Author Topic: Germany  (Read 83146 times)

Offline Commander_Kurgan

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Re: Germany
« Reply #15 on: May 15, 2010, 03:35:45 AM »
Need to update: I grabbed the last Desert Duke. They also have Viper Commando, Breaker and two or three Heavy Duty in fatigues.
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Offline Commander_Kurgan

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Re: Germany
« Reply #16 on: May 15, 2010, 01:59:51 PM »
12 Bucks for four figs ain't bad.
My son Sean has the black and copper MARS officer which I got as a bonus when I bought a Cobra TRU 5-pack on Ebay.
If you could pick me up one of those K-Mart packs, please do so. I can paypal you the money. Shipping for four loose figs in a padded envelope shouldn't exceed 5 Bucks.
Please PM me for details.
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Online Darth More

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Re: Germany
« Reply #17 on: November 11, 2017, 05:26:48 PM »
Store report: Toys "R" Us

Dresden, Germany

September - November 2017


In October I moved from the West to the East of Germany. I finally got a placement at university here! Dresden is a beautiful city with nice people and an impressive history.
About 10 kilometers out of town there's a big mall and today I found out it only takes half an hour by bus to get there. And as a student I can take the public transport services with a ticket for the entire semeser. Especially on Saturdays it's horrible to go to this mall by car - so busy!
Since I live here I went to Toys "R" Us four times so far. TRU Germany by the way is not affected by the collapse of the parent company in the U.S. and Canada. The speaker of Toys "R" Us Germany said business not only stable, it's running well!

So here's what I found when I looked for a flat and some furniture in September:

September 9, 2017:

The pegs were full of figures of the new TLJ series. They retail for 14,99€ (~$17.08) here in Germany. I think that's just a bad joke for a 5 POA figure...


Even figures of TFA are still hanging there - by now they're reduced up to 4,98€ (~$5.68). Also RO figures are reduced to 7,00€ (~$7.98)...


It's great to see the Titanium figures return! I especially like the packaging of the 40th Anniversary! There hasn't been much dedication to celebrate it this year...but that's already discussed in another topic. They retail for 27,99€ (~$31.90) here which I think is a tough pill to swallow...
Also Funk's POP! figures are reduced from 12,99€ to 10,00€ (~$11.40).


And there are some of Hasbro's 6" Black Series figures in 40th Anniversary packaging next to both of Toys "R" Us' current exclusive figures: Retail: 34,99€ (~$39.98).


The wave of TBS6 with #42Hera Syndulla - #48 Imperial Stormtrooper was on the shelf.
They also retail for 34,99€ (~$39.98) here.


Luke (Jedi Master) was there in most quantities by far: 9 of him - even a Stormtrooper and Thrawn were there - but I didn't buy them - they're just too expensive.




October 10, 2017:

This is how the shelves looked like a month later:
New stuff had arrived and TBS6 figures had to be re-arranged to take less space on the shelf. All the more wanted figures sold by then.


The exclusive Hovertank Pilot was also gone by then same as the Vintage Death Star Trooper.
A Stormtrooper was hidden behind a Commander Gree figure (behind the first Gree on the left - you can see the two accessories of it):


A few more Commander Gree figures had arrived in the meantime...



October 21, 2017:

Hasbro's first two Centerpiece Dioramas arrived and retail for 89,99€ (~$102.59).
Also TBS6 figures were reduced by 5€ to 29,98€ (~$34.17). Commander Gree was not reduced - he just stood there by accident.


TBS6 #05 Pricess Leia Organa (Slave Outfit) and #07 Greedo were still hanging there being reduced to 19,97€.
TRU also got the first wave of TBS 3 3/4" figures since they stopped being exclusive to Walmart. They had Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor -Retail: 17,99€ (~$20.50)



October 25, 2017:

Four days later nothing had really changed, but I would like to take this occasion as an example for why I haven't bought Hasbro's stuff since 2015:
 



Talking 5POA:

I am just NOT willing to pay 14,99€ (~$17.09) for an action figure of this quality and only 5 points of articulation. Seeing figures hanging on pegs for 2 years is a proof that they're just not selling well. Parents buy them because there're no other classic 3 3/4" figures available here. And kids who got into Star Wars with the release of TFA just don't know any different.
I just don't buy them - not even for 5 bucks...I nostalgically think back of the time when I started collecting in 2005 - ROTS for example was just a great line with big variety. Figures with both super-articulation and reduced articulation and higher play value were available - for a very decdent retail of $5.99!

