TOYSOLDIERSCLUB.COM

 
Last month K+C decided to retire a whole load of sets, you may remember me mentioning it in a previous post. At the time, I referred to the fact that I only wanted one of them, whilst other collectors might be in a position of 'needing' several, so I considered myself fairly lucky. The set I was after was WS134, the Normandy SS Panzer III

I duly rang the lads at K+C UK, eager to place my order, but sadly they had sold out and told me they wouldn't be getting any more because they had sold out in China as well! One or two more phone calls followed as I tried to get hold of it from other UK dealers, without any luck

Now I don't know about you, but I'm one of those collectors for whom completeness is quite important, so if it's taking up space on my wish list then I have to do all in my power to ensure it takes up physical space on a shelf! Having said that, I'm very reluctant to pay over the odds for anything, including toy soldiers. So, I looked on ebay, having decided beforehand that I was only really prepared to pay what the set would normally cost, but couldn't find one. There was only one thing left to do, go to America, or so I thought at the time!

I tried a dealer over in California who I have bought a number of things from over the years, but he didn't have any left, and the same was true of one or two others I tried. To cut to the chase, I ended up going to Canada, home of the company referred to in the title of the post, ToySoldiersClub.com, and I was delighted I did

I corresponded with them via email over the course of a couple of days and they were very prompt getting back to me each time. They had the set I wanted so I ordered that, and to make sure I qualified for their shipping discount I ordered a couple of foot figures as well. Their shipping discount kicks in at $200 but they kindly gave me the discount anyway as the value of my order was $183, and adding an additional foot figure onto the order would have pushed me into the higher P+P bracket. All in all I paid $46 shipping, a grand total of $229

Now I'm well aware of the uncertainties and potential difficulties involved when ordering things from as far afield as America, Canada or China, and I'm a firm believer in supporting homegrown businesses but this company has impressed me and I will certainly use them again. I placed the order on 13th April and it was with me, delivered to the door and not left languishing in a Parcel Force depot for me to go and collect, 10 days later. What's more, I made a saving of £31.22, on UK prices, not a lot but 'every little helps'. They only send out figures in factory sealed boxes, nothing that has been on display in their store, so I fully expected everything to arrive in tip top condition, and I wasn't disappointed. All three models are now on display in my hobbies room

So, a big thank you to the guys and gals at TSC. If you're over in Canada, and anywhere near Quebec, why not pay them a visit, or do the next best thing and order some soldiers from them. I doubt you'll be disappointed


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