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Marketing idea - Who wants a (physical) PLEX?
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Jane Hadfield
Amazing Super Slackers
#1 - 2017-04-16 13:35:08 UTC
I was recently in Fanfest and I thought CCP would be selling PLEX there. Somehow I had it in my head that there would be cool PLEX cards that fans could buy, with a code in the back that could be exchanged for an in-game PLEX. Then I realized that those things didn't exist... but, why not? who wouldn't want to have something like this?

A PLEX card would be fairly cheap to produce (I believe the cost of producing a credit card is below $1 - USD), and it would be a great memento for fans, something to buy in Fanfests and conventions or to give friends for birthdays. It would be really easy to ship as well if bought online.

Additionally, I propose that PLEX should have different designs for different factions, events and seasons: see picture
This way it could become a collectible item.

What do you guys think?
Cade Windstalker
#2 - 2017-04-16 17:46:39 UTC
There are a couple of these in the Collector's Edition, though I believe they're paper or thin cardboard.

This sort of thing used to be sold in phsyical stores, but they weren't particularly popular or used often so I believe they've been discontinued. Possibly in favor of some generic third-party game time seller's physical card, but for all I know you may not be able to buy Eve game time in a physical store anymore.
Jane Hadfield
Amazing Super Slackers
#3 - 2017-04-18 01:22:48 UTC
I didn't know they have had them in the past. Obviously people at home are just going to buy a digital PLEX for their own convenience, and nobody is going to go to a store to buy a PLEX when they can do it online. I just think it would be a great memento to sell in Fanfests and conventions, that would cost virtually nothing to produce and would be sold for $20.
Col Crunch
Fancypants Inc
Pandemic Horde
#4 - 2017-04-18 01:52:52 UTC
I think it would be a good idea if they were done up to look like some sort of official card that is used in new eden rather than the "cvs time/money card" type design.
Cade Windstalker
#5 - 2017-04-18 02:46:35 UTC
If you're just talking about physical swag then sure, no objections as opposed to just being a game-time code.

CCP would need a pretty strong indication of demand though. The market for Eve is spread out all over the world and not *that* large. It's one of the reasons shipping for the Store is so high compared to some other options.
Jane Hadfield
Amazing Super Slackers
#6 - 2017-04-18 12:09:25 UTC  |  Edited by: Jane Hadfield
Col Crunch wrote:
I think it would be a good idea if they were done up to look like some sort of official card that is used in new eden rather than the "cvs time/money card" type design.


Yeah definitely, the basic PLEX is pretty simple.

Cade Windstalker wrote:
If you're just talking about physical swag then sure, no objections as opposed to just being a game-time code.

CCP would need a pretty strong indication of demand though. The market for Eve is spread out all over the world and not *that* large. It's one of the reasons shipping for the Store is so high compared to some other options.


I would totally agree with you if I hadn't been to Fanfest a few weeks ago and checked the store. I was not the only person with money in my hand trying to buy something, who ended up putting the money back in my pocket because nothing caught my attention. I don't think they need high demand in order to design something... and I can tell because there were many objects there, in a place filled with fans that flew across the ocean to be there, that were pretty much untouched after the 3 days.

But PLEX will always be pure profit for the company and they should probably make an effort to sell it in events like that. And if they don't sell it, it's just a card that can be sold any other time. If they're worried about not selling PLEX with seasonal motives maybe they should only print like 100.. or whatever... but still, they're very cheap to make.

I mean, I'm assuming that it will cost them $1 per card but the actual cost is way lower. The plastic and printing of a credit card with good quality, is not much more than $0.20 (the rest of the cost that makes it around $1 are the chip, magnetic strip and security measures that the PLEX obviously doesn't need). That means that if they make 100 cards and only sell one, they're already making up for the cost of all of them... and selling 2 to is almost $20 profit! that's ridiculous!
Serendipity Lost
Repo Industries
#7 - 2017-04-18 14:04:53 UTC  |  Edited by: Serendipity Lost
If CCP were to release 100 into the wild and 1000 were redeemed, the cost of authenticating the real 100 would be crazy. With identity theft being what it is (easy) I don't see that plex scamming would be too difficult to turn all counterfeiters away (it would only take one to blow this up).

