The sales of minimates in Europe

[drgnrbrn316]

You may have noticed the CE mark on a lot of the figures you buy? That's the European safety standard mark. All toys intended for the European market have to satisfy those standards and it's incumbent on the toy company to pay for the tests. Essentially the toy has to meet two separate safety standards. The US one, and the European one. I'm not sure which is the most stringent? But you'd think it'd be sensible to adopt one all-encompassing standard to avoid problems like this. I'm not happy with DST's decision. The delay in 'mates getting to the UK and Europe is all to do with cost. The safety tests would have been done months before the product shipped. Minimates used to get flown over to Europe with the comic delivery, that's how they'd turn up in the same week as the US. Some bright spark at DST has obviously decided that surface shipping from China to Europe is more cost effective than air freight from the US. The delays mean that UK and European fans fret that the product is never going to arrive (and it always costs more here anyway) so they go the direct route instead. DST still get paid so they're in gravy. The only people who'll really miss out are the fans with little disposable income that pick up their 'mates as and when they can afford them from their LCS. That'll be the fan of the future that's just been pissed on then!

So basically, they're squatting over a quarter to pick up a dime?

As far as standards are concerned, I agree that there should be one universal standard that all products are measured by, rather than a region by region standard, since it seems that it would save on costs, if even just slightly. In regards to costs on shipping to the UK, I wonder if they did any research to see how much they'd save by tossing them on a boat compared to how much they'd lose by selling them months later than other regions. If the numbers added up to a bigger profit, then I guess from a business standpoint it was the right thing to do. From a consumer standpoint, it sucks. And by cutting the product from the European market altogether, sure they save money on shipping all that stuff, but at the same time they lose the casual buyer who just toddles into the LCS and says, "Hey, Minimates!"

So, I guess I can see both sides of the coin here, but since I failed Economics class back in college, it's hard to defend the big business when the little guy is getting the short end of the stick.

[Aapje]

so i cant get them ANYWHERE in europe?

oh man i think that just gave me a heartcondition

its already so hard to get minimates in holland and now theyre making it harder?! Edit *Place where used to be bleeped out bad language*

[Rad]

Aapje, do you have access to a credit card or Paypal? You'll likely find it's cheaper to buy direct from the States mate.

[Aapje]

Aapje, do you have access to a credit card or Paypal? You'll likely find it's cheaper to buy direct from the States mate.

well some times it is but we have like 2 stores(that i know of) in the country where they sell mates and its the normal price and without shipping

like the black spidey pack ive got for 2 euro's which is like 2 dollar 80

so its a big bummer for me

[Danny]

When I was running MMC and going all guns blazing getting *everything*, I used a lot of US sellers on eBay and obviously some of the guys here on this forum and the old AA one.

Since coming back from my hiatus I've only been using UK sellers on eBay as I don't relly want the hassle/wait of dealing with US sellers (as I've been out of the loop a bit) so I've become a lot more "casual" in my approach to getting Minimates. Sadly a decision like this will affect my desire to buy Minimates full stop.

*hands DST it's nose*

[Punisher]

This sounds pretty stupid but how about a petition to AT LEAST sell them to the people that ORDER them...

[winkerbean]

OK so i just ran across this, now i don't want to add more fuel to already giant bonfire of DST but it might explain a few things (like why were getting such an awesome sets of marvel minimates in wave 19 & 20)

http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseact...CAAF58F69641605

since it comes from a well known retailer there maybe some degree of truth to it and i'm looking through the JAN08 previews catalog and i can't seem to find any NEW!! marvel stuff from diamond select

so god i hope this is wrong!!!!!!!!! but this would mean no more marvel minimates in 2008!!!! right (which would explain the sudden amount of marvel stuff to be announced at the end of last year & why we've got so many new minimate license's

i hope am not the bearer bad news again, god i hope this is wrong.......................................................

[buttheadsmate]

I frantically spent most of yesterday trawling the net regarding all manner of shite such as EU CE certification of toys ,Diamond Select ,Myspace etc.etc. I came across this as well but decided that this must be old news & I checked with our resident Ol' Thread Master (sspiggy) & he hadn't posted ,& thought it might be news. However I decided if it is true I'd rather let someone else break the bad news. Thanks.

[winkerbean]

it would also explain why in december i picked up some cheap, cheap cases's of marvel 12,13,16 & marvel zombies because diamond uk were have a massive sale on marvel DST products busts, statues, figures, minimates, hell i was paying around £30 a case!!!!!!!!

at the time i thought it was a xmas sale but thinking about it..........................

