VXD Mk1: Las Vegas Edition ('VERTEX DECK')

[VXD]

Sherm

I only have a sample of the First Day Issue units, so yes you are right, it's technically showing the wrong case. The add-on units are all non-FDI, so that $49 add-on should show the black case, minus the FDI laser etching.

Cheers for pointing it out...in case anyone was confused by the image used.

Regards

[VXD]

VXD Mk1 has now funded successfully.

Thanks all UC backers and those who have given their advice and opinions on the product here on UC. I appreciate it all greatly and also thanks to admin and the creators of UC for providing this valuable platform for marketing and discussion.

Kind regards to all.

[VXD]

Just having a mess around and taking photos with my prototype deck....

[VXD]

VXD Mk1 Pips Close-ups. Please follow on 'vxd_playingcards' on Instagram for more.

[flyers3003]

Latest Update:

"Dear Backers

It has been a little while now but I wanted to be absolutely sure about what I was writing here. I don't want to have to post again with any changes after this.

So here it is....and it may be a long one...so please get comfortable.

We have gone through rather a challenging launch period to say the least. Maybe it is to be expected with such a product - something that's never been done before, by us or by any factory etc. Knowing where to turn for help is difficult, when you're in uncharted waters.

I'll start with the problem that occurred:

1) Our production in the two specialist German factories - Over-heat drying led to warping of the black core paper and subsequent mis-alignment of holographics onto the standard ink printed areas and mis-alignment of the spot slip-coating (which coats all areas around the holographics). The full print run was thrown away! The print run was also far larger than the KS numbers pledged for (as it was an economic impossibility to print only the KS numbers), so you can imagine the loss this was - both in time and money. I wouldn't want to alarm you with the exact figure....safe to say, I lost a lot of sleep over it for weeks.

As stated though, this process is new to anyone and everyone in the world, so despite being masters of precision print-finishing and effects, it was difficult to foresee for our factories. We re-grouped and got on with arranging a full re-production, with the lessons learned in mind. The factories have tweaked their process and I am assured all will be well for the upcoming re-production and quality control.

The effects of this:

1) Unfortunately we will not be able to deliver the rewards in August / September as originally planned. All rewards will now be sent in the 3rd week of October. So there is effectively a 2 to 3 month delay. I can only apologise for this and hope this will not cause too much grief. The one thing I kept saying during and prior to the KS campaign was "let's deliver on time", as I had watched many KS projects with delays over the last year or two while I was observing other projects. First impressions are key in my book and I feel I've let ourselves and our backers down with this delay. I now only hope and am focused on redeeming ourselves with the quality of the product we deliver.

I am also willing to offer anyone who wants it at this stage, a full refund of their pledge. Just message me here with your details and I will sort it over the next few days / couple weeks, depending on how many there are.

2) The complexities of the job and the precarious situation we have found ourselves in financially, unfortunately also means that the 'Traditional Tuck' decks are just not possible. I had wanted to do this for some backers who had requested it on forums etc, but there was just now viable way to achieve it, for the very low numbers that were actually ordered. As most will be aware, factories do 'minimum order quantities' and we were just far too far away from what they would offer me. So please can all 'Traditional Tuck' backers definitely message me their bank transfer details, as I have no option but to refund, in this particular case. I will try to get VXD cards available in Trad. Tuck form at some point in the future, I promise. My apologies to those affected.

3) The silver lining for a lucky few - Only 'First Day Issue' decks are being produced. I am therefore upgrading all non-'First Day Issue' decks to 'First Day Issue'. This includes add-on decks in the sleeve - these will be upgraded to the 'First Day Issue' Black Deck. Of course the FDI units are still at the agreed limited quantities of 499 Black and 299 Stars & Stripes.

I can say that the product is looking very nice indeed (please see 'vxd playingcards' on instagram for evidence) and with the changes we are making after this first ever edition is done, these decks will be quite the rarity and unique in future, even by VXD standards.

Coming back to our uncharted waters....I believe we scraped an iceberg here, but we are still steaming ahead to our destination (unlike some less fortunate vessels...insert chin-scratching emoji).

Please message transfer details where desired / required and I thank you all for your generous pledges again and for your patience now until October.

Kind regards to you all."


My gut kept telling me to back out of this one...wish I had listened.

[RichK]

I don't know why he can't send a Traditional Tuck backer the lesser quality paper sleeve instead. I backed it because it was going to be a one of a kind deck but now it seems he wants to only send the metal tuck decks. Not happy and hope he changes his mind.

