MacrossWorld's PO Thread - NEXT PO of 2024 will be APRIL 5TH at 4PM JST...HI-METAL R VF-19 Kai Fire Valkyrie...a WWM Release...POST LINKS TO AVAILABLE PO's and KEEP DISCUSSIONS ON POs HERE

[MisaForever]

So can someone tell me what makes these WWM versions better than the others? Other than the fact they say WWM on them. 😛 

[jenius]

They're available at lots more stores so less pre-order madness.

[MisaForever]

2 minutes ago, jenius said:

They're available at lots more stores so less pre-order madness.

Ah got it, thanks. And I assume the WWM logo on them is the only difference?

[jenius]

I haven't been paying attention on that but I think the WWM logo is on the box no matter where you buy the toy from, Japan or abroad. 

[MisaForever]

4 minutes ago, jenius said:

I haven't been paying attention on that but I think the WWM logo is on the box no matter where you buy the toy from, Japan or abroad. 

That would make more sense. 

[Alex GS]

POd Basara and little YF 19 at AmiAmi , easy preorder this time around.

[Alex GS]

BBTS links.  

Fire Valk

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Search?HideSoldOut=true&PageSize=100&SortOrder=New&Series=10931&o=2

Mini YF 19

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/273496?o=2

 

[sh9000]

The HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie is currently sold out at Hobby Genki and Nin-Nin-Game.  Both stores had it for the cheapest price and also protect items very well when shipped.

Currently sold out at Hobby Search, HLJ, and CD Japan too.

Edited April 6 by sh9000

[jvmacross]

1 hour ago, sh9000 said:

The HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie is currently sold out at Hobby Genki and Nin-Nin-Game.  Both stores had it for the cheapest price and also protect items very well when shipped.

Currently sold out at Hobby Search, HLJ, and CD Japan too.

With these WWM....need to start posting the prices and approximate international shipping....that way we can figure out what to pay (what is a fair price) once it releases outside of Japan...

[Chronocidal]

BBTS actually has a pretty good price on this one, considering you get it for $4 shipping, but you also wind up adding sales tax, so that could be better or worse depending on where you live.

Overall though, for a single shipped item, you'd probably come out about even with most of the international vendors.

I tend to stick with HLJ just because there are so many other things they sell that I use (mostly modeling supplies), so even on the rare occasion I'm only shipping one item, I can always throw other small things in the box to make it worth the shipping cost.

[Duymon]

I'll just wait for crunchyroll to get it so I get 15% off and free shipping

[sh9000]

I checked some numbers for 1 HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie:

Nin-Nin-Game about $80

Hobby Genki about $82

Anime Export about $94

HLJ about $85

Amiami about $92

CD Japan about $85

Yoyakunow about $98

Estimated shipping (DHL, Fedex, UPS, Registered Air) $25

Estimated shipping through Surface would be cheaper.

 

BBTS $140

My state tax $13

Shipping $4

 

The cheapest price shipped for 1 HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie from those Japanese stores is about $105.  The highest price shipped is about $123.  BBTS shipped in my state is $157.

 

[Chronocidal]

56 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

I checked some numbers for 1 HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie:

Nin-Nin-Game about $80

Hobby Genki about $82

Anime Export about $94

HLJ about $85

Amiami about $92

CD Japan about $85

Yoyakunow about $98

Estimated shipping (DHL, Fedex, UPS, Registered Air) $25

Estimated shipping through Surface would be cheaper.

 

BBTS $140

My state tax $13

Shipping $4

 

The cheapest price shipped for 1 HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie from those Japanese stores is about $105.  The highest price shipped is about $123.  BBTS shipped in my state is $157.

 

Thanks for the comparison, I never ship anything as small as a single HMR, so I never see shipping that low.  

[jvmacross]

1 hour ago, sh9000 said:

I checked some numbers for 1 HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie:

Nin-Nin-Game about $80

Hobby Genki about $82

Anime Export about $94

HLJ about $85

Amiami about $92

CD Japan about $85

Yoyakunow about $98

Estimated shipping (DHL, Fedex, UPS, Registered Air) $25

Estimated shipping through Surface would be cheaper.

