Rad Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I am sick of this bullshit. And I don't mean the AFX shipping policy, I'm referring to these continual posts that wail and gnash at AFX's treacherous piracy. Hate to break it to you all, but Action Figure Xpress is not the Greater Enemy. Unscrupulous retailers and scammers do exist, that's true, but AFX is not one of them. Cappy, while I can't disagree with everything you've written I will nail my hat to the wall and state, quite categorically that I think AFX's shipping costs are very much on the steep side. I appreciate your arguments re: Picking and packing, but if other similar sized e-tailers can charge me $40.00 for international shipping for twice the amount of goods, while AFX are charging me around $60.00... Well I don't understand how that can be. Look at Cyc, he's getting quoted ridiculous amounts. Can you see where we're coming from? If I was U.S. based I wouldn't have that much of a problem with it, but anyone outside the U.S. (Even Canada which is on the same continent) has a right to grumble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkerbean Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 i hope people in the uk are'nt paying ripoff shipping prices just to get the defenders box set as my lcs got theirs in this week (and sold out right away they had to limit it to 1 per customer :angry2:) but i'm wondering how "exculsive" these are to afx as there popping up everywhere, it also makes me wonder about the "exculsive" web armoured spider-man what are afx gonna do when they have bucket loads left (and i'm sure they will) we will find other shops getting them in??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Well things didn't look too good to start with but I stayed calm & opened the box & that's what greeted me ...but I stayed calm even when I saw this Beneath the heap of BSG & ST 2 packs was the Jin Roh Kerberos Cop which was in an unwrapped presentation box .This is a unique method of packaging ,using new 2 packs as packing . I'm not worried though because I now have a Spidey-Daylight-Armed-Robbery Minimate which was free . All I have to do ,I have read, is email AFX & they will perhaps refund me a part of the shipping cost. The carton I received, by the way, contained separate orders that I had paid( when totalled up) shipping charges of over $90 for. None of this matters because all the things that have been said about AFX are horrid prefabrications & none of this is happening,people are making it up, so I'm staying calm. For comparison I also received today from an 'ordinary' US ebayer a superb batch of 'mates in totally mint condition & the shipping.......? Make your own minds up about AFX, I have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rheul Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Quite a few people have complained about ripped boxes... You cant blame AFX for that. They use pretty thick boxes. If your box is damaged blame the USPS. The shipping though... Thats robbery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 The carton I received, by the way, contained separate orders that I had paid( when totalled up) shipping charges of over $90 for. Holy Hannah! And here I was debating whether or not the 13 dollar shipping was too outrageous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Well things didn't look too good to start with but I stayed calm & opened the box & that's what greeted me ...but I stayed calm even when I saw this Beneath the heap of BSG & ST 2 packs was the Jin Roh Kerberos Cop which was in an unwrapped presentation box .This is a unique method of packaging ,using new 2 packs as packing . I'm not worried though because I now have a Spidey-Daylight-Armed-Robbery Minimate which was free . All I have to do ,I have read, is email AFX & they will perhaps refund me a part of the shipping cost. The carton I received, by the way, contained separate orders that I had paid( when totalled up) shipping charges of over $90 for. None of this matters because all the things that have been said about AFX are horrid prefabrications & none of this is happening,people are making it up, so I'm staying calm. For comparison I also received today from an 'ordinary' US ebayer a superb batch of 'mates in totally mint condition & the shipping.......? Make your own minds up about AFX, I have Update: I remained calm & I emailed the pictures to AFX . I have just received an apology & a shipping refund of $28.40 from AFX. They are also going to 'forward this to the warehouse & bring it to their attention'. You see ...it's alright & there is no problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlecat Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 Huh. People are getting their orders? Should I be worried that I haven't heard from them since I got the auto-response order confirmation? I never got a shipping/tracking email, the package just showed up one day, and I think some other people have said the same in one of the other AFX threads. Plus someone said AFX's excuse for combining all the double orders in single shipments was because they're backed up with hundreds of orders for this exclusive. So I wouldn't be worried. But you could email them if you are. (Also, the box was in fine condition and AFX does ship USPS to Canada, so it wasn't super expensive. Not that I don't understand people's issues in this thread, just glad I didn't have them myself.