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Playing Card Chat ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦ => Playing Card Plethora => Topic started by: MrMollusk on January 07, 2013, 05:42:22 PM

Title: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: MrMollusk on January 07, 2013, 05:42:22 PM
New deck on KS. Sequel to the Ritual Deck.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elitecards/divine-bicycle-playing-cards-deck?ref=live

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/307/540/5a99c3c7a6105ddefd0bf3a62815af9a_large.jpg?1355686302)
(https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/304/304/e8553e9797940180039bd5854b892310_large.jpg?1355422033)

Looks pretty nice.  :D
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: xela on January 07, 2013, 06:08:10 PM
Incoming shipping complaints.

"WAAAAH I DON'T HAVE $7 TO SHIP CARDS OVERSEAS, THIS IS A GRAVE INJUSTICE TO THE HUMAN SPECIES."
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: DrianAbara on January 07, 2013, 06:35:58 PM
New deck on KS. Sequel to the Ritual Deck.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/elitecards/divine-bicycle-playing-cards-deck?ref=live

(https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/307/540/5a99c3c7a6105ddefd0bf3a62815af9a_large.jpg?1355686302)
(https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/304/304/e8553e9797940180039bd5854b892310_large.jpg?1355422033)

Looks pretty nice.  :D
THESE LOOK ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.
I love how they've put that corner design thing on the faces, because I learnt how to fan with my right hand so that will look nice in fans :D
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Strag on January 07, 2013, 06:51:33 PM
Incoming shipping complaints.

"WAAAAH I DON'T HAVE $7 TO SHIP CARDS OVERSEAS, THIS IS A GRAVE INJUSTICE TO THE HUMAN SPECIES."

I have way more than $7, I just think that $7 ($9 if you include the cost embedded in the "free" US shipping) is quite a lot. for one deck.  Ah well, I'll just wait and pick them up later and cheaper... or not at all.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: xela on January 07, 2013, 07:49:51 PM
Incoming shipping complaints.

"WAAAAH I DON'T HAVE $7 TO SHIP CARDS OVERSEAS, THIS IS A GRAVE INJUSTICE TO THE HUMAN SPECIES."

I have way more than $7, I just think that $7 ($9 if you include the cost embedded in the "free" US shipping) is quite a lot. for one deck.  Ah well, I'll just wait and pick them up later and cheaper... or not at all.

On KS, you make little to no profit on one-deck international shipments, so for me for example, there was no reason to provide a cheap option, and it ended up being the right decision.

If I lost even 100 pledges by keeping my international for one deck expensive, that's like <$1000 in pledges, and potentially under $100 in profit. Meanwhile, packing and shipping the extra 100 international shipments is a huge amount of work.

Meanwhile, sell one gross to a reseller and you've made $1000, and it takes 1/100th the time to pack and send out. :P
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Strag on January 07, 2013, 07:55:32 PM
No question... but then I would imagine margin is similar for one deck US pledges.   And, of course, assumes it's possible to get funded in that manner.  Not happening for everyone these days.

Hey, business is business and I get it.  As I said, I'll pick them up retail and pay less later, without the KS risk factor.  Win for me, but the project may not get funded.  Oh well.

Oh, and I got your deck later too ;)
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Lara Krystle "Lane" on January 07, 2013, 08:22:00 PM

L=Good deck designs...
HOLY INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING :(
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: DrianAbara on January 07, 2013, 09:00:27 PM
Pledged for 2 decks and international shipping - my first ever Kickstarter pledge! This is the beginning of the end of my wallet :P
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: dee1orean on January 07, 2013, 10:48:21 PM
I've pledged for two decks, I'm in the UK and personally have no problem paying $8 to ship a package roughly 3500 miles.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Russell CircleCityCards on January 08, 2013, 01:29:37 AM
As I have said before... I understand making a profit, that is why EVERYONE starts a KS project, including myself.

$7 for shipping one deck?  No.  Make your profit on the cards, not gouging international customers.

CCCC prides ourselves in charging customers for shipping NOT HANDLING.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: xela on January 08, 2013, 01:50:12 AM
As I have said before... I understand making a profit, that is why EVERYONE starts a KS project, including myself.

$7 for shipping one deck?  No.  Make your profit on the cards, not gouging international customers.

CCCC prides ourselves in charging customers for shipping NOT HANDLING.