 

BBTS $140

My state tax $13

Shipping $4

 

The cheapest price shipped for 1 HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie from those Japanese stores is about $105.  The highest price shipped is about $123.  BBTS shipped in my state is $157.

 

This is good data....I will add this to the "first" page of the Macross PO thread for the Fire Valk post so it is easy to find....maybe this can be done going forward on future releases...

*edit*  added "POST PO NIGHT PRICING DATA with Approximate Shipping Costs"

Edited April 6 by jvmacross

[Anasazi37]

1 hour ago, sh9000 said:

The cheapest price shipped for 1 HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie from those Japanese stores is about $105.  The highest price shipped is about $123.  BBTS shipped in my state is $157.

This is why I still prefer to deal with PO Madness, plus I get items 3-4 months sooner. But now when I'm dealing with the Madness, I'm always thinking, "if I can't get it tonight, I know I can get it through [insert domestic store of choice here] with a convenience markup."

At some point I will stop dealing with the Madness and just throw money at the situation so I can have a good night's sleep.

[jvmacross]

3 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

This is why I still prefer to deal with PO Madness, plus I get items 3-4 months sooner. But now when I'm dealing with the Madness, I'm always thinking, "if I can't get it tonight, I know I can get it through [insert domestic store of choice here] with a convenience markup."

At some point I will stop dealing with the Madness and just throw money at the situation so I can have a good night's sleep.

I think at some point soon, the only advantage will be getting the item much quicker pre-ordering straight from Japan.....hopefully, that may also go away as well at some point....as for the prices, I believe the last couple of releases actually got to a point where the prices either were the same or actually less.....patience, of course, is the determining factor when trying to get non-Japan retailer purchases at equal or lower prices...

 

[Anasazi37]

53 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

I think at some point soon, the only advantage will be getting the item much quicker pre-ordering straight from Japan.....hopefully, that may also go away as well at some point....as for the prices, I believe the last couple of releases actually got to a point where the prices either were the same or actually less.....patience, of course, is the determining factor when trying to get non-Japan retailer purchases at equal or lower prices...

 

I do hope we get to price parity at some point, so then it's only about how long you're willing to wait (and not have to deal with PO Madness in the middle of the night). I'll point to the recent YF-21 PO as an example of the hefty markups that unfortunately still exist: ¥35000 in Japan ($230) vs. $350 in the US. That's a 52% markup, which is not uncommon. We usually see Bandai international markups in the range of 45-55% and that seems to extend beyond Macross to other franchises like Gundam (discussed in another thread a few months ago). Another recent example is the HMR VF-0A PO: ¥16000 in Japan ($105), $160 in the US, which is also a 52% markup. I cynically expect the HMR VF-19 to show up in the US for $125-ish, regardless of retailer, but will gladly eat my hat if it shows up closer to the Japanese MSRP of ¥13000 ($85) because that will be a win for everyone. Granted, if you're patient and wait until US retailers start marking down prices for WWM items, you can sometimes get all the way down to Japan MSRP, but it could become a situation where those retailers stop carrying Macross items because they have to sell them at a loss...and then we're right back to PO Madness for everything.

[jvmacross]

21 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

...but it could become a situation where those retailers stop carrying Macross items because they have to sell them at a loss...and then we're right back to PO Madness for everything...

And for that, we would only have BW to blame this time around....

[Slave IV]

5 hours ago, sh9000 said:

I checked some numbers for 1 HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie:

Nin-Nin-Game about $80

Hobby Genki about $82

Anime Export about $94

HLJ about $85

Amiami about $92

CD Japan about $85

Yoyakunow about $98

Estimated shipping (DHL, Fedex, UPS, Registered Air) $25

Estimated shipping through Surface would be cheaper.

 

BBTS $140

My state tax $13

Shipping $4

 

The cheapest price shipped for 1 HMR VF-19 Fire Valkyrie from those Japanese stores is about $105.  The highest price shipped is about $123.  BBTS shipped in my state is $157.

 

Thanks for posting this. I already knew myself but always wonder why people insist that “it’s about the same price” to buy from places like bbts. Even at heavy discount, at best I’ve seen stuff maybe come close to the price I got it for from Japan maybe in one or two cases they came within a couple dollars more or less but that’s hardly a chance worth waiting for. 

