Anyone else catch that it finally and quietly dropped into market? The base cards look niceish. Can't say much for the rest of it.

It's out, there doesn't seem to be any autograph checklist. Alien3 was an ugly looking movie that could only produce ugly looking photos on cards, as it has in sets already released.

A good many Alien fans, including me, hated the film and saw it as the destruction of the franchise. Yes I know some people consider it a flawed masterpiece ruined by the studio, but I'm not that deep.

UD never should have put this out as a single title. It's been delayed for years, but there is still no demand for it. It's not even known if Weaver autographs are in it. Dutton, Dance and Henriksen are the only other actors anyone is likely to remember from a large cast of people who all managed to dress and look exactly the same.

In a facebook group I am in, there has been excitement that this set is finally release (even without a checklist) and case group breaks have sold out. Talk is excitement that they get to continue with a brand they like. People are buying it so to say there is no demand is incorrect. You just have to be where the people are which sadly is not here much anymore.

quote:

Originally posted by barobehere:
In a facebook group I am in, there has been excitement that this set is finally release (even without a checklist) and case group breaks have sold out. Talk is excitement that they get to continue with a brand they like. People are buying it so to say there is no demand is incorrect. You just have to be where the people are which sadly is not here much anymore.

Which group is that if you don't mind sharing? I finally joined a bunch of Facebook groups although I'm not a fan on Facebook . . . you have to go where the people are.

I did see this release pop up, although I haven't seen much about it.

While I'm very happy there is another set out, I'm itching for something new. I've collected a fair bit of the previous 2 Alien releases on ePack as they've had some cool inserts, and decent autos. . . Might jump on this one too if the autos and inserts are cool.

One of the big problems card companies have in choosing titles is that everything has some fans and in this age, everything has some group somewhere, sometimes very vocal. However when they put out cards on those "asked for" titles, either the group doesn't show up to buy, or the group turns out to be 12 people who all know each other by their first names.

If UD thought this set had any decent demand it would have announced it's release, promoted it properly and got it out the door a long time ago. I think that's a fair enough statement to say.

I have had discussions with members of Card Talk about the amount of other people who are into non-sports cards who have never heard of Non Sport Update or Card Talk. The consensus is its a much bigger group then you would expect. Some of these Facebook groups have thousands of members, and they are as passionate about collecting as those on Card Talk. They do case breaks and trading of all types (Promos, Vintage, Modern). They might even be driving the market for some of releases that don't really get discussed here.

Yes, Promoking has told me about collectors he has met who have never heard of NSU nor Card Talk. I'm left wondering how. If you're into cards, you would think you would know about the only magazine that covers the hobby and gives out promo cards especially since it's been around for 30 years. It's true that NSU is not on the magazine rack at the supermarket. I don't see it at comic shops though it used to be at a few. It was for sale at Borders but that chain shut down and some Barnes & Noble stores have closed in recent years. Books-A-Million carries it but that is not a national chain. A friend in northern Illinois has no idea where the closest bookstore is.

With all that understood, you would think people would run into it randomly on Ebay or as a result while googling. We talk about the recent major manufacturer releases and the smaller print run titles and down to particular cards. When I'm looking for information on a set or card, Card Talk posts often come up in the searches.

I have heard that Facebook is a major gathering point for collectors of all kinds of stuff.

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by AWR:
I have had discussions with members of Card Talk about the amount of other people who are into non-sports cards who have never heard of Non Sport Update or Card Talk. The consensus is its a much bigger group then you would expect. Some of these Facebook groups have thousands of members, and they are as passionate about collecting as those on Card Talk. They do case breaks and trading of all types (Promos, Vintage, Modern). They might even be driving the market for some of releases that don't really get discussed here.

quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:
Yes, Promoking has told me about collectors he has met who have never heard of NSU nor Card Talk. I'm left wondering how. If you're into cards, you would think you would know about the only magazine that covers the hobby and gives out promo cards especially since it's been around for 30 years.

[/QUOTE]

Hey Jess,

Yeah, I can't believe that either. I can understand not liking something or going some place better for you, but to say you never heard of NSU when you collect non-sport cards, I don't get how that's possible.

With Card Talk, it's a different kind of posting than in say a dedicated Facebook group, with many subjects that maybe don't interest the individual and broader views that are less supportive of the faithful. By that I mean, any group develops a certain collective attitude, like minds and all. I think its good to get different opinions, but it is easier to just always agree.

Other sites are frequented by more buyers and sellers than actual card collectors. Card Talk has never supported transactions or free advertising.

Still if you look at the number of guests on Card Talk in the last few months, I think there has been an average increase. The other day I saw something like 243 guests on at the same time. It may be partially because Marvel has surged, but someone must have heard about the place.

