toywiz.com feedback

[Deceptic_Optic]

is toywiz.com a reliable source to buy transformers from?

[Linthart]

alot of their pricing is even beyond scalper levels.

[Deceptic_Optic]

are they reliable though with shipping and delivery?

[SkyWarp91]

Yeah I'd also like to know if they are trustworthy - yes their prices are expensive for some items, however some of their other items are cheaper and are actually available there.

So?

[Cat]

I'd slam my d**k in a car door before buying from them.

They're owned and run by the owner of WIZARD magazine (now defunct), and associated conventions, and what used to be Toyfare magazine.

Their prices are insane, they got preferential treatment, and now, with the Wizard store gone, and just them, who knows?

MANY MANY MANY people had bad dealings with the Wizard online store, and are still owed goods, refunds, etc. This included figures and associated products (busts/statues etc). Some were simply never shipped, others were shipped months later, and/or broken.

Personally, I'd consider it too risky given the association, and shop elsewhere.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I ordered sone Sonic the Hedgehog figires from them and despite the delaying of the whole order due to some preordered figures and then another delay due to a back shipment of one of the early orders being unavailable, I ended up with them ok.

Some of the rpices are ridiculous, although not for my Sonic figs, hmm.. Not anm entirely ositive experience, but not a horrid one either. I'd put them next to Robotkingdom in my experience rating, which is average I guess.

[5FDP]

I've ordered from them twice - TFC Inferno and eHobby Overcharge. Both were reasonably priced when compared to eBay otherwise I wouldn't have bothered ordering from them.

Sure, a lot of their items are over-priced but you will be able to find some bargains every so often.

I had no trouble whatsoever in dealing with Toywiz.

[Tober]

Ordered from them, once. After a few delays the use of the word 'chargeback' got things moving along again. :)

[ToyWizBebs]

Hey! I work with ToyWiz and thought I'd weigh in on this thread when I saw it.

First - to dispel a rumor - we've never been owned or operated by Wizard Magazine, Toyfare, etc. That's simply never been true.

As for being reliable, we've been in business over 20 years. We have both a physical store in New York and a large online store. You can reach us by phone or email with any questions or problems. You can even email me personally - I allowed messages through this board at my @toywiz.com address.

As for shipping, on in-stock items we usually ship the next business day after an order is placed. Often it's the same day, but that does depend on what time the order comes in and whether it is a regular workday (not a holiday/weekend when carriers aren't running).

If there's something I can help you with, do let me know. I hope this helps a bit!

Thanks!
Bebs

[Cat]

You're right sorry.

You're owned by the owner's BROTHER.


My bad.

The rest stands true, including that close relationship with the company (WOS Pin Pal exclusive, anyone?)

[griffin]

Businesses being related or not, this topic is for feedback from people who have used the toywiz site, not any other site. If you have experience, good or bad, or can link to somewhere else that has posted up a good or bad review, then please do. Heresay and speculation from what has been circulating online will not help anyone, if there is no proof to back up your claims.

[Cat]

Griffin, this thread was moved here from General. I replied in a manner fitting that forum. It was moved here AFTER I'd posted.

Proof? Easy. Some of it goes back a looooong way.

But just google 'Toywiz scam' and see for yourself. Plenty of related terms will get you results.

There's been a LOT written about them over the years. For instance, the 'World Of Springfield Pin Pals' thing I mentioned was probably almost 10 years ago, at this point.

And MUCH has been made of the relationship between the brothers. (As of now, a HEAP of people are still screwed from Wizard not giving refunds on non-existent magazine subscriptions. Google that too. Again, PLENTY of info.)

Google 'Toywiz Shamus' and see what the TOP results are. The TOP results for searching the site/business name, and the surname of the owner. If even THAT gives you shoddy results and complaints, what does that say? Does it sound like a place you want to give money to?

*The Wizard stuff is long and complicated. But worth a read. There's even a hilarious video of their founder doing his best to dodge a customer at a con. It's hilarious.

[SkyWarp91]

I've ordered from them twice - TFC Inferno and eHobby Overcharge. Both were reasonably priced when compared to eBay otherwise I wouldn't have bothered ordering from them.

Sure, a lot of their items are over-priced but you will be able to find some bargains every so often.

I had no trouble whatsoever in dealing with Toywiz.

Well if I can't find what I'm looking for elsewhere, I guess I'll have to take a stab in the dark and order off Toywiz. The items I'm looking for aren't particularly cheap, but they cannot be found elsewhere on the bloody interwebs.

[griffin]

If you do order from them, post how it goes here, so that others have a first-hand, recent account on how the toywiz site currently operates.

[SkyWarp91]

If you do order from them, post how it goes here, so that others have a first-hand, recent account on how the toywiz site currently operates.

Just put down an order for some brick toys. Paid with Mastercard and er, isn't the transaction meant to be instant? And don't they usually ask for those 3 digits on the back of your card?

Weird. Maybe the transaction comes later :/

[Cat]

Just put down an order for some brick toys. Paid with Mastercard and er, isn't the transaction meant to be instant? And don't they usually ask for those 3 digits on the back of your card?

