Let's Talk BreyerFest...Special Run Questions Answered, That Is!

 Let’s Talk BreyerFest...Special Run Questions Answered, That Is!

Let’s face it, when it comes to BreyerFest, there is a lot of talk about the Special Runs and there is a lot of confusion. Which tickets can buy them? How do you buy them? What exactly is going on? The questions pop up and while I do my best to answer them all, I am sure that you still have some questions. In 2020, Breyer changed the way that Special Runs were purchased during BreyerFest. This happened because of the pandemic and all of the changes that it brought. 2021 saw another change in how the Special Runs were purchased as that was another virtual only year. 2022 brought us a similar way to purchase Special Runs, using the same protocol as 2021 and changing it up some. And 2023 has brought us another somewhat different way to purchase the Special Runs. However, despite all of the craziness and the changes, it really is not that hard to buy the Special Runs. It really takes a lot more to explain it all than it does to actually buy them, however the explanation causes a lot of questions! My goal is to be able to answer all of your Special Run questions that you might have, in addition to the other posts that I have made that detail exactly how the Special Run process will work.

*Which Tickets can purchase the Special Runs? The VIP, the All Access, and the Online Traditional Access Tickets are the ONLY tickets that can purchase the Special Runs.

*How many Special Runs can I purchase per ticket? With the VIP Ticket, you will have selected and paid for two Special Runs when you purchased your VIP Ticket. With the All Access Ticket, you will be able to purchase two Special Runs per ticket that you have purchased. With the Online Traditional Access Ticket, you will be able to purchase one Special Run per ticket that you have purchased.

*When is the cut off date to purchase Tickets to use the Special Run Preference list? May 14th is the cut off date to purchase All Access and Online Traditional Access tickets if you are looking to use the Special Run Preference List. Tickets purchased after this time frame will receive Wild Card Redemption Tickets for the All Access Tickets and a Randomly Selected Special Run for the Online Traditional Access Tickets.

*I have the VIP Ticket, is there anything else that I need to do? Not at this time. When the Ticket Books come in, you will see that you have Redemption Tickets for the Special Runs that you selected and paid for when you purchased your Ticket. During BreyerFest, you will take those Redemption Tickets to the VIP Tent and trade them in for the Special Runs that you purchased. After this section, I will no longer be talking about VIP Tickets as you have already completely everything for your Special Runs.

*How many All Access or Online Traditional Access Tickets can I purchase per account? As many as you want. You do not need to make separate accounts to purchase tickets unless you have someone else that will be viewing the Virtual content with you and wants to have their own device. Breyer states that you can purchase up to six of these tickets per transaction, but there are no limits on how many transactions that you make. If you want ten All Access or Online Traditional Tickets, then by all means buy ten of them all on the same account, if you want.

*Do I need to pay for my Special Runs when I buy my tickets? No. You will not be paying for your Special Runs until BreyerFest.

*When I purchased my ticket, there was no spot to select my Special Runs. What is going on? That is a perk for the VIP Tickets only. For the All Access and the Online Traditional Access Ticket, you will not be selecting your Special Runs at all. Rather, you will be using the Special Run Preference List that will be emailed to the email address on the account that purchased your BreyerFest Tickets. On that list, you will rank the Special Runs in the order that you like them.

*When I rank my Special Runs, am I guaranteed to get my picks? Not really. There are no guarantees in BreyerFest at all. However, if you have a bit of luck on your side, you will likely get the models that are closest to the top of the list. Breyer has never released their algorithm on how these models are actually selected for the accounts and I doubt that they ever will so we are left to guessing games. My best advice: Fill out the list in the order that you like them. If you do not particularly like a model, place it near the bottom. If you get a model that you do not like, you can always sell it or trade it during or after BreyerFest. Don’t be fooled into using the No Other Preference slot unless you really, really do not want any other models- there is a slight possibility that you might not get a model by doing that- This was relayed to me last year as it happened.

*How should I fill out my list? That is only a question that you can answer. Only you know which models that you want, which ones that you will tolerate, and which ones you would sell immediately. No one else can tell you that information. Also, we really do not know the second hand values of these models at this time. The second hand market is dictated by the buyers and right now, that information is skewed and completely inaccurate.

*What happens if I do not fill out the Special Run Preference List? You will still get a Special Run. If you are an All Access Ticket Holder, you will get two Wild Card Redemption Tickets that allow you to purchase from the Special Runs that are remaining in stock at BreyerFest. If you are an Online Traditional Access Ticket Holder, you will have Special Runs selected for your account- remember that you get one Special Run per ticket on your account.

*What happens if I fill out the list and I still get the Wild Card Redemption Ticket or the randomly selected model? That simply means that Breyer did not have your top picks when your place in their imaginary line came up. It is nothing drastic, just a small surprise along the way. Many in person Ticket Holders are actually going to be searching for those Wild Card Redemption Tickets (as evidenced last year).

