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Well paanjang16, you do invest in a lot of toys. I don't. But i do have some toys i got from time to time. HW is a little prioritized at the moment. The pricing point is really a killer actually. When people stops buying, they cannot move the stuff and then here there is a cross roads. Hw can shift the stuff to some country or sell em cheaper. But we dunno the minds of the marketing people. All i could say is, all those tactics they use, its textbook stuff. So the times i spent reading that 200 page marketing book really paid off. There are a lot of traps being laid to make you buy.
About TF toys, should know the price increase. When the trailer for the movie first appeared last year. You can actually smell price increase. Look at how aggresive Hasbro is pushing TF toys now. My biggest concern now, is landing a ticket for the movie with my buddies. hahaha.
And Nerf? I think its an updated pistol toy. Not my scene. So is any form of weapon based toys. I just dunno why i'm not atracted to guns. But i like swords though. hehehe.
So could we say this weird tag line? "When the buying stops, the price raising stops". Errr.... kinda weird. hahaha.
About TF toys, should know the price increase. When the trailer for the movie first appeared last year. You can actually smell price increase. Look at how aggresive Hasbro is pushing TF toys now. My biggest concern now, is landing a ticket for the movie with my buddies. hahaha.
And Nerf? I think its an updated pistol toy. Not my scene. So is any form of weapon based toys. I just dunno why i'm not atracted to guns. But i like swords though. hehehe.
So could we say this weird tag line? "When the buying stops, the price raising stops". Errr.... kinda weird. hahaha.
Peter1 0
Cost of toys to increase 10 percent
The Associated Press
Sept. 13, 2007 03:41 PM NEW YORK - American consumers will be bearing the cost of safer toys, but not until after this year's Christmas season.
Shoppers can expect price increases up to 10 percent next year to pay for increased vigilance by toy makers and stores after more than 3 million lead-tainted toys from China were recalled worldwide since June. That means a $6.99 Barbie doll could go up to about $7.70, or a $70 child friendly digital camera could retail next year for almost $80
A 10 percent average increase would be the biggest one-time price hike in toys in several years, analysts say. And it's more than twice the government's measure of consumer inflation of 4.7 percent during the first seven months of this year.
Consumers could also see higher prices on other Chinese imports like fish and children's apparel, but the big price gains in toys could be more jolting.
Shoppers have become accustomed to cheap playthings from China because Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other discounters have waged cost-cutting campaigns. Critics say real safeguards were sacrificed to keep prices low, however.
Analysts said the price increases are unlikely to hit until at least January because manufacturers and sellers already ordered the toys for Christmas. That's no consolation for parents, though.
"I will pay more (for toys) because I know it will ensure safety," said Lisa Sallese, a Wilton, Conn., mother of a 7-month-old boy and a 2-year-old daughter. "But it stinks. It should have been safe to begin with."
Most of the rising costs come from emergency third-party testing in the U.S. by both makers and sellers as they aim to root out any unsafe products, analysts say.
Mattel Inc.'s three high profile recalls of lead painted toys since the beginning of August have pushed product testing to a frenzied pace. Companies are removing playthings from shelves and sending them to independent laboratories to be examined. The price of labor, overtime and testing will drive up costs in the short term, analysts said, but increased regulation will likely keep them higher.
The U.S. Toy Industry Association supports a federal requirement to make safety testing and inspection mandatory and is working with the American National Standards Institute to develop industrywide safety procedures. But during Wednesday's Congressional hearing on toy safety, senators urged even more stringent measures including stepping up fines for selling or failing to report dangerous items.
This year, "both retailers and manufacturers will share the costs," said Eric Johnson, professor of operations management at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business. "But in the longer term, costs will have to go somewhere. And consumers will see it."
Johnson estimated toy prices will rise by 10 percent next year. He said that the most vulnerable are mass-market toys including die-cast vehicles which run the risk of containing lead.
Anita Frazier, toy analyst at market research firm NPD Group Inc., added that higher prices will stick around because some toy makers will shift a portion of their production from China to the U.S. or Europe, where labor is more expensive.
This week, Toys "R" Us Inc., the nation's second-largest toy seller behind Wal-Mart, said it would be using an independent laboratory to test every branded product, according to Kathleen Waugh, a company spokeswoman. The retailer will be absorbing the extra costs this year, but Waugh said that she believes next year "pricing could increase."
The Walt Disney Co. - hit by Mattel's recall of 436,000 cars based on "Sarge," a character in the Disney-Pixar movie "Cars," that were believed to contain lead paint - will independently test toys featuring its characters. The tests will begin in the next two weeks and will include all categories of products from about 2,000 licensees, including Mattel, which is the largest maker of Disney-related toys.
Disney consumer products spokesman Gary Foster said Disney will absorb the additional costs which he estimated to be about several million dollars this year. It's unclear whether future costs will be shared by licensees, he said.
