Packaging, Shipping, Refunds and Replacements - Share your Experiences!

[Iron Fist]

Anyone on amazon be wary of WOODVIEW.

I paid £7 total for the trade of x-treme x-men xavier must die and he sent me the issue one single and isn't returning my messages for a replacement or refund.

I ordered from the trade listing page on amazon so this guy is either new or trying to screw people over.

[aleksivic]

This is the thing:

As a business, CGN has an obligation to send you exactly what you ordered, undamaged. If they don't, they have to take the item back and refund you or you guys could work out some kind of settlement between yourselves, like a partial refund while you keep the damaged item.

Every single credit card company as well as PayPal will back that up. If CGN doesn't do it right, they're going to suffer the wrath of a charge back from your bank/credit card/PayPal. Businesses absolutely do not want this.

CGN preys on people's naivety when it comes to shipping insurance. It's like when you buy an expensive piece of hardware and the cashier tries to get you to buy an additional protection plan even though you have 90 days to return the item if it fails, plus usually a year or two warranty from the manufacturer.

CGN offering customers the option to buy extra insurance is bullshit. Plain and simple. If the item arrives damaged or gets lost in transit, that's THEIR problem, not yours. You're entitled to get all of your money back if you return the damaged item. CGN knows this. They are just preying on you.

CGN giving you claim forms and receipts or whatever to collect on the insurance is making you do their job for them. It's a complete con. While the addressee CAN file claims, it SHOULDN'T be your responsibility to do any of that work as a customer. Again, no bank/credit card/PayPal would expect this of you. CGN should be doing all of the heavy lifting on any kind of insurance claims, whether it's additional insurance or the basic Priority Mail $50 coverage. It's THEIR responsibility, not yours. Your only duty is to comply with what needs to happen for the claim investigation, which might be signing forms or sending pictures.

CGN makes a sucker out of each person that either does USPS insurance claims for them or buys extra insurance. You shouldn't be doing anything but demanding CGN deliver you what you ordered in the condition it should be in, and if CGN won't comply, your bank/credit card/PayPal will 100% back you up on it.


Here's a bigger pro-tip for you: Next time, buy from InStockTrades. You paid what, $54.99 plus $13.99 to upgrade to Priority Mail shipping from CGN? You got RIPPED OFF if you're accepting that damaged book and doing the insurance work for CGN. You could have bought that book for $54.99 and shipped it for free via USPS Media Mail using IST. If you don't like Media Mail, I believe IST charges $4 to upgrade to faster FedEx service. You could have saved yourself a decent amount of money. Plus IST uses the closest thing to "bomb proof" packaging. They would have shipped the Absolute in the protective case DC sends it in, inside a thick cardboard box filled with packing peanuts or foam that conforms around the shape of the contents inside. And if it was somehow damaged still, they would have worked with you to make it right. CGN's "bomb proof" packaging is just Asian language newspapers crumpled up in a box - or in the case of sending something Priority Mail, they apparently actually use less protection and don't add any of their own padding as evidenced by the damage to your Absolute.

No argument from me with InStockTrades level of service and their packaging. I definitely prefer them over CGN but lately they have been very slow to process my orders while CGN usually ships it out the same day.

I like to also emphasize that this is the first time they shipped it without the original brown box Absolutes come in but rather than go back and forth with CGN which could take days, it would be a faster process to go through USPS. I'll donate the book to a local library while I order this book again through IST.

[johnsme]

No argument from me with InStockTrades level of service and their packaging. I definitely prefer them over CGN but lately they have been very slow to process my orders while CGN usually ships it out the same day.

I like to also emphasize that this is the first time they shipped it without the original brown box Absolutes come in but rather than go back and forth with CGN which could take days, it would be a faster process to go through USPS. I'll donate the book to a local library while I order this book again through IST.

Hey what made you say Absolute Final Crisis is going OOP?

[zwixxx]

Haven't gone through the 37 pages but here's mine for Disposable Heroes Comics (DHC) (based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, sure to be sure )

Packaging - for 1-4 (or5?) they use the A194 Cardboard envelope, which is about 1cm bigger all the way around than a comic (which are always sent bagged and boarded). Envelope is sturdy and gets here in perfect condition about 99% of the time. The odd occasion it arrives with a big fold through it, that creases the inside comics too, well I put that down to postman being a dick rather than inferior material. I've got a pillow under my letterbox as I'm sure the odd envelope travelled thru the postal system un-scathed, only to land on my floor on its corner, denting said corner and giving the inside comic a slight dent that is most frustrating.
For more than 4 they use one of those cardboard folding type things I sure all comic buyers are familiar with, sturdy as heck, haven't failed me yet.

Refunds - on the SINGLE occasion nothing turned up (been buying from them for maybe 5 years) was the time I said "Hey, don't send them weekly, save yourself a bit of money and send them all in one huge monthly parcel". Nothing arrived, so I rang up and a replacement swiftly followed. - went back to weekly deliveries after that debarcle.

