does anyone know what's going on over at SF?

[gdelan1]

Are they on vacation or something? I had pre-ordered some arrow and other things, and haven't had a shipping update even with a couple emails sent over the past week.

[yorkbag]

Order from SF in January, receive product in August (if lucky)....great prices, shipping slower than pigeon courier...

[KandJ]

I bought a couple of boxes of walking dead season 3 part 2 as a preorder. A month after the release, I still hadn't received my order nor was there an update on the site. I emailed them and the email I received back had mentioned they were trying to buy boxes so they could fill the orders. So this might be the same case with Arrow.

[jjsmallvillelvr]

I bought a couple of boxes of walking dead season 3 part 2 as a preorder. A month after the release, I still hadn't received my order nor was there an update on the site. I emailed them and the email I received back had mentioned they were trying to buy boxes so they could fill the orders. So this might be the same case with Arrow.

That happened with epic battles boxes I ordered while they were on sale.

Not sure what they were putting on sale, if they didn't actually have any....

[AceGambit3]

Maybe I should contact them and see if they are hiring for warehouse help. Lord knows they need it.

[jjsmallvillelvr]

Maybe I should contact them and see if they are hiring for warehouse help. Lord knows they need it.

Hahaha! You are a fast shipper, I vote they hire you!

[AceGambit3]

Hahaha! You are a fast shipper, I vote they hire you!

Easy there
I'm decently timed and well packed, though compared to SolarFly I'm the Flash. lol



but thanks

[nabzy28]

It just took me 4 weeks to finally get a refund on a product that's been delayed multiple times. I have no idea whatsoever how anyone could still be waiting for Arrow. I have one more preorder pending and, after that, I'm clear and never going back. Place keeps getting shadier every passing day.

[cardbooker]

Not good. Hoping there are no delays for Star Wars Masterworks. I pre-ordered my box a long time ago and would be disappointed if they couldn't fulfill. It's concerning that they have this type of reputation.

[hannahs1]

They're broke would be my guess

[jjsmallvillelvr]

They're broke would be my guess

haha at those prices, I'd agree.

[gdelan1]

ditto for me on the masterworks box

[GFD18]

It just took me 4 weeks to finally get a refund on a product that's been delayed multiple times. I have no idea whatsoever how anyone could still be waiting for Arrow. I have one more preorder pending and, after that, I'm clear and never going back. Place keeps getting shadier every passing day.

Which product?

[kerg]

Not good. Hoping there are no delays for Star Wars Masterworks. I pre-ordered my box a long time ago and would be disappointed if they couldn't fulfill. It's concerning that they have this type of reputation.

Given their track record on preorders lately and combined with how hot Masterwork is going to be, I'd be shocked if they filled their orders for this.

I only both with SF on mystery boxes and older stock. Never had a shipping issue with those. New items/pre-order? Pass.

[stryke3_mb]

Just emailed them again about my Arrow order. Hopefully they'll come through since I pre-ordered last summer. You'd think if you pre-ordered that far in advance they'd already have your product purchased themselves. I don't know....

[Sushiyoshi]

Yeah, I POed a SW Masterworks also. Probably won't get it.

[Lbacall1]

I emailed them and they said my order would begin to ship at the end of the week. They said they had been busy trying to put together Arrow sets to ship out and it had taken a long time. I have to say the response time to my email was very fast (less than 24 hours)

[stryke3_mb]

I emailed them and they said my order would begin to ship at the end of the week. They said they had been busy trying to put together Arrow sets to ship out and it had taken a long time. I have to say the response time to my email was very fast (less than 24 hours)

They always say they respond in less than 24 hours, but I've yet to receive a response within an acceptable timeframe whenever I've emailed them the past couple of years...

Hopefully they'll ship Arrow this week, but I still wonder why are they busy putting together sets from cases they've busted when people are waiting for sealed cases and boxes to be shipped? Granted, I don't have a business like theirs, but I would think you'd ship out your sealed product pre-orders first.

[kerg]

I still wonder why are they busy putting together sets from cases they've busted when people are waiting for sealed cases and boxes to be shipped?

Possible they are ripping product until they fill the orders that require open product and then shipping out what is left.

I'm not a big fan of pre-selling hits.

[FlashKV0785]

I'm going to guess I know who SF is even though i'm new here. I ordered something from them and it came super fast, and a super awesome price. That was around x mas. Not sure why everyone else having bad experience. Even the customer service responded in less than a couple hours.

[Goldenavenger]

I'm going to guess I know who SF is even though i'm new here. I ordered something from them and it came super fast, and a super awesome price. That was around x mas. Not sure why everyone else having bad experience. Even the customer service responded in less than a couple hours.

They treat the new guys better than the old timers. :D

[gdelan1]

just got the email today that my order has shipped, looking forward to breaking a box of Arrow & 4 mystery boxes.

