*Special Gold Crown Promotion* - We saw this coming!

[KPopFever605]

Posed by HOPC via FB:

"In less than 8 Hours, you will not only be able to purchase the ORNATE decks for the first time, you will also have your final shot at London 2012 and Verve Élan Rouge decks. And to make things even more interesting, we're throwing Gold Crowns into the mix. Learn more here:

http://houseofplayingcards.com/contests/"

The page links you to this:

"GOLD CROWNS - 4 HOURS - August 14th

From 8PM eastern time until midnight on Tuesday, August 14th, you can obtain one, two, or even THREE Gold Crown decks! During this 4-hour window, orders of $100 or more will have a Gold Crown automatically added to your cart. Orders of $200 or more will have 2 decks added, and orders of $300 and up will have 3 decks added. It's that simple! Shipping costs do not apply to the various price levels. Max number of Gold Crowns per order is 3."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know about you guys, but I remember earlier we were talking about something like this happening. Unfortunately, I am probably going to have to miss this release because my wallet has been feeling the agony of my spending. By the way, how can you really spend $300 at HOPC? Buy a few bricks of cards? Tell me what you guys think below!

[DelMagic]

At least the 1st promotion gave you the whole collector's box for $100 -  5-decks in all, so it was a better deal. It will be interesting to see how many gold decks end up for sale in a few weeks.

[Paul Carpenter]

I was thinking about these recently, and without them telling us it's going to be impossible  to determine how many of these might exist. We know that generally you have to do a minimum of 2500 for a run, but in this case because all the art is identical to their other cards in this series, it's possible that they had just a few hundred boxes done special, and did part of another run just swapping in some gold ink.

By not telling, they are just masterfully using the "have it now" that all us poor collectors are afflicted with. Smart!

[Evan]

I hate this whole gold crown thing and I will not spend $100 or more to get one.
$50 would be a good price point IMO

[Reylek]

The info that the Golds will be available tonight has been posted in our Facebook event since Wednesday.

We have a lot of people contacting us who want to get them.  We are simply providing the opportunity.  Not forcing anyone to buy anything they don't want.  We could've easily made it 1 deck for all orders of $100 and up, where if you spent $200, you still only got 1 deck.  By putting the cap at 3, we're trying to make them available for collectors who would like them, but not make it a total free-for-all.

[Knobz1]

Hey!!  What do ya know.  They are releasing more Gold Crown Decks and I didnt even have to be that patient 

[Don Boyer]

I don't know about you guys, but I remember earlier we were talking about something like this happening. Unfortunately, I am probably going to have to miss this release because my wallet has been feeling the agony of my spending. By the way, how can you really spend $300 at HOPC? Buy a few bricks of cards? Tell me what you guys think below!

 

Well, some magicians and cardists like to stock up on decks.  I have a pretty good supply of Crowns and NOCs right now, even some Mechanics.  What performer around here do you know that doesn't blow through a deck or two in a month, either by performance or practice?  The NOC is one of the cheapest decks around that has Magic Finish, and the backs are perfect for poker as well as magic - nowhere to hide secret marks.


And don't forget they have a nice little collection of card-related videos, DVDs and books.  The Steve Forte Gambling Protection Series I'd LOVE to have in my collection, bro!  I now have the Joshua Jay book, and I suggested to them to stock Hoyle's Rules of Neighborhood Poker because I own it and it's a fantastic and educational-but-humorous book.

At least the 1st promotion gave you the whole collector's box for $100 -  5-decks in all, so it was a better deal. It will be interesting to see how many gold decks end up for sale in a few weeks.

Wait a sec - you think that of these two deals:


1) Pay $100 and get a box of five decks, including a Gold Crown, or
2) Buy $100 of products and get a Gold Crown FREE


that the 1st deal is BETTER than the second?  If so, I have to make a store fast and get you to be my number one customer!  You can sell the $100 of decks, books or DVDs if you don't want them, and the Gold Crown is 100% FREE aside from shipping...

I hate this whole gold crown thing and I will not spend $100 or more to get one.
$50 would be a good price point IMO

Price point?  Evan, they're FREE.  You have to buy something to get them, but they're still FREE.  The only price point lower than that would be if HOPC paid you to take them!

