Hasbro Made-to-Order Figures

[altcunningham]

So what I'm seeing is, when I want Apocalypse I have several people I can talk to.

 

[EnigmaticClarity]

View source, last I did it.

What are you looking at in the source?

Up until some point in 2024 Pulse was using an off-the-shelf product named Shopify that depending upon how you configured it would sometimes put product inventory counts in the source. Many other sites that sell Legends use Shopify as well including Nerdzoic, Medicom's sales web site where they sell Mafex. When Pulse first set their Shopify site up around 2019 or 2020 inventories were in the code for the first few years of its operation. At some point last year or possibly the second half of 2023 (I forget when they revamped their site) they stopped using Shopify, and when they did that I looked through the source and couldn't find inventories anymore.

But it sounds like you've found them somewhere. Where are you seeing it, i.e. what keyword are you searching for in the source to find the inventory? I'm a web developer so a brief answer assuming I know everything about what the source does should be fine.

 

[JRoug]

Having recently shipped a Haslab Sentinel, I assure you it can cost more than $100. The box is huge. Since it was released, most carriers have increased "dimensional weight" charges, a balloon charge for oversized packages, while reducing the size of a package that qualifies for a ballon rate (USPS, for example, now charges a balloon rate if any edge is 21" or longer). Combine that with higher rates for longer distances and insurance costs, plus eBay fees (if that's where you're looking), and it's no surprise they are expensive.

Wouldn't be surprised if the Sentinels on Pulse right now are cancelled orders, considering 72% of the population think the economy is in the crapper for non-billionaires (they're not wrong), it's an expensive holiday season and the specter of a recession is looming. It's a logical budget cut when you're straing down high winter electric bills.

While we might not like it, it makes no sense for Hasbro to strictly order exactly the # of MTO figures that are ordered. First, they'll have to hold some inventory to replace any lost or damaged packages or defectives. Second, if they have to sell X number to break even / make a profit, and they've promised they will make it regardless of number of orders, they better manufacture at least that break even number. I'm told that is exactly what happened with Dragon Man, and I don't recall much bitching when it was reoffered on Pulse after it was selling on eBay for high prices.

So at least the thing you wanted gets made. And if you preordered, you got a better price. With most costs rising, you can't blame them for trying to recapture unpredictable / unforseen costs by raising the price of whatever this extra stock is - even if it's just to cover warehousing costs due to cancellations.

 

[EnigmaticClarity]

Got my two Sentinels yesterday. Love 'em! They're more than close enough to the pre-1990s versions for me to use them in classic displays.

A secondary reason I bought two was to get more of the blast effects to use with the old Sentinels, and wow, those blast effects are better than I was hoping for. Great stuff.

 

[fac]

Does Hasbro claim anywhere that the MTO model is a one-time only production run? They don't disclose the number of orders, do they? I don't feel this is like a Haslab where you kind of think this is your only opportunity.

I think they are just using this to confirm that if they needed 5,000 orders to go into production, getting 7,000 preorders covers that and they can possibly make 10,000 and not lose money even if they have excess and it takes awhile to sell. And if they get 1,000 orders, they can always say "sorry, didn't get enough interest, your preorder is cancelled".

 

[hmmberto]

Having recently shipped a Haslab Sentinel, I assure you it can cost more than $100. The box is huge. Since it was released, most carriers have increased "dimensional weight" charges, a balloon charge for oversized packages, while reducing the size of a package that qualifies for a ballon rate (USPS, for example, now charges a balloon rate if any edge is 21" or longer). Combine that with higher rates for longer distances and insurance costs, plus eBay fees (if that's where you're looking), and it's no surprise they are expensive.

Shipping costs are so weird and inconsistent. I shipped a Rattler and a HISS earlier this year in their original packaging, both for around $30-35, purchased through eBay, including extra insurance. But I know if I walked into a UPS Store to have them do it I'd be paying at least twice as much for the same shipping service.

 

[altcunningham]

What are you looking at in the source?

