Collector's Editions Revisited

The web site Ars Technica has taken a look at the latest collector's editions in an interesting article. The edition above was never actually for sale, just given away in various promos... and now you can get one on eBay for as little as $2000 (!).  One point they make is how some collector's editions end up being remaindered for a lot less, both because the publisher made far too many and because they can take up a lot of space on retailer's shelves.

The lesson for marketers is to make sure you do these collector's editions in a truly limited run; that you make sure they're profitable; and that you make sure they actually add value that will get customers to spend the extra money for them. You could damage your brand and your profits by making too many of these things and pissing off retailers, and then when customers see them on shelves for less than the price of the regular edition it makes the look less worthwhile.