Random thoughts...

[Ben Staad]

Thanks for the replies. I already fell better about setting appropriate boundaries for me and Suntup.

[Sock Monkey]

I have a friend who had to finally get off the whole numbered "train" with them. Spending $600 a month on a book (and having close to $5k wrapped in books that haven't shipped for awhile there) was impossible to maintain.

I know that everyone's financial situations are different, but at that cost I'm not sure how a regular person was supposed to hang on. Plus the secondary market seems to have dried up - hell, even Replay took a long time to sell out and quite a few copies were available to the general public. I kind of wonder if that bubble has burst.

I think “the train” will eventually be a thing of the past. People will come and go, but minimal people will be in for the long haul.

I don’t think the bubble has burst as I don’t see a lot of Suntup’s going for under issue price, but the market is normalizing. 1000 copies for an AE is a lot. If you want one, you can find one.

[Sock Monkey]

Not sure if anyone can relate but I have struggled with Suntup for many months now. I really like their books but they are just not in my budget. I have bought several AE's now, and really wanted to hang with them, but finally have to admit I cannot continue down this road.

The reality is 2-3 AE's at that price point is what I can afford per year while still enjoying collecting other books. Buying several of them have prevented me from purchasing other books I would have liked to have ordered.

Anyway blathering over and I will move back into a more comfortable collecting zone for me.

I can relate as I’m sure others can as well. It’s hard to fit everything that one would like to purchase into a budget that works for one’s finances. As pricier and pricier editions become the norm, the quantity of books one can purchase diminishes. Every choice you make is a choice against something else.

I backed away from Suntup pretty quickly as I couldn’t play in that sandbox and continue purchasing from Centipede, even if all I would purchase were AEs. $125-$150 per book isn’t cheap. I’d love to be able to get all their AEs, but not at the cost of curtailing my other purchases. It’s hard, because the books are nice and FOMO is strong in our hobby.

Be happy with your purchases because in the end, all of this should be fun. Then scour the heck out of the aftermarket looking for good deals. Getting a good deal on a book you want is almost more fun than buying the book on the first day it’s offered.

[TacomaDiver]

I have a friend who had to finally get off the whole numbered "train" with them. Spending $600 a month on a book (and having close to $5k wrapped in books that haven't shipped for awhile there) was impossible to maintain.

I know that everyone's financial situations are different, but at that cost I'm not sure how a regular person was supposed to hang on. Plus the secondary market seems to have dried up - hell, even Replay took a long time to sell out and quite a few copies were available to the general public. I kind of wonder if that bubble has burst.

[Ben Staad]

Not sure if anyone can relate but I have struggled with Suntup for many months now. I really like their books but they are just not in my budget. I have bought several AE's now, and really wanted to hang with them, but finally have to admit I cannot continue down this road.

The reality is 2-3 AE's at that price point is what I can afford per year while still enjoying collecting other books. Buying several of them have prevented me from purchasing other books I would have liked to have ordered.

Anyway blathering over and I will move back into a more comfortable collecting zone for me.