SS Exclusives..Great idea or markting tool???

[King Darkness]

Based on a comment made by rogueboy,I got to wondering what everyones general thoughts are on SS exclusives...Is it a great idea from SS that adds to the collecting community or simply a sly marketing tool to get cunsumers to buy direct from SS......or a combination of both...In recent weeks we have seen LOtR and SS exc. sellout in record time,SW more than LOtR,while there regular edition counter parts have no performed as well,Legolas,Aragorn,Han,Mace.....If there were no exc. would the regualr editions perform better???........Do the exc. hurt the regular edition sales????Do exc. generated more buzz and up regular edition sales????What do you think???

 

[EVILFACE]

It's a great idea and adds a bit more collectability to SS's stuff.

 

[The Josh]

I have no issues with exclusives at all. They do add a little something to collecting these lines which is nice. If there where no exclusives I'd still get the regulars but I just like having the option.

 

[Darth Madden]

Of course its a tool to make you buy directly from them, but for me so far there have only been two of the SW 12" that I HAD to have the exclusive for (Han, Mace) the others if I had missed them I would have just bought the regular... to each his own I guess.

 

[NASEDO]

The exclusives are great. Its really the only way to order direct from Sideshow. And everyone pays the same price. None exclusives all sell way under reatail from ebay and dealers, why would you buy from Sideshow unless it was an exclusive?

 

[CookieMonster]

I have no issues with exclusives at all. They do add a little something to collecting these lines which is nice. If there where no exclusives I'd still get the regulars but I just like having the option.

Ditto I think the Ex gives the product a little more collectable appeal. If SS didn't do Ex's then regular sales would be up as people would still need the diptiction of the character/creature they were collecting.

Over time, I think many people have come to associate an Ex as having more collectable/saleable value than the regular.

No matter what the product is, it is only as valuable as the price someone is willing to pay for it (As I make this remark, Im thinking of people who buy these Ex to flip on ebay for a profit)

Maybe if SS didn't offer Ex's, then the edition sizes may or may not be reduced. Who knows?

 

[customizerwannabe]

Is it a great idea from SS that adds to the collecting community or simply a sly marketing tool to get cunsumers to buy direct from SS

Anyone who doesn't think it's both is wrong IMHO. The exclusives add collectibility and strengthen interest and aftermarket values, while at the same time pretty much assuring SS of a (exclusive version) product sellout. In my case the exclusive Lurtz got me interested in PF items but it was sold out and I ordered the regular version anyway. The hype around the exclusive is what hooked me though. I think they are a great idea and SS would be foolish to discontinue them.

 

[Rugby1970]

I agree that it is both as well. The more people that even visit the website the better for thier buisness over all and the exclusives force people to visit the website.

That being said, I think exclusives are meant to appeal to collectors while the regular editions are ment to one day find their way into the hands of people who have never even heard of sideshow. There are a lot of collectors who really freak out if an edition size is too high -- check out the last wave of SSW LOTR statues -- so the exclusives are designed to keep them (us?) happy.

Personally, I kind of like them. Some I can take or leave... the Star Wars 12" exclusives don't really thrill me but all the recent LOTR stuff seems like must haves.

Personally, I also like the ultra exclusives. I like when a Nazi Kroenen or Grey Hulk are announced. It keeps it exciting.

 

[rogueboy]

I'm just shocked that somebody read what I dotted down ...

Seriously, I think the story has been told here before.
From Sideshow's view it is a great marketing tool, to get customers to order directly from them, which get them a much higher profit margin then the regular pieces they sell to retailers etc. And it gets a lot of buzz, which has a side effect that attention (and sales) of their other products can go up.
From the collector's view, it's nice to get a low-numbered limited edition of a piece, that has something exclusive (what's in a name...) about it. 'You a one of the lucky ones'. Although I doubt if owners of the Elektra excl. agree with that .

Am I against it?
No way, I buy what I like, and if the exclusive has a extra that I like, I'll go for it. Otherwise the regular is just fine.
Don't believe the hype, buy what you like.

 

[The Josh]

Exactly it brings folks in and makes them look around leading them to buy other great items from SS. It also as was said gives us something to go after if we so choose to buy an exclusive if we like it better. I don't get wrapped up in the hype personally because if the exclusive doesn't have something I like I won't buy it. Take the SS PF Vader and SS PF Grievous for example: I choose to go with the regular Vader because the mouse droid isn't that big of a deal to me so I choose to go with the regular version where as with Grievous the cape really adds something to that one.

 

[customizerwannabe]

Take the SS PF Vader and SS PF Grievous for example: I choose to go with the regular Vader because the mouse droid isn't that big of a deal to me so I choose to go with the regular version where as with Grievous the cape really adds something to that one

I did the EXACT same thing.

