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It's good to see there's some open-minded views on this, as I really enjoy it when we get the bigger guests at these events. It just gives the whole thing a far better vibe, and it's exciting to get someone like Tyson or Christopher Lloyd etc.

 

It is a little silly when people say 'well I can't afford it, so you should drop the prices!' or 'it's not fair to have all these guests!' when I don't imagine they go into shops and complain that televisions are too expensive, or there are too many products that they want ..

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I've been reading about an upcoming American Trek Con and the prices they're charging for autos/photoshoots there, and I was actually amazed at how good value for money Collectormania MK had been by comparison.

 

I would totally pay a lot more to meet the likes of Ford/Hamill etc.

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I am not a collector of autographs, so this discussion really doesn't affect me personally, but I can understand how an autographile would part with serious cash to get a signature.

 

It's like any collection, some you'll get for next to nothing and others you will have to part with cash for to get.

 

Autographs are Collectables and are worth a commodity, just think, if people are prepared to pay £75 for an autograph, then people are going to pay that sort of money if it was sold on, and, in the case of traders, will probably stick 20% on top.

 

The important point is that it is the star that dictates the cost of the autograph and that really should be the deciding factor, in your opinion, is that star as valuable as they reckon they are worth?

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My personal view is that you can not always have what you want! However if you want something bad enough you will find a way of funding it! I think the prices are fair, and thank showmasters for offering the chance to get autographs regardless of the price. You may not want to pay £75-£100 for Mike T but then you cant want it bad enough - I would like his autograph but I wont pay that kind of money as its not that important to me but I would for R-Patz! I am far from well off but badly wanted to go to ET4 so I had a rumage through my house for items I considered junk and sold them on ebay and this payed for my ticket - there is always a way! The other option is offer to crew - this will gain you a voucher to pay for autographs or at least go towards it.

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Reading through the posts in this topic, the top guests everybody would pay good money for are:

 

Kurt Russell

Harrison Ford

Mark Hamill

 

To me, having any of these as guests would be worth paying £100+ for. I'm glad to see so many people would too and it's great that you're planning more A list guests Jason :poki:

 

You will always get the complainers saying "I think it's terrible charging more than £20 for an autograph, I can't afford it, so nobody else should be allowed to either".

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One o the biggest - or at least, oft repeated - arguments in favour of high prices is that "if people want it badly enough, they will pay".

But that assumes that everyone is on a level playing field and has access to the same funds. They don't.

To be honest, it's a rather simplified version of the injustices and inequalities inherent in a capitalist society. The main thurst of the argument is "vote with your money" but that favours those with more money.

 

Someone who can afford a £3,000 bespoke suit is going to think nothing of £75 for a Mike Tyson autograph. But someone on £65 a week Incapacity Benefit is out of luck.

 

Now some of you have said something like "it might not be fair, but life isn't fair". Well no, life isn't fair. But it SHOULD be. And when there is unfairness, we need to protest.

When women didn't have the vote they didn't say "that's not fair but neither is life, oh well". They said "that's not fair, let's change it". Yes, that's a rather lofty example to bring in to a situation like this but it illustrates my point. :-)

No, life isn't fair. But why does that mean it shouldn't be?

 

I don't like these arguments being used in this thread. It smacks too much of "hey I'm alright, sod the rest". I know that's not what most of you are intending but being someone on the £65 a week I mentioned earlier, that's how a lot of it is coming across.

 

I understand that those with money get to have more luxuries in life but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Edited by Stenun
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yer jason please get bigger guests, like I said id pay up to 70 odd for a pic if the guest is right, please yes do keep trying to go bigger and better, its brilliant, and im sure the for ppl outweigh the against ppl on this argument, even if ppl arnt happy they would still go for it if the guest is right.

 

would I pay 50-70 for a photo with kurt russel or kevin costner? yes I would! especially costner!! in fact costner would be one of those id even consider the 100 mark! though I wouldnt tell anyone id paid that lol

 

i dont have much money, in fact im in debt BUT I love meeting the stars and with most I look at it as if it might be my last chance to see them so gotta take the hit!

 

glad im not an auto collector though, id be bankrupt

Edited by timelord81r
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The type of guests we are alluding to here (Ford, Russell, Hamill , etc) and Tyson for that matter, you wouldn't even get the chance of "getting" with a five hour wait at a stage door or premiere. SM have been bringing such guests as standard for the last few years. I mean, it's all subjective, but Christopher Lloyd ffs !! As a guest, and a piece of work by Jason, he wipes the floor with Patrick Stewart and the like (in my opinion anyway !)