[AceGambit3]

Well when you do get it good luck!

[stryke3_mb]

just got the email today that my order has shipped, looking forward to breaking a box of Arrow & 4 mystery boxes.

Same here. I guess they're finally getting around to answering the emails & shipping our orders.

[gerry609]

Has anybody who ordered MW being sent out yet?

[terrymcginnis]

i ordered arrow from here yesterday. boxes were shipped same day and UPS says it is arriving tomorrow. probably your best bet, every LCS around me says they're trying to get boxes, but they're sold out via their distributors

[cardbooker]

Has anybody who ordered MW being sent out yet?

I haven't received anything yet. Is anyone else waiting on their order of Star Wars MW as well?

[nabzy28]

Thankful I only pre ordered 2. What was the delay on Arrow? Over a month? I was planning on checking up on the SW in March. :rolleyes:

[gdelan1]

My arrow boxes took 2-3 weeks after the release date, so I'm hoping to see my MW box by my birthday, 3/16.

[gerry609]

Has anybody had their orders sent yet for MW? :(

[stryke3_mb]

I'm still waiting for an autograph card I ordered along with my Arrow pre-order last summer. It didn't show up when the Arrow cards finally arrived a few weeks after release. And of course, multiple emails sent with absolutely zero response. I've about given up on using them any further...

[Jaspers]

That is the response sf gave me and yes they are truly one sorry ass company. I did buy before multiple times cheap auto cards which they did take their sweet time sending. Then dec as soon as the Castle mystery boxes popped up i ordered ten. According to the site they would ship late dec i think.emailed them in jan said whats up they said they would ship soon. Feb came i said whats up they said oops dont know how we missed your order we have enough hits but itll take a while to put sets together. Didnt want to get stuck with the loser cards and then wait even longer. I got a refund. However from reading this site I can tell you that they are practicing illegal business practices and should be fined by the federal govt if not shut down. They cant by law take your money for an item and sit on it indefinitely. Two months for me and nothing. If it were a rare occurence they could have offered me some kind of bonus but i guess they do this to everyone. Too bad for them was going to buy a bunch of supernatural mystery boxes and others. Hmm im thinking maybe write to Rittenhouse Cryptozoic etc and have a bunch of people complain about he cràp business practices at sf. They should be put out of business if they are simply holding your money.

[geoffyb]

I had a horrible experience with them for one of the season 3 walking dead releases. I ordered about 4 boxes which they finally got in about 2 months after release. I told them just to give me a refund before the boxes came in as I was tired of having a few hundred dollars tied up into nothing. It took over a month for the refund. The owner did communicate as I filed a chargeback with my credit card but his bank never released the funds. Finally I told him to just cut me a paper check and I finally received that.

[StevieV]

I've bought a few things off his site in the past (but never any pre-orders) and the most inconvenience I've ever had was waiting about 7-10 days for him to ship. But to be honest after reading this and various other threads here about SF I've now deleted his site from my favorites and will no longer do any business there. I have anxiety issues enough the way it is and since the only thing I'd purchase there from now on is pre-orders, it's not worth the aggravation. I'm not interested in waiting months after a release date and sending endless e-mails to get my purchases. It's just not worth it. I'll spend a bit more and buy from other sellers who are more reliable.

[AceGambit3]

While I did have some problems in the past I personally will continue to buy from solarfly.....but I also have the cinvenience of that if I was to truly get screwed over, their location is only a 45 min drive away :)

[yorkbag]

“My” opinion of SF.

I have been their customer from the beginning. First couple of years was fantastic and great. Attention to detail and response, outstanding. I actually received a couple non-sport releases a couple days before actual release.

I began to notice once OUAT was released; it took 3+ weeks for delivery and I eMailed Matt a couple of times to always receive the same reply, "shipping this week, to you next week". Actualities, next week, the week after that, still nothing.

I am not sure what the problem is over there. I remember a mass email he sent out a few months ago. The letter was sent as an apology for the delay of shipments and the excuse of them building master sets causing the delay. In that email Matt stated, they were sorry and that they would no longer be building master sets/opening product since that was the reason they were behind on shipping. And, then I remember a few folks on here shocked and dismayed to the fact that they were even building master sets/opening product before shipping out pre-ordered boxes and cases.

I am not looking to lynch them with a lawsuit or send nasty emails to card manufacturers, however I would never buy something that I needed to immediately have. I always ask myself two things when debating a purchase with them:

1) Yes, I would order if purchasing with no flipping/profit in mind for my PC and have the patience of a snail.
2) No, I would never order a product from them if I were planning a quick and swift profit on my duplicates.

[gerry609]

I would not mind so much in waiting if they communicated with me. Not replying to Emails does not give me any confidence in SF. If Matt is having issues, he needs to communicate that to all of his customers. :mad:

[jjsmallvillelvr]

Hopefully it will get better once they don't have to make master sets, and are only selling sealed product. They have to fulfill orders of opened product that they had already had preordered. Which is pretty much any preorder-able set up until a few months ago. So it will take a little bit to get to the point where there is no preorders for open product.

