quote:

Originally posted by Arvin Sloane:

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Originally posted by Redemption:

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Originally posted by Arvin Sloane:

I totally disagree with you on why people are complaining about this 10 case incentive card. They are upset, because they are fans of this license and have bought this product faithfully and when Inkworks finally scores the, "Holy Grail" card for X-Files fans, Inkworks turns around and sticks it to them.

If the holy grail card is the David auto and that is not a dealer incentive I don't see how Inkworks has stuck it to them. If anything I think Inkworks has been very fair to collectors to offer both the single auto cards of the stars in the same set and for dealers the 10 case card.

NO, THE HOLY GRAIL CARD IS THE DUAL, that should be pretty obvious.

Rude much?

I don't want to argue here, but what should be "pretty obvious" is that any grail in the collecting world is determined by individual taste.

I'd be more inclined to agree with Redemption's point that it is the David Duchovny auto card alone which is more important because not everyone will need an Anderson auto. That said, for me personally (a HUGE X-Files fan), my "grail" would be separate autos of Mulder and Scully that are designed in the same format. This set achieves that.

The incentive card is not all that, especially when the image used isn't great and the stickers make it look worse.

I think the way in which Inkworks is releasing this card could have been handled better but I am by no means going to be very dissapointed by not owning it. And I'm sure there will be other X-Files fans out there who would feel the same.

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

I'm an X-files fan out here and i don't think any of the cards are a holy grail card as they all have stupid stickers stuck on em!

Harumph!!!!

Point proven. Different strokes for different folks.

I see nothing wrong with Inkworks making the dual autograph card a multi-case incentive. As already pointed out, many manufacturers have given away great cards to dealers that buy tons of products.

Yes, there really are many such dealers out there, they are called distributors. Where do you think small hobby shops that want to buy only a few boxes per release go to get them? The manufacturers don't want to deal with "small potatoes", so they call local distributors who have direct accounts. These incentives may seem free, but they are not. Anyone who buys that much on an account is taking the risk that he won't get stuck with a lousy release and boxes that don't move, so incentives are a way to get something back.

And any collectors out there you can spend enough in cases to get the incentive card also have enough money just to buy it outright when it hits on eBay.

As for me, this card is just one more in a long line of cards that I can't afford anyway, so I'm not losing any sleep over it.

All I will say is this:

I bought the very first Inkworks product, Goldeneye, when it came out in 1995. That was when the company was known as Graffiti.

I bought every single James Bond, X-Files, Simpsons, and Smallville set they ever did, along with many, many others, all with COMPLETE runs of chase cards. I must have over 50 sets produced by Inkworks in my collection. Not one set cost me more than $800-900 to complete.

Suddenly, this year Inkworks releases Smallville Season 6 with a hard-to-find dealer incentive auto, which turns out to be somewhat tough to find. This 2-card auto ends up costing over $300, thus breaking the record for the most I've ever paid for an Inkworks set. Now we have these new incentives for X-Files.

I'm not going to comment any further, except to say that I believe in the old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Why does the company suddenly feel a need to engage in this new practice ? So many fans are leaving the hobby, this is just another reason to do so.

To those above who say there are many types of collecting, you don't need the card, etc., I will say this-- after 20 years of collecting several hundred non sports sets, all of which I completed relatively inexpensively, you don't just wake up one morning and say "I will make an exception with the X-Files set, I'll pass on that one chase card." The companies know that most fans want a complete set. There's no need to make it tougher for them.

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Originally posted by David R:
"if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

I wont pretend to know the financial strength of Inkworks, but if the hobby has evolved and Inkworks has to evolve to stay competitive then so be it. I would rather have them producing incentives and sticker autos then not be around anymore because they were so stuck on what the last 20 years was like and not concerned with the next 20.

quote:

Originally posted by David R:

I bought every single James Bond, X-Files, Simpsons, and Smallville set they ever did, along with many, many others, all with COMPLETE runs of chase cards. I must have over 50 sets produced by Inkworks in my collection. Not one set cost me more than $800-900 to complete.

Suddenly, this year Inkworks releases Smallville Season 6 with a hard-to-find dealer incentive auto, which turns out to be somewhat tough to find. This 2-card auto ends up costing over $300, thus breaking the record for the most I've ever paid for an Inkworks set. Now we have these new incentives for X-Files.

