Re-Releasing of Previous Sold-out Pieces: Thoughts? Opinions?

Well, it looks like this is really becoming a thing after all, and in my opinion represents a seismic shift in business strategy for Sideshow Toys. As others have noted, maybe that's why they've removed the word "Collectibles" from their logo & are finally owning up to the fact that the word "Limited" in truth, is really a Marketing term since everything that is produced is limited in a sense to what is actually made. Given the college tuition-like inflation of most of their pieces these days, SS has become a pretty ridiculously expensive toy store. And now given the implementation of this new policy, it's a toy store I'll be visiting less-frequently.

I'm not gonna waste a lot of space to rant about this. A decade ago I was pretty cheesed-off when Master Replicas did something similar. Though they had the decency to actually make the end product with different materials and at least call it something different. SS is barely even bothering to do that.

Frankly, I feel too old to care about stuff like this much anymore. Let the next, younger collector generation carry the ax to grind on this one. I just wanted to make a thread where in one place everyone can view a list of the re-hashes, re-releases and their differences to the original. Also, it'll be a place where the two camps of people can share their opinion on the subject & we can hear the well-known, eternal debate:

Pro: ("Yea! I missed out on the first release. Ordered!")
Con: ("Boo! I waited years and paid a premium on ebay to get this piece and now this will damage the aftermarket value!")

So, have at it.

you need to make a poll.

but i hate it. but understanding that my hate is not the same level of hate i have for ISIS. i mean, its all about perspective.

i have way bigger things in life to be concerned about thankfully. but if i had a vote id be raising hell with the board of directors at ole SS. their actions suggest that they are morally bankrupt and do not have any love or concern for the collectors.

It's always been a good question, and it's a hard one to answer. My personal opinion is that, when talking about "collectibles," whatever that may be, you're always taking a risk on value fluctuation. It's not just companies producing more of a "sold-out" item; it's also that "new and improved version" that's released (which, let's face it, for every iconic character there always will be as technologies get better); the bad movie in the multi-million dollar franchise that destroys the love for the character/design; or just simple franchise fatigue (i.e., Star Trek loses steam after the late 90s, so all those inflated action figures that went for $100 then are down to $15 a pop).

Which is why, I say, if you're buying something that's limited for the sake of it being limited, then, well, you're taking a risk that it's value will decrease, just like the stock market. If you're buying something because you enjoy it and it looks great in your display cabinet, then even if the value decreases, you STILL enjoy it.

Now, I'm a Hot Toys/figure guy, not a statue guy, but the average figure goes for what, about $200-250 or so, right? I've dropped $250 on a night out on the town before. Is it a lot? SURE IT IS. But it's not enough that I'd bust a blood vessel over if one or two is a miss out of the ol' collection. I get that statues go for much more and can become a lot more inflated, but it's an investment gamble, just like anything else.

I think you can just read the vader/force awakens thread to see what people think. Haha

For me, I love it. Especially when I missed out on a piece the first time. If I buy a piece it's because I love the character and/or piece itself. Edition size has never had any impact on whether or not I buy a piece, nor do I ever buy a piece because it might be worth more in the aftermarket down the road. I'd actually prefer SS to make all of their regular pieces "limited" editions, and maybe just number the exclusives to give extra incentive for those concerned about edition size to order. That way SS could judge if there is enough demand later on down the road to bring it back for people who missed out, or are brand new to collecting.

Oh joy..here we go

Collectibles like these are not an investment. Not even screen used props. Also personally I don't mind rehashes from time to time, considering they could help fans who might have missed certain items before, and if those remakes are different enough to make a difference. This is because I collect for myself, I only buy the items I like, and thus I very rarely sold anything from my collection. I own the original SSC Vader bust, as well as the Probe Droid and I love them, the new release does not affect my opinion of them, I still love these 2 collectibles, with their good and bad.

That being said, I think Sideshow is now going berserk with all these "new" collectibles (in fact straight rehashes), and this is not about collecting anymore, but simply for them to make money at the expense of everyone. This is not what a high end collectible company should do if they have any respect for their collectors. I'm not a SSC cheerleader nor a hater, but their recent action made me think the future purchases from them.

To be fair they've only done pieces that were previously "Limited Edition" that are now retired and the new versions are different.
Besides some colour variants of the odd piece there hasn't been any rehashing of numbered sold out pieces. Yet.
But - I think it sucks.
The only saving grace is these new releases aren't better than the older ones in any way.

I don't see the big deal.

You buy these collectibles because you enjoy them, not to resell them. If you paid $1200 for 3PO/R2 PF and now it is being offered for $780.... oh well. You get some good deals and then you overpay. Happens all the time with everything for sale. If it allows someone to finally snag a piece they want, I don't see why others who have it should be restricting someones happiness.

It's pretty much a lazy money grab, but what can you do? As long as Sideshow (and others) have the licenses they aren't precluded from engaging in reissues. While it ticks me off when I'm directly impacted (I put my 1:1 EX Vader on ebay literally hours before the announcement) there might be a couple of instances where I could benefit (1:6 Probe Droid, 1:4 weathered R2D2 & C3PO). At least they are switching things up a bit, such as the lack of a Shaw portrait for Vader and new bases. In that regard it's not a complete loss for the collectors and their investments will still hold value. For example, I would still prefer the snow base for the Probe Droid and the sand bases for the droids. But what's obvious is they are going into their catalogs and focusing primarily on the hoter sellers in the secondary market. If they really want to reissue something, how about a new 1:6 Emperor's throne with light-up and without the flimsy base.

