Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by skyofcrack

It's nice to see they're finally limiting some titles to one per customer. They should do that for all the 3000 titles. Also noticed that you cannot determine how many copies are left any more. No matter what number you put in 50 is the maximum.

Yeah, I guess they do not want customer to know how many copies are left?! Bad move IMO. Following the low stock generates discussion and sales. Customers will not buy more, but less now. And, we know that SAE will not update people with how many copies remain more than once or twice.


Well they did suspend giving this site screeners where this is where most of their customers get their info. Yes, here...not anywhere else .

[iamnoone]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

Yeah, I guess they do not want customer to know how many copies are left?! Bad move IMO. Following the low stock generates discussion and sales. Customers will not buy more, but less now. And, we know that SAE will not update people with how many copies remain more than once or twice.

Agree 100%, and I said pretty much the same thing in one of the other TT movie threads. If this is a calculated move by SAE and TT to hide the number of copies left on their titles, it's probably going to backfire on them. Discussion will go down considerably, and although they may think hiding the numbers will make everyone race to buy one fast, I think it will have the exact opposite effect as no one will know and lose interest.

I've been a TT defender all the way, I actually still am and have bought a LOT of their Blus and will still support them 100%, but this move to hide the numbers (if it WAS a planned move by TT and SAE) could be a sign of that "I hate the customer" attitude so many people have insinuated before. Hopefully, it's just a glitch and the numbers will return. Personally, I buy all the ones I want right away anyway so no sweat there, but there will be far less discussion and talk about their label or any of their titles if the numbers remain hidden.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by iamnoone

Agree 100%, and I said pretty much the same thing in one of the other TT movie threads. If this is a calculated move by SAE and TT to hide the number of copies left on their titles, it's probably going to backfire on them. Discussion will go down considerably, and although they may think hiding the numbers will make everyone race to buy one fast, I think it will have the exact opposite effect as no one will know and lose interest.

I've been a TT defender all the way, I actually still am and have bought a LOT of their Blus and will still support them 100%, but this move to hide the numbers (if it WAS a planned move by TT and SAE) could be a sign of that "I hate the customer" attitude so many people have insinuated before. Hopefully, it's just a glitch and the numbers will return. Personally, I buy all the ones I want right away anyway so no sweat there, but there will be far less discussion and talk about their label or any of their titles if the numbers remain hidden.

Good points. Maybe it is a glitch like you stated...we will see .

[Dex Robinson]

In my opinion, the move to eliminate "the cart game" will have absolutely ZERO effect on sales.

People read way too much into things.

The cart game was trifle played by a handful of video nerds (I'm a video nerd so I don't mean the term as an insult). It has no significance outside of the interest of a couple of dozen people on a small group of internet forums.

In the real world, people buy movies because they like them. It's not a factor of numbers, scarcity, posters, slipcovers, digibooks, fuzzy dice or anything else. Movie fans will continue to buy what they like.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

In my opinion, the move to eliminate "the cart game" will have absolutely ZERO effect on sales.

People read way too much into things.

The cart game was trifle played by a handful of video nerds (I'm a video nerd so I don't mean the term as an insult). It has no significance outside of the interest of a couple of dozen people on a small group of internet forums.

In the real world, people buy movies because they like them. It's not a factor of numbers, scarcity, posters, slipcovers, digibooks, fuzzy dice or anything else. Movie fans will continue to buy what they like.

Not only was it a trifle, it was an unreliable trifle to boot.

This is a tempest in an empty teapot.

[iamnoone]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

In my opinion, the move to eliminate "the cart game" will have absolutely ZERO effect on sales.

People read way too much into things.

The cart game was trifle played by a handful of video nerds (I'm a video nerd so I don't mean the term as an insult). It has no significance outside of the interest of a couple of dozen people on a small group of internet forums.

In the real world, people buy movies because they like them. It's not a factor of numbers, scarcity, posters, slipcovers, digibooks, fuzzy dice or anything else. Movie fans will continue to buy what they like.

You left one factor out, though, the speculators and/or super collectors. I'm betting MANY MORE copies move out their doors when speculators or collectors see how fast a title is selling. Obviously the horror titles are going to sell out fast compared to others so numbers don't mean as much there, but on oddball ones, it could definitely have an impact. As a collector myself, that is half the fun of knowing the numbers and watching people jump on it quicker. TT is a label geared towards collectors and a limited number policy, so trying to hide the collectibility and the number of copies left seems counter intuitive.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

In my opinion, the move to eliminate "the cart game" will have absolutely ZERO effect on sales.

People read way too much into things.

The cart game was trifle played by a handful of video nerds (I'm a video nerd so I don't mean the term as an insult). It has no significance outside of the interest of a couple of dozen people on a small group of internet forums.

In the real world, people buy movies because they like them. It's not a factor of numbers, scarcity, posters, slipcovers, digibooks, fuzzy dice or anything else. Movie fans will continue to buy what they like.

