After getting the email explaining that they had "oversold" these busts, and they were offering to "guarantee" me the Shocktrooper and Mara Jade busts, plus give me a free gift, I sent this email back to them:

Dear Customer Service,

While I am very sad that my order for the Blackhole Stormtrooper has been cancelled, I feel that the offer below is a very nice gesture. However, I have to say that the hole left in my collection by the cancellation of this order will not be filled by the free item that is sent in it's place, and it is unlikely that I will spend upwards of $400 for this piece on the aftermarket. I sincerely wish you would take the time to re-examine your policies and procedures towards "exclusive" merchandise. What purpose does it really serve? Why make an item so limited that you sell out of it in 5 minutes? And doesn't it bother you that at least 30% (if not more) of these items will be on ebay before the buyers even have them in hand, and selling for 10 times what you sold them for? Why should these "customers" make the money when you can make it yourself? If you were to produce enough of these "exclusive" items to satisfy the needs of every customer who wanted one, it would cut down on occurences like this, and would more than likely stop the people who have no interest in these actual items other than pure profit from ordering them. I urge you to take a look at what Sideshow Collectibles is doing with it's new "Inclusive" edition figures, and contemplate starting a similar policy with your product.


While I have to admit that is very nice of them to try and make amends with the customers and collectors who were basically screwed out of the Blackhole Stormtrooper bust, I'd still rather have that in my collection than the Shocktrooper or Mara Jade.