[Anasazi37]

5 hours ago, jvmacross said:

And for that, we would only have BW to blame this time around....

I've wondered how much of the markup is Bandai on its own vs. some licensing thing tied to the deal between BW and HG, or maybe a bit of both. Then it makes my head hurt and I stop wondering.

[Chronocidal]

I don't want to defend the price increases, but from a distribution and manufacturing standpoint, I can see why it had to happen.

Consider that Bandai's production and distribution planning for Macross products has always been focused on the Japanese market alone, since international distribution wasn't "possible," at least not from an official point of view.

So, how are you going to begin addressing the international demand officially?  What changes have to be made to manufacture enough for the perceived international demand?

You don't want to hike prices for Japanese customers for the same products to support expanded production lines, and you don't want to even consider expanding them until you're sure sufficient international interest exists to support that expansion in the first place.

So, I'm kind of in the mindset that the WWM releases are a market study.  I don't even know if Bandai is producing more stock.  What they are doing is studying whether there is enough demand outside of Japan to start paying more attention to their international customers.

I'm thinking the international markup accomplishes two things, really.  On the one hand, it'll help cover the costs of increased production and distribution without passing that cost onto the Japanese market that didn't ask for it.  On the other, it gives them a measure of international interest, determining whether the extra cost hurdle is enough to offset the convenience of getting stuff from places like Amazon.

The exchange rate and current economy being what they are, I'm curious whether they'll think it's worth the effort.  If prices keep everyone buying from Japanese stores anyway, Bandai really doesn't have any incentive to expand.

[treatment]

1 hour ago, Anasazi37 said:

I've wondered how much of the markup is Bandai on its own vs. some licensing thing tied to the deal between BW and HG, or maybe a bit of both. Then it makes my head hurt and I stop wondering.

 

You can most likely figure out how much Bandai markups is there by also considering how much their other various toy lines are costing when sold directly here in the US.

Llike how much do they charge for their DXs, SOCs, Metal/Non-Metal Robot Damasshii, SHFs, SHMAs, etc, etc., from, say, under their Bandai Spiritis page from Amazon. 

Especially even on their PBandai-US front for their Metal Builds and other exclusives.

 

 

Edited April 6 by treatment

[jvmacross]

All Macross toys from Bandai are made in China.....what do the Chinese pay for WWM?

[Anasazi37]

3 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I don't want to defend the price increases, but from a distribution and manufacturing standpoint, I can see why it had to happen.

Consider that Bandai's production and distribution planning for Macross products has always been focused on the Japanese market alone, since international distribution wasn't "possible," at least not from an official point of view.

So, how are you going to begin addressing the international demand officially?  What changes have to be made to manufacture enough for the perceived international demand?

You don't want to hike prices for Japanese customers for the same products to support expanded production lines, and you don't want to even consider expanding them until you're sure sufficient international interest exists to support that expansion in the first place.

So, I'm kind of in the mindset that the WWM releases are a market study.  I don't even know if Bandai is producing more stock.  What they are doing is studying whether there is enough demand outside of Japan to start paying more attention to their international customers.

I'm thinking the international markup accomplishes two things, really.  On the one hand, it'll help cover the costs of increased production and distribution without passing that cost onto the Japanese market that didn't ask for it.  On the other, it gives them a measure of international interest, determining whether the extra cost hurdle is enough to offset the convenience of getting stuff from places like Amazon.

The exchange rate and current economy being what they are, I'm curious whether they'll think it's worth the effort.  If prices keep everyone buying from Japanese stores anyway, Bandai really doesn't have any incentive to expand.

If true, starting with a 50% markup is pretty bold. They'd be working under the assumption that international collectors are willing to pay a large premium, even above the total cost of getting a PO in Japan and having the item shipped priority international. That may be true, but the number of times I've seen WWM items eventually marked down is not a positive sign. I'm sure some business people at Bandai crunched the numbers, like we've been doing in this thread for the past few days, and came up with a markup percentage that they thought would work. If it is a market study, maybe as Bandai watches the international sales figures they'll drop the markup a bit to boost interest. If the total cost for WWM items came in under what we currently pay door-to-door for a Japan PO, I'd be willing to shift my purchasing stateside and wait the 3-4 extra months for items to arrive. It's a tough business decision: keep the higher markups at the risk of decreased demand because you think it's about convenience for international collectors, lower the markups at the risk of decreased profit because you think it's about value for international collectors, or just stop international distribution altogether because it's not worth the extra work. 

