High autograph prices

[crippsy_99]

 

And you can get them on ebay for £35 or less

*waits for the cries of "But you dont meet them in person then!!!"*

 

 

BUT ARE THEY REEL ? or just a peace of worthless junk ??

 

jason

 

Knowing ebay, probably mostly the latter!

Ive known the odd good auto come though every now and then though.

 

Saw one which made me laugh the other night..Karen Gillan, supposedly hand signed, £60..and the autograph was in black pen on a black picture, so you cant even see it from the photo!

[gibbo247]

Most of the "stars" are there, because we have put them there, buying dvd's, t-shirts, watching programmes, films etc.

 

I get quite annoyed with this point of view. They do a job, for which they get paid a market rate. Acting is a profession, just like being an architect, a profession that requires a great deal of training and hard work. And they should be paid for it. They don't owe you anything. They've made a product (a film) that you've decided to buy. You really need to understand that you didn't put them there - what put them there was their hard work. By suggesting otherwise you devalue their profession. This also goes for writers, directors, musicians, any of them.

 

If the prices was to go up, i probably won't bother getting any of them.

There should be a cap on the prices. No more than £40. Not everyone can afford that, even.

I enjoy going along and getting some autographs, but i would not pay what i would call an excessive amount.

Every time i go along i usually end up sending £250 - £400 on autographs and photoshoots.

 

Fine, you can't (or won't, more properly) pay more than £40, that's up to you. But if others want to, that creates a market. And when Kevin Costner comes over and charges £75, I will be getting a Silverado poster signed.

 

I see you're point. I thought this was a forum to air what you think about higher prices!

Which is what i have done.

Your ideas are different to mine, which is good. I like to hear other people's thoughts.

But what i was saying is that if no one went and bought or watched any of the products, where would they be?

Simple answer not acting!

They would be in a "run of the mill" job, just like you and me.

Maybe even sat next to me doing a job like mine.

With out the fans they wouldn't be there, yes, i agree with you, without talent, effort and hard work, they wouldn't be there, either.

Like it or not, they do depend of us to a certain degree.

That degree is small, but we are still there. I never said "they owe us" at any point.

 

I was just saying that i believe that they shouldn't go stupid with the costing of their time.

[MikeDonovan]

I see you're point. I thought this was a forum to air what you think about higher prices!

Which is what i have done.

Your ideas are different to mine, which is good. I like to hear other people's thoughts.

But what i was saying is that if no one went and bought or watched any of the products, where would they be?

Simple answer not acting!

They would be in a "run of the mill" job, just like you and me.

Maybe even sat next to me doing a job like mine.

 

This is true of any profession. I don't know what you do - I'm going to assume, for the sake of the argument, that you're a used car salesman. If no-one ever bought any of your used cars, then where would you be?

 

As I said, it's a profession, with an output, that has a market value. And time and again we come back to the fact that if you didn't pay them the right amount, they wouldn't come.

 

Let's imagine your standard daily rate is £700. What would you say to someone who offered you £200?

[gibbo247]

This is true of any profession. I don't know what you do - I'm going to assume, for the sake of the argument, that you're a used car salesman. If no-one ever bought any of your used cars, then where would you be?

 

As I said, it's a profession, with an output, that has a market value. And time and again we come back to the fact that if you didn't pay them the right amount, they wouldn't come.

 

Let's imagine your standard daily rate is £700. What would you say to someone who offered you £200?

 

 

To be honest it would depend on what sort day it had been!

Personally it take it if had been a slow day!

[7 of 9]

Please stop complaining about this

 

Autographs and photo opportunities in this country are at reasonable prices

 

Please look at the prices for autos and photos at the link below for Las Vegas and then tell me they are expensive - our prices are cheap!!!

 

REMOVED

 

We are charged good prices and we get time with the guest to talk so stop moaning!!!

