fgdj2000 wrote:

I know the internet is a rough place, but if I had purchased this set, I would be a bit annoyed at some of the online discourse. I won't get it but I wouldn't want anyone to regret their purchase because of some of the criticism here.

I also thought the product was too expensive, but I got it anyway because I do not have a limited signed edition yet.

I am not annoyed at the discourse because I agree with a lot of it and acknowledge that the value of this product depends on a large extent on what your collection already contains, how completitionist you are (or addicted to collecting nice stuff) and if you can afford it or think it is worth it. It is okay for different people to end up at different end conclusions. I do not think there is any substantial disagreement about the facts.

Still have not received a shipping notification here. Using a forwarding service with a UK address to get it to myself in the US, so a bit surprised that they have not sent it out yet.

OlorinCA wrote:

Still have not received a shipping notification here. Using a forwarding service with a UK address to get it to myself in the US, so a bit surprised that they have not sent it out yet.

Can you keep us updated? I am really curious about forwarding services and how they work under the hood.

Hi there, I've been following this thread for a while now.

Since I haven't received a reply or shipping confirmation from Harper Collins yet, I've cancelled my order. I assume this was only to my advantage, as I think I'll be able to get the item much cheaper in the future.

Just FYI, in case it's of interest, the shipment would have gone to the United Arab Emirates. It's just speculation, but perhaps the cancellation was in Harper Collins' best interest, as they didn't consider the shipping worthwhile despite the over £50 shipping fee.

Cascavala wrote:

Hi there, I've been following this thread for a while now.

Since I haven't received a reply or shipping confirmation from Harper Collins yet, I've cancelled my order. I assume this was only to my advantage, as I think I'll be able to get the item much cheaper in the future.

Just FYI, in case it's of interest, the shipment would have gone to the United Arab Emirates. It's just speculation, but perhaps the cancellation was in Harper Collins' best interest, as they didn't consider the shipping worthwhile despite the over £50 shipping fee.

Honestly, I think anyone that isn't 100% committed to really desperately needing to have a copy (i.e. they will be very upset if they don't end up with one) is better off waiting on the chance of getting a discount down the line. Obviously mileage will vary for anyone that really feels they must have it. I strongly suspect they will have quite a few cancellations under the 14 day distance selling rules.

I doubt the £50 shipping is a problem for HC. They will have bulk rates, so I doubt they are having to subsidise that.

Cascavala wrote:

Just FYI, in case it's of interest, the shipment would have gone to the United Arab Emirates. It's just speculation, but perhaps the cancellation was in Harper Collins' best interest, as they didn't consider the shipping worthwhile despite the over £50 shipping fee.

I think, granted only based on the information from a few people in this thread, that the longer away you are from their storage warehouse, the longer all aspects of the process takes. It is my understanding that they have some backlog as well.

I hope there is a discount in the near future and you get it soon. 🫂

I’d be a little surprised if this were to get discounted any time soon (or at all?) even if it doesn’t sell out for months and months, as doing so would be a massive slap in the face by HC to customers who bought an LE release at full RRP.

EmilK wrote:

Cascavala wrote:

Just FYI, in case it's of interest, the shipment would have gone to the United Arab Emirates. It's just speculation, but perhaps the cancellation was in Harper Collins' best interest, as they didn't consider the shipping worthwhile despite the over £50 shipping fee.

I think, granted only based on the information from a few people in this thread, that the longer away you are from their storage warehouse, the longer all aspects of the process takes. It is my understanding that they have some backlog as well.

I hope there is a discount in the near future and you get it soon. 🫂

I doubt distance is a factor here. OlorinCA's order is to be shipped to a forwarding service in the UK and he's still to receive a tracking number.

trixster wrote:

I’d be a little surprised if this were to get discounted any time soon (or at all?) even if it doesn’t sell out for months and months, as doing so would be a massive slap in the face by HC to customers who bought an LE release at full RRP.

I wouldn't. Last year, Harper Collins Brazil released their own LE. It took a while to sell and it eventually got discounted.

*Edit: Granted, the first couple of buyers got a card signed by (you guessed it) Alan Lee, but there's still a precedent.

trixster wrote:

I’d be a little surprised if this were to get discounted any time soon (or at all?) even if it doesn’t sell out for months and months, as doing so would be a massive slap in the face by HC to customers who bought an LE release at full RRP.

We shall see, but I tend to agree that discounts are unlikely to show up anytime soon. If so, it would indicate impatience on Harper Collins' side.

I believe this is the first Harper Collins edition with a "limited" print number in quite some time. Say what you will about the price, but limitation to 1000 copies adds a significant value to the product. From HC's financial perspective, isn't it better not to sell out immediately (i.e. too low an asking price or not enough copies printed) than to sell at a slow rate? Even if it takes 6 to 12 months to sell out, or if they only sell 500 to 750 copies in that period, I imagine the seller will be happy.

A question for you more experienced collectors: when was the last time HC published a Tolkien product in limited quantities? It seems they planned to do this with the author illustrated editions until they realized how much interest there was.