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No Export for You/Toys: Difference between revisions
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*** Also there are apparently a small few BIONICLE sets that were Japan-exclusive.
** What were ''[[Bionicle]]'' store exclusives in the US were a complete gamble in mainland Europe. Even some main-line toys were hard or impossible to come by. For instance in Hungary, sets like Mazeka, the Baranus V7 and the Titan-sized Toa Mata Nui were never released (though one on-line shop did offer them for a short period of time, and for staggering prices). Karzahni was sold only in a certain kind of department store. Toa Lhikan & Kikanalo were obtainable through a very short-lived give-away deal in a combo pack with Sidorak. Takutanuva was released a year after the set's overseas release. Yet some spec-ed sets received a country-wide release.
** I don't know about other countries, but the [[
* The reissue of ''[[Transformers]]'' [[Transformers Generation 1|G1]] Megatron, as well as Masterpiece Megatron, which are realistic gun replicas, are illegal to even possess in the US unless fitted with the obligatory orange plug. And there are countless other Transformers that weren't exported here either, especially those from the Japanese-only TV series, such as Trainbots, Soundblaster and most ''[[
** However, some of the above, like Saberback and Guiledart were redecoed and released in the US.
** The Dinobot Swoop was not released in the United Kingdom despite his prominence in UK-original stories and the other Dinobots' availability.
*** Add to that Shockwave, Sky Lynx, Trypticon, Fortress Maximus, Omega Supreme, Roadbuster and Whirl, the Deluxe Insecticons, Blaster (and co.), Perceptor, Sixshot, Gnaw, the Constructicons, the Predacons... and that's just for the first three years. That said, there's also stuff that we got that the US didn't (most notably Overlord).
** In Italy, the recent [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen|N.E.S.T. Global Alliance]] subline never got released... but ''they aired the commercials for it on TV''.
** The South Korean releases are a bit of a mixed bag, especially when [[Sunwoo]] (through their Mocom Toy division) took over distribution. [[Transformers Animated|Animated's]] toyline got the brunt of it though, with only the first two waves released.
*** Same thing in a lot of Middle and Eastern European countries. And since the toys that ''do'' come out can cost up to ''four times'' as much as in the US, fans have a tendency to just import everything, even what they could easily buy at the nearest toy store.
** The ''[[Transformers Prime]]'' First Edition line saw a limited release in Canada, some Asian countries and in the US (though only the Deluxe-sized figs were sold here). Rest of the world? Nada. This line was originally intended for a wider release, to be then replaced by the gimmick-heavy and down-sized toys from the Robots in Disguise sub-line. Instead, it turned out to be kind of a "come and gone" deal. What makes this irritating is that the people were anticipating the toys' release in their areas, as no one ever said anything about them being part of an exclusive line. So it came as a surprise that the distribution just... stopped. And in most parts of the globe, never even began.
* Due to [[Executive Meddling|brand mis-management]] and falling sales, a good chunk of the end of the ''[[
* A more vintage example is the large ''[[Rodan]]'' [http://www.clubtokyo.org/listings/itemListingRpt.php?catID=1&subCatID=104&contentID=489 action figure] released by Mattel in 1979; it was only sold in America, and not in Japan. It is now a collector's item in both countries, although particularly in the latter.
* ''[[Pokémon]]'' is a BIG offender of this for the vast majority of merchandise. Sure, the trading card game is still going strong and the games are almost invariably imported (with few exceptions seen in the Video Games section of this trope), but if you want a plush or figure version of your favorite critter, good luck finding anything outside of import stores. Most of the merchandise for the franchise is kept to stores called Pokémon Centers that are exclusive to Japan - after the NYC one closed down to become the Nintendo Store anyway, but even the Pokémon area in said store doesn't have the sheer variety of items found in Japanese Pokémon Centers, much less any themed merchandise they'll sell in Japan from time to time. There's a reason anyone who collects Pokémon merchandise of any kind (type or specific Pokémon) will tell you it is EXPENSIVE to do so.
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** The trope comes into effect harder for the Wonder Festival releases, which aren't stocked on any import sites short of middlemen. No [http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3200/Kyubey+Soft+Vinyl+Figure.html life-sized] [[Puella Magi Madoka Magica|Kyubey figure]] for you!
*** Recently subverted in that GSC decided to allow international customers to order their summer 2011 WF exclusives (including the aforementioned Kyubey) directly from them, [[Double Subverted|albeit for one week only]].
* The Banpresto ''[[MOTHER]]'' and ''[[Earthbound|MOTHER 2]]'' replica figures of the series' clay-model official art. Not at all surprising, considering how [[Screwed
* Most of Bandai's collector's toylines ([[SH Figuarts]], [[Robot Spirits]], Myth Cloth, etc.) outside of Asia are this, including the dreaded ''Tamashii Web Shop'' exclusive sets, or the ''Tamashii Festival Expo'' exclusives. Both require a middleman or an online shop to ship to the US/Europe to buy them.
** Subverted recently with Bluefin Distribution, who has made a deal with Bandai to distribute their collector products to Amazon and US hobby shops. The Tamashii Web exclusives still apply, though.
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