 

 

 

 

EDITED: I realise you only posted that link to prove your point but I'm afraid it is against forum rules to name or post links to other events not associated with Showmasters.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Too Tall

[xlorix]

Jeri Ryan $70 - Saturday

Llimited, please order quickly as we expect a sell-out and/or possible price rise

 

 

lol

[MikeDonovan]

To be honest it would depend on what sort day it had been!

Personally it take it if had been a slow day!

 

And that pretty much sums up why you get 'big' guests being announced that then later cancel (i.e. the Dreyfuss's of this world). Because in their case, their day job pays more than a convention appearance.

 

Jeri Ryan $70 - Saturday

 

And don't forget the exchange rate isn't what it was - so this is about £50. Add on that Jason paying for her to be flown first class to the UK...

Edited July 1, 2010 by MikeDonovan

[CelticRob]

:)

Edited December 4, 2022 by CelticRob

[xlorix]

This was from the ET3 forum but I really think that quite a few points should make people realise just how expensive it it to get guests and how lucky we actually are that SM put the work in to get them and the prices of autos and photoshoots etc are infact very reasonable!!! With the flights hotel costs etc I am surprised at how they manage to keep costs so low!!!

 

here is some fun things that you may not know

 

 

 

Fact 1 it takes around 45 crew to work of 3 days from 8 am to 8 pm to make ET run smoothly

 

Fact 2 Too Tall drinks around 30 pints of milk over a con weekend

 

Fact 3 Jason and Mark have there phone on 24 -7 for the week before and over the days of ET so agents and

guest can ring them if there are any issues , so they can fix them

 

Fact 4 Gemma is the person that kept bugging us to run a Twilight event , so with out her these events would

never have happened

 

Fact 5 ET was the first twilight con to be promoted in the world

 

Fact 6 a first class round trip flight from LA cost around £5000 to £10,000 guest need these so they arive

fresh and awake for the con

 

Fact 6 we have a green room were the guest can rest , lots of sweets and food get chucked around in there

at times , who dose this i just cannot say

 

Fact 7 or photographers can take around 400 photos an hour with no blinks and good sharp images and run

them for up to 5 hours with out a rest , as they are not human but are robots, not really thats a joke

 

Fact 8 we use around 300 to 500 ballons over the weekend

 

Fact 9 the crew are just like you fans that have volantered to work the con and help make it happen .

 

Fact 10 Mark works mornings and starts at 7 am and ends his day at around 11 pm Jason dose nights and

gets up at around 1 pm to 5 am , he is the last on the dace floor

 

Fact 11 Roxy is often the last crew person on the dace floor

 

Fact 12 each guest has a agent or representative with them at every con they all have to be flown in with the

guests

 

Fact 13 guest can get work for films right up to the day they are going to fly out to come to the con , so most

flights have to be changed at least once for half of the guest and one or two have to be booked the

day they are flying out , which keeps Mark on his toes and means he has no sleep

 

Fact 14 we do think we will get all the cast of the twilight film at least once to an ET con

 

Fact 15 the cost of Twilight guest have doubled sins the 1st ET as there demand has been so great

 

Fact 16 Jason has worked with Robert Pattinson twice before and has his mobile number in his phone

 

Fact 17 the agents tell us if a guest will take part in photo ops , talks , and guest encounters , if it is not

agreed the agent on the day will not let them take part , thats why some guest do not take part in

some activities

 

Fact 18 at ET 1 it took 2 hours to put all the stickers onto the apples

 

Fact 19 so far most of the guest have ask to keep the directors chairs after the con , when we tell them we

auction them off they then ask us to make one more for them and send it to them .

