*Special Gold Crown Promotion* - We saw this coming!

[KPopFever605]

Posed by HOPC via FB:

"In less than 8 Hours, you will not only be able to purchase the ORNATE decks for the first time, you will also have your final shot at London 2012 and Verve Élan Rouge decks. And to make things even more interesting, we're throwing Gold Crowns into the mix. Learn more here:

http://houseofplayingcards.com/contests/"

The page links you to this:

"GOLD CROWNS - 4 HOURS - August 14th

From 8PM eastern time until midnight on Tuesday, August 14th, you can obtain one, two, or even THREE Gold Crown decks! During this 4-hour window, orders of $100 or more will have a Gold Crown automatically added to your cart. Orders of $200 or more will have 2 decks added, and orders of $300 and up will have 3 decks added. It's that simple! Shipping costs do not apply to the various price levels. Max number of Gold Crowns per order is 3."

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I don't know about you guys, but I remember earlier we were talking about something like this happening. Unfortunately, I am probably going to have to miss this release because my wallet has been feeling the agony of my spending. By the way, how can you really spend $300 at HOPC? Buy a few bricks of cards? Tell me what you guys think below!

[DelMagic]

At least the 1st promotion gave you the whole collector's box for $100 -  5-decks in all, so it was a better deal. It will be interesting to see how many gold decks end up for sale in a few weeks.

[Paul Carpenter]

I was thinking about these recently, and without them telling us it's going to be impossible  to determine how many of these might exist. We know that generally you have to do a minimum of 2500 for a run, but in this case because all the art is identical to their other cards in this series, it's possible that they had just a few hundred boxes done special, and did part of another run just swapping in some gold ink.

By not telling, they are just masterfully using the "have it now" that all us poor collectors are afflicted with. Smart!

[Evan]

I hate this whole gold crown thing and I will not spend $100 or more to get one.
$50 would be a good price point IMO

[Reylek]

The info that the Golds will be available tonight has been posted in our Facebook event since Wednesday.

We have a lot of people contacting us who want to get them.  We are simply providing the opportunity.  Not forcing anyone to buy anything they don't want.  We could've easily made it 1 deck for all orders of $100 and up, where if you spent $200, you still only got 1 deck.  By putting the cap at 3, we're trying to make them available for collectors who would like them, but not make it a total free-for-all.

[Knobz1]

Hey!!  What do ya know.  They are releasing more Gold Crown Decks and I didnt even have to be that patient 

[Don Boyer]

I don't know about you guys, but I remember earlier we were talking about something like this happening. Unfortunately, I am probably going to have to miss this release because my wallet has been feeling the agony of my spending. By the way, how can you really spend $300 at HOPC? Buy a few bricks of cards? Tell me what you guys think below!

 

Well, some magicians and cardists like to stock up on decks.  I have a pretty good supply of Crowns and NOCs right now, even some Mechanics.  What performer around here do you know that doesn't blow through a deck or two in a month, either by performance or practice?  The NOC is one of the cheapest decks around that has Magic Finish, and the backs are perfect for poker as well as magic - nowhere to hide secret marks.


And don't forget they have a nice little collection of card-related videos, DVDs and books.  The Steve Forte Gambling Protection Series I'd LOVE to have in my collection, bro!  I now have the Joshua Jay book, and I suggested to them to stock Hoyle's Rules of Neighborhood Poker because I own it and it's a fantastic and educational-but-humorous book.

At least the 1st promotion gave you the whole collector's box for $100 -  5-decks in all, so it was a better deal. It will be interesting to see how many gold decks end up for sale in a few weeks.

Wait a sec - you think that of these two deals:


1) Pay $100 and get a box of five decks, including a Gold Crown, or
2) Buy $100 of products and get a Gold Crown FREE


that the 1st deal is BETTER than the second?  If so, I have to make a store fast and get you to be my number one customer!  You can sell the $100 of decks, books or DVDs if you don't want them, and the Gold Crown is 100% FREE aside from shipping...

I hate this whole gold crown thing and I will not spend $100 or more to get one.
$50 would be a good price point IMO

Price point?  Evan, they're FREE.  You have to buy something to get them, but they're still FREE.  The only price point lower than that would be if HOPC paid you to take them!