It's about $5 to ship one deck internationally, and $8 to ship two, and climbs from there until you hit the flat rate. Throw in shipping supply costs, and I don't see the big deal on either count charging an extra $1-2 or paying an extra $1-2. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy anything here, and no one is entitled to cheap shipping at all.

I also don't see the difference between paying $15 for one deck, wherein $8 is for the deck, or $15 for one deck, wherein $10 is the deck. It's the same exact kind of deck in both cases, with a different design.

The QQ over shipping rates is getting really old, especially since you can just wait until resellers get them and order from them, and in most cases receive your decks before backers do, or just buy one extra deck and get charged a non-profit shipping cost.

Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on January 08, 2013, 03:23:00 AM
Incoming shipping complaints.

"WAAAAH I DON'T HAVE $7 TO SHIP CARDS OVERSEAS, THIS IS A GRAVE INJUSTICE TO THE HUMAN SPECIES."

That's right, Alex - you spot a fire, pour on more gasoline!  :))  Burn!  Burn!


THESE LOOK ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.
I love how they've put that corner design thing on the faces, because I learnt how to fan with my right hand so that will look nice in fans :D

Yes, very true - but they'll be terrible for "blank deck" tricks.


I have way more than $7, I just think that $7 ($9 if you include the cost embedded in the "free" US shipping) is quite a lot. for one deck.  Ah well, I'll just wait and pick them up later and cheaper... or not at all.

It is a lot, no question.  The best option would be to team up with a couple of friends and pledge as one - the shipping becomes way more affordable that way.

No question... but then I would imagine margin is similar for one deck US pledges.   And, of course, assumes it's possible to get funded in that manner.  Not happening for everyone these days.

Hey, business is business and I get it.  As I said, I'll pick them up retail and pay less later, without the KS risk factor.  Win for me, but the project may not get funded.  Oh well.

Oh, and I got your deck later too ;)

Similar, but far from the same.  A first-class envelope weighing 5 ounces (the average deck is 3.3 ounces) costs $1.70 to ship First Class with no tracking - if it's being delivered between two US addresses.  Send that same package to another country and it gets costly, judging from this random sampling of countries:

Belgium: $4.87
Brazil: $4.71
Canada $2.10 (which is why Canada shipments are usually charged less)
China: $4.87
Taiwan: $4.71
South Korea: $4.87
Mexico: $3.62
Philippines: $4.71

I hope you're seeing the trend.  Now bear in mind, this is First Class Mail postage only, without any tracking of any kind, and not counting the packing materials and the time spent filling out a Customs form for every single package.  First Class is cheap because it's slow - it can take up to a month or more in some places.  And if you want to send it by Registered Mail (which is the only method for tracking international packages), for most destinations, expect to pay about $7 more in postage cost.  I'll grant that some of the costs are already covered by the US shipping portion of the deck price, but not all of them.

Priority Mail varies in cost from place to place - it's faster and usually more costly for small-weight shipments.  However, using a flat-rate box or envelope (max. capacity 4 lbs. for International, which is maybe 13-15 decks with packing), it's possible to send several decks for much less than the price of shipping them individually.  Plus the shipper uses the special Flat Rate boxes and envelopes - saves the cost of buying their own.

Another alternative, if you want cheap shipping: make a deal with an American friend (use the STISO to find one) who's already planning to invest in the deck and ask him to increase the investment - then you send him the US price for a deck plus the postage costs.  It's not like that's never been done before.

I've pledged for two decks, I'm in the UK and personally have no problem paying $8 to ship a package roughly 3500 miles.

A ha!  Someone who understands the costs of shipping internationally!  :))

(...and I ain't even touching the back-n-forth between Russ and Alex...)  :))
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Strag on January 08, 2013, 06:33:09 AM
I do understand the cost of shipping internationally (after all, I live internationally) and am well aware of actually costs since I'm actually an ex-pat American living in the UK.  However it doesn't make sense to make more of a profit off an International customer than and domestic one UNLESS you are able and willing to live without those International customers.

What I have been seeing is more and more KS decks showing up on European web sites for far less than it would have cost me to purchase through KS.  And I'm more than happy to buy my decks that way.  After all, this way I'm much more assured of getting them, I can combine shipping as part of a larger order (I'm usually getting 2-3 decks of a particular type) and, in some cases, I can even get them sooner, as most KS tend to send out International last.

I also get that the paperwork is more difficult to process, but there are ways that can be automated (years and years ago I ran the shipping department for an electronics company and managed to automate the paperwork then and it's easier now).

