I’m reaching out once for some wisdom and experience, over the last couple years, it has quite frustrating experience dealing with popular online comic shop regarding the book that get shipped.
Common issue include book arriving in VF (or worse) or simply poorly packaged item.
The shop I have used for PREVIEW have been Midtown and MyComicShop due to their 35% advance order. TFAW, I haven’t used and wondering bout their “quality” regarding books and shipment.
If the team, have any other suggestion, please advise.
I’ll be quite blunt in my response with my experiences…
Most online shops don’t guaranteed NM+. Most will only guaranteed VF or better. If they were to have their packers and shippers get choosy in reviewing every book to get the best possible condition book for your package, then they would be severely back logged in getting the hundreds or thousands of books out each week for just online orders.
I’ve had VF show up from most major retailers and then mixture of VF and NM+. I’ve had TFAW send me books where they’re all 9.8 or better and then have some show up with spine creases, etc, not even from damages done during shipping, etc. It’s a crap shoot, that’s what you’re gonna get when you’re not picking the books out yourself in person.
An alternative is to skip the bigger retailers doing thousands and thousands of orders and find yourself a small shop that does pre-orders, that might also take into more consideration on the books they ship out when they’re unpacking them initially.
The only real way to get the copies of books you desire in the best condition to your own standards is to just buy at your closest local shop so you can review the stacks they might have for yourself.
Than you for your feedback. That seems to be my own experience as well. It really has been a HIT and MISS experience which lines up with your feedback. (One order is good, another order is Omg) Just recently, the MISS seems to be more often.
Honestly, these days most shop around me won’t allow me to say “Cherry-pick” books for my advance order and won’t let you buy 5 copy of a book on release days, so the only viable option is really go store to store or simply play roulette on these advance order.
echoing what has already been said, nobody is going to guarantee condition. With that being said, there is a big difference in shipping/processing speed and quality of packaging. This is my experience, your mileage may vary.
Midtown and TFAW are both easy to use, and both have had shipping issues in the past which seem to have gotten better. TFAW is still slow, but there are other threads to beat that horse.
Unknown and ComicsElite (when they were doing preorders) both suffer from holding your whole order for just one delayed book.
My best experience (BY FAR) has been ordering through VillainGaming.com for FOC each week. 30% discount and the shipping is bulletproof. Shipping averages me about 10% of my total order, so I’m getting great copies with real care in shipping and speed at about a net 20% savings. Best of all, they ship what is available and add delayed books to the next order. Bonus points for @faele being here on the boards to answer questions and put up incentive packages when we really request them.
Villaingaming.com is the most consistent on packaging and best, that is my go to for numerous copies. Can’t recommend enough getting a small pull list at close by shops. Most shops treat customers with a pull list better, more likely to get unlisted discounts and deals, first look, etc. One of my shops does 10% off everything in store with a 5 issues monthly pull list so $20 in books can save huge money on a nice slab.
Oh man thanks guys! I do have the Pullbox option or just order weekly from the FOC list I post usually on Thursdays. We also just introduced the HOLD option if you want us to keep your books until you want to receive them.