Not making items more easily available for direct purchase from Trendmasters may be fine for items of mass appeal such as Star Wars or Star Trek, but for products relating to Lost in Space it will not work. Sales and merchandising for Lost in Space depends on online stores, small toy chains, hobby shops and other smaller businesses. These businesses understand the demand for such products because they regularly deal with fans and collectors and know their needs. Trendmasters tactics cause dealer prices to increase which is then passed down to the consumer which ultimately causes lower volume in sales. Large chain stores don't understand the demand for these items and ultimately under order these products to avoid the risk of being left with an abundance of a potentially unsuccessful product.
Collectors are interested in purchasing several of the same item.
They want items that have not been played with or damaged in unpacking, and are reasonably easy to find. Large chain stores cannot provide any of the above so fans rely on their favorite small business to help them make their purchases. Fans in the 30 to 40 age bracket are interested in convenience and several trips to an under stocked toy store are bound to cause many to settle without an unessential collectible. Lost in Toys is now large enough to be in a position to meet minimum order requirements for many of its suppliers enabling us better savings by purchasing direct. Over these past 4 months we have spent hundreds of dollars in phone and fax bills to Trendmasters.