i love people who think that going to a con is free and everything should be sold at cost...
Well some people just like to help other collectors.
Those people also have plane tickets, hotel bills, food costs, $400 convention passes to pay for.....oh and they have a long list of friends who they are already getting stuff for at cost.
San Diego is , far and away, the most expensive convention to attend. Combine the sheer volume of exclusives (making transporting difficult ) to that and you've got a situation where people asking for exclusives should be looking to help out the guy picking up the exclusives as much as they are looking for help.
Bottom line, expecting exclusives from sdcc for the cost of the book alone lacks empathy and may indicate the friend who is getting you the books is a better friend to you than you are to him.
not to mention the off the wall UPS "handling" charges to ship