As to the other argument, well the fact of the matter is when I calculate cost (and I keep a spreadsheet of all my decks and what they cost me) I include shipping in, and my budget these days for a custom deck tops out at $10 including shipping. Sometimes more if I think the design is that awesome or the work warrants it (such as Aurum) but $10 is about it.  Most of the KS being launched these days are well in excess of that price and as such I won't back. 

Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: DrianAbara on January 08, 2013, 09:38:46 AM
Quote

THESE LOOK ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.
I love how they've put that corner design thing on the faces, because I learnt how to fan with my right hand so that will look nice in fans :D

Yes, very true - but they'll be terrible for "blank deck" tricks.
That's what the White Lions and their blank cards are for ^_^
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: MrMollusk on January 08, 2013, 09:48:28 AM
Yes, very true - but they'll be terrible for "blank deck" tricks.
Yeah, but think about how cool they'd look fanned the other way.  8)
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on January 08, 2013, 10:23:42 AM
Yes, very true - but they'll be terrible for "blank deck" tricks.
Yeah, but think about how cool they'd look fanned the other way.  8)

That was my point - great for flourishing, somewhat less so for magic.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: 10ofclubs on January 08, 2013, 05:00:40 PM
Being both a hobbyist magician and a card collector, I would MUCH rather sacrifice the ability to do a blank deck trick (not one of my favorites anyways) in order to have sick reverse fans. I perform for basically the same people over and over so mixing it up with a different deck is something I do a lot.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on January 08, 2013, 08:07:35 PM
Being both a hobbyist magician and a card collector, I would MUCH rather sacrifice the ability to do a blank deck trick (not one of my favorites anyways) in order to have sick reverse fans. I perform for basically the same people over and over so mixing it up with a different deck is something I do a lot.

It's why I indicated only "somewhat less so" - they're far from terrible, though for my tastes the design is a little busy.  As far as different decks, you know what they say about variety being the spice of life and all...  :))
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Blot153 on January 09, 2013, 04:37:53 AM
Where are the detail pics of the Pips on the current project? I've only seen Aces so far... No detailed huge pics of the pips...
I don't think people have said enough on this thread, about how beautiful and ornate these are btw. Love em.

One more '?'...
Ritual is an Air Cushion Finish Deck... as opposed to Magic. Any reason? and will Divine be the same?
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on January 09, 2013, 05:02:49 AM
Where are the detail pics of the Pips on the current project? I've only seen Aces so far... No detailed huge pics of the pips...
I don't think people have said enough on this thread, about how beautiful and ornate these are btw. Love em.

One more '?'...
Ritual is an Air Cushion Finish Deck... as opposed to Magic. Any reason? and will Divine be the same?

These days, Magic Finish is the standard coating for custom decks.  You actually have to request the old standard finish!  Despite the labeling, it's very possibly Magic Finish - best way to know is not just the handling difference, but the smell - MF gives off a different, slightly sharper and more chemical scent.  It weakens over time, but it remains with the deck until enough finish has worn off, by which time your cards are either translucent or in a trash can!

A deck's finish name can be whatever the designer wants it to be - Air Cushion, Cambric, Linoid, Smooth, Ivory, Vampire's Blood, whatever you want.  The only exception would be that for certain of their trademark names, you specifically need to print on either smooth or embossed ("air cushion") paper; you'd never label a textured deck's finish "Ivory", though you're free to call it "Artificial Yak Milk"...Some designers prefer the traditional names, while others go for Magic Finish, and still others call it "Premium Finish", "Performance Coating", "Performance Finish", etc.  Then there's the oddballs who use names like "Apocalyptic Finish", largely because they can!

So, despite the labels, even Ritual may have been MF.  This will almost certainly be so.  Ellusionist was printing decks with MF on them long before they changed the boxes from saying "Air Cushion Finish" to "Performance Coating" - and some now still have the old name, or the even-newer name they're using, Performance Finish.  The very first MF deck made was the Gold Arcane, and it says Air Cushion Finish on every single box - it was the "field test" deck to see how well the finish performed in people's hands.  Not the best test choice, if you ask me - why not put it on a deck that people actually open and use, rather than one they put on an altar and pray to?  :))

As far as commentary on the Divine deck - well, simply put, it's not to everyone's taste.  No custom deck ever really is, when you get down to it.  I'm not saying it's a bad deck at all, it's just not my style and judging from the comments thus far, I don't think I'm alone in that opinion.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Strag on January 09, 2013, 06:44:01 AM
I have the Ritual deck and I believe it's magic finish.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Joker and the Thief on January 09, 2013, 07:43:35 AM
Holy crap balls that is detailed!  :o
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Blot153 on January 09, 2013, 08:39:36 AM
Something that is evident the more I look around the interwebular, is that you can make something incredible, unique and detailed; and if it is expressive, it can be misinterpreted, or misunderstood, or altogether looked past. These things occurring do not signify success or failure. Success is measured in whether or not what you envisioned, has been brought into this world because you bled for it.