 

Fact 20 we ask around 20 guest to attend each event we aim to book 5 to 6 guests depending on the fees

and flights needed some times it comes together quickly and other times its very hard but in the end

we get there

 

Fact 21 lots of the bigger guest will not commit to attending a con till around 1 to 2 moths out from an event

as they do to know if they will be working on a film

 

Fact 22 as yet no guests agents have said out right NO to attending an event so all guests are posable at this

time

 

Fact 23 Mark's drink is a Archers and Lemonade which is a girls drink and he likes cats

 

Fact 24 Jason's drink is a Sirrus Cider which is more of a mans drink and he likes KFC

 

Fact 25 if we had to pick between Robert or Taylor for a ET who would we pick BOTH

 

Fact 26 Davie works on con gifts, art , posters and t shirts 6 days a week and works on 4 cons at one time to

keep up with the work that need to be done

 

Fact 27 we would love to bring Cat Man to one of the ET cons

 

Fact 28 we work on freebees for around 4 weeks with a team of up to 6 people behind the items you get

 

Fact 29 SJ can put together a web site in around 2 hours if she likes the con and 4 months if she dose not like

the con and she dose this for free as this is how she can help to make it happen for us all

 

Fact 30 Dom the DJ has more fun than you all at the partys

 

 

well i hope this is of interest to you all and shins some light on things you may not know , and its been a bit of fun

 

massive events

[gibbo247]

"Fact 6 a first class round trip flight from LA cost around £5000 to £10,000 guest need these so they arive

fresh and awake for the con "

 

LOL

I like this one!

I work on the landings on most of the aircraft! lol

Hmmm maybe don't wanna mention that to them though!

[Too Tall]

I think the thing is people are answering 3 different questions. I think some people are getting too caught up in 1 and 2, were the real question is 3.

 

I'd like to answer them below....

 

1: Are autograph prices too high?

 

As Jason has said SM have not made any major rises in autograph prices in over 7 years. The prices will always be based on the market value of the guests autograph. If the market doesn't buy them then the price will have to come down. A Stormtrooper is not going to charge £30, a Red Dwarf star is not going to charge £50.

 

SM will always keep the price as low as they can but for them still to cover their costs and make some profit to cover the large overheads of the show. And remember for an event like LFCC those costs are pretty high.

 

Venue

Guest fees

Flights

Guest hotel

Guest food

Advertising

Boards and posters printing

Ticket printing

Crew

Crew hotel

The list goes on and on.....

 

SM are a business and although they are not in it to make loads of money the shows still need to make a profit for them to keep going.

 

The final thing is if you feel that the autograph prices are too high, don't buy them. This is after all a luxury item, we are not talking about clothes or food, everyone can live without an autograph. I'm not trying to be patronising but it's the truth, you have to ask yourself "How much is this worth to me?", if the answer is less than the asking price, you simply don't buy it.

 

I'm not saying you don't have the right to say "the prices are too high for me", but please just be aware that because they are too high for you, doesn't mean they are too high FULL STOP. If they were too high full stop then not enough people would buy them and they'd come down in price.

 

Would everyone LIKE for the autograph prices to be lower, of course they would. I wish my car insurance was lower, I wish my holiday flights were lower but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. They are set at the market value and me wishing they were lower isn't going to make any difference. Only if the market as a whole speaks will it make a difference.

 

2: Should people charge for autographs at all?

 

All autographs have a market value, we all know this, if they had no value there would be no autograph business at all. So these guests are charging for an item that once you have it has an value, why should they give that to you for free? They have their costs to cover, the show have their costs to cover.

 

Yes in a prefect world the venue would not charge for using it, all of the airlines would give the guests free flights, a hotel would give us 100+ free rooms for 3 nights for all the guests and crew. All of the crew would get free petrol or public transport to get to the event. The guests would get free taxis to get them to and from the event. A supermarket would give us free food for all of the crew and guests. A printers would give us all the signs and tickets for free. And everyone involved in organising the event, all of the guests, all of the agents, all of the managers would have no income and do it all out of the goodness of their hearts.

 

But that's not going to happen. There HAS to be income for these events to work, for you to keep seeing your heroes.

 

If you wish to stand out side of a theatre or premier and take the chance you'll get some autographs for free, then that's your choice. But come to an organised event where you are pretty much guaranteed to get the autographs you want, there has to be a charge.

