Just got word from GTS:

Walking Dead Season 3 Part 2 should be releasing next week (though I've also heard the 20th).

And...

Allocations will again be brutal as they are only making approximately 1/2 as much Part 2 and Part 1. Insane. Why didn't they just make 1 big set with 1 big binder and plenty of boxes to go around?

Ed

quote:

Originally posted by Scifi Cards:

Allocations will again be brutal as they are only making approximately 1/2 as much Part 2 and Part 1. Insane. Why didn't they just make 1 big set with 1 big binder and plenty of boxes to go around?

Ed

Good question, and the only answer I can think of is that they did not secure enough autographs or relics to make the 1 and 1 hits per box, so they had to limit the boxes.

Maybe that's not it, but it's the best answer I got, because if it's not the answer, then CZE is just plain stupid.

Here you have a title that will sell. You could probably run off 9000 boxes and it will sell out right now. So instead of making more CZE keeps cutting production. How do they expect to make money? Mark up profit goes to the distributors and the dealers does it not? The manufacturer gets to set the initial price and then its gone. The manufacturer can make more profit by raising the initial price or usually making more product when there are ready buyers.

CZE is not making enough WD to get huge profits and its losing on other turkey titles. Keep it up and it can only end badly.

the release date on this release just kind of came out of nowhere. looking forward to it just like any TWD set. Will be interesting

I just ordered 6 boxes (that's the limit) of Walking Dead Season 3 Part 2 from the Cryptozoic website. Hopefully, if you want to order, it will still be available for you. The price is $96 per box. Good luck!

That's expensive you can get it from retailers for less. No different when they were $84 most dealers sold boxes for around $76. Amazing how all the other releases were limited to 2 and now they let you order 6 when the production run is said to be less

I find that odd too Batman. I was allocated heavily, getting only 4% of what I ordered, so it's definitely a drag to see them available online direct.

I understand how Crypto determines their allocations, so I'm just in a vicious cycle of not building up a buying history because I keep getting allocated a fraction of what I want to order on the titles I think I can move, and I can't afford to take titles for which I don't have customers. It is frustrating to see them available direct for about what I would be selling them for, but it is what it is I guess.

I'm probably in the minority, but if you can't get enough product to your dealer networks an thus pre-orders cannot be filled, there should not be any available to sell.

Now I'm competing with the manufacturer as well as the big online dealers.

Ed

Since I saw the allocations and I'm not sure exactly how many total boxes I will actually get from my pre-orders from dealers, I went ahead and got all 6 boxes at what I think is a very high price. I too was shocked that they had any boxes available on their website since they have severely allocated the distribution to dealers. I feel badly for both the dealers and the collectors. This seems like it will be a really rough set for the collectors to complete and it seems equally frustrating (if not more so) for the dealers who want to provide product to their customers.

Seeing them for sale on the Cryptozoic site will be even more frustrating for collectors outside the USA and Canada as they only ship to those two countries.

I think Crypto is going to be losing some loyal customers over this. I just don't know who is making these business decisions. Walking dead is there only successful product and dealers spend lots of money on all the others just to get TWD and now dealers can't even get TWD so what's the point???

quote:

Originally posted by Flag City Collectibles:
I think Crypto is going to be losing some loyal customers over this. I just don't know who is making these business decisions. Walking dead is there only successful product and dealers spend lots of money on all the others just to get TWD and now dealers can't even get TWD so what's the point???

Well I'm not in the card business, but the only reason why major card manufacturers even have a dealer network is to sell in bulk and handle the retail buyers. Card manufacturers get large orders from their own distributors and the bigger dealers that may have direct access accounts. That way they can see how the presales are going and how much to make.

Also the manufacturer can't be bothered with thousands of collectors looking to buy a single box or two, because that would mean that it needs a bigger shipping department. It would also mean that thousands of customer accounts would have to be maintained. Much easier to sell to a network that distributes product downward through the food chain.

But here WD is apparently being produced in numbers that are already inadequate to fill orders, hence the severe allocation. So in that case, you don't really need a network, you may just as well sell it yourself for whatever price you want and get the most out of it.

