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Post by Pinwig on Aug 21, 2018 9:48:19 GMT
The guy who runs Kapow mentioned this during the panel he was on at TFN talking about selling toys. This sounds like good news for availability of Hasbro toys in general. I think this also applies to ID, as those two seem to work in tandem on stocking some stuff. They both said they'd been to Hasbro with other retailers for a chat about how Hasbro could better serve them, which seems to be having positive results. The post mentions Star Wars and Marvel Legends, but it will encompass Transformers too going by what he said. Maybe TRU going has caused Hasbro to look properly at other channels for getting stock out. https://www.facebook.com/kapowtoys.co.uk/posts/2000018660018320 |
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Post by The Doctor on Aug 21, 2018 10:25:38 GMT
All well and good but I'd rather see Hasbro UK getting more of their products into the supermarket chain, ie where children and more casual adults will see them. It's mad how difficult it is to find mainline TF figures now.
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Aug 21, 2018 10:43:04 GMT
That would come down to whether the supermarkets want them though; at least here small retailers are being listened to and treated properly. This could mean proper availability of things like the Blast Off/Repugnus/Counterpunch releases as well as proper stocks of waves that are hard to find. I understand these conversations also involved Hasbro being told the toys are currently too expensive, which they are apparently going to act on.
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Post by The Doctor on Aug 21, 2018 11:09:26 GMT
That would be good. There has been some shifting on that. POTP is cheaper than TR and going by RRP Cyberverse warriors are slightly cheaper than RID Warriors.
Hopefully we have walked back from the mad era of £25 deluxes (ie for TF5). They shouldn't be that price unless they have extra things (such as the Blast Off/Repugnus/Counterpunch) though they worked out at around £21 including shipping from America!
Ideally a situation where reasonably priced Transformers can be got easily online or in store is what I want to see. There shouldn't be the current situation of mad scrambles or importing just to get (for example) wave 1 main line stuff.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Aug 21, 2018 11:38:25 GMT
We're all but back to the point where the Generations line wasn't available in the UK (2010-2013ish)
I can see why: it's the part of the line not backed by TV or films and thus, in toy buyers minds, isn't worth selling, yet seems to sell OK when people do stock it at sensible levels. The UK's shelf space is too small to support 3 (4?) TF toylines at once: they couldn't support 2 in the early 2000s when Universe 1 wasn't sold here.
I also suspect TRUs very sudden demise has caught everyone by surprise and there's probably a quantity of POTP floating around which was intended for them and will end up B&M'd towards Christmas.
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Post by Pinwig on Aug 21, 2018 13:07:56 GMT
Mine is certainly making shelf space for a lot more toys than usual. They've moved the toy aisle to a different part of the shop and expanded it.
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Post by The Doctor on Aug 21, 2018 13:24:14 GMT
I understand re: Generations. My concern is that the main child line (Cyberverse) seems to be so hard to find.
-Ralph
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Dezzeh
Thunderjet
Wait, what?
Posts: 4,887
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Post by Dezzeh on Aug 21, 2018 13:32:30 GMT
My local Smyths has quite the range of Cyberverse, so I suspect that will at least make it's way to the others.
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Post by Pinwig on Aug 21, 2018 13:42:12 GMT
I think that's the only Smyths in the country stocking them because you're the only person buying them :)
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Dezzeh
Thunderjet
Wait, what?
Posts: 4,887
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Post by Dezzeh on Aug 21, 2018 14:41:06 GMT
Got to get Megatron next, the boy loves these!
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Post by browny87 on Aug 22, 2018 12:28:50 GMT
I had a really long chat with Andy from Kapow about this and he couldn't say too much due to an NDA he was forced to sign but the lowdown was;
POTP is the most expensive generations line in a long time for retailers hence why a lot aren't stocking it, Kapow make sod all on a deluxe and actually very little on something like Predaking. - Hasbro have had a much lower sell through rate of this line than any other.
its clear Hasbro don't really know what the UK market wants and their staff aren't great at spotting this. hence why they've been meeting with a lot of retailers and why the tweet above is relevant as that is what collector's want.
People generally like nice boxes over carded figures (hence the cybertron new deluxes and the recent boxes for repugnus etc) - People are more likely to pay the extra for a nice box and it makes you feel like the price point isn't as bad.
All being well, the next waves (cybertron trilogy) should come down in price £2-3
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Post by drmick on Aug 22, 2018 19:43:34 GMT
A long chat where Andy said little? Did you do all the talking lol?
Star action figures recently circulated something about having a meeting with Hasbro at SDCC too.
It's all very interesting though. An NDA implies contracts signed?
I do have to ask why do Hasbro care now, why not 8 years ago? And as others have said, I think the answer is the fall of TRU worldwide. Would they have cared if TRU were still going?
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Post by The Doctor on Aug 22, 2018 22:05:33 GMT
Interesting to hear POTP is more expensive. I will admit that puzzles me. The POTP deluxes I have seen in Smyths or Toys Galore were £17. TR deluxes seemed to be around £20-23 in Smyths, The Entertainer.
