Throwing in the Towel

[Dr_Zoltar]

Just thought I’d share with all the other local Rebelscummers here that as of this morning I’ve officially decided to stop actively collecting any modern Hasbro Star Wars figures. Hasbro and their distribution partners are making it increasingly difficult to find figures I want to purchase. I accept that on average there is one wave a year that is difficult, if not impossible, to find. However, with 2011 anything beyond Vintage Wave 6 has been almost non-existent at local retail. I refuse to pay 2-3 times or more MSRP on the secondary market for a toy that Hasbro publicly announces is aimed towards kids. It's painfully obvious that Hasbro is currently unable to meet demand. For the world's largest toy manufacturer, this is unacceptable.

My communications to Hasbro regarding their product distribution have been met with apathy. I can’t compete with other collectors who visit stores at opening every day to purchase everything new that was stocked overnight. I’ve also noticed an increase in the number of collectors vying for the same amount (or less) of product. So, I’m done.

I’ll still check the toy department of stores I visit for other reasons. And I will purchase figures I find that are interesting to me. But I will no longer actively go hunting for new figures. It’s become too costly in time and fuel for me to continue.

I’m sure my frustration will fall on deaf ears to Hasbro. But I wanted to share (vent) with all of you in case you’re feeling the same way. I do hope in time that Hasbro realizes that collectors drive most of their profits from Star Wars items. And by alienating us they will see an impact to their bottom line.

[Jedi_Eeth_Koth]

I completely agree.

I took a major break in '08 just after TAC. During '07 figures were pretty easy enough to find because in some instances stores would put out more than one case. I think the only figure I didn't find at retail was UGH McBoba - everything else I saw in person at least a couple times. Then in '08 things started to slow down with distribution and the assortments got less interesting. I came back for TVC in '10 when W1 hit and was hopeful that distribution would improve, but it's been a tougher battle with TVC being just as limited. The "feast and faminie" distribution makes it nearly impossible to be a completist at retail and even as a non-completist, I find it tough getting the figures I want when everyone else is also competing for things like Deleted Scenes Luke that are one per case amongst all the Qui-Gons and Obi-Wans. I still collect alittle Hasbro, but have really cut down hunting.

With that out of the way, have you heard of a little company called Sideshow Collectibles...? That's where I'm dumping my money now.

[errant]

I think Hasbro is having a hard time across all of their lines. G.I. Joe is experiencing the same issues. I've completely stopped buying those toys (mostly because the new stuff sucks) but also because of poor distribution. I'm now seeing the same issues with the Vintage Collection and it's really off-putting. I comletely missed the Ponda Baba wave, never even saw it at retail and I actually am one of those guys that hits all of the stores each morning on my way to work so I tend to at the very least see everything new even if I don't always buy it.

I had the same problem with the UGH McBoba and wrote to Hasbro about it. Not surprisingly I was met with a form letter which really meant nothing. What did surprise me though was that about two to three months later I was able to find the McBoba's a plenty. While I doubt it had anything to do with my letter I do think that Hasbro does take notice when collectors stop buying which is exactly what I did around '08 and based on Jedi_Eeth_Koth's post it sounds like many others did too.

I'll continue buying TVC as I find ones I really like but I do not buy much of anything else anymore. Heck, there were only 3 or 4 DTF figs out of 12 that I thought were remotely interesting. Too bad for Hasbro I guess.

[basenji_prime]

I stopped hunting some time ago due to gas prices and not finding certain figures. Now I pre-order each wave from BobaKhan in Everett along with my GI Joes and Transformers. I drive up every week to two weeks and pick up my stuff. As long as I buy two or more from a wave I only have to pay $9 each on Star Wars figures. Saves me the headache to do it this way. Plus it is a small price to pay to guarantee I get the figures I want.

[EmperorPalpitate]

Right behind ya, Zoltar. This is my final year of active collecting. The ridiculous distribution practices and case ratios have brought the vintage line to its knees, and the fun has been sucked right out of the hobby. I've practically stopped any and all toy runs, and have just resorted to ordering cases online. Was sick of wasting time and gas, running all over town(s), only to come up empty-handed again and again. At least TVC is coming to and end, which should make walking away much easier, as the nostalgia factor is the only thing that's kept me hanging on for the last year or so.

[TheRealDub]

I've totally stopped hunting myself, as of about January. It just got super, duper depressing to never find anything.

I've sold off most of my Star Wars stuff at this point. I have half a mind to dump it all just so I don't risk getting pulled back in.

[Melonballer]

Sorry to hear it, but I understand. I will be watching for you at ECCC this weekend.

[TheRealDub]

Sorry to hear it, but I understand. I will be watching for you at ECCC this weekend.

I'll be there a few hours on Saturday with my daughter. She wants to get a pic with Darth Vader.

[Lord_Bobster]

I don't think I'm going to throw in the towel yet. But I think I'm at the point what my wife calls "the peace attained beyond the point of caring." Would I like some of the figures coming out? Sure. But I'm not going to waste time, energy, or gas trying to beat scalpers or anticipate where the next wave hits.

I think my transition started when I tried to sell off some of my collection. After some serious gaffs on pricing and then realizing that all the other collectors had what I had, I made a decision that started a new tradition for me. I gave the toys to charity. I've done this now for years. Stuff in the package went to Toys For Tots. Stuff that was opened went to the Renton Battered Women and Children's Shelter. Also there was that great line from the movie, Fight Club:
"The ((stuff)) you own ends up owning you. I hated that feeling. The liberation from maintaining a collection for the sake of yourself felt good.

Now if I see a fig I like, I pick it up. I also gave myself the permission to be an opener. Takes up less space and I don't worry about cardback condition. I have to say I enjoy not being on the hunt constantly. The true liberation was when I accepted the fact that I needed none of this to, for lack of a better term, complete my fandom. That I could enjoy the mythology without a material manifestation of it.

I'll still be out there in the aisles. The fun of it is really to run into my fellow Rebelscummers and catch up with you. Also a good excuse to get out of the house. But I see myself going for the higher end stuff now. Not because of collectability, but because of the art. GG and SSC have shown us what can be done and I appreciate their products. The Vintage Collection has that same feel as well.

It is a good time to be a collecter. A time to enjoy a collection than constantly adding to it.

[jgray169]

I posted this in the wrong thread originally, but I like Bobster's method and the quote is great! I'm a carded and loose (best version of the figure) collector. This is my feeling of the hobby right now. Maybe I need to adopt Bobster's philospohy before it owns me ...

I can't remember collecting being in such bad shape. And by all that I read online at the collector sites etc. the hobby HAS to be nearing a temporary end or hiatus soon ... at least for the 3-3/4" line. Between the high prices, the lack of "new" product (80% crappy repackaged/repainted junk), and the poorest distribution EVER, the line feels like it's on a ventilator. I am getting the circa 1986 vibe like the last time it died out. This might not be the worst thing either, in my opinion. Maybe the 3-3/4" line needs a break? To me it is quite simple ... collecting just isn't that fun anymore. Not NEARLY as much as it used to be and it just feels more like a chore to me now ... like taking the garbage out, folding laundry or washing dishes. No one is forcing me to collect the way I've been collecting, but it's what I've always done. Not throwing in the towel just yet, but I just hope they figure things out and salvage collector interest (by either shutting it down for a while or improving the current conditions). Less is more sometimes. Hopefully, they do something before more people bail from the 3-3/4" line altogether.