Increased shipping costs

[Indomitus]

Collectors are being squeezed from all fronts.

Statue prices going up for all Manufacturers.

Shipping prices have gone up with imaginary criteria such as dimensional weight. Weight that is calculated from XYZ? What happened to just gravity? Size matters!

Import fees, tariffs, trade wars. You get the picture.

Taxes. Politicians like to see those go up too so that freeloaders can get more free stuff.

Your significant other taking half after they divorce you for not coming to your senses about paying everyone else but your family with that income.

So yeah, you're fukd. Have a nice day.

[craigcliff1]

Yes we collectors are getting major cheated

When I started would get a PF on sale for $200.00.
GG maquette for $40.00
Drat BBTS had Darth Maul masquette on sale for $20.00 around 2008.
Today the cheapest you could get a maquette like that would be $150.00

Shipping use go coast to coast with 10-15lbs PF about $10.00 to $20.00, now it's $50.00 on up. Bigger statues they just come with anything they can to cheat you out of your money.
New Glad Hulk 1/4 is $790.more than the original in 5 1/2 years,

When I have a statue box with no shipping box I have to work for hours to make the shipping box the size of the statue box, just a couple of inches can be $5.00- $10.00 more.
One statue someone wanted was $170.00 quote, then few months went by and someone from a state close that wanted it and was like $70.00 more.

Taxes. I remember when they started that at BBTS, I was like that stinks, but now ebay has started this year.

[WhistlingTime]

I was also surprised at the shipping cost when a recent PF shipped. But as others have said, it's right across the board so it's just something extra that has to be factored in now.

The biggest issue for me though, is not knowing the shipping cost when placing a pre-order.

I don't see why, for their own products, they can't gauge the potential packaging size based on a prototype and display a (at least estimated) shipping cost at checkout for POs.

I'm sure those that order regularly have a better idea, but for others (particularly international) having a freight charge added to a final payment that adds 25-30% to the total cost of the item would come as quite a shock if you weren't expecting it.

[craigcliff1]

I think they use to have shipping listed when you ordered,

[Comicbookguy]

You all keep buying the premium prices while they keep increasing yearly a few times. Who do we blame? If we keep buying they keep rasing. Why would they stop raising prices if people keep paying what they ask for? Until collectors vote to stop buying they will just keep going up, adding in every single fee you can think of to the buyer and more.

[Python]

It wasn't all that long ago that I bought the Predator 2 maquette from SSC which cost $40 to ship to the UK (in a huge box) Sadly those days are gone now, as appreciated as they were. And like everything else in this hobby, shipping is very expensive.

[101son]

yes shipping is getting out of control
but the duties/tariffs we have to pay across the boarder is insane. guys in Canada & the U.K have it the worst when it comes to additional taxes IMO.
i payed an additional $220 CDN($170 USD) when Magneto shipped , & thats on top of the $80 USD i paid for shipping...yes i was surprised too.
needless to say im only ordering must have Exclusives from sideshow now, everything else i will outsource down here to save on shipping & duties.

And as far as i can tell now with these prices, its becoming a long game. if you want a piece but dont wanna pay the price, just wait a couple years and its going to come down a bit, with these prices thats almost a guarantee (minus a few exceptions of course)

[Vracula]

Collectors in Australia are suffering too, I wish they would make exclusives available here or get rid of exclusives altogether.

[gagaliya]

Originally Posted by nbr3bagshotrow

Think about it. A box 3 ft by 3 ft that weighs a pound. Should it only cost $10.00 considering it takes up a lot of space on plane/ truck that could hold other packages?

dimension weight cost more, but is not a valid justification in this case.

As someone quoted the regular rate for ground is ~$140, anyone with a commercial account gets 50% off regular rates. Someone like sideshow's volume you get at least 70% off. The real shipping cost is more like $50-60

The shipping cost we are getting a few years back is the real shipping cost sideshow pays, i remember 15-20lb statues from west to east coast was $20-30 shipping.

Unlike sideshow statues that goes from $300 to $600 in a few years, ups shipping rates go up only slightly every year.

It is obvious sideshow is trying to squeeze every penny out of the buyers, overpriced shipping is just another method. A lightbulb must went off, given at the time of preorder buyers will not know the shipping cost, and they can basically charge whatever they want at shipping time, if you cancel, you lose the deposit. What a brilliant idea!

Another reason to wait for in stock before ordering, so you know the exact shipping cost. I am at a point where just dont care to preorder anymore to try score an EX on the rare chance it may be sold-out when shipping. Given all the risks one takes with preorders. All my orders are only in stock orders now, then i know exactly what i am getting and paying. Let someone else be the guinea pig. The days of preordering everything with dozens preorders pending are long gone.

/rant off

[Nugchompa]

Don't worry. When Amazon gets their shipping infrastructure fully up and running, I'm sure they will give UPS and FedEx a run for their money. At least domestically....