I went for an SE & an LE (and the Teeth & the Cards) so I could display one assembled and one disassembled. When SD were producing a few years ago I didn't have the disposable income to spend on their products, I could only look and dream. If you think about SDs price point and compare it to FEs then I think you'll see that FEs RRP come's in a lot cheaper, if you adjust for inflation. And again I don't think this is about price, it's about a company that has secured the Eon licences and are able to bring us fans what we really want.
One thing that FE might like to consider is the possibility of a loyalty scheme, buying a product direct from FE attracts a number of bonus points linked by item price to your account, which can then be built up and redeemed against future purchases. Just a thought, what do the AJB bretheren feel about this suggestion? More importantly how does FQB feel about this?
I think that's a good suggestion GM, and I for one would like to see that, especially as they've hinted at a lot more props in the pipeline or drawing board.
Something along those lines would be a start. You don't want your customers feeling like they made a bad decision by ordering on Day 1 directly from FE.
I'm happy I pre-order because the SE is limited, and I know how resellers or authorized sellers work, but any company (i.e. Rolex) has to set up rules about those resellers. You're not supposed to discount more than a certain point the watches. Those you find on the internet are not authorized sellers and are called «grey market». They do not come with the warranty.
I do want to buy my items from FE, but they have to help us in setting rules so that the resellers have to sell them to retail prices. Anyway, they must get them real cheap to make this kind of discount. Maybe they could sell them at a higer price. And why couldn't WE make a bulk purchase?
If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
Well I agree in principle with supporting FE, but I think the ppl buying GG's from MIM are doing that as well, though it is costing them $50 less. I mean im sure FE arent selling them to MIM at a loss. Had I known that the items I bought would be offered elsewhere less than a week later at a lower price then I would have waited. Im sure most other ppl would have done as well.
I suppose MIM's shipping rates may be more expensive though, then on the other hand....
Hi everybody... wow lots to respond to... here goes.
Quality - No cheap thin materials. Categorically. We have used only the best quality materials, most of the pieces are machined from solid metal and all are plated in real 18ct gold. The assembled gun weighs 1.61 lbs (0.73kg)) about the same weight as a real handgun. The boxed product weighs just over 10lbs (4.5kg) complete in its brown outer shipping carton etc.
Functionality - Obviously the replica does not fire anything. Each of the components functions exactly as the original prop did. If it worked on the prop it works on the replica, in conjunction with modern regulations. Much of the prop did not actually function the way you might expect, then pen for example was not a functional pen, it had to fire a bullet so a nib and ink reservoir would have gotten in the way. When you see the gun assembled in Hai Fat's office you see the bottom cap removed. it is then screwed directly into the barrel, no inner workings are removed, because there were not any and the actual cap of the pen could not be removed it was welded to the pen body. A separate unadapted fountain pen prop was used for the scenes where you see Scaramanga write with a pen. The original pen prop had a hollow barrel, for our replica to comply with modern restrictions on replica firearms the pen barrel is totally solid, with a faux opening at the 'business end' to give the illusion of a barrel. This is to ensure that it cannot be adapted to fire a projectile. It also makes the pen barrel really nice and heavy. The prop comes with a detailed 8 page prop story booklet filled with information and facts like this about the prop, the replica and the history that should give much enjoyment.
Wholesale pricing - We cannot set people's selling price, or force them to sell at a certain price. This is called price fixing, and is highly illegal, the EU and US have had several recent high profile lawsuits regarding this. You cannot force or collude to 'set' a retail price in any form, either through discount limiting or some other promotional gimmick, you can't even talk about it or conspire to do it without breaking the law. All that is permitted is for the manufacturer... us, to offer an MSRP, the manufacturers suggested retail price. But any retailer is free to sell at whatever price they like. Its absolutely the right thing to do and is best for the consumer.
We have one wholesale price for these items, they are limited editions and are supplied on allocation, there is no discounting and no special deal to be had. Any legitimate retailer who contacts us will get our wholesale price list and is free to order from us. We have set a wholesale price that we think is fair and allows they retailer to earn what is accepted to be the industry standard margin for an item like this. Retailers demand the margins, and won't buy products unless you meet them.
