Well, I'm done buying Sideshow off eBay

I bought a Springwood Slasher Freddy MIB from an eBayer (Due to the fact I have no credit card and usually miss out on Sideshows site)
I open Freddy and 2 of his fingers come off as I attempt to pose him. Not a problem, I've had good luck with sideshow in the past.
Well, that was the past.

Here is the letter I got upon asking how I could get it fixed/exchanged:

Dear Don,

Sideshow will not replace damaged product to 3rd parties (even if factory sealed) and will only deal with the original purchaser. Also, due to the limited edition nature of our product, we cannot guarantee that the items can be replaced or that damaged specific edition numbers can be replaced with the same number. In this case, a substitution or refund will be offered to the vendor.

This policy is similar to any other manufacturer who sells to a retail vendor who in turn is fulfilling to the public. The damaged item is returned to the original place of purchase for replacement regardless if it is a brick and mortar store or an EBay store.

There is no way to be able to predict when second parties will resell Sideshow products to a third buyer, which is why we strongly urge EBay buyers to ask about the Vendor's policies, specifically about replacement of damages.

Best regards,

Jonathan Rasmussen

Returns Department

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So basiclly, If they sell a broken product directly TO me, I'm fine, If oh, lets say an item sells out and my only route is eBay, if its broken I'm f***ed.>:

Thanks Sideshow, hope you don't miss my money.

This has always been their policy. You should complain to the seller - he can get a replacement from SSC if he bought it from them.

This is why I always buy direct from SS. You end up paying a little more but it's worth it in the end especially if you're buying something expensive like a statue or PE figure.

Bottom line is you bought THEIR product and they thank you with a big .
When their Universal 12" line started with the Karloff Frankenstein Monster, I bought one....in a store!!! It had 2 of the same boots [both left IIRC]. I contacted Sideshow, not the store where I bought it and they quickly remedied the problem by sending me the correct boot. So I don't think it's always been their policy. It's become more their policy as they price themselves out and away from their customers. And when you go ebay, or at least in my experience, I'm not paying just a little bit less than SSC' s price, I'm pretty well cutting it in half, ie: BTVS Willow at $40? No way. Not after all the negative things I heard about her, but at $20? You betcha!!
21st Century replaced broken Helicopter rotors, didn't matter where they were bought and BBi also replaced broken figures without it mattering where they were purchased.
Sideshow? In the end, you bought their product, whether direct or from a vendor and they gave it right back to you...in the end.

So you're saying that since you bought off ebay for less than retail they ought to send you parts, even if it's possible/likely that the previous owner broke it?

Touche'
I was going by his saying it was MIB which infers it was never opened and therefore probably wasn't possibly/likely physically handled by the seller. That only leaves a mfr problem or defect.

MIB=MINT IN BOX
So no, he didn't break it, it was defective, just like Sideshows customer service:bang

And it hasn't always been this way, I got a Michael Myers off eBay, the glassesw broke, and Sideshow replaced them no problem.

Hell, I'd PAY for a spare Freddy hand if I could get on and replace it MYSELF.

So the seller refused to help you?

No response.

Sideshow should fix it.

Show them a copy of the auction w/ DATE and the "MIB" part.

Sorry Don, but the SELLER should have inspected it first to
100% confirm that it was indeed perfect or MIB as stated.

That is the responsibility of the seller when they choose to
list and represent something. I always inspect fragile pieces
such as statues, busts, and helms before shipping out to any
customers, and I also sometimes take pictures as well.

Anybody can advertise something as MIB, but having a picture
sent out to you beforehand prooves it the best way possible.

I hope things work out for you on this, but it should be the
Ebay seller, and not Sideshow who is responsible.

JS

I open Freddy and 2 of his fingers come off as I attempt to pose him.

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I can't agree with you on that line of thinking, Jim. Going by the above quote, I would have to think that, prior to his attempt to pose it, it looked fine. Therefore there would have been no way for the seller to have seen the problem upon inspection without touching it himself. So, should all sellers remove MIB figures from their boxes and attempt to pose them in every conceivable position to assure they were made properly? Of course not. Manufacturers should be able to stand by their product without saying "You didn't buy it directly from us? F&*# YOU" I have seen a lot of products that actually have something printed in their packaging or instructions to NOT take it back where you bought it, but to contact the mfr.

Hey Don,

One thing I thought I'd mention for your future-- you can get pre-paid credit cards at Radio Shack. That might help you buy from Sideshow directly.

Rob

Fair enough observation ironman, as my experience is with the
inanimate collectibles - statues, busts, helms, etc. I hadn't
considered the flexibility issues with figures that are posable.

