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White Collar Criminals

THE AGALLOCH EBAY EFFECT

 Thursday, March 24th, 2011 at 3:30pm by

Agalloch are currently criss-crossing the country, playing some cities for the first time ever (like New York, where we saw them slay on Tuesday night… more on that at a later date). They’re selling a tour-only 2xLP called whitedivisiongrey — a combo of 2008′s The White EP and 2004′s The Grey EP — for $30, limited to just 500 copies. Agalloch followers are completely fanatical about their merch, especially vinyl, so I’m quite honestly shocked that there are even any left at this stage of the tour. As usual, they’re already going on eBay for absolutely insane prices:

Agalloch ebay whitedivisiongrey

I mean… WOW, right?

Here’s the thing: tour-only vinyls by some metal band aren’t exactly Hannah Montana tickets. In other words, you’ve got to be a fan to even know they exist, and you’ve got to pay for a ticket to the show and attend that show to even have access. Street scalpers ain’t exactly in on this scheme. Which means the people selling these items online (not just this tour vinyl… this happens EVERY TIME Agalloch release ANYTHING) are big fans of the band who are looking to make a buck (or $150, as it were) on the backs of their heroes. What do we think of this??

 

Firstly, I have to imagine that the band feels they’re being taken advantage of. This is a band who prides themselves on being underground and honest, and goes to great lengths to ensure everything associated with their brand is all about the music. They’re offering their die-hard fans a chance to have something special, something you have to be there to get, for $30 — not a small sum, sure, but for a 2x limited pressing LP with pretty artwork I doubt Agalloch are making a giant-sized profit on it. By buying two copies, one that could land in the hands of a legit fan later on in the tour for face value, and turning around and selling one of them for a 400% margin… what a slap in the face to Agalloch.

Look, I get it, free market capitalism, everyone wants to make a buck, Agalloch could charge more if they wanted, yadda yadda. It just strikes me as not only un-ethical (which is a slippery slope, I know) but moreso just insulting to the men who created it. And possibly even dishonest fanhood.

Secondly, I want to know who it is that would pay $150 for a fucking vinyl of any band, unless it’s like a first pressing of Rubber Soul or something of that nature. Are you folks out of your fucking mind? Taking this thought a little further… if we accept that selling an item like this is an un-ethical act, is purchasing it via an unethical seller also unethical? Maybe we should ask Randy Cohen.

What do you guys think? Is profiting on a band’s good will wrong? Should Agalloch just sell these things at their shows for $150 to prevent this from happening? Do Agalloch even care??? Share your thoughts.

-VN

Tags: ,
  • JB

    Agalloch doesnt care unless its someone copying their shit and selling it as a knockoff. Which is why I love them. Chicago sunday baby

    • Clint

      Who here thinks the members of Agalloch are selling these on eBay themselves? Pre-ttaay pre-ttaay pre-ttaay smart.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Colbert/535041444 Dave Colbert

        No one thinks that dumbass, think they have time? They’re artists…

        • DecrystallizingReason

          How much time do you think putting something up on eBay really takes?

          • Clint

            Can’t you tell? Poor guys retarded. Probably takes him a week to get an auction up and running, two hours to get his clothes on in the morning, an hour to wipe his ass, etc. Don’t make fun of him. He can’t help it.

      • Osseus

        Actually, I bought the tour box directly from the bands own ebay account for $30 (plus shipping) about a week after the tour.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Desislav-Iliev/1727483236 Desislav Iliev

      Chicago sunday baby !!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Burton/784250631 Dan Burton

    This could apply to anything that people sell on Ebay. What becomes problematic is when supply is reduced by people bulk buying to create availability problems and then artificially increasing the price (Apple products are a prime example of this).

    Maybe it’s the people who will buy a record for $150 who have the problem ? Truth be told, if I could get that money in the current age of austerity after paying $30 for it, I would.

  • pat

    Baby you can drive my car

    • Aaron R A

      Yes, I’m gonna be a star.

      • Marc

        and maybe I love you!

  • colbow

    see, that’s the problem with capitalism. you shouldn’t allow human beings to do anything because only a very few people are not completely retarded and selfish.. Cattle Decapitation have some songs about such stuff, although their main concern is meat consumption.. but I can totally get behind the idea drawn in their song “everyone deserves to die”. Yes, including me.
    People, in general, should be subject to a quite long period of suffering and then eradicated from the afce of this poor tormented earth. This planet and all the living orgasms except humans deserve a species so much superior to us!!!

