>>6694317The first thing I want to tell you is that toys are dying. The companies have priced parents out of the market and they've finally reached the breaking point with collectors. Here in Canada, to make a 40% margin, without taking into account exchange, which is around 25-30% on the dollar, we need to charge between $30-35 for a NECA figure. Around a 50% margin is needed in most cases to make any money on a figure after costs in an independent store.
That said, NECA destroys the competition. Anything in their horror line is a guaranteed sellout no matter how much we order. The last few Predator and Alien waves have been much slower for us (especially Aliens, which are shelfwarming hard besides the Neomorph), but the Ultimate Chucky, Ash, and Jasons that just came out shifted 20+ units each. That's huge for an independent store.
Our biggest seller used to be Marvel Select, but people have stopped caring about those in the last couple years. I believe this is due to a destroyed release schedule (GOTG2 stuff released THIS WEEK when Marvel Select used to come out before the movie) and price hikes. That line is dying.
Legends have picked up after years of decline. I think this is because they finally look and feel worth the price point. We don't sell a lot of them though because our price cannot compete with the bulk buying big box stores.
Mezco One:12 is getting huge, as collectors are viewing them as the Hot Toys alternative. We only order the most easily sold Hot Toys and sell maybe 4-5 of them a year, but when a good Mezco figure comes out we can shift 4-5 in a month. They need to work on their distribution though because I still have customers coming in and asking for Punisher but we were only able to get one of him.
Star Wars is Star Wars. Figures are slow, but we sell a ton of Star Wars mugs, shirts, etc.
Also, as an aside, fuck Funko. Customers constantly calling looking for Chase Pops are the worst.
