TWILIGHT TIME MOVIES PRESS RELEASE: It's Twilight Time For Us! Our "Goodbye" & "Gratitude" Sale (1 Viewer)

[David Norman]

Woah! Whoever's buying up TT stock like this must be following these HTF threads or something...

_Man_

It was happening even without it being posted.

I suspect somebody has some sort of ALERT set up to notify them anytime a below 50 shows up, b/c it's just too predictable that often within minutes or an hour, all 49 will be bought

 

[Jake Lipson]

initiation point should be at/near Linden, VA

You are, of course, absolutely correct. Tracking sas that it will arrive to my friend in Indiana on Saturday.

 

[Garysb]

I got curious what that means, because it seemed unlikely to have actually shipped on a Sunday, especially one before a holiday. So I put the tracking number into the post office website. It says: "A shipping label has been prepared for your item at 3:53 pm on May 24, 2020 in CARROLLTON, TX 75006. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date."

So really, TT still has the package and will mail it on Tuesday. That's fine, but it does seem odd to send shipping emails before the package is in the hands of the shipping partner.

Not so unusual these days. Ordering a package of masks from Amazon 3rd party, the shipping label was created a day or so after ordering so the item showed as shipped on the Amazon website but it took 3 weeks before it was received by shipping partner and more time before the USPS got it.

I got a shipping notice for a Twilight Time Order Tuesday.
Package
Departed USPS Regional Origin Facility
COPPELL TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER

Tracking says due to be received on Saturday by 8 PM.

 

[AlexNH]

It was happening even without it being posted.

I suspect somebody has some sort of ALERT set up to notify them anytime a below 50 shows up, b/c it's just too predictable that often within minutes or an hour, all 49 will be bought

How do you sign up for the alerts?

 

[David Norman]

How do you sign up for the alerts?

No way to do it at the SAE website (I wish), but with all the computer programs and bots around these days, I'm sure there is a way to write a small program to scan the site every 5-10 minutes and ping anything less than 50. I can manually do it without any difficulty so a computer code surely is easier than that -- load the cart or wishlist with all the active items with 50 units and refresh every 1-5-10 minutes -- note anything less than 50. It's all on a single page.

TTM makes it make harder since each item has to pinged separately in a sense and you manually have to check the current stock
I can check the basic stock of 200 items at SAE (50 or less) in 2 seconds -- just can't see anything above 50 units/item. TTM takes me 10-15 minutes to refresh 50 items (170 items was much harder than 3x the work), but I can see up to at least 1400 units per item (not that it's all that useful if you are just looking looking for imminent sellout)

 

[Jake Lipson]

I'm getting a little antsy about one of my two packages.

Anastasia, from SAE, is moving right along to my friend in Indiana on Saturday and just left Hyattsville, MD.

Suddenly Last Summer, which is coming to me from TT, seems stuck. As of 5:09pm yesterday, it was listed as "Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending" in Carrollton, TX. I've never seen this particular tracking description listed before. I'm not sure what "acceptance pending" means because usually when they receive the package, the post office accepts it and it starts moving and then I get an estimated delivery date. None of that has happened yet. So this is unusual.

I also tracked my order of How to Succeed from TT, which I placed immediately upon learning about the sale and got a couple days later. As far as I can recall, this particular status never applied to that order. So this is unusual.

 

[Citizen87645]

I found Aftership, the service TT is using to provide tracking updates, is not working as it shows no updates for my order, so I put in the tracking number directly to USPS and it shows more details, including an estimate delivery date of Saturday. It sounds like you are getting at least some status updates, but I would try tracking directly with USPS if you aren't already.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I would try tracking directly with USPS if you aren't already.

I am. I always take the tracking numbers straight to USPS because then I can sign up for an email and text whenever the package moves. Still, it shows nothing after "Acceptance pending" and no estimated delivery date. Good luck with yours.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

No way to do it at the SAE website (I wish), but with all the computer programs and bots around these days, I'm sure there is a way to write a small program to scan the site every 5-10 minutes and ping anything less than 50. I can manually do it without any difficulty so a computer code surely is easier than that -- load the cart or wishlist with all the active items with 50 units and refresh every 1-5-10 minutes -- note anything less than 50. It's all on a single page.

TTM makes it make harder since each item has to pinged separately in a sense and you manually have to check the current stock
I can check the basic stock of 200 items at SAE (50 or less) in 2 seconds -- just can't see anything above 50 units/item. TTM takes me 10-15 minutes to refresh 50 items (170 items was much harder than 3x the work), but I can see up to at least 1400 units per item (not that it's all that useful if you are just looking looking for imminent sellout)

True that... though I wouldn't have thought there's enough $$$ to be made to bother investing in such coding endeavor.

Usually, for something small w/out that much (long term) upside, it'd only be a "labor of love" sorta thing like what you're doing.

Coders don't generally/usually bother otherwise.

I suppose somebody may have started out doing it as a simple (educational) project to learn how to scrape (and use) data from a site... and chose this because he/she also happens to be a film enthusiast wanting to own many TT titles at best possible price (before SAE sells out)... though no idea why he/she would go from that to trying to make $$$ buying out remaining inventory of 50-or-so to be sold on eBay, et al like that.

Doesn't seem worth the effort (and investment), which is more than just the coding. Not like they really sell that many at say avg $100 (for maybe ~$4K profit on 50 copies), right? For example, I see that Manhattan Murder Mystery can be had on eBay probably for $30-40 now, which would yield maybe $500-1K profit on 50 copies that will take time and additional effort to sell -- no telling how long it'd take... even w/ a title that's probably substantially more popular than the avg TT title. Someone who knows how to do the coding could/should probably make better use of their time and effort me thinks...

