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11-15-2018, 03:18 PM | #1071 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Auburn, Wa, USA
Posts: 1,580
|
Quote:
Just posted by the club.
Hello Club Members! There has been several questions that have come in and we want to address them: 1. When does the order period end? There is no end to the order period. When we run out, that's the end. These products are supposed to ship from China in about 2 weeks and that puts them here around the first of the year. We will start shipping to you as soon as they arrive. When the figures arrive, if there is any quality left that has not been pre-ordered, they will move to an in stock status in the club store. 2. If my membership ends December 31, 2018, will there be anyone at the club to handle my orders? The CLUB memberships all end December 31, 2018. This means your last magazine will be December 2018. We have an additional 12 months to sell and ship our remaining products to you. This will be the same process as when the Transformers Collectors' Club ended. We will announce next year what the final closing date will be for Fun Publications. 3. Why are the figures more expensive compared to past exclusives? We understand your concerns. As all of this winds down to the end of G.I. Joe, factories are less willing to make these low production run projects, so pricing has increased drastically and we totally understand fan reactions to the prices. The carded figure pricing is the same as the last convention carded figure exclusives. We were already starting to see some of the increases then. Small production runs are expensive to make if you can even get the factory to make them. They would like the minimum orders to be 5x-10x what we typically order. The only way we have been able to make these figures at all is because of Hasbro's relationship with the factories. We don't know the future Hasbro has in store for G.I. Joe, but if you look at the current toy market, it seems unlikely you will ever see this product again in this format. Unfortunately, it's kind of the "end of the line". To give you a pricing comparison: on the Female Troopers from 2016 to the 2018 versions, our manufacturing costs (not including increases in shipping costs) went up 34%! We pushed back on the factory but they would not budge, particularly because we made 1/3rd less than the first set of Female Troopers. The less you run, the more each figure costs. On the Final 12, we picked a number that was in the middle of all of the prior subscription quantities since we could not do the final figures in the FSS format, due to the impending end of the contact. We appreciate your support over all of these years and we hope your interest in G.I. Joe never fades away! Brian PS. After less than 24 hours, we are already 20% sold through these items. May I point out your honor that the club does not have to produce new tooling like Marauders etc. They sell there for 20-30 dollars and you cant sell your figures with molds that were already made for $50. And that statement of 20% sold would have been a lot higher if they had reasonably priced these. I want to see the papers with all their costs before I change my mind. |
11-15-2018, 03:19 PM | #1072 |
Father of Four
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Posts: 3,264
|
Quote:
Just posted by the club.
Hello Club Members! There has been several questions that have come in and we want to address them: 1. When does the order period end? There is no end to the order period. When we run out, that's the end. These products are supposed to ship from China in about 2 weeks and that puts them here around the first of the year. We will start shipping to you as soon as they arrive. When the figures arrive, if there is any quality left that has not been pre-ordered, they will move to an in stock status in the club store. 2. If my membership ends December 31, 2018, will there be anyone at the club to handle my orders? The CLUB memberships all end December 31, 2018. This means your last magazine will be December 2018. We have an additional 12 months to sell and ship our remaining products to you. This will be the same process as when the Transformers Collectors' Club ended. We will announce next year what the final closing date will be for Fun Publications. 3. Why are the figures more expensive compared to past exclusives? We understand your concerns. As all of this winds down to the end of G.I. Joe, factories are less willing to make these low production run projects, so pricing has increased drastically and we totally understand fan reactions to the prices. The carded figure pricing is the same as the last convention carded figure exclusives. We were already starting to see some of the increases then. Small production runs are expensive to make if you can even get the factory to make them. They would like the minimum orders to be 5x-10x what we typically order. The only way we have been able to make these figures at all is because of Hasbro's relationship with the factories. We don't know the future Hasbro has in store for G.I. Joe, but if you look at the current toy market, it seems unlikely you will ever see this product again in this format. Unfortunately, it's kind of the "end of the line". To give you a pricing comparison: on the Female Troopers from 2016 to the 2018 versions, our manufacturing costs (not including increases in shipping costs) went up 34%! We pushed back on the factory but they would not budge, particularly because we made 1/3rd less than the first set of Female Troopers. The less you run, the more each figure costs. On the Final 12, we picked a number that was in the middle of all of the prior subscription quantities since we could not do the final figures in the FSS format, due to the impending end of the contact. We appreciate your support over all of these years and we hope your interest in G.I. Joe never fades away! Brian PS. After less than 24 hours, we are already 20% sold through these items. If the club had made more efforts like this thoughout it’s history I think it would have helped it’s relationship with the community. |
11-15-2018, 03:23 PM | #1073 |
I just want foam gliders.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tooele (two-willa), Utah
Posts: 18,727
|
So the factories don't want to make small runs... then what would they be producing if not these figures?
Isn't some business better than none? I used to work in manufacturing and the higher ups always wanted the big customers... but sometimes the smaller guys were our bread and butter... eventually we pissed off the smaller guys so much that they went elsewhere and without them the company folded faster than Superman on laundry day.
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11-15-2018, 03:50 PM | #1074 |
SurveillancePort.com
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: M.A.R.S. EVERGLADES ARMORY
Posts: 21,464
|
Those in manufacturing can/would call instant BS on the claim. Costs have not gone up that drastically, nor have any tariffs been placed on ABS.
