Great Merch Company Experiences

[DRanged691]

My only tip would be to avoid any company that uses DHL for shipping. DHL has a long track record of sitting on packages and handling them poorly. Definitely not something you want when dealing with pre-orders and shipping vinyl.

[9tySevenSilence]

The last two companies handled my NIN orders just fine, though it sounds like that's clearly not the case for everyone.

I'm not sure who Klayton uses for fulfilment on the FiXT store, but they have been consistently great in terms of packaging, communication, and delivery.

[finality893]

i order a lot of records online, and honestly, amazon is BY FAR my favorite. never once had a record damaged in shipment over hundreds of records. had one mixup, and two actual manfacturing errors (one was your gone girl OST) which amazon easily and quickly replaced.

i've had previous good experiences with sandbag. and with every distributor NIN has used in the past.

Im not arguing with you, but I'm at about 50% success rate with amazon.
sending a 7" record in a 14x20" or so size box frequently is not ok, especially with no padding or protection or in a padded mailer.
music on vinyl (label) has never been shipped correctly. Lakeshore arrives months late if at all even if preordered
PHM remaster was ruined, ghosts was so warped it was almost comedic
or god forbid they combine your order of a record with a cast iron skillet. That happened when my preorder shipped with a current order.
Other times, records arrive boxed in a mailer within a larger box.

[nowimnothing]

I almost never purchase from NIN.com anymore as the shipping costs are far too excessive for Australia. I used to buy every NIN release, but the shipping is so extreme now I simply can't justify it, no matter how much I want it.

If I remember correctly, it would have cost over $600 Australian to get Cargo in the Blood (incl. exchange rate). Now, I can't buy it at all as apparently that item doesn't ship to Australia anymore.

Sadly, it is often cheaper to simply wait and purchase a NIN release off eBay at a highly inflated price because it still ends up cheaper with the postage costs being more reasonable. And, I seem to have more success getting them in an undamaged condition.

I did however, make an exception and I purchased the physical content for both NTAE and AV.

The PC for NTAE arrived after a delay undamaged and without a problem, but the PC for AV is still outstanding and I have no idea what the time frame is as yet.

I do remember that back in the day, Object Merch were pretty awesome, but can't remember too many good experiences when purchasing from NIN.com since.

Sent from my SM-N915G using Tapatalk

[nothingxs]

Has anyone had consistently good experiences (or ANY good experiences) with ANY merch company? Perhaps you could reply with suggestions and details. Amazon is currently not the answer - who else?
Asking for a friend...

This might be a little bit out of their actual zone of comfort, because of the kind of company they are, but you know who I've bought merchandise from for something that I love that's always been high quality?

Fangamer.

Might be worth a look. What's the worst that could happen, they say no or that they probably can't meet that level of demand?

I mean, this here is assuming your friend's trying to move a lot of product, y'know?

[Andrew]

I can't remember who did the distribution, but KMFDM's "24/7" series was the most fun I've ever had buying music via the internet. Two years long, a new 7" record every month. Every single one arrived fast, and in perfect condition. Ordering process was flawless, no fuckups. Understood that was a much smaller scale (each was limited to like 250 copies or something). Who knows, maybe it was Sasha K at a desk folding boxes and licking stamps.

[bobbie solo]

Merch Direct. Every time I've ever ordered anything from them (shirts, CDs, records), the packaging is secure and often arrives ahead of schedule. On top of regular orders, I've pre-ordered things that have arrived without issue, I've had to change addresses with them on the fly and literally every single time they've aced it, 100%. Their customer service is also lightning fast and never feels like a cut and paste job, and, the one time there was a delay, they reached out to inform fans of the issue before there was an issue. They've been around since 1999 and I have only had excellent experiences with them.

Thank you so much for looking into options; the whole fan community really appreciates this.
Here's hoping you find a solution that works.

Merch Direct owned by Justin Beck from Glassjaw. Puts alot of effort into it, and GJ suffers as a result haha.

[Cecil]

Merch Direct owned by Justin Beck from Glassjaw. Puts alot of effort into it, and GJ suffers as a result haha.

Merch Direct are great. They have made a few mess ups when I have ordered but they have been fixed no questions asked straight up. I doubt they'd be able to handle the sheer volume of NIN orders though?

Kings Road Merch is another good company. Both USA and EU stores (and I think they used to do AUS, or team with another company?) and all vinyl I have been sent from them has been packed in sturdy mailers.

I honestly think though, that with proper mailers and some thicker cardboard on the actual jackets (ie. the standard stuff thats used for more gatefolds) then 99% of sandbags problems wouldn't occur. They have got to the point where they are getting inundated with people who have made a tonne of separate complaints and they can't keep up.

[Calder]

Every record (and poster) that I've ordered from Mondo throughout the years has arrived in Canada without issue. They're always packaged well, and I've heard positive things about their CS department even though I haven't had to contact them.

