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Hasbro is in quite a bit of trouble right now, in terms of their stock price. It is now around the $65 mark and has not been this low in over 5 year's time. Just to give you an idea of how big a deal this may be for investors, the company was worth 12.37 Billion in May of this year and has now dropped to being worth 9.07 Billion, losing 3 Billion dollars in 5 month's time. For those not in the know, while the falling stock price does not change a company's internal workings overnight, it does affect how much it can borrow and how much it can grow, hence why aim for a constantly higher stock price.

All that finance mumbo jumbo aside, this decrease has hit the news because it was directly impacted by what was said at the latest shareholder meeting for the 3rd quarter, which just closed. Hasbro reported that sales were down due to "increasing price sensitivity for the average consumer". Basically it means that due to higher prices than last year, people bought less than they did last year.

Also, with people buying less, both Hasbro and retailers are beginning to have quite the inventory surplus issue. As a result, Hasbro says we should expect sales in the future.

Interestingly enough, Hasbro mentioned Transformers Earthspark as one of their main hopes to bouncing back. It will be a new show premiering in the 4th quarter, with a bunch of new toys on shelves, also coinciding with the holiday season.

Here are the full quotes below taken from the following CNBC article: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/18/hasbro- ... nings.html

And the graph below which no company wished they had was taken from Yahoo Finance today.

Hasbro reported third-quarter earnings Tuesday morning that fell short of analysts’ expectations as inflation weighed on consumers and the company contended with high levels of inventory.
...

“As expected, the third quarter is our most difficult comparison and was further impacted by increasing price sensitivity for the average consumer,” CEO Chris ***** said in an earnings release.

He expanded on this point in a conference call Tuesday morning, saying that promotions “have become increasingly important” in driving product sales. The company reported high inventory, which is currently afflicting retailers across the board. Hasbro said in an investor presentation that its inventory should help it meet holiday demand.

Shares were down more than 2% Tuesday morning, hitting a new 52-week low.
...

Revenue for the period fell 15% compared to last year, dragged down by a 35% decrease in entertainment revenue. Its Wizards of the Coast unit, which includes “Dungeons & Dragons” and “Magic: The Gathering,” saw revenues decline 16%.

As prices for goods and supplies surge, the toy and game giant has increased prices for products like Nerf Blasters and My Little Pony figures.

...

The company also pointed to several upcoming releases, including Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and the company’s own “Transformers: EarthSpark,” which the company will produce merchandise for during the fourth quarter and beyond.

With the holidays approaching, the toymaker said it plans to “sell through inventory” in the fourth quarter as it seeks to stick to its plan of focusing on fewer, bigger brands and more licensing.

One Year Graph



Five Year Graph

Good, drop the prices to something less ass-raping and maybe you can recover better.

Seems that selling for less is good business but Hasbro has been very greedy and will now reap what it sowed. Im specifically looking at you SW TBS.

I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you!

Hehehe this makes me happy! They kept jacking up prices, most likely to primarily please the shareholders, only to see a drop in their share price. Who'd have thought that increasing prices on toys would cause people to buy less, particularly in these trying times. You don't need to be an economist to work that out haha
Of course costs are going up, but smaller private companies like McFarlane have been able to keep a consistent price, and Todd himself said it's because the company doesn't have shareholders to please.

Hopefully this means the Hasbro prices will come down given time. It's quite bad that there's so much unsold stock that will likely go to waste or pegwarm for millennia.

Total shocker. I mean, come on. You removed plastic and make packages so open you can steal and/or break a figure. Price goes up. They feel cheaper than ever. More hollow at times. Price goes up. We now preorder 6 months in advance just to have the chance to actually see one in person.

I collected transformers. But the price, quality and availability have made me stop. All 3, I blame of hasbro

Surprise.

sol magnus wrote:I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you!

Yeah, really. Hasbro jacks up the prices on all figures, and they have the nerve to act surprised when customers buy less? We're not made of money. When a deluxe figure goes from $15 in 2012 to $25 in 2022, we're not going to keep buying at the same rate. Consumers aren't going to grit their teeth eat the extra cost. They're going to do what people always do in tough times. They're going to re-evaluate their incomes, their expenditures, and their buying habits.

