Looks like this week isn’t going to be much different from last week, ugh. Anyway…
Like everyone else, I also participated in the Second Chance Sale. Logged on at 1 p.m. on the dot, dropped the two Arabas I planned on in my cart, saw the Peanutines were still available and dropped a couple of those in my cart too.
Then (big mistake) I poked around on the sales page for a moment to see if there was anything else I really needed, went to check out, and the Peanutines were cart snatched. The Arabas were still there, so I completed my check out and… that was that.
I went back to see if other “good” things were still left and there were, but since I already had everything else that I wanted, I walked away. The Speos Variant was not a must-have for me, and I was only going for another Peanutine because my herd is woefully deficient in rare Brighties, and just one would have been nice. (Seriously, Brighty collectors be crazy.)
The only surprise about the sale is that people were surprised at all at the quick sellout.
Uh, why wouldn’t it?
One: it was both advertised and highly anticipated. Seriously, everybody was waiting for this sale to drop.
Two: They allowed way more participants this year, including Online-only attendees.
Three: Everyone saw how much the Variants are going for, and they are not so rare that a gamble was not worth it.
Four: They allowed people to order up to two of everything, and not just one.
As far as I know, the whole “But they allowed people to buy whole cases at BreyerFest” thing some people were grumbling about was not a significant factor, because that was only two cases total. (And the gamble the buyers took did not pay off: they did not get the Variant they were looking for.)
I also have a hard time mustering much sympathy for the complaint “But why didn’t they advertise the sale at BreyerFest?” They’ve been having these “Leftover” Sales since the beginning of the Special Run sales in the late 1990s. It’s not something they’ve really felt the need to advertise.
Part of it is because the sale itself is so fluid: they never know what the situation is going to be like at the end of the event. Will there be a lot of models? Or just a few? Sometimes they limit sales to one per person, sometimes two but they have to be different; this year they allowed two the same.
It’s true it’s been like four years since we’ve had an in-person Leftover Sale – last year there was a concern about the weather, and the two previous were online-only events – but all you had to do was ask any random Reeves employee. (Or me, same diff at this point...)
The only thing I would have changed in the online portion of this sale is getting rid of the option of buying two of the same item in the same transaction: the models with the Variants in them would have sold out regardless, and the one per customer limit per Special Run would have allowed more to participate in the fun.
I could see them pairing up the “one SR of each type” component with a one transaction per ticket/attendee limit, too. Then if there are any models left after that initial sales deadline passes, then they could have a “Last Chance/No Limits” Sale. Whatever is left after that would then go into Grab Bags.
And if you didn’t get any of the SRs with Variants in them and only want the originally advertised color anyway, I suspect a lot of those will be up for sale soon, at prices not too far from issue price. I’ll probably be selling my Speos (bought it to help out a friend get the Variant, she got it herself anyway) and at least one (optimistically) of my Arabas for cost plus taxes/postage/etc.
That is pretty much all I have left to say about that matter, depending on the contents of my box....
46 comments:
I did the exACT same thing. Got my Peanutine (for my niece; I actually have my own already) then took 5 seconds to look around at what else was available, hesitated on the Jump and Drive, went to check out, and… cart-snatched!!! Made a sucky day just a little bit suckier.
I too had Peanutine in my cart, only to have it snatched out at checkout. I didn't even browse, tried to check out as soon as I added Peanutine to my cart. I wish Breyer would leave your cart alone for 5 minutes before snatching out items.
I had two Surprises and a Speos vanish, but did get my second Jump, Studebaker and Nemea just fine.
I'm surprised the mug is still available, those always go so fast.
The people who are bitching the most and the loudest about the second chance sale both at the park and online are again, the online attendees. I sure hope they do away with that whole fiasco next year...should have never had online Breyerfest to begin with. It's like having people who pay for a sports channel complain that they can't buy all the souvenirs that people at the game can. Want all the perks? Put down the phone and go to the event. It's just that simple.
Many folks have major impediments to physically traveling there. Adding the online component was long overdue. Also, ***it’s 2023*** so the online component is here to stay. We’ll probably have virtual reality BF before too long…..
And every year lots of people with major impediments make it and don't make excuses for why they ought to get everything while sitting at home.
yup it's the onliners notching again. I think it needs to go away too sorry. 2023 or not. NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE ONLINE.
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but still was. It's all good. I can wait patiently for a regular color Peanutine at close to original price, even if it takes a bit. This was my first Breyerfest and I learned a lot about how things work.
I like having an online option. It was nice having some online things I could enjoy when I got home. It's nice for non-US folks too.
Get over it...online is here to stay...sorry!
