quote:

Originally posted by Redemption:

But if it bothers you so much then perhaps you should move on to something else that will give you enjoyment as I doubt that things will change.

Don't worry I am.

quote:

Originally posted by Brimaster:

quote:

Originally posted by Redemption:

But if it bothers you so much then perhaps you should move on to something else that will give you enjoyment as I doubt that things will change.

Don't worry I am.

I'm not worried or passing judgement Brimaster. It was just an observation. If you're not happy about collecting cards then it's no longer a hobby, but a chore. I gave up action figure and comic book collecting because it wasn't fulfilling for me anymore and I haven't wasted a tear for them at all in years.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Streich:

quote:

Originally posted by Redemption:
But if it bothers you so much then perhaps you should move on to something else that will give you enjoyment as I doubt that things will change.

That's what I'm doing I just got rid of my supernatural seasons 1 and 2 and from what I was told have at least 3 weeks to consider what to do with my connections redemptions when they come in..

I'm sure more will pop up and that's great for people who have the ability to attend the conventions where the promos are given out, as for the price coming down tell that to the people who came aboard the supernatural season 1 set late in the game. A lot of people thought they were high when they came out now they are even higher..

I see the point, a slow-burner set like Serenity for example, but there will always be dips and peaks across many years. in terms of prices so should never be a deterrent to a fan. Who knows what cards will come along and for what prices, you can't plan for something like that so why worry?

IF they were going to be giving any out at the SDCC why wouln't inkworks point this out instead of telling me to check Ebay and giving me the email addy of an ebay seller to buy from?

If it comes off that way I'm not blaming dealers, it's their right to do whatever they want with the ones they get. But there was already case incentives for this release so these are even more on top of that.. If said dealer sells the 3 or 4 FOA they got for 75-100 each and the incentive for 150.00 then that's 450.00 they made off of their case already before even selling a single box..

If only they all could - a happy dealer should be a good thing.

Good job to the dealers who passed these on to their loyal customers right now you are the one bright spot in the hobby

I read the original post (detailing the numerous reasons) for your decision but it all seems to be coming back to these FOA promos. Its a shame to throw in the towel over one card. As many have already said, there are many cards 99% of us cannot have for whatever reason, and not having 'it' doesn't make what we do have any less great.

I'd call a Harrison Ford auto a challenging aquisition, not an FOA promo. So a couple of nuts hiked the price for whatever hype-related reason... so what?
A Sophie Marceau bond auto card once hit £130/$260, you'd be doing very well to sell it for half that nowadays. I don't know production numbers for this promo but I wouldn't worry about not being able to get one. I only have one FOA card (X-Files Connections) and I refused to pay the over-inflated prices for them when they first came out. I sat it out for about 18 months/ 2 years and low and behold I got one for about $10.

I also purchased a Bond card yesterday after not buying any for nearly a year. I have been chasing this card for about 7 years and it is the last one I needed for a master set. The card isn't particularly rare, but it is scarce (if I'm using the terms correctly!) and whilst I would have begrudgingly paid, say £50 for it for the sake of completion, I won it for a fifth of that. Good things come to those who wait.......!!!!!

Jim,

I know that there are other issues besides the FOA promo, but if that's a big one than I'd agree to at least wait until after San Diego before making a decision.

As others have said, whatever you do decide, make sure you're having fun!

-Bob-

We can't all have everything - that is a simple fact of life. What about us UK folk we don't get any of the "free" convention promo's - sometimes we are lucky and can trade with Cardtalkers, othertimes it's buying from people who seem to have tons of the freebies. Even the Connections UK promo which was at $50+ I have got for $5. The FOA card is hard to get and good luck to those that get it - I personally wouldn't get rid of my collection because I didn't get one, I would put it on my want list an wait!

I collect promos and I know how some of you are feeling. Patience is definately the name of the game, I find it difficult sometimes to follow my own advice, but I remind myself that those cards are out there, and they always seem to find their way on to ebay. Last week I picked up a charmed connections promo CC-PUK for $0.95, I had been chasing it for years!

The introduction of Sketch cards have taught me to buy what I like and not to pursue master sets when there will be no enjoyment in them.

Yeah, I think with some cards you just have to be patient. Last year when Supernatural season 2 was released, the UK promo was going for over US$30 at the beginning. A month or so later my dealer gave me it for free along with all the other promo's in the set. I think with some cards you just have to wait a little and the price will drop quite considerably.

I can see Jim's point though. It is quite annoying that some sellers seem to have duplicates of the rare cards, especially of cards that were given out to only a small amount of people.

quote:

Originally posted by Sidewinder:
Yeah, I think with some cards you just have to be patient. Last year when Supernatural season 2 was released, the UK promo was going for over US$30 at the beginning. A month or so later my dealer gave me it for free along with all the other promo's in the set. I think with some cards you just have to wait a little and the price will drop quite considerably.

I can see Jim's point though. It is quite annoying that some sellers seem to have duplicates of the rare cards, especially of cards that were given out to only a small amount of people.

There is at least 2 sellers who have sold at least 4 of these and I'm guessing they will have more for sale when those auctions are done..

Not sure if I'm in the minority here, but for those that do attend conventions to get the free promos & other swag, or get freebies from a company - what is so wrong in turning around and selling them?

It costs alot to attend a convention if you don't live in the same city (airfare, hotel, car, food, etc), so we're easily talking a couple hundred to easily over a thousand dollars. If I pick up a free con-only promo and put it on ebay to try and recoup some of my convention costs - is that so evil?

If a cardco feels like producing some limited cards and then only gives it to people that they like, who cares? If you want one, you pay the price. To try and dictate that a CardCo has a responsibility to equally distribute all cards they produce and can only give out 'fair' quantities to everyone - well, that just defeats the purpose in having your own business.