*I am an Online Traditional Ticket Holder and I do not like the randomly selected Special Runs that were selected for me and I miss out on the Special Run Preference List, now what? Well, you do not have to purchase those Special Runs. However, you cannot trade them for other models with Breyer. It is best to purchase them, receive them, and then sell or trade them after the event. However, everything is always up to you.

*Do I have to buy the Special Runs? No, however they will bring in extra income, if you are looking for that. Selling your Special Runs is a great way to earn back the money that you spent during BreyerFest or when you need extra money.

*Is the Surprise Special Run an extra Special Run that I can purchase? No the Surprise Special Run is still another Special Run, it just is a hidden mold and colorway until the actual event. There can be up to five different colorways on that model and have varying finishes of matte and glossy. A colorway is the color of the model. If you want the Surprise Special Run, then you will need to place it at the top of your ranking.

*I want two of the same Special Run, but I only have one All Access Ticket, can I do that? No, you will need to rank the Special Runs and you will not be able to purchase two of the same Special Run unless you have more than one ticket. So if you want two of the Surprise Special Runs, make sure that you purchase two All Access Tickets.

*Exactly how do I fill out the Special Run Preference List? Special Run Preference List:

This list allows you to rank the Special Runs in the order that you like them and then send that list back to Breyer to let them know how you would select them. This list does not guarantee that you will receive those models in that order by any means. It is just a list to tell Breyer how you would rank and purchase these models. After May 14th, you will receive an email with a link that will take you to a page on the Breyer website that will list all of the Special Runs and their prices available to you (in person has access to all of them and Online Traditional Access have access to only four). You will scroll down and see that you have two choices- a Master List or an Individual List.

The Master List allows you to rank the Special Runs for all of the tickets on your account in one place. This list is great to use if you are looking to not get as many duplicates. You will see as many number 1s through number 9s (or 4s for the online traditional access ticket) for however many tickets that you have on your account. No one is able to tell you how you want to rank the Special Runs and no one can predict exactly which ones will cost more, if you are looking to resell. Fill out the list in the ranking order that you want and make sure to submit the List. Breyer will accept the last list submitted so you are able to change it many times. You will see the option “No Other Options” or something like that and people will tell you to use that if you do not want any other models, but please use this option with caution- You could NOT receive a model!

The Individual List allows you to make a separate list for each ticket on your account. This list is great to use if you want greater control over the models that you want to receive and do not mind duplicates. You will be filling out a list for each ticket so you are able to change the rankings for each list. No one is able to tell you how you want to rank the models and no one can predict which ones will cost more to resell. Rank the Special Runs to your liking! You are able to submit the lists as many times as you want, Breyer will accept the last list submitted. You will see the option “No Other Options” or something like that and people will tell you to use that if you do not want any other models, but please use this option with caution- You could NOT receive a model!

**Trust me when I say that it is a lot more confusing to write about than it is to actually see it. When the time comes for you to fill out your list, you will be like OMG, I so totally have this!**

*Can I put the same model in for all of my slots? Not really. I mean, physically you were able to do that last year. However, it really does not help you out, especially if Breyer is “sold out” of your model at the time of your place in their imaginary line, so to speak. The best option is to rank all of the available Special Runs in the order that you like them and then get more during the event by buying, selling, and trading on the second hand market.

*When exactly will I be paying for the Special Runs? During BreyerFest in July. Only the VIP Ticket had the option to select and pay for the Special Runs before the event.

*How will I be buying my Special Runs? If you are an All Access Ticket Holder, you will get Redemption Tickets in your Ticket Book. You will take those Redemption Tickets to the Special Run Tent Line and trade them in for the Special Runs that are listed on that Redemption Ticket. If it is a Wild Card Redemption Ticket, then you will select the Special Run that you wish to purchase from what they have on hand. You will then take those Special Runs to the cash register and pay for them using cash or card, checks are not accepted. If you are an Online Traditional Access Ticket Holder, you will find out which Special Run was selected for your account (remember it is limited to one per ticket on your account) and you will then move the Special Run into your cart and pay for it as you normally pay for Breyer merchandise through the Breyer website. You will be paying for taxes and shipping, so please keep that in mind when you see the total as it will be more than the price currently listed. At this time, there has been no word on shipping from BreyerFest and if they will have discounts or consolidated shipping. If that changes, there will be a post here in the group.

I am sure that I likely missed something, however these were all of the questions that I could find regarding the Special Runs all through the FB Land. There are several other posts about the Special Run Preference List in the group itself, so please remember to check them out as well. I will be running a video when the Special Run Preference List comes out, showing how to fill out the Individual List (I only bought one All Access Ticket this year) so that you will be able to physically see how it it looks and how to operate it. I hope that this has helped!