Daniel McAbee of The Tangled Web in Spartanburg, South Carolina is concerned about the size of his Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG allocations for 2005:

It seems like only yesterday when Upper Deck was trying to tell retailers that we matter to them.  They tried to make it seem like they had seen the light and realized that pandering to the mass market stores would kill organized play, thus killing their game.  They announced that retailers would now get their product a week in advance of mass market.  After getting the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG news Tuesday from my three regular distributors, it makes me long for the good old days of 2004!

All the distributors that I spoke to told me that UD had recently announced to them that their allocation of Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG product for 2005 was going to be slim.  Furthermore, there would be no unlimited edition product for the direct market either.  Unlimited product was for the mass market but not for direct market retailers.  This is all part of their 'master plan' to see which market is carrying the game with sales so that they can direct future product and releases accordingly.  One of my distributors told me that I should open up a direct account with Upper Deck to get more product.  I checked with a friend who goes direct through Upper Deck and they are getting one case instead of their normal three (that is still more than my allocation, but not worth the extra effort of dealing with the another distributor). 

Hey Upper Deck!  I can already tell you how this is going to work out!  If you don't give us the product, WE CAN'T SELL IT!  That seems like a simple premise to understand.  Instead of 3+ cases of Yu-Gi-Oh! product, I will be getting a couple of boxes.  Conveniently, that is not enough product to allow me to sell ONE pack to each of my regular Saturday players.  (We have between 40 and 60 Yu-Gi players in tournaments every single Saturday)  ONE LOUSY PACK!  But I can sure tell them where to go and buy what they need...can't I?  Hey tournament players!  Go spend all your money at Target and Wal-Mart and then come on over and hang around my shop all day!  Yay!  Daniel's Day Care is now open for business!  Well guess again, UD.

InuYasha tournaments were just posted to my schedule board today.  If no correction or other adjustment from UD happens, in April they will begin taking place during my old Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament time slot.  It will hurt to kill a game with about 50 regular players, but not as much as watching my CCG business die from starvation.  Every player at my March 12th Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament will also receive a Magic: The Gathering 8th Edition theme deck with their entry fee to the tournament. 

Thanks, Upper Deck!  If this idea stands, you got me off the fence and made me do what I knew I would have to do someday.