>>7379928I can't even keep track of who's arguing what with who, but since neither of you seem to get it, I'll explain how retail works
Hasbro has a MSRP, which is what they suggest retailers sell the product at because of supply and demand. They know that if the product is sold at that point they'll be able to supply the amount that it'll sell. Anything under that and they can't be sure. They probably can handle it, but maybe not. Anything over that and the merch won't move, meaning retailers have a back log and won't buy more from the supplier.
However retailers have a few more things to consider than hasbro's supply and demand. Shelf life is an issue, they know that as a toy sits longer, the less likely it'll sell, so the lower the price may go.
But how can they lower the price?
It's called buying wholesale. Buying in such large quantities directly from the supplier let's them buy well below market value, and then sell the product at market value, using the difference between them to pay for the various things between (shipping costs and labor mostly)
A transformer toy is typically 15-25% profit for a place like walmart, which is why they can take the hit of a temporary price reduction pretty easily.
At the end of the day though, the ONLY control Hasbro has on the base price is how much they're willing to sell it for wholesale.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that now that Toys R Us, who's prices were fairly high (Indicating they paid hasbro more than a store like walmart) went under and a massive outlet for their sales is gone that prices would have to go up to accommodate that, but it's hardly hasbro trying anything to make a quick buck.
Not to mention places like your local comic book store aren't even buying this stuff wholesale. They're buying it from places like BBTS, who often already has a markup.