One of the most important aspects of this process for A.I., was that we knew that no matter what, come hell or high water, GalaxY CardS would be made and printed and people would get to experience them. We have something to express and I hope that no matter what, Elite keeps designing cards, because the trend line, of the level of detail for their series of decks, looks very clean and gradual and i think that there is a great place in the world of custom playing cards for just that. Hell, I think there is a need for it.

Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on January 09, 2013, 11:32:57 AM
Something that is evident the more I look around the interwebular, is that you can make something incredible, unique and detailed; and if it is expressive, it can be misinterpreted, or misunderstood, or altogether looked past. These things occurring do not signify success or failure. Success is measured in whether or not what you envisioned, has been brought into this world because you bled for it.

One of the most important aspects of this process for A.I., was that we knew that no matter what, come hell or high water, GalaxY CardS would be made and printed and people would get to experience them. We have something to express and I hope that no matter what, Elite keeps designing cards, because the trend line, of the level of detail for their series of decks, looks very clean and gradual and i think that there is a great place in the world of custom playing cards for just that. Hell, I think there is a need for it.

Judging from the Ritual deck, I assure you that this deck will find its audience.  I respect the work that went into it, despite not finding it to my tastes.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: hazofhorsham on January 09, 2013, 05:30:29 PM
Just to wade in on the international shipping thing (as someone who has many times complained about it here and elsewhere) - just don't back.

I hate paying high international fees because I feel like I am footing the bill for 'FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING' - am I actually footing the bill? No. There cost is taken from the deck, the amount of international customers is usually not enough to cover the cost of all the domestic ones. However, being the only set of customers to pay any shipping and handling leaves a sour taste.

I must say though, after about a year of whining about international shipping I've calmed down now because I realized that kickstarter wasn't what I thought it was. I assumed (through all the propaganda) that you 'pledged' on kickstarter to help a guy out, and as such you were 'rewarded' for your generosity. This is usually never the case anymore... If you think about vortex we got this forum, if you think about tendril the backers were enabled to see aurum information early and back on kickstarter for those, CCCC always do an amazing job as well, what I like about them is the actual special rewards, like the dice.

Those three companies I named in my opinion brought the community together for a common goal, to produce great decks. In return, those companies were loyal to their customers. Nowadays kickstarter acts as a presale, you order some decks 3 months in advance, most likely to add to your collection. In my opinion and judging from what alex posted earlier, I believe kickstarter for decks will end up being a resellers investment program. Let's face it as the seller you offload say 72 decks to 5 big resellers ~ $2500 made and you've five packages to ship out. As the buyer, you get the deck semi cheap (reseller price plus their profit), and you can combine shipping with all the other decks you want. Saving about a third. Who loses? Only those that can't get resellers on board.

It sucks not to be able to get involved with the kickstarter course, but from my experience you dont actually miss much, and those special exclusives are shit most times. Dice good, Chips nice (wont use, since I won't play with the deck), brick boxes lovely. Stickers fuck, crappy t-shirts piss off, a cap? No thank you. Kickstarter is dying for cards.

tl;dr
We should all stop bitching about international shipping, kickstarter sucks, I get decks from resellers and am happy about it :)
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: DrianAbara on January 09, 2013, 06:47:29 PM
Just to wade in on the international shipping thing (as someone who has many times complained about it here and elsewhere) - just don't back.

I hate paying high international fees because I feel like I am footing the bill for 'FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING' - am I actually footing the bill? No. There cost is taken from the deck, the amount of international customers is usually not enough to cover the cost of all the domestic ones. However, being the only set of customers to pay any shipping and handling leaves a sour taste.

I must say though, after about a year of whining about international shipping I've calmed down now because I realized that kickstarter wasn't what I thought it was. I assumed (through all the propaganda) that you 'pledged' on kickstarter to help a guy out, and as such you were 'rewarded' for your generosity. This is usually never the case anymore... If you think about vortex we got this forum, if you think about tendril the backers were enabled to see aurum information early and back on kickstarter for those, CCCC always do an amazing job as well, what I like about them is the actual special rewards, like the dice.