If your talking about premium threshold, you're smoking some of the good stuff...  Spend $75 at Ellusionist, get a Blue Masters, the cheapest deck they make!  At $175, you get a deck of gaff cards.  It's not until you hit THREE-HUNDRED-AND-FIFTY DOLLARS that you start getting rare decks.  But I never hear people complaining...strange...  Do that for this promo at HOPC, you walk away with THREE RARE DECKS.

Hey!!  What do ya know.  They are releasing more Gold Crown Decks and I didnt even have to be that patient 

It's as Kevin said below - the people wanted it and let them know, so they decided to provide it.  It's usually a good practice to listen to your customers and give them as much of what they want as you can.



Jeez, guys - HOPC is having a giveaway, and some of you are COMPLAINING?!  What a shocker...  Would you, Evan, have preferred they simply sell you the deck for $50, since you think that's "a good price point"?  How about you, DelMagic?  Maybe I'll go talk to the marketing department - "Hey, Kevin, I have a suggestion for you from some disgruntled customers who'd rather PAY for a freebie..."

[Evan]

I should've remembered that if I post anything in a thread that has to do with HOPC or TBC, Don would come in here... 

@Don, the only reason I say it should be cheaper is because HOPC said that they didn't want the Gold Crown deck to be a badge of honor for people with the most money, but that's exactly what it's become!

[Don Boyer]

I should've remembered that if I post anything in a thread that has to do with HOPC or TBC, Don would come in here... 

@Don, the only reason I say it should be cheaper is because HOPC said that they didn't want the Gold Crown deck to be a badge of honor for people with the most money, but that's exactly what it's become!

Hmm...  So you can go to Ellusionist, spend $350 on merch and get a free rare deck: Gold Arcane, Black Ghost 1st Ed. or Artifice Red.  That's expensive.  The next deck doesn't come until you spend a total of $475.  That's VERY expensive.


Or you can go to HOPC now during this promo, spend only $100 while shopping, and get a free Gold Crown.  And another for $200 total, and ANOTHER for $300 total.  That's less than E makes you buy for just one!  Even when E has the $75 specials, they make you place separate orders if you want more, so it ends up costing you about the same price in the end when you factor all the added shipping charges.


Which sounds more like the expensive door prize to you?  You could spend $100 in HOPC without breaking a sweat, if you have the cash and the desire for some of their stuff.  And don't forget, HOPC isn't ALL playing cards, ALL the time - they have a few other very cool offerings.


And Evan, even if I didn't know people at HOPC, I'd be saying the same things.  Because it all sounds like a bunch of whining for no good reason.  Many of you sounds like you want HOPC to simply give it to you free and send you bricks of it...  This is NOT a huge hurdle, but you make it sounds like crossing the Alps.

I've said my piece and I'm done.  You may all resume your bellyaching...

[CBJ]

Hey Don

Maybe I read it wrong, but I think what he was trying to say is..

The first promotion was if you spent at least $100, you received the collectors box with 5-6 decks.

This time if you spend at least $100, you receive one deck.

Obviously getting 5-6 decks is better than getting one.

What's obviously better about this deal is that it's not limited.  You don't have to scramble and try to be in that first X-amount of people to get it.

CBJ

[Evan]

What's obviously better about this deal is that it's not limited.  You don't have to scramble and try to be in that first X-amount of people to get it.

CBJ

That's a really good point. I didn't think about that one.

[Aaron]

I think it is a good deal since I was getting a brick anyways.

Evan the deck being a badge of honor would be iof they were selling the decks for $100, they havn't charged a cent for the decks.

[redtank151]

Well you still kind of have to scramble for Ornate brick boxes from HOPC, but you can always buy those at midnight company.

If you buy 2 bricks, bam you are probably already at $100, hopefully sell the things once they are sold out from the HOPC and you have some decks for yourself, a prestigious gold crown and you didn't lose $100 making it happen.

Ellusionist are definitely more stingy with giving out stuff but that's because they have going on all the time and when they have promotions, they are pretty good ones.

