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Poster collecting used to be fun...
bosshogg18
Tacoma, WA Posts: 1,084
in The Porch
I have been poster collecting since 1998. I still remember mailing in a check to 10C for $12 per poster to buy some of the left over 98's. I got into this hobby never knowing my $12 would be any kind of investment. I just loved the art. Some were even taped to wall back in college (I know, makes me cringe too). Obviously these posters have appreciated significantly since then, but it was a slow steady rise.
Up until a couple of years ago, including even Pittsburgh 2013, you could pick up a week or two after show for $150 or less. Now, people are selling posters for several hundred dollars, often the day of the show. Even more sad is people are paying it, therefore driving this behavior.
What happened today to Mr. Mumford was completely ridiculous, uncalled for, and just downright pathetic on what was directed at him. I missed out too. Wasn't expecting to get the Bourbon & Beyond poster as I was amongst thousands of people trying for 100 posters, but gave it my best shot. When I didn't get it I moved on.
Poster collecting has been a great hobby of mine since 1998. It has brought me friendships and great joy. It made me feel like when I was a kid collecting baseball cards, or a 1980's Christmas morning when I scored an awesome poster via a mystery sale. Now the fun has been sucked out by people trying to make a quick buck. Threatening people both in person or online, over a fucking poster. I love these beautiful pieces of art and have brought me great joy, but often think of giving it up.
Where as "in the good ole days" it was fun collecting, buying and trading, it has gotten to the point where we don't own the posters, they own us. The stress of standing in line for posters (other merch too) pressing F5 on online sales, ebay, raffles/waffles, trades where people demand 1998's for a poster released that day. Overall fun has lost and greed has won. Just my 2 cents.
Up until a couple of years ago, including even Pittsburgh 2013, you could pick up a week or two after show for $150 or less. Now, people are selling posters for several hundred dollars, often the day of the show. Even more sad is people are paying it, therefore driving this behavior.
What happened today to Mr. Mumford was completely ridiculous, uncalled for, and just downright pathetic on what was directed at him. I missed out too. Wasn't expecting to get the Bourbon & Beyond poster as I was amongst thousands of people trying for 100 posters, but gave it my best shot. When I didn't get it I moved on.
Poster collecting has been a great hobby of mine since 1998. It has brought me friendships and great joy. It made me feel like when I was a kid collecting baseball cards, or a 1980's Christmas morning when I scored an awesome poster via a mystery sale. Now the fun has been sucked out by people trying to make a quick buck. Threatening people both in person or online, over a fucking poster. I love these beautiful pieces of art and have brought me great joy, but often think of giving it up.
Where as "in the good ole days" it was fun collecting, buying and trading, it has gotten to the point where we don't own the posters, they own us. The stress of standing in line for posters (other merch too) pressing F5 on online sales, ebay, raffles/waffles, trades where people demand 1998's for a poster released that day. Overall fun has lost and greed has won. Just my 2 cents.
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Edit - on a more serious note, the costs are indeed crazy. I like to justify it by the fact that posters today are much better artwork than the 98's. Just my opinion and I know how much people praise the 98's. But most of them look like cheap art compared to post 2010.
And the message to Dan was ridiculous.
Cincinnati 2014
Greenville 2016
(Raleigh 2016)
Columbia 2016
ISO 2016 Greenville shirt. Size medium. PM me if you have one for sale/trade.
I love the posters. Going to concerts is one of my favourite things to do, so having posters hung around the house are mementos that mean something to me. I like it.
It is too bad its gotten insanely crazy. I shudder when I see the merch lines. Luckily at Wrigley a buddy of mine grabbed me one as he had time to kill. I dunno. I think half the issue is most of us have money now. Not broke like we were in our 20s.
I am surprised new posters go for as much as they do.
I'm not sure what else can be done. Someone mentioned preorders (Which the 10c did in '09), but they said it was alot of work so they stopped doing it :(
edit: I feel bad for the artist. I'm not sure what happened, but these small website aren't built for the crazy pj fan base.
I think that's why the preorder thing was shortlived. Processing that many orders per show (whether it be by mail or in person) is time and resorce consuming.
I loved the preorder thing. Didn't have to worry about it getting squished.
Which reminds me that back then the outside merch booths were rare. Now people lineup for days outside :( I guess they could stop doing it to try and prevent non-ticket holding scalpers from buying... but then the lineups inside would be insane. I've noticed people ponder the merch alot more.. gnr was superslow and long.. people trying on the shirts to see if they fit etc.. then paying with debit/credit which takes a while. Gone are the old days of I want that and that, there's my 50 bucks.. lol.
