Alolan_Apples
“Assorted” Collector
Have you noticed? 2023 introduced more glow wands than 2016 did. Maybe TBT is TGWT.
Events & Collectibles General Discussion
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Alolan_Apples
“Assorted” Collector
The two best events when it came to prizes sold in the TBT shop (in my opinion) are the 2023 Halloween Carnival and 2016 TBT Fair.
That Marshal Fangirl
🍂Drowning In Fiction🍂
The Eerie Star Potion is underrated and I will die on this hill.
Foreverfox
✨❤️🦃❤️✨
It is, completely underrated.
Alolan_Apples
“Assorted” Collector
If I can get the Disco Ball Egg, then I can start a third lineup of “assorted” collectibles. I may change the current lineup by swapping a few for the third one (and cancelling some ongoing sales since I’m not getting customers), but I know what I have planned.
I truly believe the point has been over-made, so I’m tossing this in a spoiler, thank you staff for your thoughtful response! 
I'm not entirely sure where a think-post like this would exist but I don't think this whole imposter collectible thing was/is such a great idea to keep doing. At the risk of sounding negative I wanna make sure I post about my thoughts now cuz I've like adored the collectible part of TBT for almost a decade, and I RARELY ever post about my personal feelings with the way collectibles are handled. Idk, this comes from a place of love.
I actually love the idea of new colors of popular collectibles, that's a super neat concept. But i don't really get why theres such a limited amount of them in existence, if they're meant to be tradable. Unique and untradable collectibles, I understand. We've seen that done before with things like the dark candy where they're super rare and become a fun thing to associate with a lucky member. But, collectibles being actually collect-able has been pretty much rendered impossible because of this most recent event. I've been seeing some of these imposter collectibles receive offers thats are like, someone's entire rare collection of multiple "high-tier" collectibles get denied, and I've seen a few people end up holding a couple of the imposter collectibles completely taking them out of the market.
Was the point of these to just release them and give poor members 0% chance of ever owning one ? I can't think of a single "rare" collectible that's ever not been at least possible for any member participating in their event to strive for. If the point was for it to be a random, fair release of a select few, making them tradable was pretty cruel.
I think I saw a post in the event thread talking about what collectibles we should recolor next time, and I'm reluctantly saying PLEASE let's not continue doing this... Moreso directed to the staff with nothing but love and admiration for the collectible scene that's been created here. Not for nothing, these collectibles also kinda created a **** show for this event towards the end there, so I don't know why we would even consider bringing something like this back, to keep collectibles SO rare on purpose. At least release another 10 or 15 of the imposters that exist now, maybe? Give people an actual chance to collect them. IDK. Do I sound super bitter?
I know I'm not really the right person to speak on this, because I am blessed enough to have a big enough collection at this point to make an offer for one of these SUPER rare ones. but now I just kinda feel like an ******* owning one when others are offering up an arm and a leg for the same one I have? What's the point in them being so rare? I'm beyond open to hearing opposing thoughts so that I can restructure MY thought process behind these, but I feel a sense of sadness at the thought of new imposters like this in the future
I actually love the idea of new colors of popular collectibles, that's a super neat concept. But i don't really get why theres such a limited amount of them in existence, if they're meant to be tradable. Unique and untradable collectibles, I understand. We've seen that done before with things like the dark candy where they're super rare and become a fun thing to associate with a lucky member. But, collectibles being actually collect-able has been pretty much rendered impossible because of this most recent event. I've been seeing some of these imposter collectibles receive offers thats are like, someone's entire rare collection of multiple "high-tier" collectibles get denied, and I've seen a few people end up holding a couple of the imposter collectibles completely taking them out of the market.
Was the point of these to just release them and give poor members 0% chance of ever owning one ? I can't think of a single "rare" collectible that's ever not been at least possible for any member participating in their event to strive for. If the point was for it to be a random, fair release of a select few, making them tradable was pretty cruel.
I think I saw a post in the event thread talking about what collectibles we should recolor next time, and I'm reluctantly saying PLEASE let's not continue doing this... Moreso directed to the staff with nothing but love and admiration for the collectible scene that's been created here. Not for nothing, these collectibles also kinda created a **** show for this event towards the end there, so I don't know why we would even consider bringing something like this back, to keep collectibles SO rare on purpose. At least release another 10 or 15 of the imposters that exist now, maybe? Give people an actual chance to collect them. IDK. Do I sound super bitter?