There have been Inkworks cards that have sold for that amount or close to it that were not incentive cards.

I don't feel that I can get too into this topic too much but all I can say is to see someone like David R (a friend of mine) so upset like this, to the point of threatening to quit collecting, is really upsetting. As you can tell by what David has posted above, he spends a good deal on his card collecting passion and to read his posts in this thread and e-mails he has recently sent really distresses me.

Let's see, first it was stickers. Now it's a 10 case incentive card. What's next? Hmmmmm, how about no info until just prior to the release?

Oh, wait we just had that with the "Supernatural Connections" and "X-Files: I Want to Believe" autograph line-up.

OK, let's try we have to pre-order months in advance.

We can start calling Inkworks, Topps Jr. I'm sure that would thrill many of my friends on this board.

I've always wanted a Buffy set with sketch cards. I'm sure Mr Waterhouse and Woodside would be more than happy to do SOME sketch cards for the set.

In all seriousness I hope this is just a bump in the road for Inkworks and they get back on course as being the collector friendly company they have always been.

quote:

Originally posted by Arvin Sloane:
Let's see, first it was stickers. Now it's a 10 case incentive card. What's next? Hmmmmm, how about no info until just prior to the release?

Oh, wait we just had that with the "Supernatural Connections" and "X-Files: I Want to Believe" autograph line-up.

OK, let's try we have to pre-order months in advance.

We can start calling Inkworks, Topps Jr. I'm sure that would thrill many of my friends on this board.

I've always wanted a Buffy set with sketch cards. I'm sure Mr Waterhouse and Woodside would be more than happy to do SOME sketch cards for the set.

In all seriousness I hope this is just a bump in the road for Inkworks and they get back on course as being the collector friendly company they have always been.

I don't speak for inkworks but would bet that a lot of the confusion had to do with bot the switching over to sticker autographs and more important the TV strike that screwed up the seasons..

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NO there is a huge difference between an incentive card and a Friend of Allen card.

You came here to complain and dictate how Allen should distribute cards which HE payed to be designed and made with HIS money and which (As the card clearly is named) to be distributed to whom he wished.

Again that's your opinion, to me they are the same except with the incentives you actually have to buy something where with the promo it was free.. I'm sure I'll get a smart comment from you as you are obviously always right and everyone elses opinions don't matter ...

The main reason I don't collect RA is the sets are almost impossible to compete because of the incentive cards. If supernatural 3 has a huge incentive card I won't hesitate NOT to buy a single pack of that also.

"But don't try and tell me that a hard to get or expensive card would diminsh a set or make it less worthy."

To me(and many others it does) just because you see it one way doesn't make you better or wiser, EVERYONE collects for different reasons and to a completest who collects for the thrill of the hunt and the FUN it is worthless and diminishes the set because to me because it's not about the value of the cards..

And to an X files fan I would agree with Arvin(did I just say that ) the duel is the holy grail as it has both of them and the kiss scene..

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Originally posted by H_Toser:
I don't feel that I can get too into this topic too much but all I can say is to see someone like David R (a friend of mine) so upset like this, to the point of threatening to quit collecting, is really upsetting. As you can tell by what David has posted above, he spends a good deal on his card collecting passion and to read his posts in this thread and e-mails he has recently sent really distresses me.

I've been collecting cards since 1989 (sports and non sports) and just sold off a huge chunk of my collection and am pretty sure that the rest will go soon as it's not even close to fun anymore.. Non sports is turning into sports and it's more about the money then the hobby..

I hate to say it but Inkworks is in a really serious slump, possibly a fatal one. Each release seems to be struggling. Thinking back, how many releases have Inkworks had in recent memory where the box prices have at the very least held steady after release. I'm not saying go up in value, merely that they were selling for the same price 2 or 3 months after release. Unless maybe one of the Supernatural releases have held steady I can't think of any since Serenity and Firefly. It's a bad sign when collectors realize they don't need to pre-order to get a good price but rather simply wait a couple of months to get a bargain. I think switching to stickers is just another nail in the coffin and the huge multi-case incentives aren't helping. I was a big fan of Inkworks in the BUFFY/ANGEL/CHARMED days, easily my favorite company back then but lack of innovation, weak licenses, poor content and now sticker autos and I can't think of a good reason to buy boxes of Inkworks product. I truly hope they turn it around but I honestly can't see it happening.

