Are TRU exclusive Minimates a good thing?

[Lobsterman]

The notion that certain toys are (or should be) a rare commodity is, in my humble opinion, a bit cynical. Toys are for enjoying, not leveraging. But, again, that's my opinion, and I understand others feel differently.

If you view your purchases as investments to be sold at a profit later, you have to accept the unpredictability of the market you're entering. Investing is a risky business; be prepared for your assets to go down as well as up, like any other investment. However, understand that toy manufacturers certainly don't view toys as investments, so it's ridiculous to get mad when those manufacturers make decisions that wreck your "portfolio."

If you view your purchases as some proof of superior discipline, tenacity, loyalty, or taste, I ask, to what end? Fine. You've been a collector since the beginning. Why should that mean you're entitled to some privilege newer collectors aren't? You did the hard work, you got the chase figure, and you got to enjoy it before most other people. Why does that have to be a permanent situation? Does lording a two-inch piece of plastic you had the foresight to buy six years ago over someone who just got into the game make you feel that much better about yourself? If so, I'd ask whether you like Minimates at all, or whether you just like having things other people don't.

[buttheadsmate]

I'm pretty sure that Dino has lost his marbles but Lobsterman do you honestly believe " that toy manufacturers don't view toys as an investment "?

Edited August 11, 2010 by buttheadsmate

[Lobsterman]

I'm pretty sure that Dino has lost his marbles but Lobsterman do you honestly believe " that toy manufacturers don't view toys as an investment "?

Okay, I'll amend that. Toy manufacturers recognize that a fraction of their audience thinks of toys as an investment, but also knows that the majority of their business is based on volume, not scarcity.

If a toy company's business plan really focused on creating vehicles for investment, they would operate more like fine artists: very low quantity and high price tag. TRU exclusives, for example might come in a run of 250 and cost $80 a pack. That's an investment.

Edited August 11, 2010 by Lobsterman

[buttheadsmate]

Medicom would not be one of those manufacturers.

[Ninja Mate]

its not as much as its monetary value, but in the vlaue of the item in general (sentimenal, dollar value, rareness, cooleness, whatever...). The $ value of a rare/exclusive/limited (whatever you want to call it) goes hand in hand with its availability regardless of how you want to look at it even if its not your intention to resale it at a later date.

For example: "What is your holy grail" thread or "holy grail" in general for that matter. Why is it a "holy grail"? its something that is often sought after due to its "rareness". and due to its "rareness" its often accompanied by a high $ value.

I honestly dont think 75% of the people here would keep on collecting minimates if they knew from the start it would be worth less then they bought it for or couldnt atleast get out what they put into it. If you have no consideration for the value of something your simply throwing your money away. It deoesnt mean that you have some hidden side of you thats is a scalper or wants to profit from your "investment" later, but you would expect it to appreciate in value if nothing else stay at the current value.

back on topic, I said it in my last post that the manufacturer is giving mixed signals as to what the word exclusive means. if its exclsuive to TRU only, then WHY is the number per box limited???? should they then be called a Limited TRU exclusive? for sake of terminology, they arent being clear of what exactly it is....

[TM2 Dinobot]

I'm pretty sure that Dino has lost his marbles but Lobsterman do you honestly believe " that toy manufacturers don't view toys as an investment "?

I'll admit to that! :biggrin:

If you view your purchases as investments to be sold at a profit later, you have to accept the unpredictability of the market you're entering. Investing is a risky business; be prepared for your assets to go down as well as up, like any other investment. However, understand that toy manufacturers certainly don't view toys as investments, so it's ridiculous to get mad when those manufacturers make decisions that wreck your "portfolio."

By that logic it's ridiculous to get angry when the stock market crashes and wipes out your 401(k). You had these things invested for the long term, and suddenly the company or someone does something, and it's not worth as much. Same game, smaller scale.

If you view your purchases as some proof of superior discipline, tenacity, loyalty, or taste, I ask, to what end? Fine. You've been a collector since the beginning. Why should that mean you're entitled to some privilege newer collectors aren't? You did the hard work, you got the chase figure, and you got to enjoy it before most other people. Why does that have to be a permanent situation? Does lording a two-inch piece of plastic you had the foresight to buy six years ago over someone who just got into the game make you feel that much better about yourself? If so, I'd ask whether you like Minimates at all, or whether you just like having things other people don't.

If I may quote Jesus Christ, He actually has something to say on this very thing, dealing with greed and human nature, which I find very interesting and might shed light on this. Matthew 20:8-15 specifically. If nothing else, this exact argument is over 2000 years old.