Anything that limits exposure is bad for business. In addition, more will probably complain when they miss out on a given title .

Originally Posted by octagon

Not only was it a trifle, it was an unreliable trifle to boot.

This is a tempest in an empty teapot.

The cart game, when units remaining is less than 500 or so, is 100% accurate. Either way, it will not affect me in the least as I get what I want early .

[LucasM2012]

I agree with those who have said that the cart game results in talk about both the specific title and the company. It certainly has here.

Related to that, there have been a large number of posts here where people have said, "I haven't yet bought ____ because [money's been tight/keep forgetting/whatever], but since the numbers are starting to get low, I'd better place an order... and I'll have to find a couple other films to [bring postage costs down/be sure they'll ship it in a box/whatever] in that same order". So: lose one disc they would have ordered when stock started to get low, in a number of cases here means they will also lose possibly two more sales of things the person wouldn't have gone out of their way for, but would add in to cut shipping/increase packaging protection. [It also allows for prioritizing what to order first when money gets tight, if a large number of films are of interest.]

So I do believe that it makes a big difference to many people who read this thread.

The fact that I have received only ONE notice from SAE in two years where the "only 500 left" wasn't too late to actually get a copy of whatever, also plays a role in the cart game being an important guideline for procrastinators or those with tighter budgets. [I have still not received 'only 500 left' notices for either Sinbad film.]

Hopefully it is just a temporary glitch and the cart game returns, so we can get back to important things like guessing if there's held-back quantities that make the number inaccurate.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

The cart game, when units remaining is less than 500 or so, is 100% accurate. Either way, it will not affect me in the least as I get what I want early .

Can you really say it was 100% reliable when it didn't account for TCM stock and when titles would supposedly be sold out only to have more show up later?

[krasnoludek]

Originally Posted by LucasM2012

I agree with those who have said that the cart game results in talk about both the specific title and the company. It certainly has here.

Related to that, there have been a large number of posts here where people have said, "I haven't yet bought ____ because [money's been tight/keep forgetting/whatever], but since the numbers are starting to get low, I'd better place an order... and I'll have to find a couple other films to [bring postage costs down/be sure they'll ship it in a box/whatever] in that same order". So: lose one disc they would have ordered when stock started to get low, in a number of cases here means they will also lose possibly two more sales of things the person wouldn't have gone out of their way for, but would add in to cut shipping/increase packaging protection. [It also allows for prioritizing what to order first when money gets tight, if a large number of films are of interest.]

So I do believe that it makes a big difference to many people who read this thread.

The fact that I have received only ONE notice from SAE in two years where the "only 500 left" wasn't too late to actually get a copy of whatever, also plays a role in the cart game being an important guideline for procrastinators or those with tighter budgets. [I have still not received 'only 500 left' notices for either Sinbad film.]

Hopefully it is just a temporary glitch and the cart game returns, so we can get back to important things like guessing if there's held-back quantities that make the number inaccurate.

I had also noticed that the cart game wasn't working since the newest releases came out (and actually, for a couple weeks before then I'd occasionally get some titles in my wishlist resetting to 50, but you could still put in a higher number and get it to work). I hope it's temporary too. I keep track of how much is left of all the titles because (well, because I'm OCD, but also because) I want to know whether something I've been on the fence on is getting low or maybe still high but selling briskly. There have been a number of titles I have bought simply because I knew it was now or never and as the poster above said, oftentimes by the time you get the "500 remaining" email from SAE (if it comes at all), it's already too late. There's still a few titles I had been on the fence about (AGAIG and SiS, for example) but if the cart game's not there, I won't know if I should wait until the next preorders or not and likely will not buy them when they finally drop below 500 because it will come suddenly.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by octagon

Can you really say it was 100% reliable when it didn't account for TCM stock and when titles would supposedly be sold out only to have more show up later?

The cart game and the changes only refer to SAE. The only times I recall "some showed up later" was for Body Double when it was obvious something was wrong...meaning SAE was glitchy and most could tell it was off and for NOTLD since there were some returns. The cart game, when units are 500 or less, has been a great indicator for stock remaining at SAE...this is a FACT.

Fright Night, NOTLD, Christine, Mysterious Island, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Big Heat, the Golden Vogage of Sinbab...100% accurate. It is good information. As far as TCM, that site has proven itself to be very unreliable to depend on it for purchasing a title that has sold out on SAE. Nobody here, for example, will depend on TCM for something like...The Blob.

[PuppetMasterBlu]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

Nobody here, for example, will depend on TCM for something like...The Blob.

Oh they better not.

[krasnoludek]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

The cart game and the changes only refer to SAE. The only times I recall "some showed up later" was for Body Double when it was obvious something was wrong...meaning SAE was glitchy and most could tell it was off and for NOTLD since there were some returns. The cart game, when units are 500 or less, has been a great indicator for stock remaining at SAE...this is a FACT.

