Japan Free Trade=better, cheaper toys?

[Yongeltron]

I'm just wondering whether anyone has any idea whether we might see some benefit from the recent free trade deal with Japan. Getting more of those sweet Takara releases that we sometimes get would be awesome.

Anyone want to speculate?

[CBratron]

One can only hope.

[griffin]

FTA with Japan will change nothing with Transformers, as Hasbro Australia has to deal through Hasbro America... and while that monopoly exists, our toy prices will remain high.

[GoktimusPrime]

Maybe (hopefully) for any future direct-from-Japan toys that Hasbro AU may choose to release here as we've seen in the past; e.g. MP02 Ultra Magnus, MP04 Convoy, MP Ghost Starscream, Dark of the Moon Jetwing Optimus Prime, TF Prime Optimus Prime & Gaia Unicron etc. Although while Hasbro AU may be able to import Japanese toys at a cheaper price, it's still ultimately up to the retailer to pass those savings on. One problem is when a toy becomes a store exclusive, and that store chain may choose to charge some exorbitantly high price for that toy - it doesn't always happen, but it has certainly happened; e.g. G1 Movie Jazz, TRU Universe Ultras, MP Ghost Starcream, MP Prowl etc. But anyway, hopefully it may make direct Japanese imports cheaper, which would hopefully encourage retailers to make the retail prices for these toys cheaper too. :o

But these such releases are rare. As griffin said, the majority of Transformers that are released here come via Hasbro USA, and thus any new trade agreement w/ Japanese wouldn't affect those prices.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Nope. Because...

1: What Griffin said.

2: They're just as expensive here and usually have just as awful distribution, so price-wise you wouldn't see any difference anyway.

3: Shinzo Abe is really more about the National Security side of things at the moment, what with recently basically having renounced Article 9 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_9_of_the_Japanese_Constitution) of our (Japan's) Constitution.
Abe's a pretty canny operator from a political dynasty family, and Japan has long been a bigger player than little old Oz on the world stage, so Japan-Australia relations-wise most of the focus is going to be on more grown-up toys than what we're into. That and his paying lip service to the agricultural lobby here, which has about as much political clout as the mining industry does back in Oz.

4: Free trade deals aren't actually about free trade, they're about extending and entrenching the interests of multinational corporations/Big Business. Look up the Trans-Pacific Partnership for the most recent/notable example.
We have a Free Trade deal with the USA too, and yet Aussies are still paying the 'Australia Tax' markup, even on digital downloads.

I'd love to be wrong on all or even some of this, but yeah...I'm not gonna hold my breath.

[DELTAprime]

Even if Hasbro Australia started buying from Takara in addition to Hasbro US you will find that the non MP Takara toys would cost more than the Hasbro version. A AOE Deluxe list price in Japan is ¥2,800, which is around $30. Then you have to add GST, Hasbro Australia's cut, extra shipping cost from the Vietnam factory to Australia.

MP's might be cheaper if Hasbro US keeps charging extra for MP's like they have with Prowl.

[GoktimusPrime]

A AOE Deluxe list price in Japan is ¥2,800, which is around $30.
That's 2800JPY retail, but Hasbro would be paying wholesale price. Shipping per unit would also be relatively cheaper because they'd be shipping in bulk for nationwide distribution. As I understand it, when Hasbro releases Takara TFs, it's not the same as private individuals like ourselves purchasing these toys, nor specialty import stores who have to pay all sorts of import taxes, duties, levies etc. AFAIK, as an Australian based company, Hasbro Australia would be exempt from a lot of that. Remember that toys like MP02 Ultra Magnus was as cheap as $80 when it was sold here as a Target exclusive. That's cheaper than the Japanese RRP of 10290JPY (approx. AU$110). Other toys like MP Ghost Starscream was more expensive simply because Toys R Us decided to charge that really high price -- I don't think it was because Hasbro AU got it in at such high prices. Don't forget that TRU have been known to charge expensive premium prices even for some Hasbro Transformers that have been exclusive to their chain, e.g. G1 coloured Movie Deluxe Jazz, Universe Ultras, Masterpiece Prowl etc. And remember when TakaraTOMY DotM Jetwing Optimus Prime first came out in Myer for some really high price, then later other stores like Kmart and Big W released them at cheaper prices? (I got mine at the Big W toy sale :D) But this is more to do with individual retailers' pricing of these toys, which is beyond Hasbro's control. Hasbro can get the toys in at cheaper prices, but it's up to the retailer as to whether or not they choose to pass those savings onto customers or charge a premium and increase their profit. We've seen it happen both ways with Japanese Transformers that have been released here by Hasbro AU.