Joaozin wrote:

Got my refund. Harper Collins did NOT cover the shipping costs, which were huge due to the sheer size of the box. Lol. Lmao, even.

Did you state you were returning it because it was a defective copy or just returning because you didn't want it? This determines whether HC must pay for the return costs...

onthetrail wrote:

Joaozin wrote:

Got my refund. Harper Collins did NOT cover the shipping costs, which were huge due to the sheer size of the box. Lol. Lmao, even.

HarperCollins are bound by the UK Consumer Rights Act and must refund your costs.

This is the correct answer. The CRA 2015 also applies to overseas purchases (some caveats, but in this case it would appear to be slam dunk). Obviously this applies to defective / not fit for purpose goods, not "I just changed my mind". I've never had a seller try and dodge paying return costs.

Thanks for the support, everyone! Especially onthetrail, who was kind enough to help me guide through how to reach out to them properly. This really is the kindest community I've ever come across!

Joaozin wrote:

Thanks for the support, everyone! Especially onthetrail, who was kind enough to help me guide through how to reach out to them properly. This really is the kindest community I've ever come across!

Yeah, we are kind of spoiled rotten here. Can ask any random obscure question about anything Tolkien-related and someone here will quickly reply with the answer. Thank you for this vibrant and kind community.

Merry Christmas everyone,

So, as those who own it have had some experience with the set, the good the bad and the ugly, so to speak, can you overall recommend it?

I have last year's copy, but have been waiting for something a little more exclusive and think this set looks gorgeous. The only thing stopping me is the price right now. I did get some extra money recently, so I can afford it, but am still unsure and seek some informed advice.

Anyway, have a merry Christmas and a wonderful time with all your loved ones and hopefully a cozy book or two.

fgdj2000 wrote:

So, as those who own it have had some experience with the set, the good the bad and the ugly, so to speak, can you overall recommend it?

I have last year's copy, but have been waiting for something a little more exclusive and think this set looks gorgeous. The only thing stopping me is the price right now. I did get some extra money recently, so I can afford it, but am still unsure and seek some informed advice.

The general feeling that the Tolkien collector community overall has expressed boils down to something like this:

Pros:

- It looks very nice.
- It is a limited edition.
- Signed by Alan Lee.
- Currently the only available limited and signed edition that is new and available from the publisher right now.

Cons:

- Very expensive, arguably too expensive for what you got.
- The books are not much of an upgrade compared with the blue leather one.
- There is some variation in production quality, but HarperCollins can replace or refund if it is a sufficiently big problem.
- It is possible to get books by Alan Lee on the second-hand market.

If you absolutely want and need a fresh new set that is limited, numbered and signed by Alan Lee (and have no such edition before and afraid that there might not be further such new signed editions coming out) and can blow that much money without it impacting your financial situation, it is worth a buy.

If you are unsure about wether you really need it, it is probably not worth buying. I would in that case make sure you get the corresponding Hobbit to the blue leather set and maybe save the money in case they put out a matching Silmarillion.

Finally, it should not necessary be a decision between buying this set and not buying it, but rather between buying this set and buying whatever else you are interested in. You can get a lot of books for the same amount of money.

I do not regret my purchase one bit (it is the only really "ultra-deluxe" item in my collection), but it was a lot of money. Some people have regretted their purchase.

fgdj2000 wrote:

Merry Christmas everyone,

So, as those who own it have had some experience with the set, the good the bad and the ugly, so to speak, can you overall recommend it?

I have last year's copy, but have been waiting for something a little more exclusive and think this set looks gorgeous. The only thing stopping me is the price right now. I did get some extra money recently, so I can afford it, but am still unsure and seek some informed advice.

Anyway, have a merry Christmas and a wonderful time with all your loved ones and hopefully a cozy book or two.

The books themselves are identical except for the blue spines, limitation page and gilt edges. It really comes down to whether you want to spend an extra £600 for the box and signature. Personally, even if you think those aspects are important to you, I'd recommend waiting, as I don't think this set will sell out without heavy discounting. I do not have this set (though I do have the blue-plastic-spine "deluxe"). I know a couple of people personally who have sent their sets back to HC for a refund, and you may have seen that one of the members who posted on this thread did the same.

At the time HarperCollins took the "Number Sold" counter off the website (a couple of weeks after going on sale), the number sold was a little over 300 copies and sales had slowed to a trickle.

The late Stu wrote:

At the time HarperCollins took the "Number Sold" counter off the website (a couple of weeks after going on sale), the number sold was a little over 300 copies and sales had slowed to a trickle.

I would even say that sales were stuck between 320 and 330 ;)

Thank you for the replies! I have decided to wait for now, as it is an awful lot of money and as the consensus and my own earlier estimate seem to considers this basically last year's set + a fancy (and ver nice) box + signature (also very nice) + limitation for an extra 600 pound (or 400% of the regular price in most shops) and therefore far to overpriced, especially given the faultiness of some editions customers have received. Instead I've purchased a few other Tolkien books I've had my eye on for a while instead.... at far less than 900+ Euro this set would cost me with shipping...
Have a nice day and keep the inner hobbit in check while feasting (I know I will have a hard time to do that)

I do wonder if they might turn to the Folio Society to sell these at some point. They did that with the last couple of hundred S&Gs that HC had not been able to shift for years, and Folio sold them fairly easily (albeit discounted) over a few weeks.