If your talking about premium threshold, you're smoking some of the good stuff...  Spend $75 at Ellusionist, get a Blue Masters, the cheapest deck they make!  At $175, you get a deck of gaff cards.  It's not until you hit THREE-HUNDRED-AND-FIFTY DOLLARS that you start getting rare decks.  But I never hear people complaining...strange...  Do that for this promo at HOPC, you walk away with THREE RARE DECKS.

Hey!!  What do ya know.  They are releasing more Gold Crown Decks and I didnt even have to be that patient 

It's as Kevin said below - the people wanted it and let them know, so they decided to provide it.  It's usually a good practice to listen to your customers and give them as much of what they want as you can.



Jeez, guys - HOPC is having a giveaway, and some of you are COMPLAINING?!  What a shocker...  Would you, Evan, have preferred they simply sell you the deck for $50, since you think that's "a good price point"?  How about you, DelMagic?  Maybe I'll go talk to the marketing department - "Hey, Kevin, I have a suggestion for you from some disgruntled customers who'd rather PAY for a freebie..."

[Evan]

I should've remembered that if I post anything in a thread that has to do with HOPC or TBC, Don would come in here... 

@Don, the only reason I say it should be cheaper is because HOPC said that they didn't want the Gold Crown deck to be a badge of honor for people with the most money, but that's exactly what it's become!

[Don Boyer]

I should've remembered that if I post anything in a thread that has to do with HOPC or TBC, Don would come in here... 

@Don, the only reason I say it should be cheaper is because HOPC said that they didn't want the Gold Crown deck to be a badge of honor for people with the most money, but that's exactly what it's become!

Hmm...  So you can go to Ellusionist, spend $350 on merch and get a free rare deck: Gold Arcane, Black Ghost 1st Ed. or Artifice Red.  That's expensive.  The next deck doesn't come until you spend a total of $475.  That's VERY expensive.


Or you can go to HOPC now during this promo, spend only $100 while shopping, and get a free Gold Crown.  And another for $200 total, and ANOTHER for $300 total.  That's less than E makes you buy for just one!  Even when E has the $75 specials, they make you place separate orders if you want more, so it ends up costing you about the same price in the end when you factor all the added shipping charges.


Which sounds more like the expensive door prize to you?  You could spend $100 in HOPC without breaking a sweat, if you have the cash and the desire for some of their stuff.  And don't forget, HOPC isn't ALL playing cards, ALL the time - they have a few other very cool offerings.


And Evan, even if I didn't know people at HOPC, I'd be saying the same things.  Because it all sounds like a bunch of whining for no good reason.  Many of you sounds like you want HOPC to simply give it to you free and send you bricks of it...  This is NOT a huge hurdle, but you make it sounds like crossing the Alps.

I've said my piece and I'm done.  You may all resume your bellyaching...

[CBJ]

Hey Don

Maybe I read it wrong, but I think what he was trying to say is..

The first promotion was if you spent at least $100, you received the collectors box with 5-6 decks.

This time if you spend at least $100, you receive one deck.

Obviously getting 5-6 decks is better than getting one.

What's obviously better about this deal is that it's not limited.  You don't have to scramble and try to be in that first X-amount of people to get it.

CBJ

[Evan]

What's obviously better about this deal is that it's not limited.  You don't have to scramble and try to be in that first X-amount of people to get it.

CBJ

That's a really good point. I didn't think about that one.

[Aaron]

I think it is a good deal since I was getting a brick anyways.

Evan the deck being a badge of honor would be iof they were selling the decks for $100, they havn't charged a cent for the decks.

[redtank151]

Well you still kind of have to scramble for Ornate brick boxes from HOPC, but you can always buy those at midnight company.

If you buy 2 bricks, bam you are probably already at $100, hopefully sell the things once they are sold out from the HOPC and you have some decks for yourself, a prestigious gold crown and you didn't lose $100 making it happen.

Ellusionist are definitely more stingy with giving out stuff but that's because they have going on all the time and when they have promotions, they are pretty good ones.

[agera94]

I would take part in this offer but the shipping is in excess of $50 for international and I currently have $120 free cash :S.
Donations anyone    ?

[Evan]

I think it is a good deal since I was getting a brick anyways.

Evan the deck being a badge of honor would be iof they were selling the decks for $100, they havn't charged a cent for the decks.

You need $100 to get the deck, making it the same thing...

[Cardist888]

Hey i have a question: do you have to spend 100$ only on the blue crown or can you order from the hopc? I have like NO hopc decks -_-

[agera94]

You can buy whatever you want to as long as the total order from HOPC equals $100.

