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This is not a thread so please refrain from inflamatory remarks.

I recently placed several orders with multiple companies for Heresy era 40k bits from Anvil and Chapterhouse and an order for 140 Zombie/Ghoul/Corporation Marines from Mantic. I have been paying close attention to the order status' and I noticed that both Anvil and Mantic have processed and shipped their orders before Chapterhouse. Anvil shipped both my orders within 24 hours, Mantic took 8 days, and Chapterhouse has yet to process or ship the order. So here is my question.

Obviously it isn't international v domestic shipping issues, so why is it that there is such a difference in processing and shipping? Is it just the nature of smaller miniature manufacturers? Are some of them just so swamped with orders and/or understaffed that there can be a huge discrepancy? I am honestly just curious and not attempting to flame Chapterhouse here. Any insight from people with more experience ordering from 3rd party manufacturers?

I don't know what it is, but I have had bad experiences with lots of 3rd party companies.

So much so that I will not buy a model from an international company directly. I usually find a distributor who has it or take my chances with an eBay dealer who carries it. I find the extra buck a blister may cost me ends up being cheaper when shipping and fees work out.

I always seem to expose a flaw in a shopping cart or some small shoddy online order. Or my order is eaten by the mail. So at least I can usually rely on ebay shippers or established US retailers to get the products for me and then re-sell them to me. They can maybe do better by placing larger orders. I can get it at the FLGS sometimes if the mini maker does enough output to warrant stocking the parts.

I just get the impression that they just have limited manpower and time and it is not their 9-5 job processing orders. And the issue is people feel like every shopping cart should work as fast and easy as Amazon.

I have had my share of 'you are an uptight customer and expect too much' and I have tried to limit my expectations, but when you boil it down, it just seems like they want a pass for being small.

Which is fine, I order from a larger company and I get the service I want and the mini maker loses a direct sale. I am not sure if that means they lose money going to the distributor but if you want people to buy direct, you need top notch shopping experience.

I have ordered from many different third party companies. I did find Chapterhouse to be a little slow - 12 days to ship.

nkelsch wrote:
I just get the impression that they just have limited manpower and time and it is not their 9-5 job processing orders.

That's a lot of it with smaller internet businesses. While some are set up for immediate processing, others are just doing it in their spare time.

Having said that, slow processing is not exclusive to small companies...

And the issue is people feel like every shopping cart should work as fast and easy as Amazon.

I've had good and bad experiences with Amazon shipping times.

nkelsch wrote:
I just get the impression that they just have limited manpower and time and it is not their 9-5 job processing orders. And the issue is people feel like every shopping cart should work as fast and easy as Amazon.

I have had my share of 'you are an uptight customer and expect too much' and I have tried to limit my expectations, but when you boil it down, it just seems like they want a pass for being small.

I agree with you fully. to be honest, I think too many people on these here fora give these guys a pass just because they are garage businesses. While I don't expect, like Amazon as in the example, to have a tracking number emailed to me 3 hours after ordering something, I do fully expect:

1.) Your site to accurately show stock availability
2.) Some kind of confirmation via email that the order has been placed, FFS,
3.) In-stock item to be mailed out within 48 hours unless there is a clearly posted notice setting an expectation otherwise, such as with Zuzzy.
4.) Any emails or facebook postings to be responded to within 48 hours, as well

If you can't keep up with those things, which any respectable Ebay seller can do, then in my opinion you have no business engaging in e-commerce.

 Ouze wrote:

nkelsch wrote:
I just get the impression that they just have limited manpower and time and it is not their 9-5 job processing orders. And the issue is people feel like every shopping cart should work as fast and easy as Amazon.

I have had my share of 'you are an uptight customer and expect too much' and I have tried to limit my expectations, but when you boil it down, it just seems like they want a pass for being small.

I agree with you fully. to be honest, I think too many people on these here fora give these guys a pass just because they are garage businesses. While I don't expect, like Amazon as in the example, to have a tracking number emailed to me 3 hours after ordering something, I do fully expect:

1.) Your site to accurately show stock availability
2.) Some kind of confirmation via email that the order has been placed, FFS,
3.) In-stock item to be mailed out within 48 hours unless there is a clearly posted notice setting an expectation otherwise, such as with Zuzzy.
4.) Any emails or facebook postings to be responded to within 48 hours, as well

If you can't keep up with those things, which any respectable Ebay seller can do, then in my opinion you have no business engaging in e-commerce.

While I'd agree with most of that for full time busineses (live stock levels do seem to be tricky to achive, I think because a lot of the lower end 'shopping cart' software does not include it, on ebay the way the software works does it for you)

but small 3rd party companies can easily be a single person with a real job, they may not know week to week how much if any time they have for their 'hobby' business

So they may not have stock ready to ship and have to cast specially for you when they have time

Even if they have parts they may not be able to get the into a post office (if they need a 'proof of posting' or equialent especially for exensive or tracked orders)

(no excuse for lack of comms though)