Fright Night, NOTLD, Christine, Mysterious Island, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Big Heat, the Golden Vogage of Sinbab...100% accurate. It is good information. As far as TCM, that site has proven itself to be very unreliable to depend on it for purchasing a title that has sold out on SAE. Nobody here, for example, will depend on TCM for something like...The Blob.

Big Heat also had some extra titles show up about a month after it sold out. And that's actually a perfect case in point, because I had wanted to buy a second copy as a future gift and I knew the numbers were getting low, but I was waiting to link it up with other purchases. Then suddenly the "500 remaining" email showed up and by the time I looked, poof, they were all gone. In that case, I was really happy when they then reported that due to returns and cancellations, they had a few copies left over and I managed to snag one. With the cart game broken, now I can imagine it happening much more often that I'll miss out on a title before I've even known to finally make up my mind about whether to buy it.

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by krasnoludek

Big Heat also had some extra titles show up about a month after it sold out. And that's actually a perfect case in point, because I had wanted to buy a second copy as a future gift and I knew the numbers were getting low, but I was waiting to link it up with other purchases. Then suddenly the "500 remaining" email showed up and by the time I looked, poof, they were all gone. In that case, I was really happy when they then reported that due to returns and cancellations, they had a few copies left over and I managed to snag one. With the cart game broken, now I can imagine it happening much more often that I'll miss out on a title before I've even known to finally make up my mind about whether to buy it.

But that does not invalidate the cart game at all guys. When the cart game indicated zero, the stock at SAE was zero and no more purchases could be made. If the cart game indicated 200 but 500 were available then it would not useful. In the example you provided above, it was not a case of more copies being replicated as only a very small amount was made available later. In fact, TT itself had stated it was a sellout.

One thing is really 100% accurate...anything TT related is sure to spark a debate .

[krasnoludek]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

But that does not invalidate the cart game at all guys. When the cart game indicated zero, the stock at SAE was zero and no more purchases could be made. If the cart game indicated 200 but 500 were available then it would not useful. In the example you provided above, it was not a case of more copies being replicated as only a very small amount was made available later. In fact, TT itself had stated it was a sellout.

One thing is really 100% accurate...anything TT related is sure to spark a debate .

Oh, my point wasn't that the cart game wasn't accurate. I completely agree with you that it's basically been 100% accurate when the numbers have gotten low enough. My point was just a minor correction that at least one other title had SAE come back after they had "Sold out" to tell us that they still had some copies.

[Keyser Soze.]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

One thing is really 100% accurate...anything TT related is sure to spark a debate .

+1

I'll admit, I've been a cart game player to some extent. Not only did it help me keep an eye on a handful of titles as they fell bellow 1000, but it reminded me to save up for a bulk purchase on more than one occasion. Without cart numbers, I'm sure it'll slow down my spending habits with them as a company. I'll either forget to buy a title, or will just plain miss the boat if/when a "500 remaining" email blast goes out.

Oh well, if nothing else I guess this move might save me money in the long run.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

In my opinion, the move to eliminate "the cart game" will have absolutely ZERO effect on sales.

People read way too much into things.

The cart game was trifle played by a handful of video nerds (I'm a video nerd so I don't mean the term as an insult). It has no significance outside of the interest of a couple of dozen people on a small group of internet forums.

In the real world, people buy movies because they like them. It's not a factor of numbers, scarcity, posters, slipcovers, digibooks, fuzzy dice or anything else. Movie fans will continue to buy what they like.

It still helps with producing sales. Look at the Golden Voyage thread and see how many posted about finally pulling the trigger on that one as Blu Titan kept updating the remaining numbers based on what he saw using the cart trick. In fact he had already called those low numbers well ahead of TT making the "official" announcement.

And talking about the "real world", well considering this is Twilight Time which is available in limited numbers on a couple of websites, "video nerds" must account for the bulk of their sales on some of these titles.

[Sporkies]

Originally Posted by krasnoludek

Oh, my point wasn't that the cart game wasn't accurate. I completely agree with you that it's basically been 100% accurate when the numbers have gotten low enough. My point was just a minor correction that at least one other title had SAE come back after they had "Sold out" to tell us that they still had some copies.

Yeah, but those weren't leftovers that weren't accounted for. They were the result of sales that fell through which I assume was a combination of a few cards that were declined and never updated along with a number of people who got caught trying to order more than the restricted number. Remember that all of that address checking happens manually on their end (why they don't just upgrade their website, I have no idea - surely the labor costs of crosschecking all of those orders is more expensive over time than just upgrading the thing, but anyway...). The point is that all the copies in the cart were actually purchased as far as their primitive system was concerned.

[CastrosfriendChe]

Just a question out of curiosity...and sorry, it's surely been answered numerous times before. Does TT individually number the cases 1-3000 for each release?

[grrrarg]

Originally Posted by CastrosfriendChe

Just a question out of curiosity...and sorry, it's surely been answered numerous times before. Does TT individually number the cases 1-3000 for each release?

It has been asked before, but no, each copy is identical with no numbering.