However, they see to take orders even when stuff is not in stock. He finally, after quite a few weeks, had another seller ship my order, and considering the stuff I bought was on sale, he probs lost a lot of money having to buy it from another seller. They need to stop doing that. Sell what's in stock only and you won't have so much trouble.

[stryke3_mb]

The autograph card I'm waiting on actually wasn't a pre-order. It was in stock last summer when I added it to my Arrow pre-order. Matt said everything was good then, but obviously not. I'm wondering if it ended up being sold to someone else or even placed in a mystery box...

[gerry609]

Very tempted to cut my loss and get a refund and just pre-order some Chrome boxes from BO. I only ordered 2 boxes, so the chances of pulling anything spectacular are pretty slim

[Sapphire Sports]

Wow really shocked to read all of this. If this were a Ebay transaction I don't think anyone would be near as patient. Opening for master sets before shipping is totally unacceptable. best of luck to anyone who deals with that.

[Nicnac]

I dont believe the master set excuse. I think they oversell and then have to scramble to find boxes / cases to cover the orders.

If the master set thing were true, what explains the delay with Star Wars Masterwork people are complaining about in this thread?

[gdelan1]

I'll be giving them a call tomorrow, to see what the deal is.

[nabzy28]

Probably busy putting together 'mystery boxes' to raise capital?

[gerry609]

I'll be giving them a call tomorrow, to see what the deal is.

Did you call them yet? Just curious as to there response.

[gdelan1]

# went straight to voice mail, so I left a message.

[gerry609]

# went straight to voice mail, so I left a message.

Thanks. Phone probably being ringing off the hook

[cardbooker]

Very tempted to cut my loss and get a refund and just pre-order some Chrome boxes from BO. I only ordered 2 boxes, so the chances of pulling anything spectacular are pretty slim

Same here. But knowing how much box prices have increased, I feel that asking for a refund is letting them off the hook too easy. I don't want to reward them for bad business practices.

[yorkbag]

Same here. But knowing how much box prices have increased, I feel that asking for a refund is letting them off the hook too easy. I don't want to reward them for bad business practices.

They will send, I can at least say that much. We may have a new President by the time we get our stuff, but it does eventually come :rolleyes:

[gdelan1]

I know. Just made a mistake again & included a pre-order box in my mystery box order...

[yorkbag]

I know. Just made a mistake again & included a pre-order box in my mystery box order...

So, you just have two mysteries...a mystery box, and a mystery date of arrival ;)

[gdelan1]

I just got an email response from my phone call. They never received their original shipment "from a certain distributor" of MW, he just purchased some cases at market price to fulfill the pre-orders. He offered a refund, but I'll wait for my boxes like the person above.

[ricksam]

edited ................

[gerry609]

I just got an email response from my phone call. They never received their original shipment "from a certain distributor" of MW, he just purchased some cases at market price to fulfill the pre-orders. He offered a refund, but I'll wait for my boxes like the person above.

That's crazy. I paid him $169.90 per box for 2. Case from BO @ $287.50 for each master box ($2300). He will lose $117.60 per box ($235.20) just from me. :eek:

[AceGambit3]

I just got an email response from my phone call. They never received their original shipment "from a certain distributor" of MW, he just purchased some cases at market price to fulfill the pre-orders. He offered a refund, but I'll wait for my boxes like the person above.


I'd be livid with that distrubutor

and I'm going to go ahead and assume that also means there is no way in hell a Masterworks box trickles into a mystery box.

[DrGhostbuster]

That sure would make one hell of a nice $30 mystery box.

[gerry609]

Has anybody's mystery boxes shipped yet?

[hamoody22]

not mine...i thought the page said start shipping the 2nd

[yorkbag]

not mine...i thought the page said start shipping the 2nd

Yes, the 2nd of the next millennium....SMH

[AceGambit3]

Just got an email stating my mystery boxes have shipped.
Maybe I'll get lucky and have them by Saturday

[kerg]

Got the email for the label being created.. nothing shipped/tracking yet.

[yorkbag]

On 09.09.2014 SF sent this eMail:

Dear Valued Customer,

I would like to start by thanking each and every one of you for your business! You are a very valued customer!

We have decided, moving forward, that we will no longer be selling single cards and sets. This will allow us to focus our business solely on the sale of sealed product and provide better service to all of our customers!

As a result, we are beginning our FINAL SINGLE CARD CLEARANCE SALE! Save up to 90% on all in stock singles and sets! Looking to purchase in large quantities? Make us an offer for anything currently available on our site! ALL SINGLE CARDS MUST GO!