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Originally posted by Incarnadine:
Thinking back, how many releases have Inkworks had in recent memory where the box prices have at the very least held steady after release. I'm not saying go up in value, merely that they were selling for the same price 2 or 3 months after release.

actually, the buffy boxes are still going for decent money. even now, nearly a year after release, i haven't found 10th anniversary boxes going for under retail. at least not very often. i'm not sure about any of the other sets they produced recently though.

Sadly Incarnadine is spot on about the price of Inkworks boxes and cases .It's great in the short term for someone like myself to pick up cases for less than $150 but long term you have to worry about the buisness prospects.

In contrast it's much harder to pick up Rittenhouse cases on the cheap after release.The only one I have been able to do it for was Spiderman 3 .

It's not just Inkworks,most products are way cheaper if you wait 3-6 months after release.Sure you will miss the odd hot seller but you will be right to wait more often than not.

On a side note, I think a lot has to do with disposible income. I owed a comic book shop in a poor state. Price of gas goes up, hobby spending goes down. Price of food goes up, hobby spending goes down. If enought of the hobby shops which sells cards say, "I just can't buy this product without a way to make money on it", something has to be done by the manufactor. One way for the manufactor to do this is to produce an incentive card to give to the shops that buy products.

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Originally posted by Jim Streich:

Again that's your opinion, to me they are the same except with the incentives you actually have to buy something where with the promo it was free..

One is only free to whom Allen wants to give it to. If you're not on the guest list that's just too bad. Deal with it. Or not, I really don't care.

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I'm sure I'll get a smart comment from you as you are obviously always right and everyone elses opinions don't matter ...

That would be you dude. I haven't been the one whining about how Allen should run his business and in the same beat blasting those of us that don't like auto stickers.

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To me(and many others it does) just because you see it one way doesn't make you better or wiser, EVERYONE collects for different reasons and to a completest who collects for the thrill of the hunt and the FUN it is worthless and diminishes the set because to me because it's not about the value of the cards..

I'm not even going to bother... like I said before, I really don't care how and what you collect.

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And to an X files fan I would agree with Arvin(did I just say that ) the duel is the holy grail as it has both of them and the kiss scene..

And it exists... isn't that wonderful that some X-Files card collecting fans are going to be getting it?

I know ive already commented on this topic but id like to state my feelings over this set.

I was going to buy some of this product not a lot maybe a case as that is what my bugdet would stretch to, however i also would have liked to make an attempt at a master set.

I have always picked my products from Inkworks and ive got some veronica mars and smallville some lost out of that ive got 5 master sets.

When i started buying non-sport cards i had issed the X-Files sets and the price on the older sets was too much for me to consider buying. This set would have been fantastic for me to buy into, but as i said if i have no chance of completing my set then i dont see the point in buying the product.

I recently bought a case of Battlestar Season 3 from RA and after going through that i was missing one autograph and the 6 case incentive card to complete my set, bought the last auto online and have the 6 case incentive reserved for me at my local hobby store. the 6 case incentive card is at least affordable to me its not going to be super duper expensive so i can afford that to finish my set.

This X-Files dual autograph will not be as cheap and i dont see me being able to afford it, im not a speculator i just like to buy my cards make a set and look at the pretty.

10 Case incentive is very off putting for those of us who cannot afford to reach that level for one card, it may be ok for some who can pay that or have little friendships that manage to score one on the cheap.

And being someone who likes to complete a set which includes case cards and incentives and such i just cannot put in for this product.

question:
would it be the same situation if they announce a final buffy set w/ a 10 case SMG auto?

just curious, as i dont collect autos; but those X-Flies ones do look nice

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Originally posted by Chris Byrne:
question:
would it be the same situation if they announce a final buffy set w/ a 10 case SMG auto?

just curious, as i dont collect autos; but those X-Flies ones do look nice

No Chris, that would be a 15 case card