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webhead Posted November 23, 2007 Author Share Posted November 23, 2007 usually UPS delivers boxes ok so I'm leaning towards AFX having some issues with the handlers at their warehouse. It seems odd that a large number of people are getting crushed boxes. Though I'm sure UPS has definitely damaged boxes as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teris Tone Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 I spent 3 hours trying to figure out their shipping and handling fees. Although they are based in Hawaii they sure don't give special treatment for Hawaii residents. In any order combination that equals around 26 bucks will be equivalent to another 25 bucks or more in shipping and handling fees. To add insult to injury they also add 4.7% tax for Hawaii addresses. Too bad AFX doesn't offer cheap damage shipping rate, I wouldn't mind my minimates coming in beat up boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerg Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 There's the impression that AFX is a giant conglomerate that trades on the NYSE, with board executives cackling over their successful fleecing of the masses. I don't suppose the staff at AFX totals over a dozen, the California warehouse probably has five or six employees. 1. Being a small company is no excuse for bad business. Ultimately, AFX told you what you were going to pay, there are no devious offshore billing scams going on here. At some point in the checkout process, every one is given the choice to buy the products for the listed total cost. 2. Now, I've not ordered from AFX myself, but surely they are deceiving the customer here? You say that the customer always has the choice to not buy the products they want, but the products they buy are more expensive than the product they receive, and yet they're being charged the same price. The point is, what the customer is buying is different from what they are receiving, and saying that they will get the former when they're actually sending the latter is deception, I believe, and something that they could be held accountable for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobsterman Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 Like I've said before, maybe if we piss and moan enough, we can get every independent retailer to stop making exclusives. That will certainly show them. I am fanboy, hear me roar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted November 24, 2007 Share Posted November 24, 2007 Like I've said before, maybe if we piss and moan enough, we can get every independent retailer to stop making exclusives. That will certainly show them. I am fanboy, hear me roar! I've moaned more than most this week about AFX with some justification . If however there is a camp 'to get retailers to stop making exclusives' ...please don't put me in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webhead Posted November 25, 2007 Author Share Posted November 25, 2007 Like I've said before, maybe if we piss and moan enough, we can get every independent retailer to stop making exclusives. That will certainly show them. I am fanboy, hear me roar! I've moaned more than most this week about AFX with some justification . If however there is a camp 'to get retailers to stop making exclusives' ...please don't put me in it. +1. I brought up this thread to find out about others that got nailed with excessive shipping then had orders combined. I am still in favor of retailer exclusives...otherwise how else would we be able to get figures like Web Armor Spidey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappy Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 I must admit, there's an unusually high number of damaged packages being reported. My own box was slightly dented in the corner, not enough to cause concern, but added to the total in this thread. Not sure UPS can be blamed for this rash, unless they crashed a truck full of AFX boxes or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Like I've said before, maybe if we piss and moan enough, we can get every independent retailer to stop making exclusives. That will certainly show them. I am fanboy, hear me roar! Every exclusive? How many are pissing and moaning about the defenders set? Very few, pretty much unanimously everyone loves it and has been saying cool things about it. AFX has always had a rep for overpriced shipping, it has nothing to do with exclusives except that a lot of people have fallen foul of it at once because they ordered from them for the first time as it's the only way to get the spidey armor mate right now. However I don't think it's them trying to rip people off as much as not using the cheapest courier and having a fixed % that they tack on, even when it's obviously excessive. Are you honestly happy with what is effectively a $40 spider armor minimate? How about next time someone makes an exclusive they make you spend several hundred dollars on a bright pink 'I love sequins' t-shirt or perhaps send in a kidney! Where is that line in the sand? My guess is that the complaints come because there's a betrayal (for want of a better word) in the offer, it's obviously there to get minimate fans to spend money, but not giving them many (if any) minimate way to do it. It would have been a lot more sensible (& fan friendly) to tie it into an offer on the Defenders set or perhaps ordering/preordering X amount of minimates. Besides what exactly is wrong with pissing and moaning? It's an internet forum, not sunday school . T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM2 Dinobot Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Well, like I said before, I'd much rather have higher prices and lower shipping. That way you don't get snookered. But if AFX was an ebay store, their negative feedback would be climbing enough right now to make anybody think twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rad Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 I'd settle for reasonable prices and reasonable shipping. Most other e-tailers get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tad Ghostal Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I'd settle for reasonable prices and reasonable shipping. Most other e-tailers get it right. I've been ignoring this thread for a while, but my combined BSG/Defenders box just arrived. USPS Priority. I just checked the rates, and it's $7.50 to ship from CA to CT. A $2.50 mark-up isn't the end of the world, but the $5.00 for each order I paid is in addition to the $12 and change from the initial shipment of minimates a month or so ago (I think it was the BSG series 2) Honestly, if I thought for ONE MINUTE that the Defenders set was going to be available someplace else, I would have ordered SOMEPLACE ELSE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blacksun1520 Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Of course... now the Defenders box set is in the Holiday shop, after I placed my order... oh well, that's the way the minimate crumbles I guess... on the bright side, I should have a Web Armor Spidey waiting for me in a wet, damaged box on my porch at home :biggrin: BS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypno Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Every exclusive? How many are pissing and moaning about the defenders set? Very few, pretty much unanimously everyone loves it and has been saying cool things about it. My guess is that the complaints come because there's a betrayal (for want of a better word) in the offer, it's obviously there to get minimate fans to spend money, but not giving them many (if any) minimate way to do it. It would have been a lot more sensible (& fan friendly) to tie it into an offer on the Defenders set or perhaps ordering/preordering X amount of minimates. I agree completely, folks aren't calling for an end to exclusives, they are calling for a fairer way to obtain the exclusive. I think that the fact that AFX is willing to refund shipping on combined orders and damaged boxes shows that they are trying...on the other hand the fact that they didn't automatically discount shipping and that the boxes came damaged in the first place is a little head scratching. Hopefully AFX is willing to improve service and if they are, sending their customer service department a link to this thread might be of help to them. Me, I would like to order from them but their shipping and handling charges seem to me to be consistently higher than their competition (BigBadToyStore, CornerStoreComics, YouBuyNow). I also dislike having to enter in all of my billing information before I can see what the shipping cost is going to be (it feels like the display of the shipping cost is being intentionally delayed) while their competition lets me know right up front what the charges will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Of course... now the Defenders box set is in the Holiday shop, after I placed my order... oh well, that's the way the minimate crumbles I guess... on the bright side, I should have a Web Armor Spidey waiting for me in a wet, damaged box on my porch at home :biggrin: BS Yeah, that and the BSG series 3 Minimates convinced me to place another order for the Spidey mini. . .I have to say, though, that their exclusive was a brilliant marketing idea. I would probably never have bought the BSG mates if not for this, and now I've got series 2 and 3 coming in the mail, for a couple of exclusive figures that I don't even really like that much. How did I get suckered into doing this agan? Oh, bother. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I feel this witchhunt against AFX should end now, constructively. If they don't know now how much antipathy they've created for themselves then they ought to be notified,officially by the Multiverse ,as an an entity. They can then, if they wish, reply & perhaps attempt to redress the situation . It should not be left to simmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rad Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I don't think the multiverse can officially notify AFX of anything BHM. We're a discussion forum not a watchdog. I also don't think what we're seeing is a witchhunt as such. Just a lot of pissed off punters letting off a bit of steam. Maybe AFX will take on board some of the criticism levelled against them? Then again maybe they're not even reading this forum? We are, after all just a teeny tiny microscopic segment of the interweb entire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 But by far the best part of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drgnrbrn316 Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 We are, after all just a teeny tiny microscopic segment of the interweb entire. But by far the best part of it! Yeah, who needs porn! As far as the comments against AFX goes, I dunno how much of them will filter back to them. I'm sure some of us have sent some negative comments to their customer service in regards to the mishandled combined shipping and damaged boxes, so I'm sure they at least know there may be an indication that may suggest that there might be some sort of problem. As far as their Multiverse presence, I don't know if they ever had any official presence other than the occasional banner ad in the past. While I agree that complaining here isn't constructive in the sense that it might change the world, it still feels nice to share displeasure with others who know what you're talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.