 

[tomandshell]

In my mind, it just makes sense to pay the same amount of money and get more stuff, if that is an option. Even if it costs a little more, I would rather have the best/most complete version available. Whether it's a cloak or blaster or helmet or hologram or mynock, I want the complete version. Yesterday I paid eight dollars more for the fancy Harry Potter DVD and thirteen dollars more for the fancy Jarhead DVD, because of the added material. If there is extra stuff out there, then I am interested.

 

[The Josh]

Yeah, I have no problems paying more for something if the extra or extras are worth it as in my Vader/Grievous example.

 

[Seaward]

I like the idea of exclusives, and for me personally, I get 'em when they are of interest to me, and occassionally when I am buying blind. I like the Terminators exclusives, and have liked the Star Wars exclusives too. The LOTR exclusives are must haves for me.

I got some exclusives just because they announced the item but it wasn't pictured, and I would rather be safe than sorry. I got Jason with his tree-trimmer, and since I display Jason armed with the machetes, passed this along to another board member. The demon baby jason is a must have though, since this doesn't replace another item when the figure is displayed.
I wonder how I will feel about Obi Wan, since I plan to display him dueling with Anakin, but Luke would look cool with the Skiff Gaurd blaster. The Star Wars stuff seems different from past offering, given the amount of accessories, and will likely increase how often I change displays to incorporate other accessories than lightsabers!

I totally understand that this drives business to Sideshow's site, and adds to the preceived collectability. I prefer ordering from Sideshow for most everything, exclusive or not, as when I order polystone, it was nice to be able to make returns right to Sideshow if a problem ever occurred. Now an exclusive sweetens the deal.

 

[kierbaudy]

From the collector's point of view, exclusives can be a mixed blessing. If the exclusive wasn't great, then you have the option of buying the regular version at a lower price from a dealer, but if you want the exclusive, it does mean higher prices. As someone figured out, it was about $150 extra for a chalise for Dr. Doom. Yes, it's worth it as a companion piece for the PF, but I wouldn't pay $150 normally for a chalice that is not a real one. The other thing is, exclusives walks the fine line between having something one MUST have and one in which excluded fans won't flip out if they miss it. I actually wonder what it does to sideshow's regular market in the long run. Will regular versions always be second class citizens? In which case, would even collecting the regular versions make sense if you don't want to buy something that will drop in price the minute in lands on your doorstep?

 

[creecher]

The exclusives are great. Its really the only way to order direct from Sideshow. And everyone pays the same price. None exclusives all sell way under reatail from ebay and dealers, why would you buy from Sideshow unless it was an exclusive?

Precisely. Sideshow want to have more direct sales and they weren't getting that from selling regulars. The exclusives are more or less guaranteed to sell out. That also gives them a greater ability to add figures to any one line down the track. I personally don't like them because my finances suffer from international shipping charges, something that doesn't, perhaps, affect state siders, in as much that they are getting extra accessories which offset the shipping costs. It really makes it worth it, to buy direct, in that instance, as Tom stated.

As a collector of collectibles, you would want to have the most collectible item. Which is the exclusive. Sometimes the exclusive title isn't that warranted, and those that don't think so will get the regular for a lesser price on the secondary market, most times because they love the item regardless of its limitability. Other times you may forego the item entirely because, without the accessories, the figure looses overall. That is probably my main beef against them. It puts me in a bind, and whatever I feel, I am governed by my expendable dollar.

I don't think exclusives have any bearing on the regular edition sizes at all. Before the exclusive became available, we all still scrambled not to miss out on regulars.

The discussion becomes prone to confusion when there are different types of exclusive, like the SDCC ones, for example the Ultimate Hellboy, and the international ones, like Jaws and Der Kinderstod, and web site ones, like D'Hoffryn. I had to have Der Kinderstod and pre-ordered it, later to cancel, as it became available to my distributor. I missed where it was announced the Ultimate Hellboy was also going to be made available to international distributors, and lost money. I thought D'Hoffryn was a site exclusive, and now I find it available in a UK catalogue, and wonder if it will be made available to my distributor also. If all exclusives were available to my distributor I wouldn't have a problem at all. Why some are, and why some are not, evades me. D'Hoffryn isn't even listed in the Buffy section, till you click on the archives. Had you clicked on 'In Stock Items' it wouldn't have appeared. Once you go there it states "SIDESHOW EXCLUSIVE
This figure is exculsively available direct from Sideshow Collectibles in the United States.", as it does with Der Kinderstod, yet DK is available from my distributor here. Maybe Sideshow can't list all the places it will be available, but it would be helpful to know that it is available outside of Sideshow itself, and in what manner.

