From the Vault: Exiled really makes me wonder what is going on with Wizards of the Coast. I have one store in Wausau Wisconsin that has the set available for sale. I live 20 miles away and I am disabled so I cannot drive. I got a friend to take time off from the work she was doing to drive me to the cardshop in Wausau.

I got there in the first few minutes after opening. The clerk told me I would get a pack and I was pumped. The FedEx did not get there yet but I was allowed to pay for the pack and pick it up later. I saw no problem with this arrangement so i said write up a sales receipt. The clerk did so but to my amazement the cost was 100 bucks a pack.

The store was getting 11 packs in and they wanted to screw me out of 65 buck to make money. Needless to say I declined to purchase the cards and left. The more I think about it the madder I become because something tells me they were not supposed to sell them for more then 3 buck, right? Anyway I am writing a buch of shows to see who talks about it and I also hope to win the exiled cards you are giving away. Keep up the good work

pissed off in Wisconsin

Jeff

Hey Jeff,

Man do I feel your pain.

FTV: Exiled is one of those items that I am in awe of because it is the most clear example of Wizards printing money. It's guaranteed to sell, and it's such a limited commodity that it will be sure to draw higher than MSRP prices. And it targets a specific niche such that consumers will pay the price, whatever it is.

First off, your local store was not breaking any rules by selling at such a high mark up. Yes it sucks, but it's only governed by the laws of economics. The bigger Magic vendors are already buying them from customers for around $100 each. That right there means that the vendor has to charge a high price or else they're passing up free money, which is bad business.

Secondly, LGSs (local game stores) need to make money wherever they can. In so many times they're pressed for cash and just barely surviving, a mom and pop game shop definitely needs the extra profit wherever they can get it. Should they charge the full price? Not unless their local customers can afford it. And apparently your shop felt that it could.

The other major issue with this thing is that Wizards didn't really market it correctly. These aren't an item like a new expansion set; this is a true Magic collectible. They might as well print commerorative coins etc. The whole From the Vault line of products is meant to be more of a limited item, akin to WOW's loot cards, that purely exists to drive secondary the markets wild.

In the end the casual and competitive players end up getting the short end of the stick. Vendors end up alright, but also remember that they would much rather have the quantity of sales over the limited quality sales of such a high price item. Moving a hundred copies at $10 profit is much better than 11 copies at $60 profit.

I'm sorry that it's happening, and if Wizards had asked me I would have told them to avoid it, but it's going to keep happening as Wizards is finding the market more than willing to support such items. And that makes for good business.

All the best,

-- Trick Jarrett