Fig hunting: wheres line between fun hobby and over the top

[MonsoonMan]

so theres a lot to unpack here.

i myself have been feeling really burnt out with these last few rounds of wal mart exclusive lines. the ruthless aggression line seemed to push me over that line of being "serious" about this as i then found myself hitting 5 or 6 different wal marts on the reg just to look for figures. wal mart has to have me on a list somewhere because i pop up on cameras for 6 of their stores in the matter of an hour and rarely walk out with anything.

i think this all began with COVID. lockdown, government money--people were able to get back into their hobbies. but the duality of that was there was also alot of bored people who NEEDED a hobby. oh look----hmm all of these toys are all of the sudden pretty popular, like Nikes or something. re-selling became a second job for these idiots. they would typically get to the store super early or super late and then get an 'in' with an employee "hey ill give you a $100 finders fee to text me when youre about to stock these boxes" and away we go. what kills me is that they dont realize how toxic they are to the hobby. they take something off the shelf that ANYONE can buy for $20. now they have to mark it up to make it worth it for them, usually $10-15 AND THEN they gotta now charge shipping on top of that--usually another $10-12....OH AND THEN since its ebay or mercari, there are purchase tees and taxes adding an additional $5 to the checkout price. SO something that was originally $20 at the store for ANYONE to buy now becomes a $60 specialty item that still finds a way to sell BECAUSE THEY HAVE SAPPED UP THE ENTIRE SUPPLY. and all for what? a $10 ""profit"" its really dumb to me.


but the thing too is that its mainly a mattel issue. they partner with wal mart to run an exclusive line and to make the partnership juicy and worthwhile, they release the most sought after figures that the collector base could dream of. im guessing that the exclusive lines maybe get a little more budget freedom being 4 figures a wave but even still there should be an abundance of them. there should be just as many Monday Night Wars Elites on the pegs AT EVERY WALMART AS THERE ARE EDDIE KINGSTON FIGURES. thats what really fires me up---if we all know that the wwe figure line is white hot right now, collector base in their 30s---these figures are gonna be hot. they are gonna sell hard and fast and im just really scratching my head as to why in the world they are shipping these in such limited numbers. they go straight to the secondary market and mattel sees none of that profit so its not making sense. dear mattel, we as collectors DO NOT ENJOY fighting with others to have the figures we all want. make enough of them. i do not enjoy paying some jabroni $50+ for a figure i frankly COULD HAVE HAD AT THE WAL MART 5 MILES FROM MY HOUSE because higher ups are fumbling this line.

we all get so much anxiety because the distribution rollout is so all over the place. people in the west coast get them. then people in the south get them, then the east coast, surely my wal mart will have them soon? (2 months go by and then my wal mart finally puts them out after i gave up and bought them online) how do people in Alaska have these figures and people in chicago have nothing?

i think. i think i think i think if we're all getting pretty serious about this to the point of giving up our passions-----MAYBE it would be worth it to draft up something professional and get a bunch of signatures and rally mattel to choose someplace like Ringside for these types of lines going forward.

[GreyHaze:Big Bad Booty Daddy]

I thought I was the only one who sold most of my collection. I’m glad that I did because it was getting out of hand and I was just buying figures to buy them. The only thing I collect are the WCW flashbacks at this point and some modern figures here and there. It’s made my life much simpler and I’m able to focus on other aspects of life. Now, when I do get a figure I like, it means much more to me because of the wait and the intervals. It just sucks that a lot of us are having issues finding the figures we want.

[Herc and Roma]

but the thing too is that its mainly a mattel issue.

Nice to see I am not the only one who feels that Mattel is as much to blame for this situation as Walmart is.  Sure Walmart has their issues with distribution and keeping their shelves stocked but at then end of the day this is Mattel's product and they are the ones who keep giving Walmart exclusives knowing fully well that they are doing a poor job with said exclusives.  Instead of finding other avenues to get the product out so people can buy it, they are doubling down with this distribution model of selling product to department stores, who are not designed to carry a collectible type product like wrestling figures where new product comes out on a regular basis.  Toys are an after thought to both Walmart and Target- here in Canada most of the Walmarts have moved the toy department into one of the far corners at the back of the store.  I think this should tell you how important toys are to them, shoving the section into the back corner of the store.

I think aside from Walmart and their distribution issues, another possible reason these store exclusives have become hard to find is because Mattel are not producing as much of each wave.  It looks to me that Walmart is not ordering as much as they used to (likely only an initial order) and this has resulted in Mattel having to scale back the amount they produce. The End result being that demand far exceeds supply, thus why these figures as so hard to find.

[Keck Collects]

It's very much a Mattel issue as much as Walmart. Mattel has no issue shoving Barbie, or Jurassic Park etc into stores in huge amounts. With WWE, a choice is being made.

[ttmbrad]

I don't sweat it. If I find them, great! My day is made....if I don't, I am fine with not having them in my collection. Sometimes it sucks, but it is what it is.

