Pokémon TCG: Sword and Shield—Brilliant Stars

worlds rant

I made this comment multiple times throughout the weekend...

They could have doubled the price on the Worlds-branded items (Playmat especially). And quadrupled the stock on said items. And STILL sold through everything on Saturday.

Basically, that Worlds store is a license to print money. I'm amazed that TPCi hasn't taken advantage of that yet.
 
^ Completely agree.

It's not often that you think things are underpriced in this world, but $12 for that playmat? That's the bargain of the year.
 
eriknance said:
2006 they had a backpack, and it was full of packs of cards with different languages. Scholarships have declined in Regionals by the way. Back in the day, getting top 4 meant you won a scholarship. Only 1st and 2nd get them now. :/
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Haven't declined at Worlds*. Since 2005, scholarships have consistently held (assuming you don't figure in inflation).

RE Bullados and Baby_Mario: things such as play mats are "bargains of the year" when you account for secondary markets. For P!P, play mats are just pure profit, especially since they're just glorified mouse pads (pun intended :p).

RE Pokepop: the plushies are very entertaining, and are without a doubt an awesome move for the younger age groups...It's just too bad that they got rid of the awesome bags/back packs to hold everything in. I do see where this became a "take A or B" scenario for them, and they went with what was less expensive.

RE Jason: With all due respect, you're on the extreme side of things here. Plus, the scholarships will always remain justified by their ability to count as tax ride-offs or the business (if this is an incorrect statement, then someone please set the record straight).

RE life, universe, and everything: in the end, the biggest prize is just getting to compete, but decently cool compensation for the competitors helps give a visual cue to the significance of these invitees. A plastic shopping bag doesn't quite say that the same way one of those old "COMPETITOR" bags did, even if it does contain a fun plushy and a really neat play mat.
 
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this is just my own opinion: so what is the worlds store really for?

1) to sell a nice souvenir of worlds (the non-competitor t-shirt, which imho was awesome...) to the masses who attend? the 'purpose' for those was reflected in the numbers ordered, imho since as of sunday afternoon there were still shirts available, though some sizes were sold out.

2) additionally, to 'liquidate' the 'leftover' worlds-branded exclusives from the competitor kits? makes sense: i'm sure there are order minimums for all those items. if they need (numbers pulled out of thin air) 600 kits and the minimum order is 1000 then guess what: there are going to be ONLY ~400 'extras' that are available for sale.

are people really saying that TPCi should order more (and risk having unsold product) so all those who were not at or participating in worlds can have the exclusives too? doesn't that rather defeat the purpose of having special stuff in the bag for those who actually WERE competing in worlds?

jmho
'mom
 
No, 'mom. I'm saying they should order more Worlds exclusive stuff so that they can make more MONIES. That stuff is essentially a license to print money. They're already ordering it for the qualifying players. Why not increase the order for people to purchase and make themselves some more MONIES? TPCi is a business, as you are constantly reminding us. It makes no business sense to leave MONIES on the table when MONIES can be easily earned.
 
bullados said:
No, 'mom. I'm saying they should order more Worlds exclusive stuff so that they can make more MONIES. That stuff is essentially a license to print money. They're already ordering it for the qualifying players. Why not increase the order for people to purchase and make themselves some more MONIES? TPCi is a business, as you are constantly reminding us. It makes no business sense to leave MONIES on the table when MONIES can be easily earned.
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again, what's the real purpose of the store to TPCi?

...to make stacks of moniez by flooding the 'market' with worlds "exclusives" for anyone who wants one on ebay?

or to offer a nice souvenir to non-participants and as an extra added attraction serve as an outlet for the left-over worlds participant exclusive items?

from what i've seen, imho it's the second...

jmho
'mom
 
SD PokéMom said:
are people really saying that TPCi should order more (and risk having unsold product) so all those who were not at or participating in worlds can have the exclusives too? doesn't that rather defeat the purpose of having special stuff in the bag for those who actually WERE competing in worlds?
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^ this

The more playmats (well let's be honest that's our item of interest here) they sell, the lower the value is, obviously. But what they could (and should) do is raising the sale prices close to the second market prices, so that the line is shorter because only people who are really interested in the items will buy them, not those who just want to make profit on ebay. (and of course, it also would be a little budget boost for TPCi)
 
I can't really believe this post and how spoiled everyone is.

I guess you guys have forgotten that in the past 4 years, we've suffered from the biggest recession since 1929.

And you're complaining about the quality of bags that your highly sought after FREE merchandise came in?

...

Come on now.

Factor in all the prizes that are handed out to the participants, the scholarships, the prizes that are handed out at league, and the cost of renting and organizing a staff to run an event of this magnitude, do you think that TPCi is actually profiting off this event? I don't.

