Gollum Premium Format, Link to waitlist in 1st post...

[Fritz]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Can someone explain to me how is

a.) a Domestic Exclusive of 1500

different than

b.) a Domestic Exclusive of 500 with an International Edition of 1000

(other than the bottom of the base on which one says it's an international version)? The total size of both editions is 1500. Both are available to US customers only through Sideshow while international customers can either buy from Sideshow or a local dealer?

What purpose does this serve other than not disclosing the entire edition size at time of order? I also find it interesting that in the newsletter when mentioning that a "few" pieces of the international are available, it doesn't tell you what the edition size of the international version is. I had to ask to find out.

Now to me although it doesn't make me jump for joy, it doesn't concern me too much because in this case I like the LOTR Premium Format line and will pretty much buy anything that's released . But Sideshow must realize that working this way will lead to mistrust from customers.

 

[Isildur's bane]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Wholeheartedly agree with that. But to explain,

Domestic Exclusive of 1500 = Retailers cannot buy period,

Domestic Exclusive of 500 + IE 1000 = International retailers can buy therefore eliminating International collectors from only buying direct through Sideshow

No matter what way you look at it, this leads to mistrust as you pointed out, which is nothing new with SS.

Can someone explain to me how is

a.) a Domestic Exclusive of 1500

different than

b.) a Domestic Exclusive of 500 with an International Edition of 1000

(other than the bottom of the base on which one says it's an international version)? The total size of both editions is 1500. Both are available to US customers only through Sideshow while international customers can either buy from Sideshow or a local dealer?

What purpose does this serve other than not disclosing the entire edition size at time of order? I also find it interesting that in the newsletter when mentioning that a "few" pieces of the international are available, it doesn't tell you what the edition size of the international version is. I had to ask to find out.

Now to me although it doesn't make me jump for joy, it doesn't concern me too much because in this case I like the LOTR Premium Format line and will pretty much buy anything that's released . But Sideshow must realize that working this way will lead to mistrust from customers.

 

[Fritz]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

...Domestic Exclusive of 1500 = Retailers cannot buy period...

If that's the case, that's a big difference. I was under the impression that a Domestic Exclusive only meant than dealers in the USA couldn't buy it but international dealers could.

 

[gagaliya]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

I honestly thought it meant you could only order it if you live in the US and it would not be available internationally. I thought it was odd at the time but that my was natural interpretation. If the intl version is the exact same thing why wouldnt they just preorder it at the same time.

That's exactly what SS wants you to think. The international version was created later on purely because they saw the demand for this statue, it's a loophole since they cant just increase the limit from 500 to 1500 openly, but did exactly just that under the table.. I can guarentee you if 500 domestic is not soldout, there will never be an international version. Where is the international version for the other hundreds of unsoldout PF statues?

Even later on in their newsletter about the international version it links back to the original product page that has Limit: 500 and SOLD OUT, the wording make it sound like they had a few leftover pieces only through email to create a sense of false urgency for you to order NOW. When in fact it's all a bunch of nonsense, they are making tons more of it. Did anyone who ordered the international version via email not get it? i dont think so... And once they squeeze out as much money as they can from the international version, all of this info will disappear. The only thing on the product page will say is Limit: 500, which creates mass confusion years down the road when new collectors have no clue what went on and think only 500 were made.

Some of you think all this is conspiracy theory and just poor execution, but i can tell you it's their business plan, all of it..designed to confuse and deceit. It will backfire, they are only hurting their own reputation and sales down the road for some short term $ gain.

I remember back in the day when SS clearly announced their limit # and stuck to it. Then the management decided to squeeze more money out of it and created all this confusing crap about TBD and hidden international versions. I guess greed gets the best of us over time...

 

[choopie]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

...it's a loophole since they cant just increase the limit from 500 to 1500 openly, but did exactly just that under the table..

Yes they can and they have. Alien Warrior and Optimus Prime come to mind. They don't need to create an "International Version" to do so.

I'm still trying to figure what the purpose of the International Version is anyways. If it's to give a popular, sold-out item the second go-around, then why bother? Just up the ES of the one already for sale. It's the same figure anyways. Either way you do it, you create angst among collectors who want that low ES. Just look at what happened with the Patient Zero PF.