[kgchampion]

I straight up stopped caring after getting my second John Cone referee figure. An official Mattel modern referee was my holy grail even though I had 4 referees I made myself. And even though it’s not accurate because WWE referees haven’t worn collared shirts since the early Ruthless Aggression Era, I wanted one for so long that it overrides my OCD. I could retire from collecting completely right now and be happy.

Oh, also I hate how tight the thighs and knees are currently. They’re practically fused together. My MNW Ultimate Bret Hart has the tightest joints I have ever experienced. My Solo Sikoa, Usos, and Sami Zayn are all stiff af and I already sheered off the thigh peg of one Solo. So I’m going to sit out WWE figures for a while and then check back after a few series to see if the joints are a tad looser.

[20yearbreak]

I got back into collecting during the pandemic and built my collection (nearing 500 Mattel figs) mostly through third party resellers and getting most of who I wanted short of the Rockers, Demolition and LoD. But now that I’m mostly caught up, the Walmart exclusives have been increasingly frustrating. I’ve also regretted jumping on buying certain figures off social media months after they’ve hit, only to find them days later (happened with Bischoff and Ultimate RVD). The RA elites were really frustrating. Luckily, there’s been only one figure from the MNW line I really wanted (Fake Diesel) and I found it at a Walmart who doesn’t sell shippers because of space. I can totally understand why others are frustrated though.

[Crossfit Jesus]

I just hate Walmart. For some reason the Walmarts that are in more rural areas have more figures. It’s really annoying and aggravating to me. I check the 7 nearest to me which are more in the city and they have maybe 2-3 elites and rarely ultimates. I go to ones in the rural areas and stocked with elites and ultimes 😡

[Flair Forever]

Jul 12, 2024 12:10:09 GMT -5 Crossfit Jesus said:

I just hate Walmart. For some reason the Walmarts that are in more rural areas have more figures. It’s really annoying and aggravating to me. I check the 7 nearest to me which are more in the city and they have maybe 2-3 elites and rarely ultimates. I go to ones in the rural areas and stocked with elites and ultimes 😡

Ya know why?

From what I've seen, if it's a highly populated, busy-as-heck Walmart that's always bustling & busy....

They send one case of WWE figures.

If it's a rural Walmart, out in the countryside, with probably less foot-traffic....

They send one case of WWE figures.

It makes.... no..... difference.

[catsoftheworld]

The thrill of the hunt is gone for me. When Jakks had the license I'd always find the figures eventually we had KB and TrU too tho. But even then id buy most new first time type figures from Ringside and wait to find bew scans of guys I had in the store. The sets were way cheaper tho, I'd sometimes just spend the 60 bucks and get the set. I couldn't imagine fig hunting anymore. With what I collect ive been fortunate to not need much walmart stuff. When I have like some RAs, I just went to ebay. Everything else in Ringside for me. I wouldn't be able to collect without them anymore due to time. I used to love to fig hunt, id go out every morning hung over before going to work at noon at a hobby shop. I was dating a girl years ago who hated I did this. So I'd wake up early, hit TrU and Walmart then buy like donuts or coffee and say I went out to get that for her, with my stash in my trunk.

[J-MANN]

I miss ToysRus

[Flair Forever]

Jul 12, 2024 21:17:41 GMT -5 J-MANN said:

I miss ToysRus

Honest to God I feel like I almost never bought any figures at Walmart when there was a Toys R Us right here in my town, not far from my apartment (at the time).

I probably stalked TRU a bit but it didn't feel like such a chore. Plus there was only one so if I knew they didn't have it, I was done. With Walmart, I'm always thinking "well maybe if I just check one more....."

God I miss those Toys R Us days.

[Apocalypse]

Listen guys. Its not hard to get walmart exclusives, you are all making this way harder than it needs to be

Just apply at walmart, get a job and insist that you work in the toy section, work everyday and make sure youre available when shipments come in. Work late, put in the hours, make sure youe boss notices and promotes you. Move up the corporate ladder until you can manipulate shipments and make sure you have shipments arrive when you are working.

Easy peasy

[Chip]

Jul 10, 2024 17:48:30 GMT -5 Scotty Flamingo said:

Why is there less MNW figures on the display and never restocked in store if everything else on the display is available everywhere?

my theory?

because mattel and walmart are purposely producing less of the MNW line to drive up demand, so they don't pegwarm

[Chip]

Patience is a virtue. Let the scalpers and freaks spend stupid money on mass produced toys

then 3 months later, buy them on ebay for $35 shipped or less

[Chip]

There's so many layers to this problem....

It starts at the source.
Walmart and Mattel are mismanaging the inventory of product that would actually sell and make them money, in favor of GARBAGE that nobody really wants but they want on shelves because "just in case that little johnny or sally is looking for a Stone Cold Steve Austin Monster Truck!" OR we need to order 35 cases of Elite 107 for every store because it's the only mainline SKU in production when these shippers were planned and they haven't stocked any of the mainline elite series regularly in 2 years.

