Hasbr-uh-oh - Business and Tariffs Discussion

Sciflyer

Two arms and one smile
Citizen
Yeesh, that is an epic jump for Voyagers. I don't mind the Deluxe price jump quite so much but yeah, gonna have to be far more selective about what I'm picking up in those other ranges.

To be fair though, there isn't much left that I feel I need to have. I keep buying marginally-to-somewhat better versions of characters that I've already got many times over (in some form or fashion). I'll still be there for the crazy one-offs and "didn't see that one coming" odds and ends. But by and large, I've been in kind of a "buy what I likes" mode for the last few years, and it's a mode I'm comfortable with. Well, that one and Depeche ;)
 

Platypus Prime

Well-known member
Citizen
This is actually one of the reasons I told my sister that I'm going to start letting my nephew 'shop' at my house more (they live next door, and I told people years ago who said "you'll have to be careful that the new baby doesn't get into your collectibles!" that if they didn't think a toy robot collection and a little boy WEREN'T going to collide at an intersection, they were delusional and didn't know what toys were for). He's gotten older and more careful with things, and besides, my logic is that it is MUCH less outlay to let him borrow stuff I already have which in many cases is nearly the same as what they will come out with, often with better play features and sturdier to boot. Besides, at those prices there's no place left for the aftermarket costs to go up in a re-re-remake flooded environment. If he wants to play with my Voyager seekers, TR Triple Changers, or Cybertron Vector Prime, that's anywhere from thirty to over eighty bucks SAVED at a shot (assuming just Skywarp and Thundercracker as he already as a King Starscream).
 

Undead Scottsman

Well-known member
Citizen

Curious if the reason they haven't fixed the paint on the Mrs. Potato Head statue outside of their RI HQ is due to penny pinching.

Feel sorry for that toy store; being essentially a secondary archive for Hasbro must have been rad.
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
A developing story at the moment:
Everest Toys, a Canada based distributor, has, seemingly, abruptly shut down. Everest is a North American distributor for specialty retailers who handle everything from acquired brands like Crazy Forts and Alex Global Products, to distribution for major companies like Blokees, Mattel, Lego, and Hasbro. Details remain light on the specifics as to the abrupt closure of the family owned business, but its website remains online, even as its phone support line went dark the last couple of days.

Everest Toys is a major foundation for the Putnam Investments Group of properties, which include Sunrise Records, FYE, Famous Toys and the Canadian arms of Toys R Us and Babies R Us. Disruptions in Everest's business would likely have a ripple effect across North American specialty retailers.

A less than encouraging update on this issue:
Everest has been placed into receivership after reporting that ITS ENTIRE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAD RESIGNED. A bankruptcy filing is expected in the coming weeks due to the company's debt issues and lack of corporate leadership. It has not been made clear how this will impact the other companies under the Putman Investments banner, like Toys R Us.
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
How about some good news? I know, that’s rare these days, but former Hasbro marketing manager Billy Lagor is returning to Hasbro as President of Toys and Games. After leaving Hasbro seven years ago, Mr. Lagor bounced around the toy and non-toy industry with his most recent position being CEO of internet retailer Entertainment Earth. Prior to his absence, he spent 15 years at Hasbro, overseeing Nerf and, most relevant to us toy nerds, GI Joe. He was picked by Darryl DePriest to take over the GI Joe brand in 2004, where he oversaw the back half of Valor vs Venom, the Robot Rebellion/DTC line and the introduction of the Sigma 6 product line.
 

CoffeeHorse

Exhausted, but still standing.
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
That experience at Entertainment Earth might be useful. I'm not familiar with his prior work at Hasbro but I'm glad to have him back.
 

Undead Scottsman

Well-known member
Citizen
I quit using EE after the sixth or seventh time they got scooped by Pulse, let alone BBTS.

'course now Pulse sucks ass so damned if I do I guess.
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
But why they got scooped all those times could be useful information.
I mean, EE's fundamental business is a distributor at this point, not "point of sale" type stuff BBTS or Pulse do. As is, EE practically never sold individual items from assorted cases on a regular basis until around 2013-2015 when Hasbro actually started to ship stuff in solid cases as a SOP on the regular. At least part of the delays could well be attributed to the fact they DO serve other, smaller, retailers and there might have been an effort to service that customer base before the stand alone orders.

If anything, I've found AMAZON to, on the average, get stuff in sooner and to me faster than any other fan channel provider.


So, on to less fun things to talk about...
Preorders will be going up the next couple days for 2026 products. Over at Amazon, preorders are going up for 2026 products. Jango Fett for Star Wars Black has a $27.99 price, while the newly revealed Marvel Legends "Micro Comic" Assortment is priced at $29.99.
While Trump's tariffs are still going through the court system, it seems that the uncertainty concerning the Supreme Court outcome is prompting companies like Hasbro to bite the bullet on the price increases...at least for now.
 


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