Weird. Maybe the transaction comes later :/

Not all stores require the CSV. It is highly abnormal these days, though.

As to it coming off the card, that varies a lot, depending on system and bank. I'm guessing they back-end process it, so you'll see it 'taken' within the next 24 hours, as a hold.

And I think it's kinda obvious that you WILL have a fantastic experience with them now.


They're aware of this thread, won't be hard to make sure they treat the Aussie who just ordered well.

[SkyWarp91]

Not all stores require the CSV. It is highly abnormal these days, though.

As to it coming off the card, that varies a lot, depending on system and bank. I'm guessing they back-end process it, so you'll see it 'taken' within the next 24 hours, as a hold.

And I think it's kinda obvious that you WILL have a fantastic experience with them now.


They're aware of this thread, won't be hard to make sure they treat the Aussie who just ordered well.

Funny you say that because I just got an email saying that there's been an urgent issue with my order and that I have to contact THEIR number, an AMERICAN number to resolve it.

I emailed them asking why I can't just discuss the matter over emails with no response. By the way I now have also been charged too for the order.

Now I have to go through the efforts of finding a way to contacting them to see what is wrong with my order.

Usually I'm not a person that believes in the idea of using first impressions of people/businesses against them for the rest of their life but when a representative comes on this board saying that this business has offered over 20 years of 'great' service and then something like this happens it just makes my experience with toywiz non-pleasant.

The fact that I have to now go out of my way to call a damn American number which costs me extra money is just so goddamn vexing. Tis' a real shame that no other online stores, not even ebay offers the goods I'm looking for.

[SkyWarp91]

Just called them using a $10 phone card and you know what the issue was?

They needed the security code on the back of the card.

AWHDSLJAKSDHLJALKSDLJKASdlhaDLASDLKAJD

WHY NOT OFFER THAT OPTION ON YOUR SITE IN THE FIRST PLACE INSTEAD OF MAKING ME SPEND ANOTHER $10!!>!?!?!?


AJKRHJLAHDSLJHLFALJKGLAJKSLHALJKHL@HLJKHELJDLHSJDA d:mad::mad::mad::mad:

So I guess if you buy from Toywiz, USE PAYPAL

On a positive note, at least the fella on the phone was nice. And it was interesting talking to an actual American!

[5FDP]

@ SkyWarp91 - You should send Bebs feedback.

[SkyWarp91]

@ SkyWarp91 - You should send Bebs feedback.

Done!

Update: Seems the order has been quickly dispatched with UPS. Keep in mind though, that if you want your items to be sent registered (signature on arrival) then you have to spend over $175 on the order (which I did) for better security.

So props with speed on delivery.

[ToyWizBebs]

Hi, and I'm really sorry you had to call in over the digits :(
I'm bringing this up with our CS manager to see what happened and why that was the case.

I can only l answer in general as to why it might have happened right now. One common issue is that a card is "flagged" for being a purchase outside of a customer's usual buying habits. That's a fraud protection that sometimes happens particularly with overseas orders. A sudden charge appearing in New York from someone who normally shops locally can raise an alert. When that happens, we have to speak with the customer.

Again, I don't know that this is the exact situation here, though it is the most common explanation. But I don't actually work in billing or shipping, so I'm going with what I know from limited experience!

[Cat]

Hi, and I'm really sorry you had to call in over the digits :(
I'm bringing this up with our CS manager to see what happened and why that was the case.

I can only l answer in general as to why it might have happened right now. One common issue is that a card is "flagged" for being a purchase outside of a customer's usual buying habits. That's a fraud protection that sometimes happens particularly with overseas orders. A sudden charge appearing in New York from someone who normally shops locally can raise an alert. When that happens, we have to speak with the customer.

Again, I don't know that this is the exact situation here, though it is the most common explanation. But I don't actually work in billing or shipping, so I'm going with what I know from limited experience!

That call would be made from the bank's relevant credit card department, so that can't have been it. Doesn't mean that you guys didn't want to verify it, but that's different to what you describe here.

I believe it would have been just to supply the CSV, as it is odd that he wasn't asked for it at the time of the order, plus probably to verify for yourselves it was real.

[ToyWizBebs]

Cat, you may be correct - I'm certainly not an expert on billing, so my understanding may be imperfect. I just know that this kind of issue is often the reason a call-in is needed. While there are protections with the bank that issued the card, we also have to comply with policies required by the card processing systems we use. But when it comes down to the details of those arrangements, or even whether this applies to this order, I'm no expert!

Again, please bear with me. I've notified our owner and managers about this inconvenience to see if there's anything we can do to make it better and easier.

[SkyWarp91]

Cat, you may be correct - I'm certainly not an expert on billing, so my understanding may be imperfect. I just know that this kind of issue is often the reason a call-in is needed. While there are protections with the bank that issued the card, we also have to comply with policies required by the card processing systems we use. But when it comes down to the details of those arrangements, or even whether this applies to this order, I'm no expert!

Again, please bear with me. I've notified our owner and managers about this inconvenience to see if there's anything we can do to make it better and easier.