Our pre-orders are at the MSRP, some retailers may chose to undercut this, for any number of reasons. Its their right to do so. However all goods are supplied on allocation. Direct pre-order customers have absolute priority and will receive their product first, and are 100% guaranteed to receive it. Wholesale orders are shipped after direct orders, in the order in which they are received and paid for by the retailer.
So why order directly from us? Speed and assurance are the main reasons.
All these items are strictly limited, there is not an unlimited supply. It should be made clear that it has become common for retailers and resellers to list items purely speculatively for pre- sale. TO BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR There are people out there offering pre-orders on our products right now who have not placed orders with us, some do not even have a wholesale account with us. They may at some point plan to submit an order, they may attempt to source through other channels for example as part of a buying group. But all limited edition products are supplied on strict allocation and retailers may find that product is not available when they actually try to order. Priority goes to direct orders first. The only way to be 100% guaranteed your product is to order directly from us.
We are very proud to partner with retailers and are delighted that they are taking our products. Retailers and stockists make up an important part of our business model and there is nothing like seeing a product in a store 'in the flesh' But going through a third party there is an element of risk until they actually have the item/s in-stock.
This is also why it is very hard for us to judge if something is sold out. There could be dozens of small retailers out there who have each taken orders of an item or items, but have not yet told us or contacted us. We won't know until they do and normally they all flood in at once, when a product actually lands in our warehouse. Conversely there might be a customer with say 10 pieces on order who wants to then increase or decrease their order. This means numbers can change very, very fast, and is where allocation kicks in. First come, first served.
This is why the SE gun is only available direct, because it is such a small quantity and we did not want to encourage any last minute scramble or have disappointed customers. It will sell out at the current rate of sale
We are investigating the opportunities of a loyalty program for those customers who have honored us with a direct pre-order and will keep everybody fully advised.
i'm all for supporting a fledgling company, and lets face it guys, FE are doing what alot of us have wanted for years.
it'd be interesting to see if the $50 price drop was known to FE, or whether MIM have pissed on the FE bonfire.
i'd like to think that FE knew nothing about it and are as miffed as some of us here.
if FE knew that MIM were going to retail $50 cheaper, then thats a bit of a shame. if they didn't, then i guess we're all a little annoyed. maybe we need FE to lay the cards down and let us know their side of things before we all jump to conclusions?
also as a last thought, if FE hadn't agreed with MIM that the rrp shouldn't undercut FE's price, then theres not alot FE could/can do about it, look at it this way, anyone here with a business could buy from FE in bulk, and if they were nuts enough, they could sell for $5 a piece, sure they'd be selling at a massive loss, lol but who would have any right to stop it from happening?
(edit; and sure enough, as i was typing all that out, FE did respond lmao. bloody typical lol)
Hear hear FQB. I must say I've never had any qualms on any of the points raised, and the overall shipping weight of 10lbs goes some way to answer the shipping costs question. I await the outcome of your Loyalty Program discussions with a lot of anticipation. It will be interesting to see if anyone gets burned by not ordering direct ...... I know I'm safe though.
More power to you, and can't wait for the upcoming announcment at ComicCon in a few weeks time.
I'm sure they're doing the best they can, and a «loyalty» program for those ordering from their website seems very fair, but if retailers don't mind droping 50$ out of 450$ the first day, maybe the margins are too high.
If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
I suppose a lot of questions can arise from it, like next time FE produce something, do we buy it direct from them or wait to see if it will be cheaper once it is out with the retailers???
Im sure buying in bulk is cheaper but $50 is no small amount on $449......
I doubt I will pre-order again.
In my post above I did not mean to imply that Factory Entertainment was doing anything wrong just that being the cheap skate I am I will probably wait a week or so to see if I can save a few bucks.
"A blunt instrument wielded by a Government department. Hard, ruthless, sardonic, fatalistic. He likes gambling, golf, fast motor cars. All his movements are relaxed and economical". Ian Fleming
$50 doesn't bother me. At $650, the SE is still a steal in my mind. It's the most I've paid for a replica but I view this as the holy grail of Bond Props.
