this is only a guess at thought process but i would assume the blanks are a small amount of pieces that were intentionally held back in the paint process to make them more "rare" hence the higher price. just a guess...whether you buy into that thought process is up to you.
Has anyone found out what he did actually sell those toys for or at least what ppl ended up paying? I haven't heard anything from anyone yet. Did any skullbrainers get lucky?
No more sketchy than the same people winning the same makers' "totally random" lotteries over and over again.
There's a certain mindset that blank runs are the 'limited' version of a figure, even if that isn't really true anymore. I think this stems from the practice of referring to the unpainted black initial runs as 'prototype' versions. I also think that when artists release unpainted versions of a figure alongside painted versions, those tend to be slightly lower in production number, making them somewhat more difficult to come by overall.
Quite sketchier, really. If artists pull favors or help out consistent collectors they know are legit, that’s one thing. But they’re not potentially giving people the option to pay ridiculous prices to ensure the win. I know of a few “collectors” that have privately offered artists crazy dollar amounts to guarantee them every single release, to which the artists declined. In a way, I’m seein’ this “name your price” not very different from an eBay auction, as Jyanken can easily cherry pick the highest bids. I can see the potential in the idea, but unless it’s *truly* random and fully, publicly disclosed, it’s left up to way too much speculation.
I mostly agree. I'm more okay with it since its not a "regular" release, but I can see how it sets a bad precedent. If he then took from all the people who entered and said to do the same for a regular release, I may feel a bit frustrated. But, It's a tiny run, so let the guy experiment a bit, I guess. Hopefully the offers he picked from do not go to his head. We can come back and revisit this when we get the price for the next lotto. Keep in mind the last was 18k... any bets for next?
^^^ 100% this! Manufacturers giving hardcore collectors preference > Chancers fishing for high-dollar offers!
I think i saw someone comment that their message wasn't viewed either... I can also say mine was "seen"
I'm guessing the messages that weren't "seen" probably had a price in the first three words or so, he could have read the offer and dismissed it without opening the message maybe? Wouldn't look into it too much. I wonder where these tactics came from.. and why now? Is it because things are starting to die off and these methods can generate discussion and instagram hype? It's interesting how some people really buy into spectacular sales methods such as this, whereas some other collectors are really put off and distance themselves from producers who pull strings like these.
If these are considered "1 off" mixed part toys, it isn't much different than hxs posting 1 offs on Yahoo Japan. I'm cool with that, as long as regular releases stay affordable. On the flip side, it does seem like a lame way of getting info on how much people might pay, even if the highest bidder isn't winning. I do like the toy, know it references an older design, and therefore can't help but think of hxs toys which are also interpretations of older designs. So I can't really say they are a knock off.
This is a very good point. I can see the similarity, but where I’m seeing the difference, is, he’s potentially getting the hopes up of people that think they have a legitimate shot of getting one of these at a reasonable price, whereas an auction immediately eliminates your bid on sight. If he does a live video drawing of numbers, and rewards winners, regardless of their offered price, I’d easily disregard all speculation and reserve I have for this current method.
@Madmax405 Im having to assume because the bids aren’t public? Unless I’m mistaken, of course. I haven’t seen the comments, but the initial post looked like your offer went along with your entry.
What I meant, is that if price was absolutely no consideration in the determination of winner, why would you pay more? I would pay the base entry price... In this case, just because he said highest price is not the winner, does not mean he picked without considering offer prices.
@Madmax405 He can *say* price is no consideration until the cows come home, but without full disclosure there’s no way we could actually know that.
@Madmax405 Thats my B, dude. My comprehension skills are shit, and a lot of stuff goes RIGHT over my head.
If he's not concerned with the amount of $$$ proposed by entrants then why even play this game? The more I think about it, the more it annoys me. I'm assuming that Hirota has had huge success implementing similar methods after the solo show last year and Jyankenmark is following suit. Since that exhibit, there have been a few HxS releases that have been offered exclusively to a private list that was collected through previous lotteries. It would be interesting to hear what level of vetting could have taken place in the conversations between HxS and people that went to that show. How many folded up bits of paper with dollar amounts for blanks/one-offs were passed through handshakes.. If nothing else, this allows Jyankenmark to compile a "VIP" list of cashed up buyers that he can privately send offers of 1-off customs and links to self-listed YJA auctions to.