This sale will run for about 1-2 weeks, at which point all cards will be removed from our site and used in future Mystery Boxes. Our site will then receive a minor face lift with all of the empty links to products no longer in stock removed.

All pre-orders for upcoming sets will be honored - no order will be canceled! We will continue pre-selling these products until release. New pre-sales will not include set options.

We have some exciting changes coming your way in the months ahead, including an increase in available sealed product, additional customer support staff to provide better all-around customer service, and an all new customer reward points system!

I would like to personally thank all of our customers for their incredible patience over the last month as this transition has been taking place, leading to longer than normal shipping times. We've just finished revamping our distribution network to ensure an optimal experience for all of our customers moving forward.

We are committed to providing the Non-Sports community with affordable product and best in class service moving forward, necessitating these changes be made.

As always, if you have any questions, or if there is anything I can do for you, please feel free to contact me.

Matt
SolarFly Cards
Owner

=================================================================

Today, 03.09.2015 basically the same eMail:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for your business!

Over the last few months, we have been carefully listening to your feedback. After much consideration, we have decided that we had to make the following changes to our business in order to better meet your needs:
• We have re-worked our distribution network to eliminate those distributors that were unable to get product to us in a timely manner, or at all
• We have eliminated products that were taking too long for us to turn around (singles/sets) as well as lower sales products (gaming/sports) so that we could concentrate on on core non-sport customers
• We have allocated more resources to our shipping and customer service departments to allow us to provide much needed service guarantees
You've probably noticed some of these changes starting to occur over the past couple of months. We're happy to announce the we have completed these changes and have implemented the following new policies, effective immediately:

*SHIPPING*
• All In-Stock orders will now ship within one (1) business day, guaranteed. If there is some issue with your order, you will be contacted within four (4) business hours. If you have not been contacted, and you do not have a shipment confirmation within 1 business day, our system will automatically send you a $10.00 gift card to your email. You will also have the option to cancel the order for a full immediate refund.
• All Pre-Orders will now ship within two (2) business days of the official product release date, guaranteed. Most products will ship on or before the release date, but the absolute latest they will ship is 2 days after the release. If you do not have a shipment confirmation within this window, our system will automatically email a $25.00 gift certificate to your email, and you'll also be given the opportunity to cancel the order for a full immediate refund, regardless of pre-order cancellation restrictions.
• Some products, such as some Mystery Boxes, may have a later ship date. If this is the case, the ship date will be prominently displayed at the top of the product listing, prior to ordering. The same above shipping rules will apply, in that these products will ship within 1 business day of the date displayed.

*CUSTOMER SERVICE*
• All emails to any customer service email address, or a message left via phone, will be answered within (4) business hours, Monday - Friday from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Mountain Standard Time. Any message received after 4:00 PM MST will be answered by 11:00 AM MST the next day. Any Message received after 4:00 PM MST on Friday will be answered by 11:00 AM MST on Monday. We are often in the office on the weekends and will answer messages as time allows.
• Product release and ship dates will be communicated through this email blast, as well as on our Facebook and Twitter accounts. We will be providing many more updates to keep all customers as informed as possible.

[gerry609]

wonder if that means my MW boxes will ship soon

[ricksam]

wonder if that means my MW boxes will ship soon

no u get a gift card to use at their store - to buy more and wait more :coffee:

dont follow -
how does breaking in stock items to sell hits become a slow shipping issue???

and still playing the pre-sale game :rolleyes:

[kerg]

dont follow -
how does breaking in stock items to sell hits become a slow shipping issue???


Sounds like there was a serious time management issue at Solarfly. If it was a one man show then you can get in a vicious cycle of spreading your time out between shipping, ripping, collating, site updates and customer service.

If selling single cards/sets was the sinkhole and he finally realized that, kudos to him. Time will tell if he set the business straight or not.

[Cujobyte]

Well, I'll probably stir the pot with this post, but let's be honest here. Selling trading cards is pretty much a thankless job. 90% of items go down in price sealed. Then having to compete with ebay etc is not rewarding at all. In fact, I've talked with almost every dealer out there (and some that post on this board) and most can't wait to get out of this field. And I don't blame them.

Yes the wait is way too long, on any other set it would have killed those flippers, but this set has stayed hot.

Chris here at BO and Matt at SF always, always try to come through for you guys tho. But I"m surprised ANYONE still sells trading cards after the last year or so. My hats off to Chris and Matt for dealing with the market the way it is.

I mean, we have people on these boards promoting the fact that they cancel preorders IF a product doesn't go up. Then they bitch and moan if they get cut in allocation. Well, that's the nature of the beast. I have to put in orders for 15 cases of Chrome 2 so I can possibly get maybe 4-5 cases??? The whole market is ridiculous, and it's getting worse because idiot sports guys are getting into our market now because they are losing on 90% of what they bust. Sorry, I know there are some cool sports sellers but for the most part it seems they're rude and arrogant.