    • chainchomp

      “This planet and all the living orgasms except humans deserve a species so much superior to us!!!”

      what the hell does this even mean??? and is a living orgasm something like a chick squirting?

      • colbow

        you first

      • Alex_P

        You have just succeeded.

    • cxj

      wat.

    • colbow

      everybody should be raised in slavery and under very awful circumstances up to a certain age, like 30 or a bit more. this way each and every person would have to learn and taste how it feels to be at the mercy of others (like animals are at ours) and would learn not to do such things to any living organism – sorry 4 the previous misunderstanding, its due to my keyboard being a piece of crap – ever ever again). the problem is that you people don’t see reality, you don’t see the cattle that’s in your precious hamburgers and taco slaughtered at your will. you don’t see their blood spatter, you don’t see their lifeless eyes carved out of their heads. exploit, exploit, exploit – that’s mankind’s slogan and catchword. history tells us that it’s always been this way. conclusion = mankind is a disease, an infection, an illness, a virus to be killed, eradicated, annihilated !!

      argue with that if you want, but keep in mind that just as you don’t give a shit about my opinion, I will give one less about yours either..

      • Axolotl

        Hey douchebag this isn’t meatsucks.net

      • Clint

        See that’s the thing. My reality is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE killing animals and eating them! WHENEVER I bite into a hamburger I envision cracking the cow in the middle of the forehead and it’s eyes shooting out each side of its head! And I’m INTO it! I’m all covered in blood and dancing, taking big bites of flesh off it’s shoulder! I’m the APEX predator! I ALWAYS win!

      • chainchomp

        “taco slaughtered at your will.”

        hey brah, the only taco i slaughter is yer mom’s. zing!!!

        —-no really, up the fucking meds.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Pinson/1402489026 Chris Pinson

      Seriously, can we just round up these people, hold secret trials and execute them as enemies of the species? I am absolutely serious when I say I’m in favor of this.

    • colbow

      deep inside you know I’m right that’s why you are trying to make fun of me so you can keep your eyes closed.. I’m not offended, and I won’t be, no matter how hard you try. it only makes me sad to see how true the phrase “ignorance is bliss” is. the only people making a big deal out of it is you guys.. all this agression shows that you have things to hide. you guilt is alive inside you and you know it, you just want to look strong hiding it. all you care abut is who loves/hates who, what t-shirt should you wear, what cellphone to get next, who to backstab for a little more money.. you’re too busy dealing with all this pathetic capitalist bullshit that you forgot the only thing that matters: life and harmony. you have no idea of what the price really is for your comfort..

      ANYWAY, i’m outta here and never ever going to come up with this topic again. and you’re right, it doesn’t belong here but what the post was about is actually a typical symptom of this degeneration.
      btw I’m pretty sure that in like 20-30 years the most of you will more or less agree with me, you’ll see!

      @ chaincomp: yup, sure, you have a valid argument! however, the fact that you are unable to understand a complex sentence tells just enough about that!

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Anthony-Noto/1173214408 Anthony Noto

        Wow…uh, maybe you should take your own and advice and just eradicated your damn self.

        but seriously, what is this i don’t even

      • Clint

        MMMMMM*munch**munch* *munch*……..now I’m eating a chicken leg from KFC….*bite* *munch*munch*………..but this time I’m imagining It’s the leg of one of your pets, like a cat or something……..MMMMMMMM*bite* *munch*munch* *munch*……….now it’s the leg of a very innocent large squirrel…….I’m making such a big deal about this…….*bite* *munch*munch*munch…..I can feel the chickens strength flowing through me…..I can’t hide it, I don’t care…….*bite* *munch* munch*… *munch*munch*…..God, I just feel so alive…….

        WHERE ARE SOME MORE ANIMALS THAT I CAN KILL?
        NOT EVEN EAT, JUST KILL FOR FUN?

