Well my hard drive crashed, and I had to go get a new computer while they try and recover my hard drive (NEVER go to Geek Squad for that as they were worthless and wasted 2 days telling me they had to send it to a professional shop that specializes in recovering hard drives.) Just Google it as I went to a specialty firm and they were awesome. Should be back and running next week.
So I bought a new MacBookPro and I am getting used to it. Microsoft still sucks, even on a Mac.
Anyway, forgive the shortened version this week.We are seeing a drop in prices for all but hero costumes. Background costumes are dropping, as are props. Why? Well, some trends are obvious.
1) Lack of Interest - The charm has worn off. People are tired of bad service from IAW and the frustration is causing many people to sit out, or limit purchases. Just look at the Star Trek Prop, Costume and Auction Forum. People are burned out. The Zero Feedback problem, which some still blame on IAW, has caused a lot of distrust.
2) Duration - With another 6-12 months of this, most people are really focusing and only buying what really turns them on.
3) IAW - I like these guys (and girls) as they are nice people. But until they get a Director of Customer Support, and get that off Dom's plate (as he has way too much to do and is buried), service will suck, phone calls and emails will go unanswered and problems will mount. Colin is awesome, but he is only one person. Lots of people have emailed me, or posted on the Forum that they are cutting back because of the service issues with IAW. Frankly, I can't blame them at this point. I have outstanding issues that are 4-5 months old.
Believe me, I still love this stuff, but my patience is wearing thin.
And now on to the auctions...
The T'Pol Season 3/4 jumpsuit went to maharanidiva who constantly has bid high for items on a regular basis. She paid $ 8,601 for this T'Pol, and she has won one before!My friend Lyn outbid me on the Major Kira costume which went for $ 2,358. This was a beauty and I am jealous! I like this style best I think.
The Klingon Warrior costume went for $ 2,281. It was interesting in that it had seperate sleeves and a set of spats, rather than boots. A fair deal I think, as it also came with a Klingon head mask.
The Reman Warrior costume went about where they usually do at $ 2,137. This has a really nice multi-piece head application, which the winer needs to do a good job of preserving lest it fall apart in the future.
The Enterprise Klingon costume also came with a Star Trek VI Klingon head mask, as well as a holster and spats. But he spats are wrong as they belong to a TNG era Klingon, not an ENterprise era Klingon, whose boots are grayish. At $ 2,101, a fair deal I think.I loved the Data Holodeck Naval Uniform and passed on it so my buddy Jim could get it. At $ 1,943, a great deal I think. It is a beauty.
The Tom Paris complete Starfleet Uniform was interesting and had a comm badge and pips as well as boots. So at $ 1,903, a good deal I think.
Another Kirk Climbing costume went for $ 1,680...HO HUM. How many of these are there?
I was a bit surprised that the Nemesis Lt. Branson costume went for $ 1,625, but it was to a new bidder. These are very nice, and anyone who buys them loves them, but I think this is a $ 1,200 costume based on previous sales.
As far as props go:
The Shinzon "Blood Draw" Knife was very cool as it gives you an inside look at how Hollywod works. At $ 1,803 a good deal for a very cool prop, so it gets my "Prop of the Week".The Enterprise Mess Captain's Serving Set was not very interesting in my book, but someone paid $ 1,800 for it.
The Klingon Centrifuge was a beauty and went cheap at $ 1,525 to my buddy Jason. Originally from the Doctor's sickbay in Voyager, this was redressed and used in Enterprise.Jason also won the Borg Set Design Blueprints, which were a good deal at $ 690. I hope Jason shows us some photos, as the ones in the auction were awful.
I won the Dominion Emblem Sign for a reasonable $ 1,026. Probably on the high end of what I wanted to pay, but a cool prop which wil go nicely in my DS9 collection behind my Breen and Cardassian costumes.I should also mention that I won Sisko's Creole Kitchen menu for $ 461, which I thought was an awesome deal.
THIS WEEK'S AWARDS:
Best Costume of the Week: The Data Holodeck Naval Uniform at $ 1,943 was in fact the nicest of the group.
Best Prop of the Week: The Shinzon "Blood Draw" Knife at $ 1,803 was a nice piece of movie history.
Best Buy of the week: The DS9 Bajoran Engineering uniform at $ 431 was a steal! Boots and Comm Badge included.
Worst Buy of the week:The T'Pol jumpsuit at $ 8,601. Way too high for this.
Sleeper of the Week: The stunt Nog Uniform at only $ 292 was a greta buy for my friend Martin from Berlin.
5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD
Star Trek: The T'Pol jumpsuit at $ 8,601
Star Trek: DS9 The Major Kira costume at $ 2,358
Star Trek: Klingon Warrior costume at $ 2,281
Star Trek: Nemesis Reman Warrior costume at $ 2,137
Star Trek: Enterprise Klingon costume at $ 2,101
Alec