That doesn't excuse the slowness and I think SF is learning that. As stated, I did receive my case of MW and am very happy that they came through, and I think you'll get yours in the end.

[gdelan1]

I wonder why I didn't get that email...but good to know. Hopefully, MW boxes will be shipping soon.

[eldavojohn]

SO I would like to say that I've spent a lot of time waiting on the discussed persons. They have always compensated me well, however. Last month they said I would be getting my 3x MW boxes. Cujo told me he was late getting his too. So now it's a month after they said it would be shipping and they still haven't shipped it. Okay, no big deal but I wanted to know if this was going to be their standard. Here is part of their response:

All Pre-Orders will now ship within two (2) business days of the
official product release date, guaranteed. Most products will ship on
or before the release date, but the absolute latest they will ship is
2 days after the release. If you do not have a shipment confirmation
within this window, our system will automatically email a $25.00 gift
certificate to your email, and you'll also be given the opportunity to
cancel the order for a full immediate refund, regardless of pre-order
cancellation restrictions.Also their new policy of e-mailing me within four business hours of my e-mail has so far held true (YAY).

In the e-mail to me they named one of the distributors that screwed them over instead of naming them and causing further problems, I'll just leave it at them being "the hardest mineral in the Mohs scale" in case anyone else is dealing with them and would like to know about the supply chain issues they cause.

[gerry609]

Over 4 weeks since release. Has anybody had their MW box/es sent yet. :mad:

[gdelan1]

just got the email today that my MW box is shipping!

[cardbooker]

just got the email today that my MW box is shipping!

Yup, me too =)

[gdelan1]

Got one of my orders today, was missing one item :(

[gerry609]

Yup, me too =)

Ditto. Will be more happy when product is being tracked via USPS. Once had a package from SF that the shipping label was created but never shipped. Waited 2 weeks until I Emailed them about it. "Slipped thru the cracks" apparently. It was eventually sent though.

[Sushiyoshi]

Lucky guys!

Mine still not shipped yet.

[eldavojohn]

Lucky guys!

Mine still not shipped yet.

Nor mine. .....

[gerry609]

Nor mine. .....

Mine has not shipped either. "A shipping label has been prepared for your item at 3:46 am on March 13, 2015 in BOULDER, CO 80303." That's all my tracking shows.

[ricksam]

are u covered by the new giftcard giving policy?

[gerry609]

are u covered by the new giftcard giving policy?

I believe not as my order was made back in September.

[xbignick]

Wasn't going to post since it's technically a competitor but since the thread has stayed up this long guess we can.

My experiences:
I've ordered cards from them without a problem.
Boxes were okay.
Ordered a case and had a problem with it not being sealed but he sent me a new case and then had me send back the resealed one, good way of handling it.
Ordered supplies this December and unfortunately took a couple weeks...and was missing some items but he made up for it by sending the missing parts priority and threw in two extra packs of toploaders.

I did just order a mystery box hobby edition that starts shipping the 23rd, will pay close attention to that.

[gerry609]

My package has left the building :)

[daviswr7]

Not too be a fly in the ointment here but why buy from them? 4 weeks after release? Questionable shipping practices? The spike in all this was a 2 weeks ago. What's the upside here? Why not just pre-order from BO? Did they have really good pricing? I don't know much about the company so please inform me...it all seems very hodge-podgy imho..

[gerry609]

Not too be a fly in the ointment here but why buy from them? 4 weeks after release? Questionable shipping practices? The spike in all this was a 2 weeks ago. What's the upside here? Why not just pre-order from BO? Did they have really good pricing? I don't know much about the company so please inform me...it all seems very hodge-podgy imho..

When I bought mine back in September, they were the only shop listing MW as BO and others had stopped taking pre-orders. SF had them listed at $169.95. No one else had them listed at this low price. I had never had any really bad issue with them, (albeit, never bought pre-orders before) other than sometimes slow-ish shipping, but always resolved quickly. Would I buy pre-orders again from them? No, but I do like their mystery boxes.

[gdelan1]

seems like they're getting it together. Responses to emails are pretty fast, and everything seems to be shipping out pretty quickly (though it's annoying to get a shipment notification on a Friday morning, knowing it's not shipping until Monday)

[xbignick]

Anyone get tracking for the mystery box?

[kerg]

Anyone get tracking for the mystery box?

Nope.

Per their new policy, it should ship no later than today. If not.. well.. guess they couldn't even make it 2 weeks with their new policies.

[gdelan1]

Still missing a box of 2015 leaf 8x10 that was shipped "direct from a distributior" (it's been 3 weeks at least)

[eldavojohn]

I don't know if this will help anyone but I basically sent them an e-mail saying that I know they're buying them off the market and to help them out, I just asked for compensation on my next case from them (J vs S) for around $275 a box.

