[goldblade6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Den-O

You talk as though retailers acknowledge fan and collector demand. Which they do not. That's not even close to a factor when they choose toy lines and or the exclusives from them to carry. If the line sells poorly then they don't carry the exclusive. It's simple math for the big corporations, they literally do not care about how many people love those characters.

Walmart/Target/ToysRus/etc cater to children first and foremost. If they feel there is a dedicated demand based on sales numbers to carry a particular product or line then they will. But if the numbers don't indicate it then they won't. It's just a simple truth that collectors do not make up as significant a portion of the toy market as we often like to think.

Retailers don't acknowledge fan or collector demand? Are you kidding?

Certain retailers, Toys R Us especially, absolutely acknowledge fan/collector demand. Why else would they bother producing an exclusive or carrying a certain product or line? Because it will sell, because there is demand, from kids and moms, sure, but also from collectors - often, mainly from collectors.

Do you think Walmart ordered an exclusive Movie Masters Jim Gordon from Dark Knight Rises so a mom and her kids could by a guy with a mustache in a trench coat? Or that K-Mart included "blueprints" with its own exclusive Movie Masters Batman? Or that Target would order a whole wave of Marvel Legends exclusive to its stores? These are all collector-aimed lines. The manufacturer acknowledges that, so why wouldn't the retailer? They may sell to kids, too, sure, but there is a clear line between collector products and kid products, and to say that retailers don't acknowledge fan or collector demand is just ignorant.

Do you think Toys R Us expects to sell many $60 legacy morphers to mothers and their children? No. Or how about a $60 Megazord that is currently being featured on air? Please. Who in there right mind, aside from a collector, is likely to pay $60 for a legacy morpher? For mothers and kids, Bandai makes and Toys R Us sells some affordable $8 figures of the current, main characters. The legacy morpher, and items of that nature, cater to collectors. The retailers know/"acknowledge" that. Mothers and kids might also buy these products, but retailers do not sell them primarily for that audience.

Does Toys R Us carry Freddy Kruger or Prometheus or Mortal Kombat figures for mom and kid consumption? Please. Those are for collectors - almost exclusively, because the figures will sell, because there is collector demand, which the retailer is acknowledging by carrying and selling the product.

Retailers don't run their whole toy departments or stores for collectors, but they absolutely acknowledge them, cater to them, and include them in their business model.

So, what's your point? That the sales of the legacy morpher wouldn't justify a gold version? Or that Bandai couldn't sell Toys R Us on the idea, especially after the regular release and other 20th exclusives that have been flying off the shelves and selling out online? Give me a break.