Group Purchase: Merchandise from Cipher 1st Anniversary Caravan (Osaka 6/25, et al.) | All Hail Kisaragi!

[Dv_US]

I keep throwing money at my moniter for that sprite play mat

if anyone is going I can pay you for it through paypal

Same, but nothing's happening.

I don't care what people say about the playmat, but it certainly looks too good to pass up.

I'm from Hawaii (which FYI is a part of the U.S.). Would love to attend the Caravan events myself, but the economy here is pretty unbalanced and just makes it all the more difficult to plan a vacation there :P

[Sakura_Hana510]

im interested in Play Mat (Leo/Takumi), 3x Ballpoint Pen and blue Can Badge Sets.

i might add more to list later on if my friends also want to get them.

I'm from California, USA

[Rowiehz]

Just heard today that a former classmate and good friend of mine is actually visiting Japan around that time. We've talked about purchasing things for each other before if we ever visit Japan, so I went ahead to ask if he is up for purchasing something for a handful of people because he really wants to attend at least one of these events (if his schedule allows him). He's thinking about it, but I thought I'd throw this out here.

If this were to happen it would be for 3, maybe 4 people only. I'll make sure to post here once I get a clear answer.

Edit: Also for the location purposes. I'm from the Netherlands, Europe.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Rowiehz

[Erkui]

If anyone is able to go but is on the fence about taking on such a task for the group, I will issue the following bounty: If anyone's willing to take on the task for us as a group and manages to get me everything I need (at least one each of the new items plus Felicia/Flora cards, and perhaps multiple pens), I will pay for ¥3,500 worth of additional merchandise for that person. That is, of course, in addition to the cost of my items plus my share of any additional costs.

I also say "at least" because it might be nice to pick up extras for anyone on here who might be late to the party. Otherwise, I can give them away on my upcoming video series. Of course, this would only be for items that haven't sold out. I don't want extras of any item until everyone in our group who wants that item gets at least one.

And if I'm feeling generous at the time, I might also pay for up to one pen each (not shipping) for anyone who was part of the Comiket 89 group. We'll see. I'm thinking about it. :)

So... Let me see if I understood correctly: you want AT LEAST one of each NEW product plus Felicia and Flora cards. If I can buy it for you, you will pay me 3,500 yens in merchandise, right?

Then, you will pay me the products and shipping (I'm asumming I will send everything to you).

I'm asking because I think I can go to this event. I'm an exchange student living near to Tokyo.

Also: what happened if I can't buy all the new products? I've been in event where some items are sold out almost inmediatly. Will you still pay?

P.S.: Yes, this is my first post in this forum. I came here because someone share the information on Facebook (I think Fire Emblem Network).

[christianponte]

Just heard today that a former classmate and good friend of mine is actually visiting Japan around that time. We've talked about purchasing things for each other before if we ever visit Japan, so I went ahead to ask if he is up for purchasing something for a handful of people because he really wants to attend at least one of these events (if his schedule allows him). He's thinking about it, but I thought I'd throw this out here.

If this were to happen it would be for 3, maybe 4 people only. I'll make sure to post here once I get a clear answer.

Edit: Also for the location purposes. I'm from the Netherlands, Europe.

Great! Let me/us know if you can. It seems like we have a few maybes already, so I've begun organizing everyone's requests thus far into a spreadsheet. If multiple people are able to go, I can help organize a plan to help our buyers divide and conquer the work and hopefully get as many people their "orders" as possible. :)

So... Let me see if I understood correctly: you want AT LEAST one of each NEW product plus Felicia and Flora cards. If I can buy it for you, you will pay me 3,500 yens in merchandise, right?

Then, you will pay me the products and shipping (I'm asumming I will send everything to you).

I'm asking because I think I can go to this event. I'm an exchange student living near to Tokyo.

Also: what happened if I can't buy all the new products? I've been in event where some items are sold out almost inmediatly. Will you still pay?

P.S.: Yes, this is my first post in this forum. I came here because someone share the information on Facebook (I think Fire Emblem Network).