$50 doesnt bother me either, although i didnt have much choice as i bought the se version and they are not offering it at a discounted price. Also another way to look at all of this is there are 600 or 700 SD Studios GG's in the world, there will be 1,400 FE GG's. So that put anywhere between 2,000 to 2,100 GG's in the world. As time passes by they will become worth more money, provided that there isn't another production of them in the near future. So theres no reason to let $50 nag you when in the future i'm sure they will be worth much more than the 450 or 650 they are selling them for. plus we also need to support FE so they will continue to make quality Bond props for us. Of course i dont ever plan on selling my GG
I wonder, Factory Q-Branch, if you could answer a shipping query for me, namely, why does it cost so much for a product like the Tarot Cards to be shipped internationally (eg. Australia, as it currently stands, the cheapest shipping option costs twice as much as the product). Is this an estimation during the checkout process, or the final amount? I'm guessing it's not based on weight, as it's a pack of cards...
$50 doesnt bother me either, although i didnt have much choice as i bought the se version and they are not offering it at a discounted price. Also another way to look at all of this is there are 600 or 700 SD Studios GG's in the world, there will be 1,400 FE GG's. So that put anywhere between 2,000 to 2,100 GG's in the world. As time passes by they will become worth more money, provided that there isn't another production of them in the near future. So theres no reason to let $50 nag you when in the future i'm sure they will be worth much more than the 450 or 650 they are selling them for. plus we also need to support FE so they will continue to make quality Bond props for us. Of course i dont ever plan on selling my GG
It's hard to believe they will increase in value if they are discounted from day 1.
If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
I still think the will increase in value, and given FQB's detailed response above, I think that some people will get burned trying to save a couple of bucks by not going through an authorised reseller. Much the same as people buying 'grey' import watches can get burned. It may take some time for the increase to occur, as it did with SD, but increase they will.
I still think the will increase in value, and given FQB's detailed response above, I think that some people will get burned trying to save a couple of bucks by not going through an authorised reseller. Much the same as people buying 'grey' import watches can get burned. It may take some time for the increase to occur, as it did with SD, but increase they will.
The tarot cards come in a presentation box, with packaging etc, its not just a pack of cards loose. They also include a prop story book and black velvet bag. The presentation box measures 17cm x 14cm (6" x5") and is 3cm thick (1.1"). All packaged up complete in its brown outer carton it weighs just over 2lbs. If anybody is familiar with the old Master Replicas Medal of Yavin, its that type of product and packaging, not just a set of cards. We hope to be able to post some images soon.
The rates we are quoting come directly from either the Fed-Ex or USPS websites, and are for the insured traceable services that have to be signed for on delivery, which all incur extra fees and add to the final cost.
Shipping internationally is expensive. We were frankly shocked at how much Fed-Ex charge. USPS is better but still high.
We are investigating all shipping options and are looking for cheaper methods, any suggestions would be gratefully received.
On the tarot cards for example the cards could be shipped much more cheaply by standard airmail, but this is not insured and there is no way to track the package once shipped. Would people be willing to take the risk on a lower value item like this? We are very interested to get feedback on that.
The shipping charges are not final and you will not be charged any shipping until the goods are ready to ship. If we can find a cheaper, reliable and safe shipping method we will happily revert to that and charge that price. Any savings we can make will be passed directly on to the customer with all shipping.
Hi guys, this is my first post. I had forgotten to check my e-mail for a while and accidentally missed the message from FE about the pre-order. However I was pleasantly surprised last night (02/07/2010) when I was still able to go on to FE's website and order one. I honestly thought they would have been sold out within a matter of hours. My order number is 427, does that mean that only 427 of the LE have been pre-ordered so far?
Hi Factory Q-Branch,
I tried to get a hold of customer service, the question is in regards to shipping and somewhat related to your question above (cheaper shipping), can the shipping be combined for multiple orders aka golden gun, teeth and tarot cards?
Regards,
you cant possibly trust a sale like this on ebay (i myself having had some experiences with buyers saying theve sent stuff etc) and also the fact that the golden guns aren't even available yet lol
I still cannot believe the SE GG's are not sold out yet! I thought it would be a mad rush to get them that Friday morning on June 18 when pre-order opened and here we are 3 weeks later and still not sold out. A bit disappointed about how many Bond fans I thought there were vs. how many there actually are. Although maybe it is not that there aren't as many fans as I thought, maybe it's due to the economy at this time. Who knows.
