Monday, November 03, 2014

The Xpress Way to Higher Prices?

This week's update didn't feature any Boom stuff except for the Archie cover variants.
(There's 5 of them for the first issue alone, but more on that later)

If you're a regular visitor of Gear, you'll know that usually once a toy comes out, the full figure turn-arounds & articulation report & etc are soon to follow on SonicGear. However, with these Boom toys, it's different. The toys are out, but no one's buying. (Or, whoever is buying isn't taking them out of the package, or if they are, they're simply not taking any photos)

A reason may depend upon today's blog post title:

Toys R Us Xpress - Xpressway to higher prices
Toys R Us Xpress (express) stores are usually pop-up stores that they use to sell off merchandise that over-ran their main store. It's not like a Ross, Marshalls or TJ Maxx 'toy aisle' where the super-didn't-sells show up, but it's of the same theme. These usually crop up around the holidays in malls. Some are permanent. All are always smaller than a usual TRU store. However, with over-run items, you'd think you might get lower prices, but that is false.

Mini figure = big price
Upon visiting a TRU X the other day, I found Boom figures, but the Tomy 3 inch Sticks the Badger was......7 dollars. 7 dollars for a super duper tiny figure with minimal articulation? "no thanks". They marked up everything else in there willynilly too, a buck here & 2 bucks there over prices at regular stores. Why? Aren't they already making a profit selling at normal prices?

Moral of the story: save your money and stay out of TRU Express.

Figures viewed as 'too expensive' for what they look like they're worth also tend to get left MIB more often than reasonably priced stuff, in an attempt to retain the value. Which may explain the lack of photos.

Alternate Cover-Crazy: Archie's going wild
If you're a comic completest you probably are pretty peeved at Archie. They just got done having however many alternate covers to Worlds Collide, now Boom issue 1 has 5 different covers, and future issues are set to have a couple covers as well. What are you supposed to do? What is the point of all these covers? Are you supposed to want them all? Get your favorite? Are they hoping it will become rare that way?

I collect the Sonic comics and I don't really get it.
Yeah, a special ink cover or some cool thing every now and then is ok, but when every issue has multiple covers it's a burden.

Next week:
Possibly PJs, & interesting look at the E 102 plush with a previously un-recognized fact.