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Post by Cedar on Dec 8, 2008 1:33:39 GMT -5
Tokyo Hunter is a good eBay seller. His shipping is dirt cheap and he's very nice, but yeah, there's a markup.
From time to time he'll auction a figure too, so keep an eye out.
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Post by craptacular on Dec 10, 2008 16:38:02 GMT -5
Where are you getting your pricing information from? Online sources like: www.imageanime.com/reasbo.htmlThere has been no mention of the regular Revoltech line jumping to over $30 a figure, nor Assemble Borg to over $40 a figure. Same sources. Why as a U.S. consumer do you think Kaiyodo cares if you are being served poorly or not? I think anyone making anything in today's world without an eye to global sales is not marketing their stuff intelligently. YMMV. Why can't Kaiyodo sell to me directly seeing as they have an online fulfillment process? I understand that there may be a higher shipping fee than within Japan, but otherwise I can't see why not. If there was some legal obstacle they could just slap on a legal disclaimer sticker. I don't mean to come off as combative, but your entire post is full of misinformation and wild speculation. Yeah, you do seem combative. And I wasn't speculating, just citing the usual sources available to a U.S. consumer. Again, why can't Kaiyodo just make me pay for shipping and fulfill international orders? Coldiron and I can't be alone. There's probably a far larger audience for these toys that anyone imagines. |
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Post by 00silvergt on Dec 10, 2008 17:06:26 GMT -5
Come on, guys, let's get along or we may get some time out!  lol... I think craptacular has a point. 1. 2500 yen and 3300 yen is not too far off of the $40-$50 price point when converted to real (lol, I'm kidding lighten up!) money and included shipping, that's about where us sellers will price it at, if not higher. Take Gundam models for instance, it is not widely known but the model's model number also reveals it's price in Yen, however it is almost always sold at double or triple that in the US. 2. Kaiyodo better care about the largest consumer population in the world. Yes, these are usually targeted for Japanese buyers, but so are SOC's, Gundam models, DVD's, etc. But we can still get our grubby hands on them. It is because it is basic economics, the United States, even in recession still stands as the most powerful nation on Earth in technology, military, and in economics. Having 22% of the world's GDP. So it stands to reason that the US is definitely part of Kaiyodo's marketing dream. 3."Arrogance and Ignorance" the latter being the clinker, you are not being "combative"? Common, Jack... I'm trying to be impartial but, let's not discount any members POV, and let's keep the personal attacks to a minimum, meaning 0. |
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Post by domu on Dec 10, 2008 17:51:31 GMT -5
1. 2500 yen and 3300 yen is not too far off of the $40-$50 price point when converted to real (lol, I'm kidding lighten up!) money and included shipping, that's about where us sellers will price it at, if not higher. 2500 yen = around $27. That's $13 less than $40, a 48% mark up on Kaiyodo's original selling price. If that's "not too far off" to you, okay, but I think most would call that really far off. And you can't add in the cost of shipping, after the fact, to what craptacular posted: He was talking about, and I addressed, the price point that Kaiyodo set for Assemble Borg, not what it would eventually cost an importer. This comes off as very arrogant to me as well. We may still be the most powerful country on earth at the moment, but it doesn't mean that all activities center around us. Kaiyodo may well have future plans to market Assemble Borg to the rest of the world. But right now, they are doing a very limited roll out, even in terms of just Japan. If/when they decide to bring these here, then discuss how they are doing it. Right now, craptacular is criticizing them for something they haven't done. I feel you are adding meaning to the word ignorance that isn't there. Craptacular did not appear aware of certain facts, like Kaiyodo's price point and the hiatus of the Yamaguchi line. Not knowing is ignorance. I didn't call anyone stupid or an idiot. But it is clear that his post conveyed ignorance about certain facts. I'm not discounting his opinion; I'm questioning his "facts." If he had just said, "2500 yen for Assemble Borg is too much," I wouldn't have said anything. If I did say something, I would have probably agreed. I think his point about the lack of licensing costs is very valid. |
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Post by domu on Dec 10, 2008 18:03:00 GMT -5
Why can't Kaiyodo sell to me directly seeing as they have an online fulfillment process? I understand that there may be a higher shipping fee than within Japan, but otherwise I can't see why not. If there was some legal obstacle they could just slap on a legal disclaimer sticker. It would be nice if Kaiyodo did open their online sales to overseas customers. The Japanese, not speaking English, and all, are often hesitant to deal directly with U.S. customers, who don't usually speak Japanese. Why do so few U.S. online stores, and even ebay sellers, not deal internationally? It's a chore. There are more hassles involved. Even with opening up potentially lucrative markets, maybe it just isn't worth it in terms of the money and the hassle for Kaiyodo to do foreign sales. Yeah, that sucks for us. Then, apologies for that. I'm sure someone could imagine They may have even looked into it and decided it wasn't worth it for now. Good news is that it seems that the Japanese in general are becoming more willing to deal directly with foreign customers. The thing starting up with Rakuten is a good step. |