 

Sorry to be anal - but Tyson has done a tour of after dinner speaking events in the U.K before. Where you could get photos, autos etc - which was still pricey. But my point is he isn't as rare as say Harrison Ford etc.

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Hi,

 

I think as everyone has said in this thread, if you want the autograph desperately enough, then you will pay what is being charged. I would love the opportunity to meet Harrison Ford in person and the cost of doing so is more realistically, looking at several hundreds to do so.

 

My Husband and a few of his friends are travelling down to London to meet Mike Tyson even though it has been said that you really shouldn't attend a convention on the sole premise of just one guest. They think it is worth the risk because of the opportunity of meeting Mike Tyson and would never have the opportunity to do so if it wasn't for the Organisors arranging for him to be there.

 

My Husband very rarely attends signings outside Scotland, unless there is a rare signer, but as this is such a unique opportunity in his words 'it is worth it.'

 

I think it is absolutely brilliant that the opportunity is there if you want it to meet people who inspire, look up to, or are a huge fan of their work and hope that this is just the beginning.

 

On a side note referring to what mmmedwardcullen wrote 'The other option is offer to crew - this will gain you a voucher to pay for autographs or at least go towards it.' I think thats really cool, and being nosey, I didn't know you got such cool benefits of getting a discount. Fantastic!

 

Ann

 

xx

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Reading through the posts in this topic, the top guests everybody would pay good money for are:

 

Kurt Russell

Harrison Ford

Mark Hamill

 

These are the same 3 names that always pop-up in these "how much would you pay for a guest" threads. I think it's cos those threads are usually started by Mike Donovan...or he likes to post in them alot.

 

Hamill is Luke Skywalker after all and infamously expensive (for an actor who's only really known for one franchise).

Ford is Indy and Han Solo after all and infamously out-of-reach.

Russell is just a massive movie-fanboy favourite.

Edited by nicky
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OK... i don't want anyone to have a go at me or anything, but this is just my opinion... :poki:

 

The fact that any of them charge for an autograph is ridiculous... i mean you meet them for 3 minutes and get a picture with a bit of ink on it. How that can be worth £15 let alone £75 is beyond me.

It is a mega amount of money for that... but i love it! :D

 

I have been going to Collectormania for a few years now and have met so many of my favourite actors, and even though i honestly believe that we shouldn't pay for the autographs... i still do because it's what i love to do.

 

I would love to meet Mike Tyson, he is a true legend in the boxing world. He is one of the biggest boxers that has ever stepped foot in a ring... but i can't pay £75 for an auto... as much as i want to, that is just too much for me. It would pain me to hand over that amount of cash to meet anyone.

 

Unfortunately I won't be going to this event, but if he was charging £25, i would be there in a shot. I would go there just to meet him!

 

Anyway... that's it from me... see you at the next event i can go to. :)

Edited by Richie Rich
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I don't like these arguments being used in this thread. It smacks too much of "hey I'm alright, sod the rest". I know that's not what most of you are intending but being someone on the £65 a week I mentioned earlier, that's how a lot of it is coming across.

 

I understand that those with money get to have more luxuries in life but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

I'm not quite sure what you would expect though?

 

Don't get me wrong - I was unemployed for a good amount of time, and really had to prioritise for a few years for what I was getting. I crewed events, I missed quite a few other things, didn't buy much merchandise, sold stuff etc. I would never be annoyed if guests were too high for me though. Some people seem to expect prices to drop so everyone can afford them, which I find very strange - not you personally - and sadly it is the way life works.

 

Unfortunately I won't be going to this event, but if he was charging £25, i would be there in a shot. I would go there just to meet him!

Truthfully you'd be there alone, as at £25 he wouldn't be there :poki:

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In this particular situation, there isn't a way to make it 'fair'. Just like a retailer won't sell someone a 51" flatscreen TV for £20 just because that's all someone can afford in their circumstances, showmasters can't change the price they need to charge for an autograph to suit the financial means of the individual attendees. They're a business, they need to cover the costs of bringing a guest to an event or they'll be the ones who can't afford to eat.