[agera94]

I would take part in this offer but the shipping is in excess of $50 for international and I currently have $120 free cash :S.
Donations anyone    ?

[Evan]

I think it is a good deal since I was getting a brick anyways.

Evan the deck being a badge of honor would be iof they were selling the decks for $100, they havn't charged a cent for the decks.

You need $100 to get the deck, making it the same thing...

[Cardist888]

Hey i have a question: do you have to spend 100$ only on the blue crown or can you order from the hopc? I have like NO hopc decks -_-

[agera94]

You can buy whatever you want to as long as the total order from HOPC equals $100.

[Evan]

Hey i have a question: do you have to spend 100$ only on the blue crown or can you order from the hopc? I have like NO hopc decks -_-

I believe the promotion is for HOPC only.

[danktrees]

i got my order in a few minutes after 8 and the gold crown deck shows up as quantity 1 even though i purchase 300 dollars worth of stuff. i guess they just forgot to tier the promo at first but i asked them and they said that happened on a few orders so if anyone else is experiencing that, dont worry cuz they said they're going to double check every order for that promo before shipping it out.

[agera94]

Will the value of the gold crown decks fall since more people are able to get them?

[jmrock]

Blahahahaha! Wow! Amazing!

[securechanger]

Blahahahaha! Wow! Amazing!

hahahah good price , But let see the price after this promotion

[Utterfool]

OK
I am not friends with anybody from HOPC and I have had my fair share of criticism of them (see olympic 2012 games decks)  but I am shocked that anybody would be upset by this.
Sure this deal isn't as sweet as the first release of Gold crowns.
The initial release of only 50 sets of cards including the gold crowns, that was a gaffe on their part IMO, as it truly made the deck a badge of honor.
This promotion is for a free deck after you buy $100 dollars of other stuff. They are doing it for 4 hours allowing people to get up to 3 in one order and I am sure if you really want to you can place multiple orders, pay multiple shipping and get more than 3 Gold crown decks.
This is no different than when Ellusionist has there promos for the LTD deck (I know last time it was for an LTD and a Black Ghost) they had you pay $100 dollars to get that.
The biggest difference is they are doing this with a new release so instead of having to buy up the old stock (like with E) to get a rare deck you can buy up new stock you probably don't have, plus some re-released stuff you may have missed (Verve and If you really wanted it The 2012 games decks). My only complaint and this is minor because I was more than ecstatic at the chance to get the Gold Crown (which I think is a beautiful deck) is that they didn't offer Ornate uncut sheets (which I would really like to get my hands on) if they had offered the uncuts I might have been able to get 3 Gold crowns.
But $100 is not unreasonable. Perhaps it seems unfair to people with tight pocketbooks, but that is hardly a "Badge of Honor" level sum especially when offered to any and all over a 4 hour period. With more and more "designer decks" selling at the $9 mark you will have to get use to seeing $100 sums or find a new hobby.
For me I found it easy to hit $100 (I even went over $200) any deck I plan to use I always buy a brick, so a brick of each a couple Verve and another 7 green NOCS (for hand and foot) and I got my Gold Crowns without even thinking about it. I am not saying this because I want to flaunt my wealth (because I am certainly not wealthy). I Just want to show how $100 isn't really unreasonable.
And when you are looking at generosity, because although this was just a marketing thing, it is still generous to offer anything for free, they certainly didn't need to, because IMO the Ornate decks sell themeselves and plus the friendly people at Midnight cards did plenty of advertising for them.
But when it comes to generosity one shouldn't complain about it. I mean I was furious about the way things were handled for the initial Gold Crown give away and the fact that I missed out on it, but, I stayed out of that argument because Blue Crown didn't have to offer those

Ok I think I will stop now really have begun to ramble and have forgotten my point

[jmrock]

Not upset... I think it's just hysterical actually... And yes, I caved and purchased Ornates, and some others in order to get this gem and complete my Crown collection... HOPC - I fell for it... Well worth it in my eyes... Good luck to all who participated... Enjoy your Ornates... They truly look magnificent...

[securechanger]

Enjoy it , finish