The Problem with Buying Pokemon Stuff

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Nekusagi

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Is anyone else annoyed with the way Pokemon USA is marketing Pokemon merchandise now?

Before you think this is just a thinly veiled anti-PUSA post, just hear me out.

It used to be that Pokemon merchandise was in ample supply. A few years ago, with the creation of Pokemon Center (the New York and Web locations) that all changed. Now, the only brick-and-mortar place I can buy Pokemon stuff is Target, and the only things I can get there are some action figures and small plushies.

This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the unreasonable prices on the Web site, compounded by the $8 shipping. I'm sorry, but on my "whatever I get for Christmas and whenever extra things need to be done at my mom's office" budget, that's a bit pricey, when you're actually blowing $20 on a $12 plushie. Not to mention, part of that money I'd also like to spend on Pokemon cards, anime, and Pocky. I'm just annoyed that Pokemon USA assumes that Pokemon fans are made of money, because most of us aren't.

Then there's the quality of the merchandise. I've bought 6 Pokemon plushies in the last 2 years. Five of them are Pocket Monsters plushies I bought at Gen Con (at Anime Palace's booth) and one of them is a Skitty PokeDoll from Pokemon Center. I can attest that the Japanese plushies are far higher quality than my American Skitty plushie. The figurines are also pretty crap quality- I have the most recent Team Rocket set, and while they're pretty cool, they're nothing compared to the originals (which were essentially imports, as with all the other figures). Paying an arm and a leg wouldn't be such a big deal if the quality of the merchandise were a bit better.

So, this bother anyone else? I know it must.
 
I don't even bother with the merchandize - it's just too expensive to import, and the quality here in the US sucks.
 
Hasbro was great. Like the animé, they switched the license to Jakks. I've felt like putting up SOT (Save Our Toys) threads everywhere.
 
The stuff that PokemonCenter.com sells is usually directly imported from Japan and is a good quality. The PokeDolls they sell are nice quality, but they recently raised the price of them to $10 each, which is too much IMO. And the shipping is way too much for how long it takes the stuff to get to you.
 
I haven't seen much Pokemon Merchandise in my area for years, the only things besides TCG and Games are plushies/

This girl gave me a Corphish one though. XD
 
I miss how prominant the frachise was back back in the fad days. You could find merchandise everywhere. I have Pokémon pajamas, beginning readers chapter book thingies, bed sheets, an Ash hat, at least two plushies, a million other things from back then.

I haven't even seen Pokémon clothing on racks in years.
 
We don't even have very much in the way of plushies over here in the UK, the easiest thing to find is the card game/GBA games obviously and that's about it other than a few other bits and pieces. Lots of stuff came out when Advanced first came out, lots of figures, but the only plushies they seemed to release were Pikachu/Mudkip/Torchic and Treecko :/
I love collecting plushies of Pokémon, no matter how good or bad they're made, in fact, some of my cheapest plushies are also some of my most amusing. I love my Lugia with the crazed look on it's face <3

The most hope I have in finding any kind of plushies now are Charity Shops, £1 stores and quite possibly anime conventions. I'm hoping D/P revives merchandise again, if only so I can get a Pochama plushie =p
 
Although, since the PUSA Anime switch, anyone notice a rise in products ever so slightly (such as manga popping up again)?
 
I hate getting things from Pokemon Center USA, their shipping policy is horrible, and when I do actually get at item in the mail, it's packaged pretty poorly
 
Well, maybe it's both a curse and a blessing, but while there are no Pokémon Centers in Singapore, we get a ton (but not all) of the Japanese merchandise here, with the U.S. merchandise making up only a minority. I'm not sure what it was like during the fad era, but I remember seeing a lot of the Japanese merchandise too, but along with the U.S. merchandise. I still have a U.S. Pikachu t-shirt I got from that era (mentioned elsewhere here that I have it), but other than that, much of the Pokémon merchandise I have got now (which are brought in more recent times) or see usually come from Japan; most of what little I see of the U.S. merchandise are the old ones from the fad era.

So yes, I agree with anyone who thinks it's getting more problematic getting U.S. Pokémon merchandise.

PDUTogepi said:
The most hope I have in finding any kind of plushies now are Charity Shops, £1 stores and quite possibly anime conventions. I'm hoping D/P revives merchandise again, if only so I can get a Pochama plushie =p
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This is quite true in Singapore too - I have seen a Larvitar plushie and a Treecko piggy bank at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store some time back, and I often check them out to see if I could chance on an adult-size Pokémon shirt, which is what I am mainly after right now. I know of no other places here where I could possibly find Pokémon clothing in adult sizes right now...
 
Hey, at least you get something, lol.

But anyway, I've never bothered with all that Pokémon merchandise. I love Pokémon as much (or even more) as the next person does, but I can't afford to buy anything else other than DVDs and the games (w/ their respective consoles). Economically I'm better off than a lot of people, but I'm not independent yet, and I have two siblings, one being 4 years old (aka, a lot of money is spent just on her :p).

Sure it'd be nice to have Pokémon plushies and keychains and stuff. But I'm not gonna stop eating just so I can afford one, lol. And there's also the fact I buy other things (games and CDs and DVDs) beside Pokémon ones; there's more to life than Pokémon. XD.


But hey, for the rest of you who *could* afford it if it wasn't so expensive, I see your point. It's unfair. But then again, who said PUSA was there to care whether you can afford their stuff or not? They're, first and foremost, a business. As in, they care about making money. They don't give a crap if you can't afford it - 's long 's there are people willing to cope with their prices, they won't lower them. (*cough* that is why i don't give 'em any more money than i have to). :mallet:
 
Argy said:
And the shipping is way too much for how long it takes the stuff to get to you.
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Eh..weird. Where I live I can order something on a Satuday and get it the next Wedsday, so I don't mind paying the $5 to order stuff (usually only buy when shipping goes down/have a coupon/preordering something).

Hm...well, I have to admit that the prices are a bit steep, but now-a-days I only really spend my $$ on three things: Fabric, games, and Pokemon stuff. And considering I usually make it to 1/2 events a year, I'll just go to those and stock up.

Paperfairy said:
I don't even bother with the merchandize - it's just too expensive to import, and the quality here in the US sucks.
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Actually its the same stuff from japan...errr...I have a picture here somewhere...

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b...y Across America 2006 - Boston/ IMG_0482.jpg

Those were the boxes I believe the Lukario dolls were in @ JAA Boston. Directly imported from Pokepark XD
 
I'm more annoyed that this type of stuff doesn't even exist in the first place. >=/


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C'mon Pokemon USA,4Kids failed to capitalize on this type of merchandise.
 
Would it really have been 4Kids' place to do stuff like that? They just dubbed the show, they didn't make any merchendise.

But damn right. I'd buy a Rocket shirt if they made it.
 
Make it yourself, open up a Cafepress shop, design a t-shirt and buy it for yourself.
 
Amen ... and I'd kill for a Mewtwo doll ... but since that seems to be less possible than getting finding out Santa is real ... I just drew him on my wall.
 
4Kids had a pretty big share in Pokemon, they had the licence and during that time peroid became pretty wealthy within people borrowing the rights to make merchandice on Pokemon. They leased the licence to companys, obviously the people who made the clothing targeted on the kids, and to them big flashy Pokemon images, and the trainers in the shows sold.


Now that the craze has died, you might see the licence being targeted towards the hardcore fans who still buy items.
 
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