I know I'm not really the right person to speak on this, because I am blessed enough to have a big enough collection at this point to make an offer for one of these SUPER rare ones. but now I just kinda feel like an ******* owning one when others are offering up an arm and a leg for the same one I have? What's the point in them being so rare? I'm beyond open to hearing opposing thoughts so that I can restructure MY thought process behind these, but I feel a sense of sadness at the thought of new imposters like this in the future
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Foreverfox
✨❤️🦃❤️✨
Honestly, I cannot agree with this more, and I think you said it well. It’s been known for a long time that wands are highly desirable, and I don’t think making a couple of each of the imposters was the way to address that. Because now the wands that were desirable in the first place are even harder to get because they’re being used to get one of maybe two or three new ones. I feel the same sense of sadness and honestly, disappointment behind them. It has nothing to do with making wands, or any collectible common per se, but more with the fact that this took it in the opposite direction that it needed to go.
I agree with both of your posts. As someone who isn't interested in the collectible scene anymore, but was generally poor/found it difficult to build up a lot of TBT and collectibles when I was, making the imposter collectibles tradable kind of ruins the lucky factor and special factor imo. Every time I see that one thread pop up asking what your "favorite imposter collectible" is, I kind of just mark it as read and ignore it because I can't be bothered to see something that saturates the market with even more rare collectibles that barely anyone will be able to get. I respect and love the staff here dearly, but I do not think this was a good direction to go in.
i agree. your post is very thoughtfully worded so i'm gonna ruin everything and be blunt.
i think it was not just a bad idea for collecting, but a terrible idea for the community. we've seen how rabid people get for the OG wands and other T1 collectibles already. i don't know how it wasn't expected that ultra-rare recolours wouldn't bring about the same thing, or worse. i've been watching people pressure others for votes, knowingly scam people, and even lie to other users to get free impostors for weeks. it's putting a damper on this forum, i know i'm not the only one whose had "sell everything and leave this toxic community behind" thoughts.
more recolours might be cool in the future but for now i'd say just release more of the ones we have so we don't have to go through this all again during valentines or easter.
hard agree on the comments above!
i remember in the OG wand fair i managed to buy three wands just through participating (i believe i managed to get a few extra tickets as i placed in a contest) and i love that! just because something is obtainable to all doesn't mean it wouldn't be rare in the future, i liked it better when rarity wasn't forced
another example was the love ball! literally everyone who participated got a ball of their choice and now a love ball is tier 1!
i know (and hope) staff don't do this on purpose but it feels like quite a shift from previous events
i remember in the OG wand fair i managed to buy three wands just through participating (i believe i managed to get a few extra tickets as i placed in a contest) and i love that! just because something is obtainable to all doesn't mean it wouldn't be rare in the future, i liked it better when rarity wasn't forced
another example was the love ball! literally everyone who participated got a ball of their choice and now a love ball is tier 1!
i know (and hope) staff don't do this on purpose but it feels like quite a shift from previous events
This is honestly fantastically worded, perfectly summarizes what took me about 5 paragraph to say
I’ve actually had this exact conversation with some of my friends over the past month. I don’t think I have much of anything new/meaningful to add to the convo aside from echoing some of what has already been said, but I 100% agree with you.
Initially, I was appreciative that the glow wands (OG) were available as prizes for the first placers. They obviously still weren’t as obtainable as I honestly think they should be, and I know myself and others were hoping for them to be re-released in a more obtainable way per the many discussions the community has had about the wand scarcity over the years, but I was naively grateful that at least a few more would maybe be in circulation after the event, and that staff was listening to us about the wand shortages. I didn’t even want a wand for myself, but for my friends that’ve been searching for months, if not years. That being said, as much as I adore the recoloured wands, I don’t think the introduction of them was a good idea. At least not in the way that they were introduced.
I’ve been torn between feeling grateful for my wand, and upset that I won it and so many others who wanted it didn’t. I honestly feel like an ******* for even contributing to this convo with it in my lineup. A part of me just wants to toss it to one of my friends. I think the recoloured collectibles would have been great if they had been regular event collectibles that could be bought from the shop, but as is (and despite how pretty they are), they’re honestly more stress than this community needs. To echo what‘s already been said, trying to fix the scarce collectible issue with even scarcer collectibles wasn’t the best idea. We need a re-release of older, scarce collectibles, not the addition of new ones.
I wish I could say that seeing how some people have behaved in order to try and secure an imposter for themselves or their friends surprises me, but I can’t. It’s honestly something that’s been bothering me for weeks. I’ve had a habit of seeing TBT through rose-coloured glasses I think, and assuming the best of everyone. It’s not even entirely the vote manipulation that happened that bothers me, but the way some people are acting privately. Intentionally lowballing people for their imposters, insulting other people’s entries ’cause they think they deserve an imposter more, etc. It’s been disheartening to have my faith in TBT slowly decrease with every event, as much as I love it and my friends here.
