Curious what fans think - do you want a cost reduced 20.00 figure?

[ShadowBeast]

It's not just the $4 discrepancy, either. The cost of shipping doesn't even make sense when you start getting to big ticket items, even combined with regular items. Here's another example:

Battle Cat + Regular MOTUC figure @ BBTS: $22.49 shipping
Battle Cat + Regular MOTUC figure @ Matty: $46.60 shipping

Please, someone come tell me that "this is correct" or to "move on if you can't afford it." It's not correct. It's outrageous. Whether I can afford it or not is not even the point. There is absolutely no way it costs that much to ship those items to me in Canada unless they fill the package with bricks.

Based on what happened with Castle Grayskull's shipping weight, I think it is likely that Battle Cat's shipping weight is set too high. To change it now would be to admit a mistake and potentially create a CS situation, so they leave it alone even though we can compare it directly to Panthor. Battle Cat was the first oversize item, right? So they guessed high and it shows. Corporations expertly minimize their risk. Consumers pay the price.

[Eterniandreams]

Shipping is killing teh lien

[shadowfall1976]

Trying to think outside the box here, and this will sound radical to some but.... how about cutting loose the Four Horsemen? I mean I can't even imagine how much Matty is paying these guys to sculpt the figs, and I'm sure this is a big factor in the high cost of the figs. They're basically outsourcing the sculpting to these guys and I'm sure paying a pretty penny for it, rather than using their own in house designers, who seem to also have a hand in things, so they're double dipping on paying a design team.
There are plenty of talented designers out there who I'm sure would do just as good of work much cheaper than the renowned 4H; thus providing a substancial price break to the customers. Take Kevin Kosse for example; his work is fantastic and rivals what we get from the 4H. I've read articles that the 4H want to move on and concentrate on their own material soon anyway.

But either way, something has to be done or we're going to fall off the cliff... the price point has now exceeded the value for a lot of collectors, and I'm sure next year we will see another drop off in sales, and 2014 will be the last year, if we even get it. TG clearly sees this and that's why he made this post. He even said "potential 2014", as it very far from a given.
If doing away with the current packaging, some (not all) accessories and the 4H, means that the line can continue indefinitly at $20ish a fig, would that save the line?
Think about it, the line could go on for years creating new and obscure characters, along with past and new variants. Maybe even scrap the Sub model. There are things that could be done to save or prolong the line without sacrificing quality, but is Scott and Matty willing to do it????

Wait...what?

The 4H have not actually said they want to move on, they already have their own stuff and have had it for a while now. Plus, the 4H actually helped develop this line when they sculpted King Grayskull themselves. So, no, cut the 4H, that will definitely kill the line, and take the figures from great figures in a MOTUC to just figures in a yet another line. Sure other sculptors are out there....but this line is as much the 4H's, as it is Mattel's & ours.

And cutting packaging will not save much at all, Cutting accessories is just nonsense, been there done that...hence the majority of the WP#3 items...., and cutting 4H....stupid period....so no.

If the line dies, it dies, it will not be our fault, it will be both Mattel & the economy....not us. I would love to see a few more years, and what figures could come in those few years would surely be awesome, but if we've reached the end, I'd prefer the line to have peaked than fizzled.

[DatenshiBlue]

Reducing the quality of the figures would be awful. I think that the price increase sucks, but I'd rather that than them changing the formula. If they send out figures in polybags that completely alienates the MOC collectors. I just feel for 25 bucks a pop they probably could throw in the occasional extra (extra head, head for another figure, special accessory, etc). I also feel the price isn't as much an issue as the shipping company and the high price for the lousy service. Just my two cents.

[Larry Waters]

I agree with the sentiment that the shipping is the thing that really needs a good fix here, as far as costs go.

I personally don't mind paying $25 for the figures. I really like them, so even though that price stings I will pay it to get these figures that I love. But when you have to add $10 for shipping, that's when it really hurts.

Those shipping prices are far too high for how slow the shipping is. Anyone in the US who ships regularly can tell you that shipping a figure of this size would only cost between $5-$8 to ship via USPS and it would only take 3 days to arrive. The fact that I have to pay $10 for shipping and it takes up to 2 weeks to arrive is really bad.

