well if you've got an SE on order, but you wanted some spare rounds as it were, all you'd need is someone who can make you some......... 8-)
I don't want to pay for them!!! I'm very conservative (read: cheap). I'm already having nightmares having committed to paying $650 for a replica. My blood pressure is going up just thinking about it.
then in that case you'd need to find someone who'd just make em for free, say for example, someone who's doing some casting and could just have a mould of the bullet on the side and top it up every now n then with any excess resin........
Guys, before we all get hot under the collar, read what FQB said:
Sadly not at the moment... its a license issue that I won't bore you with.
....but we are working on it
It seems that it's out of their hands, but the're dealing with it. How about we dismount the outrage horse until we find out what the outcome will be. Just a thought.
Guys, before we all get hot under the collar, read what FQB said:
Sadly not at the moment... its a license issue that I won't bore you with.
....but we are working on it
It seems that it's out of their hands, but the're dealing with it. How about we dismount the outrage horse until we find out what the outcome will be. Just a thought.
I think they meant Licencing to sell them separately mate.
If anyone that is un gifted like me but wants to have a go at making a Gold Bullet, just get a .32 auto casing and fix a 7.62 head on it, then get it plated :007)
hmmm, I ordered the SE and its cost me $200 more than the LE - yet I need to pay for the extra bullets you get free with the LE?
This is my first purchase from Factory Entertainment but have over the years spent a considerable amount of cash on replica stuff (mainly star wars). However I have to say that this leaves a nasty taste in my mouth - and it could be my last ever purchase from Factory.
Not a good message youre sending out to premium-paying collectors FE 8-)
Remember that FE have decided to add additional bullets following suggestions by the AJB forum - so they were not in a position to offer them at the point of ordering a few weeks back as it hadn't been suggested to them. Now they could have seen it as a money making exercise and added them as a separate item - but to be fair to them they have added them FOC to the LE gun order as they said in their announcement as a thankyou to the pre-order fraternity for the initial support. Agree it's a shame the SE orders cannot be included, but looking at the licensing issue, there looks as though there is a current legal issue which prevents them from doing so at this time. Now this could be overcome if a 100% discount voucher was issued to the SE pre-orders which could be exchanged for the additional bullets either now or at a later date (when the licencing issue is overcome). Just my suggestion towards keeping world peace.
OK everybody... we seem to have several issue here. We will try to address them all
1) Reading the posts here we were under the impression that main issue was retailers choosing to sell items at less than MSRP's particularly the LE Golden Gun. Many people's question was 'why should I pre-order it directly from FE when I can buy it cheaper elsewhere?' Some people also felt aggrieved that they had pre-ordered directly and subsequently found items listed at a lower price with a 3rd party retailer. So adding the extra bullets are our way of addressing this problem for the LE Golden Gun. Of course we don't want retailers to discount below MSRP, but there is no legal way to force them to sell at any price. We don't want retailers to cut prices as these are all limited edition collectibles, specifically intended to be collectible and that require consumers to make a fairly large investment. Cost cutting and discounting before the item even ships cheapens that message a bit and erodes consumer confidence in their investment. But its the individual retailers right to choose. Our solution to this issue is to offer a product that is exclusive to us, either in its complete design or by adding something to it to differentiate it from the regular retail edition. The SE edition is already 100% exclusive to us. It's not available anywhere else and it is not being discounted. So by it's nature is already more desirable.The dual signed plaque is infinitely more valuable and scarce than the extra bullets.
2) We cannot logically offer the bullets directly for sale in the same form because it will completely destroy any value and exclusivity to point 1) . But also we have only been licensed to include them free as an accessory with another product . Negotiating and gaining permission to create a separate retail item out of them is a different process. Its all rather semantic, but that's how licensing works. We cannot do what we want, everything has to be approved. Sometimes things take a little time and sometimes we get a 'no'.
3) All the bullet replicas have been specifically designed and manufactured in 100% resin to try and ensure that they are not mistaken for real ammunition and to comply with any relevant regulations. But as we have said before we cannot comment on the vagueries or policies of individual customs agents or gov agencies.
4) The extra bullets are free to the consumer, but they have a cost to us and affect our unit price. The unit cost and the margins of the LE and the SE are vastly different so its not as simple from a business point of view to add them into everything. Also we feel that adding exactly the same item to the SE edition would be a bit of a 'cop out' . Its hardly very exclusive is it?
