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Current Preorder Month: March 2024
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Frequently Asked Questions

Shipping

How is my order sent?

Primarily, shipments are sent by FedEx, FedEx SmartPost and USPS. Domestic shipments sent by FedEx or USPS to a physical address are trackable and insured. Packages that are sent as a final shipment or contain trades and hardcovers only are sent by USPS First Class Mail or Media Mail. Generally, shipments take 2-5 business days to be delivered. Shipments sent to PO Boxes, APO, FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, and other U.S. territories are sent by USPS with delivery confirmation, but are not insured. If you would like your package insured, please inquire about pricing. Packages sent to a UPS Store cannot be delivered by FedEx and will be assessed actual shipping charges. All international customers are given shipping options at checkout. The least expensive options are for packages containing only books and valued under $400. These can be sent by USPS International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) and generally take 14-16 business days to arrive or International Priority Airmail (IPA) and generally takes 10-14 business days to arrive. Both of these options do not have tracking or insurance. Items sent by these options cannot be replaced by us, as the customer is choosing an option with no tracking or insurance. The other international shipping option is USPS Priority Mail International and does provide tracking and insurance and generally takes 7-10 business days to arrive. This option must be chosen if the order exceeds $400 or contains items other than books.

All item bar codes are scanned for fulfillment accuracy and placed through a shrink machine in bundles. Single issue books are placed between 2 backing boards and a #19 rubber band is used to hold the bundle in place and then passed through the shrink machine. Shipments containing less than 10 single issue comics are packaged in a “book fold” that has an overhang on both ends to prevent any corner damage. Shipments with more than 10 single issue comics are packaged in double walled custom boxes containing a special foam (which conforms to the contents) or reusable bubble wrap.

When can I expect my regular monthly pre-order shipment?

Because DCBS is mainly a pre-order website, orders placed on the website generally ship within 2 months. Orders placed in April are generally scheduled to ship at the end of June. If regular monthly orders are placed containing books, then shipments will be sent out each month. If there are no books filled from an order, a shipment will not be sent until items have filled. 

New customers who place a pre-order are automatically assigned to the 4th week of the month, except customers who order Previews. Customers who order Previews are automatically assigned to the 5th week. So with months having 5 Wednesdays, Previews customers will be sent in the 5th week. All other 4 Wednesday months, Previews customers will be sent in week 1 of the week following the 4th Wednesday. All 4th week customers not ordering Previews will still be sent in the 4th week on 5 week months. Customers may request to have their shipments sent in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd weeks and may make a one-time request for that change by e-mail. Shipments are packaged starting on Tuesday of each week and are processed and packaged for pickup throughout the week until all closed invoices have been labeled. Packages cannot leave our facility each week before Wednesday per our agreement with our distributor. Generally, customers in week 1, 2, and 3, ship by Friday at 6 p.m. Customers in week 4 generally ship by the Monday following the 4th Wednesday of the month. Weekly shipments are guaranteed to ship out the Wednesday of each week. Twice a month shipments are guaranteed to ship out the Wednesday of the 2nd and 4th week. In 5 week months, twice a month customers, who order the print version of Previews, will ship on the 2nd and 5th Wednesday of those months. Weeks following a holiday will ship out one day later than what is stated above.

When a confirmation is received, the tracking number is not “trackable” until the package has been picked up and scanned. If you check the label status and it says “billing information received”, this usually means that the label has been printed but the package has not been picked up yet. Packages are picked up by FedEx by 6 p.m. and USPS by 3:00 p.m. each day. When an invoice shows as closed in the system that is not necessarily the date it is shipped. Invoices are closed in large batches and processed in chronological order of receipt. We send shipments by UPS or USPS. When packages are labeled, the system chooses the least expensive option.

The only exception to this policy is if your order contains pre-order items and previously released items and there are no pre-order items filled at the time of the scheduled shipment. If the customer has placed subsequent orders, the pre-order items will be sent in future orders and a shipment will be made. If it is the only order placed, the order will be held until the order is complete.

