New Sideshow Policy - non-refundable deposit figures over $224

[teemu]

do they have this new policy in writing? or is this just something they are doing going forward?

If you pre-ordered before the new policy,you're okay if you need to cancel

 

[Mike86]

In fact, the whole preorder a full 9 months to year in advance is ridiculous anyway. They should just put the thing up for order when it's ready to ship. At this point, they know how many to make. There's no need to count preorders since they're unreliable anyway.

Agreed with this. They really should put products up for order with a shorter window of when they expect to be able to ship a figure out. I'm sure the reason its done the way it is now is to gauge how many figures to make but even so I would think for a lot of figures they could use past sales to determine an edition size and if they need to make more of a figure if demand warrants it.

Honestly I don't like the new nonrefundable deposit policy. I get why they're doing it but I would think it's going to drive fans away more than its going to help them in the long run. Also especially with some of their own figures they really need to up the quality if they're going to start pulling stuff like this. I'm wondering if poor reception to some of their own recent figures sparked this.

 

[Khev]

I don't have a problem with the NRD.

 

[Dr. Odd]

I had to pretty much quit collecting anyway, but they are making it very easy to not even be tempted anymore

 

[Sidewinder]

I can understand why they are doing this. It seems a lot of people preorder a figure, just to secure one, but then do cancel it down the line. I bet those dock issues really did a number on Sideshow's sales. How many people cancelled their pre orders because it was taking too long to ship and they ended up buying from Hong Kong directly?

We know all the AoU figures will be end up this price or more (except Black Widow and Scarlet Witch). So unless an Ex is announced, there will likely be less people preordering until a coupon can be used a couple of months later.

I know that's it for me preordering from SSC unless it is an exclusive I can only get from them. Regular figures can be picked up cheaper from other suppliers and the reward points aren't enough of an incentive to keep ordering.


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[Wor-Gar]

Not sure Sideshow sales won't get hurt in the process.

... it's going to drive fans away ....

Yep, but it will be much easier book-keeping for Sideshow. They get hurt more with tons of product in the warehouse, as this past Spooktacular showed.

Maybe Mr. Gilliland and the other guys who started the company are looking to sell it in the coming years and simply want to maximize the margins. Driving away the unreliable fans is necessary when cleaning house.

 

[Mike86]

I'm wondering if this policy is even official. I just checked four Hot Toys figures that are over $224 (Days of Future Past Wolverine, Electro, Chewbacca, and Han Solo) and none of them require a nonrefundable deposit except in some instances if you're ordering more than one. Maybe the pages for those figures haven't been updated yet.

 

[TaliBane]

The policy is official - I spoke with Sideshow (two different reps actually.) I discovered it when I tried to order Indy earlier this week, which did not have an NRD just last week.

It is curious on the HT stuff not getting the NRD yet - maybe they just haven't done it yet or maybe the SSC CS person was wrong regarding it applying to HT also. Though it doesn't make a whole of sense that they would charge a NRD on a Sideshow figure PO and not a HT figure PO that are side-by-side on the website - you'd think that would hurt PO's on SSC's own products and not HT's products.

On the point of whether a NRD is binding if the production figure does not match up to the proto, they stated there "will always be differences" and the figures are "hand crafted so they won't match the prototype exactly." Me and Nathan Drake launched an immediate counter offensive. Their response - "we'll work with you" if you aren't happy with an item and want a full refund including the NRD - "We'll always do our best to help."

This policy does come at a somewhat odd time - SSC is right now trying to prove that the new much higher pricepoint is warranted vs. HT's products. They haven't really proven it yet (given the look of not-yet-released Han and Luke Hoth) yet they put out a policy that seems like it would force customers to avoid placing a PO, which was an important part of Sideshow's business model for ten years.

Who knows, maybe the business has changed too much - their first SW figure Luke Jedi shipped FOUR MONTHS after PO - lag times of well over a year are very common these days.