I had always thought an International Version was a slight variant of a domestic exclusive (and I'm not talking about words on a base). But each time an International Version is released, there is no rhyme or reason for doing so.

 

[Seaward]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

So I think we can all agree, regardless of the semantics, that "International" versions kinda suck when they are not fully disclosed (and any sort of jacking around with the edition size sucks), but the statue is going to rock socks...right?

 

[gagaliya]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

but the statue is going to rock socks...right?

Yes, i cancelled my PF stormtrooper and captain america and vow to never buy another PF from sideshow until they come clean and fix this shady business. But just cant bring myself to cancel this one, the gollum and pose is just too darn cute i guess this will be the last PF for me....

 

[Obsidian]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Yep we can all agree! I think SS kinda figured that a 500 ES for this statue was low and so from the beginning I think they planned to release something else. As has been discussed, SS knew there were more to come, they just weren't very clear how or how many. And there in lies the problem for collectors.

Sideshow has a fine line to walk. If they make way to many, the collectors aren't happy and SS sits on inventory for who knows how long. If they make way to few, some collectors are happy, some that cant get the piece, are not. And Sideshow has left a lot of money on the table. I still feel the second option is the better option long run because even the "unhappy" customers that can't get a piece or pay a higher aftermarket price for it will also have a better chance of getting a statue later on at retail and having it go up in value, etc.

But in my opinion Sideshow can't have their cake and eat it to. What they seemed to have done in this case was release a version of the statue, see that it sold out in a matter of hours, then they look at how many people they have on the WAIT LIST and from that they can get a pretty good idea of how many statues to make for the "international version".

In the long run I think this tactic hurts them in the eyes of collectors and I think most of us can agree on that also.

But yes this will be a great statue, if not a bit controversial

 

[woodsy]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

That's exactly what SS wants you to think. The international version was created later on purely because they saw the demand for this statue, it's a loophole since they cant just increase the limit from 500 to 1500 openly, but did exactly just that under the table.. I can guarentee you if 500 domestic is not soldout, there will never be an international version. Where is the international version for the other hundreds of unsoldout PF statues?

Even later on in their newsletter about the international version it links back to the original product page that has Limit: 500 and SOLD OUT, the wording make it sound like they had a few leftover pieces only through email to create a sense of false urgency for you to order NOW. When in fact it's all a bunch of nonsense, they are making tons more of it. Did anyone who ordered the international version via email not get it? i dont think so... And once they squeeze out as much money as they can from the international version, all of this info will disappear. The only thing on the product page will say is Limit: 500, which creates mass confusion years down the road when new collectors have no clue what went on and think only 500 were made.

Some of you think all this is conspiracy theory and just poor execution, but i can tell you it's their business plan, all of it..designed to confuse and deceit. It will backfire, they are only hurting their own reputation and sales down the road for some short term $ gain.

I remember back in the day when SS clearly announced their limit # and stuck to it. Then the management decided to squeeze more money out of it and created all this confusing crap about TBD and hidden international versions. I guess greed gets the best of us over time...

Fact: Unless you have personally spoken to SS concerning this issue or have some inside information you don't know what they are thinking or what they want us to think.

Fact: Within an hour of the Gollum PF going up for pre-order we knew an International version was coming....because SS told us it was coming. Now considering the fact Gollum didn't sell out for 4 days you're going to have a hard time convincing anyone with a brain in their head that SS came up with this idea after the fact. And you can go on about SS coming up with this idea 'later on' all you want, but just because you want it to be true doesn't make it so.

Fact: SS doesn't need to invent an International version to increase the ES of one of their products. They can do that anytime they want, with any product they choose.....and they have done so many times in the past. Including back in the good old days when they clearly set an ES and stuck with it like they did when they upped the ES of the Morgul Lord LSB from 600 to 800 after it had sold out and like they did with the SSW Berserker statue when they doubled the ES from 1500 to 3000....again after the original 1500 ES had sold out.