Up until some point in 2024 Pulse was using an off-the-shelf product named Shopify that depending upon how you configured it would sometimes put product inventory counts in the source. Many other sites that sell Legends use Shopify as well including Nerdzoic, Medicom's sales web site where they sell Mafex. When Pulse first set their Shopify site up around 2019 or 2020 inventories were in the code for the first few years of its operation. At some point last year or possibly the second half of 2023 (I forget when they revamped their site) they stopped using Shopify, and when they did that I looked through the source and couldn't find inventories anymore.

But it sounds like you've found them somewhere. Where are you seeing it, i.e. what keyword are you searching for in the source to find the inventory? I'm a web developer so a brief answer assuming I know everything about what the source does should be fine.

Just did it on the Cassandra and Laura (since she's sold out).

I'm in Chrome. Ctrl+U to find the source code.

Ctrl F “stocklevel”

The number next to it is the current item stock. Cassandra 360, Laura 0.

 

[CTV]

The Sentinel is in stock on Pulse.

Thanks for the heads up! FOMO killed; I got one.

 

[Misfit]

Shipping costs are so weird and inconsistent. I shipped a Rattler and a HISS earlier this year in their original packaging, both for around $30-35, purchased through eBay, including extra insurance. But I know if I walked into a UPS Store to have them do it I'd be paying at least twice as much for the same shipping service.

In that situation, ebay is subsidizing the shipping to a degree. They’re able to get a better rate due to volume and are able to extend it to the users. It definitely doesn’t pay to go to the post office by yourself for the occasional parcel.

 

[hmmberto]

In that situation, ebay is subsidizing the shipping to a degree. They’re able to get a better rate due to volume and are able to extend it to the users. It definitely doesn’t pay to go to the post office by yourself for the occasional parcel.

Oh for sure. Pirateship has similar group discount rates - I'm sure eBay is orders of magnitude bigger so I'm not sure how they do it, but anything I ship that wasn't sold through eBay goes via Pirateship. But even if buying direct from the shippers you'll get different rates if you walk in to the store vs buying a label through their site.

To jayjonah's point, though, any eBay seller asking $100+ to ship is probably padding the numbers a bit since they'd get that same discounted rate (assuming they're US-based and selling to a US buyer, that is).

 

[TheSameIdiot]

First, they'll have to hold some inventory to replace any lost or damaged packages or defectives.

You say that...

Someone here received a defective Dragon Man and emailed Hasbro about it. They told him to get bent and then wound up selling their extras shortly after.

But even if buying direct from the shippers you'll get different rates if you walk in to the store vs buying a label through their site.

Is there a rule of thumb as to which tends to be cheaper?

I started using Pirate Ship last month. I compared each label to the price USPS was asking through Click-N-Ship. Pirate Ship was cheaper for 2/3.

 

[Enforcer]

Well... this Sentinel is everything I've wanted since the first BAF all those years ago. Simple. Perfect. I'm really happy with it.

 

[EnigmaticClarity]

Just did it on the Cassandra and Laura (since she's sold out).

I'm in Chrome. Ctrl+U to find the source code.

Ctrl F “stocklevel”

The number next to it is the current item stock. Cassandra 360, Laura 0.

THANKS! Yep "stocklevel" does appear to be it. If you do it on the Sentinel a few times separated by a few minutes you can see it slowly go down by a few.

Looks like it's down to 2220 at the moment, so if it was around 3100 yesterday then they may be gone before Christmas even comes assuming that's the total inventory. It's possible the numbers will go back up at some point as people cancel orders and they decide which sites to sell it on i.e. Pulse America vs Pulse UK and whatever other international versions of the site they have.

 

[hmmberto]

You say that...

Someone here received a defective Dragon Man and emailed Hasbro about it. They told him to get bent and then wound up selling their extras shortly after.

Is there a rule of thumb as to which tends to be cheaper?

I started using Pirate Ship last month. I compared each label to the price USPS was asking through Click-N-Ship. Pirate Ship was cheaper for 2/3.

In my experience it's usually most expensive in store, then direct from the shipper online, and cheapest through eBay/PirateShip.

 

[EnigmaticClarity]

In my experience it's usually most expensive in store, then direct from the shipper online, and cheapest through eBay/PirateShip.

Yea shipping eBay stuff is the cheapest USPS shipping prices I've ever been able to get. Never used PirateShip but they likely have the same relationship with the USPS that eBay does so it makes sense if their prices are similar or the same as eBay.