[psus2h]

T, have you considered going back to Topspin? When they fulfilled the old NullCo site they seemed to have it together. I emailed them to see if they had any back stock of The Social Network LP after it was sold out, not only did they check and find one, they were able to sell it ship it and get it to me with in a week. Their customer service is rather solid too.

Maybe have Amoeba.com as the official NIN partner, their webstore is solid and I believe it's housed in LA. I really think this might be an interesting route to go. Especially if they were allowed to sell it in store and then be the official distributor via the web. Seriously, great customer service, fast shipping, and a team dedicated to doing this frequently.

Also, what about the company Tom DeLonge founded, ModLife? I'm guessing you don't want to fulfill these from your garage, but there might be an option for a third party to do it.

To echo what others have said, yes, Pearl Jam runs a solid webstore, but they also have everything (an tons of stuff) on site with a whole team dedicated to shipping orders, the same goes for the Metallica webstore.

Hell, at this rate it might just be easier to do a pop-up in LA....

Good luck, thanks for keeping everyone in mind.

[highfives]

Fulfillment companies that I've had a consistently good experience with: Merch Direct, Hello Merch.

Companies that have a great fulfillment experience and customer service: Amoeba, Mondo

Companies I hope go bankrupt yesterday because they're fucking awful: MerchNow, Firebrand, Sandbag.

[tricil]

T, have you considered going back to Topspin? When they fulfilled the old NullCo site they seemed to have it together. I emailed them to see if they had any back stock of The Social Network LP after it was sold out, not only did they check and find one, they were able to sell it ship it and get it to me with in a week. Their customer service is rather solid too.

Maybe have Amoeba.com as the official NIN partner, their webstore is solid and I believe it's housed in LA. I really think this might be an interesting route to go. Especially if they were allowed to sell it in store and then be the official distributor via the web. Seriously, great customer service, fast shipping, and a team dedicated to doing this frequently.

Also, what about the company Tom DeLonge founded, ModLife? I'm guessing you don't want to fulfill these from your garage, but there might be an option for a third party to do it.

To echo what others have said, yes, Pearl Jam runs a solid webstore, but they also have everything (an tons of stuff) on site with a whole team dedicated to shipping orders, the same goes for the Metallica webstore.

Hell, at this rate it might just be easier to do a pop-up in LA....

Good luck, thanks for keeping everyone in mind.

topspin is pretty much dead. Half the team went to Apple and the other half was acquired by FireBrand

[eversonpoe]

topspin is pretty much dead. Half the team went to Apple and the other half was acquired by FireBrand

looks like all the good ones went to apple, amirite?

[Hyperpower]

I also think that a lot of us would like it if new music (vinyl, cds, and whatnot) were available at traditional brick and mortar record stores.

this!
maybe i am a dinosaur and need to get with the times but ALL of my NIN orders (NTAE, AV, vinyl reissues of back catalogue) have been a clusterfuck and this was only the third time ever i bought music/merch online so its not like i can recommend an online store.
oh btw, i also ordered the new QOTSA album (yeah i guess i did not learn from my NIN order experience ) and it too is having problems... generally, fuck online stores

[Andrew]

I thought of another one, GetOnDown did a great job with the Dr. Octagon reissue. They are a tiny shop, but hungry.
Newbury Comics might be worth investigating too. Physical presence, online presence, pressing their own vinyl and constantly evolving. Mike Dreese is a very smart guy. I have had great experiences with them both at the shops and from things shipped.

[Callahan]

I thought of another one, GetOnDown did a great job with the Dr. Octagon reissue. They are a tiny shop, but hungry.
Newbury Comics might be worth investigating too. Physical presence, online presence, pressing their own vinyl and constantly evolving. Mike Dreese is a very smart guy. I have had great experiences with them both at the shops and from things shipped.

Hadn't heard of Newbury Comics before, but it looks like they have some good stuff on there!

I mean, if they can handle a new Hanson release, surely they can handle a few NIN releases, right?

[EvilGobi]

this!
maybe i am a dinosaur and need to get with the times but ALL of my NIN orders (NTAE, AV, vinyl reissues of back catalogue) have been a clusterfuck and this was only the third time ever i bought music/merch online so its not like i can recommend an online store.
oh btw, i also ordered the new QOTSA album (yeah i guess i did not learn from my NIN order experience ) and it too is having problems... generally, fuck online stores

From what Ive read the QOTSA online store is Firebrand but Matador isnt. Mine went perfect, but it was through Matador (they were also super helpful)

[Rubeninphoenix]

From what Ive read the QOTSA online store is Firebrand but Matador isnt. Mine went perfect, but it was through Matador (they were also super helpful)

Looks like Queens use Live Nation Merchandise http://imgur.com/a/MUQqJ

[Lerxto]

Or just tell them to bubble-wrap anything they ship out. Simple, yet a very effective solution.

