Hasbr-uh-oh - Business and Tariffs Discussion

[lastmaximal]

This is currently where I'm at with AOTP as just one venue. I'm still wavering on the fence for a few things, but my wallet may decide for me.

It's frustrating, but it's small beer compared to the rest of the expenses that have also relentlessly been creeping upward in price.

 

[Platypus Prime]

I do find this odd that it keeps happening for me with the Combaticons. In Energon days I got a few of the team, rounded it off with a couple other limbs, never did have a 'complete' Bruticus Maximus. Missed out on the game Combaticons in every color, just got CW Swindle now, had an Amazon Blastoff and a G2 Brawl that were sold in emergency fiascoes because clearly someone cared a lot more than I did about them. Got AOTP Vortex, then this happened. I am beginning to think that Bruticus is doomed in whatever my personal continuity actually is.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

I'll stick around for the next year, but I'm getting pretty close to a complete S1-3 set (side from the titans), Beast Wars is nearly complete for me, and I'm in for the 13 primes. But after that, uhhhhh... might be time to withdraw back to just being a media fan.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

I'll stick around for the next year, but I'm getting pretty close to a complete S1-3 set (side from the titans), Beast Wars is nearly complete for me, and I'm in for the 13 primes. But after that, uhhhhh... might be time to withdraw back to just being a media fan.

Been media-primary for a while myself (more of space issues than funding, but either way it's been hard to justify toy collection compared to the 1990s). Welcome aboard!

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Eh, ain't my first time. I got back in for RiD '01 but bailed on Energon. Came back to collecting for Classics and the first film, bailed again shortly aftewards (I wish I had collected Animated at least) and when Animated got canceled I was entirely out of the game, until I think the popularity of MTMTE/RiD got me back into things, but aside from a figure or two, didn't come back to collecting until Titans Return.

 

[Blot]

I'm starting to move from "Only really interested in the Combaticons anyway" to "Y'know, the Combiner Wars set is still pretty good, really."

And then you remember Brawl.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

He's a fine enough leg.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Everything corporations do is centered around money. Costs for everything have been rising for years, even without the pandemic or Trump's idiocy (although he's certainly not helping anyone). Of course it's about greed.

Oh, no one's suggesting otherwise. But at least there's usually some sort of facade of begrudgingly-understandable, mild justification for it.

Inflation, tariffs, price of gas going up, etc.

But doing it to stuff that's already long ago made, shipped, distributed, and priced accordingly?

That's a new low.

Bluntly put, these tariffs and this economy spell the end of toys for collectors. I'm sure small, baby toys will still be available, but these prices are unsustainable and this business model cannot continue. If collectors are priced out, imagine what every parent in the country is going through.

Christmas is about to get a lot less jolly.

Might be a banger of a way for Metal Cardbots to get a foothold here, from what I hear of their prices.