Completely agree with what the Donster said.

But to be honest, this reminds me of when the price of comics went up. DC/Marvel kept saying "costs", when in reality they meant "profits". As in... "some of you are not buying our products anymore, but rather than improve the product to everyone's liking, we'll just raise the price on those that are staying. You know... in order to make up for our loses... errr... costs."

One thing's for sure though, you take away accessories, packaging & paint apps... and you'll find yourself losing even more ground to Chinese Ebayers.

My advice... start by reducing that $10 tax you call shipping and work your way from there. I mean, honestly... if you can offer a 30% shipping discount during the holidays... and shop.mattel.com can ship up to 40 figures for $7.99 on any given day of the year... well, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that there are better options out there.

I have seen the future of the "reduced deco" Mattel figures. They look a lot like the Fiddlesticks "action figures" from the 70's. The horror...

The price of the figures aren't the problem. It's the shipping costs. Period. Look at the savings Black Canary posted about shipping six figures together in pairs of two. That's an insane amount of money for a hobby like collecting toys. Not to mention the packages aren't always in great condition when they get there. For ten bucks the boxes should be spotless. Get rid of Digital River. Most of the Matty problems would be solved if they did that.

I'll also say this: Mattel is playing a VERY dangerous game by asking if people want the figures in baggies. There is NO doubt in my mind that if Matty did that, they'd lose at least half of their customers. If they REALLY think this is a good idea they should make both and have an option customers can chose for themselves. As for cheaper paints and no accessories? Terrible idea and should be a non-starter.

I'm surprised that so far no one here really wants the packaging. The only people in favor of it are supporting it out of fear of lost sales.

Hmmm...I wouldn't go that far DanMan. I think there is also MOC collectors. I've got more than my fair share of friends who keep them in their plastic prison. That isn't for me. Mine are in boxes right now because my house is in general disarray. That being said, I'm not paying a premium price for something in a polybag. I expect that type of packaging when it comes to a giveaway or buying something at a toy show/flea market

Personally I have no use for packaging, though I do think they could certainly reduce the postage cost. I wouldn't want to lose paint apps or accessories, though I think they should prioritise a bit better - lanterns for Lanterns, yes, extra two-bladed knife thingy with Black Mask, no.

As a side note, I thought postage was meant to be combined for things shipped at the same time. I have 2 subs this year and have been charged $13.75 shipping for each one (not just on my statement, on my card as well).

Jo
Looking forward to nearly all of the figures this year, but beginning to wonder if $31 a figure is getting a bit too much

The world doesn't revolve around JLU. Time to let it rest in peace, guys. It had one hell of a run.

Besides, MOTUC clearly has a larger fan base. It might be showing signs of buyer fatigue this days, though.

Honestly what does it matter ? This is a dangerous game I said it when they were asking about $50 for JLU 3 packs but we were "lucky" and got them for $30. Just like how you feel you are now getting a "deal" if you pay less then $4 a gallon for gas. Honestly I am getting done with Mattel the JLU point is a good one I paid $30 each for 3 of the final JLU pack and ALL my Dr Destiny' s legs are uneven ! I mean whats the point of paying so much for subpar qaulity ? I said it with DCIE they should have had waves of 5 to 8 figures every 4 months why ? Cheaper shipping and you force people to buy whole waves and they will trade or sell off what they do not want. I am getting so tired of the games if they left the figures up until they were really gone they would have real sell outs. But you guys keep telling Mattel they can cut corners and you will pay more....

As long as this applies only to MattyCollector I really don't care. I've had enough with Digital River and I stopped buying from Matty a long time ago.

However, if they start skimping on the Matty figures how long before they start skimping on the retail figures too?

Personally feel that current packaging is a waste. I understand there are MOC collectors, but the packaging can be trimmed down alot. Just look at the card backs sold on ebay for the shell cases as an example. As for the accessories, they also can be trimmed down. Does Jitsu really need 3 weapons, he only has 1 hand that can hold any thing? Does Ram Man really need an extra head? Did Merman need a sword, trident, and an extra head? I don't feel they did. If Mattel wants to do extras like this, fine. But put them in a weapons pack or accessory pack so that people who don't want them can get a slightly cheaper figure. The shipping is rather ridiculous cost wise and logistically. Why does my packaging being sent to Virginia leave California, go to Nevada, go back to California, back to Nevada, and then on to me. That is like three days wasted. And my last little rant. I do not understand Mattel. I have never seen a company who didn't want to sell their product. If you have items available, why are they not always for sale on your website. I mean people can't buy something if people can't add it to their cart.

Lose the packaging. At the end of the day, for me, it's just plastic waste and cardboard to be recycled. But keep accessories, even if it's just one thing, like say, a Green Lantern battery or construct, Aquaman's trident, etc., if it's character-important.

I think the packaging looks cool but they should really do something about those ridiculous shipping prices instead. It takes waaaay too long to get their items and it's really overpriced.

The $30 price point for JLU three packs was rough. I stuck with it, though (with a little help from a fellow collector) because I love the series so much (the only one I opted out of we Guy Gardner. $30 for one new figure was, to me, ridiculous).

The $25 price point for RORSCHACH is just too much. I'd love to collect the WATCHMEN figures as I'm a long-time fan of the comic but it's just not worth it to me to drop $33 dollars (after shipping) for a little bit of plastic. FIFTEEN? Maybe.

The rising costs have kicked me out of toy collecting. I can't afford the hundred plus dollars for the high-end Hot Toys stuff (which, really, shouldn't be considered "toys". They need a new name for those things) and with the 3 3/4 figures hitting 10+ bucks a piece, it's just not economically feasible. I have a five year old girl so I can't use my kid as an excuse, either (although she kinda digs the imaginext stuff).

I open all of my figures for display, anyway, so bagging them would be fine with me.

Hasbro already has. Just look at the avengers or gi joe figures.

I would be content with polybagged figures and one or two accessories. Also, I don't need alternate heads for my MOTUC figures.