I know, I know, I know. I should have held them to their promise. But at this point, I'd rather just tackle the next product.

I'm especially happy since this caused me to roll into BO's store and pick up a box of masterwork at the current price. Got an ACAR sketch and a /10 medallion.

[xbignick]

Nope.

Per their new policy, it should ship no later than today. If not.. well.. guess they couldn't even make it 2 weeks with their new policies.

Do we get $10 gift card? :coffee::coffee::coffee:

Haha, was actually going to order two more if tracking popped up. Now I'll wait and see how I do on my box before I do.

[kerg]

Do we get $10 gift card? :coffee::coffee::coffee:

Haha, was actually going to order two more if tracking popped up. Now I'll wait and see how I do on my box before I do.

Actually, I did get a $10 gift card this morning for the delay.

[AceGambit3]

Actually, I did get a $10 gift card this morning for the delay.

As did I. Was planning on inquiring about fhe mystery boxes as well when I received the email. Said the delay was because they were waiting on more product to come in.....Wonder what it was they got coming in

[t2554]

Still waiting on my case of Masterwork from them... I am supposedly "next in line" and in every email I've sent in the past month+, the response has been that it should come in "sometime next week." It's especially frustrating because I've seen all the people on here getting their loose boxes in from SF already and here I am with no indication that I'll get my case at all.

[ztaylork]

Still waiting on my case of Masterwork from them... I am supposedly "next in line" and in every email I've sent in the past month+, the response has been that it should come in "sometime next week." It's especially frustrating because I've seen all the people on here getting their loose boxes in from SF already and here I am with no indication that I'll get my case at all.

Wait....you are next in line too!!!

[Sushiyoshi]

uh oh ...lol


Glad I got my box. GL guys

[xbignick]

Actually, I did get a $10 gift card this morning for the delay.

As did I. Was planning on inquiring about fhe mystery boxes as well when I received the email. Said the delay was because they were waiting on more product to come in.....Wonder what it was they got coming in

Same. :flex:

Should I order two more mystery? With this and the weekly 10 comes to ~$23.5 per.

[jdhaugh11]

What does SF stand for? I read all these posts about SF and always wondered what everyone is talking about?
If you can't say the name within this post because they are a competitor, someone please PM me so I once and for all can have a clue!

[nabzy28]

I'm next in line too! This is so cool! What's the over/under on how long they can keep their Ponzi scheme going?

[yorkbag]

I'm next in line too! This is so cool! What's the over/under on how long they can keep their Ponzi scheme going?

I completely concur on the "Ponzi Scheme" scenario. Especially, when they take pre-orders months before the manufacturer has yet to even distribute an order list. I have been thinking this for quite some time.

[jjsmallvillelvr]

I completely concur on the "Ponzi Scheme" scenario. Especially, when they take pre-orders months before the manufacturer has yet to even distribute an order list. I have been thinking this for quite some time.

You still waiting for our binders?

[yorkbag]

You still waiting for our binders?

Sad to say, yes :mad:

[nabzy28]

I completely concur on the "Ponzi Scheme" scenario. Especially, when they take pre-orders months before the manufacturer has yet to even distribute an order list. I have been thinking this for quite some time.

It's why I got a refund on another pre ordered case from early last year that, now, has an April '15 release date. Figured I'm willing to take the chance on bankruptcy vs. 2 SW Masterwork boxes but not a case for hundreds more. The 'gift card' thing is cute. I can email out "gift cards" all day long too but what's the point if you'll never receive the product you might use it on?

[Andrew Jones]

Given all of this, why would anyone order anything (especially pre-sales) from them? Do people actually enjoy being lied to and ripped off or do they just feel compelled to support crappy business practices?

[aggie4ever]

Given all of this, why would anyone order anything (especially pre-sales) from them? Do people actually enjoy being lied to and ripped off or do they just feel compelled to support crappy business practices?

Because they are significantly cheaper than anywhere else? That's also part of their problem... they sell the good stuff at too cheap a price, and sell more then they can reliably get. And up to now, noone has been ripped off, they've always come through eventually.

[ztaylork]

I just emailed and said I was done...still waiting on 4 cases, but this has happened on almost everything I have ordered lately and its seriously killing my desire to even open product. Sucks to see everyone ripping through product weeks (and sometimes months) before I get mine. If I ever decide to rip more I will pay the higher price to get it at least within 7 days of release.

[jjsmallvillelvr]

Sad to say, yes :mad:

Urgh.

The 'gift card' thing is cute. I can email out "gift cards" all day long too but what's the point if you'll never receive the product you might use it on?

Lolol.

[AceGambit3]

I like how people keep comparing them to ponzi scheme when not once have they not followed through........

[Andrew Jones]

I like how people keep comparing them to ponzi scheme when not once have they not followed through........

