Alamo Drafthouse / Rolling Road Show Poster Update

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

Mondo's a great company. They're doing a great service to the hobby by putting out high-quality (mostly) illustrated posters - as opposed to "floating head" studio crapola posters - at reasonable prices and producing these cool road shows. 

However, I still think these yahoos who are paying sky-high prices for their posters will be in their beer five years from now.  You boys oughta sell while the getting's good IMHO.

[Charlie]

Mondo's a great company. They're doing a great service to the hobby by putting out high-quality (mostly) illustrated posters - as opposed to "floating head" studio crapola posters - at reasonable prices and producing these cool road shows.  

However, I still think these yahoos who are paying sky-high prices for their posters will be in their beer five years from now.  You boys oughta sell while the getting's good IMHO.

  <<< Little jealous maybe since I missed the entire Mondo movement because I collected in solitude...

[Freefall]

Freefall, your humor is lost due to the facts. Fallen was indeed offered this much and did turn it down.

The anti-Mondo sentiment here at times is staggering, and the ignorance of realized auctions (although in this case not realized due to Fallen's choice) these poster can bring at times is especially ignorant.

There is an audience for Mondo, and in some cases, these prints have a high resale value either immediately or as time goes on, that is just how it is.

Oh Wonka, I wasn't being sarcastic nor being condescending to fallen or Mondo prints. I am really being offered those prices. I was just caught off guard by the offer to be quite honest. And Mel, maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong. Who knows down the road what the prices will be. As for me, I am seriously considering parting with my extra copy to this fellow who really wants it.

[eatbrie]

I would sell in a heartbeat, especially since the entire Moss roadshow collection is pure shit (IMO, of course )

T

[wonka]

Freefall, I took your commentary as being sarcastic- or more of the same of what Fallen is getting over on EB, which is unwarranted simply due to the fact that he did get this offer as mentioned earlier. Regardless, I hope you can understand why I reacted the way I did but I also hope you accept my apology on this. I am sorry for sure.

If you can get that much for this print, I would sell it. Not because of the naysayers that say the bottom will fall out of these prints (they keep saying that, but for the most part, the prints only go up as each one disappears in collections or on walls out of the print run). That value is much more than its best price to date so why not, unless you are keen on keeping it of course.

Holiday, they are hardly a bad business. They went from having product releases about 4-6 weeks (if not longer) apart that would sit in their online store for weeks to now where we get a print a week that sells out in seconds at best, a minute or two at worst. Not exactly a failing business, wouldn't you agree? While they have had bumps in the road, I think they are doing a great job staying true to their goals and original business model while not caving to calls for second editions, higher print runs, cart system that freezes a print, etc...

It is frustrating missing out on a print you/we/I want, but its part of the thrill.
Mondo is another great avenue to collect movie based advertisements, for me anyway.

Charlie, the Beanie Baby metaphor is a particularly bad one, which was best struck down when Marklawd aptly pointed out how a Mondo run of 250 prints < a million Beanie Babies.

Thierry, the Moss RR is hit or miss, ending up as average, IMO of course. Robocop, Rocky, and Dirty Harry are decent, others not so much. Moss heads don't care, they want it all, so good on them.

[stewart boyle]

They went from having product releases about 4-6 weeks (if not longer) apart that would sit in their online store for weeks to now where we get a print a week that sells out in seconds at best, a minute or two at worst.

Wonka,
 Do you think that the whole "drop" selling technique has helped push up the prices ?
I was wondering that there must be serious collectors with a lot of spare cash but not a lot of spare time to play with?
They may not have the inclination to sit hitting refresh like you hardcore collectors do, Now the only avenue to pick one up is to buy from such as Fallen,Freefall etc hence the IMO inflated prices..?

Stew

[wonka]

Hi Stew,

I would say its several reasons. The points you bring up are very valid, and probably ring true most of the time.
It has to do with the artist, the title, the print run, when its released, hype, advertising, who sees the info for the drop beforehand vs. who doesn't etc...

Regardless, it can be very frustrating to the vets like Dale, Schan, Chad, Cj, myself, etc...when we would email/call/text each other about if we should get the current poster or not, then would casually just get it. You could get as many as you wanted to as well (numbers permitting of course), but no one thought they would take off like this.  I remember Stout's Big Trouble In Little China sitting there for several weeks before it sold out. Now they go for $2k.

Bottom line is people enjoy the thrill of the score while seeing old and new favorites with different art via the screen printing process which is really great when done well.

[stewart boyle]

Hi Stew,

I would say its several reasons. The points you bring up are very valid, and probably ring true most of the time.
It has to do with the artist, the title, the print run, when its released, hype, advertising, who sees the info for the drop beforehand vs. who doesn't etc...

Regardless, it can be very frustrating to the vets like Dale, Schan, Chad, Cj, myself, etc...when we would email/call/text each other about if we should get the current poster or not, then would casually just get it. You could get as many as you wanted to as well (numbers permitting of course), but no one thought they would take off like this.  I remember Stout's Big Trouble In Little China sitting there for several weeks before it sold out. Now they go for $2k.

