Strong Dollar Has Killed My Hobby

[chris rankin]

Like the title says my statue collecting days are finished. The strong dollar is making prices absolutely crazy for this stuff. I PO'd the Prime1 OP statue and it was 2250 Euros which I thought was steep anyway but now its in stock the price has risen by 300 euros. My retailer said its because of the strong dollar and his suppliers have raised their prices which I can understand. He said he would honor the original PO price but he is going to loose money on it.

I checked a couple of other retailers and they have it at 2600 euros and 2900 euros which is just stupid for this stuff. So enough is enough and unless things change I am done with statues. Hottoys are ok for the moment but they are getting pretty pricey too.

Anybody else find this or is it just me? Feel free to share

 

[Lejuan]

Statues and doll prices have gone through the roof vs interest rates and mortgage repayments have fallen through the floor.

 

[bunnyfreakz]

I fell the same way. I pay 20%-30% more for my Hot Toys since USD getting really strong . My local retailer even bankrupt and cant supply anymore because their policy to keep PO price until release. I am going drop HT after getting AoU cap, thor and mark 45 , no more purchase for me unless maybe BvS

 

[Knightstalker]

Yeah same here with the falling Aussie dollar. The exchange rate is just destroying the prices over here. $650 for a PF is insane.

 

[SAB]

Yeah ....falling Aussie dollar has made the decision to finish up with this hobby much easier....

 

[Lejuan]

Don't any of you guys have a mortgage?

 

[fosing]

Like the title says my statue collecting days are finished. The strong dollar is making prices absolutely crazy for this stuff. I PO'd the Prime1 OP statue and it was 2250 Euros which I thought was steep anyway but now its in stock the price has risen by 300 euros. My retailer said its because of the strong dollar and his suppliers have raised their prices which I can understand. He said he would honor the original PO price but he is going to loose money on it.

I checked a couple of other retailers and they have it at 2600 euros and 2900 euros which is just stupid for this stuff. So enough is enough and unless things change I am done with statues. Hottoys are ok for the moment but they are getting pretty pricey too.

Anybody else find this or is it just me? Feel free to share

its times like this you wish you had a vajayjay and in the meat packing industry.

 

[SAB]

Don't any of you guys have a mortgage?

Don't follow?
Everyone here appears to be saying they are no longer buying?

 

[Collectorcol]

American collectors don't realise how lucky they are.
I've just gotta laugh when I read them moaning about their postage going up by $5

Try crappy exchange rates, International purchase bank charges, doulble the postage then top it off with 20% V.A.T!
Even the days of getting the Regular Editions locally for less seem to have come to an end

Don't any of you guys have a mortgage?

Thank God my house is payed for

 

[HODLr]

If I had all of those charges I wouldn't be collecting this stuff. It wouldn't be worth it to me. You guys do get ****ed, hard, especially with the VAT. What a crock of ****! The government would take more, if they could. Greedy bastards.

 

[Lejuan]

Don't follow?
Everyone here appears to be saying they are no longer buying?

Anyone with a mortgage is enjoying the lowest interest rates in a generation. My repayments have dropped by $80/wk since the Australian dollar had parity with the US dollar. From what I've read, low interest rates are pretty universal in the current global economic environment. The increased cost of imported goods is well negated by historically low mortgage repayments.

 

[willocrew]

Anyone with a mortgage is enjoying the lowest interest rates in a generation. My repayments have dropped by $80/wk since the Australian dollar had parity with the US dollar. From what I've read, low interest rates are pretty universal in the current global economic environment. The increased cost of imported goods is well negated by historically low mortgage repayments.

Your lower mortgage rates are due to quantitative easing policy...the banks are trying to stimulate the economy.

If they aren't careful it can cause bad inflation. So I wouldn't go around spending my mortgage savings just yet.

And besides, who the hell uses mortgage savings to fund the purchase of non-essentials?

 

[dcalonaci]

How dare you define 1/6 non-essentials?!?
Burn the witch!!!

No basically mortgage and family are my first saving - 1/6 take what's remaining minor a huge portion saved for rainy days - basically I can't even afford more than a cpouple HT pieces for one year

I really don't understand spending 2000€ for a statue/piece whatever it is - it's basically two months of my income (italian here)

Your lower mortgage rates are due to quantitative easing policy...the banks are trying to stimulate the economy.

