Cobra Trooper is up! Use this link!

[Silent December]

What do you guys think about the trade off of Sideshow points Vs. ordering from a an online store? I always order from Sideshow for the points but so far I haven't saved enough points for squat! lol

 

[BuddyGus]

I usually order from sideshow vice an e-tailer for 3 reasons.

1. The points. I have used them to get almos 4 free figures now.
2. I normally get the Ex. version if there is one.
3. I love there customer service. If a company treats me right, I will give them my business even if it is a little more expensive.

Not in that particular order of course.

Don't know if that helps or not, but it's how I feel.

 

[thenammagazine]

What do you guys think about the trade off of Sideshow points Vs. ordering from a an online store? I always order from Sideshow for the points but so far I haven't saved enough points for squat! lol

I usually do the same too. But with the way things are now, I'm thinking about just doing it for items that have exclusives and ordering the other products from online retailers to avoid the damn 9.25% CA sales tax... that's shipping right there! The only thing I'm worried about is losing their great customer service.

 

[EVILFACE]

What do you guys think about the trade off of Sideshow points Vs. ordering from a an online store? I always order from Sideshow for the points but so far I haven't saved enough points for squat! lol

The points and Sideshows customer service are worth it to me. I have enough points to cover a $140 figure. That is a free HT figure for doing nothing more than ordering from SS.

 

[King Darkness]

I usually order from sideshow vice an e-tailer for 3 reasons.

1. The points. I have used them to get almost 4 free figures now.
2. I normally get the Ex. version if there is one.
3. I love there customer service. If a company treats me right, I will give them my business even if it is a little more expensive.

Not in that particular order of course.

Don't know if that helps or not, but it's how I feel.

EXACTLY the same here.

And right now I have $92 in points, so another free figure is around the corner when ever I decide to use them.

 

[firefly2121]

Don't forget Storm Shadow. We should be seeing him in a few months.

Damn, how did I forget Stormy? Thanks for the reminder.

 

[ProgMatinee]

The points are worth 5%. Most etailers are 10% cheaper.

Therefore the key factors to consider is whether you value their customer service as worth roughly $5 more per figure and whether getting them 1 or 2 weeks earlier are worth it to you.

I buy most of my items from SSC, but I am starting to play wait and see on some others. It worked out on Snake Eyes as I found him for $103 shipped (granted you all had him for a few months before me).

Another thing that may or may not be good is I've been passing on a lot of figures recently with the knowledge that buying them 6-12 months late can save me a ton of money and the byproduct of that is once you lived without a certain figure for that long you begin to realize you can live without it completely. So I've been saving a lot of money that way.

 

[karamazov80]

The points are worth 5%. Most etailers are 10% cheaper.

Therefore the key factors to consider is whether you value their customer service as worth roughly $5 more per figure and whether getting them 1 or 2 weeks earlier are worth it to you.

I have been relying on outside retailers for non-exclusive stuff recently. I made a similar points/savings calculation similar to ProgMatinee. You get $1 of Sideshow credit for every $20 spent. So with the Trooper, you get a little less than $5. To me, this is not much of an incentive. BBTS had it for $95 (I think they are sold out at the moment, though when they come back in stock, you can expect some people to cancel their orders), which is about the same as Sideshow taking extra store credit into account, but there I can ship it with my Pile of Loot and save some shipping costs.

However, customer service and timeliness of getting a figure are important factors to consider.

 

[thenammagazine]

The points are worth 5%. Most etailers are 10% cheaper.

Therefore the key factors to consider is whether you value their customer service as worth roughly $5 more per figure and whether getting them 1 or 2 weeks earlier are worth it to you.

I buy most of my items from SSC, but I am starting to play wait and see on some others. It worked out on Snake Eyes as I found him for $103 shipped (granted you all had him for a few months before me).

Another thing that may or may not be good is I've been passing on a lot of figures recently with the knowledge that buying them 6-12 months late can save me a ton of money and the byproduct of that is once you lived without a certain figure for that long you begin to realize you can live without it completely. So I've been saving a lot of money that way.

Well, if you look at it differently, that's $5 per figure for 100% insurance. If it's damaged or you're not satisfied with a loose joint, paint bleeds, poorly tailored uniform, etc., they have a free and painless return system (most retailers require you to pay to ship it back). And if you're not completely satisfied, you get ALL your money back.

 

[karamazov80]

That's true. In the past, I figured that the insurance and return issue would be most important with statues, where Sideshow is known to have serious problems. But given the issues people were having with Vader recently, this may be a concern for 1/6 scale figures, as well. And there is little doubt in my mind that Sideshow has the best customer service available for the items that they sell.

However, BBTS at least has had great customer service in my experience, and will provide you with a shipping label for returns so that you do not have to pay.

 

[ProgMatinee]

Well, if you look at it differently, that's $5 per figure for 100% insurance. If it's damaged or you're not satisfied with a loose joint, paint bleeds, poorly tailored uniform, etc., they have a free and painless return system (most retailers require you to pay to ship it back). And if you're not completely satisfied, you get ALL your money back.

Exactly. Its funny, in context now, $5 isn't much difference, but when the time comes to dedicating some of my purchasing budget to an item it seems like more than that. Probably because I'm poor. LOL.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

What do you guys think about the trade off of Sideshow points Vs. ordering from a an online store? I always order from Sideshow for the points but so far I haven't saved enough points for squat! lol

i only order from SS for exclusive items or for stuff that is Flex Pay. other than that i'll save my cash and go with vendors.

 

[The Craw]

i'm just worried something i get is gonna suck so bad that i gotta return it. i just figure it will be easier to return it to SS.

 

[Viper]

My Trooper has just arrived, he's very mean looking.

Can't wait to add him next to the Commanders side when I get home.

 

[karamazov80]

My Trooper has just arrived, he's very mean looking.

Can't wait to add him next to the Commanders side when I get home.

Pics, please

 

[DinoDB1975]

What? Another case where international customers receive a piece before U.S. customers?

In hand pics, please!!!

 

[Viper]

What? Another case where international customers receive a piece before U.S. customers?

That's no bad thing lol

In hand pics, please!!!

Here are some in-box shots.

 

[Shadow King]

I want mine already.

 

[DinoDB1975]

That's no bad thing lol



Here are some in-box shots.

I know, just sour grapes on my part. Congrats on getting him already.

Looks good. Can you post some more pics when you take him out of the packaging?

 

[karamazov80]

Dang, he looks mean! I wish that logo was a patch instead of a kind of transfer/decal, though.