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Cephusdog

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About Cephusdog

  • Birthday October 19

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  1. So sorry to hear. Jim represents the best of us, always full of positivity. Can't imagine a better advocate of the boards and funny books in general. Take care my friend, we're all rooting for you!
  2. I watched the first episode. Not familiar with the Anime so no expectations here. It was okay, definitely out there. I'll probably give it another watch. I actually liked the Netflix Cowboy Bebop, but again, I wasn't familiar with the source...
  3. Read the trilogy as a child and a friend gifted me this book with 3 more stories I didn't know she had written. I'm enjoying revisiting the tales with the eye of an adult.
  4. I'd have to say fake. No record of this anywhere else, such as MCS database etc. However this seller has sold multiple copies. Wolverine logo doesn't match the regular cover. No cover artist signature. Also, looking at the zoomed centerfold the seller has provided shows extra staple holes. Also hard to sell with no price or upc. Fake, fake, fake, IMO.
  5. The photos showed both sides of the bottom of the box that completely tore open on the top and was re-taped. I can see some creasing on one side possibly indicating that they were indeed grabbing the flaps of both the bottom and the tops. If MCS does tape the flaps perpendicularly, then I'm guessing that would help solve the issue. It certainly would make me feel better about my chances of receiving undamaged shipments.
  6. Thank you very much for the update, Conan. I have to admit, a part of me still thinks there is something to the tape failing, as someone else also stepped forward and even the tape on my replacement shipment last month was torn on several sides and that package was otherwise immaculate, But after the testing I'm hopeful that I've just been very, very unlucky these past 2 out of my 5 months of preorders with heavier shipments. I truly appreciate your customer service and vigilance for my orders and that's all I can ask for.
  7. My closest LCS stopped carrying DC comics when they switched distributors. That makes preorder services from companies like MCS very valuable for customers like me.
  8. Thank you for adding your insight, Conan. I've been in contact with customer service a couple of times so far today, and it has been a productive discussion. A few things regarding the condition of new comics: my frustration was not directed at the condition of new comics, per se, and I probably did a poor job communicating this. Usually, if I receive a comic in rough shape -- or I should say in a condition that bothers me -- I will reorder a NM comic from MCS' site. Conan can go through my order history to see that I have done so on numerous occasions. The issue was that I requested NM, not VF as replacements for the seven comics not listed in stock on the site and would rather have taken store credit or a refund if not possible. I don't know if replacement issues are discussed for the preorder plan on MCS' site, but I haven't found it, and honestly, I had never given it much thought before these incidents. I guess I assumed there might be several "break glass in emergency" copies not listed in stock in case this very problem arose. Instead of the transparency I received yesterday -- that if NM copies were not available, VF or lesser condition would be issued as long as the price listed on the MCS' site was not below what I initially paid -- I was led to believe they were not going to be VF copies. Now, maybe they potentially could have been, as the representative said they were sourced from bundles back from the shipper, whatever that means, but they were obviously in much poorer condition than the others I received. So expectations were set and made the resolution worse than if it had been spelled out to me from the beginning. Now, I completely understand MCS can't fill orders with copies they don't have. However, because over a month has passed since the release of many issues in my order, oftentimes stock will be nonexistent, and only the lesser condition comics will be left. It might be that those issues will be worse than the ones being returned. Again, relative information for replacements for the buyer. In a no-win scenario for both MCS and the buyer, I know that being given a little say in the conditions of the replacements -- such as you have the option of this VF condition comic or store credit -- would have gone a long way. The packing tape is definitely the focal point of my irritation. It turns out that it was noted in my file to use extra tape, so I'm glad that message was received. However, the representative said they forgot, so it doesn't really matter in the end. I know I must be blessed with incredibly rough UPS/USPS carriers in my area, but I am a bit in disbelief that more subscribers haven't complained about this very issue. Since I have never had a problem in over a decade with DCBS, I know it is possible for me to receive an undamaged shipment consistently.
  9. Thank you for sharing. I knew I couldn't be the only one experiencing this. I know I must be blessed with rough UPS/USPS handlers in my area, but the packing tape seems to be the biggest problem. I, too, choose the $9 shipping option after the first incident to no avail. Ultimately, I believe both shipments would have arrived safe and sound if the tape held up.
  10. Great question. No problems with DCBS at all. The main reason I made the switch was MCS' piggyback system. If you preorder from them you can get free shipping on most items. That alone was well worth it for me until they started arriving damaged or not at all. WARNING: ANOTHER WALL OF TEXT, FORTHCOMING! I realize it might be helpful to compare both preorder services. So far i found: DCBS' shipping boxes were sturdier and in over ten years of service, I never had a lost or damaged shipment. I occasionally had mishandled items, such as a dog-eared back cover or a torn page from when they were bagged. However, when I disclosed this, i'd always get a free replacement copy with my next shipment. I must say that i truly don't know how deep that failsafe stock is at DCBS as I've never had reason to test it, but copies being sold out with no replacement is a sad reality at MCS. So far I have found MCS' handling to be better - fewer finger bends, etc. And because you don't have to pay for bags and boards, MCS tends to be a smidge cheaper. Plus you usually get silver-age bags and boards and not the moderns that DCBS uses. I used to get mylar and gerber half-backs at DCBS, but unfortunately that ship sailed during the pandemic unless it recently changed. I wish MCS offered that option. Piggybacking, piggybacking, piggybacking. A big plus for MCS, especially if you buy a bunch books from them like I do. I bought many more comics just because I didn't have to pay that pesky shipping charge every time something I wanted came in to stock.