[seasonsinthesky]

Hello Merch do a great job with Boris stateside releases, but I'm not sure how much of that is related to Sargent House itself.

Burning Shed is also amazing for UK-based stuff. They know how to pack vinyl and they know how to do customer service right. It's run by a musician who works with Steven Wilson, so the quality stays high and has for many years.

[smakweasle]

merchlimited.com has always done right by me. They've handled a bunch of bands that I enjoy. Merchnow has been great as well.

[NotoriousTIMP]

any updates on a new merch @teitan ? I'm waiting on things to switch so I can make additional purchases

[Inthemoment]

My experience with Sandbag is this. Ordered TF DE and HTDA, HTDA was in stock got it two months any many emails later only to be told HTDA was lost in transit and that I received TF DE with the tracking info in this email that was clearly HTDA however the shipping label says The Fragile DE on it. So now Sandbag is sending me another HTDA LP. And I am willing to bet the picture I sent of the album won't be enough proof for them to send me TF DE.

I got one shipping notice and was told it was a glitch and an error. No other shipping notices or shipping info HTDA just showed up.

Teitan aka my favorite artist, issues like these in this number as of the thread regarding this matter is now 64 pages long is unacceptable. Nothing went right with my order and you have others that have issues like getting nothing but an empty box.


I know it's not directly your fault but I think it's safe to say Sandbag is not the norm when it comes to merch companies. As noted by many others above I too have purchased lots of merch through other outlets with no problem.

I encourage you to find a better solution as I have no intentions to buy anything else. As I also ordered TF Deviations and like most mine was badly damaged.

I ordered both both physical components the first one arrived months late. The other I recieved in good time with no damage.

Thats one good shipping experience out of 4.

[Prettybrokenspiral]

So is this the thread where we get to ask Teitan for an explanation as to why the packaging of the reissues is so poorly made?

[implanted_microchip]

So is this the thread where we get to ask Teitan for an explanation as to why the packaging of the reissues is so poorly made?

[Prettybrokenspiral]

Actually, I think it's a perfectly good place to do so, considering it's our satisfaction that is presumably being addressed here. The subpar packaging -- actually coming apart at the seams in many instances -- has become just as big of an issue as the distribution fiasco. Considering some of us paid hundreds of dollars after being sold on a vinyl-is-king mission statement and then waited the better part of a year for what seems like an endless series of headaches, I don't think a simple explanation is too much to ask for.

I'm confident many people out there would be interested to hear what he has to say, in regards to the packaging issue..

[sick among the pure]

Actually, I think it's a perfectly good place to do so, considering it's our satisfaction that is presumably being addressed here. The subpar packaging -- actually coming apart at the seams in many instances -- has become just as big of an issue as the distribution fiasco. Considering some of us paid hundreds of dollars after being sold on a vinyl-is-king mission statement and then waited the better part of a year for what seems like an endless series of headaches, I don't think a simple explanation is too much to ask for.

I'm confident many people out there would be interested to hear what he has to say, in regards to the packaging issue..

Actually, no, this is not the thread for that. There is a thread dedicated to the vinyl as well as a thread to complain about the products in general.
This thread is specifically asking about great online merch companies. That is it.

[Leviathant]

It's absurd to think that that Trent's unaware of the packaging fiasco. Why do you think this thread got started? The reason you haven't heard a good resolution yet is because a solution hasn't been found. As soon as there's an update worth sharing, I have no doubt it'll be shared. That doesn't help your frustrations right now, for sure, but I would take this thread as a sign that something is being worked out.

[Prettybrokenspiral]

I'm referring to the vinyl packaging itself: the thin cardboard sleeves the heavyweight vinyl is crammed into (Deviations), the Broken and TDS sleeves that are coming easily unglued, etc.

Not the Sandbag packaging. Of course I understand what this thread was originally addressing. But since TR is obviously reading this one (since he started it), that's why I asked if this was as good place as any to inquire about the substandard album packaging. I thought that was pretty obvious..

[ziltoid]

Blood Music.
It's one guy that runs the independent record label and he just recently ramped up his operation to be cost effective, better global reach, and have better distribution methods and he has worked out many deals with different manufacturers for vinyl pressing and cd manufacturing.
I highly recommend Blood Music for vinyls, everything I have ordered, as well as many others can attest, are well packaged and arrive in pristine condition.
He really really cares about vinyls, their presentation, materials used , and how well it's packaged, and customer satisfaction.
I honestly can't recommend them enough.
Everything on his website is top notch.

Check out the Blood Music Facebook page, it goes into detail about everything i said above and way better than i could explain.
Also forgiveme for my more than normal grammatical mistakes I'm in back pain with little sleep and I posting using my iPhone.