I haven't made that comparison but that's often how a Ponzi scheme works. Scammers use the new money coming in to pay off the current investors (bet it via dividends or withdrawals). This makes everything appear legit because you are able to get your money if/when you request it. It works until the new money stops coming in, more investors want their money than the new money coming in can cover, or the scammer simply stops making payouts for some other reason. In other words, not screwing people over while you build up your client base (and money in escrow) is a hallmark of most Ponzi schemes.

[jmaus017]

Received my trackin for the mystery hobby box today...we'll see how this works out!

[chilly55]

Received my trackin for the mystery hobby box today...we'll see how this works out!

I bought 3 Mystery boxes on Monday plus some Supernatural. Tracking was provided on Tuesday and Fedex had the package Tuesday evening. Says delivery will be tomorrow. Will let everyone know.

Bill

[ricksam]

I haven't made that comparison but that's often how a Ponzi scheme works. Scammers use the new money coming in to pay off the current investors (bet it via dividends or withdrawals). This makes everything appear legit because you are able to get your money if/when you request it. It works until the new money stops coming in, more investors want their money than the new money coming in can cover, or the scammer simply stops making payouts for some other reason. In other words, not screwing people over while you build up your client base (and money in escrow) is a hallmark of most Ponzi schemes.

where u gets this from?
#I LEARNED SUM SUM ON 411 .. 5

:eatit:

#BOOKSisGOODS

[kerg]

I got tracking #'s a few days ago, but nothing in the system.

Edit: Part of the tracking number doubled up. It's on it's way.

[gdelan1]

I'm still waiting 3 weeks or so (since I recieved 2/3 of said order) later for a piece of an order that was shipped to me "direct from a distributor" though no tracking info is available...

[KLS23KLS]

I just received the one box of Masterworks this week that I pre-ordered before launch. I guess I should have no complaints since I honestly forgot that I even ordered it....

Ken

[goldenegg1]

I have 4 mystery boxes coming, they were scheduled for today, and now I will get them on Monday.

[xbignick]

I ordered mine but put USPS priority since it's easier for me to receive most times. Tracking as of the 30th but still not updated. :/ Good thing I didn't order two more I suppose.

[chilly55]

Fedex now says my mystery boxes will be here on Saturday instead of Thursday.
Still in Colorado :(

Bill

[AceGambit3]

my two arrived and damn were they bad...like damn

Seeker & Star Trek Portfolio

[ricksam]

my two arrived and damn were they bad...like damn

Seeker & Star Trek Portfolio

no hits in trek?
if any, post up plz

[jmaus017]

Got mine today....inkworks alias season 3 hobby. Could've been worse!

[xbignick]

I ordered mine but put USPS priority since it's easier for me to receive most times. Tracking as of the 30th but still not updated. :/ Good thing I didn't order two more I suppose.

I take this back. It showed up today and tracking updated all at once, guess there wasn't an entrance scan or any until it arrived in NJ.

Grimm Season 2: Contains base set and 2 hits (autograph or costume), and some chase inserts.

I'm guessing this is pretty decent? Haven't followed the show since season 1 so never got into the cards.

Edit: Posted the break in the break section.

[ricksam]

Got mine today....inkworks alias season 3 hobby. Could've been worse!

breaking?
might like some depending who

[jmaus017]

breaking?
might like some depending who

Yeah, I plan on doing it tonight or tomorrow. I'll put the results up when I do.

[kerg]

Seeker & Star Trek Portfolio

Dude.. you did amazing compared to me.

Seeker, Alias Season 3, Journey 3d, Kree Skrull, 4400, Walking Dead Comics and Grimm 2.

I know they are 'mystery' boxes.. but.. man. I put mystery boxes in quotes because they knew what they packed, not like these were true mysteries. Definitely the final straw for me on SF. Plenty of other stores and artists to spend money on.

[monkeymcgee]

Without a list of possible items that gives an indication of how likely you are to get well below the charged price in value, I think it's a mystery why anyone buys these.

[AceGambit3]

I think the first batch of mystery boxes was to sucker people in then this second batch was to off load the crap boxes.

[jjsmallvillelvr]

I think the first batch of mystery boxes was to sucker people in then this second batch was to off load the crap boxes.

Ding ding ding ding #Winner ;)

[kerg]

I think the first batch of mystery boxes was to sucker people in then this second batch was to off load the crap boxes.

This.

My past experiences with the mystery boxes and with the hobby mystery boxes were that people were at least getting somewhat in the realm of value. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. Definitely wasn't expecting what I got. My guess as to what the mystery boxes were going to be was like 2 of the 'crap' boxes (Seeker, 4400, etc), 2-3 lower end that just aren't sellers (breaking bad, enders game) and then 2 of something that were ok.

Oh well, I fell for it. There won't be a second time to fall for it.

At least the hits out of Grimm 2 will recover half my money because I pulled a Marcia Dye sketch card and 2 autos.

