Why is Colossus PF so expensive? (serious question)

[Brayzen]

Serious question here.

Looking at his specs online he appears to be smaller in dimension and significantly lighter then say the recent Skaar PF announced and yet is $20 more.

He is only a few inches taller then the Cyclops PF that sold a a few moths back at $299 and that item had a light up feature.

Is there an error on the specs listed on the webpage or are there other factors involved? I am genuinely asking as I am concerned I am being priced out of the hobby. I mean if he was made out of metal and weighed a ton I would understand him being so expensive but if this is just the result of a general trend to increase pricing I would be keen to know as I am starting to get to the point where I cannot see the value in the item compared to others that are being offered or have been offered recently.

If SSC has responded to a similar question previously please point me in the right direction.

Also please resist the urge to tell me that things just get more expensive over time, I am not comparing him to items sold 5 years ago I am comparing him to items sold recently and items yet to be sold.

Either way there will be no complete X-men PF team for me

Appreciate any insight SSC might be able to offer.

Cheers

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

oil costs money

 

[MachineGunMan]

Serious question here.

Looking at his specs online he appears to be smaller in dimension and significantly lighter then say the recent Skaar PF announced and yet is $20 more.

He is only a few inches taller then the Cyclops PF that sold a a few moths back at $299 and that item had a light up feature.

Is there an error on the specs listed on the webpage or are there other factors involved? I am genuinely asking as I am concerned I am being priced out of the hobby. I mean if he was made out of metal and weighed a ton I would understand him being so expensive but if this is just the result of a general trend to increase pricing I would be keen to know as I am starting to get to the point where I cannot see the value in the item compared to others that are being offered or have been offered recently.

If SSC has responded to a similar question previously please point me in the right direction.

Also please resist the urge to tell me that things just get more expensive over time, I am not comparing him to items sold 5 years ago I am comparing him to items sold recently and items yet to be sold.

Either way there will be no complete X-men PF team for me

Appreciate any insight SSC might be able to offer.

Cheers

This is a very valid question, presumably i can only assume they think it will sell regardless of a higher price point, since he is part of a set more people will bite to complete it then perhaps on a stand alone statue like skaar. Some very good points and i had asked myself all the same questions when confronted with the sticker shock.

 

[Dr Sanchez]

Because they have to make up their profits from the loss of having warehouses full of unsold Venomsaurus, Hulk 1:1 busts, Bullseye Comiquettes, etc,etc...

 

[VS1976]

Inflation. Sadly everything is going up I just want SSC to release all the "bigger" characters out soon as possible before the price goes even higher. Ideally everything by 2012 like Juggernault, Apocolypse, Mr Sinister and Bane etc.

This hobby is getting very expensive and I will limit what I buy very soon.

 

[Brayzen]

Inflation. Sadly everything is going up I just want SSC to release all the "bigger" characters out soon as possible before the price goes even higher. Ideally everything by 2012 like Juggernault, Apocolypse, Mr Sinister and Bane etc.

This hobby is getting very expensive and I will limit what I buy very soon.

I do not think inflation is a culprit here. I mean looking at PF items selling for $300 - $329 less then 12 months ago to today there is something else going on. I thought it might of been the weaker USD as well but I just cannot get my head around this item being more expensive then say Skaar to produce.

I mean if the overall scale is smaller and the weight is down (great for international shipping) then there are less materials being used then how does this cause a price increase? If anything the items should be getting cheaper as they make more items and save on materials. At the very least the price should be stable and just the margin for the company gets better.

Maybe the statue is really worth $400 and we have all just been lucky to get items like the hulk etc so "cheap"

 

[Natrix]

They must think the market will still be there with the price increases even the Tarkin PF price is higher at $350.

I think I am officially out of the PF lines now with these price increases and lack of QC and set edition sizes for pre-orders with the NRD.

 

[Leonidas]

Serious question here.

Looking at his specs online he appears to be smaller in dimension and significantly lighter then say the recent Skaar PF announced and yet is $20 more.

He is only a few inches taller then the Cyclops PF that sold a a few moths back at $299 and that item had a light up feature.

Is there an error on the specs listed on the webpage or are there other factors involved? I am genuinely asking as I am concerned I am being priced out of the hobby. I mean if he was made out of metal and weighed a ton I would understand him being so expensive but if this is just the result of a general trend to increase pricing I would be keen to know as I am starting to get to the point where I cannot see the value in the item compared to others that are being offered or have been offered recently.

If SSC has responded to a similar question previously please point me in the right direction.

Also please resist the urge to tell me that things just get more expensive over time, I am not comparing him to items sold 5 years ago I am comparing him to items sold recently and items yet to be sold.

Either way there will be no complete X-men PF team for me

Appreciate any insight SSC might be able to offer.

Cheers

This is very unfortunate for us collectors what is happening here..The greed game is a dangerous one to play for any company especially in this economy.. SS' current trend of lowering quality while spiking prices to absurd levels (this has recently been taken to new heights with the Colossus PF as you mentioned) could very well end in their downfall within a few years or less

 

[ilikethat69]

This is very unfortunate for us collectors what is happening here..The greed game is a dangerous one to play for any company especially in this economy.. SS' current trend of lowering quality while spiking prices to absurd levels (this has recently been taken to new heights with the Colossus PF as you mentioned) could very well end in their downfall within a few years or less

this happens alot nowadays...

