The Feedback Thread

stemturtle · February 15, 2018, 07:42:58 PM

My gratitude to Beetle guy for kindly alerting me about the listing of the rare Epoch copepod on YAJ.
And positive for Brett, who managed the bid and shipping, in addition to two sets of new releases. Delivered today.
See the review of the Ecology of Plankton by bmathison1972.

stargatedalek · February 21, 2018, 05:26:41 PM

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.

Beetle guy · February 21, 2018, 07:59:22 PM

I have seen their prices and their in many casses (not all!!) pretty high for the listed figurines. Even with the costs of buying services you can buy them way cheaper from Yahoo auctions or so.

stargatedalek · February 21, 2018, 08:21:51 PM

Quote from: Beetle guy on February 21, 2018, 07:59:22 PM
I have seen their prices and their in many casses (not all!!) pretty high for the listed figurines. Even with the costs of buying services you can buy them way cheaper from Yahoo auctions or so.

I saw they had the Takara/Yujin Shrimps and Crabs collection figures for absolutely ludicrous prices. I paid less than $10 for each of the ones from this set I own, and you can find almost any of them on Ebay (let alone Yahoo Japan) for less than $20 at any time.

http://stores.ebay.ca/MONSTER-HOUSE-hong-kong/_i.html?_nkw=yujin+crab&submit=Search&_sid=744250062

sbell · February 23, 2018, 02:22:01 AM

Quote from: stargatedalek on February 21, 2018, 08:21:51 PM
Quote from: Beetle guy on February 21, 2018, 07:59:22 PM
I have seen their prices and their in many casses (not all!!) pretty high for the listed figurines. Even with the costs of buying services you can buy them way cheaper from Yahoo auctions or so.
I saw they had the Takara/Yujin Shrimps and Crabs collection figures for absolutely ludicrous prices. I paid less than $10 for each of the ones from this set I own, and you can find almost any of them on Ebay (let alone Yahoo Japan) for less than $20 at any time.

http://stores.ebay.ca/MONSTER-HOUSE-hong-kong/_i.html?_nkw=yujin+crab&submit=Search&_sid=744250062

I think a lot of us area aware of them--and their crazy pricing. I've never purchased from them, but I have had to insist that they not use my photos of Colorata figures (probably plucked from here or DTF) for their auctions...which indicates how likely people are to get the figure pictured in an auction!

sauroid · February 23, 2018, 07:26:18 AM

if they have the figures they are selling, why dont they just use their own pics?

sbell · February 23, 2018, 02:20:55 PM

Quote from: sauroid on February 23, 2018, 07:26:18 AM
if they have the figures they are selling, why dont they just use their own pics?

When last I looked, they did--but the only photos were of the figures in the plastic bags. It's not like they couldn't get stock photos from the Colorata site or something.

bmathison1972 · February 23, 2018, 11:43:17 PM

well time for some positive feedback, thanks to stargatedalek for the ant model (will do a walkaround) and Beetle Guy for filling more gaps in my beetle collection!

EDIT: and a couple little trilobites? What are those from? Did you make them custom 3D printing?

stargatedalek · February 24, 2018, 01:07:03 AM

Quote from: bmathison1972 on February 23, 2018, 11:43:17 PM
well time for some positive feedback, thanks to stargatedalek for the ant model (will do a walkaround) and Beetle Guy for filling more gaps in my beetle collection!

EDIT: and a couple little trilobites? What are those from? Did you make them custom 3D printing?

And a positive for bmathison1972! Always a pleasure.

They are 3D printed, the rolled one is a scan of a Flexicalymene fossil courtesy of Digimorphs, and the other is distributed by, of all things, the Yahoo Japan Thingiverse account.
https://www.thingiverse.com/YahooJAPAN/designs

stargatedalek · February 26, 2018, 04:08:31 AM

Quote from: stargatedalek on February 21, 2018, 05:26:41 PM
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'm reluctant to comment more before this really comes to anything, but he became extremely aggressive after I sent a claim for a return. He is flooding me with angry messages through Facebook and Ebay, so I thought I should double down on my original negative feedback left here.

I'm saving all of them of course should anyone be (fairly) skeptical and want to see, though I felt this was worth sharing immediately rather than waiting to see if Ebay is willing to step in.

Halichoeres · March 20, 2018, 12:55:48 AM

Positive for pelycosaurus, thanks!

pelycosaurus · April 10, 2018, 12:56:41 AM

positive for stargatedalek

sbell · April 10, 2018, 01:24:14 AM

I should remember to thanks Halichoeres! I have achieved extra fishies thanks to him (a week ago, but still)

Halichoeres · April 10, 2018, 11:47:59 PM

Oh yeah! I also got a pretty good fish in trade from SBell. Thanks!

bmathison1972 · April 17, 2018, 04:47:07 PM

More thanks to sbell, for helping me acquire my first Jerusalem cricket figure!

stemturtle · May 16, 2018, 01:56:28 PM

Positive feedback for Croc4theW for prompt payment.
Thanks for letting me know that the 3 PV crocs made it to Canada.

Croc4theW · May 16, 2018, 02:51:41 PM

Positive feedback for stemturtle and a quick delivery of crocs I've been wanting to add to my collection for years! Also grateful for his management of the shipping costs to Canada!

Croc4theW · May 31, 2018, 03:18:21 PM

Positive for widukind! Thanks!

bmathison1972 · August 31, 2018, 02:22:46 AM

Big positive to @brettnj and Emiko for my recent haul (36 figures!) and @Beetle guy for alerting me to many of them!

stargatedalek · September 20, 2018, 05:45:44 PM

Positive for IrritatorRaji who was an immeasurable help in obtaining the Dinosaurs in the Wild exclusive Dakotaraptor. Even though the figure didn't end up suiting my needs, I'm so grateful for all of the help and glad that this potentially rare figure won't be nagging at me in the future.

And a belated positive for Halichoeres, who sold me some wonderful Kitan marine isopods during my absence here.

News:

The Feedback Thread