CCP would be left with any combination of the following:
1 - redeeming a bunch of fake physical plex
2 - fighting over real / fake plex in various courts across the world
3 - player base bad blood (both 'how could you take away my physical plex' and 'how could you be so dumb trying this at all')
4 - JITA riots for some physical plex related outrage that no on could have anticipated



Letting plex out into the real world potentially creates so many problems that currently don't exist = probably not worth it.


TL/DR - just get a leftasscheeck rifter tatoo like all the real fans do.
Murkar Omaristos
The Alabaster Albatross
Unreasonable Bastards
#8 - 2017-04-18 14:33:29 UTC
IMO this would be the perfect gift for an EVE player though. Literally a physical gift card shaped to look like a plex, how awesome would that be?
Matthias Ancaladron
Imperial Shipment
Amarr Empire
#9 - 2017-04-18 15:30:16 UTC
If they cost 5$ for a month redemption id buy one. Otherwise ill never spend real money.
15-20$ is too much for poor people.
Jane Hadfield
Amazing Super Slackers
#10 - 2017-04-18 23:38:15 UTC
Serendipity Lost wrote:
If CCP were to release 100 into the wild and 1000 were redeemed, the cost of authenticating the real 100 would be crazy. With identity theft being what it is (easy) I don't see that plex scamming would be too difficult to turn all counterfeiters away (it would only take one to blow this up).

CCP would be left with any combination of the following:
1 - redeeming a bunch of fake physical plex
2 - fighting over real / fake plex in various courts across the world
3 - player base bad blood (both 'how could you take away my physical plex' and 'how could you be so dumb trying this at all')
4 - JITA riots for some physical plex related outrage that no on could have anticipated



Letting plex out into the real world potentially creates so many problems that currently don't exist = probably not worth it.


TL/DR - just get a leftasscheeck rifter tatoo like all the real fans do.


Will consider the tattoo idea...

As for the scammers... if you're stupid enough to buy a PLEX from some random guy maybe you deserve to be scammed.. and it also means you haven't learned anything about the game Twisted

They should just warn that they only take responsibility for PLEX bought in authorized stores and end of the problem.
Alderson Point
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
#11 - 2017-04-19 13:53:55 UTC
A nice in character plex gift card would be a good thing to sell through the store, but as they cannot even get basics like delivery right, it is all a vain hope.

But +1 for a good idea.
Serendipity Lost
Repo Industries
#12 - 2017-04-19 13:58:55 UTC
Tshirts are cheaper and have no possible adverse in game effects. Just because you can't find something Eve related to dump 20 bucks on at fan fest doesn't mean CCP needs to open up this can of worms.

(Tshirts can be replaced with any number of various and different items)


(and this makes me giggle) Learn to shop
Jane Hadfield
Amazing Super Slackers
#13 - 2017-04-20 01:52:32 UTC  |  Edited by: Jane Hadfield
Serendipity Lost wrote:
Tshirts are cheaper and have no possible adverse in game effects. Just because you can't find something Eve related to dump 20 bucks on at fan fest doesn't mean CCP needs to open up this can of worms.

(Tshirts can be replaced with any number of various and different items)

(and this makes me giggle) Learn to shop


If the client has to make an effort to like what you sell you have a (pretty big) marketing issue. I don't care at all that I didn't buy anything in Fanfest. They should be the ones worried about the loss of market opportunity, and not just from me.

And no, T-shirts are not cheaper that a plastic card. Low quality $3 T-shirts are probably cheaper, but decent quality ones, even mass produced, don't cost $1 to make. And I got this information right from the CCP person in charge of marketing, and it was not just related to T-shirts. Their stuff is good quality and it costs them money too. That's why I think that selling an object for 100x its production cost should be something they should take advantage of.