Let me explain the process we've used in the past, since there's someone on Twitter spreading a rumor/implying that we've looking for someone to do all of this for us for free, which is not true. Yes, we pay you – usually in advance, unless you decide otherwise – for the following: 1.) all the products we hope for you to buy, 2.) enough to cover packing and shipping costs, and 3.) our share of your expenses (local travel, etc.). In addition, we also usually pitch in extra for 4.) your time and effort, as you deem necessary. Call it a stipend, call it a finder's fee, call it a commission, whatever. We usually pay that up front as well. The reason we haven't outlined a specific number is because this is usually up to our proxy to decide, based on a number of factors. Some have indeed done it for free, because they and a large group of friends were going to the event anyway (so it wasn't out of their way) and they could pack/ship for free because they worked for the military. Some have asked for anywhere from 5% to 20% depending on what each person was ordering, because they hadn't been planning on going, and wanted a bit more out of it. Finally, once everything that's been able to be purchased has been purchased, any remaining funds from items that sold out and orders that were unfulfilled in part or whole are refunded.

So to answer your questions, yes. I would pay you in advance for the items I would like (plus enough to possibly buy extras), shipping, fees, etc. The ¥3,500 is an extra bonus – it's a special bounty for if you're able to get 100% the items I need, meant to provide you incentive to make every attempt to do so. (And to entice someone to take on the task for the group, since this isn't an easy job.) But even if you aren't able to get all the items and claim the bounty, don't worry, you'll still have the money we paid for the items you were able to buy and can ship, as well as any finder's fee you decided upon in advance.

Edited May 26, 2016 by christianponte

[Kirie]

Since it looks like we're sharing location info, I live in the Netherlands. Definitely happy to pay extra for the trouble for anyone willing to help out with purchasing. Thank you so much! <3

[FaranRenais]

.

Edited December 31, 2017 by FaranRenais

[christianponte]

For those that have said they or someone they know might be going, if you ARE able to go, make sure to let me know which caravan location you'd be attending at. Obviously, we'll try and purchase as much as possible as early as possible, and then use the follow up events to try and get the remainder of the orders. Sapporo and Tokyo are the last two locations, though. Additionally, let me know if you plan on going alone or bringing a group of friends to help you. At the moment, it looks like we looking for 84 items as a group, which sounds like a lot, but 1.) almost half of those are just pens, and 2.) so far we might have 3 people at 3 events, possibly with friends, so it certainly becomes more manageable.

For those looking to buy, I've updated the spreadsheet with all orders thus far. If you haven't provided specifics or need to update, do so after this post (since I probably won't notice edits on previous posts unless you pointed them out). Then, what we'll do is we'll just inform our buyers of max quantities for each item, for example: 8 Artworks IV, 8 Binders, 1 billion Pens, etc. and we'll then sort whatever they were able to get among those that ordered. Make sure to let me know your location as well, so we can organize bulk shipping to each country, and then have one person in each country relay those out to the rest.

I'm doing my best to factor in all the costs we overlooked and underestimated from Comiket, ranging from transaction fees, shipping, local travel, etc. so that our paid volunteers don't lose any money on this like they usually do.

Edited May 26, 2016 by christianponte

[Aquantis]

didn't know we were supposed to list the stuff we wanted.

my list:

both cards,

art book 4

tote

pen x2

both sisters playmat and the brother one.

binder x2

hopefully this time I won't be out any money for paying in advance.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Aquantis

[VincentASM]

Cool, hopefully we can all work something out.

Didn't want to list any wants before we were sure somebody could help us, but if it makes the logistics easier:

(In order of priority)

1) Card binder

2) Little sisters playmat

3) Artbook III and IV

[Dv_US]

For those looking to buy, I've updated the spreadsheet with all orders thus far. If you haven't provided specifics or need to update, do so after this post (since I probably won't notice edits on previous posts unless you pointed them out). Then, what we'll do is we'll just inform our buyers of max quantities for each item, for example: 8 Artworks IV, 8 Binders, 1 billion Pens, etc. and we'll then sort whatever they were able to get among those that ordered. Make sure to let me know your location as well, so we can organize bulk shipping to each country, and then have one person in each country relay those out to the rest.

I'm doing my best to factor in all the costs we overlooked and underestimated from Comiket, ranging from transaction fees, shipping, local travel, etc. so that our paid volunteers don't lose any money on this like they usually do.

There's a spreadsheet? Sorry if I missed it.

Anyway, it's a definite "YES" from me 100%, and if need be I'm willing to cover any shipping costs to me in addition to the total of my order as well. Just to reiterate what I want (in order of priority):

- 1 of each Promo Felicia and Flora cards (can't believe I almost forgot this one lol)

- 1 Pixel Playmat and 1 Little Sister playmat

- 1 Card binder

- 1 of each artbook

- 1 (minimum) or 3 (maximum, would prefer) ballpoint pens

- 1 of each can badge set

I'm from Hawaii (aka a part of the U.S.), and probably the only one in this thread so far that has made public any interest in the merch. So there's shouldn't be any worry about high shipping cost since you'd just have to ship to one person (me) :D

- Minimum 1 or maximum 3 ballpoint pens

Edited May 26, 2016 by Dv_US

[Chuy]

Welp, hopefully someone can come through like C89.