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Post by 00silvergt on Dec 10, 2008 18:17:39 GMT -5
1. 2500 yen and 3300 yen is not too far off of the $40-$50 price point when converted to real (lol, I'm kidding lighten up!) money and included shipping, that's about where us sellers will price it at, if not higher. 2500 yen = around $27. That's $13 less than $40, a 48% mark up on Kaiyodo's original selling price. If that's "not too far off" to you, okay, but I think most would call that really far off. And you can't add in the cost of shipping, after the fact, to what craptacular posted: He was talking about, and I addressed, the price point that Kaiyodo set for Assemble Borg, not what it would eventually cost an importer. This comes off as very arrogant to me as well. We may still be the most powerful country on earth at the moment, but it doesn't mean that all activities center around us. Kaiyodo may well have future plans to market Assemble Borg to the rest of the world. But right now, they are doing a very limited roll out, even in terms of just Japan. If/when they decide to bring these here, then discuss how they are doing it. Right now, craptacular is criticizing them for something they haven't done. I feel you are adding meaning to the word ignorance that isn't there. Craptacular did not appear aware of certain facts, like Kaiyodo's price point and the hiatus of the Yamaguchi line. Not knowing is ignorance. I didn't call anyone stupid or an idiot. But it is clear that his post conveyed ignorance about certain facts. I'm not discounting his opinion; I'm questioning his "facts." If he had just said, "2500 yen for Assemble Borg is too much," I wouldn't have said anything. If I did say something, I would have probably agreed. I think his point about the lack of licensing costs is very valid. Alright Domu, I think we have a mathematics problem... current exchange rate, $ to the yen is: 92.75 yen to 1 USD. Y2500 is $26.95 factor shipping and US mark up, this item that costs Y2500 is easily $40, if not more. I know you bought enough Japanese toys to know this. Unless you are buying it in Japan and putting it in your luggage, there's no way it will be any less than $40 in the US. So it is not way off, unless you are one heck of a bean counter. ;D You commented, "Why as a U.S. consumer do you think Kaiyodo cares if you are being served poorly or not?" That would not only be arrogant of Kaiyodo, but also foolish. Again, albeit this may be primarily a Japanese market target, don't be naive to think that the thought of having a consequent or secondary market did not cross the minds of Kaiyodo business analyst. Afterall, if you can sell it to more people, why the heck not? It is not arrogant to understand the statistics, We buy more crap than anyone on earth and we would buy it even if it is beyond our means. However, if this is simply conjecture, I will retract my comments in reservation. With that said, don't be surprised if these hit the US market. |
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Post by domu on Dec 10, 2008 18:33:30 GMT -5
Alright Domu, I think we have a mathematics problem... current exchange rate, $ to the yen is: 92.75 yen to 1 USD. Y2500 is $26.95 factor shipping and US mark up, this item that costs Y2500 is easily $40, if not more. I know you bought enough Japanese toys to know this. Unless you are buying it in Japan and putting it in your luggage, there's no way it will be any less than $40 in the US. So it is not way off, unless you are one heck of a bean counter. ;D Our math seems the same. You are talking about the secondary market import price, not the price set by Kaiyodo. The disagreement was over the price point as set by Kaiyodo. That's why I included the quote from craptacular's original post. Sure, I'll agree that someone at Kaiyodo has given thought to secondary markets. I'll even assume that they have looked at some research and statistics. And maybe the same research and statistics that are telling Kaiyodo that they should start with a small launch in Japan, are telling them that trying to reach foreign countries right out of the gate, would be a mistake. Isn't it arrogant to assume that they have made a mistake in deciding not to try a simultaneous worldwide release? I want these now, too. And for cheaper than 2500 yen a figure. But, it's not going to happen right now. Who is to say that if Kaiyodo did exactly what we want, that it wouldn't force them out of business within a year? I know we're the greatest in the world and all, but the Japanese do seem to have some knowledge about how to run successful companies. |
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Post by 00silvergt on Dec 10, 2008 19:03:14 GMT -5
