Author Topic: Let's Talk Amiibo!  (Read 147578 times)

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Offline Evan_B

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #275 on: April 10, 2015, 12:25:29 AM »
I'll just repost this from another conversation. As someone who has looked into toy development and distribution in the past and danced the collector's dance with many toy companies, I have this to say:

Anyone who thinks Nintendo is manufacturing scarcity has no concept of toy manufacturing.

To put it plainly, Nintendo is a company that is branching off in several different directions right now and it would not be wise for them to obtain a huge amount of manufacturing lines for Amiibo. This is a costly and ridiculous measure because Nintendo hasn't proven Amiibo to work well as a concept yet- Skylanders and Infinity are huge brands with a game that acts as a hub exclusively, while Amiibo has the console itself act as a hub with no central title tying things together. Thus, until they find a proper use for Amiibo in a title, there is no reason to obtain a larger amount of manufacturing lines to create these things en masse. To say they are creating an issue of scarcity is ridiculous- they have no choice BUT to be scarce.

If anything, Nintendo should be selling Amiibo at a higher price- I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true from a profit standpoint. The fact that they're expanding the line to different areas like yarn and cards is exciting, but it's not a good sign for their manufacturing plan which probably means these versions of Amiibo are going to be just as scarce. Nintendo is essentially approaching the toys to life concept as a video game company and not a toy company. That's not surprising, but it isn't a good thing, either. The video game industry and consumer base is known for wanting products immediately- it's why digital distribution is a popular thing and why reviews for games are devoured. With toy manufacturing, there is no way to create a big enough supply to meet demand for day one- it just doesn't happen unless you MAKE TOYS as a business. Even then, there's cost effective measures and quality control issues to consider.
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Offline Triforce Hermit

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #276 on: April 10, 2015, 12:46:22 AM »
If Nintendo wanted to jack the price up to $20 or maybe even $25, then I would be fine with that if it meant better stocked Amiibo. I would rather pay $20-$25 for a amiibo from Nintendo themselves, then $35-$80 from assholes on e-Bay.

I understand this is a new business venture, that to get the wheels rolling takes a while if it ever takes off at all. Mainly its the scalpers people are pissed off at. However, all we have from Nintendo officially is a Marth restock. Other figures at this point are unknown if they ever will restock. Nintendo commented on how successful Amiibo has been. They could do something for peoples' nerves by saying that they plan to restock whoever and so-and-so at some point and time. But as Jon Lindemann said

"Why would Nintendo make more of them? This artificial scarcity increases the frenzy and ensures that future Amiibo will sell out in hours "just in case they're gone forever". These things are pieces of plastic. They aren't rare. Nintendo could make as many as they wanted, but that would defeat the purpose."

So people think they are going after one time exclusives. So we have an already abnormal frenzy mixed with scalpers who know these things sell. And Nintendo likes it that way because money.
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Offline Evan_B

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #277 on: April 10, 2015, 04:12:34 AM »
Here's the thing, though- nothing is exclusive for long. A recent trend in action figure collection is the concept of third party toys- better sculpts with the same or better functionality than pre-existing products. If Nintendo plays the exclusive card for too long, they will screw themselves over when people create better and more functional Amiibos to fill the void.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #278 on: April 10, 2015, 11:02:47 AM »
Here's the thing, though- nothing is exclusive for long. A recent trend in action figure collection is the concept of third party toys- better sculpts with the same or better functionality than pre-existing products. If Nintendo plays the exclusive card for too long, they will screw themselves over when people create better and more functional Amiibos to fill the void.


I don't understand this comment.


How can third party toys fill the Amiibo void?  Are you suggesting that there will be similar products popping up and people will stop caring about Amiibo?  I don't think that's valid because:
(a) for many people the allure is that these are rare Nintendo figures that haven't been available previously, such as Villager or the Fire Emblem characters; you can't simply replace a Nintendo-exclusive character with someone else and have the same demand.
(b) why would Nintendo allow third parties make figures that unlock content in their games? Maybe there will be a grey market that just makes it happen, allowing us to access content like the Captain Toad stuff that otherwise is blocked off.


You need both parts - the figure, and the digital unlock - to have an Amiibo replacement, and it's not clear to me that third parties will be allowed to provide either.
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Offline Evan_B

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #279 on: April 10, 2015, 11:34:45 AM »
The figure is just an image. Anyone can make a "Not-Mario" and sell it as that. Once Nintendo stops supporting certain games, the NFC hardware will be exploitable and new things can be added it.
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Offline nickmitch

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #280 on: April 10, 2015, 12:16:48 PM »
You would still need to make the NFC chip that works with Nintendo's games or make your own compatible games (which would make a different product).