I am not a completist, so maybe I don't get what the huge fustration is over this issue. But I thought card collecting is supposed to be a fun hobby... the fun is in the collecting, finding the cards you want, getting a good price, etc, etc...

quote:

Not sure if I'm in the minority here, but for those that do attend conventions to get the free promos & other swag, or get freebies from a company - what is so wrong in turning around and selling them?

THAT'S FINE although what about people who because of family and other issues couldn't attend if they wanted to???

I'm talking about giving mass quantity to some dealers and if they don't make it available at Comic Con? Imagine you thought you had a complete set then they say OH lets issue another card but you who have invested heavily don't get one but instead we will give Seller a 10 and Seller B 3.

Then told if you want one got to ebay and buy one by the company that put it out (and even pointed to a seller on ebay)

Again it's a mute point as I have sold off my supernatural cards and will probably do the same with the connections redemptions if they are ever redeemed(since I went through trouble of tracking them all down)...

quote:

Originally posted by rubadub001:
Not sure if I'm in the minority here, but for those that do attend conventions to get the free promos & other swag, or get freebies from a company - what is so wrong in turning around and selling them?

It costs alot to attend a convention if you don't live in the same city (airfare, hotel, car, food, etc), so we're easily talking a couple hundred to easily over a thousand dollars. If I pick up a free con-only promo and put it on ebay to try and recoup some of my convention costs - is that so evil?

If a cardco feels like producing some limited cards and then only gives it to people that they like, who cares? If you want one, you pay the price. To try and dictate that a CardCo has a responsibility to equally distribute all cards they produce and can only give out 'fair' quantities to everyone - well, that just defeats the purpose in having your own business.

I am not a completist, so maybe I don't get what the huge fustration is over this issue. But I thought card collecting is supposed to be a fun hobby... the fun is in the collecting, finding the cards you want, getting a good price, etc, etc...

You're right. There's nothin wrong with selling your promos for profit, and you should try to recoup your costs on trips, conventions, etc.
There are plenty of suckers who will overpay for a friggin piece of cardboard. There should be no frustration. This hobby is for fun. I'm tired of the auto/promo/chase card whiners. They should go find another hobby to get frustrated with. I'm watching the news waiting for the story about a guy who shoots another guy dead over a single trading card.

Let's keep this friendly -- everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and can collect why or how they choose. . . there certainly is no need whatsoever for name calling.

Jon

Back to the point at hand. . . I don't see a problem with selling exclusive you get at all. . .

I should/could, but I generally don't take the effort to do it. People like me are the prime reason that collectors of various exclusives should be looking around/digging/asking about various exclusives.

I don't collect promos at all, but I have hundreds of them that I've picked up at shows, in trades, etc. . . they are great cards I love to look at them, but wouldn't be opposed to trading them, and I'm sure there are other people out there like me who have some of these rare-ish cards, and either don't know or aren't concerned about it.

So there are other options out there for collectors. . . Make friends with people who can attend the shows you can't and trade with them!

I literally have hundreds of promos that I'd love to trade for sketches and autographs. . .

Jon

I completely disagree, I pay to go to several conventions each year, I don't look to recover my costs by selling the items I receive. I pay for the experience, that's my choice, and most of the time any extras I get I give to other collectors who request them.

I really don't understand why some people are up in arms over certain sellers getting a number of special promo cards.

I would guess the reason they get the cards are because they have been loyal customers of Inlworks over the years and buy numerous cases of their product.

Makes sense to me and I am sure there are some dealers who do in fact reward their regular customers with some of these special cards.

As for show promos, well I'm sorry for those who can't attend a show for whatever reason. I see numerous posts on the show thread, with the names of various members who are planning to attend a specific show. Let me suggest that if you can't attend you contact someone who is, an arrange a trade. I did this with Chris last year for ComiCon and he was nice enough to hook me up.

the problem i have is that these cards are labeled as PROMOS. i have no problem with cardco giving out free swag to its volume clients. that's just business. but don't call it a promo. a promo, by its very nature, is promoting something. this is a gift that cardco knows will generate lots of additional income for the client since regular joe didn't have access to one (except possibly at SDCC where we have to pay for admittance and can maybe get ONE). it's great if you can trade for one from someone who goes there but as jon said, he'd be happy to trade for autos or sketches...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: anjee,

I still see them as promos -- clearly they are generating a lot of discussion here!

Besides perhaps they are made to promote the cards to dealers, if they get dealers excited about a product surely the dealer will excite their clients about it.

Jon

Maybe I've missed it, but is it etched in stone anywhere that a PROMO card has to be given away for free?

The fact of the matter is, this discussion is being driven by the fact that the card in question is commanding a higher than normal price at this time.

As many have pointed out this is normally the case for Inkworks FOA promo cards and after awhile this card will definitely go down in price.

For those of you that haven't noticed, not every promo card from the same release sells for the same price. Just as every insert from a set doesn't sell for the same price.

quote:

Originally posted by Arvin Sloane:
is it etched in stone anywhere that a PROMO card has to be given away for free?

In the UK it is etched in stone that it must never be given away for free,

quote:

Originally posted by Arvin Sloane:
Maybe I've missed it, but is it etched in stone anywhere that a PROMO card has to be given away for free?

well, if someone is trying to sell me something, i would not want to pay to be promoted to. it is generally accepted that promotion comes at the expense of those doing the promoting. as a gallery owner, i can attest that people would not buy a flier for an upcoming exhibition. you give them away for free to entice people to come and purchase the more expensive work. isn't that the point?

so i would say it is a rule, albeit unwritten, that promos should be free. at least at first.