Oh yes, and one time I bought a Judge Dredd Blank Cover Issue, without understanding that a Blank Cover Issue was exactly that, no picture, just a blank space. They offered to replace it (nice chaps) but the cost & hassle of returning it was, well I couldn't be assed so sucked it up. It was nice of them to offer.

Any email queries usually get a reply within a day or so, and their site lets you pre-order a couple of months in advance. Will soon be doing that for those Convergence #2 tie-in issues.

Oh yes and they offer free post and packaging too, which can't be nice for them when someone only buys a single issue, but I ain't complaining.

[edit] one time I eBayed a NM issue to fill a long-time hole in my collection, only to have the seller send it unbagged and unboarded, with a cardboard insert SMALLER than the comic and containing a pre-existing fold the length of it - giving NO protection whatsoever and almost DEMANDING the postman folds the darn thing. Seller deserved a slapping.

[Dr Strange]

Haven't gone through the 37 pages but here's mine for Disposable Heroes Comics (based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, sure to be sure )

Packaging - for 1-4 (or5?) they use the A194 Cardboard envelope, which is about 1cm bigger all the way around than a comic (which are always sent bagged and boarded). Envelope is sturdy and gets here in perfect condition about 99% of the time. The odd occasion it arrives with a big fold through it, that creases the inside comics too, well I put that down to postman being a dick rather than inferior material. I've got a pillow under my letterbox as I'm sure the odd envelope travelled thru the postal system un-scathed, only to land on my floor on its corner, denting said corner and giving the inside comic a slight dent that is most frustrating.
For more than 4 they use one of those cardboard folding type things I sure all comic buyers are familiar with, sturdy as heck, haven't failed me yet.

Refunds - on the SINGLE occasion nothing turned up (been buying from them for maybe 5 years) was the time I said "Hey, don't send them weekly, save yourself a bit of money and send them all in one huge monthly parcel". Nothing arrived, so I rang up and a replacement swiftly followed. - went back to weekly deliveries after that debarcle.

Oh yes, and one time I bought a Judge Dredd Blank Cover Issue, without understanding that a Blank Cover Issue was exactly that, no picture, just a blank space. They offered to replace it (nice chaps) but the cost & hassle of returning it was, well I couldn't be assed so sucked it up. It was nice of them to offer.

Any email queries usually get a reply within a day or so, and their site lets you pre-order a couple of months in advance. Will soon be doing that for those Convergence #2 tie-in issues.

Oh yes and they offer free post and packaging too, which can't be nice for them when someone only buys a single issue, but I ain't complaining.

[edit] one time I eBayed a NM issue to fill a long-time hole in my collection, only to have the seller send it unbagged and unboarded, with a cardboard insert SMALLER than the comic and containing a pre-existing fold the length of it - giving NO protection whatsoever and almost DEMANDING the postman folds the darn thing. Seller deserved a slapping.

They're the cheapest for comics in the uk. $3.99s are £2.75 and $2.99s are £2.25. All the comics I've ordered from them have come in great condition. I do have question about the monthly pre-ordering, do I get charged straight away, or do I get charged the week the books the books come out.

[zwixxx]

I do have question about the monthly pre-ordering, do I get charged straight away, or do I get charged the week the books the books come out.

Pre-ordering option 1 - Each month I search through their site for those comics coming in 2 months time, add my ~10 to the basket, check the comics description to see if any crossovers are in play & check for new annuals), pay the full amount by paypal, then 2 months later they arrive in weekly bundles.
Pre-ordering option 2 - don't know about this one but it would remove the need for my monthly basketing, they'd just automatically send me those I'd told them I'm following. Do not know how the charging works for this option, so it could be done a different way.

[Endsville]

Hey everyone, I'm going to probably make my first order through instocktrades this week, the books to be shipped internationally to the UK. When I've taken it all to the checkout, I've noticed three shipping options, the dearest of which comes insured with a tracking number but I was wondering if people have found that really necessary with IST? It's not a company I've heard a bad thing about and I wondered what opinions some of you may have on taking the risk of an uninsured purchase at a cheaper price. A possible risk worth taking or should I not be such a cheapskate and go for the priciest option?

Cheers!

EDIT: Never mind. As well as providing no tracking number, I see that the other shipping options can also take longer rather than a week to 10 days with the more expensive options and that doesn't actually suit me at the moment.

[zwixxx]

Have bought a number of times from America and never had insurance (can't recall it ever being offered). Things arrived AOK but I won't be the one to say don't get it only for the package to go missing. But what I did want ask is about import duties to the UK. IIUC if the item cost more than 15 English Pounds (NOT including post+packaging), then as long as they put COMIC BOOKS on the "so what's in the box" label then you won't get charged any I.Ds.

