eliwankenobi
04-19-2002, 12:19 PM
I am definitely turning to the Dark Side! I have been consumed by anger, fear, and hate - and am seriously starting to question my sanity - over my attempts at obtaining many of the elusive Hasbro exclusives. And now that they have finally produced a TIE Bomber (one of my all-time fave ships), they have the audacity to release only limited numbers to the WORST retail chain this side of Bespin!!
I do not understand the thinking of Hasbro, Lucas Licensing, or the Powers-that-Be by the limited release of items of such huge demand to long-time fans. Who is this helping? Not me! Not most of you, as I see many of your are crying out about the same thing! I wouldn't even venture to think that it helps Hasbro/Lucas Licensing when they could stand to make more of that ever-so-sacred money by producing more items to meet demand, instead of the limited numbers to lucky few. The only ones i see that exclusives benefit are those bastard, inhuman scalpers who couldn't give a womp rats @ss about Star Wars!
Now I can understand that Hasbro wants to make money, not lose it by swamping the market with unwanted toys (i.e. Jar Jar figures). And as of late, it has been apparent that they want to present the long-time fans with new, previously unproduced toys from their fave movies. And for such items I can understand a smaller run that that of a 'new movie' line. But by making only small quantities and marketing them through exclusive retailers, the average fan (with job and budget) has no chance against the hordes of scalpers that camp on these stores doorsteps, race to the toy aisles, and fight over who can grab the most to post on eBay an hour later or hock at the local comic shop/trade show. And with Lucas Licensing so desparate to maintain such Imperial control over any use or product with the Star Wars name on it, one would think that a system more beneficial to the true fans would be implemented - especially since Star Wars scalping has been an epidemic since thier resurection in '95.
In my opinion, Hasbro was on the right track when they offered the first exclusive through the Star Wars Fan Club. They could produce fewer units at a slightly higher price but with the assurance that the fans all had an equal opportunity to obtain it. And most importantly, the purchasing limits discouraged scalpers. I would much rather see SW exclusives - if there HAS to be exclusives - offered this way rather than has to deal with ingnorant retail imployees (Wal-Mart), or overpriced toy companies (FAO Schwartz).
I'm not an army builder. I've bought one of every figure (with the exception of one of two extras of the cool ones that i can open up and play with) since 1978. I like to get all the ships, open them up, put the stickers on and the figures inside and fly them around my living room (much to the amusement of my fiance). The hunt for new figures and ships is fine for the first few days - that's part of the fun of collecting. But after weeks of not finding something and seeing tons of that item up on eBay, it just makes my blood boil and makes me question my reason for collecting.
They're TOYS, people!!!
Come on, Hasbro, get with the program! You're not providing any service with your chain-retail exclusives to anyone except the blood-sucking scalpers that resell your merchandise (TIE Bombers/Snowspeeders) for three times it's value, or by making them so overpriced (rumored FOA Shuttle Tyderium) so as not to appeal to the average collector. The collectors are the ones that keep up the demand for SW product. The scalpers just monopolize on it. Stop making SW product for the fans and you lose a huge retail base. It won't effect the scalpers - they'll just move on to the the next thing to make their money.
BE HERE FOR THE FANS!!!! LONG LIVE STAR WARS!!!!
"Rise up and stab them with your plastic forks!"
"I'm getting too old for this kind of thing."
I do not understand the thinking of Hasbro, Lucas Licensing, or the Powers-that-Be by the limited release of items of such huge demand to long-time fans. Who is this helping? Not me! Not most of you, as I see many of your are crying out about the same thing! I wouldn't even venture to think that it helps Hasbro/Lucas Licensing when they could stand to make more of that ever-so-sacred money by producing more items to meet demand, instead of the limited numbers to lucky few. The only ones i see that exclusives benefit are those bastard, inhuman scalpers who couldn't give a womp rats @ss about Star Wars!
Now I can understand that Hasbro wants to make money, not lose it by swamping the market with unwanted toys (i.e. Jar Jar figures). And as of late, it has been apparent that they want to present the long-time fans with new, previously unproduced toys from their fave movies. And for such items I can understand a smaller run that that of a 'new movie' line. But by making only small quantities and marketing them through exclusive retailers, the average fan (with job and budget) has no chance against the hordes of scalpers that camp on these stores doorsteps, race to the toy aisles, and fight over who can grab the most to post on eBay an hour later or hock at the local comic shop/trade show. And with Lucas Licensing so desparate to maintain such Imperial control over any use or product with the Star Wars name on it, one would think that a system more beneficial to the true fans would be implemented - especially since Star Wars scalping has been an epidemic since thier resurection in '95.
In my opinion, Hasbro was on the right track when they offered the first exclusive through the Star Wars Fan Club. They could produce fewer units at a slightly higher price but with the assurance that the fans all had an equal opportunity to obtain it. And most importantly, the purchasing limits discouraged scalpers. I would much rather see SW exclusives - if there HAS to be exclusives - offered this way rather than has to deal with ingnorant retail imployees (Wal-Mart), or overpriced toy companies (FAO Schwartz).
I'm not an army builder. I've bought one of every figure (with the exception of one of two extras of the cool ones that i can open up and play with) since 1978. I like to get all the ships, open them up, put the stickers on and the figures inside and fly them around my living room (much to the amusement of my fiance). The hunt for new figures and ships is fine for the first few days - that's part of the fun of collecting. But after weeks of not finding something and seeing tons of that item up on eBay, it just makes my blood boil and makes me question my reason for collecting.
They're TOYS, people!!!
Come on, Hasbro, get with the program! You're not providing any service with your chain-retail exclusives to anyone except the blood-sucking scalpers that resell your merchandise (TIE Bombers/Snowspeeders) for three times it's value, or by making them so overpriced (rumored FOA Shuttle Tyderium) so as not to appeal to the average collector. The collectors are the ones that keep up the demand for SW product. The scalpers just monopolize on it. Stop making SW product for the fans and you lose a huge retail base. It won't effect the scalpers - they'll just move on to the the next thing to make their money.
BE HERE FOR THE FANS!!!! LONG LIVE STAR WARS!!!!
"Rise up and stab them with your plastic forks!"
"I'm getting too old for this kind of thing."