its just a mess when those try and do multiples to win... 1 shot 1 kill... if it works for me great. if not i hope for trades, or the beautiful pm's offering items at or close to retail... flippers that gouge suck.
Maybe when you enter a lottery, put your SB name in the subject line as BOLD LETTERS. The artist could then easily see each SB member who entered the lottery .... would that be easier than doing it through a "lottery sub-forum"? (Doesn't someone already have a optional SB member name space on their lottery form??)
I have the opposite problem…I remember winning two lottos within like a week of each other and not really being able to afford both I've won at least 3 giveaways on the board as well, I have weird toy luck
An SB lotto, no matter how small, would be incredible. MOST of us are avid collectors here (and I say most because the occasional flipper rears their ugly head here) so more likely than not the toys would go to people who actually want to hold onto them. The only drawback is that if an SB flipper was identified, I doubt the mods would do anything. There has been one flipper that I can think of that still posts here even though his shenanigans have been brought up again and again, even on the F-YOU thread...
i have pretty bad luck on the online drops i show up hours before and wait patiently the last few i havent even seen the buy button before its sold out i have no idea how anyone can score multiple items (usir dx is a good example) i used to hate lottery but ive come the realization its the only way for me to have 1/2 a chance either way ill still be standing in line for the 'next' one
I wonder if its possible to implement a CAPTCHA system for web stores. It would do something about the bots.
Sad but true, CAPTCHA's aren't much defense against scripts/bots anymore... http://arstechnica.com/information-tech ... -captchas/ Just found this article from August 2013. It's a pretty basic look at what bots do and the damage they've done (especially in the event ticket industry). http://www.newstatesman.com/economics/2 ... ets-online
I wrote a macro to automate the process of invoice printing for the company I work for, making massive invoice reprint requests infinitely easier for the average customer service rep. As much as we want to believe bots will destroy the world, they are capable of being used for good as well as evil. I am not discounting the impact of automating online purchases, but you also have to acknowledge those with the attitude that whenever they lose, its a direct result of everyone else cheating. Spend any amount of time gaming & these people seem to come out in droves.
I won my first lottery recently and boy was it a thrill. I've also had random luck catching things when they dropped online, or not. I didn't know about the bots, but is it really a problem here, and does the system of having items show up at the last minute neutralize them? Wristbands seems to have done wonders for really popular items at the shows.
As with any type of selling process there will always be those who try to take advantage of it one way or another, unfortunately. As far as the bots thing, its the first i'm hearing it, and if people here have indeed been exploiting this method to get ahead on shop drops then that would explain why I can score from certain makers and not others. (After years of trying with certain toy makers i'm still 'too slow').
The simple truth is, there is no easy answer. The lottery system will be forever viewed as flawed or biased, and the online system is ever unsatisfactory, bots or no. It is just simply a result of seeing it from only the one side - of a buyer - and left to one's own devices while stewing over what injustice(!) there could be to deny us that toy we so obviously deserved. Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying there are not ample cheats and shenanigans going on, but that is just the world. Looking at it from an artist/manufacturer's point of view, there is almost no way they can please everybody. Some interesting suggestions have been put forth here, some more plausible than others. I do like the idea of individual numbering/IDs for low run figures, after all, flipping or not, personally I just find it interesting to be able to track down the 'provenance' of how toys cycle through around the world. Kinda nerdy, but I like toy history. It obviously does little to discourage re-selling and flipping (look at HS toys) but I just find it cool to be able to see where a toy goes in its lifetime. Sad part is, it is almost all exclusively back-alley deals now, and the big hyped stuff is all but completely under wraps. And I think the collecting community is worse off for that - but that is, like, just my opinion, man. I am all for transparency. Frankly, I also don't seen how a SB lotto would work, or at least be any different from every other lotto at the moment. There is no tracking for setting up accounts here any more than there exists for sock email addresses, and that is on top of the hundreds of 'lurking-only' members and still more who read the site anonymously from the internet. This remains an open forum, and that is probably a good thing, but we also are an open book to anyone who wishes to read. Heck, it is no small stretch to see the connection between discussions here, and hype/price inflation elsewhere. We are not such a little hidden corner. The market will follow the demand, and so it has; this hobby will always remain one (for the foreseeable future) where demand and growth far exceed supply - thus prices will go up and stuff will always be sought after and a challenge for to get. I can't see a bubble in it for the simple fact that collecting itself is a lifelong hobby for most people, and there is so much diversity within the world of vinyl toys, that even if one particular style seems to implode from its own hype (e.g. Troopers or even RxH), there will always be other lines that sustain the sofubi world and the market. Yeah, of course I am sad and disappointed when I can't win a lotto, or frustrated by checkouts that eternally never work, but that is part of it you have to just accept. And honestly, as for "favouritism" from lottos going to repeated buyers, the hell with complaining about that. Artists who work hard and make these things have full ownership of them. They can sell them to whom and when they want to. That is their full right, and more power to them for helping out people they know really love and appreciate their work. Yes, some other folks or 'new' people might get left out, but even counting myself among them, I am fine with that. As many people as there are collecting, this remains a small, friendly community, and I am 100% for keeping those personal relationships between artists (who are fans themselves in almost every case) and fans. The short point is this, we can't belong to every club we might like to, and can't get everything we always want. That's just the way of life. Random or chosen, online or in person, toy sales remain pretty steady and decent. The artists and manufacturers generally do their goddamn best to help out as many people as they can, in a fair way, and most also go far and above their costs and committment to please the public [of strangers]. As much as we I FART A LOT and moan on an internet forum, I would just like to point out it is really not in that much earnest, and we are truly thankful for the efforts of the people who work so hard to keep putting out the toys we love. Thus, I extend my thanks to the hardworking people in front of and behind the scenes who make this whole world of vinyl toys possible. Thanks everyone, you know who you are!
