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Is anyone else experiencing very lengthy (weeks-long) delays in shipping from IST right now?
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i live in and order to Azerbaijan, and my usual sources are:
[B]Amazon US and UK[/B] - well, there's not much left to say about their packaging. but they are always willing to replace and refund. [B]Amazon US[/B] charges me a lot for heavier books, so sometimes it makes more sense to me to order those from UK, the price difference is cancelled out by the cheaper shipping rate and much quicker delivery (my personal record is about six days). Amazon US used to send all my orders by DHL Global Mail and that was quite fast and trackable, but then suddenly switched to iPARCEL and iMEX and now it takes my packages from 16 to 30 days to arrive. [B]Amazon UK[/B] sends lighter items via Royal Mail (about 10 days) and heavier ones via DHL GM.
[B]TFAW[/B] - superb packaging, best i've seen. i received more than 10 parcels from them and not a single item has ever been damaged (simple cardboard for single items and sturdy cardboard boxes with lots of peanuts for multiple/heavier items). they use DHL Global Mail for international shipping and provide tracking numbers, which works great for me. i always choose the cheapest shipping option, as there's no or very little difference in speed between that and the next option.
[B]B&N[/B] - cannot say much about packaging, as i only ordered from them twice, a regular book once and Planetary Omnibus. both arrived unscathed, but i think this is unrepresentative anyway. and it takes the packages way too long to arrive, over a month, and i can't make myself wait for so long.
[B]Paperbackshop-US[/B] - via abebooks. ordered three times. to my country, they ship from UK, using Royal Mail, so the speed suits me fine. they also have good prices, stuff is usually cheaper than on Amazon, but they don't combine shipping like Amazon does, so shipping doesn't get cheaper if i order more books. and their packaging is something i still cannot figure out. seemingly sturdy, it turns out to be unreliable somehow. my first order was not a heavy book at all, came all scuffed on corners. DMZ Book Two was perfectly fine. both Fear Agent Library Edition books, though, were damaged on the corners in transportation - tightly wrapped cardboard didn't help, the shrink wrap was all scrubbed through on the edges and the cover itself was affected. to be fair, they offered partial refund each time (i can't afford returning items due to brutal rates of our postal service). i probably won't order heavy books from them any more and will only order single items from time to time.
[B]BargainBookStores[/B] - via abebooks again. ordered twice from them. they use DHL GM and always provide tracking numbers. so far so good. the packaging doesn't seem super-reliable but both parcels arrived okay. once it was the monstrosity of 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective, then it was just two trades and a small hardcover.
i wish i could order from IST, but i checked the shipping rates for different combinations of books and... well, it's just not worth it. i would end up paying for shipping nearly as much as for a book itself.
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[QUOTE=zaboraviti;451812]
[B]Paperbackshop-US[/B] - via abebooks. ordered three times. to my country, they ship from UK, using Royal Mail, so the speed suits me fine. they also have good prices, stuff is usually cheaper than on Amazon, but they don't combine shipping like Amazon does, so shipping doesn't get cheaper if i order more books. and their packaging is something i still cannot figure out. seemingly sturdy, it turns out to be unreliable somehow. my first order was not a heavy book at all, came all scuffed on corners. DMZ Book Two was perfectly fine. both Fear Agent Library Edition books, though, were damaged on the corners in transportation - tightly wrapped cardboard didn't help, the shrink wrap was all scrubbed through on the edges and the cover itself was affected. to be fair, they offered partial refund each time (i can't afford returning items due to brutal rates of our postal service). i probably won't order heavy books from them any more and will only order single items from time to time.
[/QUOTE]
really interesting, as I wrote in my first post, I've only ordered big, heavy books from them and despite the weak looking packaging (bublewrap envelope with a piece of cardboard) the books arrived in great condition.
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[QUOTE=Balakin;451851]really interesting, as I wrote in my first post, I've only ordered big, heavy books from them and despite the weak looking packaging (bublewrap envelope with a piece of cardboard) the books arrived in great condition.[/QUOTE]
i actually decided to order after reading your post, as i'd had some reservations before. i guess, it's either because Scotland is much closer to them than Azerbaijan :) or they were already that way when they were shipped, which sounds unbelievable to me.
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[QUOTE=zaboraviti;451910]i actually decided to order after reading your post, as i'd had some reservations before. i guess, it's either because Scotland is much closer to them than Azerbaijan :) or they were already that way when they were shipped, which sounds unbelievable to me.[/QUOTE]
I just moved to Scotland, I lived in Hungary before (and the last book I ordered from them was Fear agent LE v1 when v2 came out, around april maybe?)
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[QUOTE=Balakin;451969]I just moved to Scotland, I lived in Hungary before (and the last book I ordered from them was Fear agent LE v1 when v2 came out, around april maybe?)[/QUOTE]
still a lot closer than Azerbaijan! :) no regrets though, after i treated them with some glue and black marker they are decent. true collectors might be appalled, of course :)
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These are my last 3 orders from IST.
I ordered on 8/10, processed on 8/13 and received.
Then I ordered on 8/13, processed 8/14 and received.
My last order was 8/21, and it has yet to be picked & scanned.
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[QUOTE=GenericUserName12;452170]These are my last 3 orders from IST.
I ordered on 8/10, processed on 8/13 and received.
Then I ordered on 8/13, processed 8/14 and received.
My last order was 8/21, and it has yet to be picked & scanned.[/QUOTE]
Thanks. My first order was on 8/13, neither picked or scanned, and I have two after that in the same state. I sent them an email today, but I was wondering if perhaps they had experience some major outage or work stoppage. It appears that's not the case, since you received an order from the same day.
Oh well - interesting experiment. Back to CGN I go.
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I wouldn't let this set-back discourage your use of IST. I have ordered from both CGN and IST and I really believe IST is a great option, especially with their free-shipping options. Plus as a Californian, I pay sales tax with CGN but not with IST.
Perhaps it's just bad timing due to the massive warehouse move IST recently embarked on.
Maybe try them out again when they've settled down in their new location. ;)
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I'm in the same boat with IST.I ordered a few Hellboy books that were on sale,and some have not been picked or scanned.I've had nothing but great service with them,but I would like some communication.
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I film unwrapping of my orders in case of complain. Anyone interested can check my channel on youtube.
[url]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeMy9-HTi01X8IuwW1Af7LQ[/url]
It's mostly bookdepository, but there are a few (anti-)recommendations for some sellers on abebooks.
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[QUOTE=zaboraviti;452005]still a lot closer than Azerbaijan! :) no regrets though, after i treated them with some glue and black marker they are decent. true collectors might be appalled, of course :)[/QUOTE]
Yes, they have some problems with packaging, but their prise one of the most reasonable for bulk books for non-EU countries. But usually it's just a little bit bended corners. I only once had to email them about refund.
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[QUOTE=iRbos;453221]But usually it's just a little bit bended corners. [/QUOTE]
lucky you...
and this is what i get
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I just received a new box from Amazon. It was only one book and it came in pristine condition. So I assume the problem with their packaging is when ordering a lot of books? (I usually order at least 5 per shipment to lessen the shipping cost).
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[QUOTE=Azrael;453879]I just received a new box from Amazon. It was only one book and it came in pristine condition. So I assume the problem with their packaging is when ordering a lot of books? (I usually order at least 5 per shipment to lessen the shipping cost).[/QUOTE]
I think it depends on the warehouse they are sending from and the mood of the person who packs your book.