[Dark-Flux]

Just wanna reiterate on the love for DHC. Ive been using then for 4 years now and never had a major problem.

Ive had one shipment get lost which they quickly replaced and occationally they sent an incorrect issue, all of which i was allowed to keep and they sent out the correct ones as well.
Great communication, top service!

Also, if you preorder comics are 5p cheaper.

[Dr Strange]

Just wanna reiterate on the love for DHC. Ive been using then for 4 years now and never had a major problem.

Ive had one shipment get lost which they quickly replaced and occationally they sent an incorrect issue, all of which i was allowed to keep and they sent out the correct ones as well.
Great communication, top service!

Also, if you preorder comics are 5p cheaper.

The only problem I have is when I order comics on the Wednesday, they dispatch it Thursday and it arrives Monday. By the time they arrive everyone's already talked about them, plus I'm impatient and would love for them to arrive on Saturday. Is this the same for you?

Edit: Forgot to thank zwixxx for information on pre-ordering.

[zwixxx]

Maybe they send out the pre-orders first cos I usually get mine on Saturday. Oh, and another thing, re: special 3D covers. IIUC some stores were boosting up the price. DHC aren't like that and do it on a first bought first served basis. (apart from those 1:1000 ones that are expensive everywhere). You could always move closer to their store, that'd guarantee quicker deliveries... to be sure.
re: pre-ordering - trying it once and you'll be hooked - though remember to search for any "hey I'd like that one too" issues. Almost missed out on a couple of Smallville Specials and 100 Page SotB Spectaculars because I usually just searched for the next Batman/Det/Batgirl #issue.
Still waiting on those darn TONY S DANIEL VAR ED previews. Can't put in the order until I know if I wan'em.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

Just wanna reiterate on the love for DHC. Ive been using then for 4 years now and never had a major problem.

Ive had one shipment get lost which they quickly replaced and occationally they sent an incorrect issue, all of which i was allowed to keep and they sent out the correct ones as well.
Great communication, top service!

Also, if you preorder comics are 5p cheaper.

Oh they're great, I have been using them for a year now, no problems at all, they even honour price errors too, I remember Detective comics #27 has a $8 price tag and they was an error and they were charging £2.25 instead and my order went through and arrived. Though I do wish they had an option for 1st Class Delivery. Minor gripe.

Edit-

My pre-ordered comics always arrive on Friday and sometimes on Thursday, only times they arrive on a Saturday or later is because of bank holidays.

Also, Comic-biz on Ebay is a good alternative, similar price and they ship with 1st class and arrive Wed/Thur I only use them if I forgot to preorder from DHC.

[aleksivic]

Hey what made you say Absolute Final Crisis is going OOP?

I was chatting with my LCS and he mentioned that Absolute Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn was OOP.... I mentioned I already have it but way behind with the "DC Universe / Justice League" Absolutes like Final Crisis and Justice. He also had mentioned that Final Crisis was going OOP and said he couldn't order through Diamond anymore if he wanted to.

I checked Amazon for a couple weeks too and they didn't restock any copies either!!! There's usually a phrase on there that says "More on the way!" but they didn't for this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Absolute-Final...e+final+crisis

Absolutes are one thing I try to avoid paying full price to 20% off at the LCS when I can get 45% with CGN IST.

[kodave]

I was chatting with my LCS and he mentioned that Absolute Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn was OOP.... I mentioned I already have it but way behind with the "DC Universe / Justice League" Absolutes like Final Crisis and Justice. He also had mentioned that Final Crisis was going OOP and said he couldn't order through Diamond anymore if he wanted to.

I checked Amazon for a couple weeks too and they didn't restock any copies either!!! There's usually a phrase on there that says "More on the way!" but they didn't for this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Absolute-Final...e+final+crisis

Absolutes are one thing I try to avoid paying full price to 20% off at the LCS when I can get 45% with CGN IST.

You're looking at the wrong Amazon product page.

Here is Absolute Final Crisis:
http://smile.amazon.com/Absolute-Fin...dp/1401235115/

When in doubt, search via ISBN and not title. It does say only 19 more in stock with more on the way, but Amazon stock is not 100% accurate.

That's not to say it's not going OOP, but it's not exactly OOP yet. Amazon and comic shops also have different distributors, so while Diamond might be OOS on the book, the distributors for Amazon, BN, etc. might have plenty of stock. There's no way to tell for certain.

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

I'm thinking of putting in my first order from IST and was wondering if they put the total price of the order plus shipping on the package itself. If a package is over EUR 150 (value of product plus shipping), the Polish Customs office charges import/tax duties.
For example, all the orders I received from Mile High Comics, had USD 10 printed on the box, no matter the actual value of the comics I ordered.

Anyone from Europe or anywhere else outside of US for that matter ordered from IST, and remember if the actual amount is detailed on the package?