[Evan]

Hey i have a question: do you have to spend 100$ only on the blue crown or can you order from the hopc? I have like NO hopc decks -_-

I believe the promotion is for HOPC only.

[danktrees]

i got my order in a few minutes after 8 and the gold crown deck shows up as quantity 1 even though i purchase 300 dollars worth of stuff. i guess they just forgot to tier the promo at first but i asked them and they said that happened on a few orders so if anyone else is experiencing that, dont worry cuz they said they're going to double check every order for that promo before shipping it out.

[agera94]

Will the value of the gold crown decks fall since more people are able to get them?

[jmrock]

Blahahahaha! Wow! Amazing!

[securechanger]

Blahahahaha! Wow! Amazing!

hahahah good price , But let see the price after this promotion

[Utterfool]

OK
I am not friends with anybody from HOPC and I have had my fair share of criticism of them (see olympic 2012 games decks)  but I am shocked that anybody would be upset by this.
Sure this deal isn't as sweet as the first release of Gold crowns.
The initial release of only 50 sets of cards including the gold crowns, that was a gaffe on their part IMO, as it truly made the deck a badge of honor.
This promotion is for a free deck after you buy $100 dollars of other stuff. They are doing it for 4 hours allowing people to get up to 3 in one order and I am sure if you really want to you can place multiple orders, pay multiple shipping and get more than 3 Gold crown decks.
This is no different than when Ellusionist has there promos for the LTD deck (I know last time it was for an LTD and a Black Ghost) they had you pay $100 dollars to get that.
The biggest difference is they are doing this with a new release so instead of having to buy up the old stock (like with E) to get a rare deck you can buy up new stock you probably don't have, plus some re-released stuff you may have missed (Verve and If you really wanted it The 2012 games decks). My only complaint and this is minor because I was more than ecstatic at the chance to get the Gold Crown (which I think is a beautiful deck) is that they didn't offer Ornate uncut sheets (which I would really like to get my hands on) if they had offered the uncuts I might have been able to get 3 Gold crowns.
But $100 is not unreasonable. Perhaps it seems unfair to people with tight pocketbooks, but that is hardly a "Badge of Honor" level sum especially when offered to any and all over a 4 hour period. With more and more "designer decks" selling at the $9 mark you will have to get use to seeing $100 sums or find a new hobby.
For me I found it easy to hit $100 (I even went over $200) any deck I plan to use I always buy a brick, so a brick of each a couple Verve and another 7 green NOCS (for hand and foot) and I got my Gold Crowns without even thinking about it. I am not saying this because I want to flaunt my wealth (because I am certainly not wealthy). I Just want to show how $100 isn't really unreasonable.
And when you are looking at generosity, because although this was just a marketing thing, it is still generous to offer anything for free, they certainly didn't need to, because IMO the Ornate decks sell themeselves and plus the friendly people at Midnight cards did plenty of advertising for them.
But when it comes to generosity one shouldn't complain about it. I mean I was furious about the way things were handled for the initial Gold Crown give away and the fact that I missed out on it, but, I stayed out of that argument because Blue Crown didn't have to offer those

Ok I think I will stop now really have begun to ramble and have forgotten my point

[jmrock]

Not upset... I think it's just hysterical actually... And yes, I caved and purchased Ornates, and some others in order to get this gem and complete my Crown collection... HOPC - I fell for it... Well worth it in my eyes... Good luck to all who participated... Enjoy your Ornates... They truly look magnificent...

[securechanger]

Enjoy it , finish     

[phantom1412]

Will the value of the gold crown decks fall since more people are able to get them?

Sure it will.

Demand will be much less, since a lot of collectors get the gold decks by themselves tonight.

[Don Boyer]

Hey Don

Maybe I read it wrong, but I think what he was trying to say is..

The first promotion was if you spent at least $100, you received the collectors box with 5-6 decks.

This time if you spend at least $100, you receive one deck.

Obviously getting 5-6 decks is better than getting one.

What's obviously better about this deal is that it's not limited.  You don't have to scramble and try to be in that first X-amount of people to get it.

CBJ

The collector's box did indeed have five decks in it - but it was something you purchased, whereas with this offer, you buy $100 of whatever you want, the deck comes for free, so you have the stuff AND the deck.  If we pretended for a moment that the Gold Crown in the gift box was free, then each other deck in it cost an average of $25...  That's a lotta cheddar...