Posters achtually waiting in line for hours for now that's priceless!
-Seattle,Wash-Key Arena-9/22/9 -Pemberton,B.C-7/17/16
-Vancouver,B.C-GM Place -9/25/9 -Seattle,Wash-Safeco Field-8/8/18
-Vancouver,B.C-Pacific Coliseum-9/25/11 -Seattle,Wash-Safeco Field-8/10/18
-Misoula,MT-Adams Field House-9/30/12 -Vancouver,BC-Rogers Arena-5/4/24
I would also think the producers of these posters or 10C would be smart enough to gauge demand. Knowing when they have a winner i.e. Pittsburgh 2013 (jaw dropped momment I saw it) vs Vancouver 2011 (I was at that show, and literally said are you fucking kidding me? when I got to merch booth).
I love the idea of pre order before show. If it is a pain in the ass for 10C, that's understandable. I am sure it is. Maybe outsource it and pass costs onto customer. 95% of people would pay a few more bucks as opposed to waiting in line for hours and stressing, often times getting skunked.
I also think that as an added bonus of winning lottery 10c tix an option of pre-purchasing a poster before the cc charge goes through would be ideal.
I agree.
I've been shut out a few times for DMB a couple times at the Gorge because we spent too long eating Mexican food and drinking margaritas. This was way funner than joining the back of a clump and jockeying your way to the front while watching the pile of posters get smaller and smaller as you get tenser and tenser.
The experience is valuable at these shows. If you miss out on a poster and really want it... you can get it later- albeit with a higher price tag. But if you think about it... spending more time drinking margaritas and not having to concern yourself with a poster at the show... the additional cost might be worth it.
I've also learned with recent shows that your ok waiting to buy in the venue. Seattle '13 the merch line went for block and blocks every day. Walked straight in and bought the poster inside no problem. Similar with Wrigley. Merch lines were insane. We went with friends who didn't have GA and I got a text back that merch line inside was lineable and my friend grabbed a poster no problem).
I also agree on your time might be worth buying it online after. I did that for GNR in Seattle last year. The lineup was going nowhere (not nearly as long as a PJ lineup, but pretty long). I hear Alice in Chains start, and I thought to myself, it's not worth a poster to miss AIC so ran out and watched their set. Ended up buying a poster later (for a premium) but easily worth not missing AIC.
I am sure they limit these for demand reasons. It's one of those things where if it was readily available, most of the people that want them probably wouldn't want them. People want limited items. They want items that feel special.
I definitely support pre-orders...or even lottery's to purchase these. If it eliminates the lines, the fighting and some of the flipping, then wonderful.
It's too bad it's a crazy experience trying to get them. I imagine lots of people feel the same way, and like to have a souvenir from the show.
But besides that? I don't know. I watched how fast the posters sold out at MSG1 and Lexington in the last tour. It was literally a matter of minutes after doors opened in both cases. MSG2 I think lasted a bit, but that poster is fugly. Moline was also impossible to get in the 2014 tour.
I sold all mine at basically face value to my best friend so he now collects but he is paying 100's . Multiple times its not fun anymore its pressurised and dirty back stabbing kind of mentality. I wish the merch had stayed like the old days.never mind just my view.
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
It was trending negatively. Basically through ebay sales. People here would try to gobble up new posters to try to dislodge older grails, and bump threads 1,000 times. Overall, it was well policed. If people put posters up at a 'near ebay max' value, they would get shouted down. A group started yelling down at the policing and the door was broken down a bit. I very rarely see a good price here, as before, it was more in the interest of the hobby. Maybe getting 50-80% of what you could get if you went on an 'open market'.
Then these "raffles" and "flash sales" started and it has hit a new level of sucktitude and there is no coming back. People now found a way to grab like 150% of max value for things, with paying no fees or taxes. In turn, this "collector" movement has created a ripple throughout everything and prices have gone up and up. And to be honest at this point, I would hesitate to do anyone a favor on the price of an item, because I wouldnt be surprised to see it offered in a raffle.
With posters, I dont see them so much as cool art and souvenirs any more. They have become currency.
but i'm done with posters and f'n pins and stickers and i ain't gonna wait in any line for any of it ever.
obviously a insane "serious collector" HA HA wrote that nasty email to mumford and it sure sheds light on the "collector scene". there are many many "pj people" who buy just to re-sell