[shaitani]

I'm a little confused (as I have been with almost every aspect of this project from the beginning)...

"The silver lining for a lucky few - Only 'First Day Issue' decks are being produced. I am therefore upgrading all non-'First Day Issue' decks to 'First Day Issue'."

Sounds like everyone is getting upgraded to FDI... which I paid extra to pledge for.
For the regular black, it's $49 vs $60.
For anyone in the FDI combo, it's $148 vs $175

Please someone correct me, I hope I'm just misunderstanding what's going on, because if they're really upgrading all of the lower pledge people for free to the higher pledge tiers, then I just don't know what to say.

[shermjack]

I'm a little confused (as I have been with almost every aspect of this project from the beginning)...

"The silver lining for a lucky few - Only 'First Day Issue' decks are being produced. I am therefore upgrading all non-'First Day Issue' decks to 'First Day Issue'."

Sounds like everyone is getting upgraded to FDI... which I paid extra to pledge for.
For the regular black, it's $49 vs $60.
For anyone in the FDI combo, it's $148 vs $175

Please someone correct me, I hope I'm just misunderstanding what's going on, because if they're really upgrading all of the lower pledge people for free to the higher pledge tiers, then I just don't know what to say.

The right thing for the creator to do is to refund all FDI backers the difference between the FDI and non-FDI decks. He has been open and upfront about things so far, so let's see how this issue is handled.

[VXD]

Shaitani & Shermjack

Re the metal decks - A few have gained in this situation, none have lost. You are getting exactly what you paid for if you pledged for FDI units. Instead of allowing a very few to gain something while you have not lost anything, you would prefer us to lose a huge amount to compensate you for this outlook on things, despite the trouble we've been through already to get these made at all.

I have offered full refunds to every and all backers unconditionally. I can do no more than that. I don't want to comment on this any further, as I am aware I could damage my fledgling reputation severely by being drawn into something on a chat forum. I would ask for your understanding on this.

Regards

[VXD]

Rich

I am sorry about the situation re the trad tucks....I really wanted to get them done for you guys. Let me consider the options please and I'll get back to you.

Regards

[badpete69]

Overall I am glad i followed my gut instinct on this project.... PASS!!

[VXD]

Badpete

I'm sorry that is your gut feeling on our project. We have put everything into this deck. I hope we and the product delivered changes your mind sometime in the future.

Regards

[shaitani]

I don't want to comment on this any further, as I am aware I could damage my fledgling reputation severely by being drawn into something on a chat forum. I would ask for your understanding on this.

I understand, not a problem; and I hope you're equally understanding with me continuing to talk to others here who have contributed to the campaign.

...you have not lost anything...

I'd say we have. This isn't just a couple of pledges that got a benefit. There's at least 17 I can confirm (11 black, 6 stars/stripes sets backers), and an unclear number of other people that may have done add-ons. There are 158 listed backers, 41 of which are under Traditional Tuck pledges and will be refunded. So we're looking at 17+ out of 117 people that are benefitting. I wouldn't call (just ballparking here with the add-on backers) ~30% of backers getting the benefit a "few" people.

Ignoring the emotional unpleasantness of feeling like we're getting jipped, the literal thing we've lost is some of the value of the thing we bought. To illustrate with an extreme example, imagine if VXD sells the rest of the limited runs for $10 a piece. That would bring the market value of these things down. Well, so would giving 30% of the backers a deal to buy all 3 FDIs for $150. Not by as much as my extreme example of $10 a piece, but it would absolutely have an effect.

For disclosure: I have gone ahead and requested a refund, I've also always been on the fence with this project and I think this managerial decision was kind of the last straw for me personally.

[VXD]

Shaitani

I apologise that you feel that way re my managerial decision. I hope I can get you back on the other side of the fence with VXD one day.

FYI - For all backers.....the remaining FDI decks will ALWAYS be sold at higher prices (by us) after this KS campaign. That was always obvious and certain for me, otherwise a KS is kind of meaningless and backers are not 'rewarded' as such (assuming the KS limited stock doesn't sell out on KS).

Regards

[vasta41]

Shaitani

I apologise that you feel that way re my managerial decision. I hope I can get you back on the other side of the fence with VXD one day.

That day should have been long before this campaign even saw the light of day. Never forget the 6 P's: prior planning prevents piss poor performance. Maybe, just maybe you can come back with a vengeance and prove me wrong but VXD now has a bad taste in my mouth. I'm sorry that you ran into issues but I think I speak for everyone here when I say I'm not surprised- it's almost expected at this point so it's not really even that big of a deal. KS projects are a gamble but I would estimate that at least 95% of the projects I've backed have eventually got to me, as advertised. The other 5% were either not as advertised or worse, not delivered at all. I'd surely rather wait for a deck to come in late than have no deck at all. But that's what I'm getting here. Now I have to go through a stupid refund process because a traditional tuck cannot be made.