And you do raise an awesome point about how you didn't have to race to be one of the first N-hundred buyers.  You just make your purchase at your leisure and your gift comes with it, easy-peasy.  There was a four-hour time limit, but that's a lot better than the handful of seconds it likely took to sell out the fifty gift boxes - I'd wager they were gone within four minutes.

I would take part in this offer but the shipping is in excess of $50 for international and I currently have $120 free cash :S.
Donations anyone    ?

You, my friend, should have made arrangements with someone domestic IN ADVANCE... 

Will the value of the gold crown decks fall since more people are able to get them?

Phantom/Lalita makes an excellent point about a good number of collectors getting the decks they want tonight.  There will be a good number on eBay for a short while, driving the eBay price on them down, but once that trading's done with, the price will stabilize somewhere probably not as high as it initially was, but higher than you'll see them for the next handful of days/weeks.

In short, if you missed tonight's big promo, you might be able to snag one at a price approaching reasonable on eBay very soon.  Just don't wait because they won't stay on the market in those quantities for long.

Blahahahaha! Wow! Amazing!

That buyer is insane in the membrane...  Only a small number of VINTAGE decks go for those numbers...  Fools, move to the left - OK, now money, move to the right...  There ya go...

Utterfool - sure, you rambled a little, but you expressed many points that I would have liked to earlier about this promo, and perhaps better than I would have anyway.  $100 was a huge amount of money when I was a kid - but that was also back when gas was still around 50 CENTS a gallon (for you metric folks, that's roughly 13 CENTS a LITER)!  A hundred bucks these days is movie night for a family of four (at least in New York, where we pay the highest ticket prices in the country - we're rapidly closing in on the $20-a-head barrier), or date night for two at a quality, non-chain restaurant, or a fair-to-lousy seat at a good play off-Broadway or a bad Broadway play!

I'll grant that people have expenses and the economy is tighter than the spaces between diamond molecules for many, but anyone working in magic or cardistry, or aspiring to do so, uses playing cards a lot.  It's not beyond the pale to get $100 in playing cards in a single purchase if you're going through them fast enough.  And that doesn't take the other items they sell into account...

[Aaron]

I have to hand it to Randy and HOPC, this release went very smoothly and the deck is arguably the nicest modern deck to be released (up there with the Seasons and Tendril IMO) It is absolutley amazing

[Don Boyer]

I have to hand it to Randy and HOPC, this release went very smoothly and the deck is arguably the nicest modern deck to be released (up there with the Seasons and Tendril IMO) It is absolutley amazing

Then by all means, let him know in the topic about his deck!  I'm sure he'd love to hear it.

[Utterfool]

I have to hand it to Randy and HOPC, this release went very smoothly and the deck is arguably the nicest modern deck to be released (up there with the Seasons and Tendril IMO) It is absolutley amazing

Then by all means, let him know in the topic about his deck!  I'm sure he'd love to hear it.

@Don   you can be such a Bitch 

[Aaron]

I have to hand it to Randy and HOPC, this release went very smoothly and the deck is arguably the nicest modern deck to be released (up there with the Seasons and Tendril IMO) It is absolutley amazing

Then by all means, let him know in the topic about his deck!  I'm sure he'd love to hear it.

I just realized I posted there, I was confused in the 2 topics regarding tonite and thought my post didnt show up 

[Don Boyer]

@Don   you can be such a Bitch 

Ah, but to know me is to LOVE me! 

[DelMagic]

Quote from: DelMagic on Yesterday at 10:05:01 AM
At least the 1st promotion gave you the whole collector's box for $100 -  5-decks in all, so it was a better deal. It will be interesting to see how many gold decks end up for sale in a few weeks.


from DON:
Wait a sec - you think that of these two deals:
1) Pay $100 and get a box of five decks, including a Gold Crown, or
2) Buy $100 of products and get a Gold Crown FREE
that the 1st deal is BETTER than the second?  If so, I have to make a store fast and get you to be my number one customer!  You can sell the $100 of decks, books or DVDs if you don't want them, and the Gold Crown is 100% FREE aside from shipping...

from DelMagic:
Well, yes I consider the 1st deal far better than the 2nd. What are seeing that I am not? 5-Free Collectible Decks in a Signed/Number Collector's Box vs. 1-Free Collectible Deck. I'll take deal #1 all day at your store if you are offering both.

