I hate the 35% bundle sale before a new bundle release

ussvinovia

I understand why they do it but it is extremely frustrating. There is a bundle I'm after which costs 12000 zen. I have around 8800 zen banked. With the console sale I can pick it up for 7800 which under normal circumstances I would in a flash.

But there is a new bundle out in a couple of weeks and we no nothing about it but teasers. What are the ship stats? Will I be able to buy ships individually? What will it cost?

They do it hoping people will be so tempted that they buy now, then want the new bundle and buy that too. But I can't do that. So I have to 'gamble'. I either buy now, then hope the new bundle is something I'm not interested in or don't buy and hope the new bundle is. If it isn't then I've missed my chance to get the one I wanted originally and will probably have to wait another year for a 35% sale by which time there will almost certainly be another new unknown bundle a couple of weeks away.

It's wise from a marketing point of view but also very dubious morally. Let us know about the new bundle before the sale so we can decide where we want to spend our zen.

As it happens, I think I'd feel worse if I bought now and found that I wished I had waited for the new bundle. So the zen will stay in my bank. If the new bundle doesn't deliver, it will be there for the foreseeable future.

proteus

I'd say if there's a console bundle you really want right now buy it, as the current 35% bundle sale doesn't get any better.

As you say, the new bundle in a couple of weeks may not be of interest to you. Even if it is, the new bundle announcements when they come are usually for PC only initially. Giving us console players a month or two to assess whether we're interested, and if so, get the Zen together for it before release.

There's always going to be another bundle in the pipeline however long you wait.

After the PC announcement of the 14th Anniversary bundle I knew I wanted it, but passed on the initial 25% discount on console to wait for the next 35% sale. And here we are.

As for the frequency of 35% bundle sales I've no reason to believe it'll be a year before the next one. And as far as I know, nothing has been said officially with regard to that. I'm optimistic that the next one will be much sooner. There could be a whole myriad of reasons why it's been a long time since the last one.

Whatever the marketing strategy might be, my focus is on only buying what I really want, and only during the best sales for the lowest price. If I have to wait for those two things to come together, I wait.

davefenestrator

Black Friday and New Years / Xmas sales will probably happen too, so you'll have a second chance to get some kind of discount then.

I understand it's frustrating if you have to pick one or the other because you only want to make one big purchase for awhile.