Joe Con 2016 FAQ: Another souvenir price increase?

Joe Con 2016 banner

With all of the Joe Con 2016 reveals over the past few days, there’s been plenty for G.I. Joe fans to talk about.  New convention figures are coming, Hasbro will be showing “something” at the con, and there are changes coming to the Club as all memberships now end on December 31, 2016.

So, with all of that going on, the Club posted a new FAQ for this year’s convention that seems to indicate that last year’s “unavoidable price increases” for the souvenirs are now the new norm.

However, first here’s the full FAQ:

March 2016

Q: When will this years G.I. Joe convention registration open?
A: GIJoeCon registration will be open in early March. An email will go out to all club members. If you are not a member, you need to join by March 16th in order to get the discounts. Your membership login and password are what gives you entrance to the registration system.

Q: Will there be a Parachute Drop this year?
A: Yes.

Q: How do we order the Homefront Heroes set?
A: When registration goes live, you will be able to order through the online system.

Q: Will there be Bingo at the Saturday night party?
A: Yes.

Q: Are all attendees able to pick up their boxed sets on Wednesday night, and able to purchase the show exclusives on Wednesday night? Or is this limited to only Golden Ticket holders?
A: No. Only Golden Ticket, Class attendees and Tour attendees can pick up on Wed night. Souvenir sales start Thursday night.

Q: How many people can I register on just my membership?
A: Your membership covers member pricing for immediate family: Parents, Siblings, Spouse, Children. Anyone else is processed as a non-member.

Q: How much money should I bring to buy all of the 2016 convention souvenir exclusives?
A: Take what you spent last year and add some more as there are more items.

Q: What age do you have to be to go on the White Water rafting tour?
A: No Children under the age of 13 are allowed. There are two possible groups you could be in that day: Plunge or the Splash. 6-7 people per raft. Splash is shorter and not as taxing. There is a short video that shows what the guest will be experiencing.

Q: I would like to be a vendor and get tables at this show. How do I register for a space?
A: When registration opens, you will need to fill out the exhibitor section.

Q: Will Golden Ticket Aides be able to purchase at least one of each souvenir exclusive if they are in the Club Store accompanying the primary Golden Ticket package holder that signed them up for the convention?
A: No. During Thursday night sales, no aides can get souvenirs. After we see what is left for Friday, we make the call then as to what can be purchased.

Q: If we are doing the Rockies tour on Thursday, it says we can pick up our packages on Wednesday night, can we get them Thursday morning before the trip?
A: Unfortunately not. You would get them Thursday night at regular package pick up.

Q: Can I still make a reservation at the convention hotel?
A: The hotel is SOLD OUT and we are working on another block at a nearby hotel. We will send out more details as soon as the block is set up.

Q: How can I sign-up to be one of the lucky people to toss the parachure figures?
A: We have changed the format for signing up and throwing figures at the parachute drop. It will be first come, first serve for GT attendees only. You can sign up when you pick up your package and it will be limited to the first 50 people to throw these figures.

Q: I was able to purchase a Golden Ticket this year and wanted to know how early we be in line on Wednesday to sign up for the parachute drop?
A: All that information will be available a couple of weeks before the convention.

Q: Is there a payment plan for the registration packages and if not, how long will registration go on for?
A: No. We do take the following credit cards: Visa, Discover and MasterCard. Registration is open until the sets run out or about three weeks prior to the show.

Let’s take a look at one of those items again:

Q: How much money should I bring to buy all of the 2016 convention souvenir exclusives?
A: Take what you spent last year and add some more as there are more items.

Really?  So the souvenirs are going to cost more than last year? Fans with good memories should remember that, for Joe Con 2015, the cost of a full set of souvenirs increased by nearly 100%!  Of course, the Club had an explanation for that increase which, of course, was partially due to circumstances beyond their control:

Costs have gone up because of the complexity of the deco on the items and air freight caused by the dock workers issues on the west coast. There is also an additional souvenir item this year and one that is a large vehicle.

Last year, the cost of a set of souvenirs went from $363 in 2014 to $600 in 2015 due to “complex deco’s” and “air freight shipping.”  Now, all of that was purportedly due to a dock workers strike that affected cargo coming into the US from Asia.  This year, however, there is no such strike.  Sure, their are going to be “more items” but are we really going to see THAT much more– enough to justify keeping the price up that high?

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There’s a lot of speculation right now that this could be Fun Publications last Joe Con and perhaps the folks over on Cattle Barron Drive are just going to “go for broke” and offer fans one heck of a set of souvenirs.  Or, more is it a case of the organizers making one last major sale before losing the license?  After all, even with the ridiculous increase in prices last year, the exclusives still sold out.  With that being the case, who is really to blame– the seller or the buyers for encouraging this type of behavior.  Regardless, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the current state of the G.I. Joe collecting hobby is catering more and more to those with deeper pockets than it is trying to increase the size of its audience.

Of course, that’s just this Joe fan’s opinion.

At least they’ll be a parachute drop this year.

For more information on Joe Con 2016, keep your eyes peeled to JBL!

2 thoughts on “Joe Con 2016 FAQ: Another souvenir price increase?

  1. Ok so these con exclusive extras better be absolutely stunning. I’d forgo chrome for air superiority grey.

    And sadly the price escalation has been going for some time. It wasn’t all that long ago that the Homefront Hero package came with free shipping since you didn’t get a name badge, autographs, attendee exclusive, or any show access. Gary may say what he wants, but truth is that the Homefront Hero and Base Commander sets help defray the overall production costs of the sets, and lowers financial risk for Fun Pub. Free or discounted domestic shipping doesn’t seem unreasonable.

    • Wait I forgot, no casino night chips or so-so meal.

      Also interesting 442nd RCT reference there Fred, though not how I’d ever envisioned it being used.

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