World's is ran so people can come together and play this cool game that we've voluntarily invested our money, time and effort into.

I think somewhere along the lines, everyone forgot that there was no entry fee for worlds, that the prizes actually cost money to manufacture, and TPCi runs this event solely for its players and their families.

Be grateful.
 
As someone who has never been able to attend worlds, I've always had friends that have gone to the event and brought some of the stuff back for me. I had no issue getting the playmat and plush from last year without spending an arm and a leg. I had assumed that it was going to be just as easy this year (and it would figure that this year had my absolute favorite art.) I was getting texts from friends telling me that the lines were starting at 4am, and the numbers of everything were extremely limited. One of our local Pokemoms was able to get a shirt for me, but I was unable to get ahold of anything else from the event.

And then I'm seeing the mats online for 70+ a piece.

I know people who didn't go to worlds that would have loved to be able to get the merchandise they carried at the event. Had TPCI ordered more of the items, I have little doubt in my mind that they would have been stuck with unsold product. If the items didn't sell at the event, perhaps a store, similar to the one for professors, could be opened online to liquidate the extra product.
 
Well, I got in line at 6 AM for the Worlds Store, and one of the Volunteer/Staff announced that everyone currently in line [This was around 7-8 AM] would be able to buy one of everything in the store. Well, I notice a lot of people cutting in line[Or as they said it, There spot was saved]. So, I ask one of the Volunteer/Staff, and they say it's fine because the person saved there spot. So, because of all the people cutting in line, I end up not being able to buy the Skateboard Plushy, the mat,or the binder. So, I ask one of my friends who was getting in line at 4 AM to save my spot for the next day, because I was going to sleep in and get there at 7 AM. When I get there at 7:30 AM, I tried to get in line, and was told by Staff/Volunteer, that I couldn't get in line because they allowed people to save spots yesterday, but not today. So, I end up not getting the Skateboring Plushy, the mat, or the binder, which is a big reason I went to Worlds.
If I had known that I couldn't save spots the 2nd day, I would have got there at 4 AM.
 
There was a guy who waited in line for nearly 2 1/2 HOURS just to get near the front of the line and have organizers announce that they were out of playmats and hats. These were the main reasons this guy had waited in line for so long, and he was greatly disappointed. I was the guy behind him, and I was also greatly disappointed, as were the 50 or more people behind me. I am thankfull that they sell playmats and stuff to us non-worlds competitors, but I would like it if they would have more in case they ran out.
 
^I totally respect your reasoning behind "the great recession," but "be grateful" is not the right choice of words here.

While the things people are legitimately entitled to from P!P are few and far between, the goodies involved in the Worlds package are not a handout or donation: they are all part of a promotional plan, the same way that hosting Worlds in Hawaii during "the great recession" is in its own right. Thus, while it's good to be grateful over the stability of P!P despite the current conditions, don't go too far beyond that, because everything serves a purpose.

Competitors and would-be competitors aren't asking for a jewel-encrusted Rubaiyat; they just see the decline/elimination in certain prizes, and are having a reasonable conversation about it.
 
SD PokéMom said:
again, what's the real purpose of the store to TPCi?

...to make stacks of moniez by flooding the 'market' with worlds "exclusives" for anyone who wants one on ebay?

or to offer a nice souvenir to non-participants and as an extra added attraction serve as an outlet for the left-over worlds participant exclusive items?
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Actually, as you can't forbid people to sell those items on ebay, increasing supplies at the Worlds would :
1) Reduce the price of aformentioned items on ebay, and more importantly
2) Prevent that many people cannot buy some souvenirs from the Worlds because ebay resellers already bought them all

I only see benefits there.
 
'Mom, you're arguing for things as they currently are.

We're arguing for things as we believe they should be.

We're not asking for handouts. We're asking for opportunities.

We're asking for the right to put monies in the hands of TPCi.

We're asking for the right to NOT put monies in the hands of third-party resellers.

If you want to reduce the price of the items on the secondary market, you produce more items for sale.

When Demand is the same (roughly), but Supply is limited, the price goes up.

When Demand is increased and Supply is limited, the price goes WAAAAAY up (as those $70 Ebay filings show).

We want the ability to purchase these items directly from TPCi.

We do NOT want to purchase them from resellers.

The creation and sale of these Worlds exclusive items is essentially printing money for TPCi. Even at the prices they posted this year.

Why they would NOT want to tap into this market is a mystery completely beyond me.

With all of the players at Worlds, even with the insane cost that the event likely incurs, TPCi can greatly reduce or even eliminate that cost. Simply by offering more of the same!