5) Should we have thought through adding exclusives to our direct products first? With hindsight probably yes. But we honestly and perhaps naively never expected retailers to cut prices on pre-order items that have not even been released yet. We have very low edition sizes, there have been no licensed Bond replicas in the marketplace for almost 10 years, and there is high demand.
6) The bullets are intended as a surprise gift to direct LE edition buyers. We have not stated that the SE will not come with any additional items and we have not stated that we have no further surprises lined up for the SE or indeed any other items....
So far FQB has answered all issues and queries directly on this forum and very quickly. I don't think they deserve the hard time that they are being given...... I've never dealt with another company that deals with issues so quickly. Maybe the answer is to wait, take any additional surprises with good grace and gratitude.
So far FQB has answered all issues and queries directly on this forum and very quickly. I don't think they deserve the hard time that they are being given...... I've never dealt with another company that deals with issues so quickly. Maybe the answer is to wait, take any additional surprises with good grace and gratitude.
Perhaps you're right. But had there not been any uproar over vendors selling the LE for less than $450, then the extra bullets would have never been included in the first place. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that.
I think when a company gets feedback from their customers it is beneficial to both parties.
Well if anything, the SE is the one that should've got the extra bullets... I mean you can't just pop up and give extra super cool s*** to the LE buyers and expect those who paid more only to have a little piece of paper signed won't say s***.
If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
Q-Branch, your logic is baffling. The SE is $200 more than the LE - plus its exclusive to you, hence ZERO dealer discount - you get all the revenue and thus a significantly greater margin.
So thats 400 SE's x $300 (the $200 SE/LE uplift and a lowest-possible $100 dealer discount) = $120,000. Even if you take Lee and Moore's sig costs out of that ($30k?) your still talking about around $90k net uplift the SE gives you over the LE.
Bottom line is you're making a LOT more profit on the SE's than the LE's and the only reason youre giving the bullets away with the LE is because youve been caught out with dealer discounts. Since the SE were also ordered directly with you they too should have the benefit of the extra "gift" - otherwise its just a crass marketing ploy that alienates the very customers who spent most cash with you for your premium product.
As far as their other point - Great double negative. So you aren't saying that youre NOT giving the bullets with the SE - nor saying that you are. Just cut out the marketting babble and tell people what your going to do
I purchased the SE and I would like to see a "reward" given out for me and others that commited to spending the extra $200 over the LE to a brand new company in FE whom we didnt know what to expect from. As it wasn't told in the beginning that the LE would come with "extra bullets", many of us would possibly change our mind on the SE and opt for the LE instead. In order to earn my and others trust, I believe FE should straighten this out by rewarding the SE buyers equally if not greater than those who purchased the LE...
They could have just said. "If you buy from us we can guarantee your satisfaction. If you buy it through a secondary outlet and something is wrong with your GG we cannot guarantee an excange only a refund."
Instead the made the people who spent the big bucks feel ike they are the redhead stepchild. Not that there is anything wrong with red heads or stepchildren.
They could have just said. "If you buy from us we can guarantee your satisfaction. If you buy it through a secondary outlet and something is wrong with your GG we cannot guarantee an excange only a refund."
Instead the made the people who spent the big bucks feel ike they are the redhead stepchild. Not that there is anything wrong with red heads or stepchildren.
on topic though i think that FE have learnt the hard way to stick to the gameplan. why didn't they just offer spare rounds with all gg's ordered direct?
or in future simply not sell through independant retailers?
a bit off topic as i ordered the SE GG, but i am still wondering what the 5 extra bullets with the LE are packaged in? the carton like the one in TMWTGG or in nothing?
a bit off topic as i ordered the SE GG, but i am still wondering what the 5 extra bullets with the LE are packaged in? the carton like the one in TMWTGG or in nothing?
on topic though i think that FE have learnt the hard way to stick to the gameplan. why didn't they just offer spare rounds with all gg's ordered direct?
My thoughts exactly.
Instead the marketing people have come up with a great plan which makes those who paid $200 extra for the SE feel like theyve been ripped off - Waaaay to go Factory!!!
Note to Factory Marketing Department-call me crazy but I always thought successful marketing was when you keep your customers happy so they come back for more - especially those who you made the biggest profit from!
