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Auto Presales at Cons
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Started by TheCollector2016,

24 posts in this topic

TheCollector2016

TheCollector2016

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Maybe this has been going on a few years now and I haven't noticed it, because generally I happily wait in line and pay cash, but this year I've noticed celebrity autograph presales at cons...presales that sell out sometimes months in advance.

Is it me or does this seem a bit corporate and soulless? I always thought part of the fun was waiting in line for your autograph, and hey if you didn't manage to get one, that's part of the game. Also seems to take away a bit of the fun as I'm sure lots of people buy tickets to go to a con to wait in line to meet their favorite celeb, only to learn that there was actually a limited number of autos that were for sale online and they're all gone.

Some current examples....Hayden Christensen autos are "selling out" months in advance for Fan Expo shows while for another show in TX (in July!) I'm seeing guests' auto AND photo ops sold out (have never seen sold out photo ops before).

It seems like everyone's trying to get all the money out of everyone early....having to refresh your browser like you're getting Hamilton tickets but for a comic show guest just seems unnecessary...am I alone here?

Also something else I've noticed this year is some celebrity guests charging 1 auto fee for 8x10 photos, while charging a higher auto fee for any other item. This is ridiculous.



 

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Iceman399

Iceman399

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Part of the changes to this are very welcomed changes I think from everyone.  Many times celeb lines are HOURS long.  You've paid $80 to go to the con to then stand in like for hours hoping to get a chance at a pic or auto.  Instead of being able to enjoy the show.  So now they presell the tickets and you get a date/time as to when to show up.  Now you can spend time wandering the con seeing the booths, spending money, looking at cosplay, having food etc etc without having to spend 3-4 hours waiting in line.  Just like tickets you no longer have to sleep outside the venue for a day or two you just have to be fast (and lucky) when they go on sale.  As for them charging different fees well that is up to them and if you don't like that vote with your wallet.

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TheCollector2016

TheCollector2016

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On 5/26/2023 at 9:44 AM, Iceman399 said:

Part of the changes to this are very welcomed changes I think from everyone.  Many times celeb lines are HOURS long.  You've paid $80 to go to the con to then stand in like for hours hoping to get a chance at a pic or auto.  Instead of being able to enjoy the show.  So now they presell the tickets and you get a date/time as to when to show up.  Now you can spend time wandering the con seeing the booths, spending money, looking at cosplay, having food etc etc without having to spend 3-4 hours waiting in line.  Just like tickets you no longer have to sleep outside the venue for a day or two you just have to be fast (and lucky) when they go on sale.  As for them charging different fees well that is up to them and if you don't like that vote with your wallet.


I certainly see this side of it...I'm not sure it's better though. That's an additional $15 "service fee" per autograph, and I've always been able to do everything you mentioned without issue even if I had a longer wait in line for a big name guest. I haven't heard anything about how this improves efficiency or speed at the con itself, so I'm certainly open to hearing how long people are waiting in the queue for their pre-paid autos from the con headliners.

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Cman429

Cman429

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Your attitude of “well if you miss out on an autograph, that’s just part of the game” is admirable. However, say a dad is bringing his son and daughter to a con to meet Darth Vader. Paying the $40-60 con admission fee + parking + whatever the kids demand in snacks, then the hassle of driving to the venue, waiting to get in, then navigating the crowd to Hayden’s booth…

Yeah, I think you can understand why “well, if we meet him we meet him, if we don’t, we don’t” isn’t going to fly with everyone…

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jjonahjameson11

jjonahjameson11

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I was sooooo happy when autograph hounds waited hours and hours to get a signed 8x10 because that’s when I can cruise around the comics dealers booth much more quickly, without people bumping into me, stepping on my feet, etc. 

also, less malodorous scents wafting throughout the area!  💩💩💩

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Ryan.

Ryan.

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Clever dealers 

On 5/26/2023 at 12:40 PM, jjonahjameson11 said:

I was sooooo happy when autograph hounds waited hours and hours to get a signed 8x10 because that’s when I can cruise around the comics dealers booth much more quickly, without people bumping into me, stepping on my feet, etc. 

also, less malodorous scents wafting throughout the area!  💩💩💩

Clever dealers go to those celebrity-focused shows with a healthy stock of various-sized toploaders, preferably situated near the signing area, and rake in the mad stacks as people come streaming out, clutching their prized autographed picture of their favorite celebrity-of-the-month and realize they spent $150 on it but now need it protected.

