TRU Exclusives and International Availability

[Turtle]

From the most recent QandA:

Agent 86

Dear DST,

1. Recently a fair amount of Battlestar Galactica merchandise has been announced as being exclusive to Toys R Us. I was wondering what that means for international fans of your Battlestar Galactica merchandise (both action figures and minimates). The local Toys R Us stores in Australia do not receive their US counterparts “exclusive” figures. Will the Toys R Us exclusives be available to international fans in the ordinary way (that is, available to international retailers to order) or will we have to resort to Ebay in order to obtain these new items?

DSTChuck: Ok Agent 86 here we go;

1. For international customers right now since we are not selling to TRU worldwide they have been nice enough to allow our sales folks to offer to international distributors. Now will they order them, that we can’t do anything about but they are being offered to the buyers. IF you want them tell your local store to bug their distributor.

I live in the States, so I am not hugely affected by this news, but I thought our non-U.S. members could put this to good use. If every non-U.S. member let's his/her shop know they are interested, something might happen. Maybe. Good luck.

(Apologies if this is already being discussed. I couldn't find it, and it seems like the kind of news that should be discussed.)

[buttheadsmate]

Unless the Minimates are tested.....unless each individual Minimate is individually tested.....for safety they cannot be sold within the EU as toys. I don't aim this at you ,Turtle, but I fail to see how ToysRUseless can sell them outside of North America. I have often suspected this as another stumbling-block for not getting Dr.Who 'mates.

[Turtle]

I took Chuck's statement to mean that international distributors, not neccessarily TRU, would have the option of selling these outside of the US. I don't know how minimates are sold in the EU, but do you have some official method for getting them rather than by buying from US/non-EU countries? If so, that would be the channel to use, I think.

...each individual toy has to be safety tested in the EU to be sold as a toy? Yowzers.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Turtle

[karamazov80]

There certainly are advantages to living in a country that values the entrepreneurial spirit over the well-being of its peoples

[buttheadsmate]

...each individual toy has to be safety tested in the EU to be sold as a toy? Yowzers.

....@ $500 each! Incredible in the very sense of the word but that was the going rate as quoted by Diamond to me last August . There is however nothing to stop anybody importing them as adult collectables

[NorthRaider]

Is that something similar to the same reason why you never see Kinder Surprise Eggs at retail in the States? Wait, what am I talking about? I don't know how export regulations work. I've never even seen a Kinder Surprise Egg before, as far as I'm concerned they're all probably just a myth

Turtle, a bunch of us Philippines-based boardies have actually wondered if it was possible for the TRUs here to carry Minimates as well. However it appears most of the Asian TRU branches are centrally based at Hong Kong or something... I wonder if Captain Minimate has seen some at TRUs in his neck of the woods yet.

[Danny]

I remember the outcry of the UKers here that DST were no longer paying to get the CE mark on the box (and therefore not allow it to be sold as it breaks safety laws) but had no idea of the cost involved.

I get a bit misty eyed knowing I'll never see Minimates in my local TRU again.