Pioneer's Akira Special Edition DVD, Limited Edition Tin  is sold out at the wholesale level just one week after its release.  Diamond Comic Distributors, which took a major position on the product, reported to ICv2 that as of 4 p.m. CDT today, they had fewer than ten Akira tins left in inventory.  Pioneer told ICv2 back in June that they had completely sold out of the limited edition (100,000) tins some two weeks before the order cutoff date (see 'Akira Tin Sells Out').  A check of Ebay revealed that Akira Special Edition Limited Edition Tins are selling above retail at just over $40.

 

A quick survey of pop culture stores around the country revealed that the Akira Special Edition DVD was selling well, though many retailers still had the disks in stock.  Bill Leibowitz of Golden Apple reported that he had bought heavily on the tin because it was a limited edition.  He is selling the tin at MSRP.  He noted that the DVD discounters in his area had sold out of the tin, and that he expected to sell through his remaining copies within a week.  One of the problems in dealing in DVDs is competition from Best Buy and other mass market retailers, who use major DVD releases as 'loss leaders' to get customers in the door.  The good news is that these stores generally only discount heavily when a title is new and fresh and exerting the maximum customer 'pull.'  When the product in question is a limited edition like Akira, independent retailers can stick to their guns and wait until the Best Buys of the world burn through their supplies.

 

The Akira Special Edition DVD is still available in conventional packaging.  Retailers should seriously considering keeping the title in stock at least through the end of the 2001 holiday season.  Diamond Video Brand Manager Brian McGeehan estimates that the new edition of Akira will shortly become the best selling anime video that Diamond has ever carried.  With the Dark Horse series of Akira manga trade paperbacks still selling strongly (see 'Dark Horse Retro Manga Boffo') and another volume due in October, retailers should endeavor to keep this anime/manga combination working in their stores.  FM International, Right Stuf, and Diamond will all be trying their best to keep the conventionally packaged Akira Special Edition DVD available for reorders.  This edition is not limited, so there is no need to stock it deeply, but the continuing revival of Akira should provide plenty of incentive to keep it on the shelves of your store through the end of the year and beyond.