Anyhoo...

_Man_

 

[Garysb]

I'm getting a little antsy about one of my two packages.


Suddenly Last Summer, which is coming to me from TT, seems stuck. As of 5:09pm yesterday, it was listed as "Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending" in Carrollton, TX. I've never seen this particular tracking description listed before. I'm not sure what "acceptance pending" means because usually when they receive the package, the post office accepts it and it starts moving and then I get an estimated delivery date. None of that has happened yet. So this is unusual.

I also tracked my order of How to Succeed from TT, which I placed immediately upon learning about the sale and got a couple days later. As far as I can recall, this particular status never applied to that order. So this is unusual.

I have seen "Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending" since the virus began. My shipment eventually moved and item was received. Be patient. I have no idea why it took 4 days and they were all weekdays for the shipment to move.

May 8, 2020, 6:52 am
Accepted at USPS Origin Facility
BROOKLYN, NY 11214
May 4, 2020, 1:41 pm
Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending
BROOKLYN, NY 11214

 

[Jake Lipson]

Gary: When did you eventually get that package from which you pulled that tracking alert?

 

[Garysb]

Gary: When did you eventually get that package from which you pulled that tracking alert?

May 9th. Brooklyn is less than an hour drive from where I live so pretty frustrating to wait 4 days until it started to move.
.

 

[Jake Lipson]

State Fair -- which a friend added to his order for me so as to save me shipping -- arrived to me from him today, so that disc has made it through the mail system twice now.

Surely Suddenly Last Summer can make it through "acceptance pending" once. Hopefully. Although it is more annoying to wait for it knowing that the post office has it in their custody than it was when I was waiting because TT had a backlog of orders.

As I've said before, it won't matter in six months. But it feels different knowing that Twilight Time's end of the deal is complete -- that they sent it -- and it's still sitting around the post office in Texas. I hope it doesn't get misplaced or something.

 

[PMF]

[...]As I've said before, it won't matter in six months. But it feels different knowing that Twilight Time's end of the deal is complete -- that they sent it -- and it's still sitting around the post office in Texas. I hope it doesn't get misplaced or something.

As of late, I’m starting to savor this moment of limbo and the awaiting of my last and final delivery. It’s as if I hope that time remains frozen; right here, right now; with all of the sublime anticipations intact. And with that, Twilight Time will remain ever present, ever active and therefore never gone.

For Nick Redman, Brian Jamieson, Mike Finnegan, Louis Falzarano, Mike Matessino, Jeff Jewett, Craig Spaulding, William Waybourne, Jeff Moczulski, Bill Hecksteden, Cindy Snuggs, Kate Chisholm, Jeff Bond, Neil S. Bulk, James Shimmin, Dan Hersch, Lem Dobbs and ”essayist extrodinaire” Julie Kirgo; I send to each and all my deepest of thanks for your enrichments and indelible gifts.
A remarkable decade, to say the least.

 

[Jake Lipson]

As of late, I’m starting to savor this moment of limbo. It’s as if I hope that time remains frozen; right here, right now; with all of the sublime anticipations intact. And with that, Twilight Time will remain ever present, ever active and therefore never gone.

You can keep your limbo and I'll take my disc once somebody at the post office in Texas actually decides to send it on its way. Twilight Time will remain present in their titles that are on my shelf. But I want my last one, especially since TT already did their job and got it to the post office.

 

[David Norman]

Well, if it's much help, plenty of USPS packages have skipped straight from Pendiing Acceptance to Out For Delivery lately.

No many TTM packages though so still a bit worrisome, but it sounds like State Fair and Anastasia have moved along the way OK, but I certainly understand wanted to see any move afterwards. Even a 100 foot 2nd scan feels like 50% of the way home

 

[Jake Lipson]

That's good to know that some packages have jumped straight to Out For Delivery. Admittedly, I would not be as concerned if it were a product that is easily replaceable. Amazon was supposed to deliver a book for me on May 14, but I didn't get it until May 19. That was mildly annoying, but it's a brand new book with an indefinite number of copies produced, so if anything had happened to it in transit, it would have been easy for Amazon to send another one. With TT, that is not necessarily the case, especially since it is Suddenly Last Summer, which as you've pointed out is selling quite well. But it is what it is. Anastasia is moving right along, so while I'm excited for my friend to get it, I am not concerned about that one at all in the way that Suddenly concerns me.

It's funny -- while it was sitting around in Twilight Time's warehouse waiting for them to get through their backlog of orders, that didn't bother me at all. But knowing that it is sitting around in a post office in Texas makes me nervous. I suppose this comes from my having had some bad experiences with the post office in the past. None of those aforementioned bad experiences have ever relate to a Twilight Time disc, but still. So knowing that my packages are moving when they're supposed to and where they are relaxes me. I'll feel more comfortable when the tracking actually shows an estimated delivery date, which it currently doesn't.

 

[PMF]

Jake Lipson.
File Under: Antsy-stasia

 

[Jake Lipson]

Maybe I should rant to you guys about postal problems more often. I just got this tracking alert about the package containing Suddenly, Last Summer:

"Your item arrived at our COPPELL TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER origin facility on May 27, 2020 at 10:49 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination."

There's still no estimated delivery date shown, which is a little weird. But hey, at least it moved out of the originating post office and it is officially on its way!

 

[TonyD]

I got an email today saying it could take weeks for my order to get shipped out.