Thats got to be one of the most insulting things ever in the context of collecting.
We know you want our product and if you cant make it to our rock star concerts well then f you,but if you pay us some cash we will put your name into the hat an maybe you can buy one from us for the retail price, but if you dont sorry you can bend over now and prepare to take it in the buttocks cause thats the only way you'll get one after the scalpers clean us out.
For the most part, yes. For me it all depends on whether there's something actually, really, truly coming for those of us that ponied up the money. If I get a bust of some sort that is exclusive to members of the Collectors Club, then I'm ok with spending the money. Yeah, I'm buying a bust maybe I wouldn't otherwise buy, but if the edition size is under 2500 or so, then no big as I can at least sell it for retail. But if there's no physical reward for it, then next year I won't be ante-ing up again.
I like their product lots. I also like relatively limited edition sizes (3500 or less). But Con exclusives are annoying for those of us that don't live either in California, New York or along the eastern seaboard where the megalopolis occurs and it's really not that hard to drive to Philadelphia or Boston or whereever. Hey, I'm 7 hours out of Minneapolis and I'd drive there for a Comic Con or whatever, but they don't go there.
At the same time, having switched from OCD completeist to being less insane has been helpful. But that doesn't remove the annoyance all the time of this product being hard to come by.
Thus far I'm a bigger fan of the mayhem the online mad rush system created. For the most part I had very good success, especially when compared to the current raffle system. But that's just me. I'd guess more like the raffle system.