The Feedback Thread

[stargatedalek]

And a positive for the amazing Doug Watson as well, for the generous offer of some truly spectacular Safari figures I've been awaiting the chance to acquire for some time.

[ceratopsian]

Two positives after a day of package opening:

•   For Brett - a box of Kaiyodo goodies which arrived unbelievably quickly from the USA
•   For acro-man, from whom I received a box with the PNSO "Doyle" Triceratops and the new Musee Studio Carnotaurus diorama, also remarkably quick transit

Both recommended and pleasures to deal with.

[UK]

Big thumbs up and thank you to Ashley aka Bokisaurus for what was a spectacular trade and some really nice correspondence too. Good luck for the next holy grail you are after.

Best wishes,

Steve

[amargasaurus cazaui]

A very big positive for Amargasaurus cazaui who went above and beyond to make our trade agreement work. Thanks Amara, always a pleasure!

A return superb feedback for Gwangi...communicates well, friendly , easy to work with, and handles his trades quite responsibly. In addition I might add he and his wife are true artists at shipping even some of the largest models...this is a recommended trading partner. Thanks again Gwangi

[Gwangi]

Positive for Takama.

[Takama]

And positive for Gwangi.

[stargatedalek]

I sadly have to leave a negative feedback for Monster House.

Their representative was very courteous and polite through this entire exchange, but that isn't enough to change the fact that I'm out over $100 on a ruined figure because of their negligence. I have screenshots of the Facebook message exchange if anyone wants to see them.

Typically when I buy through a business I'm more likely to sound harsher in my feedback, because I have higher expectations for a businesses when it comes to things like packaging, but I usually still continue to recommend their services regardless, and even still this is only the second time I've left a true negative feedback for anyone.

A few weeks ago Monster House placed a listing for the AAA mantis shrimp, a figure I've been seeking for many years. After some internal debate and some advice I purchased it, well outside of what I was willing to comfortably pay. I did this under assurance that Monster House was a trustworthy seller, and that despite their prices they offered great service. To clarify, I appreciate the advice and assurance that I received, and hold no ill will to anyone who vouched for Monster House.

The cost was $75.68 for the figure and a frankly very high $37.85 for shipping, totaling $112.84. I was encouraged to reach out to them and inquire if they had a cheaper shipping option, they said there was no cheaper option. Having seen how small and light this package was I am no longer inclined to believe this. It came in only a padded envelope, and we all know how affordable outgoing shipping from China is. I genuinely don't believe they made any effort to accommodate my request for cheaper shipping, which in itself does not bother me, what bothers me is that they said to my face this was the cheapest option.

My figure arrived sticky. It's a terrible mess to deal with when paint or sealant/varnish deteriorates and becomes sticky, but when the actual plastic itself becomes sticky it is irreparable. I cleaned it thoroughly with dish soap, and even tried a water/baking soda mixture, as these do not have the risk of damaging the plastic or even paint. There was no effect at all.

I contacted Monster House again through their Facebook account as I did earlier, and their first response was to try and convince me that I was mistaken. They told me that I was mistaken, that this was simply the naturally soft texture of the plastic. They recommended I purchase a product called "De-Solv-It" to clean the figure, which anyone whose been collecting toys or figures long enough will tell you won't fix a sticky figure because this condition is caused by the plastic itself deteriorating. I dodged this, saying this product is not available locally.

I responded and informed them that the figure is sticky to the touch and actually leaves a sticky coating on my hands. The seller then said outright that they had several AAA figures do this in the past, some to the point they could not be sold, and that there was a fairly high risk of this. As you can see for yourself in the listing below, there was absolutely no warning of this given to me when I made the purchase:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/162883308028

They then gave me a $10 refund, and while I appreciate this immensely, it is an absolute drop in the ocean of what I paid for a figure that is in a completely unusable state. I can't even touch the figure without my hands becoming covered in a disgusting sticky coating, so I am absolutely not going to be able to store or even display this thing alongside other figures.

It arrived completely sealed in a clear plastic bag, held shut with ample tape. This bag was completely unnecessary as it offered to protection and contained no small parts that could have been lost. This is almost certainly what caused the plastic to deteriorate so rapidly during shipping. I hope they take heed of my advice and don't ship anything else in this manner ever again.

I genuinely feel that I've been scammed. At the very least this figure was shipped improperly in a way that caused it to be irreparably damaged, and I was refunded only a quarter of the cost of shipping alone.

