Frequently Asked Questions

Ordering

Q. What is a pre-order?
A. We essentially take advance orders using the current issue of the Previews catalog from Diamond Comic Distributors. The catalog solicits items well in advance of their anticipated shipping date...usually a full two months out. So, if you are reviewing the January Previews catalog, those items contained therein are expected to ship to retailers in the month of March. Because we are taking advance orders, we are able to pass along these deep discounts direct to our customers!

Q. How do I place my first and subsequent orders?
A. It's very simple really. We offer a variety of methods. The easiest is to have both the current Previews catalog and the supplemental consumer order booklet. Our online shopping cart is set up to match the consumer order booklet. You check out the catalog, mark those items you are interested in in the consumer order booklet. Then, log into our website and proceed to the online catalog. Select the page number you have items you are interested in, indicate the quantity for each and, when finished with each page, scroll down to the bottom of the page and "submit" those items. Do this for each page you have items you wish to order. Upon completion, proceed to checkout and submit your order! Make sure to set up an account if you have not done so already!

Q. When will I receive my first order?
A. Receipt of your first order largely depends on what shipping preference you choose and if you are living within the U.S. or at an International address. Remember that we are taking advance orders. If you place your first order from the January Previews catalog, these are items scheduled to ship to retailers in March. If you select monthly shipping, your first order would ship a few days after the last Wednesday of March (orders are generally packed the Thursday and Friday of the week following the final Wednesday of the month). If you choose weekly shipping, your first order would ship the end of the first week of March. If you are an international customer, you would experience the same shipping schedule as outlined here. However, due to transit times, your parcel will arrive between 7 business days and 6 weeks depending on your preferred method of overseas transfer.

Q. What discounts do you offer?
A. Discounts on new comics range between 35 and 75%. All DC, Image, Marvel, and Dark Horse titles and trade paperbacks are discounted 35% with monthly specials at 75% off! Most all other small press publishers are also discounted 35%. Miscellaneous merchandise is discounted 25% with no applicable discount on "net" items, (those items marked with a "PI" or "MSRP" in the consumer order booklet).

Q. How can I order?
A. The easiest method is to use our online cart system to order. We can also order via e-mail, phone, or fax.

Service / Ordering

Due Date - Our due date is clearly posted on our subscriber monthly tools page. Check out this page for information on our early bird giveaway, due dates, and other pertinent "need to know" subscriber information!

Order Cycle - We refresh our online catalog each month by about the 1st of the month. Our service is best utilized by ordering each month so that you don't miss out on your favorite issues. At the conclusion of each month at the due date, we close the cart for a day to refresh cart data and our online database. At that time, we also upload tracking numbers, shipped items listings, and refresh the outstanding items listings for our customers.

Changes - If you have already placed your order for the current month and wish to make changes to it, simply log into your account, review your currently standing order, click on the "edit" button to the right of your order id, make any required changes, and resubmit your order! We are unable to delete items from an order after the due date so make sure that you do want everything that is ordered.

Shipping Info

Tracking - Upon completion of monthly packing (or weekly or Twice Monthly for those customers that have items shipped more frequently than monthly) tracking numbers are uploaded to our database online. You simply need to log into your account and get your tracking number. You can track right from our website. In addition, you will also receive e-mail notification of your shipment and tracking number if we ship your order via UPS.

Shipping Costs - Our shipping costs vary by order volume and, for our international customers, by destination.

Shipping Methods - For domestic U.S. shipments other than PO Boxes, we use UPS ground shipping. For PO Box and military posts outside the U.S. we use USPS mail services. USPS is also used for all international shipments unless an alternate service is requested.

Policies

Returns & Damages - If an item arrives damaged or an item is missing from your shipment that is listed on your packing list, please notify us immediately so that we can reorder the item(s). In the event replacements are unavailable, we will issue a credit for any damaged goods. We reserve the right to request the damaged items be returned and will provide credit for any return shipping charges.
Payment Methods - We currently accept Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, and Discover credit cards and all debit cards. Personal and company checks drawn on U.S. banks are also accepted. Cash is accepted, but not encouraged. Money orders are acceptable as well. You may also pay via PayPal and forward funds to "mike@mailordercomics.com". For international customers, wire transfers can also be arranged.

Credits & Additions - Credits are issued to our customers in the event a damaged item cannot be replaced or the publisher cancels a particular item or product. These credits are uploaded to our online database and are distributed to customers throughout each month. They are applied to a customer's next monthly order reducing the total order by the amount of the credits. Additions are for items that may have been reordered at the customer's request and the customer has not yet been billed for the item(s). These are uploaded throughout the month and are applied to the customer's next monthly order increasing the order total by the total amount of the additions.

Billing - Credit cards are billed on the due date each month. Customers paying by check, cash, money order, or PayPal must have their funds to us by the due date each month. If payment fails to reach us by the due date or a credit card is declined, your order will NOT be processed. Please make sure that your billing preference data is accurate and there are available funds for billing on the due date each month.

Cancellations - Any request to cancel an item or order before the due date each month will be permitted. However, we cannot cancel any orders beyond the due date. When we take your order, we batch process it with hundreds of orders just like yours. Once this data has been uploaded to our distributor, we are unable to cancel it. So, be sure you want the order before you place it because you will be responsible for paying for the merchandise.