Are You Attending SDCC This Year?

You are? Well, how much do you enjoy standing in lines? Lines, lines, lines, and more lines! Star Wars Celebration is the same way. If you want exclusives, let’s face it, you’ll be in a line most of the day. Wouldn’t it be great if there was another way? Well, there is and I think it is time that everyone gets on board. Click through to see how to quell the queue madness.

There have been many different ways that various manufactures handle the convention exclusives that are so popular. Funko changed to a Sails ticket system in 2016 and also provides spots to Funko Fanatics board members. NECA does a pre-sale for their products on June 20th for home shipping. And then there is Mattel.

Mattel not only allows people at home to be able to order their SDCC exclsuives, but you can also pre-order your SDCC exclusives for pickup at SDCC. What does this mean? Well, this means several things. First, it means that if you’re heading to the convention, you don’t have to stand in line all day to get you exclusives. You actually get to enjoy your time at the convention. Second, it means less inflate prices on SDCC exclusives. Now, they’ll obviously still go back up after everything sells out, but it allows people a chance to order them the same time as everyone else without thinking they’ll miss the random on-sale date. So instead of needing to do what I did for Star Wars Celebration X-Wing Luke, for those who remember (I sat there refreshing for DAYS after SWC until it popped it stock and I could report it to Paul), we would all know an EXACT time as to when we can flood the servers and attempt to order our exclusives.

So, I think you all know where I am going with this. Imagine if Hasbro sent out a flyer like this and said, “Hey guys, don’t pay those ridiculous e-Bay prices yet. We’re going to let you order them before SDCC on June X at 1:00 PM EST.” How great would that be? Last year was madness! We got a preview page for a few days and then BOOM! on sale, slow loading times, sold out Ben Kenobi. JTA reader Charlie originally sent in that Mattel advertisement and then sent in some lovely additional information that is the e-Bay pre-sale prices of this years SDCC Exclusives. Take a look for yourself!

Yes, yes, I Know. The prices will get that way eventually once they all sell out and there is no stopping that now, but it gives some real collectors a chance to buy them earlier without having to panic because they might miss the online sale. And I know some people feel that exclusives should remain exclusive to the actual event, but they usually feel that way when they actually attend the event and feel the opposite when they want the chance to pay retail when they aren’t. That’s not the point today though, it’s about giving the collector a better, fairer shot. Sure, the scalpers get the shot too, but that is inevitable either way.

So what do you, the collectors, think? Does this sound like something Hasbro should put in place, or do you have an idea about how it should be done? Are you even going to go for any the exclusives this year, if so, which ones?

The exclusives are some of my favorite parts of collecting if i’m being honest. Of course, it would be nice if they put the same amount of  accessories with the regular releases without the “exclusive” price tag, but I definitely look forward to getting that Thrawn set and Luke Speeder (even if my wallet will likely disintegrate afterwards due to uselessness). Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Special thanks to JTA reader Charlie for the news.

• Star Wars Celebration Is Heading Back To Japan In 2025
• Collecting Track Pewter Medallions Are Back For Celebration Europe
• Badge Art Revealed For Celebration Europe 2023
• Star Wars Celebration Europe Tickets On Sale June 30th
• Celebration Anaheim 2022: The Mandalorian Experience
• Disclosure Policy