Magic 30th Anniversary Edition Boosters Sold Out in 40 Minutes, Or Did They?
Greed | Izzy
Yesterday, the 30th Anniversary Edition sale began. Yesterday, the 30th Anniversary Edition sale "concluded". It lasted less than an hour. Many in the Magic: the Gathering community were hopeful that the Magic 30th Anniversary Collectors Boosters would flop. They hoped nobody would buy them, sending a clear signal to MTG's overlords to never attempt such an egregious display of greed again. But here we are. Or are we?
Many would also agree that, while ideal, such a desire was a bit of wishful thinking. Of course this product was going to sell out simply because speculators see profit in this investment. All the hallmarks are present: a limited print run on a 100% unique product that will never be reprinted again. Limited supply coupled with demand will always yield profit, and the politics and playability of these cards doesn't matter to those wanting to purchase 60 cards for $1000. Who cares if they're proxies if you can make money?
Those in Magic: the Gathering's finance and speculation market care about one thing: value. A $1,000 card that doesn't see play--even if it's legal--is still a $1,000 card. Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos is a rare worth pennies (eight to be precise), though because of the rarity of a specific version of this card, you can also buy the same exact card with a fancy border and different art for $1,5000 dollars. The fact that 30th Anniversary booster packs are not playable and riddled with controversy is irrelevant when you can spend $1,000 and make $1,300 back at the time this article was written.
Magic: the Gathering Twitter was abuzz with speculation after players noticed a very interesting choice of words announcing the end of the sale. Not just abuzz, but spamming every printing of Greed under the sun to vent their frustration.
The 30th Anniversary Edition sale has concluded, and the product is currently unavailable for purchase. Thanks to everyone who joined us today!
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) November 28, 2022
Please reach out to customer service if you believe you’re experiencing an issue with your purchase: https://t.co/qet9R12Lo2
As odd as this is, the wording of "currently unavailable" instead of "sold out" drove speculation that the sale was stopped early due to unnamed reasons. Some thought that the number of purchases were too low and the sale was cut short to save face. Had the number of units sold been public information, this could make sense. But no one knows how many units were sold during the 40-minute period. However, if they did sell out, why not just say so? Why the purposefully obtuse language?
I wear many hats in my life, one of which is shiny and made of tinfoil. And watch out, because it's on right now.
One explanation for purposefully avoiding using the words "sold out" is to leave yourself an out for selling more product at a later date. It's clearly stated that the product "was only printed in limited quantities". This means that the moment you declare your product has "sold out", any future attempt to sell this product runs the risk of people declaring that Wizards of the Coast printed more, and we all know what happens to the price of things when supply goes up.
But wait a minute, Mr. Perjuns-Tart. If they're planning on selling more later, then they didn't sell out after all!
You're half correct! The print run didn't sell out. But I'm not saying it was due to a lack of buyers. Confused? Good.
This product is unique in that while it's a premium product, it also exists entirely independent of the game. As such, the importance of value and the perception of that value are vital in ensuring it's successful. It's a possibility that Wizards of the Coast decided to sell an allotment of their print run today, thereby artificially lowering the time to sell-through. Why? Good question, Timmy.
If Wizards of the Coast decides to sell more of these products down the line, buyers will go in armed with the knowledge that the last time Magic 30th Edition was sold, they were only available for 40 minutes. Yes, these are $1,000 proxies, but they were sold out in less than an hour! Suddenly, the perceived value (and thus resale value) is much higher. Of course it's a hot product, it sold out quicker than Taylor Swift tickets! Part of marketing is the ability to manufacture desirability, and over the years Wizards of the Coast has mastered this. If my theory is correct, we'll see another sale of Magic 30th Anniversary boosters, with FOMO leading the charge to fill Wizards' coffers.
For more tinfoil hat theories, head over to pauperjumpstart.com