 

[kl241]

Yeah they tried to tell me that BS about "hand crafted" and "may contain imperfections" when I recently returned a figure that had a paint scratch and they tried to make me pay return shipping. That is absolute BS for the price we are paying for their "high end" figures with crappy QC. The only thing "high end" is their prices sticking you in the arse. Sideshow is definitely NOT the company they started out to be. In any case, I'm done with those crooks.

 

[Mike86]

Yeah I would think this is going to impact pre-orders quite a bit which seems somewhat problematic because I would think that part of the reason for pre-orders is to gauge how much of a particular figure should be made. If that's not the case then I don't see why companies don't just go with a certain number based on past sales and have them ready to ship in a relatively short time after the product goes up for order. I think that is a lot of the problem that collectors second guess an order if it's around a year or so between the pre-order and actual release.

 

[cmiller99]

I doubt we'll see very much pre ordering activity from now on. Even exclusives may hang around for longer than usual. I don't know what to think about this. On one hand it's a deterrent to spending too much on the hobby, but on the other hand it's a pain for me as I just don't really like NRDs in general.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I just don't really like NRDs in general.

No one here likes NRDs.

And a lot can happen in a year. It's ridiculous to pay an upfront fee with that kind of lead time. If they think people complain too much now, just wait until you have a bunch of guys who have paid some money and then a year later end up with a bugged-eyed caricature of what they invested in.

Obviously they don't need preorders to gauge interest anymore, as they are well aware that few will actually preorder with an NRD. Why would you? Sideshow has to make enough figures to make it worth their while, so that means there will be plenty around once delivery arrives (once true in-hand pictures are shown.)



The other thing is, now that you have to wait anyway, you can get the Star Wars Sideshow stuff cheaper thru the Disney Store... and it still ships thru Sideshow.

 

[Mike86]

It really seems like the ideal situation would be to put a figure up for order and have it ready to ship shortly afterwards or at the most within two to three months. The long waits are probably what impacts people cancelling to an extent either because they lose interest or want to order something else or their financial situation changes or whatever. I guess one thing this policy will do is cut out a lot of impulse ordering which is probably good.

 

[afattori]

Did not pre order Vader because of nrd. But I did preorder pf batgirl with NRC because I really want her. Guess it depends on how bad the figure is I want. Bad enough prices are kinda forcing me out of collecting, but nrd on pretty much every figure from here on out is really making me not want to collect or make me more choosy on what I buy.

 

[Lee in MI]

Well Mark over at Alter Ego said this year manufacturers and retailers/etailers will be cutting back production and stock. I would guess this is the first step toward that end.

 

[TaliBane]

I don't have a problem with the NRD. I've cut back on pre-ordering anyway.

You mean you don't have a problem with NRD's because you've cut back on pre-orders, or - in a general sense - you don't have a problem with NRD's? Just trying to clarify whether customers might just shrug and order and accept the NRD or whether NRD's will be an actual negative for a majority of buyers.

My guess is it has a lot to do with inventory going forward - if as stated above manufacturers are indeed cutting back production numbers, that will sink this whole "I'll just wait for the production pics - and they'll be plenty left to buy discounted during Spook" line of thinking. You have to think that them adding NRD's to every figure from now on has to coincide with some larger change in their business.

I did want to add something - in response to me and Nathan Drake's retort, the Sideshow rep responded with something like "It's a fairly new poilicy we put up in the past week... we'll see how it goes."

 

[WWEJedi]

Son of a *****.

They are not charging an NRD for a figure you already pre order are they?

 

[EXOTICLEX]

Son of a *****.

They are not charging an NRD for a figure you already pre order are they?

no, just from now on it looks

 

[TaliBane]

Son of a *****.

They are not charging an NRD for a figure you already pre order are they?

no, just from now on it looks

Yeah, I double checked my Luke X-Wing PO (yes, I'm one of those four guys...) and there is nothing about a NRD in my order. It would be a little low to retroactively charge a NRD after someone had done the transaction and moved on - it would be a deceptive practice in a legal sense.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Don't care about NRDs. I buy what I like