Desirability of steelbook collecting

[creasey275]

The year 2012 has seen a massive surge in steelbook releases, and collectors. Of the 35 pages of threads on HDN steelbook forum, 24 have been started this year. Back catalogue films, new releases and multiple releases in different countries has, I imagine, lead collectors to become more choosy about which to buy and where to buy it. "Limited" releases to 4,000, shop exclusives and steelbook treatment(debossing...) are now crucial deciding factors whether customers buy, and judging by the posts on numerous thread here and elsewhere reporting that a lot are keeping steelbooks sealed, over-riding the film itself.

Now for the statement.

In 2012 the huge increase in steelbook releases has lead to the decline in desirability of steelbooks. Discuss.

 

[jitstark]

Some say dying, I say maturing. As for the notion that too many steels are being released, I'm afraid that a lot of you are fooled by an optical illusion. I'm here to tell you that no, not too many steels are being released. You see, it seems that a lot are being released, if you lived in the UK that is. If you're a member of this forum, you would also feel that a lot of steels are being released. All this is an illusion I assure you. People in N. America, when was the last time you bought an FS or BB exclusive? Are they being released anywhere near the rate as in the UK? As for me, the last FS exclusive I got was Jack the Giant Slayer.

I know what you mean and I admit I was only thinking from a UKcentric viewpoint. However, Zavvi offer really cheap international shipping so customers across the pond can still 'shop' from Zavvi.

I think the other things affecting the market are:
1) Hardly any big releases get worldwide exclusive artwork anymore. Most steels of big films seem to be the same worldwide. With that being the case people are going to get the cheapest one for their needs (2D or 3D) and why not? It makes sense. It means you can budget for more steels. Warner don't even seem to be bothered to put any effort into their new steels (Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel).

2) The rarity factor has gone. This goes for both studios and collectors. Print runs are getting larger generally and some (not all) newer collectors don't seem to care if something was limited to 200 or 5000 if they have the same artwork. Price is now an overriding factor in steelbook buying.

 

[MENTAL MAGPIE]

Ive seen Terminator Salvation Play.com new sealed go for £26 a couple of days ago under £30 twice now and under £40 quite a few times in the last two months as i was thinking of replacing my open one, theres still some listed @ £100+ buy it now, i think theres little chance of it reaching them prices again. Theres just to much steel to collect now worldwide. I get excited about a new release and then another then another but i cant afford them all so i have to be more select in new releases now. I find myself canceling stuff before release because the initial excitement has worn off and ive moved on. Stuff like terminator salvation doest seem attractive anymore @ £100+ when theres nothing special about it now. It makes it harder to keep your Grails when you know a re release could be round the corner, i know some say they dont care about value but if your one of the collectors that bought Terminator salvation for £100+ or the uk Heat for £70+ or ES Jack Reacher for silly money plus many more that have gone down in price massively it does make you think before you spend silly money on a grail.

 

[lgans316]

Going forward we should be cautious when buying Steelbooks for investment.

 

[PKAVFC]

I only started collecting from July and have enjoyed it. For the most part, I will restrict myself to UK steels. I also try and avoid eBay and have learnt so much from the good ninjas on here.

It annoys me how people buy multiple copies, to "invest" it's more like rip someone off at later date.

Being a collector is doing just that, not using it as a cash cow. I have a few grails, but they are all opened and have been watched. I collect them to enjoy them too.

It should never be about how much a value of a steelbook has decreased, that sets the bar for how great it is. I will not sell my collection if the price of them plummets.

This is a hobby I enjoy, not an investment!

 

[lgans316]

Mate,

The intention of making an investment is to make money and not to rip off people. It becomes a rip off if the person buys too many of them blocking the chances for others or does it in an illegal way. It is the same as what the real estate / property developers do in shows like Homes under the Hammer.

To me some Steelbooks are still about value, of course I am proud to own them. At the same time you have to think about the rainy days and shelf space.

 

[PKAVFC]

Mate,

The intention of making an investment is to make money and not to rip off people. It becomes a rip off if the person buys too many of them blocking the chances for others or does it in an illegal way. It is the same as what the real estate / property developers do in shows like Homes under the Hammer.

To me some Steelbooks are still about value, of course I am proud to own them. At the same time you have to think about the rainy days and shelf space.

I agree with what you say about it being wrong with people buying copies to take chances away from others.

A good, recent example of this was the Firefly steel book, which kept coming and going at £16, to then sell out.

