The ACG at Guang Zhou just concluded recently, and with 500 sets of the show exclusive toys available only to attendees, people were going crazy for it. Adding to that was the peak holiday period of the show, 30th Dec - 2nd Jan, hotels and airfares were on the pricier side as well.
KDO, the TK so many crave after!
A lot of people were clamouring for the KDO, while a few like myself were highly interested in the Munich NTQ as well. We waited eagerly to see what crazy prices eBay would command, and it soon popped up at around 500-800USD, with the KDO on the pricier side. The Hard Nipple set received less love unfortunately, pricing at around the same range as NTQ, despite being more expensive at retail.
Seems like not many people are into Hard Nipples these days.
3A obviously anticipated this, making the Hard Nipple set the compulsory purchase at ACG before visitors got a chance to purchase the KDO and NTQ. Smart business move on their part.
Anyway, with the crazy prices, most of us were hesitant to bite the bullet, though some with friends in places managed to get somewhat more palatable prices. I managed to get a price lower than eBay as well, but not much lower.
Queen indeed, you costly woman!
As I was busy patting myself on the back, BBICN dropped a bomb. The ACG exclusives were no longer show exclusives and could be had at any BBICN retailer worldwide!
From the perspective of the masses, this was great news! I would be terribly excited too if I had not gotten my fix from more expensive sources. :( Moral of the story here is to be patient.
That said, depending on whose side you're taking, this could also be seen as an extremely unscrupulous move. A show exclusive that people paid hundreds in airfare and hotel to attend, only to find out that it's now available for retail? If I flew there, I'd be whopping mad! Furious! I'd knock down the door of BBICN's office and personally behead the chief there. (All this angst is from my Thai Expo angst, haha)
On the other hand, it just killed a lot of flippers. Those who bought to resell at a high price just had their ship sunk. A quick look on eBay saw the local prices quickly spiralling down.
At the end of the day though, I see it as a greedy profiteering move on BBICN's part more than anything else. Why limit to 500 sets when you can sell way more? The requirement that retailers buy equal number of Hard Nipple sets as KDO and NTQ sets is just as telling. It's a tactic to move more stock.
Seems like BBICN, and 3A as well, are more about business and profit than generating customer loyalty and goodwill. While I still love their stuff, I'm approaching it with a lot more caution these days, and I'm definitely gonna think twice before going for any show.
Imagine the Thai expo exclusives becoming available shortly after the expo as well! I could have just stayed home and clicked online. Oh well. There are school fees to pay and risks to take, so here's another expensive lesson for me. 3A, you really know how to hurt a man's wallet.
