Premiumcollectables (PC) (Australia) feedback

[Smint]

Still waiting for:
MP Grapple
FT Grinder
TW Primorion
All still within their ETA of this month but they've been released everywhere else. Hoping to receive them soon.

[Mr_K]

Just emailed concerning TFC Ironshell (not-Snaptrap). Been out for months. Original ETA as October 2016. In November 2016 I emailed asking about it and they said January 2017. Well....no update since then, and I'm waiting on the other 2 TFC released figures in the same line as well (which have both been out for ages now).

Wondering if the orders are still going to be fulfilled as they don't seem to be selling any new TFC products (i.e. no pre-order for not-Tentakill or anything else).

[Krayt]

Just emailed concerning TFC Ironshell (not-Snaptrap). Been out for months. Original ETA as October 2016. In November 2016 I emailed asking about it and they said January 2017. Well....no update since then, and I'm waiting on the other 2 TFC released figures in the same line as well (which have both been out for ages now).

Wondering if the orders are still going to be fulfilled as they don't seem to be selling any new TFC products (i.e. no pre-order for not-Tentakill or anything else).

End of March according to today's FB update

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't think I will be ordering again any time soon. It looks like they have grown too quickly for their own good.

^Totes agree with this sentiment. I've still got some PC orders that I'm waiting on, but I'm otherwise done with using them.

[Mr_K]

End of March according to today's FB update

Cheers, I don't get on to Facebook much any more

[1AZRAEL1]

Cheers, I don't get on to Facebook much any more

The FB updates gets posted in the updates thread fyi

[snkeyz]

got blocked on their facebook page for asking about waiting almost a year for preorders comments were also deleted, avoid these clowns like the plague

[OptimusNerd]

Let's use 3P TF as a example, what many wouldn't know is that the heavily discounted pricing are either on par or even below the RRP in china.

When you take into account warehouse storage, shipping, handling, tax & tariffs and all that jazz and your still able to make it cheaper than the country of origin half a world away, its a god send for customers after the biggest bang for their buck but there's no denying there are some magical number crunching in the backend.

Unfortunately for most competitors since they are small in nature , its not sustainable and logical to price/lower their price to the realm or near cost or even below at times, which in the end cost them their place in the market place.

This then links back to WeallscreamforStarscream original point where other competitors has been essentially outed from the market.

So even if people want to spend that extra and buy from another, they can't since there are now minimal choices locally.

AKA a free market. Even the ACCC admits it's not easy to prove predatory pricing - there's no hard rule as to how much they're allowed to discount their prices. It's a niche market too which makes it even more difficult. Why has no one considered the local competitors are settings their prices too high?

No ones stopping the competitors from developing their own rewards schemes or even...lower their prices. In fact i'd consider paying a little bit more if i knew i'd get my toys on release date or shortly after but not 40% more.

if you want good service and dont like to wait then pay the 40% mark up from another store, for everyone else there's PC. So long as PC remain reliable i'll continue to support them.

Correct. You all can make claims of supporting local all you like, but all you're really doing is supporting your own hip pocket and it's helping pc put other local retailers out of business. Not one of you would support if it meant it cost you even 5% more than purchasing from overseas

Given their pricing structure was & still is on average 30-40% cheaper than all local Competitors across all their products, Predatory Pricing comes to mind.

They basically undercut the other local competitors out of the market

Bold claim. How did they bully others out of business?

Oh I like a good bit of conspiracy with my coffee on a Monday morning!

Edit: moved to this feedback thread

Regarding forcing competitors out of business: can someone please tell me exactly what competitors were forced out by PC? I came into the collecting scene (locally) at the tail end of TFIDU, and while there were some aspersions being thrown about already at that time, it seemed to me that the problems happening there had very little to do with competition from other vendors.

Any other competitors (emphasis on the plural -s) that have been destroyed by PCs presence on the market? There's at least one other local vendor with a strong online presence that is doing (seemingly) well, and that buy from regularly (in addition to PC). I generally choose not to buy from small FirstName LastName sellers because while they may be perfectly reputable individuals... they usually deal in volumes which don't command bulk discounts, hence their prices are higher.

This is the modern world, and these are niche products that frankly don't have that big of a market in Australia to command a dozen vendors. Australian vendors need to compete with overseas offerings, and PC is doing that. They don't sell everything I want (hit/miss on Diaclone stuff, no KOs, now no more MMC products) so I need to shop with other vendors as well.

If a new figure is announced, I ask myself: do I want it immediately upon release?

Yes: wait for release and buy from other local source like CD, or overseas TB, RK, RTB, Ebay.

No: buy from PC when pre-order goes up, best price most likely, delivery date uncertain.

[Darkness]

Good question optimusnerd, I'm glad you asked.

Since you brought up tfidu I'll use them as they are the perfect example

People were buying from tfidu and were quite happy. They liked the competitive prices and the buy now pay later format tfidu used. Unfortunately for all involved with tfidu, the buy now pay later would their undoing with help from their customers and pc.

Tfi would post a preorder and people would place a preorder with them laying down no money. Afterwards pc would place their preorder at a much lower price. People whom had placed a preorder with tfidu would be attracted by this lower price and place their order with the requirement of it being paid in full.
Tfidu would use the number of preorders received to place that number of orders with his supplier. When the time neared release and tfidu were sent an invoice requesting payment from his supplier, he'd then send invoices to his customers that had placed preorders. Because people had placed a preorder with pc and paid in full after having already preordered with tfidu and not paid anything, they'd ignore the invoice sent from tfidu. Because tfi wasn't receiving payment from some of their customers, they couldn't pay their supplier, their supplier therefore wouldn't release the goods to tfidu, which meant delays of weeks and months before it could be sorted and preorders could be fulfilled to the customers that did pay. It progressively got worse as this started to give customers lack of faith in tfidu, and it got to the point were some product couldn't be fulfilled at all and then tfidu had to find the money to pay refunds and dealing with paypal claims.
Notice pc don't use paypal? Smart move considering that pc don't make aware his methods of using batches sent by boat in their terms and conditions therefore catching alot of customers unaware for the first time waiting months after official release.

[1AZRAEL1]

So in other words, because PC uses a different business model, TFIDU went under? I never once used TFI and glad I didn't. No wonder they were blaming the customers. But i believe there was more to it than just PC. Blaming PC solely responsible is crap