Those three companies I named in my opinion brought the community together for a common goal, to produce great decks. In return, those companies were loyal to their customers. Nowadays kickstarter acts as a presale, you order some decks 3 months in advance, most likely to add to your collection. In my opinion and judging from what alex posted earlier, I believe kickstarter for decks will end up being a resellers investment program. Let's face it as the seller you offload say 72 decks to 5 big resellers ~ $2500 made and you've five packages to ship out. As the buyer, you get the deck semi cheap (reseller price plus their profit), and you can combine shipping with all the other decks you want. Saving about a third. Who loses? Only those that can't get resellers on board.

It sucks not to be able to get involved with the kickstarter course, but from my experience you dont actually miss much, and those special exclusives are shit most times. Dice good, Chips nice (wont use, since I won't play with the deck), brick boxes lovely. Stickers fuck, crappy t-shirts piss off, a cap? No thank you. Kickstarter is dying for cards.

tl;dr
We should all stop bitching about international shipping, kickstarter sucks, I get decks from resellers and am happy about it :)
For me, I don't reckon the shipping is too bad for this one. As I live in the UK, the average custom deck costs around about £8.50 give or take a pound - and I've pledged for 2 decks at $27, which is £8 a deck - that is pretty good for the UK. And also I get to have 2 of these beautiful decks, of which I absolutely adore the design.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on January 10, 2013, 05:38:40 AM
Just to wade in on the international shipping thing (as someone who has many times complained about it here and elsewhere) - just don't back.

I hate paying high international fees because I feel like I am footing the bill for 'FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING' - am I actually footing the bill? No. There cost is taken from the deck, the amount of international customers is usually not enough to cover the cost of all the domestic ones. However, being the only set of customers to pay any shipping and handling leaves a sour taste.

I must say though, after about a year of whining about international shipping I've calmed down now because I realized that kickstarter wasn't what I thought it was. I assumed (through all the propaganda) that you 'pledged' on kickstarter to help a guy out, and as such you were 'rewarded' for your generosity. This is usually never the case anymore... If you think about vortex we got this forum, if you think about tendril the backers were enabled to see aurum information early and back on kickstarter for those, CCCC always do an amazing job as well, what I like about them is the actual special rewards, like the dice.

Those three companies I named in my opinion brought the community together for a common goal, to produce great decks. In return, those companies were loyal to their customers. Nowadays kickstarter acts as a presale, you order some decks 3 months in advance, most likely to add to your collection. In my opinion and judging from what alex posted earlier, I believe kickstarter for decks will end up being a resellers investment program. Let's face it as the seller you offload say 72 decks to 5 big resellers ~ $2500 made and you've five packages to ship out. As the buyer, you get the deck semi cheap (reseller price plus their profit), and you can combine shipping with all the other decks you want. Saving about a third. Who loses? Only those that can't get resellers on board.

It sucks not to be able to get involved with the kickstarter course, but from my experience you dont actually miss much, and those special exclusives are shit most times. Dice good, Chips nice (wont use, since I won't play with the deck), brick boxes lovely. Stickers fuck, crappy t-shirts piss off, a cap? No thank you. Kickstarter is dying for cards.

tl;dr
We should all stop bitching about international shipping, kickstarter sucks, I get decks from resellers and am happy about it :)

The instances you mentioned about the KS projects acting as presales - well, there's only been one I can think of, and that was for the Aurum deck.  He released perhaps a hundred decks for his fans who caught wind of it early enough to buy.  I would question if Kickstarter would not allow such a project today, if they had analyzed it a little closer.

Kickstarter's primary mission is to launch someone's dream and perhaps make them successful enough to launch a company.  The thing I don't like about Kickstarter is the number of companies that keep coming back to launch on Kickstarter over and over.  It's like a baby that won't be weaned off of breast-feeding.  There's been cases where someone brought a deck to KS and had the cash already needed to "launch" it - he just wanted to take advantage of the social aspect and get his name further out into the public.  That's nice and all, but that's not really what Kickstarter was meant for, if you ask me.

International shipping - assuming that the person creating the project ran his numbers correctly before the launch, he factored in domestic shipping (in which I include "handling") in the cost of the deck.  In theory, international buyers should only be paying the difference between a domestic shipment and an international one on top of the price, and a little extra handling for having to fill out a Customs form for each and every international shipment.  If someone was too lazy to run the numbers and overcharges their international pledgers (or even the domestic ones), well, that's his foul-up, and if his project crashes and burns, so be it.