The inflation is real, so there's no real way to solve it. The companies have to pay more for materials, packaging, distribution and all that rot. So they have to pass some of those costs on to the consumer in the form of higher prices, or they don't make any profits and go out of business.

People will cut back on luxury purchases in favor of paying their critical bills and keeping food on the table. And yes, that means buying fewer toys. If Hasbro is pinning all their hopes on Earthspark for huge sales, then they're in for a big disappointment. Earthspark and other figures will remain unsold if customers think they're too expensive, and Hasbro's numbers will continue to fall as long as this inflation continues. I predict their holiday numbers will also be 'lower than expected'. This ain't rocket science, it's completely predictable.

Whirlkick wrote:Hehehe this makes me happy! They kept jacking up prices, most likely to primarily please the shareholders, only to see a drop in their share price. Who'd have thought that increasing prices on toys would cause people to buy less, particularly in these trying times. You don't need to be an economist to work that out haha
Of course costs are going up, but smaller private companies like McFarlane have been able to keep a consistent price, and Todd himself said it's because the company doesn't have shareholders to please.

Hopefully this means the Hasbro prices will come down given time. It's quite bad that there's so much unsold stock that will likely go to waste or pegwarm for millennia.

Prices wont go down. They said in the article instead they'll just encourage more sales (sponsored by them, usually). It's like the MOTU figures that are constantly on sale.

As for McFarlane, do you have those figures? They don't compare to what Hasbro or Mattel is putting out in terms of articulation and quality. He capped it at 22 points, which is 2/3rds the industry standard. Sure, he can splurge a bit more here and there, like add deco and such, and have more leeway due to not having shareholders, but he still has to make profit. So parts count takes a hit, and a big one.

And while he has not increased prices in the US, Mcfarlane has increased prices outside, which sucks hard.

DeathReviews wrote:

sol magnus wrote:I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you!

Yeah, really. Hasbro jacks up the prices on all figures, and they have the nerve to act surprised when customers buy less?

They didn't act surprise, much the opposite. The article has it in bold quoted from the CEO saying:

As expected

william-james88 wrote:And while he has not increased prices in the US, Mcfarlane has increased prices outside, which sucks hard.

The $10 range for Avatar and MHA is now $11. If he isn't raising the prices then I'd like to know who is.

Emerje

Gooooood. Gooooood.
I'll strike again when they have another Pulse power days sale!

Pre-pandemic, I used to buy like 80~90% of my TFs at my TRU Canada, that was a time TRU sticks to MSRP and they have regular sales for anywhere from 15~25% once a month or so. I hardly ever missed a figure I wanted, stock level were fine.

Since the pandemic began, EVERYTHING when to the dumps at TRU Canada. I switched to EBGames/GameStop and its 10% off MSRP with their Edge card. But even that is expensive because of the MSRP price increase.

I have to cut about 1/3 of the figures I usually buy year-to-year since Covid started with my pocket money.

All the above are no surprise to anyone, including Hasbro. But one other factor that's less mentioned for Hasbro's declining (TF-related) revenue MAYBE is because the TF line moved away from G1 more than ever are the WORSE of times.

Hear me out, hear me out. I'm NOT SAYING moving away from G1 is bad. It is a MUST and fans deserves more than just G1 rehashes-to-inifinity. I'm probably in the minority here, but after calculating my available spending $$$ on toys, I stopped collecting almost anything outside of SS & G1 Season 1-3. I wished I can afford to collect BW/Armada, but I knew can't. It was painful. I so wanted to get a full cast of BW, I even rewatched BW to convince myself to buy the awesome figures that I know I can't afford, but I held my line, I used every dollar I saved to pay down my mortgage.

Post withdrawal, I'm fine. I'm more focused on G1 S1-3. With that focus, looking at my list of missing G1 named cast, there's really a handful of figures that are missing (Sandstorm, Snarl, Swoop and some fembots) on my shelves that I NEED to call it "complete" (Complete for me means none of the Citybots, I can't afford those in price & display space). Once those missing TFs got their Generations releases, I'm happy to call it quits. Any future purchases are more of a "100% want" than a "Need" to add to my collection. Thank you Hasbro, your insane price increases forced me to refocus my collection and cured my plastic TF addiction.

