Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

It seems that in the last six months or so, Toys R Us Canada has drastically increased their prices.

For instance, take the NECA Exclusive Aliens v. Predator Two-Pack.

On toysrus.com, the price for the set is $43.99 USD.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...entPage=search

Yet go to the Canadian site...

http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index....uctId=80168246

$79.99. Nearly DOUBLE the price.

Now, I know the exchange rate between Canada and the US isn't the best right now, but it isn't so bad that it justifies nearly doubling the Canadian price.

Unbelievable.

Their other new NECA products are similarly priced. :argh:

Re: Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

I feel you man, I've been looking forward to the NECA Heroes of the Storm figures, only to find that its $34.99 here vs. $25 in the States. I think I can wait for whenever it goes on sale at this rate.

Re: Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

Yup, I feel exactly the same way. I'm not going to pay close to $40.00 (when tax is factored in) for one action figure, especially when you know what it is selling for south of the border.

I'm no businessman or economist, but does NECA even want their products selling for such an inflated price?

I mean, these figures are marketed to collectors, and we are a fairly savvy niche market when it comes to factors like availability and pricing, I would say. (The very existence of this website is proof of that!)

At prices this high, are many collectors are going to buy these figures from Toys R Us? I'm not. Unless there's a sale. And I've yet to see any sale for NECA figs offered from TRU.

Now, I don't know if Toys R Us Canada is being sold these figures at a much higher price, so in turn they have to jack it up so much, but the bottom line is that with prices this high, regardless of the reasons why, are these figures gonna sell?

And if they don't, how does that help NECA, who makes them?

I'll step off my soapbox now lol.

Re: Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

TRU pays $20 for 7" figures from NECA, just a little more than they pay for Hasbro's 6" figures (I think they make about $7-9 on Hasbro's 6" figures, and are trying to make $15 per 7" figure). It's also though a supplier known as Everest Wholesale, who sell various products including lots of collector oriented products such as NECA and the Doctor Who products. Anyways, the point is they're trying to make a huge profit on these figures. A buddy I know that currently works there also told me that when a higher up visited the store he made sure that the collector's products were in a corner of R-Zone facing the wall instead of the customers at cash. They just don't seem to care a whole lot about this market even though there's a decent chance to make some money from them. I'm guessing they'll eventually use how little they're selling to pull them off the shelves all together. They already only project sales of 300 for most NECA figures, but the prices won't help them meet those expectations. It's a sad thing, really.

If you guys remember when NECA figures first came to TRU Canada they were priced at $25 per figure, the 2-packs were either $43.99 or $49.99, not unreasonable at all. But now at $35 per, and a 2 pack being somehow 35+35=80 they're definitely pushing their luck. It isn't just them though, for example 401 Games ordered the HotS figures and had them for $29.99. All the Novas and I think an Illidan sold and when they ordered another set they raised the price of each to $37.99. And to no one's surprise every single figure from the second order and the remaining of the first are still there. What a mess the collector's market in Canada is.

Re: Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

My issue is not the prices. It's the distribution. I could complain for days about it, it's so bad.

Re: Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

$40 a figure, thats bonkers

Re: Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

Great post, Onslaught. Very informative.

At least there's still Amazon.ca for decently priced NECA figures. I just wish they got more of them.

Re: Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

I was gonna buy the AVP set today until I saw the pricetag. I get the dollar is weak, but we can't be paying THIS much more.
I had to pass.
Also, their "collectors corner" is a joke. Some stores have some selection, others almost none. I mean minecraft and Halo Mega Bloks by the zillions, but where are the "collectors" stuff? They take up those shelf spots!
Also, I am sick of Transformers Platinum pricing as well. I refuse to buy any on 2 counts. 1: They are horrible colours and 2: I bought TRU Soundwave, with all 5 cassettes and BLUE like he should be for close to half the price of the clear and red version. G2 Laser Prime which became 2000 RID Scourge was roughly 40.00. Now Platinum is 200.00. WTF is that all about?
Insecticons for 80? Smokescreen is around the same price to buy a Takara one.
You can barely find Neca, you can barely find Figuarts (which TRU USA I believe have) No Gremlins, no Simpsons (don't collect but as a point)
If you do a Neca search on Tru.ca. 2 pages. Do one on Tru.com, 6-8 pages. Hell, search Godzilla and see the options Tru.com has.
Sorry for the rant. There is so much wrong with what is going on in Canada right now in the collectables Dept.

Re: Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

American collectors seem to complain about the US TRU just as much, if not more often. I often read stories of TRU in the US price gouging on popular items.

To be fair regarding the Heroes of the Storm figures, the cost is a little bit higher than it is with most NECA figures for whatever reason. There can also be a variance depending on supplier, but you would think that TRU of all places would go through a supplier with a good volume discount.

Also keep in mind that the true exchange rate is anywhere from 1.3 to 1.35 these days, so that $34.99 is not too far off, and those big stores are always looking for a big profit margin.

We currently have HotS figures in stock at $29.99, but we try to remain competitive with other collector-oriented stores.

Not to sound like I'm defending TRU though, after all they are competition. ;) I can't account for the $80 price tag on the AvP set, although TRU pricing often can't be accounted for. Some stuff is a great deal, other stuff is extremely overpriced.

Re: Toys R Us Canada & Their Increasingly Insane Prices
 

TRU regular price on some Transformers is still less than Walmarts for some reason - minus Walmart's currently price cut.