Fact: You don't have the slightest clue what on earth you're talking about in claiming there never would have been an International version had the Domestic version not sold out. How are going to explain the hundreds of SS statues that have sold out [some literally in minutes] and that never featured an International version. Ten years worth of sold out statues, many of those being instant sell outs, and only 4 International versions ever produced by SS. Please......

Fact; You have never seen SS's business plan.

 

[woodsy]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Yep we can all agree! I think SS kinda figured that a 500 ES for this statue was low and so from the beginning I think they planned to release something else. As has been discussed, SS knew there were more to come, they just weren't very clear how or how many. And there in lies the problem for collectors.

Sideshow has a fine line to walk. If they make way to many, the collectors aren't happy and SS sits on inventory for who knows how long. If they make way to few, some collectors are happy, some that cant get the piece, are not. And Sideshow has left a lot of money on the table. I still feel the second option is the better option long run because even the "unhappy" customers that can't get a piece or pay a higher aftermarket price for it will also have a better chance of getting a statue later on at retail and having it go up in value, etc.

But in my opinion Sideshow can't have their cake and eat it to. What they seemed to have done in this case was release a version of the statue, see that it sold out in a matter of hours, then they look at how many people they have on the WAIT LIST and from that they can get a pretty good idea of how many statues to make for the "international version".
In the long run I think this tactic hurts them in the eyes of collectors and I think most of us can agree on that also.

But yes this will be a great statue, if not a bit controversial

No, what they did was inform us an International version was coming, and they did so the same day the statue went up, and 4 days before it sold out. And the reason for the International version was simple....it was to allow foreign distrubutors and retailers access to a statue they had denied to their US retailers.

Think of it in these terms....the Domestic Excl. Edition is the equivalent to your average SS Excl. statue, and the International version is the equivalent to your standard reg. edition of any given statue. Just like your average SS excl. statue, the Domestic excl. was available only through SS thus increasing their profits on this particualr statue by 35% The International version is like SS's standard reg. edition releases in that they are provided to distributors and retailers [in this case everywhere except in the US]...the downside being that SS sells these at 35% under the retail value thus significantly decreasing their profits.

Make no mistake about it, I am not pleased with how SS has handled this whole situation, but what really bothers me in the case of the Domestic Excl. edition is that SS has completely screwed their loyal US retailers by denying them acces to this statue....and in my books that is a pretty disgusting way to treat your faithful retail partners.

 

[Seaward]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Make no mistake about it, I am not pleased with how SS has handled this whole situation, but what really bothers me in the case of the Domestic Excl. edition is that SS has completely screwed their loyal US retailers by denying them acces to this statue....and in my books that is a pretty disgusting way to treat your faithful retail partners.

I think this is a point that resonates most with me. I would have loved to order a second statue at the usual discount through my usual retailer, Alter Ego. That option was closed to me with the "Domestic Exclusive." I would hope that the rest of the Premium Format LOTR line avoids any more "Domestic Exclusive" statues, and again states any and all pertinent information for a statue at the time of order moving forward.

I am eager to see how this will display in a detolf with the additional base though. I just rearranged and literally have no room left right now, so somebody is going to get packed up for a little while. Just not sure who....

 

[Fritz]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

The other thing I don't understand is what is the purpose of having to email to place an order for the international version. Why not just have a product page like normal you could order from?

 

[fuzzylojiks]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

The other thing I don't understand is what is the purpose of having to email to place an order for the international version. Why not just have a product page like normal you could order from?

That's another strange thing, why have an email only order? Perhaps they didn't want 2 versions on their 'official' website so people wonder the same things we are discussing right here.

 

[Fritz]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

That's another strange thing, why have an email only order? Perhaps they didn't want 2 versions on their 'official' website so people wonder the same things we are discussing right here.

Not sure but I know the Patient Zero International Edition has it's own order page.

https://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=71942&ref=search&&71942

 

[gagaliya]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Fact: Within an hour of the Gollum PF going up for pre-order we knew an International version was coming....because SS told us it was coming. Now considering the fact Gollum didn't sell out for 4 days you're going to have a hard time convincing anyone with a brain in their head that SS came up with this idea after the fact. And you can go on about SS coming up with this idea 'later on' all you want, but just because you want it to be true doesn't make it so.