I thank God that I'm not one of the people who pledged more money to get something that cost a whole bunch of people less money but the cavalier way VXD is acting about it would make me lose my mind:

A few have gained in this situation, none have lost.

Is that a joke? If I were selling everyone t-shirts for $10 and then sold you one for $50, don't tell me you wouldn't be pissed once you found out everyone else got the same thing for $40 less. I'll end here by defining the word fraud: wrongful deception intended to result in financial gain.
Hmmmm

[VXD]

Paul

So I offer a full refund to all backers and you suggest I am a fraudster?

I understand you are very angry that I'm not able to deliver the deck in the traditional tuck and I apologise for that, again.

Regards

[vasta41]

Paul

So I offer a full refund to all backers and you suggest I am a fraudster?

I understand you are very angry that I'm not able to deliver the deck in the traditional tuck and I apologise for that, again.

Regards

Whoa now, I never called anyone a fraudster nor did I suggest you were. But to clarify I made two separate points- no standard tucks suck and devaluing pledges sucks even more (look up any topic on UC in regards to other deck designers selling off their decks to ToM for less than people pledged for and you'll find that we're not picking on you, we just hate when people do that because it's a nasty, underhanded business practice that shouldn't exist).
I don't even have a horse in the "devaluing pledges" race but suggesting that people lost nothing when they actually paid more for something that others did not is incorrect. You may have forgotten that the purpose of KS is to help make dreams realities. When someone pledges a lot of money for your campaign to fund, you should be grateful because those very people are helping more than others to make your dream a reality and without them, no deck would exist. Those are the people that should be rewarded the most. By devaluing their pledge how do you think that makes them feel? You might as well be saying, "I know you guys gave me more money than these other people for the exact same reward but thanks for nothing, I'm going to give it to all these other people at a lower price than you paid. But don't worry! You lost nothing." Except they did- and stop trying to convince yourself otherwise.
The part about the lack of standard tuck is obviously not fraudulent at all. But don't sit there acting all noble because you're offering refunds. I pledged for something described on the project page that will most likely not be delivered. In that scenario you absolutely should be offering refunds. So don't pat yourself on the back too hard for doing what you need to be doing.

[vasta41]

I'd like to clarify one more thing. All the things that you seem to be upset about (production issues, funding delays, etc.) aren't even that big of a deal in my book. That kind of stuff happens when attempting something that's never been done. And with all the massive amounts of hype and videos surrounding the project I was genuinely looking forward to my deck.
But having run into problems, my beef is the way you're handling them. Again, it's not my fight but devaluing of pledges is not cool. The standard tuck thing sucks and I'm sure I'm taking it harder than most but I only collect playing cards in standard tucks- no tarot decks, no sideways tucks, no oversized wooden tucks, and certainly no rounded metal tucks. So while I'm sore about that I will reluctantly accept a refund.

[PrincessTrouble]

The right thing for the creator to do is to refund all FDI backers the difference between the FDI and non-FDI decks. He has been open and upfront about things so far, so let's see how this issue is handled.

This is the right thing to do. It's great that some people will get upgraded at no cost, but what about those of us who paid a premium for the same thing they are getting at a discount? If you passed that discount on to the FDI backers, then that would be fair.

[guru]

Hi Felipe,

If you can message me the number of traditional tucks that got pledged on Kickstarter, I might be able to help or provide guidance. It is just a matter of getting traditional tuckbox produced and if your German printer is unable to do it, then you may want to find someone else who can get it done for you. If you feel it oversimplifies the challenges you are facing, then I apologize for my ignorance and you can elaborate further if you like.


Regards,
Sunish

[shaitani]

Shaitani

I apologise that you feel that way re my managerial decision. I hope I can get you back on the other side of the fence with VXD one day.

Absolutely possible, I hold no grudges of any kind and there is no ill will from me. I just have a sour taste in my mouth from the way the campaign was run, and I would approach a future project with a very skeptical view.

FYI - For all backers.....the remaining FDI decks will ALWAYS be sold at higher prices (by us) after this KS campaign. That was always obvious and certain for me, otherwise a KS is kind of meaningless and backers are not 'rewarded' as such (assuming the KS limited stock doesn't sell out on KS).

