Hard To Find Collectables At Rock Bottom Prices – "Fun To Collect" Online Store
Written: Oct 24 '04 (Updated Jul 30 '06)
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Have you ever tried to find that perfect gift for someone that seems to have everything? About three months ago I started looking for something for a friend of mine that collects Tigger items; she has everything from sheets and pillowcases to every plushie ever made. Plates, bowls, rugs, clothing, figurines, toys and even baby related items – it looked like she had every Tigger item under the sun and I was stumped as to what to get her. While doing an online search for an unrelated item I came across the Fun To Collect website and was in complete awe of what they offered. I started digging into the site and saw something I knew my dear old friend didn’t have in her collection – a Tigger cookie jar. I’d seen other Tigger cookie jars but never the one him tipping forward with his big bouncy tail in the air. I took a leap of faith and ordered it without trying to find it at any other site and when it arrived about a week later I was really impressed with it so I headed back to the site to poke around a little more. Several hundred dollars later I closed out my transaction, sat there with a huge grin and said to myself, “let’s see them deliver this as quick”. About a week later my order arrived and I started to think that this had to have been one of the best kept secrets on the internet – a huge inventory, more than faire pricing and quick shipping.
Fun To Collect Online Store
It’s hard to classify the products that they sell at the site, why you ask – because they have so much stuff in stock. Now, some online stores that have shops like this are nothing more than dropshippers; they take the order for the item then have it shipped from some place else or they buy it for a lower price then send it to you. All that means is that there is a huge chance that you will get a “sorry, that item is backordered” message or you will have to wait two to three times as long to receive your order. Anything you see at the site it there – in their warehouse – just waiting to be delivered once you place your order. To me, that means a lot; especially if I am rushed for an item or need to know that it will arrive within a specific timeframe. The site is easy to navigate, provides you to tons of information including the dimensions of the items, full color photos that can be enlarged to show detail and when you call them you are actually speaking to them – people who know the products and can help you without transferring you around to different departments. To me that says a lot about the company and their dedication to your happiness with your order.
Selection
Wow. That’s all I have to say about what this site offers. I am a huge fan of the film Nightmare Before Christmas and was really impressed with the items that they were offering as well as the products that you could preorder. This was one of the few places that I found that carried the Jack Skellington ten inch plush doll, when I started looking around, “Fun To Collect” had the cheapest price. One of my favorite purchases from the site is the Santa Jack Skellington Pewter Jewelry Box – and I almost fell off my chair when I saw the price, a measly $24.95. It’s not huge but it’s the perfect place to keep my small Nightmare Before Christmas trinkets safe. But the end all, be all of human existence.. the grand daddy of them all – the Nightmare Before Christmas Sandy Claws Cookie Jar was finally obtained through this site. It’s not that I didn’t have a chance to purchase it before or I’d never seen it but every one I’d come across at retail stores was chipped or otherwise damaged in some way. If I am going to spend forty dollars on a cookie jar, I am going to be the one to put the dents, dings and chips in it. My last hurrah about this section has to be the preorder items; these are things that are due to ship soon but haven’t actually been confirmed – simply put – if you order something that is a preorder it might look a little different when it actually gets to you. No bother, I gleefully purchased the Oogie Boogie Night Lights and newest snowglobe; I know that if I don’t like them when they arrive [fat chance of that happening] I can return them per their thirty day return policy.
Outside of the Nightmare Before Christmas items the site offers you Disney, Dr. Seuss, Curious George, Lord of The Rings, Precious Moments, Beatrix Potter, Snoopy, San Francisco Music Box and plethora of movie related items to choose from. Some of my personal favorites are the Shrek II sleeping bag, Barbie Ballet Play House and the amazing collection of dragons in almost every media imaginable. If you are a fan of the Island of Misfit figures, the site offers you a few rare items at exceptional prices – where else can you find the entire Diamond Select diorama for $24.99? If you blink you might miss the stuffed animals that they offer, it isn’t a huge section but the items are top quality and completely adorable. Again, their stock is phenomenal; when I had to try and find a stork plushie for a baby shower this was one of the few non-baby sites that offered one that didn’t look like the one on the Vlasic pickle jar. Without a doubt the part of the site that I hit most often is the closeout section – you never know what little treasures you are going to find there and if I didn’t already mention it ten times, at awesome prices. My latest find includes several Simpson’s items and some cool lunchboxes to add to my collection.
Shipping Fees
Just when you thought the site couldn’t get any better – are you ready for this? If you place an order that’s over $75.00 your shipping is free. Granted most of it is shipped via UPS Ground which can be a little slow at time – but it’s free. The base shipping might seem a little high and ordered under $19.99 will cost you $6.95 to receive but honestly, outside of the first order for the Tigger cookie jar, none of my orders have been under $75.00. You can view the complete shipping chart at the site, just click on the ‘shipping info’ tab for more details. If you want to receive your order quicker you can elect to have it expedited but you will have to pay the difference. Since they are located near me I do get my orders pretty quick – usually less than a week but most of the time if I order on a Monday, it’s definitely delivered by Thursday.
Customer Service Information
Fun To Collect
43391 Business Park Drive
Suite C10
Temecula, CA 92590
customersvc@funtocollect.com
www.funtocollect.com
[888] 732-9949
Return Policy
The site offers you a thirty day return period on all items sold at the site, including sale items and those listed in the ‘closeout’ section. To make a return contact them within the thirty day period to get your RMA [return merchandise authorization] number. This is extremely important because anything you return to them has to have this on it or it will be refused and sent back to you at your expense. You will receive a full refund on returned items [no restocking fee] minus the shipping charges. I have only had to make one return on an item that was damaged in transit and I received a replacement item in less than ten days – that’s quick. I like the fact that I can return an item for any reason [as long as it is in brand new condition], if I buy something and give it as a gift I know that I can return it for a refund or exchange without having to jump through hoops or have to go into a lengthy explanation.
Payment Options
The site accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express and The Discover Card and you can do so online as well as by calling their toll free customer service number. All of my orders were placed online and I used MasterCard and Visa for them. All transactions were processed accurately, I was billed the amounted quoted at the time of checkout and had no problems in making a return for an item that was damaged during shipping. I haven’t had to make a return that required them to credit my charge card but I am sure that they apply the credit in a timely fashion since everything else at the site is handled efficiently. Checking out is easy and the shopping cart and shipping options can be adjusted without having to worry about having your blood pressure medication on hand.
The Bottom Line
The only thing I wish they would offer is gift certificates – even though they have a huge inventory of goods it never hurts to offer gift certificates! So far I have had nothing but great experiences with the company and highly recommend them to anyone that is into any type of collectable. This is a great place to find gifts for those who seem to have everything .. and don’t be afraid to stray off the main pages and dig deep into the site, that’s where you find the best stuff and some incredible prices! The site is 100% kid friendly with no questionable or objectionable material, there are no pop ups and if you choose to subscribe to their newsletter, you won’t get bombarded with spam or unnecessary emails.
Thanks for the visit!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2004 Freak369
Office Playground, Lego World Shop, Baylit, Things From Another World, New England Comics, Westfield Comics, KBtoys.com, Happy Toy Depot, Childcraft, Hobbytron, Playmobil, Lunchboxes Online, PEZ, John's Toy Store, Board Games Express, Action Figure Xpress, Plush Dreams, Sanrio, Slinky Toys, Fun To Collect, eSticker, Sticker Giant, Snoopy Store, Toy Wiz, USAopoly
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Gifts, NBC items, toys etc
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