It's even worse that I have two subscriptions, and for whatever reason they are shipping separately. So I'm getting dinged with two $10 shipping charges.

So I'd say if you guys are going to change anything, focus on the shipping charges. I think a lot of people would be more willing to pay the $25 per figure if they didn't also have to pay high shipping charges on top of it.

You were only charged $10 for shipping? Wow, where can I get THAT deal???

$15 for Netossa.

Just Netossa.

[spoogyrm]

We have the highest discount that UPS gives to companies, so I entered what it would cost around 10 dollars to reverse ship a single figure via ground back to Ontario, CA. Take that for what it is worth. I was going to go into some spill of economics, but what was I thinking, no one will listen to reason. It is a hobby not food or shelter, if you can't afford it, move onto something else.

Right? People are being crazy, saying things like, "I speculate that it would only cost $5 to ship this figure..." Well, they speculate wrong. The cost of shipping a single figure around various parts of the US is around $9 at LEAST, and that's not counting ANY packaging or handling. I actually feel bad for Scott at this point, because people just aren't getting it. I mean, how hard is it to look up a shipping rate?

- - - Updated - - -

My netossa was shipped to me UPS ground for over 14$. I then ADDED weight and reshipped in the exact same box UPS ground and it cost 6.39$.

Explain to me why they get charged so much more.

Well, MAYBE, just maybe it has something to do with where you live, where the person you shipped it to lived and what shipping methods you chose.

[Balthus Dire]

We have the highest discount that UPS gives to companies, so I entered what it would cost around 10 dollars to reverse ship a single figure via ground back to Ontario, CA. Take that for what it is worth. I was going to go into some spill of economics, but what was I thinking, no one will listen to reason. It is a hobby not food or shelter, if you can't afford it, move onto something else.

Right? People are being crazy, saying things like, "I speculate that it would only cost $5 to ship this figure..." Well, they speculate wrong. The cost of shipping a single figure around various parts of the US is around $9 at LEAST, and that's not counting ANY packaging or handling. I actually feel bad for Scott at this point, because people just aren't getting it. I mean, how hard is it to look up a shipping rate?

Many of us have posted various competitive shipping rates. How hard is it to read the thread?

[Larry Waters]

Trying to think outside the box here, and this will sound radical to some but.... how about cutting loose the Four Horsemen? I mean I can't even imagine how much Matty is paying these guys to sculpt the figs, and I'm sure this is a big factor in the high cost of the figs. They're basically outsourcing the sculpting to these guys and I'm sure paying a pretty penny for it, rather than using their own in house designers, who seem to also have a hand in things, so they're double dipping on paying a design team.
There are plenty of talented designers out there who I'm sure would do just as good of work much cheaper than the renowned 4H; thus providing a substancial price break to the customers. Take Kevin Kosse for example; his work is fantastic and rivals what we get from the 4H. I've read articles that the 4H want to move on and concentrate on their own material soon anyway.

But either way, something has to be done or we're going to fall off the cliff... the price point has now exceeded the value for a lot of collectors, and I'm sure next year we will see another drop off in sales, and 2014 will be the last year, if we even get it. TG clearly sees this and that's why he made this post. He even said "potential 2014", as it very far from a given.
If doing away with the current packaging, some (not all) accessories and the 4H, means that the line can continue indefinitly at $20ish a fig, would that save the line?
Think about it, the line could go on for years creating new and obscure characters, along with past and new variants. Maybe even scrap the Sub model. There are things that could be done to save or prolong the line without sacrificing quality, but is Scott and Matty willing to do it????

I think this is the first truly Ban-Worthy post I've ever read on the Org.

The cheese has officially slid off your cracker...

[Balthus Dire]

lol "cut the four horsemen"

[fball13z]

Trying to think outside the box here, and this will sound radical to some but.... how about cutting loose the Four Horsemen? I mean I can't even imagine how much Matty is paying these guys to sculpt the figs, and I'm sure this is a big factor in the high cost of the figs. They're basically outsourcing the sculpting to these guys and I'm sure paying a pretty penny for it, rather than using their own in house designers, who seem to also have a hand in things, so they're double dipping on paying a design team.
There are plenty of talented designers out there who I'm sure would do just as good of work much cheaper than the renowned 4H; thus providing a substancial price break to the customers. Take Kevin Kosse for example; his work is fantastic and rivals what we get from the 4H. I've read articles that the 4H want to move on and concentrate on their own material soon anyway.

