The company that makes My Little Pony trading cards and the My Little Pony Trading Card Game, Enterplay, holds flash sales on their webstore every Cyber Monday. Anyone who is super into my blog will remember that last year I was able to snag an Applejack Rare Foil card for $5 that I flipped on eBay for $250. These Rare Foil cards are usually only available at certain conventions or other fan events, so they aren't often available. When Enterplay holds the flash sales they usually only release 25 or fewer on the site, so to get one you need to be logged in to your Enterplay account, have your Paypal set up to log in with one click, and have your preferred payment option set as the default. This year there were a number of sales throughout the day, but they were mostly for things I already had (binders) or things I didn't really want (collectible dog tags). I did order a t-shirt, which I just realized never arrived. After going to Facebook I see that I am not the only one. Enterplay is pretty good about responding to people on Facebook, though, so it should be resolved soon.
Anyway, the last flash sale of the day was the big one, and I was lucky enough to see it pop up on the store's front page, add it to my cart, and check out in time to get the item. Instead of being for a specific card the sale was a pick-a-card sale, which meant that with a couple of exceptions you could pick any card from the trading card sets or the card game.
I wasn't prepared for that, so I didn't know what card I wanted. I knew that maybe I wanted a Fluttershy foil card, but I didn't know the number or at which event it was distributed. But I noticed in the small print that if you weren't sure right away you could e-mail Enterplay after the fact to make your choice. The important thing was to get the order in. I typed something like, 'Fluttershy special card,' in the box and checked out. I got an order confirmation and knew I was golden for the second year in a row. The thing sold out in about 20 seconds, because there were hundreds of people trying to buy 25 items.
Anyway, the last flash sale of the day was the big one, and I was lucky enough to see it pop up on the store's front page, add it to my cart, and check out in time to get the item. Instead of being for a specific card the sale was a pick-a-card sale, which meant that with a couple of exceptions you could pick any card from the trading card sets or the card game.
I wasn't prepared for that, so I didn't know what card I wanted. I knew that maybe I wanted a Fluttershy foil card, but I didn't know the number or at which event it was distributed. But I noticed in the small print that if you weren't sure right away you could e-mail Enterplay after the fact to make your choice. The important thing was to get the order in. I typed something like, 'Fluttershy special card,' in the box and checked out. I got an order confirmation and knew I was golden for the second year in a row. The thing sold out in about 20 seconds, because there were hundreds of people trying to buy 25 items.
The choosing a card thing caused a whole pile of sad/angry comments on Facebook, as many folks did not read the part of the item description stating that you could e-mail your selection in later. They sat around and thought about their selections for a while, and by the time they did that, typed it in to the Comment box, and hit the Order button it was way too late. There were also people who were watching the Facebook page to see the sale announcement, then clicking over to Enterplay's store. By the time the announcement came up on Facebook the thing had been sold out for two minutes. Flash sales are all about timing and technique, yo. I was pretty pleased with myself for being ready and getting my order in.
I sent a follow-up e-mail to let Enterplay know specifically which card I wanted. It was originally only distributed at the EverFree Northwest Convention in August 2012 and through an online survey in September 2012. If I had planned ahead a little bit I could have chosen a more in-demand card that I could have flipped on eBay for big bucks like I did the Applejack card. Depending on how many of the Fluttershy cards are on eBay at a given time, they sell for between $20 and $50. That's still a pretty good deal when you consider that I spent $5 to get the card. This one won't be sold, as it is one I wanted for my personal collection. It is also a nice reminder of the fun of participating in the flash sale frenzy and coming out of the fray victorious.
Man, that experience sounds great and horrifying at the same time.
ReplyDeleteImagine if Topps did the same thing. Everyone would be going crazy for the '52 Micks and whatever 1/1's are left of the premier prospects.
It is a lot of fun to participate if you know what you are getting yourself into. It's very stressful. I find that I get the shakes and start to sweat a little as the flash sale time approaches.
DeleteIf Topps did this for anything remotely valuable there would probably be blood running in the streets and enough fanboy rage to stop the internet for several seconds.