Alright Domu, I think we have a mathematics problem... current exchange rate, $ to the yen is: 92.75 yen to 1 USD. Y2500 is $26.95 factor shipping and US mark up, this item that costs Y2500 is easily $40, if not more. I know you bought enough Japanese toys to know this. Unless you are buying it in Japan and putting it in your luggage, there's no way it will be any less than $40 in the US. So it is not way off, unless you are one heck of a bean counter. ;D Our math seems the same. You are talking about the secondary market import price, not the price set by Kaiyodo. The disagreement was over the price point as set by Kaiyodo. That's why I included the quote from craptacular's original post. Sure, I'll agree that someone at Kaiyodo has given thought to secondary markets. I'll even assume that they have looked at some research and statistics. And maybe the same research and statistics that are telling Kaiyodo that they should start with a small launch in Japan, are telling them that trying to reach foreign countries right out of the gate, would be a mistake. Isn't it arrogant to assume that they have made a mistake in deciding not to try a simultaneous worldwide release? I want these now, too. And for cheaper than 2500 yen a figure. But, it's not going to happen right now. Who is to say that if Kaiyodo did exactly what we want, that it wouldn't force them out of business within a year? I know we're the greatest in the world and all, but the Japanese do seem to have some knowledge about how to run successful companies. So are you saying Kaiyodo would not look at the secondary import price? They are well aware if they price something at Y2500 that it would easily be sold in the secondary import markets for $40 and more. SOC's for instance have never really been meant to be released outside of Asia. Bandai Japan and Bandai Asia are the only ones releasing these, but again, we still manage in considerable volumes to acquire these. Sure gone are the days of Mattel redistributing them at your local Toys R Us , except for Takara and Hasbro, but I'm sure they will not refuse sale of these figures to anyone outside of Japan who is willing to pay the premium for it. With that said, I think we now have gone to the point, as I tell my wife, where we are running in circles, we now need to agree to disagree and move on. Now I have to go home and tell my wife I actually stuck up for some guy named craptacular! ;D  |
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Post by silver1spider on Dec 10, 2008 19:56:43 GMT -5
I just had an experience that may casts some light on this discussion I just bought a revoltech Enki from my regular local mecha hobby store. (this was a very hard figure to come by) I think the prices debated around for the Assembleborg...US 35 to $40+ is reasonable. I just pay $35 CDN for my Enki (ouch expensive  )... it works out approximately to US $27.00. So I compare my local guy price to HLJ which turn out to be a fair deal given the crappy exchange rate. (My shopkeep just told me that UPS is putting up their rates again in the new year.  ) HLJ has pretty average pricing (by the way HLJ doesn't have this listed... but on the packaging it is 1995 yen) Enki is 1995 yen+508yen (SAL shipping)=2503 yen equals to $27 US=34.02 CAD So if your local merchant charges you the same +/- 5% as if you got it from an on-line store + shipping. I think it is a good deal. 1) As to why Kaiyodo is charging more. I think they are testing the market to see how much it can bear( testing the temperature). A dedicated US consumer who really wants this stuff will pay the premium price. Don't forget that Kaiyodo's would have to setup some distribution network in the US to sell this stuff. Does this investment justify the return on profit? They get more bang for their bucks by concentrating their efforts in a smaller distribution region. 2) Even if Kaiyodo charge less for the figues say 1995 yen. By the time, it gets to your local comic store- it will be about $27 (including shipping). Not a very big market for a $ 27...8 inch action figure when compare to the larger Marvel /DC stuff selling for $10-12 3. With the recent economic downturn many chinese mfg factories are closed. Labor and Production facilities maybe an issue. A factory would readily accept orders from a larger ouftit such as Hasbro, Mattel... as they are more secure (hopefully) and bigger. Kaiyodo may have to pay a premium to get their stuff made as they are a smaller outfit. |
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Post by mechaleleng 2.0 on Dec 10, 2008 20:05:21 GMT -5
Relax bro craptacular, bro domu and bro 00silvergt! Despite everything else being discussed, In the end it is still up to us whether we'll buy the toy or not.. however marked up expensive or far away exclusive it may be. Yamaguchi's absence is creating all this madness!! lol  |
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Post by 00silvergt on Dec 10, 2008 20:22:57 GMT -5