I have been an online attendant the last three years and I haven't bitched about a single damn thing, or expected the same perks as physical attendees. Nice way to lump people under an assumption. I'm guessing you probably describe yourself as "tolerant" and "inclusive", don't you?
Amen to that!
Oh please!!! The most bitching I’ve heard has been from the in-person folks who were AT BreyerFest and missed the on-site second chance sale. (I’m not saying I blame them!) Quit blaming the online community for everything!
Don’t be sorry!
Resenting the online component is SO disrespectful to those with disabilities….WOW. Plus it’s 2023 and the online piece was way overdue.
Exactly!!…….who gripes about online stuff these days? Seriously out of touch.
Non-US, disability, various logistical issues, SO MANY reasons to have online elements, plus it’s good for Breyer and hobby growth. Those who want and CAN attend in person will always keep the in person event going. The in-person experience is very unique and online doesn’t take away from that, it’s more inclusive. It’s 2023, not 1995.
I don't understand why people are so selfish that they are complaining about the people that didn't get to go in-person. I have been an online attendee for the past three years as well and I am so grateful that Breyer gave us a chance at Breyerfest and the SR's online. Why crush that joy? It it because the people that go in person want to make a killing reselling models? That's the ONLY reason I can think of for all the animosity. Why not let us have some fun too? What's it to you? Scalping is the only reason I can think in-person people are bitter. I would attend Breyerfest in a heartbeat if I could! Online will never be the same as in-person. So why be a killjoy?
Shouldn’t be any online vs in-person ill will. More tickets sold is better for Breyer and all hobbyists everywhere.
People are upset with online attendees because online ticket holders get on social media & constantly gripe & complain that they don’t get access to EVERYTHING that in person attendees get. I’ve seen thousands of posts on FB & other hobby sites of them bitching they want this model & that model & how it’s not fair they can’t get it.
No thought at all of the fact they’re not spending thousands of dollars to travel to Kentucky. It doesn’t seem to cross their minds that they’re sitting on their rear ends in their climate controlled homes instead of standing out in the heat and humidity in the middle of a sweaty crowd.
People are fed up with them demanding all the perks and benefits while not putting in the time, money and effort. In other words they are demanding the rewards without doing the work.
It’s got nothing to do with flippers or resellers. It’s about some of the online tickets holders being spoiled, entitled brats.
Susan R.
I work for a firm that sells items worldwide via a website. When we get new releases from a particular highly popular manufacturer, our allotment of many of those new items can sell out within minutes. When you have 15,000 people logged onto your website waiting for a certain time when the new items become available, those items will be ordered FAST.
And our allotment of some of these new items can be woefully small. For example, we may only be allowed 20 of the hottest new item. When you have thousands and thousands of people waiting to order that item, it will be gone very quickly.
So if Breyer only has 15 Peanutines left to sell, and there are 1,300 people trying to buy Peanutine, it will be gone *very* fast.
And yes, items will "disappear" from peoples' shopping carts, because the systems are set up that way. If you have Peanutine in your cart and you're buyer #16 in line, but if you decide to go look at other items on the site before you check out -- and if buyer #15 is already in the checkout process and also has Peanutine in their cart, and all the other Peanutines are gone -- yes, Peanutine will be removed from your cart BY THE SYSTEM to fill buyer #15's order (because they're further along in the checkout processs than you are).
That is the way these online shopping systems are designed to function. No person at Breyer is doing it to make you mad, or ruin your day -- it's the way the system is set up to work.
Putting an item into your shopping cart online is not exactly the same as physically putting an item into your shopping cart in an actual store -- it won't actually guarantee you have that item.
Based on my experience with my employer, my advice would be -- grab the item(s) you want most, and CHECK OUT IMMEDIATELY. Do NOT look at anything else. Just check out as fast as you can.
There’s been plenty of less than stellar behavior from in-person attendees over the years (NPOD, etc.). Doesn’t mean the in-person event should go away.
Never said online access should go away. I said that the animosity toward online ticket holders was due to SOME of them being demanding brats on social media.
There is a mistaken belief that was voiced here that in-person doesn’t like online because it reduces sales of the models in the secondary market. I pointed out that that is not true. It’s got nothing to do with reselling models. It’s because some of those that don’t go to Kentucky are throwing fits that they don’t get everything that those who do take the time and spend thousands of dollars to go have access to. People seem to think that online means getting EVERYTHING without actually sacrificing anything. Not time or money or effort.
Just a note: Breyer has changed things to discourage bad behavior at BreyerFest. The NPOD didn’t have anything of note in it the past couple of years & there were several changes to how the SR models have been distributed that got rid of the free-for-all it once was.