 

3: Would you pay a bigger price for bigger guests?

 

It's a simple fact that the bigger stars are going to want more money for them to attend. They know the market value of their time. A film star that gets £1m+ to work on a film is not going to come to a signing event for buttons, they are going to want a big fee.

 

As there is only so many autographs anyone can sign in an hour, once the fee and an amount of time for signing is confirmed the only way to cover that fee is to set the autograph price accordingly. In some cases that price will be too high and so the deal simply will not happen. But what this thread is about is, how high would you pay for that big star, would you be willing to pay £100 for Harrison Ford.

 

As I said above, you have to ask your self "How much is this worth to me?", if the answer is less than the asking price, you simply don't buy it.

 

Would I pay £75 for Mike Tyson? No, I'm not a sports fan. Are there any guests I'd pay £75-£100 for? I'm honestly not sure, but I'd not rule it out.

 

It's very interesting to read peoples comments on this.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Too Tall

[adriangill]

Fact 2 Too Tall drinks around 30 pints of milk over a con weekend

[MinkyKnights]

Fact 2 Too Tall drinks around 30 pints of milk over a con weekend

He's a growing lad.

[adriangill]

As I said above, you have to ask your self "How much is this worth to me?", if the answer is less than the asking price, you simply don't buy it.

 

Would I pay £75 for Mike Tyson? No, I'm not a sports fan. Are there any guests I'd pay £75-£100 for? I'm honestly not sure, but I'd not rule it out.

That is what it comes down to. What is it worth to the individual. Yes like many I would pay more for Harrison Ford. However I would also be willing to pay more for what some people would class as 'smaller' guests, David Boreanaz, SMG, Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, etc.

[Too Tall]

Fact 2 Too Tall drinks around 30 pints of milk over a con weekend

He's a growing lad.

It's a slight exaggeration. It's usually about 16-20.

[XLcatloveress]

As I said above, you have to ask your self "How much is this worth to me?", if the answer is less than the asking price, you simply don't buy it.

 

Would I pay £75 for Mike Tyson? No, I'm not a sports fan. Are there any guests I'd pay £75-£100 for? I'm honestly not sure, but I'd not rule it out.

That is what it comes down to. What is it worth to the individual. Yes like many I would pay more for Harrison Ford. However I would also be willing to pay more for what some people would class as 'smaller' guests, David Boreanaz, SMG, Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, etc.

 

 

Same here - Richard Dean Anderson, Harrison Ford, Hugh Jackman .. all of those are examples whom I would be willing to pay that kind of money for. I think it is everyone's personal decision to make, and as such, the offer of such guests should be out there - I'm sure that there are more than enough willing to pay the amount to make such a high-ranking guest break even for SM.

[Too Tall]

As I said above, you have to ask your self "How much is this worth to me?", if the answer is less than the asking price, you simply don't buy it.

 

Would I pay £75 for Mike Tyson? No, I'm not a sports fan. Are there any guests I'd pay £75-£100 for? I'm honestly not sure, but I'd not rule it out.

That is what it comes down to. What is it worth to the individual. Yes like many I would pay more for Harrison Ford. However I would also be willing to pay more for what some people would class as 'smaller' guests, David Boreanaz, SMG, Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, etc.

Having thought about it, I've paid that and more for Astronauts at Autographica. But then I know that 9 times out of 10 the resale value of those is at least twice what I've paid.

 

It's kind of the same for me as I'd love to complete some of my Buffy, SG1 and Firefly stuff, so I'd be willing to pay more for say SMG, RDA or Gina Torres (my last Firefly main cast member).

Edited July 1, 2010 by Too Tall

[Janeway72]

I would have paid £100 for Kate Mulgrew. Which is why I ended up with a photoshoot and 2 autographs at £20 each but I'm not sure if there is anyone I'd pay £100 for. Maybe Martin Sheen and Rob Lowe... but that would be it...possibly. I'm sure there are others.

