IST (instocktrades.com) problems

[Johnatellodi]

They've gotten unbearably slow. Takes me over two weeks to get my books now.

May go back to Cheapgraphicnovels. Although their customer service is bad, shipping is faster.

[skrewler]

have a question, with huge orders of, say, 100 books how do they ship them? do they have a maximum box size that they fill up, a maximum weight?

also, is tales of wonder the same site as IST? my orders from tales of wonder are showing up on IST.. their prices are slightly different, seemsike IST is a little cheaper
thanks

[Rimmer]

IST / TOW / DCBS is technically all the same company. On the backend. So emails, invoices, etc... may come from any of the three.

Prices vary; once in awhile, on something that's been released awhile ago, but still in stock, you might find it a few dollars cheaper on TOW vs. IST. But typically IST is the same or cheaper than TOW.
The main benefit to TOW is that you can preorder books. So if it helps you and your budget, you can organize orders for future months, preorder them on TOW, be gauranteed to get the books you want, and you don't owe the full amount when you preorder. they bill when they ship, which allows you to pay some/all of your preorder off ahead of time, spread out over time, if that makes sense.

Main benefit for TOW would be if you want to get the DM cover on an omnibus, and are afraid that IST might sell out in minutes, and you can't sit and watch your computer screen refresh on that TUE afternoon when it comes out, just preorder it. Granted, most books don't have the "DM sold out in minutes" issue, but it does happen occasionally. So for me, when Avengers vol 4, Spidey vol 4, etc... was announced, I went ahead and preordered the DM cover. YES, I paid like $7 more for it vs. release day at IST, but I knew I wouldn't have to worry about it being in stock.

Hope this helps. I've never ordered that many books at one time from IST. I've ordered large orders here and there, and they split it among two boxes. I would imagine that's what they'd do. Trades/omnis go in one size box, absolutes/oversized books go in another size box, etc...

But like I said, on the backend from a shipping perspective, it's the same company. Same excellent packing and shipping. I've never had anything come damaged that was related to poor packaging, from either company. I've had manufacturer defects, but that's not on TOW/IST.

Per some comments above, and per my own experience, sometimes they're a little slow on shipping it out vs. release date, but personally I don't mind as I have so many books to read already, and as long as it ships in a few weeks, I'm okay with it. especially around Black Friday, I'm sure they had a huge backlog. BUT, for others, this is a big deal, and I get that. I'm just saying for me, it's not.

Hope this helps you.

[Staghead]

have a question, with huge orders of, say, 100 books how do they ship them? do they have a maximum box size that they fill up, a maximum weight?

also, is tales of wonder the same site as IST? my orders from tales of wonder are showing up on IST.. their prices are slightly different, seemsike IST is a little cheaper
thanks

A few years ago I ordered a large lot (40+) of Marvel Essentials/DC Showcase to read and also give away to others. Those were packed into multiple boxes, although one was quite large. Packaging was great as always though. That order did take longer to ship and they let me know that shortly after I placed the order. I can't remember the specific shipping method.

[JPAR]

What are the experiences with shipping from IST to Europe? And do you have to pay taxes all the time, or only when it's spotted by customs?

[ShooCat]

What are the experiences with shipping from IST to Europe? And do you have to pay taxes all the time, or only when it's spotted by customs?

Packages take a long time to get here when shipped through USPS, about 4-6 weeks, but you don't have to pay any taxes -at least not in Spain or the UK.

Bear in mind that if you have your packages shipped through FedEx you should have them in a few days, once they've filled their pallet and they actually ship, that is, but you'll have to pay for it. I only do that when I fear a package containing a particularly limited item might get lost - just today I've paid Fed-Ex an additional €26.5 for my Strangers in Paradise HC box set, amongst other stuff. That was just for their service, though. Books are tax-free around here and in most of Europe, I guess.

[JPAR]

Packages take a long time to get here when shipped through USPS, about 4-6 weeks, but you don't have to pay any taxes -at least not in Spain or the UK.

Bear in mind that if you have your packages shipped through FedEx you should have them in a few days, once they've filled their pallet and they actually ship, that is, but you'll have to pay for it. I only do that when I fear a package containing a particularly limited item might get lost - just today I've paid Fed-Ex an additional €26.5 for my Strangers in Paradise HC box set, amongst other stuff. That was just for their service, though. Books are tax-free around here and in most of Europe, I guess.

Thanks for the reply. In here books aren't tax-free. I was also looking for the Strangers hardcover box, but with the additional costs it isn't cheaper to buy it from there with all the risks. The difference is around 15 euros. Is the box worth the price though? Never read it.

[ShooCat]

Thanks for the reply. In here books aren't tax-free. I was also looking for the Strangers hardcover box, but with the additional costs it isn't cheaper to buy it from there with all the risks. The difference is around 15 euros. Is the box worth the price though? Never read it.

I love it, but then I have it in floppies, TPBs, the original individual hardcovers and now the box set, which I passed on back in the day - not that I must have it in every format, mind you, I just never got around to selling them as I upgraded. Lately I've seen quite a few people on FB saying it's not their cup of tea, though*. Id tell you to sample the first three issues, which were a limited series, but that was just SiP at its most slice-of-lifest. It wasn't until the second series began that we started to see the thriller ingredient, too.

As for whether the box is worth it or not, I guess it just depends on your penchant for shelf porn. : )

* Sometimes for a rather ridiculous reason, if you ask me.

[pgunz3]

Whats TOW stand for?

[My Two Cents]

www.talesofwonder.com
There part of Instock Trades and Discount Comics

[JPAR]

Packages take a long time to get here when shipped through USPS, about 4-6 weeks, but you don't have to pay any taxes -at least not in Spain or the UK.

Bear in mind that if you have your packages shipped through FedEx you should have them in a few days, once they've filled their pallet and they actually ship, that is, but you'll have to pay for it. I only do that when I fear a package containing a particularly limited item might get lost - just today I've paid Fed-Ex an additional €26.5 for my Strangers in Paradise HC box set, amongst other stuff. That was just for their service, though. Books are tax-free around here and in most of Europe, I guess.

What if a package arrives damaged? How does ist responds to that?

[Graphic Autist]

What if a package arrives damaged? How does ist responds to that?

They laugh and keep all your money, Flying Dutch-person! Welcome to capitalism!

[JPAR]

They laugh and keep all your money, Flying Dutch-person! Welcome to capitalism!

Figures!

[Raffi Ol D'Arcy]

What if a package arrives damaged? How does ist responds to that?

They're very good about it. I live in Poland and they have sent replacements and offered discounts. I've always been taken care of. Just email them and send them a few pics of the damaged goods.

[JPAR]

They're very good about it. I live in Poland and they have sent replacements and offered discounts. I've always been taken care of. Just email them and send them a few pics of the damaged goods.

Thanks. That's reassuring.