But either way, something has to be done or we're going to fall off the cliff... the price point has now exceeded the value for a lot of collectors, and I'm sure next year we will see another drop off in sales, and 2014 will be the last year, if we even get it. TG clearly sees this and that's why he made this post. He even said "potential 2014", as it very far from a given.
If doing away with the current packaging, some (not all) accessories and the 4H, means that the line can continue indefinitly at $20ish a fig, would that save the line?
Think about it, the line could go on for years creating new and obscure characters, along with past and new variants. Maybe even scrap the Sub model. There are things that could be done to save or prolong the line without sacrificing quality, but is Scott and Matty willing to do it????

So lets see you think cutting MOC collectors out of the hobby and CUTTING THE 4HM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Would save this line?

This line would already be dead without the 4HM's love and care behind those sculpts, you sir should put down whatever you are smoking and walk away.

[spoogyrm]

Many of us have posted various competitive shipping rates. How hard is it to read the thread?

I've read the thread. I also know that it costs $8.50 or so to ship a figure to the places people have cited (like Michigan,) from California. That's not counting packaging or handling. People are saying things about using Cornerstone Logistics (which isn't likely a realistic option,) and that they just can't figure out how come it might cost less to mail the same figure somewhere else. It isn't especially compelling.

[ManKindRam]

As a collector of Justice League Unlimited from Mattel.......this post by Scott reminds me so much of the last few years of JLU, it is scary...........

Anyone who thinks cutting the MOC collectors or the 4H from this line will help it, needs to go check into Arkham right now.

[Tiberius]

S&H is the big kick in the nuts. As much as I dislike the price increase for the figures, it is something I can work around. Also with the Canadian dollar being above the american, it makes it a bit less painful as I don't get charged extra to convert it. 10+ dollars to ship something to Canada is reasonable, IF it showed up in 2 weeks. That however is not the case, I get it in a month - 6 weeks. I got items from CHINA! Yes... CHINA faster than DR! Anyone else find something wrong with that? So my big problem and everyone elses seems we feel we aren't getting our moneys worth, which is justified.

It's hard to pay 27$ dollars for a figure when the MOTUC team decides to do some of these

- Paint over coloured plastic. PAINT CHIPPING IS BAD MKAY?
- Lack of accessories. I, and I am sure a lot of us HATE when TG says we are getting a weapon that is going to show up in a weapons pack. Sorry to say it TG but for 27 dollars, those damn accessories better be included! If it means getting rid of the weapons pack this year then do it.
- We know it isn't Mattycollector, so to say. But something needs to be done with DR. We don't know about any contracts you got with them but as I said up top, shipping isn't justified and is a big money grab. You know it, we know it. So address it, get on DR ass, and fix it.


As the people that put food on YOUR table Scott, we deserve the best, as do all costumers with ANY company.

[ShadowBeast]

I've read the thread. I also know that it costs $8.50 or so to ship a figure to the places people have cited (like Michigan,) from California. That's not counting packaging or handling. People are saying things about using Cornerstone Logistics (which isn't likely a realistic option,) and that they just can't figure out how come it might cost less to mail the same figure somewhere else. It isn't especially compelling.

Yeah, call me "crazy" but I think some people are missing the difference between UPS and USPS in the shipping comparisons.

Also, DR is using some sort of bargain-basement shipping experiment gone awry called Newgistics. Here is a testimonial from their website:

"Newgistics picks up our packages and distributes them to logistics warehouses where they are sorted and then sent out to the different post offices."

So Newgistics is an additional step before the USPS ever receives your package. I imagine they operate the warehouses in Sparks, NV and Fishers, IN where our packages sit and sit and sit...and then get delivered to the USPS.

[ManKindRam]

Yeah, call me "crazy" but I think some people are missing the difference between UPS and USPS in the shipping comparisons.

Also, DR is using some sort of bargain-basement shipping experiment gone awry called Newgistics. Here is a testimonial from their website:

"Newgistics picks up our packages and distributes them to logistics warehouses where they are sorted and then sent out to the different post offices."

So Newgistics is an additional step before the USPS ever receives your package. I imagine they operate the warehouses in Sparks, NV and Fishers, IN where our packages sit and sit and sit...and then get delivered to the USPS.