Comments
One thing that FE might like to consider is the possibility of a loyalty scheme, buying a product direct from FE attracts a number of bonus points linked by item price to your account, which can then be built up and redeemed against future purchases. Just a thought, what do the AJB bretheren feel about this suggestion? More importantly how does FQB feel about this?
www.justgiving.com/inMemoryOfLewisCollins
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
I do want to buy my items from FE, but they have to help us in setting rules so that the resellers have to sell them to retail prices. Anyway, they must get them real cheap to make this kind of discount. Maybe they could sell them at a higer price. And why couldn't WE make a bulk purchase?
I suppose MIM's shipping rates may be more expensive though, then on the other hand....
Quality - No cheap thin materials. Categorically. We have used only the best quality materials, most of the pieces are machined from solid metal and all are plated in real 18ct gold. The assembled gun weighs 1.61 lbs (0.73kg)) about the same weight as a real handgun. The boxed product weighs just over 10lbs (4.5kg) complete in its brown outer shipping carton etc.
Functionality - Obviously the replica does not fire anything. Each of the components functions exactly as the original prop did. If it worked on the prop it works on the replica, in conjunction with modern regulations. Much of the prop did not actually function the way you might expect, then pen for example was not a functional pen, it had to fire a bullet so a nib and ink reservoir would have gotten in the way. When you see the gun assembled in Hai Fat's office you see the bottom cap removed. it is then screwed directly into the barrel, no inner workings are removed, because there were not any and the actual cap of the pen could not be removed it was welded to the pen body. A separate unadapted fountain pen prop was used for the scenes where you see Scaramanga write with a pen. The original pen prop had a hollow barrel, for our replica to comply with modern restrictions on replica firearms the pen barrel is totally solid, with a faux opening at the 'business end' to give the illusion of a barrel. This is to ensure that it cannot be adapted to fire a projectile. It also makes the pen barrel really nice and heavy. The prop comes with a detailed 8 page prop story booklet filled with information and facts like this about the prop, the replica and the history that should give much enjoyment.
Wholesale pricing - We cannot set people's selling price, or force them to sell at a certain price. This is called price fixing, and is highly illegal, the EU and US have had several recent high profile lawsuits regarding this. You cannot force or collude to 'set' a retail price in any form, either through discount limiting or some other promotional gimmick, you can't even talk about it or conspire to do it without breaking the law. All that is permitted is for the manufacturer... us, to offer an MSRP, the manufacturers suggested retail price. But any retailer is free to sell at whatever price they like. Its absolutely the right thing to do and is best for the consumer.
We have one wholesale price for these items, they are limited editions and are supplied on allocation, there is no discounting and no special deal to be had. Any legitimate retailer who contacts us will get our wholesale price list and is free to order from us. We have set a wholesale price that we think is fair and allows they retailer to earn what is accepted to be the industry standard margin for an item like this. Retailers demand the margins, and won't buy products unless you meet them.
Our pre-orders are at the MSRP, some retailers may chose to undercut this, for any number of reasons. Its their right to do so. However all goods are supplied on allocation. Direct pre-order customers have absolute priority and will receive their product first, and are 100% guaranteed to receive it. Wholesale orders are shipped after direct orders, in the order in which they are received and paid for by the retailer.
So why order directly from us? Speed and assurance are the main reasons.
All these items are strictly limited, there is not an unlimited supply. It should be made clear that it has become common for retailers and resellers to list items purely speculatively for pre- sale. TO BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR There are people out there offering pre-orders on our products right now who have not placed orders with us, some do not even have a wholesale account with us. They may at some point plan to submit an order, they may attempt to source through other channels for example as part of a buying group. But all limited edition products are supplied on strict allocation and retailers may find that product is not available when they actually try to order. Priority goes to direct orders first. The only way to be 100% guaranteed your product is to order directly from us.
We are very proud to partner with retailers and are delighted that they are taking our products. Retailers and stockists make up an important part of our business model and there is nothing like seeing a product in a store 'in the flesh' But going through a third party there is an element of risk until they actually have the item/s in-stock.