3 hours ago, treatment said:

You can most likely figure out how much Bandai markups is there by also considering how much their other various toy lines are costing when sold directly here in the US.

Llike how much do they charge for their DXs, SOCs, Metal/Non-Metal Robot Damasshii, SHFs, SHMAs, etc, etc., from, say, under their Bandai Spiritis page from Amazon. 

Especially even on their PBandai-US front for their Metal Builds and other exclusives.

Based on the experiences of other MW members who collect figures from those lines, the markup is pretty consistent (45-55%). Like you, that was my first thought: is this specific to Macross or a more general thing? Seems to be more general. You'd think the markup on massive lines like Gundam would be lower, but apparently not.

(Others with better information, please correct me if I'm wrong)

[Sanity is Optional]

7 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I don't want to defend the price increases, but from a distribution and manufacturing standpoint, I can see why it had to happen.

Consider that Bandai's production and distribution planning for Macross products has always been focused on the Japanese market alone, since international distribution wasn't "possible," at least not from an official point of view.

So, how are you going to begin addressing the international demand officially?  What changes have to be made to manufacture enough for the perceived international demand?

You don't want to hike prices for Japanese customers for the same products to support expanded production lines, and you don't want to even consider expanding them until you're sure sufficient international interest exists to support that expansion in the first place.

So, I'm kind of in the mindset that the WWM releases are a market study.  I don't even know if Bandai is producing more stock.  What they are doing is studying whether there is enough demand outside of Japan to start paying more attention to their international customers.

I'm thinking the international markup accomplishes two things, really.  On the one hand, it'll help cover the costs of increased production and distribution without passing that cost onto the Japanese market that didn't ask for it.  On the other, it gives them a measure of international interest, determining whether the extra cost hurdle is enough to offset the convenience of getting stuff from places like Amazon.

The exchange rate and current economy being what they are, I'm curious whether they'll think it's worth the effort.  If prices keep everyone buying from Japanese stores anyway, Bandai really doesn't have any incentive to expand.

Overall I agree, except for the fact that increasing production tends to *lower* costs, not raise them.

I suspect it's partially that they just decided for MSRP ¥100=$1 (as it was close for quite a while), and partially they're using the extra profit to fund the US distribution specifically. Salaries, US events, advertising, etc.

[Chronocidal]

24 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Overall I agree, except for the fact that increasing production tends to *lower* costs, not raise them.

I suspect it's partially that they just decided for MSRP ¥100=$1 (as it was close for quite a while), and partially they're using the extra profit to fund the US distribution specifically. Salaries, US events, advertising, etc.

This is actually kind of the reverse.  The production line is complete, and all they have to do is make more.

The problem is that making more takes production line time away from other products.  Going off of how they tend to produce everything in one go, adding more stock to a production run will absolutely throw a wrench in whatever schedule they have for that factory.

[Sanity is Optional]

3 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

This is actually kind of the reverse.  The production line is complete, and all they have to do is make more.

The problem is that making more takes production line time away from other products.  Going off of how they tend to produce everything in one go, adding more stock to a production run will absolutely throw a wrench in whatever schedule they have for that factory.

It depends how "at capacity" their lines are. It could mean just producing less of other things, or could mean adding a 3rd shift, or it could mean shifting some things to different manufacturing lines entirely (like outsourcing the moulding and assembly, which I highly suspect they already do for DX figures given the inconsistency).

In the long run, if the business is sustainable, I suspect they will just buy/build new lines to manage the additional production, but we all know Japanese companies are immensely risk averse and I doubt they'd invest the money to do so up front.