This was an incredibly negative second impression, and after the frankly disheartening first impression their prices left me with, I absolutely can not recommend that anyone purchase through Monster House and I certainly won't be ever again.

[Jose S.M.]

A positive for Brett (very late, I'm sorry for that), Favorite Fukuiraptor arrived fast at the customs office. Sadly the customs office retained it again and didn't help me at all, so negative for them I guess.

[postsaurischian]

....... $37.85 for shipping, .......
....... It came in only a padded envelope, .......

It doesn't figure!

....... My figure arrived sticky. .......
....... They recommended I purchase a product called "De-Solv-It" to clean the figure, .......

First they sell you a figure for a stiff price and then they give you advice how to get it in good condition.

....... They then gave me a $10 refund, .......

What's that for?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I am sorry to hear that, stargatedalek. Having followed your conversation with Doug I know how important that figure is for your collection. I confess I also have ordered from them once, but only things that I wasn't able to get anywhere else and that had been already packed perfectly (Favorite, Kaiyodo, PNSO), so I cannot say anything about their packing quality.
The fact is that you definitely can expect high quality packing for $37.85. Their shipping prices have always been very disturbing and of course it's because they are among those sellers who make extra money with the shipping costs.
There are quite a lot out there on eBay, especially from the U.S. .
If the figure was really damaged I might have reacted much harsher: Refund or opening a Paypal case.

[ceratopsian]

I sadly have to leave a negative feedback for Monster House.......

So sorry to hear this outcome, I really feel for you. As you bought it through eBay, I would be inclined to open a complaints procedure. You might not get anywhere but it's worth a go I would have thought. I would concentrate on the stickiness/not as advertised and not properly packaged.

[stargatedalek]

Thanks for the responses, I really do always appreciate hearing more thoughts on things like this. I was considering filing a more formal grievance but I'm concerned all that would accomplish was forcing me to ship it back to them, presumably only refunding the cost of the item itself and not the original shipping charge, at which point I'd have spent probably close to the cost of the item itself in shipping only to receive nothing at all.

I think at this point I'd rather take it and move on, I don't know when I'll eventually find the chance to get one at a more reasonable price so I'd rather stay with this one than potentially end up loosing less money but having nothing at all to show for it.

I've heard good rumors from the Star Wars community about some car dashboard restoring products that can help force plasticizer back into a plastic, though I couldn't find much information on it other than a few demonstrations and this plastic is much softer. I'll have to share my results if it truly works.

[Halichoeres]

AAA material seems to be prone to this; my Gallimimus has the same problem. I haven't been able to get it off but someone recommended butane. If I try it I'll share that result too.

I hate Monster House. I bought from them once but they're definitely padding their margins on shipping.

[brettnj]

I sadly have to leave a negative feedback for Monster House.

Their representative was very courteous and polite through this entire exchange, but that isn't enough to change the fact that I'm out over $100 on a ruined figure because of their negligence. I have screenshots of the Facebook message exchange if anyone wants to see them.

Typically when I buy through a business I'm more likely to sound harsher in my feedback, because I have higher expectations for a businesses when it comes to things like packaging, but I usually still continue to recommend their services regardless, and even still this is only the second time I've left a true negative feedback for anyone.

A few weeks ago Monster House placed a listing for the AAA mantis shrimp, a figure I've been seeking for many years. After some internal debate and some advice I purchased it, well outside of what I was willing to comfortably pay. I did this under assurance that Monster House was a trustworthy seller, and that despite their prices they offered great service. To clarify, I appreciate the advice and assurance that I received, and hold no ill will to anyone who vouched for Monster House.

The cost was $75.68 for the figure and a frankly very high $37.85 for shipping, totaling $112.84. I was encouraged to reach out to them and inquire if they had a cheaper shipping option, they said there was no cheaper option. Having seen how small and light this package was I am no longer inclined to believe this. It came in only a padded envelope, and we all know how affordable outgoing shipping from China is. I genuinely don't believe they made any effort to accommodate my request for cheaper shipping, which in itself does not bother me, what bothers me is that they said to my face this was the cheapest option.

My figure arrived sticky. It's a terrible mess to deal with when paint or sealant/varnish deteriorates and becomes sticky, but when the actual plastic itself becomes sticky it is irreparable. I cleaned it thoroughly with dish soap, and even tried a water/baking soda mixture, as these do not have the risk of damaging the plastic or even paint. There was no effect at all.

