Transformer Prime mainline toys released in Australia

[griffin]

I just had a look, and the pair (Op & Meg) shipped from BBTS comes to US$78 (about AU$74 right now)... and would arrive before most of us end up seeing them in a store near us.
Does Hasbro really think that their sales won't suffer if you can save 25% by importing the exact same product?
Stores here rarely discount that much, to make it worth waiting for a sale either.

[5FDP]

If / when I get these, I will be importing.

Imagine the PR gains if Hasbro decided to drop their RRP inline with the rest of the developed world citing the rising cost of living for families as their reason

[ispayks]

Go back there and get a $9.99 refund. When I bought mine it wouldn't scan, so the girl serving me went and looked up the item code on the computer, then punched it in and charged me $50. Sounds like the person who served you might have punched in the wrong code?

If you want, I can bring my receipt along on Sunday if you wanna show them the code from it. But the code is definitely in their computer system. At least it was when I made my purchase at 12:17.

Thanks Goki! I might just return it as I have ordered them from BBTS. Its hard to see Megs on the shelf and not buy him.

Hmmm looks like the fella serving you didnt do a good job in locating it thru the computer ... I had asked someone stacking the shelves (of Ben10) this am at TRU Parra as well, I mustve gotten earlier in than you coz I saw 2 Megs still there and bought 1 off... also found a vandalized TfPrime among the shelves - as in out of the box . The guy serving me actually remarked when he saw the price: "geez, fifty bucks for this thing?" I guess even he can't believe the price gouging we get here for "small" toys - and he's supposed to work there. He actually thought they were "deluxe" size so he was looking for the code and found they were voyagers _ his facial expression tells it all - that's voyager, hmmm pretty small for voyager....

I got the pair but yeah - $50 each. I havent opened them yet coz Im thinking if Kmart or Big W comes with a much palatable pricing Ill be returning these 2 since I verified with them that the return policy is up to 3 months as long as youve got the receipt and is still sealed (resaleable I guess) condition.

The cashier did tell me it was $50 from prior sales, but due TRU HQ updating their system regarding TF Prime, they were encoded as Zoggs suit.

I just had a look, and the pair (Op & Meg) shipped from BBTS comes to US$78 (about AU$74 right now)... and would arrive before most of us end up seeing them in a store near us.
Does Hasbro really think that their sales won't suffer if you can save 25% by importing the exact same product?
Stores here rarely discount that much, to make it worth waiting for a sale either.

It works out alot cheaper for me because of POL. It worked out around AU$60 for both of them after shipping. Better than 2 AUS TRU RID voyagers for AU$120. If only I could wait.

Also this preorder was put up on BBTS. Thats $24 cheaper than RK.

[Demonac]

Prices in this country will never go down if people keep buying toys at such ridiculous prices.
Stop. Buying. Toys (locally).

[Tallestblue]

$50? Wow. $50? I supposed I did just technically pay 60 bucks each for First Edition Optimus Prime and Bulkhead. But I am definitely using my staff discount for these guys when they arrive at Myer.

[GoktimusPrime]

When I went to buy Megatron, I scanned it at the self price check thing, and it said "Item not found." So I scanned a DOTM Voyager Optimus Prime and that said $50 (or $49.99... wateva, it's not like I get my 1c back ). But I put DOTMVOP (heh) back on the shelf just in case the cashier offered me a lower price at the rego (like say if she punched in the code for a cheaper toy), and if it had scanned at above $50, I would have told her that it's a Voyager Class toy and that it should be $50, then run off to the TF aisle, grabbed DOTMVOP and brought it back to the register for her to scan and compare. I certainly wouldn't have paid above $50 for that toy.

[Accel]

its funny how Japanese collector lines which most people don't touch due to price are cheaper than Transformers here :P

[Jinto]

Really cool to hear some older kids getting excited and talking about it, especially Megatron - He's so cool in this show and stands just below that of BW Megatron in my eyes.
(BW Megatron being the best iteration IMO )

Ditto

its funny how Japanese collector lines which most people don't touch due to price are cheaper than Transformers here :P

I know, we're getting boned. I might take Demonac's advice and for the first time ever buy my entire collection of a series online.

[Paulbot]

I'm curious, since I wasn't here last year, when DOTM toys starting appearing locally and were selling at the same prices as Generations/Autobot Alliance toys, was there this much outrage/complaining?

It's not like it was unexpected that Prime toy prices would equal DOTM toy prices? I agree it doesn't need to be, and is cheaper to buy online, but it's not a surprise or anything new.

Is it partly just because the first sighting was at TRU and people are fixating on the price $$$ rather than then store where high prices everyday are common?

These figures will be at other stores soon (and it already sounds like TF:Prime Optimus Prime is a shelfwarmer ) so buying them at TRU means you pay some impatience tax.

[GoktimusPrime]

^agree.

$50 has been the price for a Voyager for quite some time now (even the TF1 Voyagers sold for $45-50 in many stores). There were some complaints last year about the size of the toys being smaller than before and thus it didn't feel like it was worth the money - which is understandable, but these "size classes" are really price points rather than any fixed determination of mass. Look at Beast Machines Megatron... size of a Deluxe but sold at the price point of a Mega.

so buying them at TRU means you pay some impatience tax.

Pretty much. But it can also save on time and fuel spent on hunting them down later given Hasbro AU's sometimes haphazard distribution patterns. Being more patient does have its rewards if you can get this toy for cheaper - no denying that, but getting it now means at least I have the damn thing now and I don't need to expend time and money (fuel) chasing it. Getting it online is another way to get it cheaper too, but the advantage of buying it from a store is that you already have the toy and you can play with it straight away. Also refunds/exchanges are less of a hassle compared with online shopping IMO.

There are pros and cons with buying the toy now at the full RRP vs buying it later at a discounted price vs buying it online. Also... these are the first new toys we've seen since November! So I think some of us have been feeling "thirsty" after this small "drought" and are willing to pay full RRP to quench this thirst.

But yeah... Optimus Prime looks like rubbish (there was one that someone else had already taken out of the box, so I had a look at it -- looks to be a whole new mould and not a redeco of FE Voyager OP and a rather unimpressive one at that (FE OP is way better)) and Megatron's fundamentally just an upsized version of the Deluxe figure, only with a Hasbro Greyriffic dull colour scheme (see my comments and photos on the review thread). Neither of these toys are inspiring, but I think there's some excitement about seeing new toys for the first time in 3 (almost four?) months.

So... Wave 1 Voyagers have been spotted. Where are the Wave 1 Deluxes and other smaller/cheaper size class toys?!?