 

But Kate was my big name! Although autographs have a market value, they also have a personal value. If you are in the autograph business then you want an autograph at below the market value so you can sell it on at the market value but if you are just getting autographs for pleasure then they are worth what you are willing to pay for them.

[Lambourne]

A list guests to me personally are the big Lost names as in Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O'Quinn and Josh Holloway. I would definitely pay the prices Mike Tyson is charging to meet any of them. As long as it doesn't mean big but not huge guests end up charging more because they can then I'm fine with it!

[MrsStarbuck]

I knowa lot of people on this board don't really like the fact that there are kids at these things...

 

Just out of interest, why do people not like kids being at these events? My 9 year old niece came to Collectormania MK with us and had a wonderful time, got her own photoshoot with Kate Mulgrew and spent the rest of the weekend being impressed with the Stormtroopers and scared of Darth Maul! Lol!

She even cosplayed with us

[Manklin]

Would pay up to £100 for Jackie Chan and he is in London about that time, think he on the J Ross final show.

[sazzra]

I knowa lot of people on this board don't really like the fact that there are kids at these things...

 

Just out of interest, why do people not like kids being at these events? My 9 year old niece came to Collectormania MK with us and had a wonderful time, got her own photoshoot with Kate Mulgrew and spent the rest of the weekend being impressed with the Stormtroopers and scared of Darth Maul! Lol!

She even cosplayed with us

 

There are some people that use their kids as a kind of 'in' - they try to bypass 'no photos' signs by saying 'but it's for my son/daughter/random child I borrowed for the day' or will push a child forward to get longer with a guest, for example. There are also the parents at weeknd cons who, in addition to those things, who will let the kid run around, scream, shout, stay up so late they make everyone within a 2 mile radius miserable....Of course, this is not everyone, but I've seen it over and over and it does get kind of annoying

 

I've even seen one person stop bringing child A to things when they stopped being 'cute', and started bringing the younger, 'cuter' child B instead.

 

Am I the only one who thinks the 'how much would you pay' threads are the Oozlum bird of the forum?

[XLcatloveress]

I'm ever so glad I don't have to bring my kids to the event. They might have a cuteness factor built in, but they'd also cost me nerves, time and attention at an event where I want to concentrate solely on meeting other fans and stars whom I have been a fangirl for for many, many years :) I love my kids, but I can't imaging queuing with them for hours on end, of having to leave early at night 'cause they need a snack or it's their bedtime. Also, queuing in time for Early Bird entry? Wouldn't happen with the boys in tow. So, while I'm not saying that people have to leave their kids home (I am lucky in that I have a fandom-uninterested husband who'll fund my trip AND watch the kids while I'm gone , I wouldn't want to bring mine until they were old enough and huge fans of their own. That said, I do understand how the running around and screaming/shouting/staying up late thing can come about - as a parent, you are only just human yourself and kids don't come with a 'please function now' button. I don't mind having kids around, but I urge parents to know their own and their kids' limits and to respect them, as well as to respect the other patrons around them. Since I am well aware of my patience limits and the standing-in-endless-lines limits of my kids, they are staying home Even though that means I won't get to attend as many events as I'd like to - can't overburden my husband unduly now, can I?

[MrsStarbuck]

Okay, thanks for the responses Sazzra and SilkyCat. I guess I'm lucky that my niece is as big a sci-fi/Trek geek as me and my sister, so she was just as excited as we were to be at the Con, she waited in line patiently for her Kate Mulgrew shoot (and I have to say, Kate Mulgrew was absolutely lovely with her...made her weekend!) and didn't do any running about/screaming/whingeing at all.

 

I would never dream of using her to get to the front of a queue or get longer with a guest, and neither would her mum (my sister). But I can understand why people would get annoyed if some pushy parents do that.

[del-boy]

for the right guest i would pay more but it would only be for the likes of sly stallone,harrison ford or roger moore.