The malodor is unavoidable though. It's the cost of business.

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Dr. Balls

Dr. Balls

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On 5/26/2023 at 10:20 AM, Robot Man said:

I can’t think of any living creator I would wait in line for hours and pay to get something signed…

I waited in line for 40 minutes to meet the cast of Dead Like Me at NYCC in 2008 and I thought that was excessive - not that the celebs have any control over it - I just thought I'd have a better use of time once I started thinking back on the convention. It's just not my thing, and as much as I say that I haven't been to a convention in 15 years, I'm not sure I'd want to go to one again. The sheer amount of people, wait times, etc are foreign to me now. I'm too old to think I can go back into that time where waiting for things to happen seems appealing and exciting.

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Robot Man

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On 5/26/2023 at 10:51 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I waited in line for 40 minutes to meet the cast of Dead Like Me at NYCC in 2008 and I thought that was excessive - not that the celebs have any control over it - I just thought I'd have a better use of time once I started thinking back on the convention. It's just not my thing, and as much as I say that I haven't been to a convention in 15 years, I'm not sure I'd want to go to one again. The sheer amount of people, wait times, etc are foreign to me now. I'm too old to think I can go back into that time where waiting for things to happen seems appealing and exciting.

I still love going to cons. Primarily, the smaller comic book buying and selling ones. I still love to box dig, buy comics in person and socialize and talk comics with my friends (and make new ones),

Like I said, most any creator I’d want to meet I’d now gone and back in the good old days, I got to meet pretty much all the ones that were important to me.

The one that got away was Alex Schomburg, damn…

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TheCollector2016

TheCollector2016

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On 5/26/2023 at 11:25 AM, Cman429 said:

Your attitude of “well if you miss out on an autograph, that’s just part of the game” is admirable. However, say a dad is bringing his son and daughter to a con to meet Darth Vader. Paying the $40-60 con admission fee + parking + whatever the kids demand in snacks, then the hassle of driving to the venue, waiting to get in, then navigating the crowd to Hayden’s booth…

Yeah, I think you can understand why “well, if we meet him we meet him, if we don’t, we don’t” isn’t going to fly with everyone…

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, and I'm girding my loins with this response, but I have no sympathy for this. If a parent chooses to bring their young kid to an event that involves standing around in lines all day and shelling out endless cash, much like a state fair, that's on them. They didn't have to do that. Here's a way of not having to deal with the "hassle" and "navigating": don't take your kids to these things? I'm much happier I met Luke Skywalker as an adult than as a 10-year-old.

There's going to be a lot more kids who miss out on Darth Vader because the autos/photo ops were limited to a certain number and sold out months in advance I think.

 

On 5/26/2023 at 11:20 AM, Robot Man said:

“Soulless”? Sure, everything is all about the Benjamin’s now days. I can’t think of any living creator I would wait in line for hours and pay to get something signed…

And that's perfectly fair. That aspect of conventions isn't for everyone. Some people spend obscenely high dollar amounts on certain living musician nosebleed tickets and I don't get it either.

 

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KCOComics

KCOComics

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On 5/26/2023 at 12:20 PM, Robot Man said:

“Soulless”? Sure, everything is all about the Benjamin’s now days. I can’t think of any living creator I would wait in line for hours and pay to get something signed…

Romita Sr would be the only one for me and I can't imagine he's doing any more shows.  Getting something signed would be less important to me, than simply meeting him and telling him I'm a fan of his work. 

Not many from his era left. 

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KCOComics

KCOComics

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On 5/26/2023 at 3:17 PM, TheCollector2016 said:

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, and I'm girding my loins with this response, but I have no sympathy for this. If a parent chooses to bring their young kid to an event that involves standing around in lines all day and shelling out endless cash, much like a state fair, that's on them. They didn't have to do that. Here's a way of not having to deal with the "hassle" and "navigating": don't take your kids to these things? I'm much happier I met Luke Skywalker as an adult than as a 10-year-old.

There's going to be a lot more kids who miss out on Darth Vader because the autos/photo ops were limited to a certain number and sold out months in advance I think.