This of course is potentially very short sighted for all of the reasons that have already been posted. But it is also possible that it won't have any effect since card collectors tend to want they want and the products will be hot as long as the demand is there, and someone will try to sell the product as long as its profitable.

My comic book store has wanted to get direct from them for a long time is always told that they can not. They tried to get 6 cases from their distributor and ended up with 9 boxes. They have stopped ordering any thing else Cryptozoic makes because they can not count on getting what they order.

I agree Ed.
I got allocated less than half of what I ordered and thought I was "lucky" to get even that.
Now I see a seemingly un-limited supply on the Crypto website.
While it is great for the collector, for me- as a dealer who has purchased almost every non-sport trading card product Cryptozoic has produced from the start- I seem to be out in the cold. It's like they really don't want direct dealers at all.
This new policy of direct purchase from their website is kind of funny because I thought their going to the few distributor model was due to the fact they didn't want to or couldn't handle the distribution issues with shipping one or two cases to many dealers. Seems they are fine with shipping one or two (in WD3 part 2 instance- 6) boxes to an even larger amount of people.
I look on their site and see- Walking Dead 3 pt 2- I was allocated; Walking Dead 3 pt 1 (gone now)- I was allocated; Big Bang 5- still up for sale after so long of a release date- and I was allocated; Big Bang 3/4- still avail after even longer time since release date- I was allocated.
It doesn't make sense.
And don't even get me started about their customer service. God forbid you ever get a response to an e-mail or phone call. They really know nothing about customer service.
They need to take a page out of Breygent and Rittenhouse's book. Tom and Steve are very customer oriented and are always there with an answer to a question or help with a problem. Crypto- who I have now spent over $100k with since they started their non-sport trading card business- has never, never, never sent me anything to thank me for being a customer or to help with a missing hit in a case. I can't even get a damn promo from them without begging and offering my first born.
This will change for me very quickly. With their new policy of competing with me for sales of their product and with their new price increase, I will probably not be carrying any of their product in the very near future. The only way I will have any of their product after WD3 pt 2 is when the product goes down in value enough on Ebay or at Blowout, Dave & Adams or GTS to where I feel I might take a shot and buy at greatly reduced rates. Other than that, I refuse to give that company one more dime of my money when they refuse to support the people who supported them from day one.

Sorry- rant over.

quote:

Originally posted by Scifi Cards:
I'm probably in the minority, but if you can't get enough product to your dealer networks an thus pre-orders cannot be filled, there should not be any available to sell.

Now I'm competing with the manufacturer as well as the big online dealers.

Ed

Just checked 5 min ago, still plenty of product available! I can't understand how they are so successful getting licenses where others can't. I would love to see what a company like Breygent or RA could do with these titles.

I was going to order a few boxes until I saw the price hike. $100 (technically $96, I know) a box for a brand new release is too high for 24 packs in my opinion.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Darth Vader Fan,

I have seen a cards appearing on Ebay. Just curious I need Dallas Roberts & Jose Pablo Cantillo signed cards. Just curious if they are common, rare, extremely rare? Do they give these stats out like RA?

Thanks!

Very please with the part 2. Open a case and got some great stuff.

Posted my case break.

Any guesses as to why such a highly allocated product is now selling on ebay for less than retail? Are flippers dumping because their not getting the high dollarss they were anticipating? I bought several pre-sale boxes at $100 each and am now wondering if pre-sales are the way to go or is it better to wait for the market to determine price.

Any chance these below retail sales are from cherry picked cases?

Some sellers might be selling cherry picked boxes- but I think the bigger reason that boxes are selling below retail is the fact that YOU CAN STILL GET BOXES FROM CRYPTOZOIC AT RETAIL.
How is a dealer going to sell for more than retail when the company that makes them is still selling at retail?
The prices will not increase until the manufacturer is out of them and supply dries up a bit. However; at that point in time, it might be too late as people might be done with their sets and/or interest will have shifted to the next big thing.
Surprising how a product that was greatly allocated is still avail from the manufacturer in unending supply.

As much as I hate paying $100+ for some of my boxes I can complain, A Lincoln & N Redus Auto/Materials.