Top 5 Threats to Killing the Line...

[Midwinter]

1. Characters being released no longer appeal to enough people
2. Pricing continues to increase
3. Too many high priced items competing against each other. (Castle Grayskull is $300 on top of the subs and any other figures that might pop up around that time period - that is a lot of cash for some people)
4. Expectations by fans. (Still expecting a retail line when it is an adult collector mail order line)
5. DR ('nuff said)

[convoy]

1. Flooding the market with sub-lines of figures (i.e. Filmation, why not just include thses in the 2014 sub??)
2. Inevitable price increases
3. Shipping costs
4. Digital River
5. Obscure characters that fewer and fewer people "must ahve"

[Stratos*Major]

1.) Subscription only model (I am in the business mind that if you only have $20.00...I'm going to take the $20.00 over nothing)

2.) Poor Customer Service (I really do belive that if you had a problem with a figure & could return it no problem QC would not be as big an issue or if you had to change shipping/billing information you should be able to do this with no problem)

3.) "Sight-unseen" (Without knowing who you are going to buy it leaves too many "if's"...just give us a list of names...not the actual product or even the release schedule...just a list of names for the year)

4.) Asking for opinions (This is where I think fans get a sense of entitlement...they are lead to believe that their opinions count...when I mean bottom line...they don't. This then leads to resentment and a feeling of being "tricked")

5.) Fan vs. Customer (For me...I am a CUSTOMER of Mattel/Matty. I am a fan of He-Man/She-Ra. I may be more of a fan of Mattel/Matty if the above 4 where corrected.)

[powerofGS]

1. Forcing subs down everybody's throats
2. Very high shipping costs
3. Poor customer service
4. Toy Guru
5. Too many obscure characters while main characters are ignored.

[scott metzger]

5. No items day of sales: Nothing is going to kill things faster than having nothing availabel during the year to pull in new customers, or turn the folks who pick and choose into regular buyers. Strong arming often backfires; instead of being bullied into doing what Mattel wants, fans will say the heck with it and move on to something else.

4. Shipping. Prices are high, and service is slow. Folks are not going to be happy about paying a premium price for lousy delivery service. Add in the fact that DR still can't combine subs until the second go around (more on that later) and folks may find it actually cheaper to buy from secondary e-tailers who allow you to combine shipping or build up a pile of loot.

3. QC. Bad design decisions, assembly mistakes disguising themselves as bad design decisions, cracking translucent plastic, deteriorating foam, etc, etc. THe world's largest toy maker should not be having these kind of problems with doing something they have been doing for decades. This is a company wide problem, not just isolated to MOTU, so it needs a systemic solution.

2. Credibility. Namely, neither TG nor Mattel have any at this point. You can only make a promise in writing and then turn around and say, "We didn't promise that!" so many times before even the staunchest fans stop believing anything you say. The most recent reneging on the accesories for Grayskull is a major blow not just to this line, but to any future big ticket items Matty may want to sell. Nickel and diming on every item at the expense of the company's reputation is not a wise business decision. Credibility is easily lost and very hard to regain.

1. DR. Nothing in this line affects sales more than the utter inability of this company to actually run a website. THeir rep out in the real world is little better than it is with us, and the fact that Mattel chose them to begin with says a lot about the folks in charge at Mattel, as well. The Matty site is the joke of the web, takes years to figure out how to do simple things other sites have been doing for years, and can bungle even the simplest of things. To call them inept is to insult the inept. Never have I seen a worse excuse for a e-tail site or a company; there are simply no words that would not get me banned to sum up my opinion of this pathetic amalgamation of idiocy waiting to happen. When the line does inevitably end, these goobers are going to be the main reason why.

[Seril]

Fans'/collectors' sense of entitlement and lack of knowledge on product production.

This all the way.

[The All American]

5. No items day of sales: Nothing is going to kill things faster than having nothing availabel during the year to pull in new customers, or turn the folks who pick and choose into regular buyers. Strong arming often backfires; instead of being bullied into doing what Mattel wants, fans will say the heck with it and move on to something else.

4. Shipping. Prices are high, and service is slow. Folks are not going to be happy about paying a premium price for lousy delivery service. Add in the fact that DR still can't combine subs until the second go around (more on that later) and folks may find it actually cheaper to buy from secondary e-tailers who allow you to combine shipping or build up a pile of loot.

3. QC. Bad design decisions, assembly mistakes disguising themselves as bad design decisions, cracking translucent plastic, deteriorating foam, etc, etc. THe world's largest toy maker should not be having these kind of problems with doing something they have been doing for decades. This is a company wide problem, not just isolated to MOTU, so it needs a systemic solution.

2. Credibility. Namely, neither TG nor Mattel have any at this point. You can only make a promise in writing and then turn around and say, "We didn't promise that!" so many times before even the staunchest fans stop believing anything you say. The most recent reneging on the accesories for Grayskull is a major blow not just to this line, but to any future big ticket items Matty may want to sell. Nickel and diming on every item at the expense of the company's reputation is not a wise business decision. Credibility is easily lost and very hard to regain.