 

And that's perfectly fair. That aspect of conventions isn't for everyone. Some people spend obscenely high dollar amounts on certain living musician nosebleed tickets and I don't get it either.

 

I'm guessing you don't have kids... I can't imagine going to a State Fair and not bringing my kids. I'm an adult, I don't need to pet goats and go on a Ferris Wheel.  You do it because your kids enjoy it. 

I enjoy cons because my kids enjoy cons. They dork out with me and it's awesome. And I'm hopeful that meeting Luke Skywalker would be more fun for my ten year old son today, than it would be for him at 40.   There is no celebrity I would wait in line to meet (besides Romita Sr)... But I would do it for my kids. 

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TheCollector2016

TheCollector2016

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On 5/26/2023 at 3:26 PM, KCOComics said:

I'm guessing you don't have kids... I can't imagine going to a State Fair and not bringing my kids. I'm an adult, I don't need to pet goats and go on a Ferris Wheel.  You do it because your kids enjoy it. 

I enjoy cons because my kids enjoy cons. They dork out with me and it's awesome. And I'm hopeful that meeting Luke Skywalker would be more fun for my ten year old son today, than it would be for him at 40.   There is no celebrity I would wait in line to meet (besides Romita Sr)... But I would do it for my kids. 

You're right, I don't have kids. And I also don't go to state fairs. My point was going to them is a choice. But it sounds like you never went to a con before you had kids, is that right? So you can't see the other side of the coin here, as it doesn't even sound like your thing? 
 

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KCOComics

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On 5/26/2023 at 10:22 PM, TheCollector2016 said:

You're right, I don't have kids. And I also don't go to state fairs. My point was going to them is a choice. But it sounds like you never went to a con before you had kids, is that right? So you can't see the other side of the coin here, as it doesn't even sound like your thing? 
 

 

When I was younger... 18 - 22 or so, I went to local cons and the NYC comiccon once. But Cons were very different back then. This was the late 90s - early 2000s and even the big events like NYC were geared toward buying and selling comics. 

Over the next 16 years, I went to the Boston Comiccon once with my brother.  The highlight for me was spending over an hour talking to Allen Bellman.  By then shows had changed a ton. Prices were sky high and they were much less geared toward collectors, so I had no desire to really go back.

When my oldest son turned 6, he got really interested in my collection and that really reinvigorated my collecting. 

Over the last 5 years, him and I have driven far and wide to go to shows.  Mostly smaller shows, but we've gone to a few big ones.  He likes the Cosplay and Funko and for as much as I enjoy the comics, I really just enjoy going on road trips with him and now his younger brother. Exploring New England towns and coffee shops...  

I never really considered standing in a long line to get a signature or meet anyone until last year, after we lost Adams and Perez and a host of other creaters I really liked. And I realized if I'm going to these events and standing in the same room with guys like Jim Sterenko and Klaus Janson, I should take the opportunity to tell them how much I enjoy their work. Because they aren't getting younger.

 

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Robot Man

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On 5/26/2023 at 12:17 PM, TheCollector2016 said:

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, and I'm girding my loins with this response, but I have no sympathy for this. If a parent chooses to bring their young kid to an event that involves standing around in lines all day and shelling out endless cash, much like a state fair, that's on them. They didn't have to do that. Here's a way of not having to deal with the "hassle" and "navigating": don't take your kids to these things? I'm much happier I met Luke Skywalker as an adult than as a 10-year-old.

There's going to be a lot more kids who miss out on Darth Vader because the autos/photo ops were limited to a certain number and sold out months in advance I think.

 

And that's perfectly fair. That aspect of conventions isn't for everyone. Some people spend obscenely high dollar amounts on certain living musician nosebleed tickets and I don't get it either.

 

Everything is starting to seem nosebleed priced to me. Therefore, other than maybe gas and food, I don’t buy much.

Paying for an autograph especially at the prices some minor comic artists and washed up celebrities want seems just a sleezy money grab. Many should just be glad they have fans that want their signature and want to gush over them. Maybe limit it to just one if they don’t want to feel “exploited”.

To each his or her own. If some want to charge and some want to pay, who am I to care? At the end of the day, it’s all about the Benjamin’s and how you want to spend your time…

 

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