The first few days were very much, blink and you will miss it. A buyer purchased all 14 in one swoop, leaving a lot of us frustrated.

Luckily, a decent batch came back in with Amazon, so I think most of us got one.

Point being, within hours of the first ones being purchased, the ebayer's come out and start banging them out at £29.99 -34.99 (I see a few people off HDN forum doing it too)

I appreciate its not illegal, but its very annoying. Greed. Plain and simple.

I know the steels I have will be good for a rainy day, but I do get the impression that some get concerned with making money off the steelies, rather than collecting them.

Ah, it annoys me, but I wont lose any sleep! Time to look at some more steelbooks.

 

[jitstark]

I know what you mean but it's the same with any limited item. Some will look to make a profit, some will collect for the love of it, whilst others will buy a few to sell offset the cost of what is becoming an increasingly expensive hobby. Each to their own.

You're right though, it's definitely not worth losing sleep over. At the end of the day it's a pretty small compared to energy prices, petrol/oil prices, commodities. Same problems on a larger scale.

 

[SimonLDT]

The problem now is that steelbooks are practically worthless (well, not worthless but they don't generate a surge in value anymore - except for the early grails). You'd be lucky to break even on most releases, let alone make a profit.

 

[PKAVFC]

I know what you mean but it's the same with any limited item. Some will look to make a profit, some will collect for the love of it, whilst others will buy a few to sell offset the cost of what is becoming an increasingly expensive hobby. Each to their own.

You're right though, it's definitely not worth losing sleep over. At the end of the day it's a pretty small compared to energy prices, petrol/oil prices, commodities. Same problems on a larger scale.

agree with every word!

 

[stevo]

I know what you mean and I admit I was only thinking from a UKcentric viewpoint. However, Zavvi offer really cheap international shipping so customers across the pond can still 'shop' from Zavvi.

I think the other things affecting the market are:
1) Hardly any big releases get worldwide exclusive artwork anymore. Most steels of big films seem to be the same worldwide. With that being the case people are going to get the cheapest one for their needs (2D or 3D) and why not? It makes sense. It means you can budget for more steels. Warner don't even seem to be bothered to put any effort into their new steels (Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel).

2) The rarity factor has gone. This goes for both studios and collectors. Print runs are getting larger generally and some (not all) newer collectors don't seem to care if something was limited to 200 or 5000 if they have the same artwork. Price is now an overriding factor in steelbook buying.

I wouldn't worry about Zavvi flooding the world with their products lol. I don't know if "Zavvi" has the same name brand recognition as Walmart, Amazon or eBay. I highly suspect not. The same worldwide artwork is annoying, but I thought the vast majority of people here just love slips? If so, then what's the problem? You just know that them Asian releases will get a cool slip, so there should be no complaints correct? Can't agree with the rarity factor not being there though. I point you to all these current Blufans, Kimchi, ES releases that are commonly in the 100's of units, no more than a few 1000. These are by far much rarer than FS IM, or Rambo. The problem is there is a lot more releases nowadays. People have to divide their budget amongst many many steels, not just one or two.

I get a kick reading all these comments on how certain steels are going down in price, and almost none of the new releases are selling in that $100+ mark. I wondering, what do you expect? You think that every 2nd or 3rd release should reach that mark? Who has the money to pay for it? I agree with the comment above that says collecting for investment is over. If you want to do that, you gotta pay up for those older titles that was released before this deluge of releases. It's always the older stuff that's worth the most anyways, in all collectibles. That's why I've always been confused with this "new format" theory, that's suppose to kill off the older format. I see people saying it, but yet to explain how this is suppose to work lol. As for reprints, just a question. Are they gonna reprint IP's and MB's?

 

[jcm]

There is no doubt their value is decreasing and I don't mind that because I only buy ones of movies I love and they are not an investment. What does bother me is the flood of new releases making steels seem almost as common as amarays limiting the initial novelty of steelbooks to me

 

[Arbsy]

I mainly collect because I find it extremely enjoyable, but having a valuable steel in the collection is always nice.

I do agree that prices on average seem to be coming down. Just a couple weeks ago on ebay a lot of 6 steelbooks sold for $82 that included public enemies FS steel and some other fairly rare steels that use to sell for quite a bit....got sniped at the last minute .