I'm curious about this, because I don't enter a lotto unless I have the cash to afford it, which is exactly why I enter so few lottos. Personally, I'd like special treatment for the toys I like. I'm a standup guy.
I also wish there could be a mix between a complete lottery and some sort of shortlist being handled. I mean, if you enter 10 lotteries without ever winning, I'm pretty sure you could be pointed out as someone really wanting the toy and be added to the shortlist, if only for one release. I'm fed up trying some lotteries without any luck just because I know that people grab it only to sell it 10 times the price 5 days after. Being the trustworthy collector that I am, I'm disgusted by the business around this and the fact that can't prove to the maker that I really want and his toy and would keep it for myself. I'm 100% sure it's not a bot picking names in lotteries. It's half an excuse for the maker to sell the toys as he wants, to who he wants. I am also pretty sure an open run just degrades the interest of flippers for one toy. Maza is the best example of all. 2 open runs, you don't see anyone going crazy for them anymore. And that is good. And as for the effort of painting a lot of toys, the other satisfying option is to propose blank open runs. I don't think pulling vinyl from a mold can exhaust anyone more than a 8 hour job as a worker in the heavy industry. The problem of open runs is that the makers can't make a name for themselves as being the next craze in the sofubi industry. Their EGO is at stake, and for some their income as well when they go the auction route...
I am in agreement with Steve's take on things. And again, it is 100% the maker's right to sell the toys however s/he sees fit. NONE of these toy makers are getting rich from this. They are doing it out of pure love for the craft.There are obviously problems that go on with flippers and tech savvy buyers/flippers, but as always the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I've personally gotten really lucky with lottos this year, but it has been either from sheer dumb luck and/ or the maker likes to sell to me, or both. But I have still lost the vast majority I've ever entered across the board. I don't fault the makers for anything, that's for sure. I think a mix of lottos, shop drops, open runs and rotating lists might work, I dunno.
I'll say it again, the only answer is to give me special treatment on all releases. And a payment/layaway plan. And make all the runs blank. It would solve all the most important issues with toy releases- those having to do with me.
Players gonna play, play, play, play, play. Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake . . . shake it off
As most of you know, I've done just about every method mentiond, and I can tell you all with certiny nothing will ever make everyone happy. And as long as there is one pissed off person who can write, there will always be a conversation on how to improve toy sales ( I'm not calling anyone out, just speaking generally) I disagree with open runs killing sales. I've done that and it makes more people happy to be able to get at least something to start a collection at retail and with no stress. It also helps make the more rare toys that more special. I've done it a few times now, and I can say with out question it always leaves more people happy. Factories though don't like it though, and it's why it doesn't happen more often. It's more complicated than just a regular 8 hour shift. A large run can easily block off a full weeks work for any of these factories, setting back everyone else's releases. That's how back ups happen. All it takes is a few few large runs and BAM all releases are now getting pushed back unexpectedly. So makers don't pull back for hype, it's because it's just not possible to do it often. This is also why large runs are usually capped at 30. It's a days factory work, plus raw vinyl comes in containers which gets about 30 full sized (10-14") figures. It works out best, it's not to hype a toy and make it limited. It's logistics. Toy sales are very hard, and I can tell you most makers do their best to mix it up to try and make it fair, and fun. You all just have to accept that this is part of this hobby. You can't always get what you want, but with patience you usually get what makes you happiest. I hope this helps. If I could find a way to make everyone happy all the time I would do it in a heartbeat. Until then I'm going to continue business as usual with all the sales methods we have in place right now, its the best it gets.
Ultrakaiju where do I start? With the end Thanks, back at ya But I will say, it wasn't a thread about what toy makers do with their toys and who they give them too...and kaiju market bubbles...and back alley deals. Thanks for chiming in everyone and Rich and Joe, definitely good to hear what the toy makers have to say on the subject. My 2 cents? I'd love to be on every list there is...Im changing my sb name to aardvark. Mods!
Don't know what's worse... You going soft with a Taylor swift song, or the fact that I know this is Taylor swift.
^Okay, that post just got a whole lot funnier knowing Andy is quoting Taylor Swift. Fuck me.......Skullbrain and Taylor Swift go together like battery acid and teddy bears.