[danktrees]

don - what do you mean when you say that the box was something to be purchased? It was the same as the new promo. If you buy 100 dollars worth of stuff you get it for free. You can't actually buy that collectors box by itself.

[jker]

perhaps im still new to here, but why Don need to explain everything related to HOPC/BC stuff? Is he affiliate with them or what?

[NathanCanadas]

perhaps im still new to here, but why Don need to explain everything related to HOPC/BC stuff? Is he affiliate with them or what?

Let's not start another conflict about this, especially since you're a newcomer. Guys, use your LOGICAL thinking skills!
In the box you've got 1 of each color of crown decks (I'm not sure if they're v1 or v2). Let's say they're v1 since they're more valuable. Worth 15$ each. Plus a 20$ Black crown. That 65$ worth of items. So you technically pay at least 35$ dollars for your Gold Crown. And I'm being very generous about the prices. With 10$ v1s and a 15$ black crown, you're paying 55$ for the gold crown. Now, I don't know any of the Blue Crown employees, but you really have to be blind to not see the advantage of their new deal. Now, if you choose not to see it, then that's too bad for you. End of discussion.
PS: that ebay seller, jujuforce, is a member of these forums. He's from France, he had a site called cartes magie or something like that. Does that strike any bells?

[danktrees]

perhaps im still new to here, but why Don need to explain everything related to HOPC/BC stuff? Is he affiliate with them or what?

Let's not start another conflict about this, especially since you're a newcomer. Guys, use your LOGICAL thinking skills!
In the box you've got 1 of each color of crown decks (I'm not sure if they're v1 or v2). Let's say they're v1 since they're more valuable. Worth 15$ each. Plus a 20$ Black crown. That 65$ worth of items. So you technically pay at least 35$ dollars for your Gold Crown. And I'm being very generous about the prices. With 10$ v1s and a 15$ black crown, you're paying 55$ for the gold crown. Now, I don't know any of the Blue Crown employees, but you really have to be blind to not see the advantage of their new deal. Now, if you choose not to see it, then that's too bad for you. End of discussion.
PS: that ebay seller, jujuforce, is a member of these forums. He's from France, he had a site called cartes magie or something like that. Does that strike any bells?

from the math you just did, the old deal is better. You're getting the gold crown deck for 35-55 bucks whereas with the new deal you're getting it for 100...

[NathanCanadas]

No. Because here you are getting decks for the same price you would get them anyways if you bought them originally + some newly released decks + the free gold crown. And in that brick box were they v1 or v2 crowns?

[danktrees]

No. Because here you are getting decks for the same price you would get them anyways if you bought them originally + some newly released decks + the free gold crown. And in that brick box were they v1 or v2 crowns?

why does that matter? With this new promotion you buy 100 dollars worth of stuff and you get a gold crown. In the old promo you buy 100 dollar worth of stuff and you get a gold crown along with 4 other decks. How can this new promo be better?

[NathanCanadas]

I guess it depends what you are looking for. In the new promotion you can get 3, 4 bricks of cards and a gold crown free, while in the old one you got 4 decks and the gold crown. Which is better? You can resell those cards you bought in the new promotion for 100$ minimum, and with those 100$, you can easily buy the 3 crown decks and the black crown. And you still have your free gold crown. But since the decks on HOPC available for this sale are all sold out, you can resell them for maybe 150$, buy the 3 crown v1s and the black crown, get your free gold crown, and still have 100$ left to yourself. Now, you tell me which is better.

[Don Boyer]

perhaps im still new to here, but why Don need to explain everything related to HOPC/BC stuff? Is he affiliate with them or what?

Need to?  No.  I'm friends with the people at TBC/HOPC.  Got the first Gold Crown as a gift.

In the box you've got 1 of each color of crown decks (I'm not sure if they're v1 or v2). Let's say they're v1 since they're more valuable. Worth 15$ each. Plus a 20$ Black crown. That 65$ worth of items. So you technically pay at least 35$ dollars for your Gold Crown. And I'm being very generous about the prices. With 10$ v1s and a 15$ black crown, you're paying 55$ for the gold crown. Now, I don't know any of the Blue Crown employees, but you really have to be blind to not see the advantage of their new deal. Now, if you choose not to see it, then that's too bad for you. End of discussion.
PS: that ebay seller, jujuforce, is a member of these forums. He's from France, he had a site called cartes magie or something like that. Does that strike any bells?