It reminds me of my Dad's hockey card collection growing up. At one point it was worth thousands just in rookie cards and completed sets, now he would be lucky to get a tenth of that. Steelbook's will eventually go that route when a new format comes out, or interest begins to fade. I never plan on selling for profit, only selling to purchase more steels . To each their own, I have absolutely no problem with people reselling to make a profit or hoarding limited editions to unload after a year or so (I am not the steelbook gestapo)

 

[Staind]

Hmm...it's sad but, someone need to say it...Steelbooks are loosing their Value very bad...imho even the Grails are decreasing

 

[lgans316]

Iron Man 3 TW

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231087295348?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Iron Man KR - Alternate cover

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331058334166?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

RE: Retribution Japan

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251371663998?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

H & G Korea

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251371660752?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Star Trek Into Darkness Villain Edition - ES UK

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251371621581?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

The Town FS

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251371656259?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

Wreck It Ralph Blu-fans - Last 5 copies sold for GB or less than GB price

I am wondering is it wise to pre-order at full price or keep trying our luck in the bay.

 

[blu-steel]

Wreck it Ralph Blufans has been consistently been in the $90 range. Ive sold around 8 of them for $90 or above in the last month. What you are doing is showing what the extreme low AUCTIONS bring in. AUctions are not the way to figure the value of items that rarely ever sell. Most items sell at a loss on ebay not just steelbooks.

 

[lgans316]

From a buyer's perspective, it is commonsense to bid and try their luck instead of buying at inflated price. The recent 5 WIR auctions ended below 40 GBP which is the same as GB price. I am not specifically quoting low auctions. There are the only ones I found in the UK site in the past few weeks that were in my watch list. Auctions like these have heavily influenced my buying decisions. I know there is an element of luck but sometimes it is worth trying and saving money for other Steelbooks.
I understand where you are coming from but we have to view from all angles.

 

[MENTAL MAGPIE]

From a buyer's perspective, it is commonsense to bid and try their luck instead of buying at inflated price. The recent 5 WIR auctions ended below 40 GBP which is the same as GB price. I am not specifically quoting low auctions. There are the only ones I found in the UK site in the past few weeks that were in my watch list. Auctions like these have heavily influenced my buying decisions. I know there is an element of luck but sometimes it is worth trying and saving money for other Steelbooks.
I understand where you are coming from but we have to view from all angles.

I would say 95% of my collection is worth less than retail and none of it is worth what i think it is, the values i put on my steelbooks are not the values i see them going for on auction. ive watched nearly every steel i own go through auction on ebay and over the last few months i would say most of it has halved in value, you will find your steels are worth more to you than what you can sell them for, ive sold off around 70 different titles in the last two months as i slim down what i collect and my uk steels/german lentics that i put on 99p auction all went under retail blufans and kimchi steels struggle to make retail on ebay and there supposed to be the better quality more limited steels. Theres a bit of hype when the steels first come out and then they drop back to retail and under most of the time.

 

[blu-steel]

My average selling price for steels is up this year over last year. NOt only that the cost price is also higher as well, so the whole argument is moot. We used to get play steels for 9,99. Now we are paying much more. Price of steels is up across the board.

 

[MENTAL MAGPIE]

My average selling price for steels is up this year over last year. NOt only that the cost price is also higher as well, so the whole argument is moot. We used to get play steels for 9,99. Now we are paying much more. Price of steels is up across the board.

i can get most of the steels i want on ebay auction for retail or under, nearly all the play.com steels like terminator/terminator salvation/predator/predators/HEAT that were £30+ and salvation was £100+ sealed all can be got on auction sealed for under £30 now, i watched salvation play sealed on auction go for £26, £33,£36 in the last few weeks predators £16 sealed with free shipping these were among the higher value play.com steels when i started collecting a year ago and if i wanted them i would never have got them for the prices i can get them for now on ebay auction. Im not saying steelbooks are now all dropping but there are plenty of steelbooks that have dropped in value and ive just named the uk ones i can think of. Theres steelbooks like kimchi releases that are so good that the older play steels in my opinion dont come close to so it stands to reason that if kimchi tangled with a low print run is going for £36 on auction ive watched it go for that, and both versions, then i can see the steels ive listed would drop in price, who would pay £100+ now for terminator salvation play.com? all above is my opinion only feel free to disagree but i dont think the subject of steels decreasing in value is moot

 

[digitalbabe]

I think it depends what it is and when it is sold . The lower print items and those with WEA and or special slips or stickers appreciate over time. It's when folks buy and then try to turn around a bunch of Steels that are available in multiple countries and or same covers shortly after release that most of these dips occur, imo.


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