbers of their product at wholesale to sell to customers at a bump-up. Short shipping hot-commodities like rare figs brings in foot traffic to (dying) retail spaces. Obviously, stores want to sell the fig, but more foot traffic means more sales of the other things we tend to buy when we go searching in Target, Walmart, Walgreens, etc. Extrapolating this concept of 'cross-pollination' buying to 'exclusives' and specialty stores like TRU doesn't provide a direct correlation, but it does make sense on some levels. How many of us have gone to TRU to look for a Legends Exclusive, but left with a Neca (or other) fig to assuage our disappointment in not finding what we came for? In short, in my opinion, this process is one of meticulous and purposeful design. Retailers want these exclusives because they know we are desperate. We will search high and low. We will drive miles. We will come back multiple times in one week. And, most importantly, we will buy other things beside the toys we came in search of...

I am actually curious if the box stores buy the stock at all. I have been told in the past by a number of bigger box store managers that a lot of their stock is actually done as consignment. The store does not actually buy the items but just sells them at a specific price agreed on with the selling company and takes their percentage fee. I would be interested to know how true this is today. That would put nearly all of the blame on Hasbro's distribution rather than a store's buying practices.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panther

This is my attempt of a who's, who in the Marvel Universe poster. I'm more of a movie figure collector, but I adore my comic figures. I decided to put the more "popular" figures on this shelf. Still missing Guardians of the Galaxy, Magneto, Storm, Gambit, The rest of the F4, Black Widow, Winter Soldier, and Falcon.

Man, that photo really highlights how grossly out of scale that Thor figure really is. Still an awesome shot Panther!