 

Does this suck for the people with very limited means? Yes. Can showmasters really do anything about this? No.

 

I'm personally living in a very cash-strapped period of my life at the moment, as my flat-purchase is taking the vast majority of the money I earn (after rent/utilities have gone) - I've been living off breakfast cereal and pasta for nearly 2 months now in order to still be able to afford events. If a guest I REALLY wanted was charging a high price, I would do what I could to save up the necessary funds. If I didn't manage it, then that's tough for me, but I'd rather have the opportunity of trying to save up for them than not.

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One o the biggest - or at least, oft repeated - arguments in favour of high prices is that "if people want it badly enough, they will pay".

But that assumes that everyone is on a level playing field and has access to the same funds. They don't.

To be honest, it's a rather simplified version of the injustices and inequalities inherent in a capitalist society. The main thurst of the argument is "vote with your money" but that favours those with more money.

 

Someone who can afford a £3,000 bespoke suit is going to think nothing of £75 for a Mike Tyson autograph. But someone on £65 a week Incapacity Benefit is out of luck.

 

Now some of you have said something like "it might not be fair, but life isn't fair". Well no, life isn't fair. But it SHOULD be. And when there is unfairness, we need to protest.

When women didn't have the vote they didn't say "that's not fair but neither is life, oh well". They said "that's not fair, let's change it". Yes, that's a rather lofty example to bring in to a situation like this but it illustrates my point. :-)

No, life isn't fair. But why does that mean it shouldn't be?

 

I don't like these arguments being used in this thread. It smacks too much of "hey I'm alright, sod the rest". I know that's not what most of you are intending but being someone on the £65 a week I mentioned earlier, that's how a lot of it is coming across.

 

I understand that those with money get to have more luxuries in life but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

I think that's something that needs to be well thought out by the organisers. And it's all down to trusting that they won't try and con us out of money. Obviously if it costs a certain amount to get Kurt Russell for example, and they have to charge £50 an autograph, then fair enough, and i'm sure people including me would pay it. But we have to trust them, that they won't get him, for whom everyone says 'i'd pay £100 for his auto!' and charge £100 when they could charge less.

 

I would pay more money for bigger people, if it's needed. But as SM have said themselves, as long as they do try and keep the costs down as much as possible.

 

I'm not rich, i'm not in a particuarly well paid job, but if they got Kurt Russell or Signourney Weaver or someone of that calibre and the price for an auto was £50, I'd pay it. At least we'd have the opportunity to meet the person. It's better than SM deciding for us that they're too expensive and decide not to get them at all. Better to at least give the fans who can scrape together the money a chance to meet someone they really want to meet

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One o the biggest - or at least, oft repeated - arguments in favour of high prices is that "if people want it badly enough, they will pay".

But that assumes that everyone is on a level playing field and has access to the same funds. They don't.

To be honest, it's a rather simplified version of the injustices and inequalities inherent in a capitalist society. The main thurst of the argument is "vote with your money" but that favours those with more money.

 

Someone who can afford a £3,000 bespoke suit is going to think nothing of £75 for a Mike Tyson autograph. But someone on £65 a week Incapacity Benefit is out of luck.

 

Now some of you have said something like "it might not be fair, but life isn't fair". Well no, life isn't fair. But it SHOULD be. And when there is unfairness, we need to protest.

When women didn't have the vote they didn't say "that's not fair but neither is life, oh well". They said "that's not fair, let's change it". Yes, that's a rather lofty example to bring in to a situation like this but it illustrates my point. :-)

No, life isn't fair. But why does that mean it shouldn't be?

 

I don't like these arguments being used in this thread. It smacks too much of "hey I'm alright, sod the rest". I know that's not what most of you are intending but being someone on the £65 a week I mentioned earlier, that's how a lot of it is coming across.

 

I understand that those with money get to have more luxuries in life but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

Showmasters as a business (and this forum therefore) revolve around a hobby ..... a hobby that requires disposable income. It's not like arguing whether essentials like food and clothes are cheaper in Tesco or Asda. If you wanna play this game, you need money in your pocket. No amount of suffragette mentality will make Mike Tyson's agent lower their fee, so your "we got women the vote" analagy breaks down quite quickly.....

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The fact that any of them charge for an autograph is ridiculous... i mean you meet them for 3 minutes and get a picture with a bit of ink on it.

 

I do appreciate that point of view completely, I really do.

