Sollamas: Melbourne team makes US$2.5m on snafu-plagued llama NFT launch

Pic: metamorworks / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
A team from Melbourne sold out US$2.5 million worth of llama JPGs within a few minutes last night — but the error-plagued launch has left some users fuming, with one complaining the llamas are destroying their soul.
Some users who tried to mint Sollamas paid but didn’t receive them, while others received more llamas than they had paid for.
Issues may arise during such high demand launches but I don’t get how we bought llamas and they were sent to random addresses… I bought 2 3x packs and received no llamas… that is very disappointing
— Sol ☀️ farazfakir (@farazldnfakir) August 17, 2021
The NFT avatar project on the Solana blockchain involved the minting of 9,900 llamas, with another 100 reserved for the team. They cost 4 SOL each, or 3.9 SOL for those who bought a three-pack during the 11pm AEST launch window.
With Solana tokens trading at US$65 apiece, that’s US$260 for a 576 by 576 pixel llama JPG, which many users were no doubt hoping to flip for a tidy profit. Other NFT avatar projects have exploded in value in recent days.
Trading hadn’t yet begun this morning on the leading (and perhaps only) secondary marketplace for Solana NFTs.
With all 9,900 llamas sold, the team would have made at least US$2.5 million in SOL tokens on the launch, less costs, depending on how many users opted for three-packs.
That said, the issue of refunds and free llamas given to users who didn’t pay for them complicates matters.
“I’m becoming depressed knowing I have someone else’s llamas unjustified and I am causing them so much pain I can’t look at my llamas without feeling hurt my I used to love my lammas now they are destroying my soul,” one user wrote this morning on the team’s Discord channel.
Bad move.
The people who got free Sollamas are going to resell them for mint price or even less because its literally free money, the floor price is going to go nowhere and will take months to do so and in that time way more SOL projects will come out and this won’t be special.
— ABRNY (@ABRNY_) August 17, 2021
The team also receives a five per cent royalty on all llama sales, which they have pledged to use for future development.
About the Sollamas
According to the Sollamas website, the project was created by “a small bunch of mates from Melbourne, Australia all with the same vision and goal. Our core principles have always been to deliver the best possible NFT user experience from launch as well as creating collectible art with utility.”
Haha yeah we’re all from Melbourne!
— Sollamas NFT (@SollamasNFT) August 17, 2021
Each algorithmically generated llama has 165 different attributes based on rarity — “from hats, glasses, necklaces, back blankets, beards to even the odd poop.”
Despite the issues with the airdrop, some who got llamas seemed pretty happy with them.
Im loving my Sollamas! @SollamasNFT pic.twitter.com/J63Zai9ewF
— Matthew Train (@Matthew_Train) August 17, 2021
Mine is funny asf, glad I have it even tho the drop had some kinks pic.twitter.com/Ksxnt0HMv0
— H◎tdog (@hotdognfts) August 17, 2021
Liking this Sollama NFT I picked up, might keep the bearded eyepatch guy… ️ #solanaszn @SollamasNFT @DumbMoneyTV @leongaban
#NFTs #Solanart pic.twitter.com/azX9LOY03a— vRaBBiTv (@v__RaBBiT__v) August 17, 2021
But there was also some trolling going on. (We’re pretty sure this user wasn’t serious).
I give up, I had my last $ 500 left to pay my rent and I decided to put it all in sollama. Not only that they did not send me the llama, I have no hope of the refund. I am very depressed. I have $ 18 left, if anyone knows any token or something to make a fast x80, let me know!!11
— Anon Degen (@AnonDegen6) August 17, 2021
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