quote:

Originally posted by Triple-Frog:
Agree with webjon and dcole. Look how well Orphan Black seasons 2 and 3 sold in premium pack format against season 1 in traditional pack box format. I enjoy opening boxes but it is not worth the extra expense.

This is a great point -- we love Orphan Black -- we've been watching boxes of Season 1 and have almost bought many times. . . but literally have never opened any Orphan Black Season 1.

We ordered a case of Orphan Black premium packs.

Gotham is the same way -- we've never bought a box, but if a premium format was announced we'd be case buyers.

When it comes to traditional box vs premium pack, I think its the collector's interest in the title that decides the preference on a particular set.

If I am following a title I want boxes so that a can make a set and get the inserts and whatever. It's not all about the big hits.

However if I don't have much interest in the title, I may only be looking to pick up certain autographs. In that case I would prefer the cheaper premium packs where you are more inclined to take a chance at a random big hit.

For titles like Gotham and Arrow, neither of which I watch, I will never buy boxes. Yet if they were available as premium packs I would pick up a couple just for the heck of it.

This is the kind of stuff card manufacturers have to judge when they are putting out $85 and up boxes. You will get the card collectors loyal to the title, but the ones who don't follow it will just hold back and wait to pick up singles much later on. Premium packs will encourage a wider audience to buy on release when it is a niche title. The title is really key to picking the right format for me.

quote:

Originally posted by webjon:

quote:

Originally posted by Triple-Frog:
Agree with webjon and dcole. Look how well Orphan Black seasons 2 and 3 sold in premium pack format against season 1 in traditional pack box format. I enjoy opening boxes but it is not worth the extra expense.

This is a great point -- we love Orphan Black -- we've been watching boxes of Season 1 and have almost bought many times. . . but literally have never opened any Orphan Black Season 1.

We ordered a case of Orphan Black premium packs.

Gotham is the same way -- we've never bought a box, but if a premium format was announced we'd be case buyers.

Interestingly I have been looking at some of the big sellers Black Friday offers and the Orphan Black premium packs are selling for more than the season one boxes .

Raven brings up the point of wanting a base set -the other common reason I hear for preferring boxes over premium packs. But if the packs are done right - meaning they've been properly collated and sold sequentially - you can have a small base set, an insert set AND the premium hits - all for a little more than the cost of a premium box.

quote:

Originally posted by dcole:
Raven brings up the point of wanting a base set -the other common reason I hear for preferring boxes over premium packs. But if the packs are done right - meaning they've been properly collated and sold sequentially - you can have a small base set, an insert set AND the premium hits - all for a little more than the cost of a premium box.

While this may be true, it is clearly at the point where, in the case of Gotham and Arrow -- something would be better than nothing. Companies need to figure out what to do that is cost effective and sustainable for them.

I looked up mini-master sets of Gotham yesterday on eBay, they have gone unsold for $.99 (base set and all chase sets) plus shipping ($8.50). Clearly, in the case of Gotham, that indicates there aren't enough collectors of base sets to support producing them. On the other had many Gotham autographs sell very well so there is clearly a collector base for the autographs. And actually many of the relic cards sell well too.

That's why I like the way that Perna Studios does it: a base set (from their perfectly collated packs and sets) consist of 20 base cards featuring gorgeous artwork, 4 standard chase cards and of course, the always top-notch sketch cards. I really do prefer those small, manageable type sets.

I would prefer premium packs of Arrow, Gotham and Supernatural over no new cards at all. I will miss those three releases. I thought Cryptozoic did a great job with those sets.

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Arrow Season 4 boxes that I ordered. I hope they arrive tomorrow.