Hmmm, do you buy the cheaper LE and get free bullets, OR pay the extra and get two old wrinklies sign it :v choices choices :
Guys, personally I'd go for the "two old wrinklies" edition any day of the week. We may not like the way FE are handling certain aspects at the moment and the overseas shipping charges suck big time however at $650 the signature edition is still incredibly good value considering most thought this would be a $1000+ edition when it was first announced.
Personally I think it was very kind of FE to give us the first shot (no pun intended) at ordering their Golden Guns. It was warmly welcomed by many here, and now suddenly FE can't do any good...
If certain retailers are willing to risk a loss with a sharp pre-sale price, let them go ahead. I've ordered my SE straight away and are perfectly happy with that.
I think they should just give extra bullets to everybody, simple as that. I'd be real nice, everybody'd be happy and it wouldn't cost them too much anyway.
If you can't trust a Swiss banker, what's the world come to?
Hi everybody... we have been called some things in the past...but red headed step-children... that's harsh. We prefer to think of ourselves as strawberry blond /s
We are not afraid to admit when we are wrong. So extra Golden Gun bullets for all it is then... We will be adding the bullets to the SE as well as the LE, because clearly that's what people want and we listen and act when we can.
To address the points raised:
- It was originally felt that offering the same extra bullets with the SE as the LE would be seen as a cop-out and SE buyers would have preferred something different, which we were working on. But clearly we were totally wrong. So for time and speed lashings of Extra bullets it is...all round. We will save what we were working on for another time... and no sadly we cannot tell you what it was.
- This not our baby, its just a very cool sandbox we are honored to be allowed to play in. We cannot do what we want, or say what we want. Everything has to be approved and we have to follow the rules. Sometimes things take a little time to go through the channels. Sourcing pricing and getting approval on the extra bullets in two weeks is not bad... and you don't want to know about the logistics of actually adding them.
- The extra items are totally reactive. They were not planned and we have had to act quickly to restore consumer confidence after retailers decided to start discounting prices. Of course we would have planned it better had we expected people to start cutting the price of brand new sought after items before they were even released, obviously we are too naive, but we never dreamed they would.
- There are no wholesale discounts. There is one wholesale price and everybody pays the same. That price allows a retailer to earn what we are told is a fair margin "I will not stock these unless I make X%" is the message we get from every potential stockist. We agree its a fair margin, certainly when you compare it to what 'big' retail demands which is usually north of 50% and often 60%. Retailers have costs and overheads and have to make a living and a profit. However if some people decided to slash that margin by even as much as half or operate on no profit at all then more power to them. Its their choice to sell at whatever price they see fit.
- We cannot survive without retailers. A 100% direct market would be fabulous, but the market simply is not big enough. We would already be out of business. We rely on retailers and they play a valuable part in reaching a market that is both unaware and unwilling to buy direct or online. They want to go into their local stores and talk to the staff and see and touch the items. Not to mention casual buyers who are simply see a cool item and fall in love with it. A lot of people just don't frequent forums and fan groups. The direct market is less than 10% of the size of the potential retail market.
- Having said that these items are limited edition collectibles, and they are expensive. Buying them requires considerable commitment from the consumer who expects them to at least maintain their value and rarity and we understand that. When they see discount pricing on brand new unreleased items it tends to erode their confidence a little bit. Which is a shame, but that's the market we are in.
- If you buy direct from us you are 100% covered by our warranties and polices and guarantee. If you buy elsewhere you may not be covered and may be at the mercy of the policies of the individual retailer. See here for our policies http://www.factoryentstore.com/terms.asp
- The extra bullets will come in a cool little box. Sadly its NOT a replica cigarette box. We are not permitted to produce those, for several legal and liability reasons. I am sure somebody here will be able to step in and get creative. The prop used in the film was an actual Chinese brand called 'Chungwha' which is still available and produced by the state run Shanghai Tobacco Group.
- We are personally quite stunned that anybody could think that the SE edition was in any way a lesser product. Its one of the coolest products to come out in years... its the only signed collectible we are aware of bearing the signatures of two 'Sirs' who have a frankly amazing body of work behind them. Granted the only difference between the SE and the LE is the signed plaque.... but what a plaque! And in answer to the question.... we hardly have any left.
Comments
then in that case you'd need to find someone who'd just make em for free, say for example, someone who's doing some casting and could just have a mould of the bullet on the side and top it up every now n then with any excess resin........
mind you, mr FE might not like that idea.