This is also why it is very hard for us to judge if something is sold out. There could be dozens of small retailers out there who have each taken orders of an item or items, but have not yet told us or contacted us. We won't know until they do and normally they all flood in at once, when a product actually lands in our warehouse. Conversely there might be a customer with say 10 pieces on order who wants to then increase or decrease their order. This means numbers can change very, very fast, and is where allocation kicks in. First come, first served.
This is why the SE gun is only available direct, because it is such a small quantity and we did not want to encourage any last minute scramble or have disappointed customers. It will sell out at the current rate of sale
We are investigating the opportunities of a loyalty program for those customers who have honored us with a direct pre-order and will keep everybody fully advised.
Phew think that s it....
-{
it'd be interesting to see if the $50 price drop was known to FE, or whether MIM have pissed on the FE bonfire.
i'd like to think that FE knew nothing about it and are as miffed as some of us here.
if FE knew that MIM were going to retail $50 cheaper, then thats a bit of a shame. if they didn't, then i guess we're all a little annoyed. maybe we need FE to lay the cards down and let us know their side of things before we all jump to conclusions?
also as a last thought, if FE hadn't agreed with MIM that the rrp shouldn't undercut FE's price, then theres not alot FE could/can do about it, look at it this way, anyone here with a business could buy from FE in bulk, and if they were nuts enough, they could sell for $5 a piece, sure they'd be selling at a massive loss, lol but who would have any right to stop it from happening?
(edit; and sure enough, as i was typing all that out, FE did respond lmao. bloody typical lol)
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
More power to you, and can't wait for the upcoming announcment at ComicCon in a few weeks time.
www.justgiving.com/inMemoryOfLewisCollins
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
Thank you for the very detailed response. I like that you respond directly to us here on the forum.
I like that too. I think it's a very up-to-date/caring move.
In my post above I did not mean to imply that Factory Entertainment was doing anything wrong just that being the cheap skate I am I will probably wait a week or so to see if I can save a few bucks.
It's hard to believe they will increase in value if they are discounted from day 1.
www.justgiving.com/inMemoryOfLewisCollins
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
Couldn't have said it better.
The tarot cards come in a presentation box, with packaging etc, its not just a pack of cards loose. They also include a prop story book and black velvet bag. The presentation box measures 17cm x 14cm (6" x5") and is 3cm thick (1.1"). All packaged up complete in its brown outer carton it weighs just over 2lbs. If anybody is familiar with the old Master Replicas Medal of Yavin, its that type of product and packaging, not just a set of cards. We hope to be able to post some images soon.
The rates we are quoting come directly from either the Fed-Ex or USPS websites, and are for the insured traceable services that have to be signed for on delivery, which all incur extra fees and add to the final cost.
Shipping internationally is expensive. We were frankly shocked at how much Fed-Ex charge. USPS is better but still high.
We are investigating all shipping options and are looking for cheaper methods, any suggestions would be gratefully received.
On the tarot cards for example the cards could be shipped much more cheaply by standard airmail, but this is not insured and there is no way to track the package once shipped. Would people be willing to take the risk on a lower value item like this? We are very interested to get feedback on that.
The shipping charges are not final and you will not be charged any shipping until the goods are ready to ship. If we can find a cheaper, reliable and safe shipping method we will happily revert to that and charge that price. Any savings we can make will be passed directly on to the customer with all shipping.
Thoughts?
Speaking for myself, yes.
Thank you for addressing my query.
http://cgi.ebay.com/James-Bond-Golden-Gun-LE-1-1-Prop-Replica-Pre-Order-/330447962378?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf03bc10a
EDIT: And it's not even the SE version! The LE isn't sold out! Anyone can Google it and find sellers that have real discounts.
Thanks, Ben
I tried to get a hold of customer service, the question is in regards to shipping and somewhat related to your question above (cheaper shipping), can the shipping be combined for multiple orders aka golden gun, teeth and tarot cards?
Regards,
http://cgi.ebay.com/FACTORY-JAMES-BOND-1-1-GOLDEN-GUN-PROP-REPLICA-LE-/390215297613?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5adaa4ea4d