Answers to WTFWTK 2.31!

[Mr. Shokoti]

Apparently they don't want to go with the pre-order route (according to a recent post by ToyGuru over on the Matty forums) because they are worried about fans get angry if/when an item gets delayed or canceled.

However, I think most fans would be happier with that option than the current one of having to battle everyone else during a very limited time frame on Matty's website to get the figures, and hope that no glitches occur to screw it up if you do get in while the items are still technically in stock.

They're worried about angry fans? Didn't they look at the forums or Facebook yesterday?

[Darth Latveria]

There's something I've wondered for awhile. What does WTFWTK actually stand for?

[Sir Auros]

There's something I've wondered for awhile. What does WTFWTK actually stand for?

What The Frakk Would They Know

EDIT - Going all BSG on it is even funnier than asterisks.

[chuc98]

There's something I've wondered for awhile. What does WTFWTK actually stand for?

What The Fans Want To Know

[King Kahn]

What The Frakk Would They Know

EDIT - Going all BSG on it is even funnier than asterisks.

hahaha nice

[VaultsofGrayskull]

I wonder why other two lines that offer presales don't have the kind of logistic problems mentioned? Could it be because a trained monkey would likely be able to manage distribution and billing than DR has to date?!? I mean, what would be so hard about not charging the customer until the product they ordered through pre-sales ship?

Is DR really that inefficient and their CSRs so poorly trained they can't manage what other companies have done successfully for YEARS???

i don't get this explanation. why would you need to be 100% certain about the release schedule to do pre-orders? i pre-ordered a DVD set on amazon once and the item was canceled prior to its release, and they just sent me an email saying, sorry this item was canceled, your credit card will not be charged. what's the big deal?

Amazon is the most obvious example. It handles pre-orders very well all the time on DVDs and other products. It only involves keeping a database of customers who are waiting and then charging their accounts when the product is ready. If the product doesn't get released, no harm done.

The whole answer to a pre-sale option is BS. If a figure has to get pushed back, it's pushed back. At some point the figure will be released and whoever pre-ordered would still get their figures. I don't mind paying 6-8 months in advance to guarantee that I can get a figure. The people at Mattel really think that their customers are morons.

It shouldn't even be necessary to pay in advance, but for a limited edition line, I don't suppose there would be too many objections if we had to.

Apparently they don't want to go with the pre-order route (according to a recent post by ToyGuru over on the Matty forums) because they are worried about fans get angry if/when an item gets delayed or canceled.

However, I think most fans would be happier with that option than the current one of having to battle everyone else during a very limited time frame on Matty's website to get the figures, and hope that no glitches occur to screw it up if you do get in while the items are still technically in stock.

We're mature enough to know that glitches happen. Sometimes things might be delayed. So what it we're getting what we want eventually?

That is exactly why the answer is unsatisfying. BigBadToyStore.com offers preorders on items when they are RUMORS, and they get by just fine. As far as release dates slipping, look at BBTS again and you see an online retailer that occasionally has preordered items that don't get fulfilled until months after the originally expected date.

The bottom line is that Mattel makes more money and has more leeway to make unpopular figures by forcing you to get a subscription if you want to be guaranteed a figure instead of fighting with the "resellers" and hordes of actual fans at noon once a month.

Making more money until people get fed up with unwanted figures in the subscriptions and they stop buying altogether.

The pre-order answer is very weak. There has only ever been one delay, which was Adora and that was only a month. Many, many other companies do pre-orders. There is no reason why Matty can't.

Wun-Dar was moved forwards and then moved back. In the grand scheme of things, it really isn't a big deal.

I've added a question to the next set of WTFWTK about pre-orders. Let's see if it gets selected. I think we should keep pushing this, because it's evident that this is important to a lot of people here.

[Mr. Shokoti]

I could be wrong, but I feel that Mattel doesn't want to offer MOTUC pre-orders since it will probably cut down on their sales. A lot of sales are due to "resellers" and people making impulse buys since they fear they won't get a second chance to buy what's on sale. If Mattel offers pre-orders, people are not only guaranteed to get what they want(this will really hurt "resellers" who will eventually stop buying so many to later mark up), it will also give people enough time to decide what they want(not as many impulse buys).

[dark knight]

I could be wrong, but I feel that Mattel doesn't want to offer MOTUC pre-orders since it will probably cut down on their sales. A lot of sales are due to "resellers" and people making impulse buys since they fear they won't get a second chance to buy what's on sale. If Mattel offers pre-orders, people are not only guaranteed to get what they want(this will really hurt "resellers" who will eventually stop buying so many to later mark up), it will also give people enough time to decide what they want(not as many impulse buys).

you are right
i will not mind if i could make a pre order of any figure without know when will be release it and get charged once the figure its shipped, and in that way at least i will know that i will have the figure yes or yes, no matter if which month will be avaliable