And YES, why must so many new deck projects start offering rewards as if they were running a flea market?!?  Decks and uncut sheets are a natural, since they're why the project's in existence.  T-shirts or caps of good quality, reasonably priced, might be nice, particularly if the art on them is good; only one or two designs, not a zillion.  Dice are a natural fit, but how many dice does someone need or want?  Art prints?  How many walls do these people think I have?  And once you start getting into the jewelry, is it really a deck project anymore?  Or a tchotchke project?

For me, I don't reckon the shipping is too bad for this one. As I live in the UK, the average custom deck costs around about £8.50 give or take a pound - and I've pledged for 2 decks at $27, which is £8 a deck - that is pretty good for the UK. And also I get to have 2 of these beautiful decks, of which I absolutely adore the design.

See, that's the attitude one needs to take with this.  "Will it cost me less than if I bought it at home?"  If the answer is yes, go for it.  If the answer is no, then you have to think a bit harder.  On the one hand, it's costly; on the other hand, a lack of funding might kill a project and the cards will never make it to a reseller.  So you need to decide if the "luxury tax" is worth getting the deck immediately or whether you want to take a chance on getting it later or not seeing it made.  The decision becomes more flexible as the project's close draws nearer - you'll see if there will be enough backing; if they're a little short, maybe you pitch in because you really like the deck.  Or not.  The one caveat in there is for cases where a limited-run deck sells out on Kickstarter - then you're paying a collector's premium to get the deck at home, and maybe that extra "luxury tax" is the more cost-effective means by which to get the deck.

Gentlemen, this has been a wonderful tangent and I thank you all for coming.  If you'd like to continue this, would you please move the discussion to Talk Park?  This is a topic for the Divine deck.  Thank you!  :))
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: DrianAbara on January 10, 2013, 05:29:17 PM
Don, have you pledged to get any of these?
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on January 10, 2013, 08:06:55 PM
Don, have you pledged to get any of these?

Let me ask you something: judging from what I've written here so far, what do you think is the answer to that question?  Be honest.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Blot153 on January 10, 2013, 08:50:39 PM
Don is listed as a platinum level buyer!!! Dear God Don!! 3,000 decks!!?? pffft ;D
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: alvinhy on January 11, 2013, 08:22:24 AM
Don probably has a wall partition in his house made out of decks
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on January 11, 2013, 09:50:04 AM
Don probably has a wall partition in his house made out of decks

My collection now is perhaps 1,400-1,500 decks and around 550 styles.  Not enough for wall - yet.

But back to the topic, if you don't mind?

No, I haven't pledged and don't have plans to.  As I stated, it's a great deck, but it's not my style.  That and I can't afford every single deck that hits the market.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: DrianAbara on January 12, 2013, 09:39:52 AM
Don probably has a wall partition in his house made out of decks

My collection now is perhaps 1,400-1,500 decks and around 550 styles.  Not enough for wall - yet.

But back to the topic, if you don't mind?

No, I haven't pledged and don't have plans to.  As I stated, it's a great deck, but it's not my style.  That and I can't afford every single deck that hits the market.
Do you prefer more classic looking cards then?
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on January 12, 2013, 04:53:27 PM
Don probably has a wall partition in his house made out of decks

My collection now is perhaps 1,400-1,500 decks and around 550 styles.  Not enough for wall - yet.

But back to the topic, if you don't mind?

No, I haven't pledged and don't have plans to.  As I stated, it's a great deck, but it's not my style.  That and I can't afford every single deck that hits the market.
Do you prefer more classic looking cards then?

I have a wide variety of tastes, actually.  What I don't have a wide variety of paper currency in my wallet...  One must pick and choose when resources aren't infinite, and these aren't as appealing to me as some other designs.  Easy peasy.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: PlayingKards on January 25, 2013, 10:49:35 PM
Wow theres A LOT going on in the back design. I kinda like it. I like the ace suits.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: DrianAbara on February 03, 2013, 06:35:53 AM
Wow theres A LOT going on in the back design. I kinda like it. I like the ace suits.
The Aces are my favourite. There's something so beautiful and intricate about them, can't wait to get my decks but I gotta wait all the way until May :(
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on February 03, 2013, 10:52:35 AM
Wow theres A LOT going on in the back design. I kinda like it. I like the ace suits.
The Aces are my favourite. There's something so beautiful and intricate about them, can't wait to get my decks but I gotta wait all the way until May :(

PK - Just say "the aces."  Aces aren't suits, they're values.  Hearts, clubs, etc. - those are suits.