If they aren't careful it can cause bad inflation. So I wouldn't go around spending my mortgage savings just yet.

And besides, who the hell uses mortgage savings to fund the purchase of non-essentials?

 

[Lejuan]

Your lower mortgage rates are due to quantitative easing policy...the banks are trying to stimulate the economy.

If they aren't careful it can cause bad inflation. So I wouldn't go around spending my mortgage savings just yet.

And besides, who the hell uses mortgage savings to fund the purchase of non-essentials?

Nope. Australia's interest rate is above zero percent. Expansionary monetary policy still applies. Therefore inflation is more safely managed due to the flexibility of the reserve bank to further lower rates.

People use money saved on lower mortgage repayments all the time. Whether it be to buy a car, take a holiday or whatever. My minimum mortgage repayments are $80 less per week than two years ago. That's around four grand a year that is not having to service my mortgage but can be directed to other things - perhaps I'd use some of it to draw down the principal. Maybe invest some of it. And yes, maybe I'll go and buy myself a ****ing great Chewbacca doll.

 

[chris rankin]

American collectors don't realise how lucky they are.
I've just gotta laugh when I read them moaning about their postage going up by $5

Try crappy exchange rates, International purchase bank charges, doulble the postage then top it off with 20% V.A.T!
Even the days of getting the Regular Editions locally for less seem to have come to an end

 

[Damien]

alraedy a couple of things I didn't buy from Hot Toys
with the canadian dollar exchange rate to US being what it is
a HT figure thats 225 costs me around 300
and I find 225 already expensive enough

 

[SAB]

Anyone with a mortgage is enjoying the lowest interest rates in a generation. My repayments have dropped by $80/wk since the Australian dollar had parity with the US dollar. From what I've read, low interest rates are pretty universal in the current global economic environment. The increased cost of imported goods is well negated by historically low mortgage repayments.

Ah okay, gotcha .... though I sit more with willocrew's side of the argument that mortgage savings should be automatically plowed straight back into the mortgage with zero consideration for anything else ....but to each their own

 

[Lejuan]

Ah okay, gotcha .... though I sit more with willocrew's side of the argument that mortgage savings should be automatically plowed straight back into the mortgage with zero consideration for anything else ....but to each their own

They're only savings by virtue of interest rates trending down. Putting money back onto the mortgage is always a good move given that it reduces the principal. Or, with an interest rate of around 4-5%, one would be better advised to pay off any credit card debt with an interest rate of around 13-14%. That's not really my point. My point is that high doll prices is, for anyone with a mortgage, offset by low interest rates. If anyone wants to be really responsible about it, they should stop using any savings for buying non-essentials altogether.

 

[willocrew]

They're only savings by virtue of interest rates trending down. Putting money back onto the mortgage is always a good move given that it reduces the principal. Or, with an interest rate of around 4-5%, one would be better advised to pay off any credit card debt with an interest rate of around 13-14%. That's not really my point. My point is that high doll prices is, for anyone with a mortgage, offset by low interest rates. If anyone wants to be really responsible about it, they should stop using any savings for buying non-essentials altogether.

I see your point. Its true that discretionay income is up thanks to lower mortgage rates. So we are better able to absorb increasing costs of this hobby.

But there is this issue of opportunity cost (or wasted opportunity). It is a wasted opportunity because instead of directing that extra money into furthering my financial position, I am spending it on collectibles that are overpriced. i have no idea if interest rates will remain this way in 2 years time.

 

[Lejuan]

I see your point. Its true that discretionay income is up thanks to lower mortgage rates. So we are better able to absorb increasing costs of this hobby.

But there is this issue of opportunity cost (or wasted opportunity). It is a wasted opportunity because instead of directing that extra money into furthering my financial position, I am spending it on collectibles that are overpriced. i have no idea if interest rates will remain this way in 2 years time.

Yes, "overpriced" is actually the issue rather than fluctuations in interest or exchange rates. It doesn't matter how much I'm saving on my mortgage, these things have become more expensive than I think they're worth. I'm swallowing the cost of over-priced Star Wars figures because they fill the last hole in my modest collection. Beyond that my 1/6 spending will trickle down to one or two figures a year.