Slightly disappointed that word about these got out before release. Disappointed because - things change right up to the moment of release. We'll do mock ups of pages and toss things around, we'll change our minds on prices and free gift tiers, we'll add more incentives to certain things, package things together or put a hold in things entirely. With this information out there now however, things are set in stone - so while there may have been talk of just given away with every contest entry - it'll now just be that. Talk. Now I say only 'slightly' because really - free marketing is free marketing. We prefer to do things on our terms, so that the information that is disseminated is at least correct, but given we're not behind the hype on these, free marketing is free marketing.
There's been times over the last three months when things have 'supposedly leaked' - and have turned out to be dead wrong. Ellusionist as a business releases information, pictures and content that we know to be correct to trusted sources - sites like 52Cartes, TheCardist and forums like these. Just saying - there's a reason we do things the way we do.
All that aside, and with our hand forced and set in stone - The Ltd. Deck will only be available between Nov. 22nd and Dec 31st, ONLY as a Free Gift in the $150 tier or Contest Giveaway Prize. Could we sell them for $7 a pop and make a better margin on them?
Sure. Are we going to? No. Why only at the $150 tier? Because we decided that's where we're going to place them. This is a limited deck. We're not randomly selling an arbitrary number of them. We're not having limited sale windows. We're giving them away to our customers. We just as easily could have said 'We'll give you 1 entry for every $25 you spend in store' - and moved more product then simply saying 'We'll give you a free gift at a certain level' - something we've been doing for the last year. All we've done is added and extra choice at a certain level. And people aren't happy about that? I think it's something that some people might want to have another think about.
They are a limited deck - just like Gold Arcane, Like Red Artifice, Like Black Ghost 1st Edition - only these not only have a limited quantity, but they are also for a limited time. They do not have a counterpart - like the other three decks, they were created to be in and of themselves. The other three decks sit at the $350 level. To be perfectly honest - we couldn't have made it much easier to get a deck. Pure Smoke and a Deck of Infinity's. Boom. You're done.
If I seem harsh in my comments above - certainly not my intention. My intention was simply to set things straight. I may be slightly bitter over some comments, with all the work we've put in over the last year, the ways we've given back - unlike any other company out there - only to have it denigrated? Well, it's a tough pill to swallow, and one I bear personally.
Any questions, comments or feedback - my door is always open.
-Jake
