Action Figure News Wrapper

[Hamlet]

I hear you all, and I need you to know I’m right there with you. I’m refreshing links and chomping at the bit to get all these silly subsets just like everyone else on these boards. I’ve only been able to secure 2 of the Walmart 4 so far, and it is driving me nuts. So I’m not trying to subvert what anyone above has said, nor am I trying to prevent more venting below. We need somewhere to vent our frustrations, right?
But, I’ve got to say this is madness. We’re letting them do this to us. This is a toy company that is now trying to sell their toys as valued collectibles. These are not rare items. They are mass produced. On a huge scale. These aren’t limited editions or numbered production runs. I’ve been collecting Black Series since the beginning. And up until this last year and a half, I’ve been able to acquire one of every figure with few difficulties. But something has happened lately. The days of the Rogue One peg-warmers are long gone, and I think it is because Hasbro figured out how to game us. They create fomo, and let it build, and it results in sell-outs because we go rabid. From white boxes to carbonized paint to subsets split across multiple retailers, they continue to create the perception that their product is limited and valuable. They are using something like the Funko model now. And those of us who are still completionists are making it too easy. Remember when store exclusives used to sit forever? Now stores don’t even have to unload or stock them. A few times this week, I found myself paying almost 40 dollars retail on websites for figures I used to wait for until they fell to 12 bucks on clearance. Am I crazy? I must be crazy. These things are not worth that much to begin with, and they certainly aren’t worth all the time hunting online and the gas burned up driving around like a maniac trying to secure them. This stuff should be fun and easy. But all of a sudden it’s not. Sure, scalpers are partially to blame. But I think we’re being gamed here - I even feel manipulated by the new numbering system! When Marvel Legends get too expensive in the aftermarket, they release new ones. When Ezra and Chopper got too expensive on eBay, they re-released them. But we aren’t even giving them a chance to re-release when we chose to see just-released items at retail as collectible or valuable or rare. Of course they will eventually re-release these figures, but not until they set the board again and can be sure of another quick sell-out.
Now I’m gonna go check stocktrack and amazon...seriously. I’m going to do it right now. Because I’m a pawn in their well-designed game. I just wish I was strong enough to resist!