DA - You make it sound like you have to wait four or five years for the bleedin' cards to arrive!  Don't whine; it's very unattractive.  If patience is a virtue, I'm starting to think your generation is somewhat less virtuous than most, especially with this being the Internet Age.  If someone could send you a ham sandwich or some sushi as an attachment, your world would be complete...

OK, now I'm ranting like a grandpa...  "I used to walk to school five miles in the deepest snow, and it was all uphill - BOTH ways!  That's how it worked in the town of Escher back in the olden days..."  :))
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: MrMollusk on February 04, 2013, 03:18:09 PM
Wow theres A LOT going on in the back design. I kinda like it. I like the ace suits.
The Aces are my favourite. There's something so beautiful and intricate about them, can't wait to get my decks but I gotta wait all the way until May :(

PK - Just say "the aces."  Aces aren't suits, they're values.  Hearts, clubs, etc. - those are suits.

DA - You make it sound like you have to wait four or five years for the bleedin' cards to arrive!  Don't whine; it's very unattractive.  If patience is a virtue, I'm starting to think your generation is somewhat less virtuous than most, especially with this being the Internet Age.  If someone could send you a ham sandwich or some sushi as an attachment, your world would be complete...

OK, now I'm ranting like a grandpa...  "I used to walk to school five miles in the deepest snow, and it was all uphill - BOTH ways!  That's how it worked in the town of Escher back in the olden days..."  :))

I'm still patiently twiddling my thumbs for the Core deck.
And then there's the set of Fulton's Clip Joint/Chinatown I ordered 8 months ago, and am still hoping the post office will spit it out of a pile of lost mail.

That being said, the wait comes with any KS project.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: S.C. on February 04, 2013, 04:28:58 PM
Wow theres A LOT going on in the back design. I kinda like it. I like the ace suits.
The Aces are my favourite. There's something so beautiful and intricate about them, can't wait to get my decks but I gotta wait all the way until May :(


PK - Just say "the aces."  Aces aren't suits, they're values.  Hearts, clubs, etc. - those are suits.

DA - You make it sound like you have to wait four or five years for the bleedin' cards to arrive!  Don't whine; it's very unattractive.  If patience is a virtue, I'm starting to think your generation is somewhat less virtuous than most, especially with this being the Internet Age.  If someone could send you a ham sandwich or some sushi as an attachment, your world would be complete...

OK, now I'm ranting like a grandpa...  "I used to walk to school five miles in the deepest snow, and it was all uphill - BOTH ways!  That's how it worked in the town of Escher back in the olden days..."  :))

I'm still patiently twiddling my thumbs for the Core deck.
And then there's the set of Fulton's Clip Joint/Chinatown I ordered 8 months ago, and am still hoping the post office will spit it out of a pile of lost mail.

That being said, the wait comes with any KS project.

Did you write sid at D&D about the missing package?
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: DrianAbara on February 04, 2013, 04:47:21 PM
Wow theres A LOT going on in the back design. I kinda like it. I like the ace suits.
The Aces are my favourite. There's something so beautiful and intricate about them, can't wait to get my decks but I gotta wait all the way until May :(

PK - Just say "the aces."  Aces aren't suits, they're values.  Hearts, clubs, etc. - those are suits.

DA - You make it sound like you have to wait four or five years for the bleedin' cards to arrive!  Don't whine; it's very unattractive.  If patience is a virtue, I'm starting to think your generation is somewhat less virtuous than most, especially with this being the Internet Age.  If someone could send you a ham sandwich or some sushi as an attachment, your world would be complete...

OK, now I'm ranting like a grandpa...  "I used to walk to school five miles in the deepest snow, and it was all uphill - BOTH ways!  That's how it worked in the town of Escher back in the olden days..."  :))
I didn't want to come across as whiny at all! I wanted to express my excitement for the deck :D (Just wanted to clear that up :D )
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: The Quadfather on February 04, 2013, 09:39:54 PM
Saw the back design of these and immediately decided to back them, right after i cleaned the drool off my phone. Then I took a look at the other photos, and I'm seriously happy that I went for the6 decks instead of just 2!
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: DrianAbara on February 05, 2013, 08:23:40 AM
Saw the back design of these and immediately decided to back them, right after i cleaned the drool off my phone. Then I took a look at the other photos, and I'm seriously happy that I went for the6 decks instead of just 2!
You would have been able to change your pledge either way anyway :D
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Pacis on February 05, 2013, 09:00:30 AM
Saw the back design of these and immediately decided to back them, right after i cleaned the drool off my phone. Then I took a look at the other photos, and I'm seriously happy that I went for the6 decks instead of just 2!