1. DR. Nothing in this line affects sales more than the utter inability of this company to actually run a website. THeir rep out in the real world is little better than it is with us, and the fact that Mattel chose them to begin with says a lot about the folks in charge at Mattel, as well. The Matty site is the joke of the web, takes years to figure out how to do simple things other sites have been doing for years, and can bungle even the simplest of things. To call them inept is to insult the inept. Never have I seen a worse excuse for a e-tail site or a company; there are simply no words that would not get me banned to sum up my opinion of this pathetic amalgamation of idiocy waiting to happen. When the line does inevitably end, these goobers are going to be the main reason why.

Here is how Mattel might answer you:

5. This line is just not big enough. There is just not an audience beyond He-Man to have more available stock.

4. We don't control shipping. Shipping is getting more expensive. This is out of our control. However, we are ALWAYS looking for new ways to address shipping.

3. These toys are made by hand and these issues will always happen. You are welcome to return your figure if there is an issue.

2. This is a tiny tiny line. We don't have the resources to give a poop.

1. DR is the only company that ships international. We are continually looking for ways to improve service. Check out our great subscription service that took years to implement!

[SunDevil]

1. Flooding the market with sub-lines of figures (i.e. Filmation, why not just include thses in the 2014 sub??)
2. Inevitable price increases
3. Shipping costs
4. Digital River
5. Obscure characters that fewer and fewer people "must have"

In #1 you ask why FILMation is not in the regular sub then in #5 you complain of obscure characters diluting the line. These are connected. To a lot of fans, FILMation characters that did not get a toy in the 80s ARE obscure and that would be exactly the sort of dilution you (rightly) chose for your list of line threats.

Matty has removed more non-vintage figures from the main sub because they were worried the line wouldn't survive after the sub scare last year. I think we're lucky to get seperate subs, otherwise we'd never get FILMation, etc. I think if it is a success, we might see PoP and NA subs as well. No way does the standard MOTUC sub last long enough to get us all figures from all eras with so many "heavy hitters" (as in 100% vintage 80s) coming out this fall and next year.

[Sgt. Slaughter]

1. Chinese laborers who want better working conditions.
2. Greedy CEOs who make more in a year than 95% of this forum will make in their lifetime.
3. Minimal risk mentality
4. Incompetence
5. Oil speculators

[Lay Ze-Man]

Fans'/collectors' sense of entitlement and lack of knowledge on product production.

Yeah! How dare customers not be experts in the field of the product they're purchasing!

And especially how dare they demand quality products for their money!

[chuc98]

Fans'/collectors' sense of entitlement and lack of knowledge on product production.

Gotta quote you too on this…cuz you're definitely right!

Also though…DR is pretty incompetent.

[King Kahn]

Yeah! How dare customers not be experts in the field of the product they're purchasing!

And especially how dare they demand quality products for their money!

Just because you don't know the law/speed limit does not stop them from arresting you/giving you a ticket.

So I can ask for or request ridiculous things and expect those rediculous things to come true just because I lack knowledge behind what I asked for? No and even when it is explained people still expect outrageous things.

Was I using a bit of hyperbole in my statement you quoted? yes. Was I also a bit serious? double yes. Not EVERYTHING we request is dumb (no black plastic)and yes we want quality product but you have to admit that some requests are outrageous where even a basic understanding of supply and demand or how the world in general works is beyond them.

[Lay Ze-Man]

Just because you don't know the law/speed limit does not stop them from arresting you/giving you a ticket.

So I can ask for or request ridiculous things and expect those rediculous things to come true just because I lack knowledge behind what I asked for? No and even when it is explained people still expect outrageous things.

Was I using a bit of hyperbole in my statement you quoted? yes. Was I also a bit serious? double yes. Not EVERYTHING we request is dumb (no black plastic)and yes we want quality product but you have to admit that some requests are outrageous where even a basic understanding of supply and demand or how the world in general works is beyond them.

The kind of person you're describing--while they do exist--doesn't even begin to comprise a significant percentage of MOTUC buyers. The fact that you have so many people "agreeing" with your post should tell you that, unless they're all self-loathing or delusional.

When it comes to MOTUC and its downturn and inevitable phasing out, Mattel is objectively its own worst enemy, NOT picky collectors who complain about or demand the unreasonable.

[King Kahn]

The kind of person you're describing--while they do exist--doesn't even begin to comprise a significant percentage of MOTUC buyers. The fact that you have so many people "agreeing" with your post should tell you that, unless they're all self-loathing or delusional.

When it comes to MOTUC and its downturn and inevitable phasing out, Mattel is objectively its own worst enemy, NOT picky collectors who complain about or demand the unreasonable.

