How likely are you to buy from HasbroToyShop?

**JediTricks** · 05-09-2005

Last week, hasbrotoyshop.com, Hasbro's direct-sales website, opened its doors. The site charges MSRP for all Star Wars items listed, and has a by-weight shipping fee plus a handling fee -- not exactly unusual stuff in the e-tailer world -- but MSRP on basic SW figures is now $6.99, and some items are not yet available for order while others have quickly disappeared.

Collectors have been clamoring for this for years, and now it is here, so how likely are you to buy from hasbro's site?

(if you have already ordered from the site, vote for "extremely likely")

**LusiferSam** · 05-09-2005

Cool, I'm the first to reply.

At this point in time, I'm pretty unlikely to buy from them. I won't say never, because that's a long time. But seeing is how I've stopped collecting the modern lines it won't be any time soon.

**Mad Slanted Powers** · 05-09-2005

I voted "marginally likely", as I'd probably only use it for stuff I couldn't find at retail. I checked once a couple days ago and they didn't seem to have much, so at this point it's not much better than the fan club site. If it improves and has more figures regularly available, or if they do a one of every figure club type of thing, then I may be more likely to use it.

**Tycho** · 05-09-2005

I'm planning on buying 21 SA Clones (#41) straight up. Anyone else?

This should be about $178 or so.

By comparison at Wal-Mart $5.24 each: $118.29 (at 1 per case, maybe 3 cases Max stocked per trip, and then 7 or more trips to get 21 - clones, WIPING THEM OUT each time, so no one that goes to that store after me gets ANY. I don't like that others wouldn't get them, but I am spending my time and money to get them and would rather get it over with. At $3 per gallon, and my Jeep Grand Cherokee getting roughly 20 miles to a gallon, and Wal-Mart being about 10 miles from me, the round trip would cost me $3 likely.

7 round trips would be $21 - if I successfully got clones EVERY trip I took.

118 + 21 = $139.

$178-139 = $39 extra. Add in failed trips, or trips that produce less than 3 SA Clones....36, 33, 30, 27.......do you think the average guy would fail more than 4 times if going DAILY at 6:45am (before the store opens, to wipe out the stock before scalpers could)?

They're not going to stock every night unless they got a ton in. They still have a ton of older figures 1-40 to clear. It's too early to see that rapid of case replacement in most cases.

It's possible to get more clones by going to more stores, i.e. Target at 7:45am.

However, many Targets do not stock overnight but stock at odd times in the morning as "house moms" roll around their red carts with the cases on them.

But more trips to more stores usually cost $3 a trip. So instead of spending $21 in gas in 7 trips, or $33 with 4 unsuccessful trips (and counting), you spend more in one morning, such as $6 for your roundtrip hunting journey.

I think you'll come close to spending just about $20 extra bucks when you look at it this way - and that's only about $1 extra dollar per figure if you are buying an army of 20 or more.

Anyone have any experience ordering an ARMY directly from Hasbro yet?

I'm preparing to myself but would love to hear another's successful experience and final cost, final wait time, and overall satisfaction.

**Ji'dai** · 05-09-2005

Not likely. I'm at the point now that if I can't find an item at local retail outlets then I'll just do without.

I tend to avoid shopping online for figures due to higher prices and shipping costs. It's often cheaper for me to buy from local retailers since I live in a small city with only three stores that carry Star Wars. These stores also carry groceries/staples and are in the same vicinity so I can hit them in one trip.

I also prefer to pick out my own figures since I'm really picky about paint applications.

**tagmac** · 05-09-2005

Already pre-ordered the new deluxe figures from there (cheaper than amazon, BTW), and now that the newer figures are pictured again as "Coming soon," it looks like they'll be stocking things fairly well (I hope). If I don't luck out inthe stores as I did this morning, I'll definitely continue buying from Hasbro.

**Blue2th** · 05-09-2005

I've checked the site several times and haven't found anything I want in stock so we'll see. They need to make an incentive to visit their site. Like an exclusive that would be hard to obtain without some effort like sending in all the JEDI POINTS and PROOF OF PURCHASE seals that I have been saving since Hasbro took over Kenner. As a collector who also displays hundreds of loose figures. I think it's about time they offered something to those of us who open our figures (no stupid auctions) This might make it hard for scalpers as they don't like to open their investments. True fans would flock to the site as well as kids. Better yet offer several figures and state how many points you need to send in. You know that you can't buy these particular figures right then, but it would give us a good reason to visit the site to look.

**Kidhuman** · 05-09-2005

I voted marginally. At this point I dont use debit or credit cards, so that rules that out. Secondly, I am patient and mange to get 95% of merch retail and the rest via trade. So unless something is Ephant rare, I wont use them.

**dr_evazan22** · 05-09-2005

I went with 'marginally likely'. I have a hard time spending more for a fig when I should be able to get it for less elsewhere. I think that it is a great idea, but feel they could do it for less; it would be more likely if they even charged 5.99. I'm at a point in my fig collecting that I'm not terribly upset if I don't get every fig, as I'm now buying GG, MR, and Code 3, and maybe eventually Sideshow.

**stillakid** · 05-09-2005

I've ordered stuff already. I like the idea that I can buy direct from the manufacturer, although their lack of inventory is confusing. One would think that they could and would handle any order request that comes to them within reason. I mean, if their on hand stock runs down and the order numbers are in, what's it take to call up manufacturing and put in a P.O. on a thousand more #41 Clone Troopers? Makes no sense.

And where is this "one of every figure club" from Hasbro that we've heard rumors about? I'll continue buying from them, but I don't want to get stuck having to repurchase just because they don't have their act together yet.