Lol, some drooling there. I loved them too. Beautiful design. But I went for the 3 pledge.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: S.C. on February 05, 2013, 10:53:09 AM
Saw the back design of these and immediately decided to back them, right after i cleaned the drool off my phone. Then I took a look at the other photos, and I'm seriously happy that I went for the6 decks instead of just 2!

Lol, some drooling there. I loved them too. Beautiful design. But I went for the 3 pledge.

I agree, they look like works of art. I pledged for two of them. I do a lot of half pass work so their not the most practical for me in performance but i know I would kick myself if i didnt get a couple. ;)
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: The Quadfather on April 08, 2013, 10:08:49 PM
Any news about these? Haven't received an update or anything in around 8000 years!
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on April 08, 2013, 11:26:02 PM
Any news about these? Haven't received an update or anything in around 8000 years!

If you're a backer, it's more like three weeks since they last updated.  You obviously haven't been looking all that hard for your answer...

They stated an estimated delivery date of May - it ain't May yet.

I will say, however, that they're website appears to be taking orders and lists them as being in stock.  One more deck I can move to the 2013 Releases list...

http://eliteplayingcards.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=57&product_id=57

Assuming this is correct, they're probably ahead of schedule and shipping to backers by now.  But it's also possible they bent the truth about this being "in stock" rather than a pre-order.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: The Quadfather on April 09, 2013, 06:30:40 AM
Any news about these? Haven't received an update or anything in around 8000 years!

If you're a backer, it's more like three weeks since they last updated.  You obviously haven't been looking all that hard for your answer...

They stated an estimated delivery date of May - it ain't May yet.

I will say, however, that they're website appears to be taking orders and lists them as being in stock.  One more deck I can move to the 2013 Releases list...

http://eliteplayingcards.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=57&product_id=57

Assuming this is correct, they're probably ahead of schedule and shipping to backers by now.  But it's also possible they bent the truth about this being "in stock" rather than a pre-order.

I've checked my emails and the last time I received one was close to when I made my last post on this thread in early February. Just thought it was strange is all.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: BiggerDee on April 09, 2013, 09:00:39 AM
Mine came in yesterday so at least some of them are already shipping.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on April 09, 2013, 01:32:19 PM
I've checked my emails and the last time I received one was close to when I made my last post on this thread in early February. Just thought it was strange is all.

I was bothered less by your inquiry, more by the fact that it was a question you could EASILY have answered yourself...  Have you cleaned out your spam folder lately?  That's likely where your update emails went.  Failing that, you only needed to go to the KS project update page, as well as Elite's own website.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: The Quadfather on April 09, 2013, 08:48:22 PM
I've checked my emails and the last time I received one was close to when I made my last post on this thread in early February. Just thought it was strange is all.

I was bothered less by your inquiry, more by the fact that it was a question you could EASILY have answered yourself...  Have you cleaned out your spam folder lately?  That's likely where your update emails went.  Failing that, you only needed to go to the KS project update page, as well as Elite's own website.

I've emptied my spam since then. But you're right. I could've checked. Just didn't think about it. Thanks for bringing my lack of expertise of backing kickstarter projects into the limelight though.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: Don Boyer on April 09, 2013, 08:56:01 PM
I've checked my emails and the last time I received one was close to when I made my last post on this thread in early February. Just thought it was strange is all.

I was bothered less by your inquiry, more by the fact that it was a question you could EASILY have answered yourself...  Have you cleaned out your spam folder lately?  That's likely where your update emails went.  Failing that, you only needed to go to the KS project update page, as well as Elite's own website.

I've emptied my spam since then. But you're right. I could've checked. Just didn't think about it. Thanks for bringing my lack of expertise of backing kickstarter projects into the limelight though.

We all had to start somewhere.  It wasn't that long ago that I was backing my first project - which in this case was Miller's Actuators.  Live and learn.
Title: Re: New KS Deck: Divine deck (By Elite Playing Cards)
Post by: The Quadfather on April 16, 2013, 06:48:58 AM
Received these today! Got to say, they're absolutely gorgeous! It's one of those decks that look and feel so good, that I don't want to shuffle them out of new deck order!