I know at the end of the day that they’re just pixels, but it’s the principle of it that bothers me. Idk. I don’t wanna upset anyone or step on any toes, and I’m sorry if I accidentally did.
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.: Meri :.
party!!
I have to say I agree with all of this—like, I love the concept of recolors of existing collectibles, and I think a lot of the imposters look great! I know staff's intentions were good, but I don't think the answer to the current issues with the marketplace/collectible economy was to introduce more scarcity. Like, I was genuinely glad that none of the imposters were "must-haves" for me personally, because of how unattainable they seem to be.
I'm still firmly in the camp of thinking re-releases of high tier collectibles is the better solution, like with the Frost Egg and Yule Log in the 2021 holiday event. They're still worth a few thousand tbt even after the fact, but prior to that event they seemed barely obtainable at all to me at the time. They're not super common, but still available enough that you see them for sale from time to time.
I sincerely believe that all the Tier 1/Tier 0 collectibles could use this treatment—I think just bringing some back in event shops as the most expensive prizes would make a huge difference for the collectible scene.
I haven't been exposed to any of the recent shady stuff around collectibles, thankfully, but as disheartened as I am to hear about it, I'm also not terribly surprised. I think certain collectibles being less of an "exclusive" thing would also work to reduce this kind of behavior, though.
edit: xara same brain
I'm still firmly in the camp of thinking re-releases of high tier collectibles is the better solution, like with the Frost Egg and Yule Log in the 2021 holiday event. They're still worth a few thousand tbt even after the fact, but prior to that event they seemed barely obtainable at all to me at the time. They're not super common, but still available enough that you see them for sale from time to time.
I sincerely believe that all the Tier 1/Tier 0 collectibles could use this treatment—I think just bringing some back in event shops as the most expensive prizes would make a huge difference for the collectible scene.
I haven't been exposed to any of the recent shady stuff around collectibles, thankfully, but as disheartened as I am to hear about it, I'm also not terribly surprised. I think certain collectibles being less of an "exclusive" thing would also work to reduce this kind of behavior, though.
edit: xara same brain
Mars Adept
Circles and spirals in mind…
I think what makes me truly upset isn’t the addition of these new, limited wands, but rather that they refuse to re-release the original Flower/Heart/Star wands in the first place. They were ordinary collectibles that happened to get popular, and now for whatever reason the staff are treating them as if they were meant to be out of most people’s hands. It makes me sad to see my friends offer an arm and leg for these wands and still have extreme trouble getting them. It does not help there is an extreme TBT shortage right now.
For comparison, look at Chicken Smoothie. Their economy is also based around rare digital collectibles (in this case, pets), but once a year (December 18th) they give players a few randomized rare pets so they have a chance to get their favorites through either luck or trading. Last year they even re-released old items for the first time. I know TBT can’t do something similar due to the small amount of collectibles, but they could offer old collectibles (especially the wands) for normal purchasing (no raffles or contest prizes or anything super limited) at the next Fair. It wouldn’t even be unusual to do so, because you’d think with TBT’s 20th anniversary coming up, they’d want to celebrate their legacy.
For comparison, look at Chicken Smoothie. Their economy is also based around rare digital collectibles (in this case, pets), but once a year (December 18th) they give players a few randomized rare pets so they have a chance to get their favorites through either luck or trading. Last year they even re-released old items for the first time. I know TBT can’t do something similar due to the small amount of collectibles, but they could offer old collectibles (especially the wands) for normal purchasing (no raffles or contest prizes or anything super limited) at the next Fair. It wouldn’t even be unusual to do so, because you’d think with TBT’s 20th anniversary coming up, they’d want to celebrate their legacy.
Alolan_Apples
“Assorted” Collector
The real question is why are they intentionally trying to keep the original glow wands rare, as well as the galaxy and disco ball eggs and celeste chick plush?
i've had more time to think so i'm yapping again but while i'll cherish my wand forever and have no ill feelings toward it, i wouldn't have it if it weren't for my incredible friends offering their own collectibles for it. not everyone has that sort of thing.
also speaking of friends a few of us were just saying how we always hope "i hope there's no collectibles i like" before events start and i feel like it's related to all of this. collectibles and the market have gotten too stressful and cutthroat.
you raise a good point! we make an effort to constantly remind people that the tier list is fan-made and not officially endorsed by staff, especially because staff has said in the past that they don't want to enforce values to collectibles. but if this is the case, i don't understand the apparent aversion to re-releasing the original wands. it's intentionally keeping them in the "unobtainable to most" category.
we also created the list in an attempt to broaden price ranges and keep things more obtainable but that's impossible when things are being kept intentionally scarce and most of the tbt and collectible wealth is held by a small handful of users.
also speaking of friends a few of us were just saying how we always hope "i hope there's no collectibles i like" before events start and i feel like it's related to all of this. collectibles and the market have gotten too stressful and cutthroat.
you raise a good point! we make an effort to constantly remind people that the tier list is fan-made and not officially endorsed by staff, especially because staff has said in the past that they don't want to enforce values to collectibles. but if this is the case, i don't understand the apparent aversion to re-releasing the original wands. it's intentionally keeping them in the "unobtainable to most" category.
we also created the list in an attempt to broaden price ranges and keep things more obtainable but that's impossible when things are being kept intentionally scarce and most of the tbt and collectible wealth is held by a small handful of users.