Nate - the box was ALL first editions.  You're lowballing the value.

from the math you just did, the old deal is better. You're getting the gold crown deck for 35-55 bucks whereas with the new deal you're getting it for 100...

Actually, in the new deal it's FREE!!!  Bloody hell, people, I hope none of you become economists...


I give up - you guys, the point is moot, the offer's been over for hours, no more Gold Crowns being offered, the Verve Elan Rouge deck is sold out and there's fewer than 300 Ornates left.  If you guys want to circle-jerk over this, have fun - I'll just watch, thanks.

[danktrees]

I guess it depends what you are looking for. In the new promotion you can get 3, 4 bricks of cards and a gold crown free, while in the old one you got 4 decks and the gold crown. Which is better? You can resell those cards you bought in the new promotion for 100$ minimum, and with those 100$, you can easily buy the 3 crown decks and the black crown. And you still have your free gold crown. But since the decks on HOPC available for this sale are all sold out, you can resell them for maybe 150$, buy the 3 crown v1s and the black crown, get your free gold crown, and still have 100$ left to yourself. Now, you tell me which is better.

what are you talking about? In the first promo you buy 100 dollar worth of stuff and you get the box set for FREE. It's a bonus. You don't pay for it. In the new promo you only get a gold crown deck for free.

just to reiterate...since you seem confused, in both instances you can buy whatever you want for 100 dollars and receive a gift. In the first promo the gift is the box set. In the new promo you only get the gold crown deck. How can you even say the new promo is better when your gift is 4 less decks?

whether you can sell the stuff that you spent 100 on in the new promo is a moot point cuz you can do the same in the old promo. You can sell off whatever you spent 100 dollars on at the blue crown and keep the collectors set. Essentially they're both the same promo except the first promo gives you 4 additional decks. I really don't see how this new promo is better than the old one when you get less from it.

[Don Boyer]

what are you talking about? In the first promo you buy 100 dollar worth of stuff and you get the box set for FREE. It's a bonus. You don't pay for it. In the new promo you only get a gold crown deck for free.

just to reiterate...since you seem confused, in both instances you can buy whatever you want for 100 dollars and receive a gift. In the first promo the gift is the box set. In the new promo you only get the gold crown deck. How can you even say the new promo is better when your gift is 4 less decks?

whether you can sell the stuff that you spent 100 on in the new promo is a moot point cuz you can do the same in the old promo. You can sell off whatever you spent 100 dollars on at the blue crown and keep the collectors set. Essentially they're both the same promo except the first promo gives you 4 additional decks. I really don't see how this new promo is better than the old one when you get less from it.

I must have remembered the first deal wrong - I thought the gift boxes were for sale.


BUT THE POINT IS STILL MOOT, NOW...  No more Gold Crowns being given out...

[danktrees]

in the new deal it's FREE!!!  Bloody hell, people, I hope none of you become economists...


I give up - you guys, the point is moot, the offer's been over for hours, no more Gold Crowns being offered, the Verve Elan Rouge deck is sold out and there's fewer than 300 Ornates left.  If you guys want to circle-jerk over this, have fun - I'll just watch, thanks.

they were both PROMOS so they were both FREE. The difference being that the first FREE PROMO you ended up getting 4 EXTRA FREE decks. Which is why the first promo is BETTER and I don't need to be an economist to know that.

and the point here was to determine which promo was better, so the fact that they're both expired does not render it moot as we're not trying to choose to have one promo over the other. This "circle-jerk" occurred because no one seems to understand that they were both FREE PROMOS even though I explained it 3 or 4 different times. But I see from your new post that you understand what I'm trying to explain now, that was the only point I was trying to make.

[KPopFever605]

I think one of the problems with this release was that it caused the Gold Crown decks to become of a rare gem. Sure, it's still rare a little bit, but not as much as it used to be before. I would be mad too if I found out that a deck I had, with only 50 available, was going to be released for hundreds of others. I felt the same way when Ellusionist re-released their LTD decks. Sure, it's an excellent marketing plan, and it allows other who don't have the deck to own one, but it takes a rough toll on those who already own and cherish the deck

I must have remembered the first deal wrong - I thought the gift boxes were for sale.

Don, danktrees was right, these decks were a promotional item given away free for those who purchased an X amount of money..