Edited August 11, 2010 by TM2 Dinobot

[battlecat]

back on topic, I said it in my last post that the manufacturer is giving mixed signals as to what the word exclusive means. if its exclsuive to TRU only, then WHY is the number per box limited???? should they then be called a Limited TRU exclusive? for sake of terminology, they arent being clear of what exactly it is....

I don't know if they shortpack with the goal of making things more limited, they just think the other sets will sell more so make more of them available on the shelf (where they endlessly sit, apparently ). I mean they can make as many cases as they want, so any exclusive may be more limited than another set inside that case, but it's not particularly 'limited edition' in of itself.

By that logic it's ridiculous to get angry when the stock market crashes and wipes out your 401(k). You had these things invested for the long term, and suddenly the company or someone does something, and it's not worth as much. Same game, smaller scale.

It's not ridiculous to get mad at companies that do something to crash their stock, because they do view that stock as an investment, and invite you to invest in it. (Mind you, stocks still crash, and that's just something you have to accept when investing.) The difference with toys is you may think of it as an investment and act accordingly -- the toy company however just wants to sell toys to as many customers as possible, and acts accordingly.

Edited August 11, 2010 by battlecat

[karamazov80]

I'm going with yes and no.

[Ninja Mate]

I'm going with yes and no.

smart man.

[Santos L Halper]

I honestly dont think 75% of the people here would keep on collecting minimates if they knew from the start it would be worth less then they bought it for or couldnt atleast get out what they put into it. If you have no consideration for the value of something your simply throwing your money away. It deoesnt mean that you have some hidden side of you thats is a scalper or wants to profit from your "investment" later, but you would expect it to appreciate in value if nothing else stay at the current value.

So because I’ve grown to love this toy line and could care less about possible resale value 40 years from now, I’m throwing my money away? I buy minimates because I grew up reading Marvel and DC comics and always had a desire to have a Spiderman and Batman in the same scale along with every other comic character, because I really liked the Ghostbusters, Terminator and Back to the Future movies, because they are small and I can store all 700 plus that I have in a relatively small space. If I cared about worth I wouldn’t rip open the box as soon I get them, I’d take them directly to the bank and put them in a safety deposit box never to be touched again. But I don’t, I buy them because I enjoy them and that’s good enough for me.

[Turtle]

I'm assuming right now that all of the Minimates I have are worth less than when I bought them. I think most of us acknowledge that. The seemingly lost value, though, isn't a waste. That's pretty literally the price we pay for happiness. Oh, the joy of collecting.

[Lobsterman]

If you view your purchases as investments to be sold at a profit later, you have to accept the unpredictability of the market you're entering. Investing is a risky business; be prepared for your assets to go down as well as up, like any other investment. However, understand that toy manufacturers certainly don't view toys as investments, so it's ridiculous to get mad when those manufacturers make decisions that wreck your "portfolio."

By that logic it's ridiculous to get angry when the stock market crashes and wipes out your 401(k). You had these things invested for the long term, and suddenly the company or someone does something, and it's not worth as much. Same game, smaller scale.

It's a bit of a stretch to conflate shareholders with toy collectors. A company is legally bound to act in the interest of its shareholders, so when they do something that drives stock down, they've breached a duty. Toy companies have no such duty to collectors.

When you "invest" in a chase figure, you're not putting your chips on the success of the company, you're putting them on your own ability to resell that toy. Likewise, the fact that you may or may not be able to turn an additional profit on that chase figure is of little consequence to the manufacturer, as they've already made their money.

Gloves off for a moment: I'm not trying to be priggish here, I'm just bored at work and think this is a fun conversation.

[buttheadsmate]

Gloves off for a moment: I'm not trying to be priggish here, I'm just bored at work and think this is a fun conversation.

I almost sent you a PM pointing out that my comments weren't personal .....glad I didn't ,obviously not necessary Great debate !

[storm 1:08]

... I’d take them directly to the bank and put them in a safety deposit box never to be touched again.

I'm not the only one, right?

[Rheul]

Ive never had much of a problem finding the TRU exclusives. Maybe one of the reasons the newer ones are hard to find is because Wonder Man and Union Jack were rotting on the pegs for so long that they order less exclusives now.

[Ninja Mate]

Gloves off for a moment: I'm not trying to be priggish here, I'm just bored at work and think this is a fun conversation.

same goes for me, no hard feelings. I love a good debate, and so it seems we have level headed people here. I have been on other forums where people just act like spolied children and arent willing to hear anyone else out. thanks OP for a good topic.

