Hey guys, I understand the concerns about the raising of the ES. Here's an account of what happened.
When we first announced the project collaboration back in early 2015, the original number both Simplytoys and XM discussed was at 500. Context is important - at that point in time which is Feb 2015, many things were yet to be finalized, such as number of switch out parts, base design of the statue, (even the name was still Honorary Capt and not Sentinel of Liberty) even whether Simplytoys is the only distributor or if they would share it with another distributor.
By late 2015, due to awareness of Captain America's 75th year anniversary marketing initiatives in 2016, we discussed with ST on producing total of 750. ST still has 500 allocated to them which hasn't changed, but XM will reserve 250 not meant for public sale. The objective was to both complement the 75th anniversary marketing initiatives as well as allow us to produce more pieces for special events and marketing initiatives (such a giving away pieces to Avengers contests or supporting charity auctions with local organizers which we have not shared publicly).
And the next part is probably where the mismanagement of expectations happened. As this piece is meant for ST to sell, XM did not publicize or sell it. XM didn't announce the final 750 ES as we were anticipating ST to market it in their own manner and fashion (they had ideas about opening for PO on specific days across all their retail outlets etc). I would also assume people who made orders from ST would have checked with them about the final specs and ES before making the purchase.
Nevertheless, I admit there should have been better management on the marketing aspects of Capt A. It is a first time we are doing this with ST so we definitely learnt something. But it wasn't a last min decision to increase post PO as some people misunderstood - the ES decision was made way before PO. We will never increase ES after PO and this is a promise we will continue to keep.
To folks who are concerned because there are 250 pcs more Cap, my first assurance is these 250 pcs aren't meant for public or retail. Technically there are only 500 pieces for sale by ST. If we had wanted to sell the 250, you would have seen them for PO in the last 3 major conventions XM was at. As mentioned earlier, these extra 250 will be used for special events, charity and partner support - simply put and possibly what the concerned folks want to hear - these 250 will not be easily accessible on the market (you'd have waaaay more luck securing one from ST).
We don't actually encourage folks to buy products (any, not just ours) at inflated prices (after all it's the flippers who are earning not us) so I don't think it's fair to pin paying above retail on producers. IMO, if you want to pay more to get something you want, that's a decision only you can make - and something you should do without regrets. What's important is to buy what you like, pay what you deem is reasonable (which is different for everyone) and love the hobby for what it is and don't forget to enjoy the friendships you and I have made along the way.
I love you guys. <3