 

 

But there are two arguments for the opposite that, for me, clinch the debate ...

 

Firstly, one problem is that we all know that autographs sell on to other people. Even if you get it signed "To Barry", for example, you can still sell it on eBay for a profit. And when that happens, you are making money off their name. Which understandably, they don't like. I mean, heck, if they didn't charge you could make a living off getting free signed photos and selling them on. Some people do pretty OK even with the signed photos not being free in the first place!

 

Secondly, and for me this is the more powerul argument, if they didn't charge per autograph then you know people would be turning up with 10+ items to have signed. Imagine if the first 10 people each did that. That's 100 items signed and only ten people seen. Now multiply that by the hundreds who normally want to meet the big names ... It's just not workable. So they have to charge to stop that from happening. and the instant they start charging, that opens up the market and introduces price variations. :-)

 

But yes, it would be nicer if it were free. :-)

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I don't like these arguments being used in this thread. It smacks too much of "hey I'm alright, sod the rest". I know that's not what most of you are intending but being someone on the £65 a week I mentioned earlier, that's how a lot of it is coming across.

 

It's survival of the fittest, man. Or in this case the richest. Like in the movie 2012 where tickets for the ark were sold at €1m each and if you couldnt afford it then you were left to die!

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"On a side note referring to what mmmedwardcullen wrote 'The other option is offer to crew - this will gain you a voucher to pay for autographs or at least go towards it.' I think thats really cool, and being nosey, I didn't know you got such cool benefits of getting a discount. Fantastic!"

 

Ann,

 

Just to clarify what mmmedwardcullen said - when you crew a SM event you get the choice of money payment or voucher payment. The vouchers are designated into photos or autos as decided by you. In no way do we (crew) get a discount on the prices quoted.

 

Michelle

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Please don't misunderstand me, boys and girls, I am not objecting to the £75 price tag. I am objecting to some of the arguments being used in its defence.

 

A lot of people's arguments are boiling down to "well I can afford it so fine by me", which is a selfish attitude. That's what I'm objecting to.

 

I quite appreciate that some autographs will be staggeringly expensive. But that doesn't mean that's going to suit everyonne because a lot of people have very little money - and calling those people "whiners" or "complainers", as has happened in this thread, does NOT help the situation. Of course they're going to be upset.

Fine, you're lucky, you can afford it. But a little consideration for those of us who can't, please?

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"On a side note referring to what mmmedwardcullen wrote 'The other option is offer to crew - this will gain you a voucher to pay for autographs or at least go towards it.' I think thats really cool, and being nosey, I didn't know you got such cool benefits of getting a discount. Fantastic!"

 

Ann,

 

Just to clarify what mmmedwardcullen said - when you crew a SM event you get the choice of money payment or voucher payment. The vouchers are designated into photos or autos as decided by you. In no way do we (crew) get a discount on the prices quoted.

 

Michelle

 

 

Hi Michelle,

 

Sorry I misinterpretated. Thank you for clarifying.

 

Best wishes and every success,

 

ann

 

xx

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I don't like these arguments being used in this thread. It smacks too much of "hey I'm alright, sod the rest". I know that's not what most of you are intending but being someone on the £65 a week I mentioned earlier, that's how a lot of it is coming across.

 

Stenun, my local garage has a Mercedes for sale at £10,000. I want to buy it, but I only have £3,000. Do you think it's fair for me to stamp my feet and get huffy because the garage won't let me only pay the £3,000 that I can afford? Do you think I should be annoyed when another bloke who has £50,000 in the bank, walks in and buys it?

 

Should I scream out loud "it's not fair! I want it, I can't afford it, no one else should be allowed to have it either!". No: what I do is either A) reside myself to the fact that I cannot afford it, B. do something else with my money that I can afford, C) congratulate the people who slog there guts out bloody hard to enable them to afford it.

 

Nicky - survival of the richest - I love it! I need to add though, i'm not rich, by far - in fact i've gone back to Uni whilst working full time, so cash is short. I just prioritise my cash. I don't drink or smoke and I don't go on holiday so all my spare cash goes on movies/DVDS or conventions.

 

I also want to add to Jason well done for looking forward and trying to get even better guests for us in the future, at a time when so many other businesses are throwing in the towel, SM keeps getting bigger and better I can't wait to see who else we have attending soon. :poki:

Edited by keithporter23
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