    • Clint

      “Everyone deserves to die”? Hey, cum swiller! Your in luck! Everyone does die! You do understand that concept, right?
      I’m guessing you dress in all black, are over the age of 30, and still live a home with Mommy? You know how she tells you how special, smart, and handsome you are? Well………I’ve got some bad news…….it’s a fucking lie. I’m sorry. Your Mom’s a stupid bitch. If for no other reason than for the fact that she should have kicked you out of the house when you were still young enough to make something out of yourself. Sure you would have had to endure daily ass kickings by grown men until you finally realized that dressing “goth” at the age of twenty five was like a homing beacon for fists of furry to your kidneys and roundhouses to your forehead. But you’d be better for it. It might’ve even made you into a man.
      *Sigh* but that’s not what happened, is it? You sat in your room behind a computer screen and rotted into a bizarre delusional shadow of a human being. Wasting you days playing Quake online and masturbating to images of women your mind could hardly fathom actually existing. Gaining no real useful life experience in the process.
      If you’d been outside for more than five hours in the last ten years, you might be able to convince me that you are actually capable of grasping the concept of the “reality” you commented on. Or that you’re capable of understanding the even simpler principles the world operates on. Your lack of comprehension is sad.
      “Life and harmony”? What the fuck do you know about either?
      Keep on jerkin’ that wang and yelling at Mommy to make you another veggie Hot Pocket. I’m going to go lay my teeth into the biggest steak I can buy, and then fuck my girlfriend until one of us pukes, in the house I own.

      • colbow

        that again did nothing but prove my point. YOU were going all mad, not me. why? think about that, big smart independent man living in the house you own!

        in the meantime, keep on making fun of me, keep on making me look ridiculous and pathetic and whatever! by doing this, you can spare a considerable deal of using your brain!! yeaahh!!!

        by the way, I do live in a flat that I pay for with the money I earn by work. not like anyone should give a shit, just sayin.

        you all, like, read my words, and then immediately get angry and stuff.. you are not for one moment thinking into the things I’m talking about. which is kinda what I expect from retardbags but it is really sad that you are proving me right again and again. anyways, common sense is on my side, you guys just don’t realize it yet. and that’s what capitalism is so fucking great at: make blind hedonist idiots out of people. the interesting thing is that capitalism was made up by people, so it is in fact the same people that are blinding and sickening themselves after all, which again tells just enough about how much of a reasonable and well-thought out economic system this is. and you guys – and I as well – are victims of this brainwash. in a coulpe of decades you’ll see what I mean because by then the ill effects of this society will be far more obvious even for the masses than they are now.

        and no, I did not break my promise, because I said I wouldn’t come up with this topic ever again – but see I haven’t come up with it AGAIN in this comment, because I came up with it earlier already and now I’m just elaborating on it.. :)

        so… can this site block people so that they can never write here again?? I guess I must be pretty close to the threshold by now…

        • Clint

          “Flat”? Man, you ARE weird.

  • Chip Northcutt

    Great Record, I bought it for $30 at the show in Austin. It was a great show as well. I watched them sell about a dozen of the record sets, mine is 105 so that leaves a few to sell by the band.
    Really the question is academic, you can’t dictate what someone can re-sell a product for. Once you put something out there, it’s no longer your decision. I like the way they posted on their myspace when eBay sellers are ripping off their fans. That bit of effort says more than any lip service and should be commended.

  • Sigivald

    If Agalloch wants “the fans” to have the album at lower prices, fucking well release it in quantity.

    When supply is exceeded by demand, price goes up.

    (How about the guys who buy it, rip it to their computers, then resell it? Hell, given that it’s so limited-release, I can’t even buy the argument that they’re hurting the band’s sales – this applies to all limited-editions that sell out, though.)

    Me, I’m sick of “limited release” material from bands I like, especially if it’s “tour only” and I can’t make it, or it sells out before I even hear about it.

    (Dan: Example Apple product that has an “artificially increased” price, by the way? Nobody seems to be able to make it’s-an-iPad-but-also-costs-LESS, so far, for instance. And same-spec computers are much the same price, Apple vs. Sony vs. Dell… Turns out that it’s not 1994 anymore!)

    • http://www.last.fm/user/buslertq TomB

      +1 on everything here. I don’t need to comment any longer. Thank you, Sigivald.

    • Clint

      Dan’s talking about the artificial “shortages” that seem to magically pop up whenever Apple releases a new product. Then assholes sell them for jacked up prices on eBay.

  • Sigivald

    And as a more direct reply to the questions -

    I don’t know what Agalloch “wants”, so I can’t say. But if they want the album to not sell for $150, they need to sell MORE of them at $30, again.

    I don’t understand how that could even be “an insult” to them; isn’t it a compliment to their popularity?

    And, no, I don’t know why anyone would buy it at $150. Then again, I refuse to buy vinyl at all almost all the time. Why would I want to? It’s ridiculous as a format – this is 2011, for God’s sake, not 1978.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Burton/784250631 Dan Burton

      Vinyl, you either get it or you don’t. Personally, I love having a hulking great record collection and regularly spend £100 or so on vinyl a month. MP3s only purpose is to check a record out before you buy a physical copy.

