JMRock, it was less about the asking price, more about the increasing price.
And on that topic, I actually got a reply from Alex through FB a little while ago:
Yeah we're dealing with it right now. Honestly it's because the art fees were very high. We've had more than 4 and a half grand in art fees and revisions (raising our costs 20%) It would have been 20 a pop otherwise.
So, it seems the money grab isn't Alex's - it's USPC's, in hidden fees! He wouldn't be the first artist around here to end up getting the short end of the stick from USPC.
Based on this, I have to reconsider my position on this subject. He's as much caught in the vise as his customers are. Granted, making a less-limited print run might have helped him, but hindsight's not something that's helping him right about now.
EDIT: I just got off the phone with Alex Chin and we talked at length about what's happening with his project. There's many things I can't really discuss here, but what I can tell you is this - this is one of the most expensive decks made by USPC ever. And they actually gave him and his partner a break on the charges for the art - but it was STILL expensive.
To compound matters, there was a minor problem with the printing. I'll let him put it in his own words, since he posted this on Facebook a little while ago.
::::::::Long But Informational Post::::::::
Hi Guys,
There’s been quite a bit of a turn of events recently. I’m not one for essays but I feel it was a bit necessary to clear up the air. If you’re not a reader, feel free to browse the newly updated photo gallery that’s been uploaded on the side. But for those looking for answers, here’s pretty much everything plus some.
Since the start, all I’ve ever wanted to do was create a deck that was timeless. Good design should be timeless, a trait especially applicable to collections. Of all things I wanted to create a deck of cards that you would be just as happy owning 30 years from now as you were the first day you bought it. As a card collector myself I didn’t want someone to regret purchasing this deck a week or month later. Any deck you are willing to pay good money for should be as timeless as the rest of your collection.
From start to finish this deck has taken almost a year to create. From sketch to computer, to submission and countless revisions, to the 8 weeks it took to get through a delayed printing process, these sets embody the heart and soul of what Seasons represents:
A higher standard of quality for card collectors and performers like you regardless of obstacles.
With intricate embossing, gold foiling, over 120 external linked files for the art department to address the court cards just right, and an unheard of short run, it’s not a lie when we were told that this was one of the most expensive costs-per-deck created in a while. It’s also no joke when we were told that these cards rank at top as one, if not THE MOST DETAILED DECKS the United States Playing Card Company has ever printed. Period.
I hope you get the same overwhelming feeling that I did when you first receive your cards. They felt perfect. (Kudos to USPCC if you’re reading this). We’ve had over 60 hours of additional revision work done on these cards to make them just right. (Remember when these cards were “too detailed” for the machine? We need to pay to have them revise the artwork everytime).
We don’t play the “limited” card and we certainly didn’t add $5 a set to milk more money. Instead, they’re to cover the costs of the extra hours and features of the set. Everyone compares our decks to others, but the fact is, seasons is in a different ballpark and I’m still new to the game. I challenge you to think of a deck with foiling and embossing run under 2,500 quantity or to think of the features included in decks that are run at a “limited” quantity.
There’s a reason you only do one or the other. It’s because it’s not cost effective. We made a mistake.
Not to rock the boat anymore with even more news because it may be karma for having a compulsive need for perfection. It was only earlier today when taking shots of the court cards that I noticed a flaw. *The flawed card is pictured below, unedited to see it how it is.
While the Primavera Jack of Diamonds itself is fine, the background gradient edges didn’t process right. Oddly enough the Jack of Diamonds in black which uses the same file didn’t have this problem. It’s the only error in the entire set that I assume occurred from re-rendering a file multiple times from the revisions. Despite the proofs we’ve had, this one graphic discrepancy occurred. This does NOT affect the performance quality as the Magic finish and Aristocrat stock perform BEAUTIFULLY together.
I know it’s easy to point fingers and place blame on the factories, but they’ve really done a wonderful job and this deck is still amazing Q1 quality.
It’s unfortunate to have this one blemish ruin what would have been a “perfect set” and to keep our standards of quality we will be reprinting this deck and this time I give you my promise that they’ll be flawless.
So will we be shredding these current decks?
NO. That would be even more expensive and delay our launch another couple months. These decks are still something we’re EXTREMELY proud of. However what we will be doing is applying 20% off to the entire site including uncut sheets, boxed sets, and of course the decks themselves. This discount will be on the entire site for your entire cart until we sell out. The limits and launch date will still stay the same.
If we make our money back we’ll reprint this set with our lessons learned from this first round. A second round of decks would aim to be a bit more affordable as we’ll drop the foil and embossing processes and run a higher quantity while still keeping the same artwork. This way people will be able to get these decks at a price that everyone is happy with. Money is tight. We understand. We only ask that you step in our shoes to understand where we stood for this first run.
So what now?
If you’re a collector, you can still snatch this first run at discount. At $10 a deck it’s a steal. Otherwise if you’re more of a performer, feel free to come back in a couple months for possibly a second set. Without you there would be no us which is why we’re putting all our cards on the table for people to see. Pun intended. We want to be open and honest and together just maybe, we can start raising the bar of design in playing card history.
From Seasons, thank you so much. We truly mean it. We hope to see you at the launch.
*(It would mean a lot if those that have printed their own decks shared their experiences and gave a thought to this situation as well).
So Alex and his partner over at Fullboatdealer are selling the decks tomorrow on the Seasons site for $20/pair, period. No need to use a discount code. They will reprint the deck, but as a simpler version with less premium features; more people will have it in their hands and collectors will have this "first edition" to drool over.
I plan to show him my support and purchase either two or three pairs of his fine deck of cards. He really sounded on the phone like it's been a very long handful of days for him and that he's put his heart into something that he just wanted to be perfect. For that alone, he deserves support. And when the "perfected" version comes out, I plan on getting that as well.
