I don't usually write blogs like this, and in fact, I cannot recall ever writing one like this before now. However, I don't know of any place more appropriate to bring this topic up other than here in the realm of the Star Wars Blogs. That topic is about the cheap nature of some of the items sold at the CIV store at, well, Celebration IV this past year.

First of all, let me make it clear, that I don't know of anyone else who has had the following problems of which I am about to describe. So, this could just be a fluke, and this is just something that happened to me. It seems unlikely, but these things do happen.

But when I was at the CIV store, I purchased a number of items. However, shortly after CIV, one by one, each of those items started to break. They didn't break from misuse, they just fell apart on their own.

For example

- The CIV Key Chain: There are two parts that keep coming unscrewed. This started within a month after CIV.

- The CIV Luggage Tag: This snapped right off the first time I tried to use it.

- The CIV Ballpoint Pen: The lettering on this pen started coming off after the first couple of times I started to use it.

- The CIV Laser Pen/Ballpoint Pen/Flashlight thing: Again, the lettering started coming off almost immediately. But more than that, the flashlight part only worked the first few times, then stopped. The laser pen continues to work fine, but the flashlight does not. I'm not sure what's wrong with it.

Again, I don't know if anyone else has experienced similar problems with any of their merchandise from the CIV store. But I was disappointed in how cheaply made some of their stuff was given what they charged for it.

Perhaps I was just being naive, but I had always thought of Star Wars collectibles to be something that was held to a higher standard, which is why we have enjoyed companies such as Master Replicas and Sideshow Toys over the years. But if something similar happened to other people as well, hopefully things will be better for Celebration V. One can always hope.

As Always,

-The Star Wars Uncle