So...... my point is (that apply to me, which is probably in the minority), if the insane price increases didn't happen (which is even worse in Canada than the USA), I would've gotten into all things BW & beyond without a thought, and wouldn't need to limit to mostly G1 S1-S3 (bought only Knock Out, Minerva & DK-2 Guard outside of it). Hasbro, you forced me - an all things TF fan - into buying like a GeeWun-only fan. Happy now? We KNOW you (as a corporation) never cared much for the fans and its engineers (their skill & passion are handicapped by "cost management" aka ever-wider-profit-margin), but your latest moves are pissing off even your all-important mighty shareholders. BW Meg says: Yeeeeeeeeeeeees.

Haa haaa!

I'm pissed at Hasbro. I've stopped buying Hasbro figures altogether and shifted to more expensive but more satsifying options because I'd rather save up for something I love.

Also, I hate feeling ripped off, which is how I feel when I spend $23 for a deluxe-class figure that is basically what a $6 scout-class figure was in 2009. That's a 400% cost increase. Except that now, due to hollowness, I need a $15 upgrade kit to be satisfied with the figure, so the $23 dollar figure really costs me $38, which is a 600% increase. Except that the quality control for paint has gone downhill and availability has gone downhill, so I can't even stand in the toy aisle like an OCD-nutcase sorting through seven copies of a figure, looking for the one with the best paint.

Don't get me started on how $50 in 2009 got me ROFT leader Prime, and $50 in 2019 got me so-called leader Siege Shockwave.

mikeb wrote:Also, I hate feeling ripped off, which is how I feel when I spend $23 for a deluxe-class figure that is basically what a $6 scout-class figure was in 2009. That's a 400% cost increase.

Which 6$ scout from 2009 had 25+ points of articulation?

william-james88 wrote:

mikeb wrote:Also, I hate feeling ripped off, which is how I feel when I spend $23 for a deluxe-class figure that is basically what a $6 scout-class figure was in 2009. That's a 400% cost increase.

Which 6$ scout from 2009 had 25+ points of articulation?

Sorry, man. I ain't counting points of articulation. That may be your primary criteria, but it is not mine.

They didn't act surprise, much the opposite. The article has it in bold quoted from the CEO saying:

As expected

If that's the case, then it sure doesn't track with the OTHER quotes from that article: "Hasbro reported third-quarter earnings Tuesday morning that fell short of analysts’ expectations"

If they were 'expecting' lower sales, then they really don't have the right to whine that earnings 'fell short of their expectations'. And for that matter, if they were 'expecting' fewer figures to sell, then why didn't they decrease production to match the lower sales which they claim they were anticipating? Sounds like typical corporate double-talk diplo-babble from people who failed to accurately predict the future, and are engaged in CYA.

I still say that Hasbro will soon be repeating their laments about 'falling short of expectations'. Earthspark and Wakanda Forever are not going to be the magic pill which makes it all better, because prices are not falling. That means Earthspark figures aren't going to sell any better than Legacy or Studio Series. Just because Twitch is a 'new character' doesn't mean people are going to be lining up around the block to pay $25 for what should be a $12-15 figure. If I were Hasbro - I'd advise them to lower their expectations even further and adjust their production levels accordingly.

Yes sure, prices have gone up considerably but that is the case with just about anything these days. I mean in just ONE year I pay 50% more for a can of Pringles at a certain store chain.

Everything gets more expensive. It is what it is.

Just now I paid 45 Euro for the new Studio Series Ironhide and I recall times when a Voyager would cost 25. Of course I do.

But overall I am quite content with the quality that we are getting and let's face it, Hasbro is primarily a company so they exist to make a profit. They are not a charity. Sure they try to make a buck by catering to older fans but estimates range to 10 to 20% sales going to collectors.

I think Earthspark might just be what is needed right now. It is a new line complete with animated show (that has been missing for awhile) with a fresh new line that is geared towards kids. Kids will see the cartoon and they will want the toys.

And I agree with william-james88 here that figures now have a lot more articulation which in turn drives up the parts count and thusly the price. It is not fair to complain a Transformer with far more parts to a McFarlane or even regular action figure.

As for the complaining about the windowless packaging...having to buy everything online it is not a huge issue to me but I get why it can be annoying. Yet I think it is great that Hasbro wants to reduce the usage of plastic. Besides Hasbro cannot be blamed when people want to be a-holes and decide to vandalize or steal stuff.