Also, I don't think Nintendo benefits from scarcity as much as everyone else thinks they do.  You buying from a scalper doesn't net Nintendo anymore money.  And selling out their inventory faster isn't a real financial benefit.  The only thing Nintendo gets out of it is that Amiibo would then retain a certain amount of cultural currency, meaning that interest will keep up until they can keep the stocks up.

Increasing the price seems like a good idea though.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #281 on: April 10, 2015, 12:53:23 PM »
The figure is just an image. Anyone can make a "Not-Mario" and sell it as that. Once Nintendo stops supporting certain games, the NFC hardware will be exploitable and new things can be added it.


Ok, so it sounds like you are talking about gray market stuff instead of licensed third party content.


I'm not against it happening, but unless the quality really is notably better then it's not appealing to me as a collector.  It also seems unlikely to me that Nintendo would just look the other way if "Not-Mario" Amiibo knock-offs are sold in any notable quantity. But who knows!
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Offline Dan Laser

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #282 on: May 25, 2015, 12:01:29 PM »
Pardon the bump of the thread, but for any Canadians looking for a Dedede, you can currently preorder it on http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/electronics/nintendo-amiibo-king-dedede/045496891961-item.html

Not sure how long it has been up... Good luck!

Offline pokepal148

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #283 on: May 25, 2015, 01:02:09 PM »
I like the paint job on that megaman amiibo.

Offline UncleBob

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #284 on: May 25, 2015, 01:42:18 PM »
Something I think some people miss is that spending $50 on a Dedede via eBay doesn't just not help Nintendo, it actually *hurts* them.

Reseller goes to a store and spends $13 on a Dedede.  Nintendo (and the rest of the distribution chain) makes $13.  Reseller sells the figure on eBay for $50.  Reseller makes $37.

However, your entertainment budget isn't infinite.  $50 on Dedede means $37 dollars less you have to spend on the Kirby amiibo you've been eying, but aren't quite sure you want.  Instead of possibly spending $50 on Nintendo stuff., you only spent $13 - as far as what Nintendo sees.
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Offline pokepal148

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #285 on: May 25, 2015, 02:16:26 PM »
Something I think some people miss is that spending $50 on a Dedede via eBay doesn't just not help Nintendo, it actually *hurts* them.

Reseller goes to a store and spends $13 on a Dedede.  Nintendo (and the rest of the distribution chain) makes $13.  Reseller sells the figure on eBay for $50.  Reseller makes $37.

However, your entertainment budget isn't infinite.  $50 on Dedede means $37 dollars less you have to spend on the Kirby amiibo you've been eying, but aren't quite sure you want.  Instead of possibly spending $50 on Nintendo stuff., you only spent $13 - as far as what Nintendo sees.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #286 on: May 25, 2015, 04:08:50 PM »
Pardon the bump of the thread, but for any Canadians looking for a Dedede, you can currently preorder it on http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/electronics/nintendo-amiibo-king-dedede/045496891961-item.html

Not sure how long it has been up... Good luck!


Thanks for sharing this.


Dedede is one of the characters I wanted but disappeared before I bought in, making this restock very tempting. Looked at it long and hard, but am turned off by Amiibo hard enough that I passed on principle. (If Villager or Shulk get restocked that stance might change though. Principles only carry you so far...)
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Offline Dan Laser

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #287 on: May 25, 2015, 10:21:32 PM »
Thanks for sharing this.

Dedede is one of the characters I wanted but disappeared before I bought in, making this restock very tempting. Looked at it long and hard, but am turned off by Amiibo hard enough that I passed on principle. (If Villager or Shulk get restocked that stance might change though. Principles only carry you so far...)

But but you'll need a Dedede to go with your restocked Meta Knight you're bound to find in store at Best Buy this week - and easily complete the Kirby trio!

Nah, completely get what you mean. I have not been as strong and ended up buying a couple amiibo. I'll just keep it at a few figures and wait for more restocks. I don't need them bad enough to pay inflated prices.

Offline ejamer

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #288 on: May 25, 2015, 11:40:01 PM »
Thanks for sharing this.