 

[Bullseye]

You have a couple of reasons why this is more expensive than the previous Xmen releases firstly the substantial increase in size. This towers above the others, more resin/polystone (oil based) used and as you know oil has gone up in recent time, inflation has risen substantially in China including wages and finally transportation has gone up again based on oil increases.

 

[Leonidas]

You have a couple of reasons why this is more expensive than the previous Xmen releases firstly the substantial increase in size. This towers above the others, more resin/polystone (oil based) used and as you know oil has gone up in recent time, inflation has risen substantially in China including wages and finally transportation has gone up again based on oil increases.

Oil has been around 100$/barrel for many years now, there haven't been any big increases in the price of oil since 2007; it has actually gone down considerably since then so the price of oil cannot justify the dramatic spike in the price of statues made of resin/polystone..on the contrary, the prices of resin statues should have gone DOWN using the price of oil argument
Also I don't believe the Colossus requires that much more resin than other PF's as it only weighs 10lbs..actually lighter than other PFs! Which indicates that it is hollow...all I can say is what a ripoff

 

[sarakawa]

I think they pretty much sit around a table and discuss what they can get away with. At this point, they are probably more of a money making machine than a small company built for fans. It's more about "people will pay more because he is colossus and part of the xmen lineup" rather than "he should be $350 compared to what we have sold other comparable pieces for recently." It scares me how much future xmen related pieces are going to cost since they can pretty much raise the price with each piece because people will increasingly want to complete the collection. That being said, I may still pick this up but probably just the regular from a 3rd party vendor to save some money.

 

[ProgMatinee]

They price things at the maximum price they think people will buy stuff at. Simple as that.

All the people who defend it with "inflation" bs are fooling themselves. How many of our paychecks have been inflated lately?

 

[Natrix]

They can't sell items out at the current prices so they raise prices across the board?

Do they expect to sell more at the higher prices?

Lower prices and sell more vs raising prices and selling less.

 

[Phil Sierra]

Inflation. Sadly everything is going up I just want SSC to release all the "bigger" characters out soon as possible before the price goes even higher. Ideally everything by 2012 like Juggernault, Apocolypse, Mr Sinister and Bane etc.

This hobby is getting very expensive and I will limit what I buy very soon.

That's exactly how I feel brother. I'm also hoping Sideshow gets the larger characters in sooner than later like Juggernaut, Planet Hulk, Apocalypse and all the other big dudes before the prices get even more expensive then they already will be.

 

[Skiman]

 

[Brayzen]

You have a couple of reasons why this is more expensive than the previous Xmen releases firstly the substantial increase in size. This towers above the others, more resin/polystone (oil based) used and as you know oil has gone up in recent time, inflation has risen substantially in China

I see where you are going with this thought but again I direct you to the Scaar PF, I know $20 is not much but both these items have the same expected ship date and Colossus weighs so little compared to it it simply cannot contain the same amount of resin.

What I am really hoping to hear is that factor "X" is causing prices to rise in the short term and the company are working to overcome the "X" issue Wishful thinking for sure.

I was thinking that perhaps after years of watching people "flip" their items for big profits they feel they are under valuing their product and are now trying to test the waters (but in this economy?!?)

I also feel that with Colossus they are taking advantage of the fact that the majority need to complete the X-men line and are making a few extra bucks off them.

Either way the $100 between a PF in 2011 and a PF in 2012 is the line in the sand for me sadly

 

[LOTRFan]

They price things at the maximum price they think people will buy stuff at. Simple as that.

+1, you mean SS doesn't run a charity?

But really, what type of "official" answer from Sideshow would suffice? It will only read like a form letter of increased costs of R&D, materials, licensing; all of which might be totally true and valid.

But how forthcoming have they been in the past? I am not shocked by the pricing, it is aggressive though no question; it seems like a bit of gamble considering most collector's excess funds and their own inventory at the moment.

 

[Bullseye]

Oil has been around 100$/barrel for many years now, there haven't been any big increases in the price of oil since 2007; it has actually gone down considerably since then so the price of oil cannot justify the dramatic spike in the price of statues made of resin/polystone..on the contrary, the prices of resin statues should have gone DOWN using the price of oil argument
Also I don't believe the Colossus requires that much more resin than other PF's as it only weighs 10lbs..actually lighter than other PFs! Which indicates that it is hollow...all I can say is what a ripoff

I would not rely on that weight description. SS often post information on weight which is incorrect.

You haven't taken into account that this piece was probably finished one year ago when oil prices were higher. Oil may drop in the short term but as soon as the worlds economy reignites its only going one way. Have you noticed any significant drop at the pumps? I'm betting not.

 

[devilof76]

They price things at the maximum price they think people will buy stuff at. Simple as that.

All the people who defend it with "inflation" bs are fooling themselves. How many of our paychecks have been inflated lately?

This has had me stumped for months because I'd never heard this before, but I think I've finally wrapped my head around it.

What on Earth makes you think that inflation is reflected in paychecks? I mean, in any other way than that your purchasing power drops as inflation rises?