  • http://nothingwrongwithfire.tumblr.com HoovesCarveCraters

    I don’t think Agalloch seem to care

    I’m going to their show tonight in Montreal and am desperately hoping to get one and was worried that they would sell out (knowing Agalloch fans), however on their facebook page they clearly state that it’s one-per-customer and there have been a ton of comments on their facebook page about their e-bay page. Usually they’re pretty good about answering to fans online but they just ignore these comments.

    What can you do? People are going to be people.

    • almond amarth

      eat some poutine for us man

  • Ziltoid

    I’m glad that someone here has already touched on the supply/demand side of this. Don’t blame the sellers for taking advantage of a market that Agalloch created on their own. While I commend Agalloch for not douching out their fans and totally taking advantage of the demand, it probably would be in their best interest to charge a bit more for this, considering how crazy their fans apparently are. If they don’t want this reselling to happen, then don’t make such a small quantity in the first place.

  • key

    was at this show last night, a shit ton of people had these and were carrying them around. they were completely out of one of their shirts too, I’m guessing they’re making money.

  • I, Monarch

    I’m angry that Agalloch had none of this special merch shit on their west coast tour

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jordan-Salfity/100001923261907 Jordan Salfity

      I saw them in Los Angeles and was upset that they only had copies of their new album. I was ready to go in there and buy every cd they had to offer!

  • Axolotl

    As long as there’s an idiot willing to pay $150 for a record, there will be people smart enough to take their money. If someone was willing to pay that much for my band’s record I would feel pretty good about it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Brandon-MXickman/502613553 Brandon MXickman

    i didn’t even get around to checking out the merch table

  • http://www.korperschwache.com RKF

    One thing nobody has mentioned yet is the band’s cost for producing the double-lp in the first place, which probably has a lot to do with why they aren’t pressing them in larger quantities. To press this double-lp on high-quaility vinyl with superior packaging probably cost the band at least five grand. Even with a volume discount, pressing a thousand would have probably cost at least eight grand. And that’s not even counting the shipping, which is a separate cost and — particularly these days — incredibly fucking expensive in its own right. I am pretty sure the guys in Agalloch are not rich, and five grand alone is a lot of $$$ to cough up. Sure, they appear to be making their $$$ back, but they’re taking an enormous gamble just by pressing up 500 — what happens if they go on tour and the albums don’t sell? Plus there’s the matter of carting all that around — 500 copies of a double-lp take up a lot of room in a van that’s already crammed full of people and gear. So I can fully understand why they would be reluctant to press any release in higher quantities. It’s not the band’s fault they’re so kvlt that crazy fanatics with $$$ to burn are willing to pay ridiculous prices on Ebay to get their hands on the album in question.

    If the band wanted to combat this, the most efficient way would be make the tracks available in digital form via Bandcamp / iTunes / Emusic / whatever at a reasonable price for those who didn’t get the opportunity to buy the vinyl on tour. Buyers would miss out on the packaging, true, but it would make the music available to those who want it. And I suppose they could even do a repress and sell that on Ebay themselves (or through distributors) for people who want the vinyl but don’t want to pay obscene amounts for it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jordan-Salfity/100001923261907 Jordan Salfity

    http://www.myspace.com/agalloch/blog/541769164

    Agalloch obviously do care about this kind of stuff.

  • J

    If I dont get at least one for myself, I’m blaming metalsucks. And something very bad is going to happen to everyone at metalsucks.net

    • Clint

      I like this guy.

  • sacha dunable
    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dave-Colbert/535041444 Dave Colbert

      You rule dude, way to put things in perspective, honestly!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrew-Sterner/1335958279 Andrew Sterner

    I’m not mad at anyone, and don’t see what the issue is. I have Agalloch’s catalog, and don’t plan on ever selling one bit of it. Most of their fans are the same way(barring unseen financial issues).

    Also, I’m not mad at the jackasses charging 150 for an LP. I can go take a shit, scoop it out, and put it on ebay for 150. That doesn’t mean that anyone is going to go and spend that type of money on shit.

    The last Agalloch concert i went to, I spent a good 15 minutes around the merch table, and i don’t remember anyone running around with more than 2 copies of anything. And I only saw one guy with 2 copies. Unless there’s someone scooping up several copies of these things then selling them a retardedly high costs, I have no issue with it.

    At the end of the day, if someone values an LP of Agalloch at 150 USD, then someone will be there to sell it.

