darkSpyro

Chase Variants. What's the point? You just buy them to sell them on eBay for 10X the price. They went CRAZY with them in SSA, SG, and SSF but thankfully in STT, we only got 3 chase variants. Guess TFB learned from their mistakes. Anyways, then there's SSC they brought back chase variants and will probably swarm with them because they can't release anymore in-game variants so they release a crap load of chase variants. Skylanders Superchargers? More like Skylanders Alt Deco Universe!

It's in the name. So people go after them because they're rare.

Every toy collection has it's super rare variants, so the rule applies to Skylanders. It's clearly stated that you don't need to buy then to have the complete collection. They're like a side collection just for the crazy fans. Like every other toy collection. The same applies to In-Game Variants, just to a less rare level.

as a chaser of the chase...we wish ActiVision would create and sell them in great quantities where everyone who wanted one could buy them; Acti could even charge more for them, like 3 times the original price and it would still be a "good" deal, in comparison to the prices we have to buy them off online bid sites. cmon Acti think about it, more money for you for less work! 1 or 2 paint colors and 3x the price! do that for Sky6.

Quote: Portal___Master

as a chaser of the chase...we wish ActiVision would create and sell them in great quantities where everyone who wanted one could buy them; Acti could even charge more for them, like 3 times the original price and it would still be a "good" deal, in comparison to the prices we have to buy them off online bid sites. cmon Acti think about it, more money for you for less work! 1 or 2 paint colors and 3x the price! do that for Sky6.

Then that would defeat the point. The point is that they are hard to find, which makes it more interesting. As soon as you make them easily available, no one will care. Variants used to be limited, which made them more interesting to try and find and buy as soon as they came out, but once they started flooding stores with them (probably because of complaints like this), the variants started be shelf warmers (Jolly Bumble Blast anyone?) because people weren't as interested in them.

More quantity is exactly what palette swaps already do. They're different than chase variants exactly than that; you choose it for the better stats,different colors and collection count, while the chase are just for bragging rights.

Since chase figures are snapped up almost instantaneously, they're an extra source of profit.

Also, technically, chase figures are made to cater to the older fans of the series.

I dont see the big deal although its awesome to pump the trade price if i get my mits on one . I would certainly open and play with a chase variant.

Chase are there for ppl that want them. Finding one is cool as hell. I have found a fuzzy trigger happy and a rusted colored high volt, both which I have kept cause I felt it was so cool to find these. On the other hand thou i have also bought alot of chases during the giants era and swap force. I passed on trap and superchargers so far thou.

because of greed i guess...

Quote: CountMoneyBone

because of greed i guess...

Acti makes no extra selling a chase variant... its ppl on ebay that put it high and the markets willing to pay the high price.

Well, Activision does make extras creating chase variants even if scalpers are the ones making more money.
They are cheaper (since they are usually the regular model either painted with a single color or made out of a different material) yet they can sell them at the same price as regular figures.

It's true, they release less of them but that's simply because they couldn't be called "chase" otherwise.

I'd say greed as well, at least in SuperChargers case where they truly showed us how crazy they can get with variants when they don't have many unique models to sell...

Wow. Where to begin...

Quote: Drek95

They are cheaper (dice they are usually the regular model either painted with a single color or Made of a different material) yet they can sell them at the same price as regular figures.

Any potential money savings created by using cheaper/less materials is likelt swallowed up by having to tweak the production line in order to pump out a couple thousand 'special' figures. Think about it - if your cost to set up a line is $5k to run 800k figures, your cost per figure for setting up the line is less than one cent per figure.
If your cost to just tweak the line (a different material, changing the paint, whatever) is only $1k to run 1k figures, then you just multiplied that cost from one cent to one dollar per figure.

Then, you have the added cost of getting these chase figures slipped into every so many cases and mixed into the general assortments. Without chase figures, you take the first figures off the line, throw 'em in a box, then ship 'em. With chase figures, it becomes so much more complicated.

