This hobby is getting too expensive. Katee Sackhoff is now charging an additional $40 for anything signed on Star Wars. These additional fees are just about killing the hobby. It literally costs them nothing to sign anything "bulky" or 'premium". Their signature is just the same on any item.
Getting Too Expensive
- Thread starter Mandalorian1129
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I have to agree with this assessment. The prices, in general, are inflating way too high. I understand that popularity and currentness of the actor's work play a huge part in the pricing structure. Add in the extra fees from con attending or personal request and you can pay a pretty penny. Unfortunately, there are some guests that you just have to suck it up and try not to dwell on the price.
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I was stunned (and infuriated) when I saw the disclaimer for fan expo that she’s charging $40 extra for sw items. So when I get up there with my sw 8x10 they’re going to go oh that’s another $40?? That really takes an incredible amount of nerve. And for her to do that really says a lot about her, and none of it’s nice.
When I bought other autograph tickets for fan expo I saw things on the order page like regular item, bulky item, premium item. On her page it just had one price. But now it’ll be extra when I get up there??? Wow.
A friend said he read she is in fact implementing the $40 surcharge. If that’s the case I’m going to demand a refund. I guess she’d rather have $0 from me than an easy $100.
And has been said, this hobby is getting way too expensive. All the big mcu names, people who make millions per film are all $200+. Even smaller names are creeping way up. Then all the completion fee, oh it’s harder to sign an 11x14 than an 8x10 fee, inscription fee, character name fee, it’s a joke. And I’m simply stunned that people are willing to pay what they pay for a barely legible squiggle and oftentimes they aren’t even meeting the person with the send ins. I remember the days of $25 getting you an autograph with character name and a picture with the actor.
When I bought other autograph tickets for fan expo I saw things on the order page like regular item, bulky item, premium item. On her page it just had one price. But now it’ll be extra when I get up there??? Wow.
A friend said he read she is in fact implementing the $40 surcharge. If that’s the case I’m going to demand a refund. I guess she’d rather have $0 from me than an easy $100.
And has been said, this hobby is getting way too expensive. All the big mcu names, people who make millions per film are all $200+. Even smaller names are creeping way up. Then all the completion fee, oh it’s harder to sign an 11x14 than an 8x10 fee, inscription fee, character name fee, it’s a joke. And I’m simply stunned that people are willing to pay what they pay for a barely legible squiggle and oftentimes they aren’t even meeting the person with the send ins. I remember the days of $25 getting you an autograph with character name and a picture with the actor.
I remember those days too! the power goes to the head very quickly now a days!
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the 007 girls are usually reasonable but theyre the exception , Stallone was 400 in 2012 , now 800
This is all down to some in person autograph hunters because the celebrity now knows how much they sell the things they signed for free on the street. Some of the videos I've seen on YouTube recently make me sick.
Some ( and I mean some, not all ) IP graphers are parasites.
Some ( and I mean some, not all ) IP graphers are parasites.
Agreed. It's the people that sell them that changed it. They are parasites yes. I've seen them knock people over literally
You're not kidding. I remember just like 15 years ago the average cost was about $30 for an autograph and a picture with someone, now the average seems to be around $50 for an autograph and $50 for a picture. It's honestly getting ridiculous. You almost have to take out a loan just to go to a convention anymore.
Yeah, it doesn’t Help that this year’s Celebration was in London and now 2025 is in Japan. I decided that C8 would be my last Celebration. Looks like I am sticking to that. I do agree with the cost of autographs. I have a small con in Huntsville that is starting this weekend. Fortunately I live about 30 minutes away. They are going to have Ashley Eickstien, James Arnold Taylor and Matt Lautner. I met Emily Swallow a few years back. Nice woman.
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Interesting stories.
Sad, but I am not totally surprised.
As soon as actors/actresses realized they can make great income, greed will take over.
Extra fees? Wow! That is new. However, when they start charging for a picture, other fees was coming.
As long fans are willing to pay, it will keep happening.
