It's wrong that preferred dealers get the stuff before release date, open it and have it for sale when other dealers around AUS have to wait an extra week.
I've just got back from working in Melbourne, yes coincidence that I got there for the Dragons Rnd 1 game, and yes wees were robbededed. I cant unwind to sleep so I think I'll spew forth a rant to waste some energy.
Yep I agree, it's wrong in multiple ways and is perpetuating some of the issues we have in the hobby. It gives a select few an advantage at being early to market, I don't really know any of the politics or personalities involved personally but if it was my business and I was being offered a competitive advantage I would probably take it too. The manufacturer just simply shouldn't condone it.
The effect it has is it generates no goodwill with others who support the hobby, not just in the commercial sense but in the sense that many of these "others" are the bricks and mortar of out hobby those who can encourage the next generation of collector. (a rant and hug to a minority group I'm on fire).
This restrictive channel selling only encourages the pre-sale listings on Ebay which by the way, in reality can never be stopped. To me this pre-listing shouldn't be seen as an issue either, listing on Ebay is free everyone who wants to sell it should list its free to list it. Rather than seeing it as an issue, embrace it, stop complaining somebody has got there first and list / sell as well. Good sellers will always rise to the top and bad unreliable sellers will be found out and fail. I'm amazed at how much accurate information gets out anyway, where does it all come from? So many different people seem to know something from someone? ESP just have a god damn checklist party and release the information to everyone in advance at the same time.
Then fix the product to market problem. For my mind; 1) there should be set a realistic release date, no near impossible deadlines, 2) Get the product to the primary distributors with enough time for them to pull the trigger on a set date 3) Then they spread to their retail outlets/ sub distributors etc including 7Eleven. They need to make it as much of a "big bang available to market" release as possible. You would then see more realistic prices from the outset in the secondary market rather than those with the product early in hand.
There problems solved......not the hobbies ones, mine I'm tired. I hope it made some sort of sense to someone.
Cheers
Ross