That day I went deeper into the store. The Star Wars shelves are right at the entrance of this Toys "R" Us store here in Dresden. I was curious if there was more in the back of the store.
In the boys' toys section there were only a few more lightsabers on the pegs. So I looked at the other action toys there and this is what I found:


This set contains 10 action figures, each with 5, 7 or up to 9 POA, one vehicle and tons of accessories for just 19,99€ (~$22.79). As a child you are KING with your pocket money...and parents got the feeling that the product is worth the money they spend.
The only problem that often occurs: It's WAR TOYS...



I actually didn't really pay attention to TRUE HEROES...I guess Sentinel 1 is the current series?
The following pictures speak for themselves - there's not much more to say about it.
Here the price/performance ratio is still good! I am sure these toys are even cheaper in the U.S.!

Hasbro why can't you maintain the value of your action toys, but only raise prices for less value?!




These BIG sets retail for either 49,99€ (~$56.99), 59,99€ (~$68.39) or 24,99€ (~$28.49) and contain vehicles, action figures and accessories - toys that are found in almost every boy's room. What do we get from Hasbro for that money?





 

November 11, 2017:

Toys "R" Us Germany is (as of now) running a 20% discount off ALL Star Wars products (except Top Deals and books). The sale was running from November 6-12, 2017.
Luckily I went online on Friday and found this promotion on toysrus.de - otherwise I would've missed it! So I took the bus to TRU on Saturday and this is what I found:

Hasbro:
- TBS6 Black Series (Basic): still reduced to 29,98€ (~$34.17) - 20% discount: 23,98€ (~$27.34)
- TBS6 Centerpiece Diorama Retail: 89,99€ (~$102.59) - 20% discount: 71,99€ (~$82.07)
- TBS6 Commander Gree still sold for 34,99€ - 20% discount: 27,99€ (~$31.91)
- TBS3.75 Titanium figures for 27,99€ (~$31.90) - 20% discount: 22,39€ (~$25.52)

LEGO:
Even all LEGO Star Wars sets were reduced by 20% (except Top Deals). One Top Deal for example was the Heavy Assault Walker: 109,99€ (~$125.39)

So this is what I picked up:




- TBS6 Commander Gree for 27,99€ (~$31.91) each
- TBS6 Rey (Jedi Training) and Hera Syndulla for 23,98€ (~$27.34) each
- TBS6 Greedo for 15,97€ (~$18.21)

So I got a total discount of 29,98€ (~$34.17)!


I still didn't pick up Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) due to the lack of accessories. Hasbro really created a great figure, but I won't buy it like that. I rather wait for a later TLJ repack with accessories (hopefully)...

The latest wave of TBS figures had also arrived probably when the sale started last Monday. But they were all gone today. The only proof that they were there was #53 Poe Dameron.


Best regards from Germany!

- Philipp
« Last Edit: May 12, 2018, 01:23:11 AM by Darth More »

Offline Tamer

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Re: Germany
« Reply #18 on: November 12, 2017, 06:17:27 AM »
Wow, very detailed store report. And I agree with you on those five poa figures. They are trying to justify the price by saying they are getting superior sculpt work, but still.

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Re: Germany
« Reply #19 on: November 12, 2017, 02:06:22 PM »
@Tamer: Thank you for your reply! Well, I am aware that this topic is massively huge, but I made my decision: I just don't buy 5 POA figures. One advantage is that I spend less money on Star Wars toys and collectibles. But I am afraid that will drastically change with the return of the Vintage Collection next year! I am also very looking forward to seeing it return...