All items in an open invoice must be paid, before the invoice will be closed for processing and shipment.

Please note: All customers are sent an email with their tracking information by UPS or Stamps.com (for USPS packages) so that they can be available to accept their delivery. If you do not receive your email, please check your SPAM folder. The tracking information is also available in your account. The tracking number can be found to the left under your shipments link. If there is a problem with the delivery, we must be notified by email within 72 hours, so that we may file a claim or trace with the shipping company. Notifications sent after this time may not be able to be replaced, depending on the restrictions of the shipping company and their ability to trace or locate the package.

When international orders being sent by ISAL or IPA are closed, they are prepared for packaging, but may take up to 3 business days to ship from us as they are labeled manually.Then they are picked up from a service that does separate processing and then ships them to a hub for expedition. If there are any concerns or shipping problems, please e-mail us and we will be happy to resolve the issue.

When can I expect my weekly or twice a month shipment?

Weekly shipments are sent out on Wednesday each week. The first shipment for twice a month shipments are packaged and sent out on the second Wednesday of the month and the second shipment is sent on Wednesday with regular month end shipments. The only exception to this for twice a month shipments is a 5 week month. Twice a month customers who do not order the print version of Previews will be sent out the 4th week of a 5 week month. Twice a month customers who order the print version of Previews will be sent out on the 5th week of a 5 week month. In weeks following a holiday, where we receive books a day late, shipments are sent out on Thursday. Weekly and twice a month shipments are only available to US customers.


When can I expect my "in stock" shipment?

When placing an "in stock" order you have the option to send your order immediately or have it held and sent with your next scheduled shipment. All in stock orders are charged at the time of order placement, because they are immediately removed from inventory and set aside for you. When an in stock order is placed, changes cannot be made and all prices are final.


When can I expect my Previews?

Customers who place their first order with us, and have a scheduled shipment at the end of the following scheduled month, will receive their Previews in a separate shipment, in the week after it releases, at no extra cost.  If orders are placed every month by the deadline with Previews, the Previews will be included in your shipment in the 1st week of the month or 5th week in 5 week months. When regular monthly orders are not placed, the Previews will ship with the pre-order items in the month those items are scheduled to ship. 

My shipment shows closed, but there is no tracking information. When will I receive that information?

Each week, invoices are closed in batches. 1st-3rd week are closed starting on Monday in batches of hundreds and generally are all processed by Friday afternoon. 4th week is the largest week and invoices are closed in batches of thousands, and it generally takes 3-4 days for all shipments to be processed and picked up by Monday. Each shipment goes through several checkpoints and they are the picking queue, scanning station, bagging and boarding station (if applicable), taping station, packaging station, and finally to labeling. Once the package is labeled, it is placed on pallets for pickup. UPS and USPS make daily pickups and the last pickup each day for UPS is 6:00p.m. and for USPS is 5:00 p.m. Pickups are not made on Saturday or Sunday. If you receive your tracking information after those times, your package will be picked up the following business day.

I will be out of town when my shipment is scheduled to ship to me, how do I delay it?

Requests for holds on shipments need to be sent by email to customer service 7 business days before any scheduled shipment. Shipments scheduled for 4th week can start processing as early as the Friday before the last Wednesday of the month. Holds simply prevent the shipment from being sent out in the regularly scheduled week, they do not schedule a new shipment once the hold is lifted. Please email customer service when you are ready for your held package to be sent out. Please allow 3-4 business days to send held shipments out once the return email has been received. Please note, held shipments that are requested to be sent out in the 4th week of the month, may take 4-5 business days, and most likely will be processed in week 1.


Do you accept orders after the deadline?


Yes, we accept orders any time after the deadline, but some items may not be available, depending how long after the deadline the order is placed. Please note all items placed after the deadline are reordered with the distributor and may fill 1-2 weeks after the initial release of the item. All orders are filled in chronological order of receipt. If an issue is shorted or arrives damaged from the distributor, the last orders placed are un-allocated until replacements arrive. If replacements are not available, credit will be issued to the last orders placed. 