Thanks for replying ToyWizBebs, I'll update this thread once I get the package.

[SkyWarp91]

Today I got my package.

Delivery was QUICK, and everything is INTACT.

So I'm happy that I got my order safe and sound.

So let's sum up my experiences with ToyWiz.

Positives:
- Quick, safe delivery (++ with UPS shipping if spend over $175 on site)
- Has range of toys unable to get elsewhere online (e.g. rare Halo Mega Blok sets)

Negatives:
- Inconvenient Payment Processing System (needing call-card to call US to confirm CVC card)
- Cannot quote postage until end of transaction

Neutral:
- Pricey, but unable to find items elsewhere.

Would I shop here again?

Yeah. I would, despite the mass negative feedback this site has all over the web I don't find it that bad. Most complaints are targeted towards the prices but for toys I can't find elsewhere, the prices are decent. Yes, there were some issues at the start but everything seems to have gone smoother towards the end. Perhaps a suggestion is to allow customers, if paying via Credit Card is to enter their CVC on the website instead of having to call ToyWiz, especially if they are situated outside of the US.

Expect me to be returning to this site and further reviews shall be posted here in future...

[Cat]

http://www.mwctoys.com/FEATURE_072301.html

There we go.

This covers the 'Pin Pal Burns' situation I mentioned earlier.

[griffin]

Eleven and a half years ago... if they're still in business after all that time, they must be doing more right than wrong now.
But as with any purchase, it is good to find out as much as you can first, and if you still aren't sure, just don't commit too much at first to test it out.


I don't like RobotKingdom either, but I won't hassle people buying from there, or keep hounding them about their many failures just with my orders. I've posted up my bad experiences on their feedback topic, and just left it at that.

[Cat]

Eleven and a half years ago... if they're still in business after all that time, they must be doing more right than wrong now.
But as with any purchase, it is good to find out as much as you can first, and if you still aren't sure, just don't commit too much at first to test it out.


I don't like RobotKingdom either, but I won't hassle people buying from there, or keep hounding them about their many failures just with my orders. I've posted up my bad experiences on their feedback topic, and just left it at that.

I fail to see where I've hassled anyone buying there. Skywarp91 seems just fine, so if I've hassled him, I'm not very good at it.

I also corrected Toywizbobs on a common banking misconception. It's my industry, and it's something I see a lot. There was no malice in that post, just a mere correction of a common misconception.

I also noted that the Pin Pal incident I was talking about was a while ago. I posted the above account simply to elaborate more on it. If you want newer info, you can do as I suggested and google them, and read through more recent stories for yourself, again, as I had mentioned earlier. If you want to discard the Pin Pal incident, that's completely fine, as I said it was old. In fact, in posting that link I basically said it all over again, as everything is clearly dated! My posting that link made it CLEARER, not murkier. I could have twisted it to look recent, or I could be honest. Honesty means you never have to change your story. ;) There's much more recent stories though, as I said earlier, google them for yourself, and decide for yourself.

Also, longetivity of a business doesn't necessarily equal quality. I know a general store that lasted 36 years by cheating customers when it came time to giving them change: saying they'd given a smaller note than they had, and giving them less change. 36 years straight of doing that!

And really, we're here due to a love of a kids property that has almost 30 years of history, so time seems a tad less relevant to me.

[5FDP]

Thanks for sharing your recent experience SkyWarp91. I've been contemplating an order with them and it's nice to know things haven't changed.

[ToyWizBebs]

Hey thanks for updating. For some reason this thread stopped notifying me of responses by email and I didn't get back over for awhile. My apologies for the delay.

I'm glad this one went well, and now that you're in our system I don't think you'll have to call in for the card if you order again. You should have "confirmed" status now.

If anyone here ever has a problem or a question, please email me directly: anissa@toywiz.com. I'm always glad to help.

[SkyWarp91]

Hey thanks for updating. For some reason this thread stopped notifying me of responses by email and I didn't get back over for awhile. My apologies for the delay.

I'm glad this one went well, and now that you're in our system I don't think you'll have to call in for the card if you order again. You should have "confirmed" status now.

If anyone here ever has a problem or a question, please email me directly: anissa@toywiz.com. I'm always glad to help.
A reply is better than no-reply. And there you have it folks, OTCA has a direct email to contact if we plan to shop @ Toywiz.

[ToyWizBebs]

A reply is better than no-reply. And there you have it folks, OTCA has a direct email to contact if we plan to shop @ Toywiz.

Oh sure, please do email me with anything you need. If you're without a coupon code and want to order, I can usually at least tell you whatever's the best deal we've got going!

[SkyWarp91]

I did an order for Toywiz last week, it was the last one to be done out of a few dealings I've made recently.

And the Toywiz package arrived first today, beating all those other packages. Everything is complete which is awesome, however postage was done through UPS which is expensive but the swiftness and need for signature on delivery is reassuring which is worth it in the end.

Great service again by these folks. Thanks again.

[ToyWizBebs]

Hey thanks SkyWarp91! I'm glad it worked out for you. I'm sorry about shipping costs - I wish it were easier/cheaper to get overseas!
Bebs