One fact I also have to mention here is that Hasbro had to change their business significantly after Disney bought Lucasfilm Ltd. - nobody knew which consequences this takeover would have...
Four years later we know: Disney milks the cow to a maximum extend having risen license fees significantly - so Star Wars merchandise has become much more expensive in general...
So that's one fact that leads to higher retail prices of Hasbro's product. Some sculpts look decent indeed like the new Rey (Jedi Training) of the TLJ line...I still don't buy it.
And I also agree that these 5 POA also have something nostalgic to them thinking of the beginning during the Kenner era. So there're pros and cons about this topic, I decided not to buy them, but that's the good thing about this hobby: Nobody is forced to like something. Opinions vary and tastes are diverse - and that's good as long as "the force" (translate: purchasing power) is with us...

So may the force be with us all!

- Philipp
« Last Edit: November 12, 2017, 02:09:04 PM by legion078 »

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Re: Germany
« Reply #20 on: February 22, 2018, 06:59:47 AM »
February 20, 2018

Okay, last Tuesday I had the chance to make a quick jump into my local Toys "R" Us, again. It's been a while since I took a look what's on shelves the last time.
 
So what happpend there since November and during Christmas sale? Let's find out together...

So...Cosplay still seems to sell well - some new masks (14,99€) and of course new lightsaber (36,99€)  are a must hanging on pegs for the kids.




TLJ Basic Figures were reduced from 14,99€ to a regular retail price of 12,99€.
2-Packs still cost 24,99€ - none of them seem to have sold in the meantime...Mattel's HotWheels Star Wars vehicles hang next to them Hasbro's products from 7,49€ to 9,99€




And here we come to the TBS6 shelf:
Most notably is that Toys "R" Us reduced the regular price of The Black Series Centerpiece Line from 89,99€ to 59,99€.
Their exclucive Ben Kenobi Hologram figure arrived in the meantime - 6 units were on shelf.
And the wave with the First Order Imperial Executioner Stormtrooper was there, too. General Leia Organa and Maz Kanata were already gone.
But they're still available online and currently on sale for 27,99€ (02/23/2018):


http://www.toysrus.de/search/index.jsp?fv=TRUDE%2F3935011&f=Taxonomy&fd=&fg=&keywords=star+wars+hasbro&x=0&y=0

TRU Exclusive Clone Commander Gree is excuded from this discount and sells for 34,99€ as well as the FO Executioner Stormtrooper (29,99€). It's odd that the Executioner sells 2€ higher than the other regular 6inch figures...




Force Link Starter Set: 34,99€
Bala Tik & Rathtar: 29,99€ - no Darth Vader & Probe Droid left...
Porg: 59,99€
Jedha Battle Pack: 34,99€

None of them on discount, yet...won't take long until they are since Force Link 2 and SOLO merch are on the way...




Class D Kylo Ren's TIE Silencer: 79,99€ - crazy...I wonder how much the TVC Imperial Combat Tank will retail for...well, I might don't want to know it...
Class C Resistance Sky Speeder - 59,99€ - also crazy, in 2005 you got an ARC-170 for that money here...
Kylo Ren's Bladebuilders lightsaber sells for 99,99€ in store and online.





Thebasic lightsabers (14,99€) seem to have sold very well! It's no surprise because they retail for less than half the price than the other lightsabers with light & sounds...
If you compare stock from November you'll notice that not only these lightsabers, but also Funko's POP! figures sold and left the shelf empty...at the end of last year the POP! figures were reduced to 10€ - now, they're back to 12,99€.
I don't know why, but some people go crazy for those...



Down below the last couple Legacy Sets were lying around still for 49,99€. All other TBS6 40th Anniversary figures (Jawa) were long gone...
 


Unfortunately I only have this one shot of this area - I was a little bit on the run...

3 units of the TBS6 "Guardians of Evil" Set was on shelves for a regular 129,99€...it's currently unavailable online. I got mine online back in January when it was on sale 20% + 10% extra super Sunday sale, so I ended up to pay 98€ for this set.




These talking figures look pretty decent (especially Chewie) and they're also currently reduced from 99,99€ to 59,99€ I believe...




Both, R2-D2...




...and BB-8 are reduced, too...poor droids.



And also smaller versions of BB-8 don't seem to sell well at that price - not even on discount since the've beenn on clearance since November 2017...