So I'm the one that wrote the comment earlier.....I just couldn't understand why (besides making money) in-person attendees would be such sour-grapes that some folks that can't attend in-person have access to the models online. I just couldn't fathom any other reason. Maybe it's all how you look at it. I wouldn't consider attending an in-person Breyerfest work at all. That would be my dream vacation! So if someone has the attitude that they are toiling away standing in a hot sweaty line all day, maybe they are burned out on Breyerfest. Because to me, that would be my dream vacation! Even if you take the Breyerfest SR's out of it, look at all the in-person shopping and trading and socializing you get to do at the hotels. And the Kentucky Horse Park........The Museum of the Horse, those are all so awesome! I attended once over 20 years ago, and if I had money and opportunity to do it again, I would in a heart-beat. I live on the other side of the country and have limited income. You can bet if I lived closer I would be there in-person every year and wouldn't complain about being hot and sweaty. If Breyerfest is that much of a bummer for some of you to attend in-person, guess what, you can attend online instead. And be grateful for every little thing they let you have access to (I am!). I still don't get the sour grapes. Why can't we all collect the plastic ponies? If you desire something ubber rare and exclusive that not everyone will have, get into resins or chinas or customs.....or Stones. But Breyerfest should be an exciting vacation enjoying what you love and collecting plastic ponies, don't you think?
PS. Not everyone feels entitled. You are lumping everyone into the same basket. I don't feel entitled.......but I am very grateful I get to attend at all, even online. And grateful I don't have to pay double the cost second hand for a few of the horses I wanted.
The shopping cart thing is a whole 'nother issue. People seem to think it works like a real shopping cart. Once they figure out it doesn't and it is actually first come, first serve, well, what is there to complain about? People will complain about everything actually. They made too many models, they didn't make enough, they are too exclusive, they are too easy to get......Breyer does a decent job hitting the middle ground in my opinion.
Do you not know the definition of “Some”. Because the comment clearly says that.
That was in response to this quote by Anonymous:
"People are upset with online attendees because online ticket holders get on social media & constantly gripe & complain that they don’t get access to EVERYTHING that in person attendees get. "
And the very last sentence of that comment clearly says “It’s about some of the online ticket holders…”. SOME not ALL. If you’re gonna call Susan out on her comment at least have the common courtesy not to leave part of it out to justify taking it out of context. Rhonda H.
Plenty of the online buyers are flippers for high profit as well. Don't act like they aren't.
I didn't attend in person this year, so for me to say online can go away would mean access to myself as well. Oh well.
The rest of the year everything is just online. I personally miss the old days of Breyerfest. It was far better.
I agree that a lot of online attendees were complaining, but sorry man, Breyer is making too much money off of the online component. it’s not going anywhere. you’ll just have to live with their complaints
Oh well.
Exactly! Not everything needs to be online and this is one thing that absolutely shouldn't be. Needs done away with. Put down the phones and go live life! There are plenty of baubles offered all year online. An event needs to stay that way no matter what year it is.
If it makes you feel any better I put the Peanutines in my cart as soon as the sale popped up at 1:00 and went straight to checkout and they were still cartsnatched by the time I got to the final step. Womp womp.
Yes, that does make me feel better! I kept beating myself up because I took that extra five seconds to look around, and I kept thinking “what if I checked out immediately! My niece would have a Peanutine!” But no, she probably wouldn’t anyway. So thank you for sharing!
Breyer isn’t stuck in the past, so BF online is absolutely and thankfully here to stay.
If they keep shipping everything like they are for the online crap, they will absolutely become a "past" sort of company. They need to quit focusing on the online crap and start taking care of dealers and customers before they also become "past". They can't even ship out what's ordered in a timely or correct manner and the quality control is "past".
What is going on with shipping? I’m getting notifications for models that arrived out-of-the-blue last week. Plus a couple of my friends who had in-person BreyerFest tickets received Bravour 54. They got their Bravours at the park & they didn’t contact Breyer about anything so why did they get another Celebration model mailed to them? No notifications or anything. Just a random box from Breyer on their doorstep & when they opened it there was Bravour.
To Anonymous August 17, 2023 at 7:52
Online ticket people complaining about not getting access to everything and Breyer selling leftover models at the KHP is disrespectful to those that go. Those that spend time and money to actually travel to KY get dibs. I have been to BF 3x & it was a lot of work to pack and unpack, plus boring hour after boring hour of sitting in the car, not to mention the cost of gas, food and hotel. Then when we arrived it was hot and humid and we caught the Con Crud the last time we went. So, no, those sitting at home for whatever reason, should not be able to buy everything, especially at the expense of those who are in KY. Those who put in the time, work and money to attend in-person should be the priority. They are investing more so they should get more.
