>>5759126I think you raised some valid points but I think a lot of what you mention is just assumption that us, the consumers make based on release/pricing trends. Like, in Japan it's not like anything outside of the toy industry has changed much in terms of pricing, other than the understandable increase due to the tax hike and annual inflation.
You know what my theory is? Collectors are getting burned out. When the big name lines started gaining traction around 2007, people bought left right and center because to be perfectly honest Figma, Figuarts et al were a big jump in the quality of current figures at the time, even in Japan, whose articulated offerings were pretty crude.
Then collections grow larger, people realise that when they have 200 figures in a cabinet they don't really get as much out of them as they thoguht they did, and their love for it somewhat dies out. They start selling off some of their shit, and become a lot more selective about what they buy henceforth.
I remember days when almost every figma that hit retail sold out.. .then only the really popular ones.. to now when like, pretty much any release figma save for some REALLY popular IPs sit on shelves long enough for anyone who wants it to get it stress free.
This is all purely speculation, but I got into figure collecting to the extent of what I could call a hobby about 10 years ago, and those that I have spoken to who have collected for as long as I have all feel the same way, both Japanese collectors and western ones.
I think the culture is changing, and the price rises don't help either.
