Just wanted to share my latest TFAW shipment. Yes, when it’s a single book or a handful they throw into those smaller rigid mailers with no other cardboard or protection, bad things can happen during transit.
However, for you people who order heavily, the key is to lump your shipments into 2 weeks or monthly.
Here’s my latest package (which also only took like 7 days from claimed it was shipped to arrival… hrhmm hrmmm… Midtown)…
They refunded me my money on Death Metal 2, which was damaged upon arrival. When I get multi-comics in a single order the packaging is great. You are on to something.
I’ve never had issues with them on damaged books either, always pretty pleasant experience and they don’t hassle you like Midtown or some others seem to do.
The problem with TFAW is when they remove and cancel things from your order and put you into a rigid mailer after the book reduction. You thought you were going to get this great protected shipping and it shows up a rigid mailer bent in half missing 75% of the order.
I’ve never had stuff cancled or removed. But yes, the key is to make sure your orders have more than a handful of books. You can change your pre-order options to be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. Also, they have a pre-order shipment calculator, based on your preferences, does a calculation of what books and how much… never knew it was there until the other day. Noticed one week I was gonna have just 2-3 books so I changed my preferences to bi-weekly and it pushed them up to the next week. So not ideal for quick flip books but definitely ideal for your collectors and reader books, where there’s not a rush. Even if I do a monthly shipment, still probably faster than Midtown
I had 5 from TFAW arrive to me today in a gemini style mailer (replacements).
I do the same moving things to biweekly. Although I did have one of their boxes arrive with 20 damaged books that I posted about here. They were quick to refund me. Easy to work with.
The point is in my experiences TFAW is the only online comic book store that ships in these flimsy mailers. But they charge the same price for comics and shipping as the big boys, so why can’t they get with the program?
I believe they lose more business when people see those flimsy mailers than they get repeat business. If I can get something somewhere else for approximate the same price I do.
Sounds like 5 is the book quantity that kicks you up from the flimsy mailer with TFAW to something more substantial. I had four books arrive yesterday, and magically they are all in good condition. I have no idea how, though, as that mailer provides little protection. If they weren’t bagged/boarded, no chance.
I think my next order is 4. Yikes. Gotta pick another book quick.
Don’t forget to add bags and board…I think they shoved 5 Books in a flimsy mailer
Once.
Why would i opt out of bags and boards? Because, in particular with Marvel, the ink of the back of books rubs off onto the backing boards when packed tight. Doesn’t seem to occur when it’s just comics stacked together.
I was more successful avoiding damaged books going with the non boarded option,
Personally.
I’ve had single books show up in the rigid mailer without bag and board (forgot to click the box at checkout) show up flawless before… just all depends on the mail carrier handling them or if they get stuck in a sorting machine, getting banged up by other packages flowing through until someone notices…
Not necessarily from TFAW, but I’ve gotten many comics that were saved by the silver age board taking the hit and the comic not touching the corner. If the comics were shipped unboarded, the comic would’ve taken the hit.
And TFAW does use silver age on all books which I do appreciate being my go to style.
I haven’t used modern in forever. Silver all the way for me. Now they have the resealable bags which are ok. Saves on scotch tape orders to Costco I guess.