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
It seems that it's out of their hands, but the're dealing with it. How about we dismount the outrage horse until we find out what the outcome will be. Just a thought.
www.justgiving.com/inMemoryOfLewisCollins
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
I think they meant Licencing to sell them separately mate.
This is my first purchase from Factory Entertainment but have over the years spent a considerable amount of cash on replica stuff (mainly star wars). However I have to say that this leaves a nasty taste in my mouth - and it could be my last ever purchase from Factory.
Not a good message youre sending out to premium-paying collectors FE 8-)
Cheers
Jez
www.StarWarsHelmets.com
1) Reading the posts here we were under the impression that main issue was retailers choosing to sell items at less than MSRP's particularly the LE Golden Gun. Many people's question was 'why should I pre-order it directly from FE when I can buy it cheaper elsewhere?' Some people also felt aggrieved that they had pre-ordered directly and subsequently found items listed at a lower price with a 3rd party retailer. So adding the extra bullets are our way of addressing this problem for the LE Golden Gun. Of course we don't want retailers to discount below MSRP, but there is no legal way to force them to sell at any price. We don't want retailers to cut prices as these are all limited edition collectibles, specifically intended to be collectible and that require consumers to make a fairly large investment. Cost cutting and discounting before the item even ships cheapens that message a bit and erodes consumer confidence in their investment. But its the individual retailers right to choose. Our solution to this issue is to offer a product that is exclusive to us, either in its complete design or by adding something to it to differentiate it from the regular retail edition. The SE edition is already 100% exclusive to us. It's not available anywhere else and it is not being discounted. So by it's nature is already more desirable.The dual signed plaque is infinitely more valuable and scarce than the extra bullets.
2) We cannot logically offer the bullets directly for sale in the same form because it will completely destroy any value and exclusivity to point 1) . But also we have only been licensed to include them free as an accessory with another product . Negotiating and gaining permission to create a separate retail item out of them is a different process. Its all rather semantic, but that's how licensing works. We cannot do what we want, everything has to be approved. Sometimes things take a little time and sometimes we get a 'no'.
3) All the bullet replicas have been specifically designed and manufactured in 100% resin to try and ensure that they are not mistaken for real ammunition and to comply with any relevant regulations. But as we have said before we cannot comment on the vagueries or policies of individual customs agents or gov agencies.
4) The extra bullets are free to the consumer, but they have a cost to us and affect our unit price. The unit cost and the margins of the LE and the SE are vastly different so its not as simple from a business point of view to add them into everything. Also we feel that adding exactly the same item to the SE edition would be a bit of a 'cop out' . Its hardly very exclusive is it?
5) Should we have thought through adding exclusives to our direct products first? With hindsight probably yes. But we honestly and perhaps naively never expected retailers to cut prices on pre-order items that have not even been released yet. We have very low edition sizes, there have been no licensed Bond replicas in the marketplace for almost 10 years, and there is high demand.
6) The bullets are intended as a surprise gift to direct LE edition buyers. We have not stated that the SE will not come with any additional items and we have not stated that we have no further surprises lined up for the SE or indeed any other items....
I figured the reason for extra bullets was to encourage buying direct from FE.
More surprises in store you say....?
www.justgiving.com/inMemoryOfLewisCollins
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
Perhaps you're right. But had there not been any uproar over vendors selling the LE for less than $450, then the extra bullets would have never been included in the first place. Squeaky wheel gets the grease and all that.
I think when a company gets feedback from their customers it is beneficial to both parties.
So thats 400 SE's x $300 (the $200 SE/LE uplift and a lowest-possible $100 dealer discount) = $120,000. Even if you take Lee and Moore's sig costs out of that ($30k?) your still talking about around $90k net uplift the SE gives you over the LE.
Bottom line is you're making a LOT more profit on the SE's than the LE's and the only reason youre giving the bullets away with the LE is because youve been caught out with dealer discounts. Since the SE were also ordered directly with you they too should have the benefit of the extra "gift" - otherwise its just a crass marketing ploy that alienates the very customers who spent most cash with you for your premium product.
As far as their other point - Great double negative. So you aren't saying that youre NOT giving the bullets with the SE - nor saying that you are. Just cut out the marketting babble and tell people what your going to do
Cheers
Jez
www.StarWarsHelmets.com
Instead the made the people who spent the big bucks feel ike they are the redhead stepchild. Not that there is anything wrong with red heads or stepchildren.
www.007jamesbond.dk
http://thedangermen.com/
hairist :v
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
or in future simply not sell through independant retailers?