And here is the big surprise for me on this visit: TBS 3.75" Sergeant Jyn Erso and Agent Cassian Andor for 10€! When these figures were still excluive to Walmart they were not available at all here in Germany. Shortly before Walmart lost their exclusive rights on these they bacame available in the UK and here, too. Some Comic Shops got them and TRU and they sold for 17,99€! Then they were reduced to 14,99€ MRSP and finally down to 10€...I just had to pick them up. I had been having my eyes on them since I moved here in October.
I know they will both be re-released in The Vintage Collection, but I'm afraid TVC figures will sell for 19,99€ here and even tunghori won't sell them under $14.99...
So that's my score on that hunt and I'm very happy with them! If there had been more figures of this wave left, I would've taken more. Still looking for an Imperial Royal Guard...

Talking about 3 3/4" figures: The 40th Anniversary Titanium figures were all in stock in November for 27,99€. Now, they're all gone - only Luke is still in stock online for 24,99€...




And at the end I took a quick pic of the Landspeeder which looks cool, but kids prefer electronic vehicles of Mercedes, BMW or Jeep if at all...kids don't care so much for those cars...and even more important: Parents might think "If I buy this today my child will be too tall for it in half a year already!".
Big risk for manufacturers and retailers on those items here...If you still want to let your kids take a ride in Luke's Landspeeder - it's 299,99€ now instead of 399,99€




Oh, and Focres of Destiny figures were all on shelves for 24,99€ each.

Best regards from Germany!

- Philipp


P.S.: It's interesting to see that people here in Germany seem to currently buy their stuff on Amazon.com because it is cheaper there even with shipping! That's why the figures are still available on toysrus.de - usually they won't last long and sell out quickly - but even the Royal Guard sold out just recently after the TBS6 figures were reduced to 27,99€, again...
« Last Edit: February 23, 2018, 05:40:36 AM by Darth More »

Offline Tamer

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Re: Germany
« Reply #21 on: February 22, 2018, 07:57:21 AM »
All kinds of good stuff!

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Re: Germany
« Reply #22 on: February 23, 2018, 05:29:16 AM »
@ Tamer: Thanks Shawn! I only had time to upload the pictures, yesterday, but today I added the text and my little "hunting story" ;)
I had to pick up a chest of drawers at another store in that mall and didn't have much time.
But I'm really happy to have found Jyn and Cassian for a reasonable price, now. I mean TLJ figures sold for 14,99€ and even 12,99€ is still too expensive for 5POA...I will never buy them anyway...

The packaging of these two give a small hint of how long they had been hanging on pegs before I picked them up...Cassian was released back in 2016 in a different wave.



I find these international "warning" stickers pretty annoying...



But if you like to learn some new vocab, here's your chance:



Most remarkable is the fact that this packaging gives information on the exact size of the figure inside. 3.75 inches are actually 9,5 cm - so it seems that this box was printed for the international market - not just by applying the intl. sticker:





- Philipp
« Last Edit: February 24, 2018, 11:16:30 AM by Darth More »

Offline FialaFernbrugg

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Re: Germany
« Reply #23 on: February 23, 2018, 09:21:55 AM »
That is a very detailed and interesting store report.
It is great to see some of the former Walmart exclusive 3 3/4 figures are now available here in europe.
The Last Jedi vehicles are way too expensive.
It has been a while since I was at my local TRU but I think the situation is pretty much the same here in Austria.

Oh, and btw: I hope you are wrong with the price for the new Vintage Collection (19,99€). If that is the case collecting is finally over.

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Re: Germany
« Reply #24 on: February 24, 2018, 11:27:03 AM »
@ FialaFernbrugg: Thank you for your feedback, Christoph! I picked them up to also support TRU. I know they were they were on discount, but they want to get rid of them before the SOLO products hit stores. And I wouldn't have gotten them cheaper on eBay anyway. I'm happy to be a loose collector although it also has some disadvantages sometimes when parts are missing.
And I also hope that Toys "R" Us will stay stable here in Europe.
I'm very excited for all products to come. I wish Hasbro would add some articulation to their Basic Figure line again...thinking back of 2005 when I started collecting figures had a good balance of articulation and Hasbro said on SDCC last year that they consider to add articulation to "where it makes sense"...