Regards

The issue isn't what you would sell the FDI decks for afterward, but what "the market" will deem their value at. Take a look at Jackson Robinson's Legacy cases, he's pretty much never sold them for less than his KS, yet they are worth like 40% less on ebay right now. Everyone who backed on KS got screwed, they paid $175 for something no one would pay them $175 for. Why that happened is another story, but the point is, how much the creator sells something for is almost completely irrelevant to how much the thing is worth. Other things define that, for example, creator behavior.

One last thing, I don't think anyone here would consider anything that happened fraudulent by any stretch.
Fraud is purposeful misrepresentation for gain. I personally never got the feeling from you guys that you were deceiving anyone.
I think something bad happened, the numbers aren't adding up as you wanted, and so you're making decisions (at least one poor one) to try to compensate.
You're also offering a refund; for traditional tucks you didn't have a choice, but for FDI backers who may not agree with your decisions, it's some sign of good will.

[shermjack]

This is a quote from the latest update from VXD...

So, while we at VERTEX DECK will take a much bigger loss and many more backers will now regretfully lose their units, I have to pursue the following revised course (full details):

Refund all traditional tuck pledges in full (incl. shipping)
Refund all non-First Day Issue units of the metal case variety in full (incl. shipping)
Refund all traditional tucks in the 'Limited Tier Triple' pledge category (refund of $39)
Refund all add-ons

Based on the this update, it seems that the ONLY decks that will be delivered to backers are the FDI decks, which is a little disappointing. I understand Felipe's frustration with how things have turned out and appreciate him listening to feedback (though it seems not all), but I still don't think that this is the best solution for anyone, including VXD.

If he did the following, I believe that VXD would be out less revenue and there would be more goodwill from his backers for providing excellent customer service:
- Outsource the traditional tucks as most other card printers do on occasion...Sunish has offered his assistance and I am sure that Sunish would/could provide a quality tuck for a reasonable price, especially since the traditional tuck was so simple in design
- Refund the 11USD to the FDI backers ... I am sure that refunding 11USD per FDI deck is much less than refunding all the non-FDI backers @ 49 each. Plus the fact that ALL backers get decks instead of now only FDI backers getting decks, which I would guess will not sit well with the non-FDI backers and thus negatively affect the company's image

Yes, VXD would be out some money and have to do a little more leg work (for the traditional tucks), but I don't think it would be as much of a hit as the revenues that they will lose now by refunding everything except FDI decks as well as the loss of goodwill by many backers, who are the strongest supporters of the deck to date.

Hope it is not too late to re-consider as I would have really liked to have this deck in my collection.

[guru]

- Outsource the traditional tucks as most other card printers do on occasion...Sunish has offered his assistance and I am sure that Sunish would/could provide a quality tuck for a reasonable price, especially since the traditional tuck was so simple in design

We did exchange PMs on this and it looks to me that all options were already considered by Felipe. He mentioned that he did consider MPC for trad. tucks but had to let it go for some reasons. Though I could have handled it much better than MPC but I do believe Felipe did his homework before rolling out the latest update. It is not a win-win situation for all parties but things are more complex than what they appear to be.

I understand it can be a lot unnerving to first time creators at least, and wish Felipe and VXD all the best for the pending work in Production & fulfillment.

[jerichoholic]

I know you can't please everyone but seems he's only interested in pleasing his highest paying customers. Sorry out of luck to everyone else.

[PrincessTrouble]

With his new solution, I will get zero decks after pledging $234. This is a step backwards, for sure. It seems like a slap in the face that he is so easily willing to throw away my support.

[badpete69]

I think at this stage of the overall hobby, if it is not a project by a well known and KS proven artist/creator, then it is a pass for me. Experience has shown that most decks from first time creator are usually available in the after market at either the same price or sometime even lower..

I have diminished greatly KS projects and I am working on totally hehehe

[rousselle]

Where are we supposed to PM the project creator? I PMed on Kickstarter a few days ago, but no response as of yet. Is there a more preferred place to send PMs, or is this just a case of being swamped with responses and trying to sort through them all.

Thanks!

[vasta41]

FYI my pledge has been refunded.

[4.of.Clubs]

I think at this stage of the overall hobby, if it is not a project by a well known and KS proven artist/creator, then it is a pass for me. Experience has shown that most decks from first time creator are usually available in the after market at either the same price or sometime even lower..

I have diminished greatly KS projects and I am working on totally hehehe

Agree 100%, I now just use P52 to look at new decks added then hunt them down.

[RichK]

Finally got my refund.