I blew off the store altogether. If I could have walked right in, bought a Vader, and walked out within 15 minutes, I would have done so just so I could say I had the exclusive. But no way was I going to spend that much time in line.
The thing that really got my goat was that I wanted other items like a t-shirt, but the line was mixed so I would have had to wait behind all the scalpers hoarding Vaders.
You were only allowed four Vaders per person (four punches on the badge), but people used their kids' badges and sent in ringers because some folks were walking around with half-dozens or full cases of the things. And you just know that 50% of these guys are going direct to eBay with the suckers.
And yes, most toy exhibitors had handmade signs saying they would buy Vaders. I was surprised that they were so brazen about it, and that the C3 staff wasn't going around ripping the signs down.
I heard that on Saturday they split Vader into a separate line so I was tempted to go over there, but they capped the line way early again, and besides I had lots of other events I wanted to see.
I just hope some of the souvenirs end up on StarWarsShop.com.
P.S.: And as for the lines in general ... I skipped everything that had a wait of more than a half hour, with the exceptions of a panel for the post-NJO novel series and a couple of author signings.
True, I missed out on highlights like the opening ceremony, but I just couldn't stomach shooting half a day sitting in one spot, no matter how cool the end result. My reasons for going to C3 were: 30% to meet fans from online, 30% to meet EU creators and get their autographs, 30% to buy collectibles of the non-exclusive non-expensive variety, and only 10% everything else. Most of the things I wanted to see didn't have significant lines anyway.