[jjsmallvillelvr]

This.

My past experiences with the mystery boxes and with the hobby mystery boxes were that people were at least getting somewhat in the realm of value. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. Definitely wasn't expecting what I got. My guess as to what the mystery boxes were going to be was like 2 of the 'crap' boxes (Seeker, 4400, etc), 2-3 lower end that just aren't sellers (breaking bad, enders game) and then 2 of something that were ok.

Oh well, I fell for it. There won't be a second time to fall for it.

At least the hits out of Grimm 2 will recover half my money because I pulled a Marcia Dye sketch card and 2 autos.
Ooh Marcia dye sketches are great! Sketch in the walking dead comic?

[kerg]

Sketch in the walking dead comic?

Yes. A low end one though.

[jjsmallvillelvr]

Yes. A low end one though.

Bummer. Should still post them!

I got one regular mystery box awhile back and it wasn't great, then I got three more, not super great. And I was like that's probably the only $60 I'll spend on mystery stuff. Just don't have the money for the risk, might as well get something I know what it is lol. Granted at $15 a piece, you probably can always break even, but the boxes, too much of a gamble for me. For you, it really does suck they gave you so much low end crap. But I guess the last two were your more expensive ones.

[chilly55]

Got mine, same story. Kree-Skull, 4400 & Grimm 2. Plus, they didn't include my Supernatural boxes. So now I had to shoot an e-mail to find out what's going on.

They are not trying to keep business for sure.

Bill

[ricksam]

Got mine, same story. Kree-Skull, 4400 & Grimm 2. Plus, they didn't include my Supernatural boxes. So now I had to shoot an e-mail to find out what's going on.

They are not trying to keep business for sure.

Bill

sheesh ... as for the gift card idea they came up with:
so did u get a gift card?
will u get a gift card?

ill take your gift card .. if available
:D

wonder if complaints are all over social media

[chilly55]

Matt e-mailed back this morning stating that the Supernatural boxes are coming direct from their distributor, not from them. So I should expect another box sometime next week.

Last time this happened I waited 6 weeks for BBT5 to come from their distributor. That was not a pre-order either.

As for the gift card, no mention in the e-mail.

Bill

PS, all was not lost. Opened the Grimm box and pulled this:

http://i61.tinypic.com/1679dc.jpg

[gdelan1]

finally getting a replacement sent for my missing box of Leaf 2015 8x10

[kerg]

After discussing my 'disappointment' I was informed there was an error and that I should have received at least 1 better box. I received a Sleepy Hollow box in the mail today.

If my mystery boxes were 4400, Alias 3, Journey, Seeker, Grimm 2, Walking Dead Set 2 and Sleepy Hollow in the first place I would have thought 'could have been better, could have been worse'

Guessing mystery boxes from them have run their course since it seems they are now just doing preorder stuff and any existing inventory was sold off.

[booswain]

I got a 4400 box and Vampire Academy. So it was pretty slim.

[gdelan1]

Just got a response from Matt, he's really taking care of me on an item that was missing from a previous order. Customer service is impressive over there these days

[yorkbag]

emailed Matt at SF four days ago and nothing...not even crickets...I give up and WILL NEVER EVER purchase from there again....SMH

[GFD18]

thread bump!

A few months later, and...SF finally announced yesterday that they are closing up shop. I got an email that said the following:
" Thank you again for being a valued customer!

Our family business has been operating in the non-sports market for over 15 years. With the recent changes to the non-sport market, as well as changes within our family, we feel we can no longer provide all of the products, as well as the high level of service, that our customers have come to expect from us over the years. As a result, we will be closing up shop at the end of 2015 and will move on to the next exciting chapter of our lives!

We will continue to offer pre-orders on all products releasing for the remainder of the year, as well as early next year. All current orders and pre-orders will be fully honored, regardless of release date. [edited out an advertising sentence here]

[edited out an advertising paragraph here]

We would like to sincerely thank you for your business over the years - it has been greatly appreciated! "



I'm pretty bummed, especially considering I've been waiting on my Topps Doctor Who case. Who knows if that set is even getting made anymore. Wish me luck on cancelling my order and getting a refund :)

[bpack14]

I will miss their mystery packs :(

[xbignick]

I've had a few orders with them since I found them - two of the past ones had problems but they were fixed. Recently I ordered supplies from there (May 11th) because I was almost out and had that $10 coupon from the mystery box delayed shipment and sent an e-mail the same night. The 22nd I e-mailed him again as there was no update on order. The 26th (believe it was a Tuesday) he said they would be there on Wednesday. It ended up being shipped the 2nd and delivered the 4th (of June, almost a month later).

[kerg]

Shame that someone needs to close up, but not surprising and probably for the best for him.

Will miss the mystery boxes (when they were done right)

[gdelan1]

I too will miss the mystery boxes