Clearly Hasbro had hoped buyers would be insensitive to the price changes they were making. Unfortunately for them we were very sensitive to the price changes not surprising considering all we have been through in the last couple years. Also, not surprising considering most of us still remember when deluxes were 15 dollars which was only about ten years ago. In other words, Hasbro made a finical misplay.

"Only 10 years ago".

10 years is a long time. And everything gets more expensive. When $10 Deluxes were still a thing I paid 35 Euro for my Internet. Now I pay 55 and I cannot say the service has improved to a level that justifies the price.

Whereas the Transformers figures have improved greatly.

DeathReviews wrote:

They didn't act surprise, much the opposite. The article has it in bold quoted from the CEO saying:

As expected

If that's the case, then it sure doesn't track with the OTHER quotes from that article: "Hasbro reported third-quarter earnings Tuesday morning that fell short of analysts’ expectations"

If they were 'expecting' lower sales, then they really don't have the right to whine that earnings 'fell short of their expectations'.

They didn't whine, they are accepting reality and offering a solution.
And the market analysts are not Hasbro employees. They are simply people who work on Wallstreet or for banks and analyse the market. They do it for all companies, and when a stock doesn't meet the expectation they predicted, then the stock price goes down. If you are looking for someone to blame, it would be those analysts who probably have no clue about how much Hasbro charges for things in stores and just focus on stock trends, benchmarks and price to earning ratios.

lovrboi wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

mikeb wrote:Also, I hate feeling ripped off, which is how I feel when I spend $23 for a deluxe-class figure that is basically what a $6 scout-class figure was in 2009. That's a 400% cost increase.

Which 6$ scout from 2009 had 25+ points of articulation?

Sorry, man. I ain't counting points of articulation. That may be your primary criteria, but it is not mine.

It doesn't matter if it's a criteria of yours or not, it's the reality, and what drives costs and prices. Parts count (which correlates with complexity and articulation) is the biggest factor. That's why fans have been ok paying $90 for voyager sized MP figures like Skids and Optimus Primal. It's also why some fans are ok paying almost $50 for a core class sized Blitzwing toy https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/ ... ils/162013

I do see where you are coming from though but the Transformers toys have changed since the old days of strict size classes. Basically, as I keep telling my wife, size isn't everything.

bigds9fan wrote:"Only 10 years ago".

10 years is a long time. And everything gets more expensive. When $10 Deluxes were still a thing I paid 35 Euro for my Internet. Now I pay 55 and I cannot say the service has improved to a level that justifies the price.

Whereas the Transformers figures have improved greatly.

Very interesting comparison.

By the way (the following isn't aimed at anybody), while all of us are looking at it through the lens of a collector, the whole point of this article is more about the impact for parents and kids. While we find those prices hard to swallow, it must be amplified for parents that might treat their kid with a toy or buy something for a birthday. A parent's budget for buying a gift for a kid in their son's class has not gone up a ton. And the fact that Hasbro is relying on Earthspark to give them better numbers in Q4 is explicitly them writing collectors off. To anyone doubting it, that statement from them concerning financial survival shows that our purchases are not big enough to sustain them or the brand. Marketing towards us is not part of their immediate recover plan.

And the market analysts are not Hasbro employees. They are simply people who work on Wallstreet or for banks and analyse the market. They do it for all companies, and when a stock doesn't meet the expectation they predicted, then the stock price goes down.

The article makes it sound like Hasbro is working hand in hand with these analysts to make projections which guide what the company does. Don't companies hire market analysts to do this, acting as their advisors? They may not be wearing Hasbro polo T-shirts on the job, but they're essentially Hasbro employees in the sense that Hasbro hired or solicited them for their expertise in order to come up with plans that would be reflected in how the company operates.

Which 6$ scout from 2009 had 25+ points of articulation?

I remember Scout figures like Breacher and Scattershot having at least as much articulation as your average WFC deluxe. Plus, their transformations were pretty complicated. And they were only $9 a pop - $5 if on clearance at Ross or TJ Maxx.

10 years is a long time.... Transformers figures have improved greatly.