All of this stuff thats on these shippers could have been sent to stores on regular rotations...if they had a good inventory and planogram system. Which they clearly dont. The Wrestling "section" in the toy aisle is absurdly laughable. Sometimes base elites are on the shelves, sometimes they're on a peg. 1 peg for the "exclusive" series. 2 pegs for Top Picks, that never get filled....or if they do? it's with Figures from 3 years ago. Basics and 2 packs that sit around forever. And for some reason they decided to order 16 Superstars Hulk Hogan figures in red tights for every single store in the region.

There's space for everything. 90% of these toy aisles are filled with stuff no kid wants. They could easily add another 4 pegs of wrestling to every Walmart and sell stuff consistently.

They have to be looking at sales numbers and seeing units down but dollars up. Prices have gone up so much, but they are selling less because there's nothing to buy. I frequently hit DOZENS of Walmarts and I can tell you, the situation is the same at every single one. New stuff hits....most of it sells out within a week, shelf warmers stay there for endless months, and nothing new shows up for months. Then we get a shipper or pre-packed endcap thats got 57 cases of Elites/basics/2 packs....whatever.....that scalpers clean out or even worse, it forces collectors to spend absurd amounts of cash all at once.

It wasn't always like this. There USED to be a more consistent flow of merchandise at these stores. Clearly the people running this show have absolutely no clue what they are doing or how to do it right. They aren't consumers, they are corporate vanilla slabs who are just looking at "numbers" and planning these big selling events.

They're over-ordering stuff nobody wants, and under-ordering stuff that would sell.

[Flair Forever]

Jul 12, 2024 23:28:55 GMT -5 Chip said:

There's so many layers to this problem....

It starts at the source.
Walmart and Mattel are mismanaging the inventory of product that would actually sell and make them money, in favor of GARBAGE that nobody really wants but they want on shelves because "just in case that little johnny or sally is looking for a Stone Cold Steve Austin Monster Truck!" OR we need to order 35 cases of Elite 107 for every store because it's the only mainline SKU in production when these shippers were planned and they haven't stocked any of the mainline elite series regularly in 2 years.

All of this stuff thats on these shippers could have been sent to stores on regular rotations...if they had a good inventory and planogram system. Which they clearly dont. The Wrestling "section" in the toy aisle is absurdly laughable. Sometimes base elites are on the shelves, sometimes they're on a peg. 1 peg for the "exclusive" series. 2 pegs for Top Picks, that never get filled....or if they do? it's with Figures from 3 years ago. Basics and 2 packs that sit around forever. And for some reason they decided to order 16 Superstars Hulk Hogan figures in red tights for every single store in the region.

There's space for everything. 90% of these toy aisles are filled with stuff no kid wants. They could easily add another 4 pegs of wrestling to every Walmart and sell stuff consistently.

They have to be looking at sales numbers and seeing units down but dollars up. Prices have gone up so much, but they are selling less because there's nothing to buy. I frequently hit DOZENS of Walmarts and I can tell you, the situation is the same at every single one. New stuff hits....most of it sells out within a week, shelf warmers stay there for endless months, and nothing new shows up for months. Then we get a shipper or pre-packed endcap thats got 57 cases of Elites/basics/2 packs....whatever.....that scalpers clean out or even worse, it forces collectors to spend absurd amounts of cash all at once.

It wasn't always like this. There USED to be a more consistent flow of merchandise at these stores. Clearly the people running this show have absolutely no clue what they are doing or how to do it right. They aren't consumers, they are corporate vanilla slabs who are just looking at "numbers" and planning these big selling events.

They're over-ordering stuff nobody wants, and under-ordering stuff that would sell.

Perfectly stated.

[MonsoonMan]

Jul 12, 2024 23:28:55 GMT -5 Chip said:

I can tell you, the situation is the same at every single one. New stuff hits....most of it sells out within a week, shelf warmers stay there for endless months, and nothing new shows up for months. Then we get a shipper or pre-packed endcap thats got 57 cases of Elites/basics/2 packs....whatever.....that scalpers clean out or even worse, it forces collectors to spend absurd amounts of cash all at once.

Chip i travel for work and can absolutely confirm this. after the new product hits and gets sold every single wal mart looks the exact same. same pegwarmers at each and every store. youll have the outliers that the collectors for some reason dont buy womens figures and youll see mandy roses and Ronda rouseys and chelsea greens clogging pegs but beyond that there is rarely ever a store that has new and exciting stock on the shelves. its like a two day juicy hunt and then a 6 month dry season.

[cso]

Personally I haven't had fun hunting in probably close to a decade. I pass 3 WMs and 2 targets on my way home from work, but at this point in my life I'd rather get home to my old lady and fam. I check twice a week when I grocery shop and if I have to stop randomly.

[Sting]

the line is ripley with the ring