As the biggest comic book convention in the United States of America approaches, a number of exclusives are being announced by everyone. Whether it is an exclusive action figure, special edition cover, or a bit of clothing only available on the show floor, exclusives seem to be quite popular.
VOTE!
[poll id=”239″]
14 Comments
Woo, first vote! I’d say yes, because even if you don’t go to the con *coughSDCCcough* they’re still something I’ll seek out. My 2002 She-Ra and last year’s Fangirl Ghoulia (a Monster High one) are two of my nerddom treasures.
I’d actually say no for this very reason. Sure the items may be cool, but as “exclusive” as they may seem, you’ll be able to find them elsewhere later.
That’s true. The only one I got in person was She-Ra. Maybe it’s worth it to eliminate the middle man costs (like eBay gouging), but even then, only in a certain distance.
I had to vote no, because they’ve definitely ruined my day at a con. For example, c2e2 last year, they had the White Lantern Flash and Batman figures, and I had decided I wanted them. I tried all three days, but one day really got to me, I bum rushed the dealers hall doors, and made it in line only to miss the cut off by a hand full of people. Now that’s bad enough, but what I saw shortly there after is what really pissed me off. Not 15 steps from where the booth was to get your tickets for the opportunity to purchase the convention exclusive figures, I witnessed two guys selling the convention figures they just bought to a vendor, who in turn marked them up at least 3x the original price. From the conversation I overheard, this was not the first time they’d done so this weekend, and the dealer was encouraging them to get more people to do so. Frankly, I was insulted and appalled. I’m no stranger to the nature of eBay with these figures, but to see it done right in front of the people who missed out on these figures because of repeated instances of greed was just too much.
Voted “Yes”. Sure, you might be able to get it on line later (at a questionable price possibly), but sometimes part of the fun is the “hunt”. I would say that what you go thru to get that exclusive at the con makes for a better story than “I bought it at eBay”.
Time for me to be the voice of the Rest of the Civilized World.
Truth be told : we don’t get any con exclusives. We’re too small of an audience in most cases.
(And on the far-off chance that we do get con exclusives; they’re usually pretty poor freebies thrown in the mix to attract new con-sumers.)
With everything going online, con-exclusives preserve the awesomeness that is real life.
Well, as I haven’t been a con-goer since gen-con left Wisconsin, I am sorry to say that I can’t really present an opinion.
Yeah, it does make a con experience a tiny bit more interesting IF you like that sort of thing or are a big fan of whatever franchise/series/etc the figure is from. But as has been stated already, you could also just buy the figure online if you can’t or don’t get to the con, so if you live far away or have a little extra cash to blow, you can still snag the item even if you didn’t go.
But there is a certain pride one might get being at the con and getting it themselves.
Sure it does. Its kind of nice to have incentive for going to a con.
Yes, any event that has exclusive trinkets (some more expensive then others) that can make the experience more memorable are certainly welcome.
They are like time capsules for that particular event, ask Rodrigo if any of the exclusive art Magic cards remind him of the event he got it from.
I don’t know as I’ve never been to a proper US con…I’ll let you know when I return from SD Comic Con. How to I purchase said trinkets?
Having never been to one (due to time, money, and distance), I wouldn’t know.
I’d have to say “no” to this poll. For one thing, I’m only going to Mid-Ohio Comic Con, so we aren’t really given many/any Con exclusives here anyway (which highlights how unfair it is that the bigger cons get them). For another, I’d really rather spend my limited amount of money at a con on things that I actually really want, and not just on something that I know I won’t be able to get anywhere else. That’s kind of it. I’ll never pay an unreasonable amount of money for a toy or any other item solely because it’s a rare/limited item so I guess it’s a moot point. I prefer that if an item is super cool, make it available for everyone to buy so we can all enjoy it. I certainly have no problem with there being an early release of goods at a con, so people have the ability to buy something months before it goes out to the general market, because then at least if I wanted to I could still get a Starro for myself. But y’know, I’m not bitter. lol