Bottom line is people enjoy the thrill of the score while seeing old and new favorites with different art via the screen printing process which is really great when done well.

Thanks Ben 


Stew

[Freefall]

Freefall, I took your commentary as being sarcastic- or more of the same of what Fallen is getting over on EB, which is unwarranted simply due to the fact that he did get this offer as mentioned earlier. Regardless, I hope you can understand why I reacted the way I did but I also hope you accept my apology on this. I am sorry for sure.

Apology accepted but not necessary. 

[archie leach]

Regardless, it can be very frustrating to the vets like Dale, Schan, Chad, Cj, myself, etc...when we would email/call/text each other about if we should get the current poster or not, then would casually just get it. You could get as many as you wanted to as well (numbers permitting of course), but no one thought they would take off like this.  I remember Stout's Big Trouble In Little China sitting there for several weeks before it sold out. Now they go for $2k.

Not true.  Several of us thought that they had serious potential.  And the 'as many as you wanted' was not always true.

Limited edition Baseball cards are a more apt comparison than Beanie Babies.

[wonka]

Not true.  Several of us thought that they had serious potential.  And the 'as many as you wanted' was not always true.

Limited edition Baseball cards are a more apt comparison than Beanie Babies.

I speak from my perspective, this mirrors conversations I had with other people about the Mondo wares, so I speak from that viewpoint. (The whole IMO thing).

In the past, I bought a few posters from Mondo over the phone, a few times they asked me how many I wanted. Case in point, when I ordered the Ansin Phantom variant, they were asking me if I wanted the two remaining regulars. I said no at the time, which was a horrible choice obviously. Earlier, I emailed on behalf of some friends that wanted a poster (2008 I think) and Mondo asked me how many I needed, as they had 'enough'.

Also, limited edition baseball cards don't work since its always baseball, same teams, etc...tough to align with countless movies, artists, etc...

[archie leach]

When I ordered my phantom (they had a bunch) it was one per on the regs (variants were sold out) so something is amiss there.  Sounds like they were hitting you with a sales pitch.

And Alamo has always 'sold out' posters that they then sold in store for months in order to maintain the illusion of total desirability, so, depending on the title, it's not surprising that they would sell multiples.

[wonka]

When I ordered my phantom (they had a bunch) it was one per on the regs (variants were sold out) so something is amiss there.  Sounds like they were hitting you with a sales pitch.

And Alamo has always 'sold out' posters that they then sold in store for months in order to maintain the illusion of total desirability, so, depending on the title, it's not surprising that they would sell multiples.

It was late in the night and the girl I talked to seemed keen on selling me the rest of the lot to probably just be done with it. She was very nice, not pushy at all, just offered the rest, no biggie.

I would also point out that the 'sold out' hype effect is a practice more recent than earlier. They had stuff just sitting there, as stock slowly trickled away over the days/weeks it was for sale. This was in the Kleinsmith glory days. (Wish he did more Mondo stuff, not sure why they don't use him more often).

[holiday]

I wasn't saying that they are a bad business, Ben.  Without a doubt they are making money and that's a good business.  There are a lot of companies, though, that make money yet suck as a company.  Mondo is one of them. They could care less who their customers are, just as long as they keep selling prints.  They allow flippers to buy with impunity, taking no action whatsoever to curb that activity.  They could care less that hundreds, if not thousands, have struggled with their fucked up servers trying to buy from them.  Yes, they frustrated me, and yes, I get to say that Mondo sucks.  But, whores will be whores, so Mondo will keep printing and people will keep buying, regardless of how badly they suck as a company.

[archie leach]

It was late in the night and the girl I talked to seemed keen on selling me the rest of the lot to probably just be done with it. She was very nice, not pushy at all, just offered the rest, no biggie.

I would also point out that the 'sold out' hype effect is a practice more recent than earlier. They had stuff just sitting there, as stock slowly trickled away over the days/weeks it was for sale. This was in the Kleinsmith glory days. (Wish he did more Mondo stuff, not sure why they don't use him more often).

It doesn't have to be overt to still be a pitch on some level...

No, they did that only for those that would still occasionally sell.  The real dead weight was pulled early.  Some of which was sent out as freebies because they had to give them away *cough* Stand By Me *cough* just to clear space...

[wonka]

Holiday, I don't think they need to show any sort of loyalty by letting the 'vets' for lack of a better term have a clean and easy/private path towards a print to thank them for their allegiance.  I have always bought Hondas, still waiting for the dealer to thank me for my old Civic I bought new with a free moon roof on my next purchase.

I do respectfully disagree, that they are a bad company as well, and for several reasons. I think they do care, just need to do better with organization and communication. They don't owe us anything, its cool to see new art and titles each week, regardless of whether I decide to take it or leave it.

Arch, which Stand By Me piece/version are you referring to, out of interest...?

[eatbrie]

Well, I do agree with Holiday that they should do something about flippers. 

There are ways to do that.  Flippers do not send packages without a return address.  Mondo could ask people who buy from flippers to email them the address of the said flippers, therefore compiling a list of people they would not send prints too. 