But, then the seller should refund the buyer, and then get a
refund or replacement direct from Sideshow, and then reoffer
it to the buyer, or relist it at that time.

Always some risk involved when representing something for sale.

JS

My 2 cents:bang2 ,

I understand SS's policy and I agree with it but ironman makes a good point. I think that if this was a major QC issue where all of the Freedy figures were loosing fingers than I'm sure that SS would replace the hands to those who needed them regardless of how you purchased it.

My advice is to return it to the seller and ask for a refund from him. If the seller refuses, report them to eBay. If you used Paypal you can ask for a refund from Paypal. You might not get it but it doesn't hurt to try. If all else fails, leave the seller negative feedback.

On a side note, I received a broken F vs.J Freddy Exclusive last year. I asked for a replacement hand and after about 2 weeks of playing phone tag and sending letters I finally got a letter from SS saying they would replace my hand. Well guess what? I never received the hand. I tried a few times to contact somebody about the hand but it was a lost cause. I talked to Cyndra Kent and Diane Kamahele from SS. I have both letters saved if anybody wants a copy. Both told me I would get a hand but never got it. It's the only time out of about 7 times that SS's customer service didn't come through for me. :\

Item Replacements

I apologize if anyone has had issues with purchasing product from an Ebay seller. It is my undertsanding that there are many reputable dealers on Ebay that do sell our items.

We had to alter our policy as we produced more Limited Edition items. There is no way that we can do direct replacement of items to Ebay 3rd party buyers, months after the item is out of our warehouse. We can not be responsible for 3rd party handling or damages. If the third party buyer does feel it is a manufacturers defect then he can return it for a refund to the place he purchased it from. There are times when we do have a few of the items left in stock to replace with the original purchaser. In some circumstances we can also do a direct replacement of a manufacturer's defect with a third party buyer if their seller is listed with us as a client. It is our experience however that many of these items are with fourth parties and such and that many of the damages are from shipping and poor handling.

I encourage the buyer to contact his seller for a replacement or refund. He can also contact us with the seller's information and we may be able to do a direct replacement, although that is not guaranteed based on the stock status.

We encourage everyone to have the seller send pictures of the item to them before the close of the auction. Also to make sure that the seller does have replacement / refund policies in place for your protection. Also make sure the seller is responsive and has a good transaction rating.

Best,
Chicky
Sideshow

Re: Item Replacements

We encourage everyone to have the seller send pictures of the item to them before the close of the auction.

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I always inspect fragile pieces such as statues, busts, and helms before shipping out to any customers, and I also sometimes take pictures as well.

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Yes, there are many great Ebay sellers out there.
Bookmark them and use them, and you'll generally have no problems.

JS

Re: Item Replacements

And it should also be noted, as sound as Chicky's advice is, photos would probably not have shown the defect/problem in question. And a lot of people don't want to go the replacement route after finally getting the figure they wanted. Now, they have to send it back, and hope it gets replaced and that a refund doesn't show instead. Sure, its great to get $ back, but when what you want is the item, and you send it back for repair/replacement the refund stings a bit. Can't help thinking that if SSC's prices weren't so high to begin, that more of us wouldn't feel pushed into finding more affordable sources for their products and everything could be handled directly which would then benefit both sides. Handling direct sales only now just sounds like a loophole. You bought our product but being as it was from one of our vendor's or off of ebay, well, "Good Luck"!!
I also can't believe Sideshow doesn't have an extra Freddy hand around after all the versions of him we've seen, but, oh well....

replacement policy

>>>Handling direct sales only now just sounds like a loophole. You bought our product but being as it was from one of our vendor's or off of ebay, well, "Good Luck"!! I also can't believe Sideshow doesn't have an extra Freddy hand around after all the versions of him we've seen, but, oh well.... <<<<

I am not quite sure how that was interpreted out of our initial reply. We are happy to replace product due to a manufacturer's defect with our customers whether it be wholesale accounts or direct retail accounts. Our replacement policy is not unlinke those of major retailers like Toys R Us. If there is an issue with the merchandise you return it to the store or place of purchase for replacement or refundwith proof of purchase. As I said before, if the customer can let us know which direct wholesale account from which they made the purchase, we can do a direct replacement with them.

However, we can not replace items that consistently change hands through outlets like Ebay as we can not guarantee that the seller took care of the merchandise or if it stayed mint in box while in theri care. We can not even know when they will resell the merchandise. Thi is why we need to restrict the replacement policy to vendors and direct clients.


We do not normally replace random parts of products. If there are broken items then they replaced completly. If you have been promised a replacement and have not gotten what was expected from your contact, please e-mail me at my freaksboard address and I will look into it for you.

Best,
Chicky