What do you think about SP Redemption? oops i mean Authentic.

[kapital]

ok so heres my beef. Upperdeck is currently purposely flooding their products with redemptions that expire so that they can make money from it. What a crappy time to be their consumer.... ive been noticing more and more of these expired redemptions hitting the shelves, this product should be taken off the shelves once the redemptions expire. ALL Gretzky Hits are redemptions and Gaudreau FW Auto's, Andrew Hammond... what a rip off. Any Thoughts on this shady business practice? Do you think these products should be pulled from the shelves or their price drastically reduced once the redemptions become expired. Are these cards being stolen by upperdeck? given out at staff parties? whats going on here?

[KingKuba]

The products drop in price after redemptions expire like 11-12 spa

This is typical business....Topps does similar...basically puts cards on checklists that don't exist....
Just throw up redemptions since you never really have to make the card...

[RGM81]

I think you're half-right with your opening statement. I don't believe that they wanted to release SPA with so many redemptions in it. But it's been delayed, delayed, delayed, and released later & later each year. When I got back into the hobby in 2008, SPA was already out in May of that year. They were probably at a point where they had to release it before it got too deep into the summer and clogged up the remaining release calendar for Premier, Ultimate, and Cup, all of which have to be out by October.

They really need to start making use of their network of Diamond Dealers and local contacts to have those guys make an appointment with the player, show up with the cards and a cheque, and witness all the signings. Whatever their current practice is, it isn't working.

I live in a city that is home to over a hundred NHL'ers in the off-season, and is a few hours away from Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. It would be so incredibly easy for UD to establish a network in this area for players when they're in town to do their signings.

SPA does have *some* redemptions every year, but to have 17 rookies as redemptions, including all the tops guys except Drouin and Ekblad, is unacceptable.

If they delayed SPA this long and decided that they still had to go ahead with it with this much non-live product, imagine what a nightmare it could be facing them for Premier and Ultimate.

The price of UD wax does drop when redemptions expire, but that's the discretion of the distributors, not UD themselves.

But with this year's product, they've pretty much killed it on release unless there's a magical "Wave 2" to come featuring all the live rookies that people actually want.

[avs9601]

The principal fact than bother me with redemption is than US clearly Shortprinted them.... No way there 999 copie of each one... some are like impossible to find...

[MattDMC]

The principal fact than bother me with redemption is than US clearly Shortprinted them.... No way there 999 copie of each one... some are like impossible to find...

There has to be short printed FWA's, Kuba mentioned it in another thread and I'll repeat it that not a single Calle Jarnkrok has shown up anywhere yet. Just about every other card in the set be it live or redemption has shown up at least once or twice but not a single Jarnkrok and you can't tell me everybody that pulled a Jarnkrok is holding on to rather than selling it because why would anybody hold onto a Jarnkrok? It's not like he's a huge prospect with a large following, he put up a whopping 18 points last season. I just want one as he was a Wing's draftee but I can't find one anywhere.

[avs9601]

I've contacted UD asking explanation on this... I got an answer, like they don't understand what I'm talking about...

By the way I've done some math...

60 FW on 999
60 FWa on 999

The non auto are around 3-4 per box, the auto 1-2...

So at max in average the FWa are in pack at a rate of all the non auto....

I've done the set last year, I swear than some of the FWa like Vatanen, Nieto, Ristoilainen, Gergensons are never on 999, we only see these card like we see a card with a print run of around 100...

UD think we're all a bunch of stupid individual...

For the first time I'm agree with Kuba.. Someone shroud sue UD for false advertising...

Sorry just my two cent, but I'm pretty pissed of by the way UD is doing buizness...

[LegendsCollector]

I agree with RGM, they definitely need to change their practice for obtaining cards from the players. In addition to the massive redemptions, I wasn't exactly thrilled at the amount of previous year cards that they included. For example only having 17 cards listed in the current sign of the times singles set but also including 13 cards that were from last years sign of the times set. Or including 13 rookie auto patches that should have been in last years product. Don't get me wrong, its good that those cards are still being sent out but including previous year product in this years and counting that as current seems shady. They have so little of the current year product on the checklist. For example the limited auto patch variation subset from 14-15 is only listed as 27 cards but the checklist shows Eric Staal as number 60. So next years SP Authentic can have the other 33 that they didn't include.

[RGM81]

There has to be short printed FWA's, Kuba mentioned it in another thread and I'll repeat it that not a single Calle Jarnkrok has shown up anywhere yet. Just about every other card in the set be it live or redemption has shown up at least once or twice but not a single Jarnkrok and you can't tell me everybody that pulled a Jarnkrok is holding on to rather than selling it because why would anybody hold onto a Jarnkrok? It's not like he's a huge prospect with a large following, he put up a whopping 18 points last season. I just want one as he was a Wing's draftee but I can't find one anywhere.

I'm sure that there will be a bunch of them in the next wave of release. Might even see an Andrighetto or two. LOL

[TRDouble]

So, there is product from last year's SPA in this years...

Are these cards that were not in last year's product, either live or as redemptions? Is last year's stuff showing up in this year's product late returns?

I could be wrong, but from all that I saw, when Panini put in the 12/13 Classics Signatures Autos in hot boxes of 13/14 Contenders, these are cards that did not show up in the original checklist, even as redemptions, so it looks like Panini took late arriving cards and made good use of them.

Is this what UD has done with SPA?

[kapital]

some great points here, im sure many of these cards are not being inserted! maybe used as replacements, or given out as stocking stuffers at staff parties... remember when they got busted hoarding all the Crosby and ovechkin rookies and had to release them in the 06-07 product.... what a scam... and to whoever said the price drops after the redemptions expire is wrong. The customer is charged a price based on if those cards were all made and honored. The customer is completely entitled to their cards, they paid for them. period. I usually see the prices rise on older products, and if any drop its definitely not due to expired redemptions, due to failed rookie crops and decreased demand.,