Is Walmart Price Gouging It's Customers On MOTU Origins Figures?

by Jay Cochran
August 4, 2020
UPDATE: Walmart has now put the price back to $14.99 but the figure is also now sold out again. It's unknown if anyone who purchased the figure at the $36 price has been offered a refund on the price difference or not.


This morning I was checking the Walmart website to see if by some of chance they had any of Mattel's new Masters of the Universe Origins figures actually in stock. After all the official release date for these toys was August 1st, and at least for now Walmart is the only place to get them. As usual, all the figures were listed as SOLD OUT until I came upon the Masters of the Universe Origins Teela figure. To my surprise Teela was showing as being available for purchase. Then I noticed the price. Instead of being listed with the normal $14.99 price these figures are supposed to cost, Walmart has Teela listed with a WHOPPING price of $36.00. That is more than double of what she should cost.

At first I thought perhaps this was from a second-party seller you sometimes see on these big-box retail sites, which I might note are very annoying in their own right. When it's a second party seller however it is generally indicated somewhere on the page as such. Not here. There is even the option of having it sent to a physical Walmart store for pick-up which I don't believe is offered when its a second-party seller.

So what exactly is going on here? Has Walmart taken product they have essentially released in limited numbers, hence creating an artificially inflated demand for them, and now trying to take advantage of that by gouging collectors who can't find these figures anywhere else??? That is certainly what appears to be happening. It's bad enough when we collectors have to deal with scalpers with this kind of thing, but this is taking it to a whole new level.

Hopefully once word of this comes to light someone at Walmart will fix this, probably say it was just listed in error, but regardless this is just another example of what collectors are having to deal with on a regular basis simply to buy products that really shouldn't be the difficult to get.
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Comments...

Last 10 comments - ( Read All Posts )
Roadpigmaster - 2020-08-21 @ 11:46 am
6 hours ago, Mr_Scary92 said:

I wonder if that pal is from Texas, I have learned that in that particular state the supply is exceptionally large.

No idea but lucky them for that...

Roadpigmaster - 2020-08-21 @ 1:50 am
3 hours ago, GlennasaurusRex said:

Greetings. Im a little late to the party but better late then never. I just wanted to chime in and say I gambled and purchased a36 dollar Teela. They shipped her in a plastic mailing bag, funny. The box wascrushed but since I open all my toys I just cared about Teela herself. I do feel for anyone who ordered and hoped for a mint figure.I did contact customer service and theyrefunded me the over pay ($18 I think was refunded). I figured it was a safe bet sinceI could just return her and get a full refund.

on a side note I thought Id share thesepicturesof my local wal-mart. I do worry that there might be a little imbalance of He-man/Skeletor compared to the secondary characters. While I was happy to see the shelves stocked, I couldnt help but have a feelingof dispair thinking this might turn into a 200x fiasco. Hopefully it wont and Mattel will increase production on the secondary peeps.Catcha later

Wow you are lucky to see that... I just saw that same image but with just the tags and no Figures at my local Walmarts...

GlennasaurusRex - 2020-08-20 @ 10:17 pm

Greetings. Im a little late to the party but better late then never. I just wanted to chime in and say I gambled and purchased a36 dollar Teela. They shipped her in a plastic mailing bag, funny. The box wascrushed but since I open all my toys I just cared about Teela herself. I do feel for anyone who ordered and hoped for a mint figure.I did contact customer service and theyrefunded me the over pay ($18 I think was refunded). I figured it was a safe bet sinceI could just return her and get a full refund.

on a side note I thought Id share thesepicturesof my local wal-mart. I do worry that there might be a little imbalance of He-man/Skeletor compared to the secondary characters. While I was happy to see the shelves stocked, I couldnt help but have a feelingof dispair thinking this might turn into a 200x fiasco. Hopefully it wont and Mattel will increase production on the secondary peeps.Catcha later

andoy24 - 2020-08-09 @ 10:50 am

toys are in demand in this pandemic...really surprised how willing everybody is to pay extra and raise the bar high (i.e. marvel legends)

InspectorZartan - 2020-08-07 @ 3:18 am
On 8/5/2020 at 7:32 AM, JayC said:

I would love to know if anyone who bought the figure at $36 was offered a refund of the difference. I was tempted to buy it at $36 just to see if a refund would be offered but since I was worried it wasnt actually listed at that price in error I didnt want to be stuck with a $36 Teela figure.

If you had and if they refused you could always just return it and get a full refund

Lord_Scareglow - 2020-08-06 @ 6:56 am

Walmart in Canada has been price gouging just like this for years, I'm not sure how it is a reasonable act from a big box seller, I'm not sure they do it as of recent, but however up until a few months ago often I would see them selling a previously sold out figure which was at retail for a limited, to go back in stock a later time at a inflated price for a very short window, it would however return to regular price some time later. I may be wrong but they seem to know what they are doing after a hot product sells out... and then they are only able to obtain a smaller amount for a second or third order they can increase price as almost the opposite of a sale. only site big box retailer I have seen this with, however here in Canada I have not seen it for quite a time so they may have ceased

80sboy4 - 2020-08-05 @ 4:55 pm

I'm not quite sure why Walmart is overcharging for Teela and no other figure in the line on the website. I know there is a frenzy to get the Origins figures now but pay anything over the MSRP for these doesn't make sense. Just need some patience and by next year this line will be available everywhere besides Walmart.

DylanRaven055 - 2020-08-05 @ 3:38 pm

Wow, this is really bad from them. Here Walmart hasn't really been doing that, or not that I've seen. However, others such Amazon are starting to do it with several Hasbro figures, mainly Marvel Legends and Power Rangers. They're listing them for about 30-35. Don't really understand why.

JayC - 2020-08-05 @ 2:32 pm

I would love to know if anyone who bought the figure at $36 was offered a refund of the difference. I was tempted to buy it at $36 just to see if a refund would be offered but since I was worried it wasnt actually listed at that price in error I didnt want to be stuck with a $36 Teela figure.

ghostbogey - 2020-08-05 @ 12:52 pm

Walmart's new figure slogan;

Walmart has your figure needs. Ready your cash and start to "BLEED"!!! =^)

I can literally see a guy at Walmart saying; "Wallet Ban Aid" aisle 2

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