TRU as a whole could avoid so much hassle if they'd only commence acepting preorders on lines such as this, but they won'tNo hassle for the consumer and they'd be able to gauge the level of interest to a degree and order stock accordingly.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
TRU as a whole could avoid so much hassle if they'd only commence acepting preorders on lines such as this, but they won't
Rank 9 - Board Staff
Rank 3 - Basic Member
Thats true but if there was any americans buying from aussie they would see how much shipping is and have a heart attackOriginally Posted by llamatron
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Given that the MP releases are TRU exclusive, they may have restricted international sales to avoid cannibalising their own business in other markets.
Large companies are often run as separate business units in different regions (eg. North America, UK, Europe, Asia, Australia) with each business unit accountable for their own performance. You can imagine TRU Australia would not be particularly happy for TRU US to sell hot new items to Australians and affect the Australian performance. Also, the manufacturers may operate in the same way so similarly, Hasbro US may not want TRU US selling to Australia as that affects Hasbro Australia's performance.
This sort of thing is common with books and video games where publisher set pricing and/or limit availability based on rights and 'protection' of businesses. We also see it in the bevy of services like music and video on demand that aren't available outside the US because of 'licensing' issues and not wanting to compete with the local arms of their businesses.
I strongly suspect this is the case with TRU and that they'll just fob you off with a form letter. That said, I wish you luck and hope to be proven wrong.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
^This makes sense to me. Hasbro and TakaraTOMY have a standing legal agreement that prevents them from distributing toys to each other's markets without consent.
Rank 9 - Board Staff
That is a good point, and probably what will happen, but in that case, TRU.com shouldn't ship anything to us. What I think the problem is, their categorization of what can and can't be shipped OS. When Beast Hunters was first out, I bought some stuff from TRU (USA), while some deluxes were fine, for some reason or another, the Voyager Optimus was not. but Predaking was fine. WHA?
Just them not having their act together and arranging a standard system.
IMO, I think the reply will be along the lines of "Buy it from TRU.com.au as they are our Australian branch"
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Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Well....IMO TRU Australia sucks big time from where I come from. The toy variety here is focus on babies more than anything.
For a toy store here is my frustrations:
Very lousy range of Transformers toys. Needless to say they didn't bother to import Omega Supreme YOTS edition.
Things like exclusive never make it here often. Last MP I saw was actually Rodimus only in Perth WA.
Other toys like Gundam kits don't exist, look at Singapore and Japan and America.
Skylanders Legendary which are TRU exclusive never or hardly ever make it.
I have ordered my MP13 Soundwave without full set of cassettes as a backup.
I am not relying on TRU till they improve.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
THE REPLY
Got the reply today...
Dear Trevor Hopkins:
Thank you for contacting The “R” Us Family regarding the ability to ship Masterpiece Soundwave to Australia.
Most products on Toysrus.com/Babiesrus.com are available for International Shipping but regretfully there are a few exceptions. Certain products may not be eligible for International Shipping due to import/export laws and regulations. Weight restrictions apply and orders may be restricted by size or quantity. Out of stock products, pre-sale items, lithium batteries that are not installed in items (video game players, cameras, etc.) and consumable products such as food items and liquids are not eligible for International Shipping.
Seeing that the product is Out of Stock on the US website and it has an email me when available icon; it does appear that we might be receiving more in our online inventory. Unfortunately there is no guarantees as to if we will be getting the product, back and if we do how many we will be receiving. Those decisions are up to "Hasbro" the manufacturer of the product.
In reference to your third question, It's also important to note that while we do make every effort to offer a wide variety of the hottest new toys and standard favorites, some items sell out quickly and may be removed from the site. This is indeed high demand item, and unfortunately, I can not guarantee that everyone who would like this item will get one. I am unsure of the amount of this product that the manufacturer is releasing. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our offices at 1-800-ToysRUs (1-800-869-7787) and follow the prompts to online customer service. Anyone who answers may be able to assist you.
Thank you once again, Trevor Hopkins, for contacting the “R” Us family, and we look forward to serving you in the future.
Sincerely,
Phillip 2511
The “R” Us Team
www.toysrus.com
1-800-ToysRUs (1-800-869-7787)
---------------------------
To: trucom@cust-help-us.com
From: bigangrytrev
Subject: Product/Item Question
Order Number:
Name: Trevor Hopkins
Phone Number:
Wrote: Hello,
I wanted to know why your product "Masterpiece Soundwave" was not available for international shipping for the short time it was available in your online store?
Many Australians like myself were hanging out to purchase this item that had been seen on your website several weeks before he reappeared on the 18th of July. At the time of his first showing, there was NO indication he would not be available for international shipping. Hence anger and disappointment when the product became available on the 18th and after placing him in the checkout we were told 'Does not ship internationally'. Your site boasts that it ships to 68 different countries, yet it seems that now this is limited to only a select few toy.
By the time myself personally was able to contact an American friend and obtain permission to have the product sent to their address your site had, with incredible speed, sold out of the 'Masterpiece Soundwave'. And within hours dozens were showing up on ebay priced at $270 and above.
Essentially you've given a big thumbs up to the scalpers and a big middle finger salute to your loyal international customers. Especially those such as myself who have accounts with you and have been shopping with your store since it started internationally shipping a year or so ago.
I am aware that 'Masterpiece Soundwave' will be released at TRU in Australia, but since your stores are few and far between, those like myself who live a 5 hour drive away from the nearest one have little hope of picking one of these rare figures up.
So my questions to you are three-fold:
1. Why was 'Masterpiece Soundwave' not available for international shipping?
2. Will you be getting significant numbers of this product in again that can be purchased online?
3. If/when released in Australia, will 'Masterpiece Soundwave' be available in large enough quantities that everyone who wants one will have a chance of getting one?
Thanking you,
Trevor Hopkins
Thoughts?
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Nothing in response about scalpers. Why am I not surprised? Seems they just want to turn a blind eye to scalpers. Why would they care? They still make the sale and get their money.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Because they're called Toys R Us, not Transformers R Us. It's the same with Kmart, Target and Big W. If you look at their toy sections, Transformers don't occupy much shelfspace because there are other boys toys that retailers have commited to. The exception being when international movies are released and the marketing is in overdrive. As for ranges, you'll find that most major retailers have the same waves of merchandise available, with slight variations here and there, like Big W's $10 Deluxes. As for the YOTS exclusive Omega, that was secured by Big W with their agreement, just like Target had the Platinum Magnus, Kmart the Optimus and Toys R Us will have the Grimlock vs Bruticus pack. All these stores have purchasing budgets to adhere to for the entire toy section, and sometimes, as frustrating as it is, we cant always get what we want.
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