What's going on with HH?

[cougartrace]

I think the whole collectible statue market is in decline and will decrease in value just like any other hobby does.

I don't care about the political bs that went on behind the scenes between this forum and HH. I like HH's statues. I will support them when they continue to make "out of the box" sculpts.

I think we all have to root for the success of HH. It does not bode well for SS or Bowen in the long run if HH can't be successful.

[tony bo]

Originally Posted by loricstone

What I am amazed at is how you (not just you tony) don't make any mention at all of how all the other companies statues (with the exception of a few) drop like a bomb! Many of Bowen statues you can get for under $100 bucks or right at or a little over $100 bucks. The only company's statues that tend to hold their value is many of Sideshow's big time statues and busts! No one is going to drop down and sell a Predator Maquette for $400 (aint happening), or better yet a PF Hulk go for just $200 bucks. And it aint just because of their size either. It has to do with how much the statues initially cost! No one is willing to risk losing over a $100 bucks for a statue. The low edition sizes usually help those statues keep their value as well. Hell! I want a SS Ghost Rider regular version bad, and I don't see it anywhere on ebay or any other comic shop websites?

This mostly comes down to publicity (which Bowen and SS has in spades) and the fact that most of these people who frequent this forum predominantly look at Bowen and/or SS exclusively. There are many other companies on this forum that make more impressive statues than the other two (sometimes). Hell, even CS MOORE which makes dynamite statues (especially women) do not get nearly the amount of recognition he deserves. This filters down to the rest of the companies. Lastly, the market is flooded with these characters with the exception of a few.

Yes, I agree other companys do have statues that drop like a bomb,but due to the minimal statues that HH produces it is more apparent. You just can't put statues out for $199.00 and a couple weeks after release they drop to $100.00. Human nature says just what awhile after statue is released and you'll save a ton. Companys (retailers) can't survive with this going on, so they drop out. It's just not good for business or for the statue market. The only thing that should be done (by all companys) is to drastically reduce amount produced while not increasing the price of the statue or a minimal increase. Create demand and preserve value. Statues are totally overproduced and the market reflects it.

[Makkari1]

The thing about statues or any other product when its manufactured is that the cost for the product is much lower than what you see it at. There are only a few things in this world where the price or value goes up over time and they are:
1.) Houses/Land (in good condition)
2.) Precious metals (Gold, Silver, Gems)
Houses/Land goes up due to the fact that people will always need a place to live and depending on location value is always more than what you paid for it. Gold and other precious metals (Diamonds, pearls, ect.) go up in value due to them being rare.

When a manufacturer produces an item the sale price that you see is what they charge to make a profit not what it cost them to make it. Even if the item sold for less than the SMRP (Suggested Manufacture Retail Price) the company still made a profit just not as much as they would have liked. Plus there are tax benfits for not making as much or even losing some profit. Now I know that no company goes into business to lose money but some years are better than others.

Statue collecting should be looking at as not an investment but a hobby. I'll say it million times on these boards unless you are flipping large volumes of stautes you'll find a better investment in stacks and bonds than these things. My pieces could all become worthless overnight and I'll keep on buying because I like the character and the sculpt. There is a old rule about value and that is "Something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it." When I was living in Florida after Hurricane Andrew people bought a $2.00 bag of ice for 30 or 40 dollars. Now the ice is clearly not worth it but because people needed it then it was worth more. If you're walking through the desert with no water and 30 miles to go, whats more valuable a cantine of water or a 50lb bag of gold?

[tony bo]

The manufacturer in this case lets say HH makes money from selling its statues on its website. This is a grand slam for them if they sell any at full MSRP. HH also sells its product to retailers at lets say half the MSRP. Why would retailers want to sell this product if they have to sell it for what they pay, or a little over it? Bad for any businessman, great for the collector. It's a buyers market right now so let's enjoy it because it can't last the way it's going. This is how companys die and hobbys go by the wayside. As a collector your not looking investment but on the same hand you don't want to set fire to your hundred dollar bills.

[loricstone]

Originally Posted by tony bo

Yes, I agree other companys do have statues that drop like a bomb,but due to the minimal statues that HH produces it is more apparent. You just can't put statues out for $199.00 and a couple weeks after release they drop to $100.00. Human nature says just what awhile after statue is released and you'll save a ton. Companys (retailers) can't survive with this going on, so they drop out. It's just not good for business or for the statue market. The only thing that should be done (by all companys) is to drastically reduce amount produced while not increasing the price of the statue or a minimal increase. Create demand and preserve value. Statues are totally overproduced and the market reflects it.

Ok, on the first bold statement you made, it is a very plausible argument, and you will not get any rebuttle from me there. I can understand how it may seem like that because they are not a high volume statue producer.

The second statement I just wanted to state that Hard Hero has been around just as long as any other statue manufacturer. It is a shame that HH's statues can be found on ebay for a low amount because they make a consistently high quality product. The statues are a good scale size, they have the most consistent paint apps in the industry, and the art direction and sculpting are superb.

Lastly, I also agree greatly with the fact that statues are totally overproduced in the market. And this last point I feel is the main reason for many of HH's statues dropping drastically on the secondary market. Not just HH, but everyone else!

Ultimately, Hard Hero must be doing something right because they have lasted in this business for about 6 years or so. This might be due to a low number of employees, one main sculptor, and possibly a handful of painters. Who knows! But I think in the end, the quality or value of HH's products should not be judged by observing the ebay market. Ebay can give every manufacturer a misconstrued appearance of less than stellar products. Most websites I go to, still sell many of HH's statues for MSRP or right below it! There are exceptions (Hawkeye, SubMariner, Thing), hell, but that goes for some products from all the other manufacturers as well.