Artbox Sorcerer's Stone Set: Have Your Say!

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Dear Artbox,

We would like to bring to your attention the concerns we have with your upcoming release of the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone Trading Card Set.

First let us mention that as collectors we have been really impressed with the quality of your two Harry Potter card sets and have spent many hours admiring and actively seeking them.

However, it is in this context that we were also very disappointed with your last release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Update cards - both dealers and collectors who bought boxes and cases of the product have felt let down in many respects.

One major criticism we have had with both sets is that a good deal of Hobby boxes were "duds" i.e. there were no props, costumes, autographs or film cards in them. No other card manufacturer has so many problems with dud boxes - finding a "dud box" is very rare in Topps cards and manufacturers such as Inkworks and Rittenhouse guarantee that you will receive something in each box. At $60 per box in the US and �45 per box in the UK it is unacceptable to get one to two base sets and a few foil cards.

The collation problems extended to the cases. There were far too many cases that contained no autographs or no props. While we can understand that this will happen occasionally, and not every box or case will have inserts exactly meeting the specified odds, it was far too prevalent for collectors to ignore.

We also find it unnerving that there is a lack of information about the details of the sets prior to release. We appreciate that you may wish to "surprise" us, but when dealers and collectors are putting out a great deal of money upfront, it seems better to have some reliable information on insert cards and ratios from an accountable source. Perhaps such information could be published on your website? Many other successful card manufacturers work this way -- for example take a look at Inkworks (www.inkworks.com) and Rittenhouse's (www.scifihobby.com) websites. You will see that they publish pictures and insert ratios for all their cards, well in advance of a release (a month or more), along with some indication of how many cases will be produced and the rarity of the autographs.

We encourage you, as other card companies do - to let the customers know what to expect.

Would this be too much to ask given how much money we've already spent on your products and intend to spend in the future?

Yours,

The Undersigned

Current verified sigantures: 37
Current sigantures total: 38
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Next 15 >>

Name Cases Boxes Comments

Amy G 0 3

Marcia Bucktin 0 2 1 of the boxes was a dud no prop , no costume, no auto , no creature and no film cards.

Dereck Lawson 1 1 Much more information needed,before I part with any more money.

Cindy Gullicksen 0 6

Anna Okumoto 6 21 Considering that I am a collector and not a dealer, I feel that I have purchased a significant amount of your product. Your respose to our letter would greatly influence whether or not I will continue to purchase your products in the future. There are not many collectors that have the resources I have to be able to purchase large quantities of your product, and I really am disappointed in your company as a whole when I hear that people are puchasing boxes that they scrimped and saved for only to discover no special inserts in them. I feel this is unacceptable.

David Ervin 1 2 Hello, Collector market forces are driving your wildly popular Harry Potter series, with the Triple auto selling for as much as $2000.00 on eBay. You should be proud of your product and you should respect the wishes of your costumers, many of whom are right here on The YakShack.co.uk. The site has taken it upon itself to post a price guide for collectors of your product,at their own expense,which can only help to promote your product and produces what amounts to free advertising. If not for this loyal fanbase your product would not be near the success it is. Please try to take into consideration the requests make in this petition as I think it will go a long way in making your product a continuing success. With best regards,dave

Jason Hurd 1 0 The cards were damaged, rarely did I get the right amount of cards pr pack, per box. I had several packs with many foils in them. I wasnt given the # of inserts I was supposet to get. I was shorted :( very dissappointed and I am not sure i will buy more on the next set. Should have left it like the first series!

Dawn Duval 0 0 I did not buy any boxes in this set, and chose instead to purchase cards individually. However, I would be highly likely to buy a box/s in the future as long as I felt well informed on inserts and that I could trust the insert ratios.

Zachary Kelsey 90 0 Very poor distribution for so many high serial numbered cards. Opened 40 of the 90 sealed cases and counted 35 boxes containing no inserts other than the foil cards.

Chris Chidgey 37 0 Lot over £10,000 which has almost bankrupted my business

Rosalind Turner 8 0 I was caught by the rough end of distribution of autos with my 8 cases with lots of cases missing autos and props... the reason I purchased sealed cases was to try avoid all that! I would certainly encourage you to use your website as a place to show off official and confirmed information, it only serves as an advert for your beautiful products anyway. You could always keep some things as surprises and list them as "mystery prop" and then the insert ratios for it.

Sharon Head 0 5

Jules Gorry 0 0 I chose not to buy boxes or cases of your product, preferring to purchase cards individually. Considering the general lack of information on the insert ratios and the poor distribution as evidenced by the majority of people I've dealt with, then it's highly unlikely I'd consider buying boxes/cases of future sets either.

Valerie Kelsey 10 0 Great set, just to hard to pull any autographs or good cards.

Kate York 0 6

Next 15 >>

Name	Cases	Boxes	Comments
Amy G	0	3
Marcia Bucktin	0	2	1 of the boxes was a dud no prop , no costume, no auto , no creature and no film cards.
Dereck Lawson	1	1	Much more information needed,before I part with any more money.
Cindy Gullicksen	0	6
Anna Okumoto	6	21	Considering that I am a collector and not a dealer, I feel that I have purchased a significant amount of your product. Your respose to our letter would greatly influence whether or not I will continue to purchase your products in the future. There are not many collectors that have the resources I have to be able to purchase large quantities of your product, and I really am disappointed in your company as a whole when I hear that people are puchasing boxes that they scrimped and saved for only to discover no special inserts in them. I feel this is unacceptable.
David Ervin	1	2	Hello, Collector market forces are driving your wildly popular Harry Potter series, with the Triple auto selling for as much as $2000.00 on eBay. You should be proud of your product and you should respect the wishes of your costumers, many of whom are right here on The YakShack.co.uk. The site has taken it upon itself to post a price guide for collectors of your product,at their own expense,which can only help to promote your product and produces what amounts to free advertising. If not for this loyal fanbase your product would not be near the success it is. Please try to take into consideration the requests make in this petition as I think it will go a long way in making your product a continuing success. With best regards,dave
Jason Hurd	1	0	The cards were damaged, rarely did I get the right amount of cards pr pack, per box. I had several packs with many foils in them. I wasnt given the # of inserts I was supposet to get. I was shorted :( very dissappointed and I am not sure i will buy more on the next set. Should have left it like the first series!
Dawn Duval	0	0	I did not buy any boxes in this set, and chose instead to purchase cards individually. However, I would be highly likely to buy a box/s in the future as long as I felt well informed on inserts and that I could trust the insert ratios.
Zachary Kelsey	90	0	Very poor distribution for so many high serial numbered cards. Opened 40 of the 90 sealed cases and counted 35 boxes containing no inserts other than the foil cards.
Chris Chidgey	37	0	Lot over £10,000 which has almost bankrupted my business
Rosalind Turner	8	0	I was caught by the rough end of distribution of autos with my 8 cases with lots of cases missing autos and props... the reason I purchased sealed cases was to try avoid all that! I would certainly encourage you to use your website as a place to show off official and confirmed information, it only serves as an advert for your beautiful products anyway. You could always keep some things as surprises and list them as "mystery prop" and then the insert ratios for it.
Sharon Head	0	5
Jules Gorry	0	0	I chose not to buy boxes or cases of your product, preferring to purchase cards individually. Considering the general lack of information on the insert ratios and the poor distribution as evidenced by the majority of people I've dealt with, then it's highly unlikely I'd consider buying boxes/cases of future sets either.
Valerie Kelsey	10	0	Great set, just to hard to pull any autographs or good cards.
Kate York	0	6