Cash shop confirmed

[RaddCuban]

Except that I suspect you'll find that a large percentage of those buying said physical item are buying it expressly for the in game item. I'm planning on buying the CDs and art book just for the pets and I'm not alone in that.

That is your and people like that's choice to neglect the actual main body of your purchase as you are not interested in it not the negation of the code's existence as an incentive for early adoption of the merchandise. The merchandise will probably be around for much longer than the "early bird special" codes will.

Yes, collecting dust in a corner. For me the main body of the purchase is the virtual item.

Then resell it. There is a healthy aftermarket for these things. And no, when you buy the soundtrack you pay 50 dollars for the blu-ray(s) full of music. You get a cute little minion for buying the merchandise early in its lifespan. The fact that you are choosing to only focus on the incentive doesn't mean that the product is not what is making up the price of the purchase. I'm not saying you are wrong to do it, just that your motives for purchase do not affect the nature of the product being sold.