Price wars led by Wal-Mart have put financial pressure on toy manufacturers, though they have been able to push through price increases in recent years as they face higher resin and other related costs. In particular, makers have been wrangling over prices with their Chinese suppliers, which have struggled with higher labor costs amid a shrinking pool of workers in the country's southern region, according to Pat Furey, senior category consultant at Ariba Inc., a global sourcing and procurement management company.
NPD's Frazier also noted that average toy prices have been creeping up because of the industry's increasing focus on higher-priced electronic gadgets like child friendly digital cameras and cellphones which retail for about $70.
The average toy price remains relatively cheap because the bulk of toys sold involve $1 items such as cardgames and miniature cars - impulse purchases that can be picked up in the local supermarket. According to NPD, which tracks prices of specific toys and categories, the average selling price of a toy increased to $7.53 in 2006, compared to $7.17 in 2005 and $6.97 in 2004.
Chris Byrne, a New York-based toy consultant, said shoppers can still expect price wars this holiday season, led by Wal-Mart.
Some shoppers say they are postponing toy buying until they are comfortable that the toys are safe.
"I am open to price increases as long as they are going to do their job," said Jenny McMorow of Buffalo, N.Y."We've been spoiled enough by the low prices."
For her twin sons' birthday next month, McMorow will be avoiding traditional toys and looking at playswings or a sand box. "Nothing they can chew on or swallow," she said.
The Associated Press
Sept. 13, 2007 03:41 PM NEW YORK - American consumers will be bearing the cost of safer toys, but not until after this year's Christmas season.
Shoppers can expect price increases up to 10 percent next year to pay for increased vigilance by toy makers and stores after more than 3 million lead-tainted toys from China were recalled worldwide since June. That means a $6.99 Barbie doll could go up to about $7.70, or a $70 child friendly digital camera could retail next year for almost $80
A 10 percent average increase would be the biggest one-time price hike in toys in several years, analysts say. And it's more than twice the government's measure of consumer inflation of 4.7 percent during the first seven months of this year.
 | |
| OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1') | |
|
Consumers could also see higher prices on other Chinese imports like fish and children's apparel, but the big price gains in toys could be more jolting.
Shoppers have become accustomed to cheap playthings from China because Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other discounters have waged cost-cutting campaigns. Critics say real safeguards were sacrificed to keep prices low, however.
Analysts said the price increases are unlikely to hit until at least January because manufacturers and sellers already ordered the toys for Christmas. That's no consolation for parents, though.
"I will pay more (for toys) because I know it will ensure safety," said Lisa Sallese, a Wilton, Conn., mother of a 7-month-old boy and a 2-year-old daughter. "But it stinks. It should have been safe to begin with."
Most of the rising costs come from emergency third-party testing in the U.S. by both makers and sellers as they aim to root out any unsafe products, analysts say.
Mattel Inc.'s three high profile recalls of lead painted toys since the beginning of August have pushed product testing to a frenzied pace. Companies are removing playthings from shelves and sending them to independent laboratories to be examined. The price of labor, overtime and testing will drive up costs in the short term, analysts said, but increased regulation will likely keep them higher.
The U.S. Toy Industry Association supports a federal requirement to make safety testing and inspection mandatory and is working with the American National Standards Institute to develop industrywide safety procedures. But during Wednesday's Congressional hearing on toy safety, senators urged even more stringent measures including stepping up fines for selling or failing to report dangerous items.
This year, "both retailers and manufacturers will share the costs," said Eric Johnson, professor of operations management at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business. "But in the longer term, costs will have to go somewhere. And consumers will see it."
Johnson estimated toy prices will rise by 10 percent next year. He said that the most vulnerable are mass-market toys including die-cast vehicles which run the risk of containing lead.
Anita Frazier, toy analyst at market research firm NPD Group Inc., added that higher prices will stick around because some toy makers will shift a portion of their production from China to the U.S. or Europe, where labor is more expensive.
This week, Toys "R" Us Inc., the nation's second-largest toy seller behind Wal-Mart, said it would be using an independent laboratory to test every branded product, according to Kathleen Waugh, a company spokeswoman. The retailer will be absorbing the extra costs this year, but Waugh said that she believes next year "pricing could increase."
The Walt Disney Co. - hit by Mattel's recall of 436,000 cars based on "Sarge," a character in the Disney-Pixar movie "Cars," that were believed to contain lead paint - will independently test toys featuring its characters. The tests will begin in the next two weeks and will include all categories of products from about 2,000 licensees, including Mattel, which is the largest maker of Disney-related toys.
Disney consumer products spokesman Gary Foster said Disney will absorb the additional costs which he estimated to be about several million dollars this year. It's unclear whether future costs will be shared by licensees, he said.
Price wars led by Wal-Mart have put financial pressure on toy manufacturers, though they have been able to push through price increases in recent years as they face higher resin and other related costs. In particular, makers have been wrangling over prices with their Chinese suppliers, which have struggled with higher labor costs amid a shrinking pool of workers in the country's southern region, according to Pat Furey, senior category consultant at Ariba Inc., a global sourcing and procurement management company.