Who is "we" just because YOU know doesnt make it a fact, many people didnt know about the international version, it was not anywhere on the product page they ask you to click to buy. Just answer me this simple question why is it NOT on the product page? Why didnt SS just put: "Domestic: 500, International: TBD" if they are not tryin to hide it? It's common sense.

Fact: SS doesn't need to invent an International version to increase the ES of one of their products. They can do that anytime they want, with any product they choose.....and they have done so many times in the past. Including back in the good old days when they clearly set an ES and stuck with it like they did when they upped the ES of the Morgul Lord LSB from 600 to 800 after it had sold out and like they did with the SSW Berserker statue when they doubled the ES from 1500 to 3000....again after the original 1500 ES had sold out.

It's called marketing, if they flat out increased the limit to 1500(200%), there is no sense of false urgency and won't drive sales from the unaware buyers not to mention piss off of everyone. Did you see their newsletter? "A few pieces of gollum are left for pre-order, get the international version now before they are gone!" That's how they introduced the international version, i guess 1000x is only a few pieces in SS's term.

As to the rest of your post, they are nothing more than a bunch of meaningless personal insults that only shows what a small man you are so i wont bother with a response.

It's obvious to most what SS is doing here except you. Trying to defend such shady business practice only makes it worse for everyone.

 

[fuzzylojiks]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Not sure but I know the Patient Zero International Edition has it's own order page.

https://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=71942&ref=search&&71942

Hmm, that is interesting, thanks for that piece of info.

 

[fuzzylojiks]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Who is "we" just because YOU know doesnt make it a fact, many people didnt know about the international version, it was not anywhere on the product page they ask you to click to buy. Just answer me this simple question why is it NOT on the product page? Why didnt SS just put: "Domestic: 500, International: TBD" if they are not tryin to hide it? It's common sense.



It's called marketing, if they flat out increased the limit to 1500(200%), there is no sense of false urgency and won't drive sales from the unaware buyers not to mention piss off of everyone. Did you see their newsletter? "A few pieces of gollum are left for pre-order, get the international version now before they are gone!" That's how they introduced the international version, i guess 1000x is only a few pieces in SS's term.

True, I know at least 5 people who order straight from SS who don't visit this site that knew nothing about the international version when I talked to them at my LCS and they didn't call them either cos they just thought the domestic was it. I'm sure there are a lot more customers who were in the dark.

 

[Adoptedscot]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Some posts removed.

Seriously, leave the smart/snyde comments away from the Forum please. Just because someone has an opposing opinion, it doesn't make them wrong or worth insulting.
Thanks peeps.
x

So I think we can all agree, regardless of the semantics, that "International" versions kinda suck when they are not fully disclosed (and any sort of jacking around with the edition size sucks), but the statue is going to rock socks...right?

Yes, I believe it will. It certainly looks that way to me
Things (marketing/ES etc) may not have been executed in a way that everyone is happy about but the statue itself if really gonna compliment any Ringers collection
x

 

[FrodoEyes]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

My post has been deleted, but i would just like to ask gagaliya not to raise to the bait as this is the only way Woodsy can communicate, and as long as he does communicate in this way, i'm going to say something and make an issue of it as it goes against the rules of the forum and deleting my posts trying to stick up for people and leaving Woodsy's insulting ones up doesn't help the matter.

 

[Adoptedscot]

Re: Gollum PF available NOW!, Link to buy in 1st post...

Look, I have edited the insults from a previous post that started this latest 'episode' so you saying his 'insulting post' was left is not exactly true. I removed yours as it is just retaliation for insults that were posted and are no longer there, hence no need for your post.

Frankly, certain people need to actively use ignore because this is getting rediculous. Insults, snyde comments and back and forth will result in immediate infractions.

Just because people can't get along there's no need to publicize it and ruin this place for other people that are reading the thread for informational/ collecting purposes.

Report a post if needs be, and we will deal with it accordingly. That's all anyone has to do, do not respond in kind to an insult as all that does is ruin the thread and I hate deleting posts cos peeps are acting kids in the playground.
Seriously, enough.

Lets get back to the awesomeness that is:

x