How Many Figures Do You Buy?

It’s been said that twenty percent of a market buys eighty percent of the goods. That means that you and I here reading this article are probably buying a lot of action figures, but how many is that really? JTA friend Tyler F. and I were having a conversation about the market for TVC and TBS figures. We have 3.75″ collectors and 6″ collectors (and others) who follow our site, and I was wondering, when it comes down it, who buys more action figures? Click through for more.

Tyler’s amazing platoon of TVC Stormtroopers.

Not only am I a collector, I am a buyer and seller of toys. I go on weekly, if not daily toy runs to thrift stores, collectible shops, record stores with toy sections (like Zia Records), and any other place I might be able to find a treasure from another man’s trash. I also sell custom figures and diorama pieces I make. I’ll sell on eBay and on Facebook Marketplace, or sometimes trade with other collectors for stuff I want in my own collection.

Speaking of my own collection…

Lately I have had an inkling that the market for luxury items is grinding to a slower pace due to rising costs of essential goods. Then again, I see pictures like the one above, and many more on Facebook of people buying cases upon cases of stormtroopers. The only time I see that many 6″ figures all in one place is for promotional displays and maybe the occasional toy photographer.  

Star Wars at brick & mortar is all but dead. With clearance aisles at Walmart lined with TVC Snoke and a dwindling selection of TBS figures in the toy section, collecting has become an online market. We can’t see the inventory of Amazon with our own eyes to make some observational conclusions about action figure sales, so that information will need to come from the consumers: you. 

It’s fairly well known that TBS has a larger profit margin than TVC, but I wonder how many TVC figures need to sell to make as much profit as 1 TBS figure.

Some thoughts to discuss:
1. Estimated, how many TVC figures vs TBS figures do you buy personally (online and aftermarket)?

2. Do you think that people are buying enough currently retailing TVC figures to match the profit made by TBS?

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