Re: What's next for ML in 2022-2023

[Falling Downer]

Is $25 for Iron Spider not expected? Its an anniversary figure, they'll all be extra marked up, like always

It's that $25 for most Legends, whether part of the annual summer "anniversary" line or not is still too much for a lot of these (to me)...even if it's the established price.

The only anniversary figures I've bought at full price since they started this were the Cap, Iron Man and Thor from the 80th line.

[H-bird]

If the MSRP is going up to $24.99 - which we don’t know for sure at this point, but if it is - I would expect the anniversary wave prices to go up as well.

[EnigmaticClarity]

Inflation has been high during the pandemic, but a 25% increase ($20 to $25) is WAY above the inflation rate.

When Hasbro first announced an increase to $22.99 in 2019 it was in response to Trump claiming he was going to put a 15% tariff on most Chinese imports including toys. Turned out he didn't do it so they didn't end up hiking the price at that time, but half a year later the pandemic hits and the price hike comes back as the supply problems start and inflation kicks in. Not sure what would necessitate another price hike this soon.

Unless you're the Star Wars team. They seem to semi-randomly hike prices or decrease quality on every other figure.

[Andru]

With more figures getting digital face printing and pinless joints, I guess I am not all too surprised by a potential price increase. Paired with everything else going on in the world, it is what it is at this point.

A good portion of legends are usually discounted at some point, so some of us might have to learn patience if we don't want to pay MSRP...including myself!

[september_death]

With more figures getting digital face printing and pinless joints, I guess I am not all too surprised by a potential price increase. Paired with everything else going on in the world, it is what it is at this point.

A good portion of legends are usually discounted at some point, so some of us might have to learn patience if we don't want to pay MSRP...including myself!

Shouldn’t pinless joints save money long-term? Obviously new toolings are an upfront expense, but I would imagine it’s less labor and it’s definitely less parts. I suppose it’s a question of if the shin & thigh or a pinless leg have to be hand-placed on whatever does the injection-molded knee, but I’d still imagine it’s less labor than assembling pins.

[Andru]

With more figures getting digital face printing and pinless joints, I guess I am not all too surprised by a potential price increase. Paired with everything else going on in the world, it is what it is at this point.

A good portion of legends are usually discounted at some point, so some of us might have to learn patience if we don't want to pay MSRP...including myself!

Shouldn’t pinless joints save money long-term? Obviously new toolings are an upfront expense, but I would imagine it’s less labor and it’s definitely less parts. I suppose it’s a question of if the shin & thigh or a pinless leg have to be hand-placed on whatever does the injection-molded knee, but I’d still imagine it’s less labor than assembling pins.

Pinless joints are aesthetically pleasing.

Aesthetic pleasure is a premium feature.

Premium features cost more

In all seriousness, I would imagine it is considered an upgrade to Hasbro and most collectors, and therefore could potentially warrant an increase in cost.

[e-rock]

Is $25 for Iron Spider not expected? Its an anniversary figure, they'll all be extra marked up, like always

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Right, which means Iron Spider will likely be like 30 bucks then cause if MSRP is 24.99 on standard legends figures, then anniversary ones will be like 30. Inflation is not something we can do anything about and I get it. But my paycheck ain't going up at the same rate Legends are. So cuts are gonna have to be made and buying habits are gonna have to change.

[EnigmaticClarity]

The only cost they've expressed related to pin-less joints is that they have to make new molds, and that costs money. Not sure when they switched to digital design, but they also have to do a new design if they don't have an existing digital design they can tweak.

I've always wondered how many molds they end up making for most figures. Certainly each individual piece is a mold, but how many for each piece do they create? I assume it's more than one, but what it is it--five? Ten? Fifty? I have very little guess. You'd want more than one for redundancy, and you'd want at least one for every production line you typically dedicate to producing a single figure. Plus you'd want more for popular parts used in multiple figures since while you're using a mold for one figure you can't use that one for others that might share the same piece.

[minitaur]

I wish my apartment rent only went up 25% since the start of 2020. Hasbro, please become residential landlords!

You guys that think inflation hasn’t been at least 25% over two years, I don’t know where you live, I guess you already own houses.

[FlexionDynamo]

Shipping is expensive too. Stuff I'm ordering from China is getting crazy.

I would love to finish of X-Factor and X-force this year. An update of that multiple man would be very welcome. Maybe a retro-card Wonderman ?

[zodach]

Material costs, labor costs, shipping costs, license fees, publicly traded company profit margin expectations - all of these things have been increasing by double digits since the pandemic hit and the prices aren't coming back down with how much money we printed in 2020-2021. Nearly everything costs more. Get used to it.

[cmoney]

Material costs, labor costs, shipping costs, license fees, publicly traded company profit margin expectations - all of these things have been increasing by double digits since the pandemic hit and the prices aren't coming back down with how much money we printed in 2020-2021. Nearly everything costs more. Get used to it.

I aim to get used to it by buying less. For example, I would have forgone building Armadillo if all those MCU figures I didn't want had cost $25.

[EnigmaticClarity]

Gamestop used to have periodic 25% to 30% off sales, but I haven't seen those since 2019. Usually the most I see now is 15% off, but sometimes 20%. I'm shocked they're still in business so I don't mind losing their great sales if it keeps them afloat. Target usually has 4 or 5 25% off sales per year that I stack as much as I can into.

[cmoney]

The problem is getting those sales to time out with figure availability, either because of release dates or sell-outs.

[EnigmaticClarity]

The problem is getting those sales to time out with figure availability, either because of release dates or sell-outs.

Definitely. If it's a figure I think is in the top third of demand I snag it at any price. Anything middling to low I'll wait for a sale. Taking this latest retro Spidey wave as an example--get symbiote Spidey and Ben Reilly ASAP, Mark I might hang around or might not so if you really want it get it now, Shocker should stick around until a sale hits, and Hammerhead/Hobgoblin will DEFINITELY be around come the next sale.

I suspect the ENTIRE Multiverse of Madness wave will hang around for the next sale, although I already got it pre-ordered with the last Target 20% off sale.