But Mondo doesn't care, which really bothers me, because the money should go to the artists, not to some asshole who's making money off the artist.

And I'm not talking about people who sell prints a few months later.  I'm talking about all the scavengers, low life scums, who list their prints seconds after the end of the sale.

T

[stewart boyle]

Well, I do agree with Holiday that they should do something about flippers. 

There are ways to do that.  Flippers do not send packages without a return address.  Mondo could ask people who buy from flippers to email them the address of the said flippers, therefore compiling a list of people they would not send prints too. 

But Mondo doesn't care, which really bothers me, because the money should go to the artists, not to some asshole who's making money off the artist.

And I'm not talking about people who sell prints a few months later.  I'm talking about all the scavengers, low life scums, who list their prints seconds after the end of the sale.

T

Good comment T..

Stew

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

Olly Moss retweeted this loser flipper's lament:

[wonka]

It has been estimated several times that about 10-15% of any run gets in hands of people who intend to flip immediately, seconds after the given print is deemed sold out. To be honest, that is not a bad number, could be much worse than that.

I would also wager that the turbo flipping does nothing but add to the hype and indirect marketing of Mondo and the next print upcoming, which is beneficial to Mondo.

[wonka]

I saw that Moss/flipper bit earlier, too funny.

Not sure what that guy was thinking, he should quit his efforts in being a Flipping Mastermind.

[guest8]

I just wanted to pop in and say thanks to Wonka! The shitstorm I got on EB really turned me off and I havent been online as much this weekend due to how they reacted to my posts.

As for the rest of this, Mondo offers a great alternative to modern movie art and IMHO gets back to the roots of what movie posters were and should be. As for their business I know we can all be disappointed from missing out on a print that we want and it stings twice as bad when we see those prints online instantly selling for hundreds if not $1k+ .. But can we really blame Mondo? If we did like T suggests and gave them addresses of ebay sellers .. What if one day I was mad at T for having such a great collection that I decided to email mondo saying that I bought from him and he was a flipper .. Id be lying because we all know he doesnt "sell" posters but Mondo wouldnt know that and theyd black list him .. Thats not fair and you know some people with a grudge may try that .. In short Mondo doesnt have the resources needed to police the aftermarket the way that we would like. they do the best that they can with what they have .. and Im sure the that the fast sell outs and insane ebay prices dont hurt their business. It probably helps in more ways than one.

As for Holidays complaints about the website .. I can only imagine what would happen if they had as many people hitting that site in 2008 as they do today .. It would turn into a "This page no longer exists" error .. This is another they do the best with what hey have .. They dont have insane amounts of servers and licensing needed for all of those connections .. So the fact that it reacts as well as it does says a lot. The IT side of things is hard to get a handle on because most sites done have to deal with traffic like that .. and by that I mean 1K+ hits in one second .. Places that get regular traffic like that have server farms and are usually a multimillion dollar business.

In the end you win some and you lose some and if it something you really must have then its (typically) best to wait a month or two and the prices have subsided .. I made that mistake with the Moss SW set though and the prices keep going up up up and now I will probably never own the set. Its all in good fun though !!

[holiday]

No doubt that Mondo has its fans, and that's ok.  I am not one.

And yes, Ben, if I bought a Honda every year from the same dealer, he'd damn well better give me some perks or I'll find another dealer!  Loyalty does count and I can say based on experience that other vendors that I buy from who reward loyalty will always get my business while others never well.  Count Rich and Bruce in the first category. Count Heritage in the second category.   Count Cinemaoverdrive.net in the first category, count Mondo in the second category.  And, I could go on and on about the artists that I've come to know over the years who reward my loyalty, even if it's with little things like stickers or handbills.  Fuck, even Tyler Stout does it, and he could get away without it.

Mondo sucks ass.  For all I care, they could burn to the ground.  There are other companies that could just as easily work with the fine artist that Mondo uses and produce the same product by those artists. All Mondo does is, really, flip the goods. How ironic.

[wonka]

No doubt that Mondo has its fans, and that's ok.  I am not one.

And yes, Ben, if I bought a Honda every year from the same dealer, he'd damn well better give me some perks or I'll find another dealer!  Loyalty does count and I can say based on experience that other vendors that I buy from who reward loyalty will always get my business while others never well.  Count Rich and Bruce in the first category. Count Heritage in the second category.   Count Cinemaoverdrive.net in the first category, count Mondo in the second category.  And, I could go on and on about the artists that I've come to know over the years who reward my loyalty, even if it's with little things like stickers or handbills.  Fuck, even Tyler Stout does it, and he could get away without it.

Mondo sucks ass.  For all I care, they could burn to the ground.  There are other companies that could just as easily work with the fine artist that Mondo uses and produce the same product by those artists. All Mondo does is, really, flip the goods. How ironic.

Wow, Holiday..

Ok, fess up, what were the drops you swung and missed on?

I know you want them to burn to the ground and fuckity fuck fuck and all...but what ideas do you actually have to improve their business model?

[archie leach]

and many others of that era...