Anyways, my order would be:

1 IV artbook

1 card binder

1 tote bag

1-8 pens

And maybe a 1 pixel play mat.

I'll pay for my items and shipping to me plus a fee if whoever decides to do this wants something for their time.

[christianponte]

I'm from Hawaii (aka a part of the U.S.), and probably the only one in this thread so far that has made public any interest in the merch. So there's shouldn't be any worry about high shipping cost since you'd just have to ship to one person (me) :D

It's the international shipping costs that are high, domestic not so much. So it's actually cheaper for your items to be included with the rest of the US shipments, because then you only need to pay for the domestic shipping to you, plus your small fraction of the international shipping because we split the international shipping among you and everyone else ordering from the US (and there's a lot of us).

[Dv_US]

It's the international shipping costs that are high, domestic not so much. So it's actually cheaper for your items to be included with the rest of the US shipments, because then you only need to pay for the domestic shipping to you, plus your small fraction of the international shipping because we split the international shipping among you and everyone else ordering from the US (and there's a lot of us).

Sounds like a plan! Mainly wanted to clear and misconceptions about shipping costs to Hawaii lol.

[Zoelius]

Well, I'm in Canada if that helps.

But here's my list again.

Binder,

All 4 Artbook
1 playmat (Camillia vs Hinoka, if possible)\

And I said I got a friend in Sapporo, but the event is all the way in August for that one. I'll let you guys know if everything is good to go on July.

[christianponte]

Assuming my Tetris skills are up to snuff, even if we were to get 100% of everyone's wishlists so far, all the items take up vastly less space than even just the US portion of out Comiket89 orders, even though we ended up with under 50 items from that and are already over 100 for this. It should be comparable weight, too, so shipping should be in a similar range as well. The difference is that there are no large items like Player Boxes, Hundred Songs of Heroes karuta sets, and assuming the Card Binders aren't wrapped, we can pack 5 artbooks or 5 can badge sets inside each binder to save space. Depending on how many of those that haven't specified their location yet are from the US, the US box might also be long enough that the play mats can be shipped flat.

The downside is that to be most economical in terms of shipping, we'll have to wait until each region's orders are complete before shipping any of them out, meaning we'll have to wait until late August or early September to get our stuff. But the point is that you'd save money. With most people's totals looking to fall between $30 and $300, I'm guessing save money is something most of you would be interested in.

Edited May 26, 2016 by christianponte

[Captain Karnage]

I'll go and get this stuff if you all chip in and pay for my vacation trip to Japan

[wumples]

I'd love to get the pen and tote bag

I can pay through PayPal

Edited May 26, 2016 by wumples

[Rowiehz]

There's a spreadsheet? Forgive me if I clearly missed it, but can someone link it to me? I can't seem to find it here.

Also, I figured I'd get all my info and desired products into one post:

Want list (order of priority):
- 1x Playmat of the pixel lords.
- 1x Tote bag of the pixel lords.

My location:
The Netherlands, Europe.

I'm paying for the two products, plus the shipping needed to get it to me and I'll throw in extra for the effort of getting the items for me. I'll gladly discuss the amount with you personally. (Plus the fees mentioned in the post below!)

There, now it's summarized instead of scattered over this topic. Hope that helps! :P

Edited May 26, 2016 by Rowiehz

[christianponte]

There's a spreadsheet? Forgive me if I clearly missed it, but can someone link it to me? I can't seem to find it here.

No need to apologize! You couldn't find it because I haven't linked to it yet. In order to make sure our buyers don't lose money on this venture with unanticipated costs, everyone will need to pay the following:

• The items you want (obvs)
• Your share of the international shipping for all items going to your country/region
• Domestic shipping of your items once they're in your country/region
• Your share of the total stipend our buyers need (travel, admission, and just overall tip)
• PayPal fees

I haven't sent the spreadsheet out yet because there are too many variables. We won't know what kind of stipend our buyers are requesting because officially, we don't have any buyers yet. We won't know shipping until I know what countries everyone's from and roughly how much is going to each region. Right now, I'm estimating all those extra costs to be around ¥60,000 for the 19 of us, which is erring on the high side to be safe. For Comiket, shipping alone ended up around ¥40,000 for the group. With proper planning, I think I can get that down to about ¥30,000. But until we have actual people to buy the items and I can coordinate the plan among them, that ¥60k is just an estimation. I didn't want people to look at the spreadsheet and assume right away that the ¥60k was set in stone. It will probably be lower. It could be higher. There's no way to know yet.

