[Official] Bitching About Prices, Buyouts and Reprints Thread

I know that there was some significant interest in Modern Masters when it was announced. Tarmogoyf will be reprinted, along with surely a number of other Modern-legal Legacy staples. But I noticed that SCG is selling pre-orders of Modern Masters boxes for $300! And there are actually only 24 packs in a box, none of the cards are new, and we don't know for sure what is in the set. Doesn't $300 seem awfully high? That breaks down to $12.50 per pack, by the way. Anybody up for a draft?

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Originally Posted by Justin

I know that there was some significant interest in Modern Masters when it was announced. Tarmogoyf will be reprinted, along with surely a number of other Modern-legal Legacy staples. But I noticed that SCG is selling pre-orders of Modern Masters boxes for $300! And there are actually only 24 packs in a box, none of the cards are new, and we don't know for sure what is in the set. Doesn't $300 seem awfully high? That breaks down to $12.50 per pack, by the way. Anybody up for a draft?

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Hilarious.

I should keep it the same way with Hasbro like I handled Apple:

"Buy the stock, not the gadget!"

Yeah most local stores around here are selling for ~200 bucks. 300 is insane.

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Originally Posted by Megadeus

Yeah most local stores around here are selling for ~200 bucks. 300 is insane.

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Supply and demand, it is said that supply is low and everyone wants a piece of the pie. personally I do not think it is as short a print run as people are trying to guess considering I know at least 2 stores within 100 miles of me that have already got distribution numbers and have ordered at least 100 boxes each. The set is meant to draft, wizards has already stated that. It means by lower then normal print run that it will be on the order of coldsnap/3rd set in a block instead of something like timespiral/return to ravnica etc. I find it funny with only 2 cards spoiled that speculation has driven the packs to almost $13 each. I will just wait and after it is released pick up the few cards I may want I don't have.

I'm just hoping this doesn't end up like the All Foil Shards Packs. Those things were terribly overpriced and that really hurt their sales numbers even though lots of people I know preordered them.

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Originally Posted by anonymos

I'm just hoping this doesn't end up like the All Foil Shards Packs. Those things were terribly overpriced and that really hurt their sales numbers even though lots of people I know preordered them.

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That's a risk people are going to have to take. Secretly I'm hoping this is something that finally punishes greedy magic speculators and puts a lot of product out for the greater community.

I dont think it will end up like All Foil SHards packs. The prospect of getting a goyf, maybe Bob or Clique or Thoughtseize or [Insert expensive modern staple here] in your pack will be enough to sell them. In foil Alara packs what can you possibly get? Foil Bolas or Hierarch?

I've preordered a box at MSRP for the purposes of drafting only. It'll be a nice bonus I might get some other copies of staple-type cards, but otherwise, if the store raises the price above MSRP, then I'm not buying.

I also sold my extra Cliques anticipating they'll be reprinted in this set, I can't see them NOT being in the set. The card was freaking $7 for so long, there's no need for it to be $40.

-Matt

Well, SCG started their preorders for Modern Masters at $200, and as they sold through their anticipated allocation, they bumped it up repeatedly. Not saying I agree with it ($300 is far too much, obv), just throwing that out there.

Regarding MM:

WOTC sells to stores packs for roughly 5$.
Stores sell these for roughly 12$ (for now).

WOTC directly loses 7$ per pack (lets ignore taxes just for argument's sake).

Why not yet and when will WOTC start selling PACKS directly to players? I don't understand this, they're choosing to print money and not to distribute it themselves for the expected price, but they're letting their big buyers dictate prices on their merchandise.

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Originally Posted by swoop

Regarding MM:

WOTC sells to stores packs for roughly 5$.
Stores sell these for roughly 12$ (for now).

WOTC directly loses 7$ per pack (lets ignore taxes just for argument's sake).

Why not yet and when will WOTC start selling PACKS directly to players? I don't understand this, they're choosing to print money and not to distribute it themselves for the expected price, but they're letting their big buyers dictate prices on their merchandise.

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1) Wizards actually makes 5-$ expenses on every pack sold.
2) By organizing events and providing a retail storefront, those stores are actually helping WOTC's bottom line simply by existing. How many drafts would really even take place without a space for FNM?
3) When Wizards controls the tournament space directly, they will sell directly (See: MODO) Until then, in the real world, the answer is never.

How many store tournaments does SCG organize and why only a handful in AMERICAS.

Small stores rarely participate in price manipulations.

Small stores support local drafts, FNMs and other tournaments, not SCG or other big retailers.

Wotc would have to actually open a bunch of store fronts to sell like that. Why go through the trouble when you already have retailers to sell it for you?

Online shops? No need to open brick&mortar stores. but that would make them able to control prices of their products. (NOT SINGLES!)

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Originally Posted by swoop

Online shops? No need to open brick&mortar stores. but that would make them able to control prices of their products. (NOT SINGLES!)

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What is the point of doing an online shop, and getting rid of brick and mortar stores? Then where do they hold FnMs? Why should I buy packs when I have nowhere to play?

Id be afraid of something like GW if Wizards started opening stores. Even more over priced product when they realize they have rent and tons of employees to pay. Even if they saved money on it, its not like they would pass it on to the players.

I completely agree with the above reasons of why online ordering straight from them would have a negative impact on the community

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Originally Posted by itslarryyo

Id be afraid of something like GW if Wizards started opening stores. Even more over priced product when they realize they have rent and tons of employees to pay. Even if they saved money on it, its not like they would pass it on to the players.

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It would be pointless for WotC to open brick and mortar stores. At any given time they are only selling maybe 5-10 different intro packs, 3 types of booster pack and 2-3 precontructed decks. The other games that they publish are almost irrelevant in the big picture. GW, on the other hand, manufactures and sells hundreds of different products. Anyway B&M stores is not what went horribly wrong for GW.

WOTC did used to have B&M stores. There used to be one in the Springfield Mall in Northern VA, but I believe they closed them because they didn't want to compete against the regular gaming stores they were counting on having support their business.

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Originally Posted by swoop

How many store tournaments does SCG organize and why only a handful in AMERICAS.

Small stores rarely participate in price manipulations.

Small stores support local drafts, FNMs and other tournaments, not SCG or other big retailers.

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A lot of local stores choose to follow SCG pricing, even in Canada where I live the main stores do.

For better or worse, looks like Scavenging Ooze is going to be reprinted in M14.