  11. Nothing spectacular just corner dings, like they were dropped, some on more than one corner, so i'm returning about half. Gosh, it did turn out longer than intended.
  12. Ugh. Much of this is a cathartic rant, but if you are considering preorders with Mycomicshop.com, you may want to hear my story. A couple of months ago, I switched from DCBS to Mycomicshop.com for my preorders. The piggybacking of orders onto my subscription appealed to me, as did Mycomicshop's use of silver-age bags and boards for their new comics, unlike the modern's I had been forced to use from DCBS since they got rid of the mylar options. Everything was wonderful until it wasn't. Last month my subscription orders arrived on my doorstep with a box. Or I should say some of my orders arrived that way. Part of my orders arrived in another box, and some didn't arrive at all. It seemed that the box had opened during the shipment, and since the invoice with my address on it was visible in a bagged "brick" of bagged and boarded comics, it was able to be delivered. For that shipment, I used economy shipment, which I had used many times previously, which is the UPS SUREPOST, a combination of UPS and USPS. I had used that form of shipment many times before without incident. Needless to say, all of those comics were damaged. As you would expect, Mycomicshop customer service was helpful, reshipping replacement copies of the new and older books if they were in stock. I also upgraded shipping to the UPS-only option. Now, this is where it soured for me. Some books were sent in lesser conditions and in an obfuscatory manner. Seven of the damaged and missing new issues were not listed in the inventory in NM condition. I specifically asked for NM copies and said I didn't want to replace them with VF or less. The service representative said they had replacements, so don't worry. I didn't. It's Mycomicshop, they'll take care of me. I had another question regarding an issue of a modern comic from a few years ago that I had ordered in NM, which also was not listed in stock in that condition. However, they did have a NM- copy, and I specifically asked if that was the copy it was going to be replaced with. I was told it was NM, and she sent me a scan. The scan looked good, so I said thank you and couldn't believe my luck that one just happened to be entering the system. As you can imagine, many older books had no replacements, but only a single new one was unable to be found. I was forced to decide whether to keep several damaged books that had no replacement at the same price point, and that left me a bit bummed, but it was my decision to keep them. Anyway, many hours of time were spent sorting damaged books to be returned and communicating. It couldn't happen again, right? When the replacements came, I immediately noticed a few things that irked me. The seven new books that were not listed in stock in NM were VF copies or less. That one book I specifically asked about being in NM? NM- sticker right on the bag. Also, regarding the package that arrived, the brown string tape had torn on the part of the top that connected to the sides — ripped cleanly from the weight of the comics inside. It could have easily failed. I shared this information with Mycomicshop. I didn't mention the seven VF or less new comics, I just wanted to move on. Still, I did tell the service representative that I would have chosen to replace the comic NM with the NM- anyway after seeing the scan and didn't appreciate her not telling me when I asked point blank. I also questioned if there was a price difference that wasn't mentioned. She didn't take it well and told me that NM or NM-, it was priced the same. A few weeks later, I received a cardboard cutout of the shipping label from my missing package with a nice letter about how USPS cares about all packages in their care. Right. I emailed this information to Mycomicshop just in case they needed it for insurance purposes. Fast forward to this month's subscription shipment. Yesterday I received a box containing about 80 new and old comics; however, the top brown string tape had been torn and resealed with clear packing tape. I removed the comic bricks, and many corners were dented. After further inspecting the package, I noticed the brown string tape on the bottom of the box was ripped on both ends where it connected to the sides but was still sealed along the seam. The way I see it, the weight of the comics inside was tearing the tape, and it finally gave way on top, spilling the contents but at least this time, they put them back in the box and sealed it shut. I couldn't believe it. Not to absolve UPS by any means, but since no additional precautions were made with my order, my concerns about this very issue obviously had no bearing. I can't be the only one this happening to, can I? For the past two days, I have been going through all the books, and about half are so damaged I don't want them — again, lots of time and communication. This time I'm dealing with a different service representative who made some information clear: Since NM copies aren't guaranteed with subscription orders, they will replace them with lesser copies. Also, if something like this happens, in many instances, you are S.O.L. as they have no backup copies of new comics like DCBS. At least this representative told me this upfront, as I did not like being surprised last time. Now I have to try and track down many NM issues of comics from other sellers, which is going to be a nightmare and get really expensive if I want to replace those. I've enjoyed collecting certain titles of comics for decades and want to keep the runs going, but this whole process has sickened me. I've spent much time and energy on damage control, sorting books that will only be returned. It really stinks having to choose between accepting damaged ones or the VF or less condition copies that haven't sold. You feel like you lose either way. And it's really frustrating that all my concerns about that damn packing tape fell on deaf ears. I am very disappointed and don't think I can any longer afford to use their preorder plan. .