To the TVC price tag: I also hope I'm wrong, but I think we can be certain that the MRSP will start between 14,99€ and 19,99€...

- Philipp

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Re: Germany
« Reply #25 on: March 30, 2018, 02:01:43 AM »
Yesterday, I went to German retailer real,- which can be compared best to Walmart. The only difference is that real,- is more expensive than Walmart...

And here is what I found there:

For a retailer that mainly is a grocery store the toy isle is still fairly well. They still have a very decent assortment of girls' & boys' toys. 6" wrestling figures have a MRSP of 17,99€/~$21.95 here. I suppose the Wrestlemania figures next to them are from the previous line and sell for 9,00€/~$10.98 now. They're always nice, I friend of mine used to play with them a lot back in the days...same with the STAR WARS Hero mashers: 9,00€/~$10.98 - and I think they're a nice idea and have a decent play value for children.


I'm sure TRU have reduced these 2-Packs to that price by now, too...


The Last Jedi figures don't seem to have sold AT ALL so far...still for 14,99€/~$18.29 each! That's as much as you pay for a TVC action figure in the U.S., now.



No need to say more about this. I wonder what happens when SOLO comes out...three full pegs of TLJ figures still don't sell for 14,99€/~$18.29 at real,-. TRU reduced them to a regular retail price of 12,99€/~$15.85 and I guarantee they STILL don't sell...



The MRSP for the creature/vehicle & figure packs is 37,99€/~$46.35!! I don't need to say more. real,- reduced them to 29,95€/~$36.54 - well, at leat all Probe Droid & Darth Vader Packs are gone now. I got my Probe Droid with Vader for $12.88 on Amazon.com 5 weeks ago.
Now, there are 6 Rathtars & Bala-Tiks left and I wonder if they'll still be there in 2020...Amazon sold this set for a mere of $4.08 as far as I know. I still didn't buy it. It's $5.89 there as of this post. Vader & Probe Droid are $15.49.


The Force link starterset is also left there and reduced from 37,99€/~$46.35 to 24,95€/~$30.44 and there are plenty of them...
12" 5 POA "shampoo bottle" action figures: 2 TFA Finns are left for the original retail price of 15,99€/~$19.51. Same with the RO Jyn figures...and also TLJ 12" figures are there - even different ones like First Order Stormtrooper or TIE Pilot. Price: 17,99€/~$21.95 - a steal of a deal if you ask me!




Summary: real,- even used to carry the SW TBS 6" line! But they don't do so anymore...and I doubt they will order TVC figures. None of the major retailers will and I'm very concerned about the future of the hobby when parents won't even buy the main line of action toys for their kids...I wonder where this leads us when a single TVC aciton figure sells for $17.99 in the U.S. and in Germany for 19,99€/~$24.39 and up to 23,99€/~$29.29.


May the Force be with you, always.

- Philipp
« Last Edit: March 30, 2018, 02:28:04 AM by Darth More »

Offline Tamer

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Re: Germany
« Reply #26 on: March 30, 2018, 07:32:01 AM »
Irks me a bit that some of the wrestling figures have more deco and movement that our beloved Star Wars ones. Oh well, don't get me started. I do like seeing your store reports.

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Re: Germany
« Reply #27 on: April 05, 2018, 05:08:14 AM »
@Tamer: Yeah, I know what you mean! Let the last three years be what they were and let us move on to what's ahead: The return of The Vintage Collection! 0/
Hasbro really had to do something! And I hope they will bring back The Legacy Collection with Build-A-Droid as well some day...

Thank you, I also do enjoy posting them!

- Philipp

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Re: Germany
« Reply #28 on: April 07, 2018, 01:13:59 AM »
Another very interesting and detailed store report.
15€ is way too expensive for a 5POA figure.
I hope there will be a rethink in the marketing strategy of Habro and Disney in the near future.
Thank you for sharing.

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Re: Germany
« Reply #29 on: May 12, 2018, 12:58:10 AM »
@FialaFernbrugg: Thank you my friend. I agree with you. I didn't buy anything of the 5 POA stuff since 2014. Let's hope the best for the future. I am optimistic that Hasbro have recognized that low quality products can't be the future...

- Philipp