NPD's Frazier also noted that average toy prices have been creeping up because of the industry's increasing focus on higher-priced electronic gadgets like child friendly digital cameras and cellphones which retail for about $70.
The average toy price remains relatively cheap because the bulk of toys sold involve $1 items such as cardgames and miniature cars - impulse purchases that can be picked up in the local supermarket. According to NPD, which tracks prices of specific toys and categories, the average selling price of a toy increased to $7.53 in 2006, compared to $7.17 in 2005 and $6.97 in 2004.
Chris Byrne, a New York-based toy consultant, said shoppers can still expect price wars this holiday season, led by Wal-Mart.
Some shoppers say they are postponing toy buying until they are comfortable that the toys are safe.
"I am open to price increases as long as they are going to do their job," said Jenny McMorow of Buffalo, N.Y."We've been spoiled enough by the low prices."
For her twin sons' birthday next month, McMorow will be avoiding traditional toys and looking at playswings or a sand box. "Nothing they can chew on or swallow," she said.
 |
|
| Eugene Hoshiko/Associated Press | |
| Workers assemble toy cars at the production line of Dongguan Da Lang Wealthwise Plastic Factory in Dongguan, China, in this file photo. Soon, American consumers are going to have to bear the cost of safer toys. |
zint3000 0
thanks for sharing the article peter...
really hope no price hikes again...
or else i will be in a bad shape...
haha
jhc7598 0
zint3000 wrote:thanks for sharing the article peter...
really hope no price hikes again...
or else i will be in a bad shape...
haha
i think not u only in bad shape, most of all collectors also in bad shape..
Fadli85 0
Me too, imagine 5-packs were RM25 last time, now RM33, really sucks....! that's RM8 increase, for what reason?
haish, put the end to collecting, unless those who got deep pocket then nothing to complain lah, hehee.........
haish, put the end to collecting, unless those who got deep pocket then nothing to complain lah, hehee.........
netmatrix wrote:Well paanjang16, you do invest in a lot of toys. I don't. But i do have some toys i got from time to time. HW is a little prioritized at the moment. The pricing point is really a killer actually. When people stops buying, they cannot move the stuff and then here there is a cross roads. Hw can shift the stuff to some country or sell em cheaper. But we dunno the minds of the marketing people. All i could say is, all those tactics they use, its textbook stuff. So the times i spent reading that 200 page marketing book really paid off. There are a lot of traps being laid to make you buy.
About TF toys, should know the price increase. When the trailer for the movie first appeared last year. You can actually smell price increase. Look at how aggresive Hasbro is pushing TF toys now. My biggest concern now, is landing a ticket for the movie with my buddies. hahaha.
And Nerf? I think its an updated pistol toy. Not my scene. So is any form of weapon based toys. I just dunno why i'm not atracted to guns. But i like swords though. hehehe.
So could we say this weird tag line? "When the buying stops, the price raising stops". Errr.... kinda weird. hahaha.
Ya, I do invest ALOT in toys. Dun want to mention how much I spend on TF toys after the first TF movie
Needless to say, wayyy too much. That is why I am not buying any TF toys since from my experience there will be a glut of the favorite TF characters since Hasbro will repaint the mold over and over. So in 1-2 years time I am sure you still can get BB09 or the updated BB10 with better paintjob etc.
Got hooked on Nerf for while. I bought 2 Nerf guns, the Maverick and the Longshot. Longshot I managed to get it at 10% off at Parkson and the blue version with extra ammo clip. The new yellow version does not come with the extra ammo clip and still the same price. After the price increse so mood already.
Anyway thanks to Mattel for raising price maybe I should divert my money to other stuff; like going dating
Also dug up my old Lego sets and maybe will try to complete all the missing pieces. So in a way this price increase has made me switch from HWs to other stuff, much like fuel increase made everyone changed (and GM bankrupt). Was at KLCC just now, browsing through Parkson, TRU and Isetan. I dunno why, TRU does not seem interested to stock up on 09 HW cars anymore. Isetan and Parkson also the same, like not interested to sell HWs
TRU maybe want to push its Fastlane cars which I saw got R34 skyline, RX-7, BMWs, Mercedes and even Pagani Zonda in the 20 pack! I would say Fastlane is already eating HW's business since Fastlane is near the old price of Hws and HWs has became too expensive. In fact TRU never stock any MBX cars at all, which means they never rely on Mattel in the first place. Its a bad sign when a large store like TRU dun bother to stock up on your products anymore since their own "home brand" is superior. Tomica in Parkson and Isetan the price dropped to RM 10.32, but at Parkson the new Honda Freed and Daihatsu Move Conte was still priced at RM 12.90, maybe it is still new?
The article posted by Peter is interesting. But its for majority of the toys made in China. So what has it got to do with the toys made in Malaysia and Thailand? Unless they are using hw cars as a means to cover up their losses for their other toy ranges. This makes sense. Just feed them more with usable data guys. The marketing reps inside saves a LOT of work seeking market info on demands and prices. He won't need to rack his brains come Monday meeting for sales projection.
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