It was said on one of the FB groups that the Club looks at about $6.25 per figure to produce. Granted, they need to make money, but that said, are any of us actually surprised that the Club is trying to make some cash from it's members before the doors close? REMEMBER THE DOCKS! |
11-15-2018, 04:01 PM | #1075 |
Tomcatter
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Greater Houston Area
Posts: 729
|
Quote:
Those in manufacturing can/would call instant BS on the claim. Costs have not gone up that drastically, nor have any tariffs been placed on ABS.
It was said on one of the FB groups that the Club looks at about $6.25 per figure to produce. Granted, they need to make money, but that said, are any of us actually surprised that the Club is trying to make some cash from it's members before the doors close? REMEMBER THE DOCKS! If my estimates are wrong, it cost them about $20 to get it in hand. It is infuriating they have the gall to charge that much for a plastic toy, and they dont even have to make anything new. Idiotic*************!!!
__________________
"A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."- George Washington "The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it."- Thomas Jefferson BST http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...-t-thread.html |
11-15-2018, 04:13 PM | #1076 |
Yearbook Photographer
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NJ
Posts: 758
|
Quote:
I think the cost of the final 12 is in direct response to all the flipping of the FSS/JoeCon figures we have collectively done as a community over the years. Every year (except FSS 3 as I thought the lineup was weak) I have bought multiple subs to expressly sell them off in order to pay for the one set I keep. Below you will see the results from FSS 7 and my selling off of 3 subs. The cost is calculated as 4 subs so I can track when I have paid off the set I keep, which is why the math may seem a little wonky. My reasoning is that there are plenty of people, including on this site, who openly only want to cherry pick out some of the figures, meaning there is a chance for people to sell off a sub in pieces. It benefits everyone and it's not like the subs have had a limited run, their a build-to-order process, so I'm not like the guys at the JoeCon trampling people for a parachute figure. I think, however, that the costs of the final 12 are in direct relation to the secondary market as FP can easily look at sales data and realize their product is being sold on the secondary market for the below profits. So, if they raise their prices to match what the secondary market can sustain, then they can reap the profits instead of losing out on them to people like me and the other sellers. I had to look at the final 12 price long and hard, and in order to pay for me to be able to keep a set for free of the final 12, I would have to buy 4 subs and then sell three sets individually for no less than $75 for each figure on the secondary market. I don't think the market is there for this lineup as it pales in comparison to FSS 8, which will do very, very well. The only thing that gives me pause on F12 is that FSS7 had a production run of 1700 sets. I'm betting this has a production run of half that number, if not less, which skews the long term pricing into territory I cannot predict as they could end up like the Sky Patrol glider figures or some could perform like NF Chuckles and Freestyle. In the end though, I think we as a community only have ourselves to blame for their pricing being what it is. There are very few people who will read this who have not sold Con or FSS figures or rare figures for a profit, it's the nature of a free market economy. BTW, I have never sold off Con figures that other people have picked up for me. Won't do it.
There's a limited market for something like that and those guys are a % of your investors. How many of their initial sales on all of these items over the years came from those very same flippers/investors? Take that element out and what do you truly have? With-out the premise of having a product that was "flippable" and something that you could make money on, who knows if these subs. would of been able to continue as long as they did. That's an important element and client that you don't want to lose. Hard to say at this point, but with such a high initial price point on this latest batch they may alienated not only the regular customer, but the flipper knowing that there isn't any meat left on the bone. Quote:
Hasbro needs to give the GI Joe license to Super7, a company that cares about their customers and produces decent toys for a reasonable cost. I can get a 6" MOTU figure from them for under $50 shipped. Yet I can't get a 3.75" GI Joe figure for less than that.
Good riddance Fun Publications. For people that don't follow it, you should see the NUMEROUS customer service complaints alone on the boards. GOOD LUCK getting even a simple reply from them. It's practically non-existent. I give credit where credit is due and the ONE area that stands out most, at least for me, is with the club's customer service. I can't praise enough how priceless it is to having a company in this day and age with an actual phone number that works and an actual competent person on the end of it. The club comes through with that. You don't have to through hoops and days on end through some e-mail system spinning your wheels for a simple result. Angie and Karen *although* I've always seemed to speak with Angie are top notch and friendly. HUGE plus and I give them credit for that. Never had a problem there at least. |
11-15-2018, 04:23 PM | #1077 |
Yearbook Photographer
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NJ
Posts: 758
|
Quote:
Those in manufacturing can/would call instant BS on the claim. Costs have not gone up that drastically, nor have any tariffs been placed on ABS.
It was said on one of the FB groups that the Club looks at about $6.25 per figure to produce. Granted, they need to make money, but that said, are any of us actually surprised that the Club is trying to make some cash from it's members before the doors close? REMEMBER THE DOCKS! |
11-15-2018, 04:30 PM | #1078 |
I just want foam gliders.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tooele (two-willa), Utah
Posts: 18,727
|
We're all financial wizards on the Tank!
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Problems with the Club? Click me.... How to post pics to Hisstank? Click me.... BST Feedback |
11-15-2018, 04:36 PM | #1079 |
Banned
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,050
|
I purchased all 12 plus the Zartan. The triplets I passed on, $82 is just to rich to get three more of the same just in black.
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Formulazl1 |
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11-15-2018, 05:05 PM | #1080 |
Roboskull Pilot
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: North West England
Posts: 5,181
|
If the club store can sell this stuff up to a year after the doors have closed, does that mean anybody can buy it? Obviously there won't be any 'members' to enforce a 'members only' rule on any more. Kind of kills the "exclusivity" we've been paying through the nose for all these years if that happens.
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-----------------There's no shame in being a pariah----------------- Last edited by Crimson Rage; 11-15-2018 at 05:08 PM.. |
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