It may not encompass a majority of the buyers but it sure does encompass a majority of the people online at times. Those loud, misinformed (but not numerous as you stated) customers/fans effect the online lurkers casual fans view of the line and therefor effect the health of the line. If someone spouts out some misinformation, others may take it as gospel. However, when they are proven wrong do they come back to be just as loud to make sure everyone hknows they were wrong? No (of course not this is the internet, no one does that), which then leads to someone possibly coming onto a board at a time right after a reveal for instance, getting the wrong info, then deciding not to buy something.

Does Mattel's missteps help them, no, but that is not the point or argument I was talking about.

The downturn has to do more with the life cycle of the line. The fact the line is middle aged and not a nubile young teen is the problem. Not many characters left mean not much life left.

[Stratos75]

not to be all neutral and stuff, but I think it's some where in the middle, some of the biggest whinners in combination with some pretty stupid business practices makes for a great combination!

Gotta say...this is pretty spot on. Toss in rises in cost for materials and shipping and we have a healthy 1-3. Like button, KK!

[Robzy]

International shipping prices being too high is what's driving me away!

I, like many of my friends already, am just about "out".

[ninjor 9]

!!!!! D list figures unknown characters !!!!. i speak for the non org.ers or non everyday org.ers from the outside . we will buy the originals put them in wal mart or toys r us. i admit i have grown to like a few of the concept characters but i dont have the xtra money or space for figures ive never heard of . i will say it again nostalgia sells . but this line isnt failing at all i think its stronger than ever , but it is getting a little tired , expensive, and drawn out , if they finish making the vintage figures MASTERS not pop or na or filmation . one a month would take about 2 more years . and will most likeley take 4 with all of the filler figures that ive never heard of. by 2 more years i will be bored with it and figures will cost $45 each anyways

[baronterror]

there is only one issue this line is facing in lasting: characters fans are willing to buy. that is all. any other issue is a false lead.

once they remaining characters are not enough to hold majority interest, there you have it.

i hope that is at least the end of 2014. 2015? who knows. but any other issue is irrelevant becaus as long as people want the characters they are selling, they will sell.

oh and for the record if people have failed to realize this toyguru and the 4h but particularly toyguru is the only reason we have this line.

he is us and fighting the good fight. we shouldnt hunt our own in petulant common fan over entitlement. i dont always agee with my brother but why get angry with him getting me pizza when the pizza place decides to get rid of my favourite topping? he likes it too, but there is a line where what we want and what we can get is drawn

that is one of the things that separate a mature mind and an unreasonable or short sighted mind. scott doesnt decide to ruin things. he just gets to tell us things we dont want to hear. well not me, i think everything is exactly what i want or i understand why it wasnt my specific choice. but you get the point.

comes down to there is one of us trying to ensure all of us get more of what makes us "us" and the only thing that will prevent this iteration of our focus from going further is there being anything left that is profitable to produce.

[Vikor]

My revised answer...

1. Shipping to Canada
2. Shipping to Canada
3. Shipping to Canada
4. Shipping to Canada
5. American fans not giving a you know what about the way that Canadian fans are getting totally screwed over. Zero solidarity = a line in crisis.

Don't know what I am talking about? Have a look at the Canadian MOTUC Shipping Discussion and see for yourself the myriad ways in which Canadian customers are getting royally taken for a ride. We've tried to work together to get an answer and resolution on this, but to no avail. I am SICKENED by Matty's attitude and it has come to a breaking point.

Canadians are now paying approximately $50 per figure. Pretty cool huh?

[Nemisythe]

1. Mattel's half a** support to the line. (Unless this movie actually happens)
2. Digital River
3. QC Issues
4. Price (maybe) and shipping cost (which are really questionable but this can go back to Digital River)
5. This seemingly shortage of figures even before day of sales which can really be a detractor....

[scott metzger]

Fans'/collectors' sense of entitlement and lack of knowledge on product production.

T'is entitlement to expect that a brand new figure I buy won't have parts that will not start to crack, deteriorate or turn yellow within a few months?

T'is entitlement to expect a company to fulfill its end of a written contract like the sub? Or to expect them to keep their word when they turn back on the things they have said in writing to sell their product?

T'is entitlement to expect that, when you give a website your credit card number, that they will not try to charge you for hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise you did not buy?

If it's entitlement to expect a company to be run competently and to actually honor its legal contracts with its customers, then call me one of the entitled.

[Prahvus]

1) Quality control issues

2) Digital River and Matty's Customer (dis)service

3) Scott Neitlich

3) Shipping costs

4) Broken promises + lack of ambition and lack of promotion for MOTUC

[BrettX209]

1) Digital River/difficulty obtaining product
2) Increasing product cost
3) Declining/continued quality control issues
4) Shady marketing/overpromising and underdelivering /burned bridges
5) Remaining character selection is too random for buying blind. In other words, I don't want to order another blind subscription to a line where the majority of characters I'm interested in has already been released.

[Berserker79]

-Non-popular characters
-bad quality
-strange decisions by Mattel

[vazqjose]

1-3. Rising costs pretty much are the reason we are not getting reissues and cut back on accesories.
4- Poor character choices
5- The 25th anniversary line wasnt handled like it should be