In addition, PayPal fees were overlooked when we ordered from Comiket. Even though there were only 18 of us, it amounted in ¥12,651 of unforeseen costs. That's a lot. We plan ahead for that as well.

Once we have a better idea, I'll send out the spreadsheet so everyone can verify their orders and pay the total amount they owe.

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask me in the thread or via PM. I'm happy to clear up any confusion. :)

Also, would you happen to know if there are international shipping fees to/from the UK and Netherlands? Or are they close enough that it's considered domestic? I don't know how the EU handles shipping within the EU, but that will come in handy to save you all as much money as I can.

[Chuy]

How are we going to decide who gets priority if only a set amount of things can be purchased? Will it go by post order in this thread, people who paid first, etc. I think something like that should be established and understood by those patricipating or is it too early to set that sort of thing up?

People from C89 should get priority since we proved our reliability with payments. lol no I'm just kidding

[Kirie]

There are different levels of international shipping within the EU. Domestic shipping is still only within the actual country, but it's often significantly cheaper to ship to another country in the EU, as compared to say shipping to the US or Asia. Any shipments made to a European country may ask have to pay importing fees, as European customs are much stricter than the US. The limit in the Netherlands is something like 25, a bit higher for gift marked items.

Also, my wants list since I don't know if I was 100% clear earlier:

- 1 card binder

- 1 pen

- 1 each black and purple can badge sets.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Kirie

[christianponte]

Priority goes *mostly* by post order, but the only items I think have a sliver of a chance of selling out too quickly are the Card Binder, Purple (Elibe) Can Badge Set, and the two new Play Mats. People who don't pay simply don't get their items purchased.

There are only three items I'm worried about stock, but with 9 Caravan stops planned, I'm certain they either 1.) won't sell out for the first several stops thus making it imperative we find someone who can go to the early dates, or (more likely) 2.) they'll set aside an allocation for each stop, and thus there will be an decent chance of getting the items desires as long as our proxies get there early.

What's most imperative, though, is that if we find proxies to go, they bring along some friends with them. We have 13 binder requests at the moment, which is the most out of any non-pen items. Assuming a limit of 1 binder per person per trip through the line, that would require 13 trips through the line. From past experience, 3 or 4 trips in a given day is probably the max before items start selling out or it gets too late, meaning we'd need to have a person go to four dates. BUT if we find someone who can go who can bring along 4 or 5 or 6 friends, we can possibly knock out every single order in a day, maybe even on just 2 passes through the line. Makes things much easier.

Note to Everyone: Unless Artbook IV and/or the Card Binder aren't priorities to you, there's no need to list your items in priority/preference order. Besides the pens, those two items are by far the ones we as a group want the most of, so our proxies would need to go through the line enough times to either get them all, or until they sell out. Everything else should be picked up on each pass through the line until we meet the quota or they sell out. There isn't a separate line for each item where our proxies will have to prioritize any particular item. Basically, as long as they don't sell out, you'll get it. If you decide not to put a priority on Artbook IV (which I don't think will sell out) or the Card Binder, then that would be something to mention; so for example let's say our proxies have gone through 11 times, they'd likely have gotten everything we wanted, except for two more Binders. They'd still try for the 2 more, but if they only get 1 more before closing time, then they know they don't have to bother trying to go to the next event just for 1 binder. Make sense?

There are different levels of international shipping within the EU. Domestic shipping is still only within the actual country, but it's often significantly cheaper to ship to another country in the EU, as compared to say shipping to the US or Asia. Any shipments made to a European country may ask have to pay importing fees, as European customs are much stricter than the US. The limit in the Netherlands is something like 25, a bit higher for gift marked items.

Good to know, thanks Kirie! At the moment, I only know of you, VincentASM, and Rowiehz as being in Europe out of the group, so I wanted to figure out the most efficient way to go about that. :)

Edited May 26, 2016 by christianponte

[Kirie]

Also, for the record, my parents live in the US (my husband and I are actually on holiday visiting them in Chicago right now). I would not mind having my portion of the order shipped here in the US instead of to my home, if it would be simpler for those involved. Certainly wouldn't be the first time my parents have accepted packages for me.

[christianponte]

my husband and I are actually on holiday visiting them in Chicago right now

Best city ever, right? Of course I'm right.

Edited May 26, 2016 by christianponte