The thrill of the hunt?

[DarkJedi5]

I've read in a few Q&A responses over time that Hasbro seems to think that we collectors enjoy "the thrill of the hunt". I'm not sure where Hasbro gets this idea and as new product becomes tougher and tougher to find, I become more and more frustrated. I have only seen two new figures on the pegs since probably some time in July. I have had to buy perhaps 75% or more of my figures online and only go to stores when I'm looking for extra figures or for exclusives. I have become so sick of going to stores and coming home empty handed.

So what does everyone else think? How much of your buying happens in a store and how much of it happens online? I know everyone's having the same general distribution issues and thanks to online shopping it hasn't slowed me down too much but what about the rest of you?

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

I got really frustrated when the ESB wave wasn't showing up a few months ago. I kept going to multiple stores, occasionally (but rarely) finding remnants of the repacked figures from the cases. It bugged the hell out of me, so I got them online after several weeks of looking but finding nothing. I also got the AOTC wave online when it was relatively new, just to save myself the grief. Since then, I've seen these figures in the stores, but the AOTC wave was still pretty rare. With the TPM wave, things seem to have gotten back on track a bit better, but it's not in good supply like things used to be.

Anyway, it's always quite exciting to find something new in a store. It always has been and I imagine it always will be. So yeah, I do enjoy the thrill of the hunt. It's not always fruitful, though there were five days this summer/fall when I spent around or over $100 in new Star Wars stuff in stores, along with several other instances of spending significantly less. To me, it's just more satisfying to find the stuff in the stores. Hopefully the distribution stuff will work itself out and things can get back on track soon.

[jonthejedi]

...retail is a wasteland right now. I haven't seen SW restock at TRU, Target or WalMart for months! What's going on, Hasbro? Are we waiting for Black Friday or something?

[pbarnard]

When the ESB wave and later never showed, I didn't even bother to bike to Target and the closest walmart anymore. I only drive to places when I'm there to buy other things. There never was any thrill. I'd have to say the past 2 years have shifted to more and more online, mostly through Hasbro using the yearly coupon code (under multiple emails) or the occassional holiday code.

[Mad Slanted Powers]

I pretty much just check on Saturday morning. Driving to the other side of town through all the traffic and not finding anything isn't that thrilling. The only time I might do that is when I feel there might be a limited exclusive, such as what was available on Black Friday in recent years (Imperial Shuttle, Ultimate Battle Packs).

I agree with Mr.JJL, though. It is always exciting to find new stuff on the pegs and shelves. I've even had dreams of being in a store and finding new stuff, though in the dream it is stuff I don't recognize, as if it is from a new movie or something.

[Scackmgack]

I hate the hunt. One of the biggest reasons I gave up SW collecting for a year or so and concentrated on my tabletop wargames is that when I want to purchase product for my games, IT IS THERE.

If I want an Ahsoka with Huttlet figure, I want it. Period, end of story. I do not want to waste gas driving around looking for it, I do not want to show up at store openings in the morning to check for new stock, or develop relationships with store workers to get cases opened for me and the new figures picked out for me (if they're not doing it themselves already to make money on eBay).

My only option then becomes paying exorbitant prices on eBay for the goods I want. Ahsoka with Huttlet is going to run me around $25 with the shipping. I will not pay $25 for a figure that would cost me $8 with tax in the store.

So I don't get my figure, I get ****ed off at Hasblow, I purchase less of their product.

It's an interesting sales technique...but they're making so much money on SW that they will never change their ways. The only way to hold a company's feet to the fire is to speak with your wallet.

[pbarnard]

I don't get this...why are people still resorting to eBay and not HasbroToyshop when looking for stuff that has been released but hasn't shown up locally?

I sort of understand with stuff before released (although it's stealing, but another issue another day), but if not Hasbro, plenty of other places that would allow you to either buy by the case or singles and not have a huge mark up.

[Dark Marble]

I still love finding stuff in the store. I would rather find it on the pegs then buy it on-line. The thrill of the hunt used to be my primary reason for collecting. Finding stuff in the store that was rumored to be impossible to get was a joy for me. In 12 years of collecting I have bought hundreds of figures and only a hand full have come from on-line shops or ebay.

That said, after this year all I think I will be chasing is the movie figures. No more vehicles or playsets as space becomes in issue. I am not so sure, with current distribution, that I will continue buying at the store. I don't want to miss a wave, and the hunt isn't as important as the product to me now. It will be interesting to see what the future of collecting will be like with Clone Wars being in the spot light and the movies fading out of view...

[Mad Slanted Powers]

I don't get this...why are people still resorting to eBay and not HasbroToyshop when looking for stuff that has been released but hasn't shown up locally?

Because quite often when I try to find stuff on there, it is out of stock. Also, if it is still early, I expect that it will eventually show up in the store and I won't have to pay shipping. Did the Scramble on Yavin Battle Pack ever show up on there?

[pbarnard]

Because quite often when I try to find stuff on there, it is out of stock. Also, if it is still early, I expect that it will eventually show up in the store and I won't have to pay shipping. Did the Scramble on Yavin Battle Pack ever show up on there?

Don't know. I've only seen it twice. Once as a pre-order in a case from BBTS, and the other with the R5 unit missing at TRU. And not knowing the distance or frequency of your searches, how much is the cost of shipping different from the cost of gas in start and stop traffic (probably)? I know when I was looking on just toy searches my cost of gas was 0 because I was pedalling.