243 is .00003% of the population of the Earth.
Hubris strikes again!

quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:
Yes, Promoking has told me about collectors he has met who have never heard of NSU nor Card Talk. I'm left wondering how. If you're into cards, you would think you would know about the only magazine that covers the hobby and gives out promo cards especially since it's been around for 30 years. It's true that NSU is not on the magazine rack at the supermarket. I don't see it at comic shops though it used to be at a few. It was for sale at Borders but that chain shut down and some Barnes & Noble stores have closed in recent years. Books-A-Million carries it but that is not a national chain. A friend in northern Illinois has no idea where the closest bookstore is.

With all that understood, you would think people would run into it randomly on Ebay or as a result while googling. We talk about the recent major manufacturer releases and the smaller print run titles and down to particular cards. When I'm looking for information on a set or card, Card Talk posts often come up in the searches.

I don't think I randomly run in to NSU anywhere anymore -- even on eBay, or through Google searches.

I initially found it on the Grocery store shelf, but I think it has probably been close to a decade since I've seen a copy of NSU 'in the wild.' I don't run in to NSU ads either -- I have no idea if they advertise. Certainly some people randomly run in to NSU somewhere, but I can see how people don't notice or don't pay attention to it.

Card Talk has seen an increase in posting, but if you look the vast majority of the people posting have been on Card Talk for more than 10 years. I looked around on a few threads and the newest account I see posting is about 5 years old -- I didn't look very hard.

Conversely there are many new posters on other sites.

I don't see a huge draw to Card Talk, unfortunately. It's largely the same dozenish people talking back and forth, there isn't much new content posted, there isn't a marketplace. . . it seems like the only people still posting on Card Talk are the folks who are too stubborn to leave.

In a new first, Cardboard Connection has reported that UD says there won't be a checklist for Alien3 until the ePacks are released. Now what kind of a sign is that, I wonder?

Seriously this should have gone out at half the box price and maybe it would have been worth it if the sketches are nice.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

there won't be a checklist for Alien3 until the ePacks are released.

falls off chair laughing.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
In a new first, Cardboard Connection has reported that UD says there won't be a checklist for Alien3 until the ePacks are released. Now what kind of a sign is that, I wonder?

Seriously this should have gone out at half the box price and maybe it would have been worth it if the sketches are nice.

I'd venture this means that 90% of the product is going to ePack.

I'm the only one I know that bought any. Even the local store that buys 1 case of everything passed on this one.

It probably also means it's heading to ePack quicker than normal.

Ed

quote:

Originally posted by Scifi Cards:
I'd venture this means that 90% of the product is going to ePack.

It probably also means it's heading to ePack quicker than normal.

Ed

Yes, but why not cancel the orders if there wasn't enough and make it a straight to ePack product, as they have produced in the past?

This is not fair for people like you who preordered boxes. The other issue is that cards may be in the ePacks that didn't make the boxes at all, but they can go on the delayed checklist anyway. UD could have a couple of Weaver autograph cards held back for ePacks, none in the boxes, and still put them on the checklist. Not saying that was the idea, but why not be clear about the cards in the physical product?

quote:

This is not fair for people like you who preordered boxes. The other issue is that cards may be in the ePacks that didn't make the boxes at all, but they can go on the delayed checklist anyway. UD could have a couple of Weaver autograph cards held back for ePacks, none in the boxes, and still put them on the checklist. Not saying that was the idea, but why not be clear about the cards in the physical product?

That's always a concern with ePack.

Very few sets have actually gone straight to ePack as a whole set.

There might be something in the contract about delivering a physical product, or they might not want to upset those that did order.

Who knows what goes through the minds at UD. They are the ones that decided to make this set in the first place.

Ed

All reasons I have never and probably will never bust new product (e or otherwise) from Upper Deck. The shady element that is the ghost of Richard McWilliam is alive and well.

quote:

Originally posted by Scifi Cards:

That's always a concern with ePack.

Ed

Absolutely, although if you voiced any concerns someone would have to say it was negative and narrow minded of you.

However no published checklist until the ePack release is another matter and is highly prohibitive to box buyers, who might at least want to know what is in the product they are spending so much money on. Even if they don't expect to pull the big hits, they are partially paying for the chance.

I think UD is fine with any blowback from Alien3 because who really cares about this title if presales were so light. Let's see if they put out Marvel Black Diamond without a checklist and just "archived images" distributed. I don't think that would go over well at all.

Contrary to many I rather like Alien 3 so look forward to seeing what this set actually consists of!

That said, Upper Deck's way of doing business is a joke. Such a shame when they can clearly pull in some great autograph signers and do put some effort and creativity into their insert designs.