IAW has surfaced again, this time with background assets of the new Star Trek movie. I knew a month ago that Paramount was interested in selling these assets, which consist mostly of Narada, Kelvin and Starfleet Academy set pieces. Items that would not be reused in the next Star Trek movie. Supposedly Paramount was going to meet with all the auction houses and have a competitive situation for who would dispose of these and other Paramount assets. Sadly, on the first day at the San Diego Comic Con, I found out that Paramount had given them to IAW without any such competitive situation.
What makes this especially disappointing is that IAW had so badly mangled the sale of the Star Trek assets in the first place, that they are now being rewarded for this bad behavior. And while higher ups at CBS are clearly not happy with the shoddy way IAW disposed of the Star Trek assets, it seems that Paramount has no such misgivings.
From bad customer service, to the inability to get anyone with decision making power to return a call or email, to not delivering on items purchased on eBay, most every top Star Trek collector has a beef with IAW and yet we are now all once again subjected to having to deal with them.
I will be posting photos tomorrow of some of the items as IAW is at the Las Vegas Con and selling some of these assets. The only good news here, is that there aren't a lot of good pieces and nothing of what IAW brought is of any interest to the collectors who have so far seen them.
Alec
What makes this especially disappointing is that IAW had so badly mangled the sale of the Star Trek assets in the first place, that they are now being rewarded for this bad behavior. And while higher ups at CBS are clearly not happy with the shoddy way IAW disposed of the Star Trek assets, it seems that Paramount has no such misgivings.
From bad customer service, to the inability to get anyone with decision making power to return a call or email, to not delivering on items purchased on eBay, most every top Star Trek collector has a beef with IAW and yet we are now all once again subjected to having to deal with them.
I will be posting photos tomorrow of some of the items as IAW is at the Las Vegas Con and selling some of these assets. The only good news here, is that there aren't a lot of good pieces and nothing of what IAW brought is of any interest to the collectors who have so far seen them.
Alec
Comments
I paid around $1,800 dollars for a complete Reed costume and did not receive a COA. Emails to IAW did not help. They would not respond. All I wanted was a piece of paper!
I also paid $975 for a large group of items from ST: ENT and the COA was for a group of items from ST: Movies. One reason I bid on this item - IAW was foolish enough to end the bidding in the middle of the 2008 Super Bowl! Not a good way to manage auction timings. I ended up paying less than Paramount should have received.
How in the world can Paramount continue their relationship with this company?
--Philip
I don't think it's right that IAW can charge outrageous shipping fees for each individual item, then turn around and ship several auction wins in one box.
This Trek collector is disgusted with Paramount's decision to use It's a Wrap.....
-Renee P. from Detroit, Michigan
These items are obscure and hard to document at best. The studio will receive best value when the seller provides excellent pictures, descriptions, and examples of when an item was used. This was rarely the case with IAW.
. Descriptions were poor and often poorly researched.
. Auction response and timing was inconsistent. Given many auctions over two years, a consistent timing process would have yielded better results.
. Communications with clients was poor and infrequent. As a major purchaser, including some direct-sales, i'd expect to get emails on timing, what's happening, and new items... no such luck. There wasn't even communication on the END of the auctions or what to expect now.
I respect the fact that organizing these auctions is difficult, and researching obscure items is hard. However, the lack of communications and follow up left the buying experience difficult and painful.
1. the service of discretely but uniquely labeling items, to tie them to the COAs and Propworx' records. As items change hands, COAs can get lost. Long term, there is a certain amount of problem with forgery of items, too. Reducing this exposure increases confidence among buyers. This is goodwill PR for the studio, now and later.
2. Propworx' online archive. All major auction houses maintain online archives.
3. Staff who have time to respond to some casual buyer emails, bbs postings, and calls. I feel that Propworx' investment in this area has resulted in a larger number of buyers, especially new buyers, making purchases. This of course creates more revenue and PR for the studio, and goodwill credit among genre viewers.
4. Propworx investment in publicity efforts. Propworx gained considerable traction on the net and in traditional media for their BSG auctions. I do think, from a studio perspective, that due note should be given to an auction company's PR plan. It only makes sense, given the business goals of the auction.
Kevin
And notice I haven't even reiterated the customer service nightmares that I and others experienced. Unreturned e-mails and phone calls as well as weeks to months delays between purchasing and shipping items were only the tip of the iceberg. We all put up with these things because they were the "only game in town." Exactly what else they did have we'll never know because IAW kept that a secret as well before selling it all to a private collector.
I am disappointed that IAW is once again being trusted with the Trek contract. Either CBS/Paramount is somehow ignorant of these issues, or they are indifferent. Neither situation helps its relationship with fans or what could have been a potentially more lucrative situation for them. As mentioned previously, Colin Wade's departure from IAW and the lack of any context for this random assortment of props worsens an already bad situation and will certainly keep me and others away.
-Brett