Most everyone likes to find a deal every once in awhile. This is especially nice to a newcomer to HL collecting. He or she can get off to a good start by buying HL's at a discount, allowing them to add to their collections at a minimum expenditure. After all, most people intially get into the collecting hobby because they like it, not because they think they can resell and make a profit.
Our more senior collectors, those who have most every HL, will argue that it reduces the worth of their collections. I've built my collection by looking for deals when I could find them, and paying the premium price when I had to. It was definitely more fun to find them at deals than to pay the big bucks.
I feel that HL has listened to its collectors by reducing the number of each limited edition made. Now the retail stores must take measures to reduce their inventory of all those larger editions. When they are gone, the smaller editions will start to disappear more rapidly creating a demand, and that's the name of the game in collecting.
Now that I'm on autoship, I very rarely make the effort to go to HL Dealers to see what they have in stock. If I happen to be in a mall or near a store that sells HL's I usually take a peek to see what they have, but that doesn't happen that often.
Like stated in the above posts, many stores don't do elaborate displays. You either have to ask or search the entire store before you can find the HL section. If HL sales are slow and inventory stays on the shelves month after month, I can't blame the store for not giving them a prime spot.
As far as some stores dropping the HL line, stuff happens. Not every collectible store, across this nation of ours, is successful in selling HLs. The same applies to other collectible lines too. Why invest in something that doesn't sell fast enough to justify taking up shelf space. If inventory doesn't move, then it's hard to justify investing more money and dedicating shelf and storage space to that product.
My advice to fellow serious collectors is visit as many dealers as you can where ever you may be, always check the Marketplace at the CF each day, check the HL section on eBay daily, and be prepared to act fast if you see a deal.
Reduced edition sizes will create the necessary demand we all would like to see. There will always be a strong core of HL collectors. These are the diehards who will always be there through thick and thin. Collecting HL's is not a hobby. It's a way of life.
Bob