I just had an experience that may casts some light on this discussion I just bought a revoltech Enki from my regular local mecha hobby store. (this was a very hard figure to come by) I think the prices debated around for the Assembleborg...US 35 to $40+ is reasonable. I just pay $35 CDN for my Enki (ouch expensive )... it works out approximately to US $27.00. So I compare my local guy price to HLJ which turn out to be a fair deal given the crappy exchange rate. (My shopkeep just told me that UPS is putting up their rates again in the new year. ) HLJ has pretty average pricing (by the way HLJ doesn't have this listed... but on the packaging it is 1995 yen) Enki is 1995 yen+508yen (SAL shipping)=2503 yen equals to $27 US=34.02 CAD So if your local merchant charges you the same +/- 5% as if you got it from an on-line store + shipping. I think it is a good deal. 1) As to why Kaiyodo is charging more. I think they are testing the market to see how much it can bear( testing the temperature). A dedicated US consumer who really wants this stuff will pay the premium price. Don't forget that Kaiyodo's would have to setup some distribution network in the US to sell this stuff. Does this investment justify the return on profit? They get more bang for their bucks by concentrating their efforts in a smaller distribution region. 2) Even if Kaiyodo charge less for the figues say 1995 yen. By the time, it gets to your local comic store- it will be about $27 (including shipping). Not a very big market for a $ 27...8 inch action figure when compare to the larger Marvel /DC stuff selling for $10-12 3. With the recent economic downturn many chinese mfg factories are closed. Labor and Production facilities maybe an issue. A factory would readily accept orders from a larger ouftit such as Hasbro, Mattel... as they are more secure (hopefully) and bigger. Kaiyodo may have to pay a premium to get their stuff made as they are a smaller outfit. Agree completely! |
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Post by 00silvergt on Dec 10, 2008 20:23:23 GMT -5
Relax bro craptacular, bro domu and bro 00silvergt! Despite everything else being discussed, In the end it is still up to us whether we'll buy the toy or not.. however marked up expensive or far away exclusive it may be. Yamaguchi's absence is creating all this madness!! lol Completely relaxed, I've agreed to disagree and even got some jokes...LOL ;D |
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Post by Cyrano on Dec 10, 2008 21:11:20 GMT -5
Relax bro craptacular, bro domu and bro 00silvergt! Despite everything else being discussed, In the end it is still up to us whether we'll buy the toy or not.. however marked up expensive or far away exclusive it may be. Yamaguchi's absence is creating all this madness!! lol It's true! We've all gone mad! Aieeeeeee! This is the affect of going cold turkey on a Revoltech addiction... I'm not sure I agree with the cost calculations on Assemble Borg, but I do see where everyone is coming from. I doesn't really seem fair to me to include the cost of import shipping when judging a company's pricing. Yeah, it's what we foreigners have to pay, but it doesn't really have anything to with Kaiyodo at all. Also, it seems a little skewed to judge a Japanese company's financial decisions by our struggling economy. The yen is stronger than the dollar now, the pricing doesn't seem nearly as unfair if you view it from the perspective of the Japanese economy. All that said, though, I would also like to have the line more readily accessible and to be able to buy them at a lower price. But I don't think Kaiyodo's financial decisions for the Japanese market are meant as any sort of sleight against their foreign fanbase. If anything, I think it's more attributable to the small production run, like I talked about a few posts ago.  |
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Post by mechamasterj on Dec 11, 2008 8:33:46 GMT -5
still say they look like micro men, albiet more beefier and appealing, but micromen nonetheless. Ill get a few some how. does anyone do group orders here or is that not possible
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Post by apexprime on Dec 11, 2008 21:14:51 GMT -5
Nice site, too bad i don't read kanji. But I do love the Pseudo Kamen Rider/Mospeada/Robotech Gen 3 ish concept they're playing with here.
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Post by mechaleleng 2.0 on Dec 16, 2008 2:38:23 GMT -5
At first i was in denial of this figs potential. Oh man this is really tempting.. Pls. Remind me again that these are exclusives      Who wouldn't want a TTGL Bike..   courtesy Images from gitsact over at sg^ The image that won me over to the dark side of anticipation..lol Using Giant Robo Booster canon and Pods side accesories. |
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Post by Cyrano on Dec 16, 2008 12:33:36 GMT -5
WOW Those are...really cool! The TTGL motorcycle is fantastic! Very clever assembly on all of them. *Sigh* Goodbye money!
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Post by recca74 on Dec 16, 2008 12:47:14 GMT -5
So, the blog sites are starting to pop up with pictorals of "Mr Assemble" which would indicate a release now if not soon. I still see no pre-orders up from the usuals import stores. Noting from 1999, HLJ, R10. I'm not sure I can do Image Anime prices right now due to budget. :-(
Any add'l word on availability besides Image?
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Post by Cyrano on Dec 16, 2008 13:03:50 GMT -5
The release date given on the official website was December 15, yesterday. To the best of my knowledge, they're only being sold through that website/the Kaiyodo online store. It might be possible that the Revoltech Friend Shop is selling them too...I dunno.
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Post by mechaleleng 2.0 on Dec 16, 2008 14:50:03 GMT -5
Yes bro Cyrano.  as we speak, it is already available in Japan.  (image courtesy of Moeyo) |
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