Yup, I agree here

[beastor]

I've read the thread. I also know that it costs $8.50 or so to ship a figure to the places people have cited (like Michigan,) from California. That's not counting packaging or handling. People are saying things about using Cornerstone Logistics (which isn't likely a realistic option,) and that they just can't figure out how come it might cost less to mail the same figure somewhere else. It isn't especially compelling.

Read my post #542. It cost me $4.90 to ship the figure priority mail in the same box with a new label. I wasn't shipping it far but then again I only live 2 hours from the warehouse so why is it costing me almost $10 for snail shipping?

[Clawful Ofit]

Cut the 4H? How stoned are you? I can't even believe that was brought up. Unreal.

[Chop!]

Shipping cost needs to be reduced. it's ridiculous currently. If that means a poly bag while the figure's bling bling n quality remains the same, then I'm game.
Basically, a figured should cost no more than $30 shipped.

[ninjor 9]

i would pay $100 a figure for
jistu.
two bad
mantenna
modulok
multibot
rokkon
stonedar
blade
saurod
gwildor
blast attak
twistoid
rotar
squeeze
buzz saw hordak
ninjor
clamp champ
tongue lashor
horde trooper
dragstor
single pack orko
single pack prince adam
snake face
flying fist he man
terror claws skeletor
and a normal sized ram man .
sign me up for my 1st sub. $100 each if promised these figures before the line fails , but give me an advanced warning so i can donate blood to pay . but thats what id pay to secure these figures .and im not even sure i care about the packaging i would take these figure if they came in a brown paper lunch bag ,

[Stratos*Major]

Here's the thing.

If I'm paying $9.90 to get a figure shipped then why am I waiting 8 days for a package to arrive from CA to MS? If I paid $5.75 which is the postage rate I've seen multiple times from indiviual sellers I get it in 4 days...from NY state to MS.

To further the point I've sold a 5lb collectible approx. 4 times the size of my matty boxes and only paid $24.00 through USPS.

[SCB]

I wouldn't cut the Four Horsemen. I would just cut ONE Horsemen and just use three to offset the shipping costs.

[Benedict Judas Hel]

lol "cut the four horsemen"

[scott metzger]

It's the usual we've come to expect from Matty; come up with a solution that is cheap and easy rather than one that would require folks who know what they are doing. One of the biggest reasons the prices to make the figures went up is something Mattel avoids mentioning: they are making fewer of them. The utter incompetence of DR has had a major effect on sales; we are way beyond having any sort of debate on that. Mattel's laziness and greed made them turn exclusively to the easy money of the sub instead of taking a risk with day of sales like basically every other company does when they put their product out there, ensuring that the line would slowly lose customers with little way for new ones to hop on board. Now they can fix everything by charging the same old price and giving us a lot less. Par for the course.

There's always been ways to cut costs. The whole set-up of Matty seems ludicrous, where they can't even leave some product up until it sells because it costs them money. A pile of loot feature like BBTS would mitigate the inflated shipping (I can buy the figures at BBTS at a higher price and still come out even becuase their shipping is cheaper to start with and I can hold off and ship multiple items at once, saving a LOT on shipping). But that would take a company that knows what it is doing; DR can barely handle a sub where the billing and shipping information are the same month after month. THey have a website of their own, and yet still keep the joke known as Matty around (likely because of a poorly conceived contract courtesy of the geniuses at Mattel legal. It's a comedy of errors and bad choices, and we're paying for it, both figuratively and literally.

[PPC]

So we cut the Four Horsemen? Who are we left with? Ruben? It's bad enough that he butchers the Horsemen's sculpts now, what would it be like if he were doing the entire job? No thanks.

The shipping is the problem. Someone is inflating the shipping costs for extra profit. I don't know if it's Matty or DR, but for Scott to make the claim that they were losing money on an already inflated rate is ridiculous. It's common knowledge by now that anyone can ship the same package at USPS for cheaper and quicker than even 2008's shipping rate.

It's time to come clean Scott. No one believes you on your shipping price story. Cut the rates, or forget about 2014.

[Skeeter]

I prefer to continue paying the current price for the current product and would not prefer to pay a lower price for a cost-reduced item.