Big Bad Toy Store Experience! [International]
 

So, today, I finally shipped out my Pile of Loot. With that being said, I used the cheapest shipping method. My order was under 100$ so I couldn't see why I would pay 30 dollars to ship anything under 100$. Anyways, my question is to people who live OUTSIDE of the USA. With that being said, these questions are directed to my Canadian brothers.

I made this thread for us arkers can help each other answer questions to help YOU sleep better at night. Also, just because the thread is titled International doesn't mean my American cousins cannot post questions that fellow Arkers can answer.


Questions

How long does it take for your order to get to you?

Did anything you have come damaged due to poor shipping?

Any other problems/questions that aren't the first 2 of the above questions?

Uhg, can a mod please fix the typo in the title?

How long does it take for your order to get to you?

For me, I live in Montreal, It takes just over a week.

Did anything you have come damaged due to poor shipping?

The box that is came in had no damage, ive had stuff a little bent but that could be always passed off for me not selecting "collector grade"

Any other problems/questions that aren't the first 2 of the above questions?

The one time I shipped with the more expensive shipping, my parcel was returned to them and they had to ship it again. thus taking alot longer to get to me. Cheap shipping all the way with me!

Thanks for the quick reply Roadrevenge! If it took a bit over a week I will assume that BBTS is based in the east. I will double that for myself. Thanks for the time frame dude!

I've heard of BBTS packages being caught up in Canadian customs from time to time. But my friends up north have never mentioned to me about a delay due to BBTS themselves.

What typo?

About 2-3 weeks (I'm in the UK)

Nope, although like roadrevenge I've had stuff with slightly bent packaging.

Without fail my stuff gets stopped at customs and I get charged hideous amounts.

The thing I like about BBTS is that you can pre-order without paying up front, but really most of the time you can find stuff cheaper either in person or on eBay, and by the time I've paid customs charges and bought stuff I don't want (when you can only buy a whole wave of something) it's just not worth it. I'd be interested to know if anyone outside of North America uses BBTS regularly.

I fixed it.

I live pretty close to you, dude, so I can probably give you the best idea of what to expect here. I've also ordered from them lots of times. The shipping is based on weight, so you could even order something that's only $50 but it'll cost $30 if it weighs a lot. For example, the Sentinel is only around $40-$50, but it costs around $30 to ship.

I recently shipped to myself of around $250 worth of stuff for around $28 in shipping. I've never had anything damaged on a shipment or anything missing, but I did once have my orders delayed but only because of that postal strike. You'll more than likely have to pay duties (Usually around $10 to $30). One time, it really pissed me off when I ordered a bunch of DC Universe Classics figures and they had to split it into two boxes and I paid around $50 in duties.

I've had things arrive as quickly as 1 week as in I had a shipping notification on Friday, and got it the next Friday and this is with the cheapest shipping. I never order anything via UPS and never will again. They are the biggest con job ever and they stole my credit card and ordered a flight with Air Canada when I paid my brokerage costs through them. (I know some scumbag there stole it because they were the only place with my card details and the only place I used my card).

Ah, mystery solved. ;)

Oh, yeah. Completely slipped my mind about that whole SNAFU. I remember Vangelus being quite vocal about it at one point. Arkers weren't too happy about it, either as I recall.

I know I'm not international, but I am a long time customer of BBTS.
My experience with them, and with Joel, I cannot speak more highly. I trust the store fully.

My orders take a fairly long amount of time to reach me, even though I'm stateside, but that is not their fault. I have a very crappy post office, and *everything* takes more than a week to reach me.

I've also had a few shipping boxes arrive to me, pretty heavily beat up, but again, that is not Joel's fault. It's my post office.

The stuff in the boxes are always very well packed, with some form of super bubblewrap.
I've also never heard anyone make a fair complaint towards the company.
(I know an idiot who bought "dead" MP Prime figure, did not understand what he was getting exactly, complained to Joel, and got a second one for free because he "had to open it." Aside from that, all I hear are people complain about the prices being slightly more than most other places. Neither of which are fair or very valid, IMO)

Like I said, I know I'm not an international source, but I hope this helps settle your worries a little.

This is true about duty fees and are never consistent.

Sometimes you pay, sometimes you don't. You cannot judge just by the what you paid.

Question 1 - For me, living in the middle of Canada, it usually takes 2 weeks.
Question 2 - No. Even the boxes arrived mint. LOL
As for duties (theChris mentioned them) I've only had to pay them once. Other than that no problems at all. Love BBTS.

Wonder why you would SOMETIMES have to pay duty fees...

I don't know.

Maybe the post office doesn't like me. lol



either way, when I was dealing with BBTS I loved the service. Stopped dealing with them only because my local store sells the same stock for basicly the same price or cheaper.

I could understand the UK and other countries paying fees, but with the American/Canadian free trade I thought we would be in the clear. Guess I should read up on that stuff.

Yeah, sorry bud. Expect to pay between 10 to 30 bucks in fees when you get your package. If not, lucky! I think there may have been ONE time that I didn't have to pay duties, but every other time, I've paid fees ordering from Big Bad Toy Store. :)

Way to weird dude...did you use the cheapest shipping or UPS? I've never had to pay duty on anything I have ordered from the states, I don't see why it would start now...

Anyways if you chose UPS:

UPS AIR SERVICE $22.99 plus $3.10 a pound
Usually arrives in 2 - 5 days. Brokerage is included. 5% GST, applicable PST, and a $5.85 CAD fee is due at the time of delivery. Additional fees if value over $4300 CAD.

Also, found this that has some info too for Canadians:

For an item to qualify as a "gift", a friend or relative must send it to you personally and include a card or other notice indicating that it is a gift.

If you receive an imported gift by mail that is worth CAN$60 or less, you will not have to pay duty or tax on it.
If the gift is worth more than CAN$60, you will have to pay any applicable duty and taxes on any amount over CAN$60.
For example, if a relative sends you a gift worth CAN$200, you must pay any applicable duty, GST or HST and PST on CAN$140.

Items that do not qualify for the CAN$60 gift exemption include the following:

tobacco;
alcoholic beverages;
advertising material; and
items sent by a business

Looks like I am paying a small fee. Silly post office.

I'd assume that since BBTS is a business, they listed your order as "goods" or "services", and a while back when I mailed off stuff to you a postal worker told me that Canada is really strict about that. Sorry to hear that you're paying extra funds for something that logically should have been less. Hopefully a few American Arkers will try to back you up on future acquisitions Tyler.

Can International shipments be marked as gifts for customs purposes?
Yes - we will mark your package as a gift if you select that feature in your account settings. This does not guarantee that the package will be tax or duty free.

I checked yes, but as they said, they didn't say it would be duty free/tax free. My order was under 100$ so I would assume 15 dollars in fees.

Interesting. At least they tried to offer that "loop hole", but their high volume of sales probably raised a lot of suspicion, or perhaps the area it was shipped to is more strict. Either way, the Canadian post appears to be very strict.
By the way, I just wanted to say thank you for starting this thread, because it just seems practical and I like the idea of helping each other learn from our international trading, friendships, and transactions.

No problem dude! Thanks for your input too! I don't think my fee should be anything over 20 dollars when I get my package. It is only 30 dollars over the 60 dollar limit so I may not even get charged a fee lol.

Hey man, you should start another thread like this but make the title/content broader so that we can talk about International trading, selling, etc.

I may ask a mod to completely change the title then I can edit the OP. To lazy to start one right now haha.

If you want, I can do it. I don't have shit to do right now.

Sounds good dude. To stoked on SWEDEN WINNING GOLD! =D.