Considering this product is not even out yet.why has this product doubled??$1700 for a sealed case is just crazy.i know its allocated and supply is short.but its not even out yet.so who is to blame??the manfacturer of the cards,distributors or dealers??or maybe even all three???

Someones making a whole lot of $$$.and i think it will be even worse when the cards are released??

Well, the manufacturer is responsible for creating the situation by under-producing the set, but it's the dealers that are setting the prices the product is being sold at. Low supply + high demand = inflated prices.

or you could blame the collectors for agreeing to pay the high prices being asked.

My distributor didn't raise his normal prices but had to allociate due to increased demand. He based his allocations on orders for Season 1 before the set got so hot. Even though I was unable to increase my order for season I can respect his reasoning.

If the high demand is to be blamed on anyone its the influx of new card collectors who enjoy the AMC series, not sure if thats bad for the hobby or not. Hopefully thes new collectors will branch out and collect other series as well.

quote:

Originally posted by wolfie:
or you could blame the collectors for agreeing to pay the high prices being asked.

Well,I aint paying over the odds.I've managed to get 2 boxes for £105(including del).so that should get me 2 autos,4 wardrobe cards and 2 basic sets??(I hope)and I think that's where ill stop.cause I have a feeling the autos will go through the roof??

Btw Wolfie!!I got in touch with the guy you said and its because of you I got 2 boxes of this..so thanks

If I do get 2 basic sets??you can have 1 for sorting that for me if ya like??? if you want one of course??

I'd love one, thank you very much and i'm glad you were able to get yourself sorted out ok.

Normally I would think that the dealers will make the money because they will mark it up from the SRP. CZE had to set a case price for preorders and its all sold out, so the manufacturer can't allocate and raise the price already quoted. At least I don't think that would fly.

Honestly I don't understand why anyone would pay $1,700 a case. The low supply - high demand doesn't cut it when there is nothing by way of solid support. Sure the show is popular right now, like all cable shows it will last until the next big thing. I hardly hear about True Blood anymore. And the autograph cards are from actors that no one knew before The Walking Dead and may not know after its over. There are no big name guest stars signing yet. The costume cards are T-Shirts, and jeans, and nameless zombie extras. There were some really nice sketches in the first season, but one was not guaranteed in every box.

I am not trying to knock the cards or the show's fans. I'm just saying that I don't see how this is good thing for the hobby when a collector is caught between buying something he might really like and knowing that it just ain't worth it, no matter what the demand. Its the same question every father asks his kid, if everybody jumped off the bridge would you?

quote:

Originally posted by simpsonscardman:
but its not even out yet.so who is to blame??the manfacturer of the cards,distributors or dealers??or maybe even all three???

There are a ton of people who buy this product who don't buy a lot of non-sport cards. Many of them are rip and flippers. They drove a lot of the demand on the first set, and they are back for the 2nd.

I personally don't think the product is under produced. . .

I really like this show, and the comics. But I will be buying the cards about a year or two after the show is cancelled. Asking prices are way too high and will drop like everything else does. I've made these mistakes before with Serenity, Supernatural, Stargate... and the list goes on.

When the set comes out Andrew Lincoln will be $400, in a few years it'll be $100

You're right about most autographs falling in value after the show ends, but on this show, it'll be like 10 years before that happens, so a lot of the willingness on the parts of those who pay the big money for these cards is because they want to have them now.

There is just a ton of ready made material already written to yet be filmed so I can't imagine this show not going for another 7 seasons, at least, wrapping up in 2019 or so were that the case.

I think this concept could bear those 100 episodes through 2019, easy, and that would be around 8 seasons (or "series", as called in the U.K. and maybe OZ?), and that's the limit only should Kirkman run out of good stuff in the ongoing comic, which hasn't happened yet.

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:

There is just a ton of ready made material already written to yet be filmed so I can't imagine this show not going for another 7 seasons, at least, wrapping up in 2019 or so were that the case.

I think this concept could bear those 100 episodes through 2019, easy, and that would be around 8 seasons (or "series", as called in the U.K. and maybe OZ?), and that's the limit only should Kirkman run out of good stuff in the ongoing comic, which hasn't happened yet.

I would say that your assessment of another seven years is extremely optimistic.

First off, I think many of the current viewers watch the show only and don't even read Kirkman's graphics.

Secondly, some readers I do know have told me that the show has already changed details and is not following the written story exactly.

And finally, no matter how you look at it, the concept is a one trick pony. As one of those readers I know pointed out to me, its not about the zombies, its about the human response. But I contended that it was the presence of the zombies that drive the whole story and as it goes on it will lose its hook because the human response here is actually pretty depressing. There is virtually no humor in this end of mankind storyline and once the zombie killing gets old the audience will fall off to something else.

I guess we'll have to come back to this conversation in 2019 and see who was closer to getting it right.

Yes, absolutely, the very title "Walking Dead" refers to the human survivors, not the Walkers.

But it may be all academic as it the world might have fallen victim to an actual zombie apocalypse by 2019. But even if so, maybe the show can weather the event and continue on as a reality series.

If so, I would not wish to gloat about being right, but would instead accept some "eatin' brains" as acknowledgemnt of my prescience. You know, just whatever you could spare.

quote:

Originally posted by chesspieceface:
It may be all academic as it the world might have fallen victim to an actual zombie apocalypse by then. But even if so, perhaps the show could weather the event and continue on as a reality series.

Bazinga!

It is the speculators (currently the dealers) who are driving the cost of this up. Luckily I got Season 1 complete before it went nuts ($150 for a BINDER).

Just like with DC 52 I speculated it wouldn't do well, I speculate that the Dealers will price their stuff too high to begin with (think listing all sketches for $500+). Then the "fans" of the show will decide it isn't worth it at that price and just leave. Eventually the dealers will start selling at a reasonable level, but unfortunately might try to hold off trying to recoup their "investment".

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I would say that your assessment of another seven years is extremely optimistic.

First off, I think many of the current viewers watch the show only and don't even read Kirkman's graphics.

Secondly, some readers I do know have told me that the show has already changed details and is not following the written story exactly.

And finally, no matter how you look at it, the concept is a one trick pony. As one of those readers I know pointed out to me, its not about the zombies, its about the human response. But I contended that it was the presence of the zombies that drive the whole story and as it goes on it will lose its hook because the human response here is actually pretty depressing. There is virtually no humor in this end of mankind storyline and once the zombie killing gets old the audience will fall off to something else.

I guess we'll have to come back to this conversation in 2019 and see who was closer to getting it right.

The TV series has rearranged quite a bit from the comic but all the stories are still derived from it (e.g. I don't think the CDC portion was in the comic, some characters died at massively different points in the storyline) and that's normally a good sign that they can change things and still keep a good story but the first half of the previous season was such a terrible choice (as bad as anything they ever did in Heroes) I do believe once they run out of material from the comic book the show will go off the rails. They're about to hit a good arc from the comic book so I'm expecting the next season to be a strong one.

Zombie stories have always been about the struggle and never the ending because let's face it, when you've got a mostly unrelenting grim story anything but a grim ending will seem trite and cheesy. It doesn't matter though, my inner nerd loves the fact a zombie story of all things has achieved major success as a TV series, I just hope they let it go out on a high.

I still think its the increased number of end customers. While people are willing to buy the numbers will stay high. I think when the TV show is off the air prices will go down. High prices are not supported by the comic book group.