I wish I could be more concise, like most here are. I hate reading through long posts, like this one, and I apologise for the repetition of that, which has already been mentioned or stated in another way.

 

[gdb]

I'm not petty enough to care how many other poeple own the same things I do. Only 49 other people own a Gray Hulk -- I don't care. Tens of thousands own a Hasbro Maul -- good for them. So long as I get mine, I don't care.

So I'm against the exclusives in so far as it affects me. I'm for them in so far as they help Sideshow which I view as helping me as they won't continue high quality products without the green coming in.

 

[Seaward]

Creech,
no need to apologize for a lengthy post. It is really interesting to see how Sideshow products are handled outside the US, as I remember almost swearing off SS when they dropped Diamond comics, the US comic distributor. I figured if I couldn't get things through work at a discount, I wouldn't bother. Now, however, I prefer the Sideshow direct route, given their customer service and ease of returns. Given the sheer volume of what is coming out, I may have to rethink how I order figures

 

[Dusty]

I missed where it was announced the Ultimate Hellboy was also going to be made available to international distributors, and lost money. I thought D'Hoffryn was a site exclusive, and now I find it available in a UK catalogue, and wonder if it will be made available to my distributor also. If all exclusives were available to my distributor I wouldn't have a problem at all. Why some are, and why some are not, evades me. D'Hoffryn isn't even listed in the Buffy section, till you click on the archives. Had you clicked on 'In Stock Items' it wouldn't have appeared. Once you go there it states "SIDESHOW EXCLUSIVE
This figure is exculsively available direct from Sideshow Collectibles in the United States.", as it does with Der Kinderstod, yet DK is available from my distributor here. Maybe Sideshow can't list all the places it will be available, but it would be helpful to know that it is available outside of Sideshow itself, and in what manner.

To address some of your points:

1) As far as I remember, it was always specified that 1000 Ultimate Hellboys would be sold as Con exclusives, leaving 1000 for distributors (says on the page "Only 1000 pcs are available in the US, and only at San Diego Comic-Con. Limited to 2000 pcs worldwide." in the description.)

2) D'hoffryn doesn't show up on any in-stock list because it's not in-stock yet, it's still pre-ordering (and according to Brant he is definitely a Web-only exclusive, even outside the US - and when I looked, his page said this "SIDESHOW EXCLUSIVE
The ultra-limited 12" D'Hoffryn figure is limited to 750 pcs worldwide, and available only from Sideshow Collectibles." - not exactly what you have above - ie: doesn't specify United States only).

3) Der Kindestod DOES say "SIDESHOW EXCLUSIVE
This figure is exculsively available direct from Sideshow Collectibles in the United States." Meaning, if you live in the US, the only way to get it is direct through the site - instead of through a retailer - but that it will be distributed internationally. It's technically a "distributor's exclusive", as Sideshow is the only US distributor....

I know that it's hard to keep track of the different categories, but we really do try to word it so that collector's can tell the difference...

MOST of the Exclusives are fairly straightforward, and I'm not entirely sure of the reasons behind the various differences once in a while, but if you have a question, PLEASE feel don't hesitate to email Customer Service or leave me a PM

 

[creecher]

Thank you so much Dusty. Ever helpful.

1) Man with mirror at fault.

2) Yes, you are quite correct. I used the Der Kinderstod quote, inappropriately. Sorry. It did seem to convey the same message to me, that it is only available through Sideshow. The main point is that a European Catalogue lists the D'Hoffryn for sale. PM me if you wish to know which one.

3) I did read the newsletter correctly, for once, as I knew it was an 'International Exclusive'. That's where I went wrong in point 1) above.

Thanks again Dusty, you're tremendous, but I don't want to PM you with questions. You shouldn't leave yourself wide open to such abuse, and I have used the customer service forms on occassion, with limited success, in relation to the times I have used it. I am used to that, so I don't push most things. It is just the way life has dealt it's cards to me. Easier to accept than stink the place up. That is the least of my worries, as the same thing occurs in more important areas of my life. I don't like to waste the staff's time with my concerns either, when I can look silly here and not care who's time I waste. I like to air laundry, so everyone can watch the sanitising process. Now, how long should I wait for an answer, before I ignore the request not to slow the process down by using the form and asking the same question again? It's been two weeks now and I think the Dark Side Promotion is over. I couldn't find anything on the site, probably because it is a newsletter promotion, and don't know if the newsletter link just remains active or not. As I said, not worried anymore, so no answer required.

Hey Seaward I will apologise, look at this damn post, and thanks for your interest. I find explaining my experiences, from an distant land, brings a better understanding of why others have a differing opinion. Telling me, you do understand, is it's own reward. The feedback I usually get suggests I have just confused peeps more. lol. You're not wrong about volume either.