MacrossWorld's PO Thread - NEXT PO of 2024 will be JUNE 6TH at NOW JST...DX VF-25S Armored Messiah Valkyrie (Ozma Lee) Revival Ver....a WWM/TWS Release...POST LINKS TO AVAILABLE PO's and KEEP DISCUSSIONS ON POs HERE

[Anasazi37]

9 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

$170?

Good god, that cost increase... I got 2 for $210 before shipping from nin-nin.

This is why I haven't been able to bring myself to order WWM items from US shops. Retail price for the 0A in Japan is ¥16000 ($108 at current exchange rate). $170 is a 57% markup. Even Luna Park isn't that bad. I think we've established that a lot of the markup is Bandai's fault, or their US distributor's fault, since every US shop charges about the same price for WWM items and the shops are likely just passing the cost along to customers. Maybe it's how Bandai thinks they can justify the cost/risk of selling more "niche" Macross items overseas? Do Gundam items get the same treatment? I'm doubtful.

[derex3592]

Well I TOTALLY missed this pre-order because of being out of town for work last week, which sucks because I really want this one!  Oh well, I'll try to snag one from Anime Export upon release. I'm NOT paying that crazy US markup. 

[jvmacross]

You can't just compare the price of the item...at minimum you need to add international shipping to those Japanese retailer prices...which can vary widely...

Several US retailers offer free shipping...so it all comes down to placing a value on things that can also vary widely per individual collector...like time, convenience and support after you receive your item...although I think some Japanese retailers are getting better than simply telling you that you're SOL...

 

[derex3592]

Yes, I'm aware of the pricing situation, I'd just rather try to pick up one from Japan after release and pay a nominal shipping rate with good delivery options and also have the toy 2 to 3 months ahead of US retailers getting them! 

[Sanity is Optional]

3 hours ago, jvmacross said:

You can't just compare the price of the item...at minimum you need to add international shipping to those Japanese retailer prices...which can vary widely...

Several US retailers offer free shipping...so it all comes down to placing a value on things that can also vary widely per individual collector...like time, convenience and support after you receive your item...although I think some Japanese retailers are getting better than simply telling you that you're SOL...

Be that as it may, even fast shipping on a HMR is typically under $40, often under $30.

We're being charged an extra $50-$60. Plus tax, and we're being taxed on that shipping surcharge included in the base price.

Over where I am, id be paying almost $200, rather than $140 shipped. And getting it later.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Sanity is Optional

[jvmacross]

50 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Be that as it may, even fast shipping on a HMR is typically under $40, often under $30.

We're being charged an extra $50-$60. Plus tax, and we're being taxed on that shipping surcharge included in the base price.

Over where I am, id be paying almost $200, rather than $140 shipped. And getting it later.

Like I said...not everyone is price sensitive...if your time is of more value and prefer to skip PO nights, you can order, for example, the VF-0A, from eknight for $142.99...per the link posted by @sh9000 I think they have free shipping...not sure about tax...with that said...many states are getting wise as to non-payment of taxes domestically and on international purchases....I am sure Uncle Sam will someday get his cut from every international purchases...

Anyway....big difference when trying to compare the Japanese MSRP without international shipping with the highest US retail price....I guess doing so makes some people feel like they got a much better deal...lol

[Sanity is Optional]

2 hours ago, jvmacross said:

Anyway....big difference when trying to compare the Japanese MSRP without international shipping with the highest US retail price....I guess doing so makes some people feel like they got a much better deal...lol

The $170 is pretty ridiculous even including international shipping, and that comment was before any US retailers had better pricing.

I've been majorly disappointed in general with the US cost, it ought to be cheaper per unit to ship 50 by ship than ship one by air, yet the prices are still higher in almost all cases for the ones making their way to the US on ships.

Not to mention, high shipping costs can easily be reduced by shipping multiple things together (say via HLJ's Private Warehouse, or buying multiples). I'd much rather pay low item price and high shipping than high item price and free shipping, all else being equal.

[Anasazi37]

5 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

The $170 is pretty ridiculous even including international shipping, and that comment was before any US retailers had better pricing.

I've been majorly disappointed in general with the US cost, it ought to be cheaper per unit to ship 50 by ship than ship one by air, yet the prices are still higher in almost all cases for the ones making their way to the US on ships.

Not to mention, high shipping costs can easily be reduced by shipping multiple things together (say via HLJ's Private Warehouse, or buying multiples). I'd much rather pay low item price and high shipping than high item price and free shipping, all else being equal.