  • http://www.gravatar.com/avatar/e6ce833e47fab512202107ed2cf6e9c0.png jaymewv
  • thiscamefrommybrain

    Just surprised people are surprised by this.

    Its a limited edition item, what do you expect?

    Demand over supply.not rocket science.

    Fuck tards are probably on EBay waiting for Atreyu to reunite and release a 5 copy limited edition of their Rectal Impressions on Silk Screened CDs.

    • Clint

      Atreyu broke up?

      • Strahalov

        Man you have no idea how I wish that was true

    • Strahalov

      “Its a limited edition item, what do you expect?” – One would probably expect people to keep it for themselves, y’know, for it being “limited”. If you make copies of it or make it available to basically anyone, what happens to the “limitedness”? It’s gone. Why does gold have a high price (and value at all, for that matter)? Because not everyone’s got some…

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Stanton/9389150 Michael Stanton

    I don’t understand why people freak out every time a limited tour edition of something comes out. Sure these pieces are awesome and i can’t wait to get my hands on the vinyl when they get to Cleveland, but they make these things as a special gift to the attendees of the show. If you live in California or Germany or anywhere not on the east Coast of USA why are you freaking out to get one? Agalloch is my favorite band and i will gladly spend my money for there shows and merch but i didn’t break down and have a massive panic attack when they played in Romania because i couldn’t get a shirt and Limited CD, and i don’t mind, because i was not at that show. The people that should have those items are the people that got to experience that particular show or tour, in this case the East Coast.

    These Ebay sellers are scum and are taking advantage of the band.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Yacov-Estrin/100000599215296 Yacov Estrin

    I think people are forgetting that Agalloch is an independent band that funds all this merch from their own pocket. Both Marrow box and 2LP are printed by the band themselves. So, how on earth can they expect a large pressing? As long as Agalloch is not signed on a big label, it will always be the case.
    Want to get this stuff for reasonable price off the Ebay? There is a simple way to achieve that – stop driving prices up. Next time someone lists Marrow tour box on Ebay, don’t bid it over 100$, for example. You’ll be surprised how fast the prices will go down.

  • Chris

    If I was in Agalloch and my motivation was monetary gain, I would print some extra copies for myself and go on Ebay and sell my own “limited” material under anonymous screen names for atrocious prices. Imagine if they did that with old “rare” material of theirs? “We only have 500 in print” is what they would say, but then they could print 600 and sell the remaining 100 on Ebay at inflated prices. The money they could make could lead to an easy retirement. The biggest problem is obviously the buyers. It’s insane people would spend that much when these songs are available online streaming and to download (albeit illegally).

    I myself managed to see them in Baltimore, and bought the boxed set/double vinyl and am holding on to them for quite a while. The White EP in particular has moved me in the past and is very important to me. I’d have no regrets in the future selling at inflated prices, as that’s just the nature of the system right now. I figure if I ever run into financial problems (paying rent for example) they’re good investments. With that said, they are beautiful records and deserve some respect because of their artistic merit. I love this band and deeply respect the guys in it. They probably could do a wider release with these things, but that’s obviously not the nature of the underground metal scene either.

    • Clint

      I ALREADY covered this. You lose!

  • Mike

    Just wanted to point out that Agalloch selling the Whitedivisiongrey for $30 may actually be a similar markup as fans re-selling the album at $150 on eBay.

    The release came from Pirates Press. It’s a pretty standard 2xLP with nothing particularly special or expensive going on about it. Here’s the pricing information regarding that sort of release.

    “500 12″ Vinyl LP’s ONLY $2000

    Includes all Mastering, Plating, Full Color Labels and Jackets (w/ 3mm Spine) on Upgraded 16pt. Stock! *** Add Standard Single Colored Vinyl for $100. Add Deluxe Colored Vinyl for $150. Add Five Tests for $100. Add Shrink Wrapping for $50. *** ”

    Now I know that it’s a 2xLP, so the pricing is probably a little bit more, so I’ll do 2 different sets of pricing here that seems plausible.

    3000 (2xLP markup) + 300 (1000 splatter vinyls) = 3300
    4000 (2xLP markup) + 300 (1000 splatter vinyls) = 4300

    It could actually be less than 3300, but I doubt it’s more than 4300. Which means:

    3300 / 500 = $6.6 per vinyl being sold @ $30 = 454% markup
    4300 / 500 = $8.6 per vinyl being sold @ $30 = 348% markup

    It’s not like they’re taking a loss here. They’re probably clearing $10,000 in profit off of that release.