And spare me the “I have health problems” or “I don’t have the money to go”. Everyone has limitations that prevent them from doing all they would like. Everyone. Sometimes it’s physical, sometimes financial, sometimes it’s time constraints. Sometimes it’s all 3. No one gets to do all they want to do in this life so those that can’t make it to BF aren’t special and going online to whine and cry about not getting to buy all the models or that the people there got to buy unsold models on Sunday reeks of sour grapes.
Personally I think having access to all the store LE and 1/2 of the ticks SR plus 2 online models is very generous. I had 1 SM online ticket and 1 AA ticket which went to a pickup person. I was able to get everything I wanted except Buggy, who sold out while I was working. I didn’t even do the 2nd Chance sale because there was nothing more I wanted. So instead of complaining online about not getting to buy all the models with an online ticket those that can’t go to KY would do better to spend their time getting a AA ticket then arranging for a pickup person or hobby friends to get their models.
Jean C.
I really feel sorry for all of you who get to go to Breyerfest in person and waste many boring hours and suffer in the heat and humidity while those at home are just grateful for the leftovers allowed us.
Online ticket holders get much more than leftovers so drop the Poor Pitiful Me. The Online SM ticket gets a single day SM & access to ALL of the Limited Editions & ALL of the swag, The Online TR ticket gets the Celebration model, the chance to buy all the Store models & the swag plus the chance to buy Special Run models from a selection of 4. Not to mention the Online Special Runs. Then to top it all off there’s access to the Second Chance sale.
So a Traditional Online ticket gets the holder access to 90% of the merchandise. That’s way too much for anyone to be calling “leftovers” especially considering the online Specials that aren’t available on-site.
So this snarky little comment just proved earlier commenters right. Some of the online ticket holders are acting like spoiled brats.
At least an easy half of online ticket holders if not more who comment on the boards are acting like spoiled brats.
Well, they hired a crappy shipping warehouse that only keeps getting worse all the time and they keep making changes that don't matter, like the crappy packing materials and the cashless checkouts, that absolutely didn't need to be "fixed" instead of addressing what actually does need fixing and so those chickens are coming home to roost on them. I wonder how much they will lose by the time all the free and wrongly shipped merchandise is in the wind and they have to refund people who actually ordered it?
You also don’t have to be at the Horse Park to bid on the live auction models. Online bidders drove up the prices on several of the models then backed out and didn’t pay. The raffle Fireheart got a high bid of $17,000 from someone online but the actual final price was $4,000. How many people would have been willing to pay a bit more than that to get him but didn’t bid because they thought the price was $17,000?
There were 4 or 5 models that were bid up online like that only to have the online bidder back out including the Pegasus newsworthy which didn’t get a single in person bid because the price was listed at $33,000. Same thing happened last year too.
There’s some thought that 2-3 online bidders are working together to drive up the prices in order to discourage people at the Horse Park from bidding then backing out so their buddy wins the model at a much lower price. It’s certainly a possibility so the Live Auction should be in person only to keep it from happening again. Hobby has enough problems with flippers. We don’t need these online scalpers on top of that.
Kim T.
The Pegasus had a high bid of $23k not $33k from someone online but the final price was actually $6k. There were 6 models that had non-paying online bidders.
Make A Wish, Vermeer, raffle Fireheart, Strapless, Anamar and the Pegasus. The final price on 3 was just $500 less than the online high bid but the other 3 had a significantly lower final price. Vermeer sold for $3k less, Fireheart for $13k less and the Pegasus for $17k less. The non-paying bidders were all online.
One, the “online” bidders very well could have attended BF in person and been bidding from their hotel room. I don’t understand why there was bidding before the event.
Two, having an online component takes away absolutely nothing from in-person attendees. Sure, some people are going to say Breyer it stretches Breyer’s resources too thin but that has always been a problem - Breyer is a small company that has to rely on volunteers and part-time event employees at KHP to put on the event. All of the other arguments, just don’t work - people don’t deserve SRs unless they stand in line or get a pick up person. I mean, really, why? I’ve yet to see a single valid reason for an in-person only event.
Things change, and there are more collectors than ever before. Sadly, though, I think these arguments are going to continue every year. For those who just think too much stuff is online these days - take a walk, go camping, don’t touch your phone for a day - sometimes we can only change how we respond to something.
the auction is really the thing that needs to just stay in person. The benefits really lost out this year to crap bidders.
I'll agree with that last post.
Either way, though, the auction has been ruined for those of us who actually work for a living by hobbyists with rich parents or rich spouses.
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