In the 2010s it was the "Universe" figures I think. And I remember some of those deluxe figures being extremely complicated (like Universe Galvatron) to the point that I didn't like transforming them because it was too big a chore. If it's a question of the level of complication and parts count, then I don't think those 2010 deluxes were too far removed from, say, 2022 "leader" Blitzwing.

A parent's budget for buying a gift for a kid in their son's class has not gone up a ton.

That may be subjective. I think many families who aren't earning as much money are looking at the spikes in toy cost, and thinking that prices have gone up quite a lot. In tough times, luxury purchases like toys and games are often first on the chopping block.

And the fact that Hasbro is relying on Earthspark to give them better numbers in Q4 is explicitly them writing collectors off. To anyone doubting it, that statement from them concerning financial survival shows that our purchases are not big enough to sustain them or the brand. Marketing towards us is not part of their immediate recover plan.

If so, then we should look for them to scale back (or terminate) lines like Legacy, Studio Series and MP figures, which do seem geared towards collectors. And I do admit - most of the figures the minions see warming shelf are figures like SS Kup, Blurr, and pretty much all of the Legacy repaints like Buzzsaw, Nightprowler, etc. Though there's still no sign of Velocitron Cosmos anywhere near my realm...

william-james88 wrote:By the way (the following isn't aimed at anybody), while all of us are looking at it through the lens of a collector, the whole point of this article is more about the impact for parents and kids. While we find those prices hard to swallow, it must be amplified for parents that might treat their kid with a toy or buy something for a birthday. A parent's budget for buying a gift for a kid in their son's class has not gone up a ton. And the fact that Hasbro is relying on Earthspark to give them better numbers in Q4 is explicitly them writing collectors off. To anyone doubting it, that statement from them concerning financial survival shows that our purchases are not big enough to sustain them or the brand. Marketing towards us is not part of their immediate recover plan.

Good point. We collectors dismiss the simple toys like the 1-steps as bad (actually, sometime making a 1-step Transformers takes some engineering wonders that's underappreciated). But it's any toy companies bread & butter. But my point about having to cut down of the numbers of toys applies.

The disposable income for toys has come down for the majority, squeezed to the limit due to inflation on essentials. Maybe Hasbro thought that once the vaccines got out and the economy crawled out of lockdowns it was time to gouge the customers by hiding behind "logistical challenges." But since when working class' wages ever match the rate of inflation, even when "everyone is working" (low unemployment rate)? Maybe that's how Hasbro dropped the ball.

bigds9fan wrote:"Only 10 years ago".

10 years is a long time. And everything gets more expensive. When $10 Deluxes were still a thing I paid 35 Euro for my Internet. Now I pay 55 and I cannot say the service has improved to a level that justifies the price.

Whereas the Transformers figures have improved greatly.

Very interesting comparison.

By the way (the following isn't aimed at anybody), while all of us are looking at it through the lens of a collector, the whole point of this article is more about the impact for parents and kids. While we find those prices hard to swallow, it must be amplified for parents that might treat their kid with a toy or buy something for a birthday. A parent's budget for buying a gift for a kid in their son's class has not gone up a ton. And the fact that Hasbro is relying on Earthspark to give them better numbers in Q4 is explicitly them writing collectors off. To anyone doubting it, that statement from them concerning financial survival shows that our purchases are not big enough to sustain them or the brand. Marketing towards us is not part of their immediate recover plan.[/quote]


My point is that as collectors we remember the cost for our hobby more than anything else. I mean I have no idea what a bread or bottle of Coca-Cola cost back then. But the price for a Transformers, that I remember.

And I agree, Hasbro gets most of its money from parents/children and they generally want easier to transform toys.

Of course price is an issue but I looked trough a toy catalogue and found large Avenger figures for 20 Euro (A Deluxe is 25-30 Euro) and that is 30 cm tall but with crap articulation.

Personally (and yes I am speaking as fan) I find it better value for money. Anyways, as far as I can tell, all toys get more expensive. I am sure the Avenger figures used to be a lot cheaper.


If all toys get more expensive people might buy less toys but then all toy makers/lines will suffer equally I would imagine.

I too believe that out of all toys available in the toy aisle, Transformers still gives me the most for my money. Followed by MOTU origins and Netflix.
Worst is Star Wars anything.
Lego is somewhere in the middle.