Let's assume that there were about 400 playmats available for sale (as per your assumption of 1,000 minimum order and 600 players, the latter of which is an overestimation). Let's further assume a 100% markup over their cost (though $6 per playmat is frankly insane wholesale given some of the prices I've found online for blanks resale). Those 400 playmats turn $2400 profit.

There were over 1400 players at Worlds this year. And many of those would be more than willing to purchase additional items to bring back for players that could NOT make it. A quantity of 2,000 playmats would likely sell through quite easily, especially at the $12 price point.

It's disappointing that there were not enough of the key Worlds exclusive items available this year. It's disappointing from a buyer's standpoint, as many, many people didn't get to purchase the items they wanted. It's disappointing from a business standpoint, as that's cold, hard cash that you're leaving on the table. And it's disappointing from a marketing standpoint, as now the market is devoid of items that people want, which drives up the price, which leaves a sour taste in the minds of consumers.

Please, please, PLEASE, TPCi, increase the supply of the key Worlds exclusive items for next year! We want to buy the stuff! You want to make money off the stuff! How can this NOT be a win-win for everybody involved?
 
K2theAblaM said:
I can't really believe this post and how spoiled everyone is.

I guess you guys have forgotten that in the past 4 years, we've suffered from the biggest recession since 1929.

And you're complaining about the quality of bags that your highly sought after FREE merchandise came in?

...

Come on now.

Factor in all the prizes that are handed out to the participants, the scholarships, the prizes that are handed out at league, and the cost of renting and organizing a staff to run an event of this magnitude, do you think that TPCi is actually profiting off this event? I don't.

World's is ran so people can come together and play this cool game that we've voluntarily invested our money, time and effort into.

I think somewhere along the lines, everyone forgot that there was no entry fee for worlds, that the prizes actually cost money to manufacture, and TPCi runs this event solely for its players and their families.

Be grateful.
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Wait.

There's a difference between being ungrateful and giving feedback about what prizes you prefer.

There was even a questionnaire in the competitor bags this year asking exactly those questions.

Do you think they wanted us all to say 'we are just grateful for anything' or did they want honest answers that they could use in the future?

I really appreciate the stuff we get given, but does that mean I'm not allowed to say what things I like best without being labelled a spoiled whiner?
 
baby mario said:
Wait.

There's a difference between being ungrateful and giving feedback about what prizes you prefer.

There was even a questionnaire in the competitor bags this year asking exactly those questions.

Do you think they wanted us all to say 'we are just grateful for anything' or did they want honest answers that they could use in the future?

I really appreciate the stuff we get given, but does that mean I'm not allowed to say what things I like best without being labelled a spoiled whiner?
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The title of the thread is "World's RANT", not "What I think would have been better for worlds"

The very first sentence reads: "ugh. where should i start? this year swag is a little worse than last year :/ IMO."

The connotation doesn't imply the "constructive" nature that you suggest in your post.

It sounds a lot to me like a lot of whining and complaining and is a little uncalled for considering everything TPCi has done for him and everyone that was involved with or attended worlds.

/honest opinion

edit: add to my argument this little gem that was in the OP: "Just the matter of fact the shirt color is white disgusts me"

Lol, really... it DISGUSTS you. Come on son... it's a free shirt. TPCi doesn't owe you anything.
 
You are now talking about the OP and his own personal views.

That is NOT a distinction you made in this post . . .

K2theAblaM said:
I can't really believe this post and how spoiled everyone is.

I guess you guys[note the plural] have forgotten that in the past 4 years, we've suffered from the biggest recession since 1929.

And you're complaining about the quality of bags that your highly sought after FREE merchandise came in?
Click to expand...

If you want to make a point about Jason, fine. But that wasn't what you did, was it?
 
baby mario said:
You are now talking about the OP and his own personal views.

That is NOT a distinction you made in this post . . .



If you want to make a point about Jason, fine. But that wasn't what you did, was it?
Click to expand...



Stand corrected. You're right. If my post doesn't apply to you, then I would urge you not to take offense to it or ignore it completely.

Either way my logic is sound and my opinion still stands. As many people have already pointed out, the greatest gift was to be able to compete in the main event itself. Everything extra was, well, just extra. Reading about a competitor complaining about the color of his free T-shirt and the quality of the bag it came in is rather disheartening, to say the least.

People need to keep things in perspective and stay humble. It's one thing to be constructive, but it's another thing to be spoiled and ungrateful. Your post and many others fall in the constructive category, the OP, didn't.

I should have made that distinction more clear.

either way, carry on.
 
Your point about the recession is invalid.

If there's a recession, why wouldn't they want to print more playmats so they can sell more playmats?
 
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