I don't know, but based on what I saw at the last Knob Creek and how I heard things went at last year's Blade show (when Swamp Rat released the Waki as a pre-order), my guess would be that they will sell at a discount for those who order them at Blade, but will then be available for pre-order to the general public post-Blade at regular price.
I'm not saying that anyone will make an issue of it, but it's fairly easy to resent paying full price right after a show discount. However, having been around for a while and heard the various points of view, I'll say that Busse Combat, Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard all want to generate action at shows, particularly Blade, which is the most prestigious industry event of the year, so they offer deals. From the standpoint of those who attend; they have travel expenses, lodging, dining, parking, and tickets to get in -- attending these things can be quite expensive, and show discounts offset a small part of those expenses. Also, even with shipping, which is another thing that's easy to complain about, you save a lot by not paying sales tax online; I paid $209.38 in sales tax at the last Knob Creek (a portion of that was passed along to people who I proxied for, but the lion's share of that tax was my own).
If Busse Combat continues to be willing to bill and ship directly for proxies, then it's not only a lot easier for the person doing the proxy, but if Busse treats it as a shop sale, so doesn't charge sales tax (unless you live in OH), then it's probably cheaper for the recipient too. I haven't heard how that worked out for any of the people who arranged to have the shop bill and ship from Knob Creek, but I made those arrangements with Amy for Blade, so I'll know soon.
