Westfield Comics For Collectors, Comic Connoisseurs and Casual Readers – This Site’s Got It All!
Written: Aug 21 '03
| Ease of Ordering: |
 |
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
| Selection: |
|
|
| On-Time Delivery: |
|
|
|
| Full Review |
To most people comic books are perceived as something ten year old boys read and toss in the back of their closet – baby – you couldn’t be further from the truth. The comic book industry is a multi million dollar a year business – and when you factor in the clothing lines, collectable figures, films, licensing fees and royalties – you have a real money making machine. Sadly, most of the bucks go to the big names like Marvel and DC Comics but the independents are catching up! We have a lot of local comic shops and retailers in our area but there are times when I need to get my hands on something a little out of the ordinary – you know – freaky. When I exhaust my options with the locals, I turn to the internet and a handful of reputable dealers that I’ve grown to trust. Westfield Comics happens to be one of those places and I would have reviews them earlier if the search engine at the site would have given me accurate results.
Selection
One thing you have to look at when picking out a good comic store – especially one online – is what they carry. You want a site that has variety but no so much so that they can’t give you the specifics about them. When I started looking at their inventory compared to other sites that I shop with, they are definitely in the top three for selection, manufacturers and independent titles. You have the big hitters like DC and Marvel [as well as all their side projects and branches] but you also have Dark Horse, Image and a plethora of independent publishers. Sometimes the indies are the best places to find new material and new artists. The “other publishers” areas aren’t just a place for the independents – smaller publishers are also listed there so make sure you give it the once over to make sure you aren’t missing anything. Make good use of the search engine as well, there were a few older titles that I couldn’t find listed anywhere – but the search engine found them for me.
The only possible draw back to the site is in regards to new collectors. Some of the titles and issues don’t have the covers displayed or have very brief descriptions. I can’t exactly call this a negative of the site because they have such a massive inventory. If they listed all the details of the products they sell the site would be so big it would be almost impossible to navigate. As it stands, the site takes a little while to get used to and some of the pages load a little slow but on the same token, it’s loading artwork and cover shots. You can elect to have the site load without the graphics but you will be missing out on a lot that way. The search engine [left side] is a great way to find titles and issues and has always given me great results. If you are searching for independent comics this is the best place to start since surfing through the individual listings will eat up a lot of time. If you can’t find a title make sure you email customer service – they have always been great at helping me locate the off the wall comics or ones that are no longer in print.
Outside The Comics….
Also available at the site are colic book sleeves [for protecting them], cardboard backings [inserts to keep them from warping] and a variety of comic supplies. You can also pick up trading cards and sleeves, DVD’s, items from movies and television series, action figures, clothing and more. This has become an industry standard – to offer more than just comics. I was really impressed with the number of items they had from Buffy The Vampire Slayer as well as The Nightmare Before Christmas. The prices range from average to exceptional with some being 25% less than retail shops. They also have a wide selection of anime themes as well as Cartoon Network releases.
Customer Service
Westfield Comics
8608 University Green
Middleton, WI 53562-0470
[800] WESTFIELD – toll free
[608] 836-1945 - phone
[608] 836-6950 - fax
www.westfieldcomics.com
help@westfieldcomics.com
Shipping
One of the true perks of the site is the shipping fee. Since I am a moderate collector and have very specific collections, most of my orders are in the $50.00 ballpark and are mostly current issues that range from $1.99 to $2.99. When shopping at this site shipping fees are calculated according to the total dollar amount with the base shipping price being $6.00 for orders up to $150.00. Of course you have to take into consideration that some comics are $40.00 a pop but most of the newer ones are sold at face value or less. Orders are shipped a variety of ways and mine have arrived via Federal Express and through the post office. For the most part shipping is quick and all of the comics and items I’ve ordered have been exceptionally packaged. When it comes to factoring in the cost of shipping along with the actual price of the comic – this is one of the best sites to use for both old and new issues.
Return Policy
The return policy is a little strict but you have to remember you are working within an area where there is a lot of deception and fraud – not on the part of the merchant – but some customers. I was completely unaware of this until I learned of it at the ComiCon from a few friends in the business. People were purchasing comics, scanning them, making copies and returning the original. They would then make copies and sell them as “originals”. I’m not sure if that is the exact reason Westfield has the strict policy – but in my eyes it is fair. You can make returns if you received something that you didn’t order, something that was damaged in transport or is an exception item – you’ll see those listed on the product page and it will give you the specifics of returning the item if necessary.
Payment Options
You can pay for your order using your MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card. The site also accepts money orders, international money orders and personal checks but these will have to clear and payment transferred before your order is shipped out. I’ve only used my MasterCard at the site and have never had a problem with the billing process. No hidden fees or charges, no duplicate billings. If you don’t want to send your credit card information over the internet, you can call them and give them all the information so they can set up an in house file for you. Then when you place your orders you select the option to have the purchased billed to the credit card on file.
Order Options
If you don’t feel comfortable sending your credit card information you can print out the order form and mail it in with your payment. If you are paying by check or money order this is the option that you’ll have to choose. Using the online order form isn’t hard but there are still some people that don’t have faith in secure servers and prefer to mail in their order. Either way, you still get great service but it takes a few more days to get you r order started since they have to receive your order via the post office.
The Bottom Line
I have nothing but great things to say about this company. My orders have always been shipped in a timely fashion, arrived perfectly and billing was 100% accurate. Customer service replies to emails quickly – usually within 12 hours – and answers your questions no matter how strange they may be. With an easy to navigate site, moderate information about products and secure ordering [as well as alternative ordering options] I have to give this site two thumbs up! If you are a seasoned comic collector or just starting out, this is a great place to shop as well as a great reference for prices, back issues and pre orders.
As always, thanks for the visit …
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Please note, the Epinions listing has incorrect information about the location of the website, it is not www.westfield.com, that will take you to the chain of shopping malls. Use the correct link to go to the storefront – www.westfieldcomics.com.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Comics, comic book supplies, action figures
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.