Practically this. I still do like Bandai as a company overall but the prices and the quality of their products (at least sofubi-wise) don't seem linked to each other.Legion1979 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 05, 2022 9:35 am Edit: The thing that really got me aggravated at Bandai is that I dont really feel I've gotten my money's worth on some of these.
The Ultra Hero toys got more expensive now and they are completely blank on the back now.
Problem is, the price increased (which is fine considering inflation), but the overall quality decreasing is not imo.canofhumdingers wrote: ↑Sun Jun 05, 2022 3:39 pm If you were able to buy it for $12 in 2002, that would equate to buying it for $19.30 today, 20 years later. This is according to the US Government Bureau of Labor Statistics own calculator. I can still rather easily find regular Bandai vinyls for around $20 delivered. Furthermore, while you *could* find vinyls for cheap, I remember routinely seeing them for more like ~$20 even back then. If you couldn’t find a deal and paid the higher dealer price of $20 in 2002, that would equate to $32.16 today.
So, the $12-$20 price range of 20 years ago equates to the $20-$30 price range of today strictly based on inflation. I agree things are getting more expensive (and we’ve not yet touched on qualities such as paint or perceived value) but Bandai vinyls still cost about the same, relatively, as they have for at least the last two decades.
On a side note, it's not only Bandai but Lego or Mattel too. When I looked up what some of the Jurassic World figs by Mattel are priced for I was in for a surprise. I think the biggest issue ain't even the prices, it's the quality. I dunno how to describe it but certain & popular toylines from big companies seem to lack in this area even more with every year passing or is that only my perception?