What Is Going On With Hasbro’s Prices?

I often dismiss complaints when collectors compare what $10 gets you for a Star Wars action figure to some other toy line.  That is not comparing apples to apples.  Star Wars brands carry enormous licensing costs that have to be paid to LFL that gets figured into the ultimate price Hasbro has to recoup from retailers.  The Star Wars value disparity is often held up against another Hasbro property, G.I. Joe, but that makes no sense since G.I. Joe is Hasbro’s own intellectual property for which they have to pay no licensing fees.  Of course you’re going to get more for your dollar.

But something struck me at Target today when looking at the role play items (since there is nothing else to look at).  For $19.99 Imagine Toys is offering a Stormtrooper deluxe costume set which includes simulated upper body armor and a mask with multiple paint applications and tinted eye lenses all presented in a window box.  For $9.99, Hasbro is offering a smaller Stormtrooper mask with hollow eyes and next to no plaint applications presented in minimalist packaging.  The value discrepancy between the two items far exceeds the $10 difference in cost.

Is Imagine Toys that much better at managing their costs and brand that they can offer so much better value.  And really it’s not about what Imagine Toys is giving the customer for $19.99.  It’s about how shockingly little Hasbro is giving you for $9.99.