TBC posted this on their blog when the set was about to be released:

"The first 50 orders for over $100 starting at 8PM eastern on the 17th will receive one of these amazing gift boxes absolutely free! If you are one of the lucky first 50, you will see the gift box in your cart when you check out. If you do not see the gift box in your cart, you have either spent under $100 or all of the boxes have been claimed. Orders must have at least 1 shippable item to qualify. Shipping costs do NOT count towards the $100, you must have a subtotal higher than $100 to qualify for the free gift."

[NathanCanadas]

Whoops, my bad! I thought the same thing as Don. I take back what I said. Sorry, Danktress!

[agera94]

Second deal is better because you're guaranteed on within the 4 hours of purchase. First deal you  had to be within the first 50 customers of a potential thousand.

[DelMagic]

Second deal is better because you're guaranteed on within the 4 hours of purchase. First deal you  had to be within the first 50 customers of a potential thousand.

That doesn't make the 2nd deal better. To compare which is the better deal, let's say they offer them concurrently. Buy $100 worth of magic, cards, etc. and get either of these - your choice:
1. A signed/numbered collector's box with five V1 decks which includes the Gold Crown.
or
2. A Gold Crown deck

Which would you choose? That's the better deal. The likelihood of success in acquiring it doesn't affect the quality of the deal.

[walther]

Wow this is just silly at this point. Reminds me of the argument over something being Free when you buy something else.

[sammyho888]

It is difficult to determine which one is a better deal. The merchandise available for purchase during each promotion is different. Some people might already possessed every deck in the gift box except for the gold crown, so they don't value the gift box as much as the others. Some people might prefer the second promotion over the first one because the promotion last longer. (4hrs vs 3mins) However, you did get more for participating in the first promotion. (consider the value of the gift solely)

[Aaron]

I find it funny how people are always mad when a bigger company gives stuff away, just be happy about getting anything free.

The first deal was obviously better since you could get all 5 decks, but this one is also good. It is kinda an "early bird gets the worm" type of thing.

[Utterfool]

I think this whole situation is fantastic.

It should now be quite obvious that
1. The first deal was a better deal as far as gift "value"
2. The second deal is a better deal as far as fairness to the consumer.

As I mentioned previously the issue still is this is a FREE gift.
The only people I see who might have a legitimate reason to be upset about the second deal ( which is now in the past) are those who won the badge of honor in the first deal and were planning on reselling the box that now do not have the same value, or those who paid entirely too much for a deck in the secondary market that they should have known would eventually been released in larger quantities.

As for the original 50 boxes, although their value has gone down, their rarity still remains. Only 50 of those sets we're created and most likely only 50 will be. Sure you can build that set separately but that is not exactly the idea here. You could have done that before the release, since there were Gold Crown decks distributed that we're not in the set, granted it would cost you a lot more. The point is the box is still a badge of honor for the collector, just not maybe for the reseller, but I have no love for a reseller that would take a rare item from someone who genuinely wants it just to sell it back to that person at a inflated price.

[Don Boyer]

Here's the shortest, skinniest version of this debate one can possibly have:


1) The "version 1" series gift box, including Gold Crown.
PLUS: five decks, rare to very rare, all no longer in print, for buying $100 of stuff.
MINUS: only the first fifty qualifying buyers, little to no chance to get a second (but you have to pay shipping again if you do), sold out in just a few minutes.  Only one new deck released as a tie-in (in set of three boxes).


2) The recent promo.
PLUS: get up to three decks (one for each $100 of stuff bought up to $300), no need to have the world's fastest Internet connection and an overdeveloped mouse finger, plenty to go around & available for four HOURS, tied to a new deck release and two deck "revivals" of popular sold-out models.
MINUS: not as generous in terms of total decks received (caveat: every deck given was a Gold Crown, unlike #1).
MINUS TO PEOPLE WHO GOT #1: your GC is now not worth as much, and the box as a set is also less sought-after.


Does that sum it up, so we can all stop flogging the dead horse now?

[KPopFever605]

As I mentioned previously the issue still is this is a FREE gift.
The only people I see who might have a legitimate reason to be upset about the second deal ( which is now in the past) are those who won the badge of honor in the first deal and were planning on reselling the box that now do not have the same value, or those who paid entirely too much for a deck in the secondary market that they should have known would eventually been released in larger quantities.

That's what I'm trying to say.