[Slave IV]

20 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

If true, starting with a 50% markup is pretty bold. They'd be working under the assumption that international collectors are willing to pay a large premium, even above the total cost of getting a PO in Japan and having the item shipped priority international. That may be true, but the number of times I've seen WWM items eventually marked down is not a positive sign. I'm sure some business people at Bandai crunched the numbers, like we've been doing in this thread for the past few days, and came up with a markup percentage that they thought would work. If it is a market study, maybe as Bandai watches the international sales figures they'll drop the markup a bit to boost interest. If the total cost for WWM items came in under what we currently pay door-to-door for a Japan PO, I'd be willing to shift my purchasing stateside and wait the 3-4 extra months for items to arrive. It's a tough business decision: keep the higher markups at the risk of decreased demand because you think it's about convenience for international collectors, lower the markups at the risk of decreased profit because you think it's about value for international collectors, or just stop international distribution altogether because it's not worth the extra work. 

Based on the experiences of other MW members who collect figures from those lines, the markup is pretty consistent (45-55%). Like you, that was my first thought: is this specific to Macross or a more general thing? Seems to be more general. You'd think the markup on massive lines like Gundam would be lower, but apparently not.

(Others with better information, please correct me if I'm wrong)

The only thing I’ve ever seen that makes more sense and works is SH Monsterarts specifically from awesomecollector. They are the only place I’ve seen any Bandai product that is regularly released in two versions. They usually list the Japanese version first at a typical price with the markups we’re used to seeing but then they will later list a US version that is discounted to the point where it is sometimes less than what I can buy direct from Japan for. They used to offer free shipping on all orders, which helped but now they are selective in what gets free shipping but depending on situation, their US release is usually comparable to buying direct from Japan. 

[Anasazi37]

1 hour ago, Slave IV said:

The only thing I’ve ever seen that makes more sense and works is SH Monsterarts specifically from awesomecollector. They are the only place I’ve seen any Bandai product that is regularly released in two versions. They usually list the Japanese version first at a typical price with the markups we’re used to seeing but then they will later list a US version that is discounted to the point where it is sometimes less than what I can buy direct from Japan for. They used to offer free shipping on all orders, which helped but now they are selective in what gets free shipping but depending on situation, their US release is usually comparable to buying direct from Japan. 

US versions. Intriguing idea. Bandai would definitely get more mileage out of their molds that way. 

[Slave IV]

1 hour ago, Anasazi37 said:

US versions. Intriguing idea. Bandai would definitely get more mileage out of their molds that way. 

BTW, I didn’t think there is any difference in the US version. It’s just the allotment specified for the US market as far as I can tell. Only difference is you don’t get the brown box shipper for TWE releases. 

[Anasazi37]

On 4/6/2024 at 11:17 AM, Anasazi37 said:

 I cynically expect the HMR VF-19 to show up in the US for $125-ish, regardless of retailer, but will gladly eat my hat if it shows up closer to the Japanese MSRP of ¥13000 ($85) because that will be a win for everyone.

The VF-19 is starting to show up for PO in the US. Price range looks to be $120-140, or a 40-65% markup. Looks like I won't have to eat my hat, but I hope the prices for WWM start to come down. 

[jvmacross]

So the lowest Japan price on PO day with fastest shipping was about $105 total....

Best price so far is E-Knight with free shipping....$115.70 total..

I am pretty sure this will change either prior to release or in the weeks after....it's release in the US will be right around the start of the holiday shopping season...surely there will be some deals to be had...

Of course, if you just can't wait to get your hands on the smirking-faced VF, then money is no object!...

 

[Shizuka the Cat]

Hi-Metal R VF-19 Fire Valkyrie is now available for pre-order on Amazon US:  $130

https://www.amazon.com/TAMASHII-NATIONS-Macross-Valkyrie-Hi-Metal/dp/B0CZQKGSQ6/ref=sr_1_9

[jvmacross]

29 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Hi-Metal R VF-19 Fire Valkyrie is now available for pre-order on Amazon US:  $130

https://www.amazon.com/TAMASHII-NATIONS-Macross-Valkyrie-Hi-Metal/dp/B0CZQKGSQ6/ref=sr_1_9

Will just wait for Amazon or some other online retailer's Xmas sale discount...

[MisaForever]

Wow, not available until the end of the year? Geez. Oh well, still a good price.