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
www.helpforheroes.org.uk
www.cancerresearchuk.org
just as him for a discount on some bullets i'm sure he wouldn't mind selling some to recoup his expense of 10 GG because he loves it so
This could be the extra extra for the SE buyers!
Antens007Archive
My thoughts exactly.
Instead the marketing people have come up with a great plan which makes those who paid $200 extra for the SE feel like theyve been ripped off - Waaaay to go Factory!!!
Note to Factory Marketing Department-call me crazy but I always thought successful marketing was when you keep your customers happy so they come back for more - especially those who you made the biggest profit from!
Cheers
Jez
www.StarWarsHelmets
Guys, personally I'd go for the "two old wrinklies" edition any day of the week. We may not like the way FE are handling certain aspects at the moment and the overseas shipping charges suck big time however at $650 the signature edition is still incredibly good value considering most thought this would be a $1000+ edition when it was first announced.
If certain retailers are willing to risk a loss with a sharp pre-sale price, let them go ahead. I've ordered my SE straight away and are perfectly happy with that.
We are not afraid to admit when we are wrong. So extra Golden Gun bullets for all it is then... We will be adding the bullets to the SE as well as the LE, because clearly that's what people want and we listen and act when we can.
To address the points raised:
- It was originally felt that offering the same extra bullets with the SE as the LE would be seen as a cop-out and SE buyers would have preferred something different, which we were working on. But clearly we were totally wrong. So for time and speed lashings of Extra bullets it is...all round. We will save what we were working on for another time... and no sadly we cannot tell you what it was.
- This not our baby, its just a very cool sandbox we are honored to be allowed to play in. We cannot do what we want, or say what we want. Everything has to be approved and we have to follow the rules. Sometimes things take a little time to go through the channels. Sourcing pricing and getting approval on the extra bullets in two weeks is not bad... and you don't want to know about the logistics of actually adding them.
- The extra items are totally reactive. They were not planned and we have had to act quickly to restore consumer confidence after retailers decided to start discounting prices. Of course we would have planned it better had we expected people to start cutting the price of brand new sought after items before they were even released, obviously we are too naive, but we never dreamed they would.
- There are no wholesale discounts. There is one wholesale price and everybody pays the same. That price allows a retailer to earn what we are told is a fair margin "I will not stock these unless I make X%" is the message we get from every potential stockist. We agree its a fair margin, certainly when you compare it to what 'big' retail demands which is usually north of 50% and often 60%. Retailers have costs and overheads and have to make a living and a profit. However if some people decided to slash that margin by even as much as half or operate on no profit at all then more power to them. Its their choice to sell at whatever price they see fit.
- We cannot survive without retailers. A 100% direct market would be fabulous, but the market simply is not big enough. We would already be out of business. We rely on retailers and they play a valuable part in reaching a market that is both unaware and unwilling to buy direct or online. They want to go into their local stores and talk to the staff and see and touch the items. Not to mention casual buyers who are simply see a cool item and fall in love with it. A lot of people just don't frequent forums and fan groups. The direct market is less than 10% of the size of the potential retail market.
- Having said that these items are limited edition collectibles, and they are expensive. Buying them requires considerable commitment from the consumer who expects them to at least maintain their value and rarity and we understand that. When they see discount pricing on brand new unreleased items it tends to erode their confidence a little bit. Which is a shame, but that's the market we are in.
- If you buy direct from us you are 100% covered by our warranties and polices and guarantee. If you buy elsewhere you may not be covered and may be at the mercy of the policies of the individual retailer. See here for our policies http://www.factoryentstore.com/terms.asp
- The extra bullets will come in a cool little box. Sadly its NOT a replica cigarette box. We are not permitted to produce those, for several legal and liability reasons. I am sure somebody here will be able to step in and get creative. The prop used in the film was an actual Chinese brand called 'Chungwha' which is still available and produced by the state run Shanghai Tobacco Group.
- We are personally quite stunned that anybody could think that the SE edition was in any way a lesser product. Its one of the coolest products to come out in years... its the only signed collectible we are aware of bearing the signatures of two 'Sirs' who have a frankly amazing body of work behind them. Granted the only difference between the SE and the LE is the signed plaque.... but what a plaque! And in answer to the question.... we hardly have any left.