This is why I have basically retired from it. Not worth it or the ones I want are no longer signing or very hard to get.
If I did, it would be at a convention since you know it is legit more than not.
Good Luck!
Sad, but I am not totally surprised.
As soon as actors/actresses realized they can make great income, greed will take over.
Extra fees? Wow! That is new. However, when they start charging for a picture, other fees was coming.
As long fans are willing to pay, it will keep happening.
This is why I have basically retired from it. Not worth it or the ones I want are no longer signing or very hard to get.
If I did, it would be at a convention since you know it is legit more than not.
Good Luck!
Or are still alive. The coolest of the Star Wars personalities I met was Jeremy Bullock. Super guy. Same with Temuera Morrison. Interesting story. I met him in 2012 at C6. I went to eat lunch after I got a photo sign by him. I got up and realized I didn’t have my photo. I looked everywhere. I went back to his both and told him what happened. Not only did he sign another for me but he signed on their photo which I gave to a friend of mine.
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The one here in Huntsville AL had some big names. William Shatner, Gates McFadden, John Delance and Brent Spiner to name a few.
They know who lucrative convention appearances are. Keep in mind that Shatner, Koenig, and Takei are they only original Star Trek actors still alive.
My son and I drove across state to check out Hero Con on Saturday. It was a nice, smaller convention. It was nice not dealing with long lines. Met 2 of the 3 Vaders as well as Tait Fletcher. Thanks for the heads up on that Con!
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Just got Amy Sedaris and Jennifer Beals from the OPX signings. Amy Sedaris' autograph is pretty decent, you can actually make out her name. Jennifer Beals' autograph on the other hand is crap. It's like a J and a B. In light of this discussion about how expensive the hobby is getting, I think going forward I'm going to look at samples of autographs before I commit to a signing. Her graph would be fine if I got it on the street and she was in a rush and you get what you get. But when she's getting a crap ton of money for a few hours work, I expect a little more. And it's not just her. So many celebs sign just absolute garbage. If I were to have gotten a character name on there that would have added a nice touch to it, but now that OPX has gotten on the tiered pricing/let's charge for every drop of ink wagon, there is no way I'm paying double for someone to add their character name. I think it's pretty crappy that they're doing that. Maybe, MAYBE charge an extra $25 for a character name, not double. And I could not care less that it takes the same amount of time to sign a character name as it takes them to sign their name (or longer if they just do two initials), because what then, they're getting $100 (or however much) for 30 seconds of work instead of 15? Boo hoo.
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Now that I look more closely at that Jennifer beals autograph, I don’t even know as that I can make our a B. Just a J and umm, some squiggles.
At least you know those two sigs are legitimate, but the super-short Beals one is just lazy on her part. Maybe this is how she short-writes her signature, but making a better effort in signing would be more appreciative.
Like the photos though.
Like the photos though.
Just an FYI, there's no wagon. The agencies for these actors are the ones that are dictating pricing for each and every thing that's being written. They realize that fans are willing to pay additional money for additional writing, so they are charging for it, plain and simple. The two autographs you just got are on the less expensive side, but looking at some of the bigger names that are charging hundreds of dollars per signature, of course they are going to charge more for Personalization's, Character Names and Quotes. If they didn't, then everyone would request it, which would make the signing last twice as long. It takes more time and many actors would rather not do it. Instead of not offering it at all, it's offered at a higher price point so the actor is paid for their time, and the fan gets exactly what they've asked for. Those who have to have it can grab it, but it's certainly not required to place an order and get something signed.
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Ah, I didn’t realize it was the actors setting the pricing for adding character names and all that. Thank you for clearing that up.
You're welcome.
Chris,
Quick question I've been wondering for a while.
Obviously, in these private signings, character names/quotes are always an upcharge, while at in-person like during Celebration, for instance, I've noticed that guests are willing to add at least a character name, if requested, more often than private signings. (I've received full quotes for zero dollars extra on occasion.) Is this something that is negotiated into a guest's contract that allows some extras to happen? Or is the event a big event that the guests feel its a reasonable request to accommodate?