Dedede is one of the characters I wanted but disappeared before I bought in, making this restock very tempting. Looked at it long and hard, but am turned off by Amiibo hard enough that I passed on principle. (If Villager or Shulk get restocked that stance might change though. Principles only carry you so far...)

But but you'll need a Dedede to go with your restocked Meta Knight you're bound to find in store at Best Buy this week - and easily complete the Kirby trio!

Nah, completely get what you mean. I have not been as strong and ended up buying a couple amiibo. I'll just keep it at a few figures and wait for more restocks. I don't need them bad enough to pay inflated prices.


Ooh... is MetaKnight getting a restock too?   That actually makes it much more appealing, if I had any confidence in getting both.
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Offline UncleBob

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #289 on: May 25, 2015, 11:46:29 PM »
Ooh... is MetaKnight getting a restock too?   That actually makes it much more appealing, if I had any confidence in getting both.

Yeah, I posted elsewhere...  There's several of the hard-to-find amiibo getting a restock on the 29th along with the larger wave of new figures.
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Offline Stratos

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #290 on: May 26, 2015, 01:13:28 AM »
Anyone want to try and help each other out by snagging extras to trade?


I'm hoping to get any of the FE characters (minus Ike who I have) plus Dedede and Meta Knight for my sister.


I'll be hitting all of the major retailers with the help of family.


Primary goal for me is Robin, Lucina, Marth (*crosses fingers*), Charizard, & Jigglypuff. I also plan to get a Splatoon 3-pack, Meta, Dedede, Silver Mario, Wario, and Greninja.


Not all are for me. Some are for my wife and sister.
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Offline UncleBob

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #291 on: May 26, 2015, 01:49:02 AM »
My guess is, any of them you want to trade are the ones everyone's going to have a hard time getting.

Nigh-Impossible:
Robin
Lucina

Maybe:
Marth
Meta Knight
Dedede
Silver Mario

If you're early:
Greninja
Jigglypuff

Wait for a sale:
Splatoon
Charizard
Wario
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Offline Shaymin

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #292 on: May 26, 2015, 07:39:22 AM »
Looks like the Dedede was a phantom restock. Darn you, Indigo.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #293 on: May 26, 2015, 08:52:35 AM »
Looks like the Dedede was a phantom restock. Darn you, Indigo.


And after brief moments of regret, this makes me feel better about writing off Amiibo and not bothering to try ordering Dedede.
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Offline Adrock

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #294 on: May 29, 2015, 08:16:38 AM »
I thought I'd use my lunch break today to pick up Lucina and the Splatoon 3-Pack. I got there before 8:00am and there was already a line of 20 to 25 people. That was hilarious. I turned around and drove back to work. Hopefully, my friend can come through in the clutch and get me a Lucina.

Offline Soren

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #295 on: May 29, 2015, 10:32:04 AM »
So I was just able to walk in to my local Gamestop and grab the Splatoon 3-pack without a pre-order. I was surprised, the store was empty and there were a good 6-7 sets of the 3-pack and tons of individual boy/girl amiibo. Were the Splatoon amiibo not on pre-order?
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Offline Adrock

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #296 on: May 29, 2015, 10:41:16 AM »
I presume the line was for Super Smash Bros. Wave 4, not Splatoon. I'm not planning on buying the game yet. Just trying to be prepared for when I do.

Offline UncleBob

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #297 on: May 29, 2015, 12:21:16 PM »
Got everyone I needed today.  Now, to await my Ness, Wario, and Splatoon preorders.
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Offline broodwars

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #298 on: May 29, 2015, 01:32:58 PM »
Lucked into an Inkling Boy & Girl Amiibo at my local GS. Surprisingly, the Boy was WAY more popular, as I got the last one and the still had 4 non-preorder Girls. Weird, since the Boy's design is way less interesting than the Girl's.
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Offline Dan Laser

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Re: Let's Talk Amiibo!
« Reply #299 on: May 29, 2015, 07:28:19 PM »
Looks like the Dedede was a phantom restock. Darn you, Indigo.


And after brief moments of regret, this makes me feel better about writing off Amiibo and not bothering to try ordering Dedede.

Meta Knight Still up~

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/amiibo-amiibo-meta-knight-figure-045496891954/10347576.aspx?path=d1856bdd695f9ce2c9f8528d69f3d3bcen02


I picked up my Ness preorder today, and the Splatoon 3 pack, Lucina, and Robin should get here next week from Amazon!
« Last Edit: May 29, 2015, 07:30:59 PM by Dan Laser »