If I didn't know better I would think this was like some last ditch effort to make money from Star Wars. Could Sideshow be losing the license and are not allowed to put up any new products for preorder after say the end of this year and want to get as much money as possible out of license before it ends????

sideshow has nothing new to put up to make money so they just have to bring out old open edition ones

nexus said:

It's pretty much a lazy money grab

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I don't think it is a money grab. No one is forcing you to buy these.

With a license as expensive as Star Wars I don't see how they can't do this. Why let the secondary market reap the benefits?

i think its great!! Gives new and old collectors a chance at newer versions of some of their best pieces. Plus none are exact re-releases.

Vader is the RotJ version
Boba Fett is the ESB version
R2 is a repaint
C3PO and R2 PF isn't the same
Probe Droid now makes the first PD release and Exclusive.

So for those "collectors" it should make the first release more rare and sought after.

if they were putting out a 2007 figure just the way they were without redesign or repaints then I would think its a waste, but with them re-working them, trying to improve them and helping new and old fans out so they don't have to pay 3 times the price on eBay is GREAT!!!!!

Plus i dont believe in the "investment" part of collecting these figures and statues. I buy because i love the characters and movies. If your going to open up a museum, then thats one thing, but most of us just collect them and put them in our homes. Maybe a few family members or friends get to see them once in a great while. But really they are for "you". So if you have a figure worth $600 on eBay, thats nice, but why does that even matter if you don't plan to sell it?

To me Sideshow and HTs are all about giving fans a chance to collect their favorite characters with the most highly detailed figures and statues. There is a lot of love that goes into making these pieces and I will always respect whatever they want to do.

I think it's a move with total disregard to the collector and fanbase they've made over the years. I buy items made by Sideshow not as an investment, but I do recognize that they have value. And when you rerelease or release a similar item you do negatively impact the value of the original piece. And while I don't buy pieces with the intent of reselling, if I do need to sell a piece later on (need more space, or money) I like to know that I won't have to worry about the value of my purchase being undercut by a later reissue or re-release.

In the entire time I've been collecting Sideshow items I can't think of any instances like this, but now in the space of a month they reissue 3 1/6 items, 1 PF set and 1 1:1 Bust. And yes, they are technically a bit different, but not enough to be called a true v2, more like a 1.1. Probably most frustrating is at least Fett and the 1/6 Vader seem to have actual improvements over the original figures (better flight vest for Fett, better scaled hands and body suit for Vader).

I've stuck with Sideshow over the years through raising prices and at time very questionable quality... but I'm very disheartened by this decision and will be less likely to buy direct from them in the future.

Faora said:

Plus none are exact re-releases.
Vader is the RotJ version
Boba Fett is the ESB version
R2 is a repaint
C3PO and R2 PF isn't the same
Probe Droid now makes the first PD release and Exclusive.

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This is what I was lookin' for, stuff like this. Little differences (if any), etc. Pictures comparing first and second releases would be good too.

If they're not gonna do a ROTJ Luke v2, I guess I'm up for a re-release.

WWEJedi said:

I don't think it is a money grab. No one is forcing you to buy these.

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Money grabbing has zero to do with anyone being "forced" to buy.

Darklord Dave said:

With a license as expensive as Star Wars I don't see how they can't do this. Why let the secondary market reap the benefits?

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I don't think anyone is getting rich in the secondary market. You can't expect that just because a few dozen of these sell for higher prices that it's going to justify a run of 500 or 1,000. This goes along with other practices like increasing ES. The marketplace has grown quite a bit in the past few years. SS figures it can't do an exact re-release of a "retired" piece so they just tweak the piece and go back and try to pick up those additional sales. And why not cash in on the Star Wars momentum? For me it's not a huge deal because I have generally picked up my pieces at retail with no plans of reselling. The only reason I'm selling Vader is because it's been in the box for like 4 years. But if it doesn't sell it's not going to be a big deal as it's a great piece and still quite unique. But yes some of this is "money grabbing" because the money is there and the effort is relatively minimal when compared to developing a new piece from scratch. Just like with repaints, which is another practice that's not a big deal to me. I buy the ones I like and leave the ones I don't. This has happened time and again, not just with Sideshow but with Hot Toys, Bowen, Gentle Giant, etc. Just don't buy for the "investment", be prepared to lose money when you sell, and pleasantly surprised when you make money, and you won't be disappointed.

I get the thought process of those who take solace in the exclusivity of their items. But personally, I'm not annoyed about the re-releases because of that. I've always maintained the attitude that I buy pieces because I like them and not to make a buck down the road. I rarely sell things anyway, and if I do it's usually for financial reasons or because I decide I don't love a piece enough to justify its value. I'm all for more people being able to get pieces they missed out on. The more happy fans the better. It's the same reason if I get a good deal on a piece and end up selling it later, I usually pass along the savings to make another collector as happy as I was rather than charge the usual price for a profit. I've never sold a piece for anything substantially higher than what I paid originally.

My problem with sideshow is the lack of new products. I mean, it's laughable. It's a joke. Rather than do something new or exciting for the franchise they're just rehashing old stuff for a profit with minimal effort. They should be mortified. If they read the threads here and feel anything other than embarrassment they don't deserve their customers. How they can sell all of the hot toys products coming out with a straight face while they've been unable to do a single truly new PF or life size bust in nearly a years time (over a year if you don't count that awful looking Vader PF) is beyond me. More so since it comes at a time where the hype for Star Wars is the highest its been in the entirety of sideshow's existence.

And I'm probably more disappointed than the rest of you too; seeing as I have no interest in any of the few pieces that are (supposedly) coming. Jango and Sandy bore me. And a third Maul PF?