You and I had the same thought. I believe the reason the US shops distribute WWM items 2-3 months later is because those items come via a very inexpensive shipping method (boat). Assuming those items start at Japan MSRP, that maybe adds a few dollars if you distribute the cost of the shipping container space across all shipped items. So then what explains the significant difference in price between Japan MSRP and US shops? That's why I asked about Gundam items as a sanity check. Do we see the same pattern or are Macross items more costly to buy from US shops? Right now I think many of us have a gut feeling that the Macross prices are much higher than they should be, and it's a hard feeling to shake. For example, I just scrolled through the shops for Goodsmile in Japan and in the US, picked some items at random that show up in both locations, and the PO prices are almost identical (factoring in the fluctuating exchange rate), but the release dates are about 2-3 months apart. So, they are shipping to the US via boat like Bandai and somehow not marking up their items by 57%. And Goodsmile is significantly smaller than Bandai. The situation makes my head hurt.

I almost missed out on the 0A because of business travel and was content knowing that, worst case, I could hand over more money to a US shop and get it 2-3 months later than the release date in Japan. It would be...fine, and we didn't use to have this option, so I'm glad that we do. Doesn't help for SDFM and DYRL POs, but no situation is perfect. There are several reasonably priced shipping options from Japan that can take anywhere from two weeks to two months, and as you say, shops like HLJ and AE have private warehouses where you can keep items for a bit and then consolidate shipping to save money.

[gabuyan]

The thing about Macross is, its international license isn't owned by the same Japanese company that owns the local one. Harmony Gold does. And of course Harmony Gold would want their pound of flesh for any product with the Macross brand that reaches outside of Japan officially.

Whatever markup you see in prices in the US basically goes to paying off Harmony Gold.

[Sanity is Optional]

31 minutes ago, gabuyan said:

The thing about Macross is, its international license isn't owned by the same Japanese company that owns the local one. Harmony Gold does. And of course Harmony Gold would want their pound of flesh for any product with the Macross brand that reaches outside of Japan officially.

Whatever markup you see in prices in the US basically goes to paying off Harmony Gold.

That was before they reached an agreement, now it's only the OG series that HG has, which is why anything from TV/DYRL are still Japan-only distribution, no overseas VF-1 figures.

[Lolicon]

The actual cost per unit is going to be less than the Japanese MSRP. And of course Bandai is shipping thousands of items at once via ship, so the shipping cost per unit is far below what you or I are paying for 1 or 2 via FedEx. 

Add to that the current strength of the dollar vs the yen which means they're cashing in even more when the profits are repatriated to Japan. 

[gabuyan]

6 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

That was before they reached an agreement, now it's only the OG series that HG has, which is why anything from TV/DYRL are still Japan-only distribution, no overseas VF-1 figures.

In that case the price bump isn't really explainable then. Would only make sense if Bigwest has to pay an overseas fee for the WWR.

[kkx]

missed the PO on this, well will have to wait until release day and try to get one.

[Big s]

3 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

That's why I asked about Gundam items as a sanity check. Do we see the same pattern or are Macross items more costly to buy from US shops?

The Bandai non Macross stuff has the same issues. It seems oddly to go by price of an item rather than weight or size. A low price item like a kit will only be a few bucks more, but a similar box size figure will cost quite a bit more. A $50 toy might jump to $75 even though the space takes up half a $20 kit that might only jump to $25

[leeboo1211]

5 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

 That's why I asked about Gundam items as a sanity check. Do we see the same pattern or are Macross items more costly to buy from US shops? Right now I think many of us have a gut feeling that the Macross prices are much higher than they should be, and it's a hard feeling to shake. 

They're equally inflated for Gundam items on the official P-Bandai US Portal, for example a Metal Build that sells for 27k yen MSRP ($185 at today's exchange rates) is often 270 USD+shipping+tax which ends up like 315 USD when all is said and done, not to mention the 2-3 month shipping delay. They are shipped by boat and distributed from the West Coast by former Bluefin.

 

So price-wise it often ends up cheaper and faster waiting for see secondary market options even with shipping like DHL. That being said, for some items it is much easier to secure a PO on PBUS than the JP sites, so there's the tradeoff... It is more guaranteed. 

