Photo: Mattel
I cleaned up the house yesterday. When I started picking up bags from several places, I realized I tend to leave things lying around. Somehow, each bag had two or three Hot Wheels cars inside. So I might have a problem again.
I went down a slippery slope as I planned to do a Monthly Haul kind of review, and I now have a desk full of opened Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars from various series. I'll get back to the topic in a story soon. Let's talk about a situation that has sent a shockwave through the collector community. While doom-scrolling on Facebook last night, I came across a post that almost left me speechless.
There's this huge Hot Wheels group with nearly 330,000 people inside, and someone complained about a situation on Mattel's official website. I am one of many collectors who did not receive an official email on the topic. And by the time I figured out what was going on, it was already over. The diecast manufacturer decided to do it for the community, and the idea was nice.
"Mattel Creations Favorites Return" was its way of giving collectors a second chance to buy special products they couldn't get in the past. Of course, you could think of it as a way of getting rid of unsold stock, but let's not look at it that way. On the archive sale page, you'll see 37 products, including several Barbie and MOTU products. I'm not here to talk about those, but instead about the Hot Wheels and Matchbox ones.
The latter offered a selection of four collectibles, with the Porsche 911 RSR taking center stage. Hot Wheels enthusiasts had a much wider array of choices ranging from the 1995 Honda Integra Type R to the 1986 Porsche 959 and the '82 Lamborghini Countach LP 500 S. It seems that even the 2023 Mainline Factory-Sealed Set was part of the show, which only made things worse.
It all feels like a blitz sale, but without any discounts coming into effect. The whole thing triggered mixed reactions in the community. I have noticed a handful of people delighted they got a second chance, scoring some cool castings. But most fans seem to be furious about the whole thing. Some never got the official email, while others had to wait in the queue for 15 minutes without luck.
I also noticed a few collectors saying they didn't even try, as they wanted to avoid getting angry with the situation—several posts ranting about this sale on different social media platforms. It's ultimately like a game, and it feels like Mattel is trying to set up the "hunt" to make things more exciting. That's probably a good strategy to drive more sales, but some people aren't having it.
One collector noted, "I don't appreciate the 'hunt' they put us on to buy stuff on their website. The hoops we all have to deal with at times are unreal." I always see people saying they will stop buying Hot Wheels and opt for products from other companies. But whenever Mattel launches a new item, they're all over it and forget about what they've said before.
I guess that's the power of marketing. Buying from eBay is an alternative if you don't mind spending twice or three times as much for these items. But there's always a chance someone will just want to quit the game and sell their cars for cheap. That's what one of my close friends did recently, but once again, you must keep an eye on the market to take advantage of such opportunities.
There's this huge Hot Wheels group with nearly 330,000 people inside, and someone complained about a situation on Mattel's official website. I am one of many collectors who did not receive an official email on the topic. And by the time I figured out what was going on, it was already over. The diecast manufacturer decided to do it for the community, and the idea was nice.
"Mattel Creations Favorites Return" was its way of giving collectors a second chance to buy special products they couldn't get in the past. Of course, you could think of it as a way of getting rid of unsold stock, but let's not look at it that way. On the archive sale page, you'll see 37 products, including several Barbie and MOTU products. I'm not here to talk about those, but instead about the Hot Wheels and Matchbox ones.
The latter offered a selection of four collectibles, with the Porsche 911 RSR taking center stage. Hot Wheels enthusiasts had a much wider array of choices ranging from the 1995 Honda Integra Type R to the 1986 Porsche 959 and the '82 Lamborghini Countach LP 500 S. It seems that even the 2023 Mainline Factory-Sealed Set was part of the show, which only made things worse.
It all feels like a blitz sale, but without any discounts coming into effect. The whole thing triggered mixed reactions in the community. I have noticed a handful of people delighted they got a second chance, scoring some cool castings. But most fans seem to be furious about the whole thing. Some never got the official email, while others had to wait in the queue for 15 minutes without luck.
I also noticed a few collectors saying they didn't even try, as they wanted to avoid getting angry with the situation—several posts ranting about this sale on different social media platforms. It's ultimately like a game, and it feels like Mattel is trying to set up the "hunt" to make things more exciting. That's probably a good strategy to drive more sales, but some people aren't having it.
One collector noted, "I don't appreciate the 'hunt' they put us on to buy stuff on their website. The hoops we all have to deal with at times are unreal." I always see people saying they will stop buying Hot Wheels and opt for products from other companies. But whenever Mattel launches a new item, they're all over it and forget about what they've said before.
I guess that's the power of marketing. Buying from eBay is an alternative if you don't mind spending twice or three times as much for these items. But there's always a chance someone will just want to quit the game and sell their cars for cheap. That's what one of my close friends did recently, but once again, you must keep an eye on the market to take advantage of such opportunities.
Google News