I contacted Monster House again through their Facebook account as I did earlier, and their first response was to try and convince me that I was mistaken. They told me that I was mistaken, that this was simply the naturally soft texture of the plastic. They recommended I purchase a product called "De-Solv-It" to clean the figure, which anyone whose been collecting toys or figures long enough will tell you won't fix a sticky figure because this condition is caused by the plastic itself deteriorating. I dodged this, saying this product is not available locally.

I responded and informed them that the figure is sticky to the touch and actually leaves a sticky coating on my hands. The seller then said outright that they had several AAA figures do this in the past, some to the point they could not be sold, and that there was a fairly high risk of this. As you can see for yourself in the listing below, there was absolutely no warning of this given to me when I made the purchase:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/162883308028

They then gave me a $10 refund, and while I appreciate this immensely, it is an absolute drop in the ocean of what I paid for a figure that is in a completely unusable state. I can't even touch the figure without my hands becoming covered in a disgusting sticky coating, so I am absolutely not going to be able to store or even display this thing alongside other figures.

It arrived completely sealed in a clear plastic bag, held shut with ample tape. This bag was completely unnecessary as it offered to protection and contained no small parts that could have been lost. This is almost certainly what caused the plastic to deteriorate so rapidly during shipping. I hope they take heed of my advice and don't ship anything else in this manner ever again.

I genuinely feel that I've been scammed. At the very least this figure was shipped improperly in a way that caused it to be irreparably damaged, and I was refunded only a quarter of the cost of shipping alone.

This was an incredibly negative second impression, and after the frankly disheartening first impression their prices left me with, I absolutely can not recommend that anyone purchase through Monster House and I certainly won't be ever again.

I can't match forum IDs to my buyer names so I'm not sure if I'm writing this to someone I know but...

Why aren't you getting your money back via eBay or Paypal!?

[postsaurischian]

   Positive for brettnj!
       The Tokugawa book is very beautiful, arrived perfectly packed and was shipped fast.

[PhilSauria]

Big thumbs down for the eBay seller who this week posted the Favorite Fukuisaurus and Tabosaurus. I was going to name them but I suspected that may get me in trouble here, so anyway - the listing had a substantial shipping on each, close to $20 Australian and that's before any bidding. Thankfully the starting bids were just a few dollars. Could be in with a chance here I thought on these sought-after items (hah!). Within a few days with the listing still having no bids as yet the starting bid on the Fuki was jacked up to about $18 (!?). Okay, still no bids on the Tarbo so I thought maybe I could still pick that up, unless it skyrockets in the closing stages, which is what I was expecting to happen but you never know. Tonight I check the Tarbo, auction due tomorrow, to find that the item has been withdrawn, due to 'an error in the listing. Yeah, the greedy seller thought he may have to sell this figure for a price that collectors who scape together spare cash for their hobby / interest may be able to actually afford. Not cool!
(You should have seen this before I cleaned it up!)

[tyrantqueen]

I think you should name them. That is what the feedback thread is for, after all. To help our community know which sellers are safe and reliable. As long as it's done in a way that isn't hateful.

[stegosauria]

Great positive for Libraraptor (just now I find this thread again), Halichoeres and acro-man for really great figures!

[Halichoeres]

I owe positives to stegosauria and amargasaurus cazaui!

[RobinGoodfellow]

Big POSITIVE for acro-man.
It's always a pleasure to deal with him.
Thank you.

[PhilSauria]

I think you should name them. That is what the feedback thread is for, after all. To help our community know which sellers are safe and reliable. As long as it's done in a way that isn't hateful.

It's not as though I had made a purchase and been ripped off or badly treated; it's just frustrating to have opportunities presented, clearly exploited and then removed all within the space of a few days and there being no doubt that all of these actions were motivated by greed. The seller, 'fantgoodspeed' has other Favorite items listed, including the two figures I mentioned, under the 'buy it now' category and all of them ranging between $50 to $70 and that's without adding the approx $20 shipping, so that gives an indication of the prices he or she is after. My collection is now at the point where I am filling in the odd gap and after hard-to-get items, otherwise the focus is on new releases and incidents like this further reinforce my inclination to just forget about the chances of acquiring any of my wish-listers and just go for the new stuff.