[sh9000]

https://www.amazon.com/stores/TamashiiNations/Macross_ShopBySeries/page/3807F0A4-461C-42CB-943B-32008141E5AD

https://www.amazon.com/TAMASHII-NATIONS-Macross-QF-2200D-B-HI-Metal/dp/B0CP4ZKHJM

[Radioguy]

21 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/TamashiiNations/Macross_ShopBySeries/page/3807F0A4-461C-42CB-943B-32008141E5AD

https://www.amazon.com/TAMASHII-NATIONS-Macross-QF-2200D-B-HI-Metal/dp/B0CP4ZKHJM

$160 there. I wonder if that might drop after release.

[vladykins]

Maybe Bandai is still trying to recover overseas costs from when that container ship threw some of their stuff into the ocean during that storm?

 

I'm kidding.....maybe? 

[leeboo1211]

On 12/12/2023 at 9:10 AM, vladykins said:

Maybe Bandai is still trying to recover overseas costs from when that container ship threw some of their stuff into the ocean during that storm?

 

I'm kidding.....maybe? 

You'd guess they'd have some form of shipping insurance on those containers right? 

[vladykins]

4 minutes ago, leeboo1211 said:

You'd guess they'd have some form of shipping insurance on those containers right? 

Oh, they do. It's just funny to imagine they are charging more because the ship might capsize again.

Like this one:
 

 

[MKT]

16 minutes ago, vladykins said:

Oh, they do. It's just funny to imagine they are charging more because the ship might capsize again.

Like this one:
 

 

In a twisted way I'm thinking it would be cool if someone made a diorama of this, complete with a figure walking on the sides of the capsized ship. 

[leeboo1211]

On 12/13/2023 at 12:42 PM, MKT said:

In a twisted way I'm thinking it would be cool if someone made a diorama of this, complete with a figure walking on the sides of the capsized ship. 

Complete with scaled mobile suits standing next to it in the water trying to right the ship? 

[borgified]

Quote from the first Batman Movie: “Did you ever dance with the devil under the pale moonlight?” 

Just got this in my email folder. 

[Chronocidal]

Little ridiculous.. but I might even grab one with their coupon, just to have one in the hole.

Been planning on getting one of these for my brother, and I want to get a pair myself.

[MKT]

Nin-nin:

https://www.nin-nin-game.com/en/macross/113636-dx-chogokin-macross-plus-yf-21-guld-goa-bowman-machine-bandai-spirits-.html

[betocc]

Is the PO scheduled at 3 pm or 4 pm Japan Time of Juanary 10th?

[26662]

35 minutes ago, betocc said:

Is the PO scheduled at 3 pm or 4 pm Japan Time of Juanary 10th?

I've got a clock counting down for me: https://time.is/1600_10_Jan_2024_in_Japan

[borgified]

I think January 12th at 4pm JST is the correct date for it or unless you want a Mezco One: 12 figure that’s about to drop at the same date (It’s mostly their Rumble Society/Slugfest figures in house figures that they offering up of grabs [in which I read it’s either a hit or utter garbage depending on who you want to believe]). 
 

Edit: So unless you want to attempt the spinning wheels of death and seal your fate, there’s also the other option. 

Edited January 9 by borgified

[jenius]

https://tamashiiweb.com/item/14740/?wovn=en

Tonight, prepare your soul for heartbreak.

Edit - then easily secure a PO a week later from the WWM release.

Edited January 9 by jenius

[Shizuka the Cat]

2 minutes ago, jenius said:

https://tamashiiweb.com/item/14740/?wovn=en

Tonight, prepare your soul for heartbreak.

Is this a general release that we could see on Amazon, like some of the recent DX Chogokin Macross releases?  Or is this one of those exclusive releases?

[dur]

I believe this is a standard release that should show up everywhere as a WWM release

[Shizuka the Cat]

1 minute ago, dur said:

I believe this is a standard release that should show up everywhere as a WWM release

YAY!!!!!

[borgified]

So that means @Shizuka the Cat doesn’t have to keep tabs to all the store madness and keep us updated anymore. Honestly saying, I actually miss those days now that I look back at it. 

[Froy]

Not running risks here.

In for the PO madness. Getting stuff directly from Japanese retailers to Mexico is cheaper for me.

 

[Shizuka the Cat]

30 minutes ago, borgified said:

So that means @Shizuka the Cat doesn’t have to keep tabs to all the store madness and keep us updated anymore. Honestly saying, I actually miss those days now that I look back at it. 

I do kinda miss the days when I was trying to post store-status list updates on pre-order madness nights.

But I am a mom now and am way too exhausted to keep that up, LOL.