Obviously, personal preference by the guest factors into that decision. Just wondering why in-person generally seems to be a better value than a private signing. Plus, meeting the guest enhances the experience.
If this can't be answered due to contract negotiation secrets, I fully understand.
Thanks.
Quick question I've been wondering for a while.
Obviously, in these private signings, character names/quotes are always an upcharge, while at in-person like during Celebration, for instance, I've noticed that guests are willing to add at least a character name, if requested, more often than private signings. (I've received full quotes for zero dollars extra on occasion.) Is this something that is negotiated into a guest's contract that allows some extras to happen? Or is the event a big event that the guests feel its a reasonable request to accommodate?
Obviously, personal preference by the guest factors into that decision. Just wondering why in-person generally seems to be a better value than a private signing. Plus, meeting the guest enhances the experience.
If this can't be answered due to contract negotiation secrets, I fully understand.
Thanks.
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I've wondered about this too but have been too afraid to ask about it because I figure the days of "freebies" at cons are surely numbered I'm afraid.
That's also very simple. When there's a contract in place for a private signing, and we are able to offer extra things like Personalization's, Character Names & Quotes, those are guaranteed since they all have an additional cost to the actor.
At an event, most times, the agent and/or event will tell everyone that it's Signature Only and that's that. This is because they want to keep the line moving and get through as many fans as possible so they aren't waiting in line for 6 hours to meet someone. When an actor decides to write something extra at a show, that's entirely on them to do so and not required. They could decide to do it on one item, and then not on the next five. At the detriment to the line lasting longer, some actors choose to do it because they know it makes it more special for the fan that's just paid to meet them for a minute, but at the end of the day, the autograph ticket is generally only ever going to be for a signature.
Also, while you may find it fun to attend conventions and stand in long lines for multiple days, many do not, and that's where the guaranteed nature of the private signing comes into play. It's a much easier and beneficial way to go for the fan that wants to save both time and money by not attending in person, not having to take time off work, not having to spend time standing in lines, not having to spend money to fly, stay in a hotel, get into the show, rent a car, eat, etc.
Thanks Chris for the insight.
Sure, waiting for hours in-person, is hit-or-miss, thus I can understand the guarantee the easiness of the private signing.
For me, I value the meeting process greatly. The only time I had VIP at Celebration Orlando 2017, I was able to have a fantastic 10 min conversation with Felicity Jones, while waiting for her table to be setup. Nothing can ever top that.
I do appreciate all the work Official Pix has done with private signings and in-person events. Keep it coming. I just wish I had more money for more signings.
Sure, waiting for hours in-person, is hit-or-miss, thus I can understand the guarantee the easiness of the private signing.
For me, I value the meeting process greatly. The only time I had VIP at Celebration Orlando 2017, I was able to have a fantastic 10 min conversation with Felicity Jones, while waiting for her table to be setup. Nothing can ever top that.
I do appreciate all the work Official Pix has done with private signings and in-person events. Keep it coming. I just wish I had more money for more signings.
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You're very welcome.
It is getting too expensive now. I need 4 more vintage OT autographs and then thats me done for good. The only PT and ST I now own which are not for sale is Hayden and Ewan.
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But things like electricity and food is needed , autographs not so much 
500 for Hamill is excessive , SW or not.....imo
500 for Hamill is excessive , SW or not.....imo
Agreed but he sold out rather quickly. So the demand is still there for him.But things like electricity and food is needed , autographs not so much
500 for Hamill is excessive , SW or not.....imo
Hamill sold out on Fan Expo's site for individual autographs. 8x10's were $399.
Since Mark isn't as available as he used to be, collectors are gonna jump in at the higher price.
So glad I got his sig in-person and thru Official Pix back in 2010's.
Since Mark isn't as available as he used to be, collectors are gonna jump in at the higher price.
So glad I got his sig in-person and thru Official Pix back in 2010's.
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Im not denying the demand , he he
