Albion at SoCal Swordfight 2024 (February 16-18)
Sept 20, 2023 22:39:14 GMT
Post by alientude on Sept 20, 2023 22:39:14 GMT
Putting this out there a bit more in advance to give people time to think about it. Albion will (presumably) be at SoCal Swordfight next year - February 16-18 - and I'll be attending. I am willing to proxy buy Albion swords for members of the forum. I've done this in the past for a few other members - Realswords, theneckrubmancer, VicUnsheathed, to name a few.
Here's how it works:
- When I arrive at SoCal Swordfight, I will take some photos of Albion's booth, as well as specific models if you've requested them. I will send the pictures to you.
- I will not provide my thoughts on the swords. If I've already reviewed one of the models, please check out that review. Otherwise, a crowded con is not conducive to getting anything but the most superficial thoughts on a sword. And let's face it, it's Albion and that first impression is always, "ooh, that's nice! I want one!"
- Being that these are con swords, and hence handled by a variety of people, there tend to be slightly more scuffs and occasionally some very light patina on the hilt furniture. See my review of the Kern and Lancaster for examples, which were both proxy bought at Combat Con 2023.
- If you decide you want to purchase one of the swords Albion has at their booth, I will provide you my Zelle information so you can send the money. Please note that Paypal is not an option here. No exceptions.
- Once I receive the money, I will purchase it from Albion, but it will stay at their booth for the duration of my stay at SoCal Swordfight. Sometimes Albion leaves purchased swords on display with a note saying sold, sometimes they take them off the table - it's their choice. I do this because I don't want to deal with taking the swords back to a hotel room, and it allows Albion to showcase their wares. You should know that Albion typically allows people to handle purchased swords that are still on display.
- Once I bring the sword back home, I will work to get it shipped to you as quickly as possible. My local UPS store has declined to professionally package swords, so instead I will be packaging them myself. I've shipped a lot of swords and have a good idea of how to protect them, and I usually have some leftover boxes and packaging material that I can use. But if I don't have a box to fit your sword, I'll need to buy one, which you will need to reimburse me for.
- You will need to pay for shipping. I will offer your choice of UPS, FedEx, or USPS. Insurance for the full price of the sword is required. I cannot be held responsible for any problems with shipping - once the carrier has it, it is between you and the shipping company. If necessary, I will communicate as needed with the shipping company.
- I am not willing to deal with International shipping for this.
- While I don't have a specific number of people I will proxy buy for, I do have a limit to how many swords I am willing to proxy buy and transport back home - 3 total swords. Personal friends cut to the front of the line, but otherwise it's first come first served - as in, whoever responds quickest once I provide availability gets preference. I highly recommend you provide me a method of communication that you can respond to quickly, and that you are ready to respond the first day of the con.
If you are interested, please send me a private message. I would ask that you provide a faster method of communication than PMs on the forum, however, as I've noticed PMs sometimes get delayed. Text messages are probably the fastest, Facebook messenger is fine. Email works, as does Discord.
There is no charge for this. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I do have some incentives:
- I use a credit card with cash back to make the purchase. So I get a small bit of cash that way.
- Albion offers a "buy 6, get 1 free" deal, where if you buy 6 swords in a year, you get the average cost of those as credit towards another sword. Combining proxy buys with my own order from Albion this year got me my Principe for $350.
- Lastly, at your discretion, you may choose to allow me to hold onto your new sword for a little longer to put together a video about it. This can be anything from a quick impressions video to a full review - completely up to you. I will make it a high priority to finish that video as quickly as possible. No hard feelings if you decide not to do this.
To give you an idea of the timeline of allowing me to do a full review, I returned home from Combat Con this year on July 23 with 3 proxy bought swords. One was sent very shortly after I returned home, and was delivered 8/3. The other two were generously allowed to be reviewed. One was delivered to the owner 8/14; the other was delivered 8/26.
Obviously, I reserve the right to refuse to proxy buy for any reason.