[MiniFiend UK]

what a great way to start a new year, Thanks alot.

Looks like its ebay for me from now on. I see a few others order from stateside retailers any chance of PM'ing me a few links so I can see what the rates are.

[Rad]

If it's true, it's true. Sad to see them end but so be it.

We'll still have DC and a plethora of other licences.

[Vigilante]

I've noticed that ShopAFX do international shipping. Are they reliable, and do they only sell series of DC, Marvel, etc. in cases or do they do individual packs?

Vig

[Rad]

AFX do ship overseas but their shipping (in my opinion) is very expensive.

Stuckakid are a bit friendlier on non US wallets when it comes to shipping.

Enchanted Toychest are reasonable, and I'm fairly certain that Cornerstore are good on international shipping too.

It's best to google the 'mates you're after and compare prices/shipping for yourself.

Alternatively hit the trading section. A lot of members are happy to sell their trade items and are likely to charge a sensible shipping rate.

[winkerbean]

I just got back from my lcs and their having a word with a store in the US to see if they can come up with some sort of deal.

so they would get them within a week of US release and the price would stay around the same (the more they order the cheaper the shipping, the cheaper they can sell them!!!!) i said i would throw it out on here so people still interested in buying from the UK can get them

people that don't know them already send them an e-mail (or me and i'll pass it on!!)

they said they will be selling these as a "2 inch plastic statue featuing 14 point of articulation aimed at mature collectors and not a toy intended for children" makes sense to me

[buttheadsmate]

I just got back from my lcs and their having a word with a store in the US to see if they can come up with some sort of deal.

so they would get them within a week of US release and the price would stay around the same (the more they order the cheaper the shipping, the cheaper they can sell them!!!!) i said i would throw it out on here so people still interested in buying from the UK can get them

people that don't know them already send them an e-mail (or me and i'll pass it on!!)

they said they will be selling these as a "2 inch plastic statue featuing 14 point of articulation aimed at mature collectors and not a toy intended for children" makes sense to me

I stated earlier that I spent a lot of time yesterday reading up on EU CE Marking for Toys Directives,it was rivetting :sad: 'Products not regarded as toys for the purpose of this directive' lists 21 exemptions ,2 of which are relevant here- exemption 2.detailed scale models for adult collectors &

exemption 6.Folk dolls & decorative dolls & OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES FOR ADULT COLLECTORS

I (unusually) have sat on the fence too long, we are being treated like mushrooms ,we are being kept in the dark & being fed bullshit by Diamond. If someone like me can figure a way of getting around CE marks & Toy-testing then I'm sure Diamond could have & can if they were interested. My suspicion is that another US retailer will 'miraculously' step in & be the 'Official International Supplier' & it could well be AFX who are a 'Partner' of Diamond. While were on about these CE marks, it is my belief,yet to be confirmed,that the spec. of a generic minimate is required for CE certification & not EACH individual 'mate before it is released. This would explain why the '24' FYE/Suncoast Exclusive has a CE mark when it was never going to be sold in the EU! Just look at the address for Diamond next to the CE mark

Medicom by the way got round this with Kubricks quite simply

The truth always hurts but please Diamond start telling it.

[Vigilante]

So no more Marvel Minimates, not just in Europe but across the world?! Well, at least it's not just none for Europe...

Still, I really wanted a Modern Cap wave...

Vig

[TITAN]

I wonder how long we'll have to wait for an official reply either way on this from DST?

[winkerbean]

I've e-mail Mike over at DST, we should know soon....

[TM2 Dinobot]

Sorry guys. In my experience, bad news for the rest of the world soon means bad news for the US. Though look at it this way, Sony likes yall and Japan more then they could ever possibly like us. Not that that's a fair comparison. >.>

I would like to chime in on something said here. Some people suggested a combined or universal standard. I'd like to point out that that's something that, at least in my neck of the woods, Americans fear. We are determined to keep our sovereignty, no matter the cost. Even if it means peeving off everyone else by shouting "We're America! We're #1!" (even if they got that from us first)

So while on paper it might be a good idea, in practice and even ideology, it'd never work.

But dang. That's still harsh. I never considered Minimates to be "toys". I wonder if it would have helped if they hadn't gone that route.

