u/ACatControlsMyMind

I've been collecting for years and I want to talk about something most of us have felt but rarely say out loud. The limited drops that vanish in under a minute aren't just bad luck or "too many bots." The way these sales are designed is the real problem, and I think we let stores off the hook by blaming each other.

The cart doesn't reserve anything. Having the item in your cart means nothing, the race is actually decided at payment, not at "add to cart." So whoever reaches checkout fastest wins, and being a normal human is a disadvantage there.

And there's no real identity limit. Nothing stops the same Scalper from running a bunch of attempts across a bunch of accounts, a per person cap that isn't tied to verified identity is basically theater.

None of this is a problem to the people flipping these steelbooks for 3x on the aftermarket. It's only a problem to us, the people who actually want the disc to watch it, a drop that "sells out in 60 seconds" is free marketing, it signals scarcity, it drives hype, it makes the next release feel more urgent.

Some stores have very little reason to fix this because the chaos sells. That's the part I want more collectors to sit with.

So what actually helps? What helps is pressure on the stores to sell fairly, raffle or lottery drops among registered buyers, which removes speed from the equation entirely queue systems with real verification instead of a first to checkout free for all or per identity limits, not per cart. Think about how luxury brands handle their most wanted pieces, it doesn't matter who you claim to be, you have to verify who you actually are, and often you need a history of previous purchases before you're even allowed to buy certain items. That model is hostile to Scalpers using bots by design because you can't brute force it with fresh accounts, a verified identity with a real purchase history behind it is a lot harder to fake than an email address, it's not perfect, it can be rough on genuine newcomers with no history, that's why I prefer the base and verification as the layer on top.

If you're new to this hobby and tired of losing, it's not you and it's not your internet speed. The game is built this way, the most useful thing we can do as a community it's to make noise together at the stores we actually buy from.

I'd rather lose a fair drop than win a rigged one but I'd rather we stop pretending the rigging is our fault.

Today I lost... again, one of my most beloved movies "Arrival" but as I said I won't be part of it, I don't know if the system will ever change, but I do know Scalpers will never see my money.

Anyway, best of luck for you the real fans and the ones who collect for the love to movies.

Thank you for this game...