The profit motive for Activision is that the chase figures create buzz in the brand. Folks talk about it, kids go to school and be all 'Dude, my mom showed me this Skylander that sold on eBay for hundreds of dollars! I wonder how much mine are worth!" (Google the "rare NES-001" video, but imagine this guy being ten and in every school in the country) and when consumers go to the store every few days and want to know if the store got new Skylanders in, it does (on a rather small scale, but does) encourage stores to order more.

Quote:

[...]at least in SuperChargers case where they truly showed us how crazy they can get with variants when they don't have many unique models to sell...

We've had a whopping 5 chase variants in SC. SSA had far more than that.

I think Drek meant overall variants in this game, chase included.

It does feel like a gamble to create hype and make people who can spend more hunt stores for them,and maybe take another figure they were considering as well; not a 'omg they want to sell more so greedy', especially with the thing on ordering more types of figures on smaller numbers that UncleBob mentioned which gets expensive in many other places.

Yep I was talking about variants in general, that's why I didn't specified (but I admit it could have been misleading since this topic is about chases).
It's just the "they created a lot less unique models and then THIS" argument all over again and I don't want to talk about it here.

Well I have to say you make me change my mind about them.
As obvious as it can be I never thought how much it costs for them to not only produce chases but carefully ship them so they can become rare.
I have to say my general opinion of them being overall cheap might have made my statement less objective.

In fact I've never had a problem with chases past years and it's still quite cool to see what they can come up with; this is just an unfortunate year for more or less everything concerning the toys so excuse me if I sounded too harsh.

Quote: obidawsn

As soon as you make them easily available, no one will care. Variants used to be limited, which made them more interesting to try and find and buy as soon as they came out, but once they started flooding stores with them (probably because of complaints like this), the variants started be shelf warmers (Jolly Bumble Blast anyone?) because people weren't as interested in them.

I would say that's more of an overestimate of demand for Alt Decos, and not Chase.
Alt Decos are fairly common to find. Once everyone found that out with Pumpkin Eye Brawl, demand for Alt Decos shot straight down like a rock. Actual Chase Variants (ie, the solid colored ones) are still obscenely hard to find. The problem with finding them arises from a "chain of purchasing" as I'd call it: Employees would technically have first dibs on them. They shouldn't, but they do and depending on the store, you could have a fan grabbing them for their collection or someone who intends to sell them on ebay. After that is the Early Morning people; the guys getting to the store every morning first thing to pick up the new merch that's on the shelves. Then you have the "Before You" people; average joes who are in the store before the point you get there and pick up the figure for their own collection, to sell online, or for their kid.

I've collected chase figures and have found them before for tons of different things that I've collected in the past. I've been doing Skylanders for...like 5 years now and have never stumbled across a Chase. I'm assuming they have so little of them in boxes it's nearly impossible to find unless you're higher on the chain of purchasing.

A nice remedy would be to make them a little more common. I'm not asking for one in every box, but a few more would help to get them on shelves more I think.

I have to agree - the chase variants are usually.... meh. When they're common, people don't care as much.

Compare: GitD Sonic Boom/Cynder, WERDS/Blue Bash, Gold S2 Flameslinger, Metal Sprocket
to: S1 GitDS, red Camo, S1 Golds, Metal SWAPpers.

Even something like S1 Flocked Stump Smash vs. S2 Flocked Stump Smash.

Some of the Chase Figures are pretty sweet (I like the clear ones - luckily, I did manage to snag one of these), but, overall, I think most folks would pass if they were common (I still see occasional GitD Sonic Booms around.).

^ Ya the clears are my favs and my 2nd fav is the white snow colored flocked ones. Red camo id buy if it were a tad more common of a chase as camo is one my fav figures and id call/nickname him fruit punch camo

I only like chase variants if they're of my favorite characters, otherwise I don't care. Past variants I didn't like, but I love Bone Bash Roller Brawl's mold and her being a good variant color is nice.

I'd buy the chase variants if they were double or triple the price point of the standard figure, but 8X or 30X the price? That is for the kind of collector mentality that I don't have in me, or understand.