[buttheadsmate]

I would like to chime in on something said here. Some people suggested a combined or universal standard. I'd like to point out that that's something that, at least in my neck of the woods, Americans fear. We are determined to keep out sovereignty, no matter the cost. Even if it means peeving off everyone else by shouting "We're America! We're #1!" (even if they got that from us first)

So while on paper it might be a good idea, in practice and even ideology, it'd never work.

But dang. That's still harsh. I never considered Minimates to be "toys". I wonder if it would have helped if they hadn't gone that route.

I'm sad that you are determined to keep out(?) sovereignty & I totally agree about a combined or universal standard ,it would never work ...look what happened to the English language

[blackwater_park]

All quite sad news regarding Marvel Minimates.

I'm no expert on toy licenses. As I understand it, Art Asylum are part of Diamond Select who produce all minimates and own the brand and are responsible for their distribution.

So Diamond still make DC mates, Marvel mates, Star Trek etc. But since Diamond *may* have lost the Marvel license then that's it for Marvel Minimates until they reacquire the Marvel license.

Can someone please clarify that this is the case? Another company, say Hasbro ( Marvel licensees ) for example, can't just do a deal with Diamond and let them continue to produce Minimates on their behalf?

It would explain the glut of key characters that have come our way in the past few months and whilst it would be a very sad and unwanted conclusion, all things come to an end. The thought of no Electro, Vulture or Kraven, three that just spring to mind, makes the fanboy enthusiast in me cry.

[you_will_forget]

Keep out sovereignity? You do know you still use the Imperial system?

Or is that more of a "hate France more than Britain" thing

And just to clarify for blackwater - DC Direct produce DC 'mates through the Art Asylum design studio (which are now part of DST, but free to do outside work). Diamond themselves have no connection to the DC 'mates. If this rumour is true, then Diamond would no longer be able to produce Marvel 'mates (but can produce BTTF, BSG, Star Trek and others). However, there's nothing to stop Hasbro (as receivers of the Marvel License) taking over the line and continuing to make minimates through Art Asylum, similar to how they took over the Marvel Legends line from Toybiz.

Come to think of it (and this is absolutely just speculation) this may be Hasbro quibbling about having sole rights to Marvel toys and Marvel not wanting to upset their new friend. Hasbro are much bigger than DST and could well be making them more money. And Marvel would REALLY not want to lose Hasbro over something as insignificant (to them!!! Not us, never us!!!) as Minimates.

Just thinking myself through the process and the size comparison - in my mind at least: DST is smaller than Marvel, Marvel is smaller than Hasbro.

Of course, if that did happen, we probably wouldn't notice much difference other than a different logo on the box.

Too much thinking for me - off to bed.

Jo

[blackwater_park]

Keep out sovereignity? You do know you still use the Imperial system?

Or is that more of a "hate France more than Britain" thing

And just to clarify for blackwater - DC Direct produce DC 'mates through the Art Asylum design studio (which are now part of DST, but free to do outside work). Diamond themselves have no connection to the DC 'mates. If this rumour is true, then Diamond would no longer be able to produce Marvel 'mates (but can produce BTTF, BSG, Star Trek and others). However, there's nothing to stop Hasbro (as receivers of the Marvel License) taking over the line and continuing to make minimates through Art Asylum, similar to how they took over the Marvel Legends line from Toybiz.

Come to think of it (and this is absolutely just speculation) this may be Hasbro quibbling about having sole rights to Marvel toys and Marvel not wanting to upset their new friend. Hasbro are much bigger than DST and could well be making them more money. And Marvel would REALLY not want to lose Hasbro over something as insignificant (to them!!! Not us, never us!!!) as Minimates.

Just thinking myself through the process and the size comparison - in my mind at least: DST is smaller than Marvel, Marvel is smaller than Hasbro.

Of course, if that did happen, we probably wouldn't notice much difference other than a different logo on the box.

Too much thinking for me - off to bed.

Jo

Thanks for that YWF. So there's still modicum of hope for future Marvel mates even if Diamond has lost the license. Only a tiny bit though. Hasbro are a bottom line company and their bottom line has to take in more comparative profit than DST as their other licenses have shown. Having dabbled in Marvel Legends during the past Toybiz era and seeing the rubbish that's turned out in that name by Hasbro now, I shudder to think what cost reducing measures they'd employ.

[The_Donster]

Man, this is unfortunate news for our European members. But just like our Canadian brothers & sisters, if you need help, give me a shout and I'll do my best to track things down

[TM2 Dinobot]

Oh, sorry. Meant that to be "keep our sovereignty". And also please note I wasn't trying to be insulting. I was just offering up a non-specific viewpoint.