Edited August 12, 2010 by Ninja Mate

[mrjasontodd]

they are good because of exposure, but bad because of the knowing stares i get from the TRU staff as i walk in and walk out empty handed most days.

[Nessex]

I honestly dont think 75% of the people here would keep on collecting minimates if they knew from the start it would be worth less then they bought it for or couldnt atleast get out what they put into it. If you have no consideration for the value of something your simply throwing your money away. It deoesnt mean that you have some hidden side of you thats is a scalper or wants to profit from your "investment" later, but you would expect it to appreciate in value if nothing else stay at the current value.

Really? I can only speak for myself because i've not lived anyone elses experience - but i buy Minimates for the pleasure i get from seeing them on my shelf. I don't wanna sound like an altruistic git who hates capitalism or anything as extreme - but the 'investment' i put into these is only paying me back with gratification - not money.

I don't ever plan to sell my collection (although who knows what the future holds), but if i did - i wouldn't expect to be making a profit on it. I open my toys and play with them and pose them on my bookshelf. If i were forced to sell, i'd be pleasantly surprised to make back what i had spent on them in the first place and completely unsurprised if it were significantly less.

[link 46]

I had to vote yes. Although, there is always room for improvement. Such as shipping them to almost every TRU, and at least keeping up with what's in stock in a more conveineint matter. One other thing is to keep mates within the same area. It would certaintly make finding a lot easier

[buttheadsmate]

I've bought packs of Minimates with the sole intention of keeping them as a potential investment . I have always bought multiples of sets that seemed to be hanging around on ebay at what I consider to be bargain prices & I've just sat on them.........figuratively speaking If we go back to the pre-TRU days .....there was an awful lot of stuff hanging around .....unsold Movie Waves (all of them) being the obvious example which incidentally are still hanging around . Movie waves were never on my radar but there were piles of other unwanted sets BTTF,Western Trilogy,Civil War & SM3 Box sets which were. Trust me when I say that not everybody was in love with Minimates 2 or 3 years ago & just about everybody had had a gut-full of C3 as well. None of what I've said is a secret & I've done my best to help people around here without stuffing them. TRU however has been a nightmare for me personally & I've begged,stolen & borrowed from anybody I could to keep my personal collection up together which will never be sold. TRU however has been a god-send for the Minimate line & I watch with amusement as each classic minimate is revisited by DST & my supposed investment decreases in value ,I also see wonderful new characters being added to my collection. The problem with me has always been that I rarely sell Minimates .....I trade heavily but I rarely sell ....& that has to change.......... & if I broke even I'd be pleased. For every Deadpool there are more than enough Riot Spideys & Gwen Staceys to even things out in the world of Minimate investment

[battlecat]

BHM, with the amount of mates you buy, it's more of a corporate takeover really!

Edited August 12, 2010 by battlecat

[Killek]

I can't really comment on the accessibility of Toys R Us mates yet as I am Canadian and the only ones we have received thus far I haven't really been interested in but I was in to check if they had the Iron Man 2 mates and it seemed like they had one of every type in stock. The Spider-Man friends and foes set lasted for a few weeks. Not sure if that was lack of interest in minimates in my area, or just because of the quality of the set itself. Time will tell with the Fantastic Four wave I suppose.

[pawcanada]

I honestly dont think 75% of the people here would keep on collecting minimates if they knew from the start it would be worth less then they bought it for or couldnt atleast get out what they put into it. If you have no consideration for the value of something your simply throwing your money away. It deoesnt mean that you have some hidden side of you thats is a scalper or wants to profit from your "investment" later, but you would expect it to appreciate in value if nothing else stay at the current value.

Really? I can only speak for myself because i've not lived anyone elses experience - but i buy Minimates for the pleasure i get from seeing them on my shelf. I don't wanna sound like an altruistic git who hates capitalism or anything as extreme - but the 'investment' i put into these is only paying me back with gratification - not money.

I don't ever plan to sell my collection (although who knows what the future holds), but if i did - i wouldn't expect to be making a profit on it. I open my toys and play with them and pose them on my bookshelf. If i were forced to sell, i'd be pleasantly surprised to make back what i had spent on them in the first place and completely unsurprised if it were significantly less.

Well said . You pretty much captured my feelings in a nut shell.

[infallible]

Yeah, they're a good thing for sure. It's a chance to get some figures that we'd never get otherwise. So while they can sometimes be hard to find, I'd rather they exist and be hard to find rather than they not exist at all.

[MinnesotaIceman]

I have mixed feelings.