I'll try my best to explain some background for the existence of these:
Ever since we stopped the timed restocks (which everyone seemed to hate), there haven't been many new rare collectibles. Even the ones that are priced higher in events usually don't get sold significantly less than others. The idea with the imposters was to help keep a balance of rarity. However, this past event was just their introduction. It has been mentioned once or twice already that they would be brought back. In fact, one of the ideas mentioned above is not too different from a plan that is already in the works, but I don't want to spoil too much...
That being said, I understand why high rarities can be frustrating to some. In many ways, the collectible economy is like a video game where collecting is a part of the challenge. Obtaining a rare collectible that not many others have is what makes collecting fun for a lot of people. I have to disagree with the idea that all collectibles should be common. Rarity is a very important part of any collecting game whether it's for apparel in a video game, trading cards, pet sites, Funko, etc. Another silver lining of new rare collectibles is the potential to make old ones slightly more common now that we don't need to depend on age for rarity. Having just a few collectibles for the whole site does perhaps make the imposters a bit too rare, but as I mentioned, that won't last forever!
Ever since we stopped the timed restocks (which everyone seemed to hate), there haven't been many new rare collectibles. Even the ones that are priced higher in events usually don't get sold significantly less than others. The idea with the imposters was to help keep a balance of rarity. However, this past event was just their introduction. It has been mentioned once or twice already that they would be brought back. In fact, one of the ideas mentioned above is not too different from a plan that is already in the works, but I don't want to spoil too much...
That being said, I understand why high rarities can be frustrating to some. In many ways, the collectible economy is like a video game where collecting is a part of the challenge. Obtaining a rare collectible that not many others have is what makes collecting fun for a lot of people. I have to disagree with the idea that all collectibles should be common. Rarity is a very important part of any collecting game whether it's for apparel in a video game, trading cards, pet sites, Funko, etc. Another silver lining of new rare collectibles is the potential to make old ones slightly more common now that we don't need to depend on age for rarity. Having just a few collectibles for the whole site does perhaps make the imposters a bit too rare, but as I mentioned, that won't last forever!
I have more to say, both about the imposters and supposed intentions behind as well as the market as a whole (which in plenty of ways, is even why we're talking about this in the first place), but for the time being, I'll just simply state that I think the biggest argument to not doing more imposters is simply that I feel an oversaturation of omega-rare tradeable collectibles isn't very good either. simply for diluting their special factor
now if they either did more imposter recolors but had them be more generally obtainable (like 2k market value give or take level, not just 'more' but still very rare) or had the current imposters slowly get phased out of omega rare and replaced by newer ones, I'd be down for more imposter waves. but for what we have now (including uh.... non-publicly posted info, let's just say?), I think simply focusing on what we have now for even up through the next decade would be far better, if imposter is just always gonna mean omega rare
hot take, I actually kinda prefer event timed restocks over having less overall spending currency, and part of me feels this change has been one accidental contribution to how the market is rn
the only time I ever truly abhorred timed restocks was for the main shop items, and that's because it using the site's main currency pretty much meant there weren't even artificial guardrails in place
now if they either did more imposter recolors but had them be more generally obtainable (like 2k market value give or take level, not just 'more' but still very rare) or had the current imposters slowly get phased out of omega rare and replaced by newer ones, I'd be down for more imposter waves. but for what we have now (including uh.... non-publicly posted info, let's just say?), I think simply focusing on what we have now for even up through the next decade would be far better, if imposter is just always gonna mean omega rare
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hot take, I actually kinda prefer event timed restocks over having less overall spending currency, and part of me feels this change has been one accidental contribution to how the market is rn
the only time I ever truly abhorred timed restocks was for the main shop items, and that's because it using the site's main currency pretty much meant there weren't even artificial guardrails in place
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Foreverfox
✨❤️🦃❤️✨
Thanks for jumping in and giving some insight behind this. I don’t think every collectible should be common at all, and I hope the plans for imposters in the future do what staff intend for them to do. Thanks again for taking time to address this.
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