-Ralph
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Post by Fortmax2020 on Aug 22, 2018 22:29:45 GMT
Maybe they are the same or slightly more for suppliers to purchase but then the recommended retail price from Hasbro is lower so less suggested profit per item?
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Post by drmick on Aug 23, 2018 12:10:17 GMT
Maybe they are the same or slightly more for suppliers to purchase but then the recommended retail price from Hasbro is lower so less suggested profit per item? Don't think so- traditionally it's usually the retailers who dictate prices I thought. |
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Post by Bogatan on Aug 23, 2018 15:55:11 GMT
A long chat where Andy said little? Did you do all the talking lol? Star action figures recently circulated something about having a meeting with Hasbro at SDCC too. It's all very interesting though. An NDA implies contracts signed? I do have to ask why do Hasbro care now, why not 8 years ago? And as others have said, I think the answer is the fall of TRU worldwide. Would they have cared if TRU were still going? Could be change in management or could be that after a decade when the movies probably kept toy sales at acceptable levels without anyone at Hasbro UK having to do much, sales have fallen and now someone has to do something. But yeah without TRU I imagine theres been a bit of a scramble and suddenly smaller retailers just became a whole lot more important to them. |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 17, 2019 19:18:06 GMT
Ever so slightly worryingly the latest round of Kapow preorders are all marked "STOCK IS VIA HASBRO UK"
They also seem to be having trouble sending emails to BTInternet addresses again - see previous posts.
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Post by Pinwig on Feb 17, 2019 19:48:41 GMT
Why is that worrying? I'd take that as a sign of a stronger connection direct to Hasbro. It's what they were talking about at TFN last year I think? Being able to have more say and the ability to order what they need?
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 17, 2019 19:50:18 GMT
Perhaps Phil worries as Hasbro UK has decades of experience skipping many many Transformers over here!
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Feb 17, 2019 20:11:45 GMT
Oh I see. Hmm. I think kapow know their apples, if there was a chance of that they wouldn't be doing it that way. I always thought it was a case of Hasbro having access to the stock, but the shops not wanting it.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 17, 2019 22:25:04 GMT
Perhaps Phil worries as Hasbro UK has decades of experience skipping many many Transformers over here! -Ralph Oh yes. This'll go wrong at the Hasbro UK end at some pt. I could see why they'd do it, if importing from Hong Kong is going to become tricky, which it may well do. |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 9, 2019 7:11:15 GMT
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Post by drmick on Mar 9, 2019 10:30:28 GMT
Im not on Facebook so cant see the comments. What's the jist?
It is weird, after years of getting the stuff before Americans, often well before, now seeing the opposite occur.
However in my house the toys can somewhat wait weeks before I get to them, so in the big scheme of things I prefer the cheaper prices with a delay side of things.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 14, 2019 12:24:31 GMT
Perhaps Phil worries as Hasbro UK has decades of experience skipping many many Transformers over here! -Ralph Oh yes. This'll go wrong at the Hasbro UK end at some pt. I could see why they'd do it, if importing from Hong Kong is going to become tricky, which it may well do. And indeed is going wrong already, judging by some of the comments on that FB post. The Siege they were promised Feb/March won't be here till April. |
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Dezzeh
Thunderjet
Wait, what?
Posts: 4,887
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Post by Dezzeh on Mar 14, 2019 12:29:22 GMT
I'm beginning to wonder when to move over to TFS Express. I would rather stick with Kapow but if Hasbro UK are gonna give us the shaft, I might have to move over.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 14, 2019 12:37:28 GMT
Hasbro UK are quite capable of giving TF fans the shaft at the best of times and I very much suspect they're going to run into supply problems out of their hands really shortly.
OTOH I suspect those importing from abroad may also run into supply problems. It's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.
I very much suspect that if things go badly over the next few weeks and months we may loose one of the importing firms thanks to trading conditions becoming difficult.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 20, 2019 10:55:34 GMT
Perhaps Phil worries as Hasbro UK has decades of experience skipping many many Transformers over here! -Ralph Oh yes. This'll go wrong at the Hasbro UK end at some pt. I've been passed a rumour this morning that a certain w2 deluxe has been skipped by Hasbro UK. Interestingly a toy from w2 is currently unavailable at both Kapow and ID Toys. And it's not the one I'd have had any money on selling out first. I've put the question to Kapow on FB in the thread linked above - and where that leaves us who ordered all 4 in one go - and raised some wider concerns, most of which are elsewhere in that FB thread. |
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Dezzeh
Thunderjet
Wait, what?
Posts: 4,887
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Post by Dezzeh on Mar 20, 2019 11:01:29 GMT
So, just has a brief email conversation with Andy off of the Kapow.
Chromia very much looks it's being skipped, they are trying to source alternate stock but nothing confirmed.
Wave 2 is trickling out this week.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 20, 2019 11:16:53 GMT
This Wangs Chung but was totally expected at some point in some form. This early has to be damaging to Kapow and others plans to use Hasbro UK
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Dezzeh
Thunderjet
Wait, what?
Posts: 4,887
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Post by Dezzeh on Mar 20, 2019 11:18:44 GMT
Yeah they are not best pleased. I'd much rather pay an extra £2 - 3 each and get Asia stock.
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