There are items missing from my shipment and are on my unshipped list?


Items on your unshipped list are items that have not filled for your account or have not released yet. Many items release after their scheduled release date, so your monthly orders will not necessarily fill completely each month. As long as regular monthly orders are placed, any late arriving books will be sent in the subsequent month of the items arrival. cation to the new location, if applicable. If the package is returned to us, the shipping to resend will be at the actual shipping cost.

What do my shipping costs pay for?

The flat rate shipping fee of $9.50 pays for one shipment for that particular order. In order to maintain our discounts and the flat rate shipping cost, each order is assessed a shipping cost and different months cannot be combined.  Orders containing only collectibles are held until all items from that order have arrived, because collectibles have varied release dates. Orders containing only collected editions also have varied ship dates, so if no subsequent orders have been placed on the account, we reserve the right to hold the order until all items have arrived. Customers who place regular monthly book orders, but place separate collectible orders, because they wish to have those items charged at the time of release, are also subject to a separate shipping charge.

The flat rate is only applicable to orders shipping to a physical address within the 48 states. Orders sent to PO Boxes, FPO, APO, Alaska, Hawaii, and other U.S. territories are subject to actual shipping costs, because the only option for ground shipping is the US Postal Service, and the rates are much higher than those we negotiate with our main shipping carrier. International customers pay actual shipping cost. Customers who request to be sent by a specific carrier will also be subject to actual shipping costs.

Domestic shipments sent by FedEx and USPS are sent with tracking and insurance of $100 per package. We do not require a signature for deliver of packages by either shipper. If you wish to have that option added to your packages, there is a cost of $5.50 per package. Please e-mail us, and we will be happy to add the option to your account. Otherwise, packages may be left at the front door of your residence, if you are not available to accept delivery. We send an email with your tracking number every time a label is created, so that you may know when your package will be delivered and you can make arrangements to have someone available to accept your package. Additional insurance may be purchase over $100, please inquire for pricing.

If a customer places regular monthly orders, orders are sent at the end of each month, or the chosen shipping week, for which a pre-order has been placed and a shipping cost corresponds to that order. All items that have arrived since the last closed shipment are sent, regardless of what order they were placed in. If a month is skipped, a shipment is skipped, respectively. Any late items from previous months are held until the next scheduled shipment.

Shipping upgrades are applicable for the order the upgrade is placed in. With weekly shipping, you will have shipments sent out each Wednesday in the month your order is scheduled to arrive and it is a one-time $19.99 fee per order in addition to the $9.50 regular shipping cost. For example, a June order with weekly shipping will ship each week in August. If this is the only month weekly shipping is chosen, then the following scheduled shipment would be at the end of the following month.You will receive a shipment each week unless no items have arrived for you in a given week. Credits will not be issued for weeks there are no items to ship.  The twice a month shipping upgrade pays for the additional shipment sent in the middle of the month in which the order is scheduled to arrive and is $9.50 in addition to the $9.50 regular shipping cost per order.

When regular monthly orders are no longer placed, all late releasing items are held for one final shipment at no extra cost to customers living in the contiguous 48 states. International customers will be charged actual shipping costs for final completed shipments.

When a customer places multiple orders in one month, each order will be assessed a separate shipping charge. Additional shipping charges will not be refunded if multiple orders are placed within one month. 

If a customer is not available to receive their package and the package is returned to us, a charge of actual shipping will be added to the customer’s account to resend the package. The customer may request that the returned package be added to the next available shipment, but a small surcharge will be accessed to cover the additional weight. If a customer fails to update their address and the package needs to be re-rerouted, there is a UPS fee of $12.50 to do this, a $5 fee from DCBS to call and make the address change, and an additional shipping charge for the cost to send the item from the re-routed location to the new location, if applicable. If the package is returned to us, the shipping to resend will be at the actual shipping cost.

My tracking number says my package was delivered, but I didn't receive it. What do I do?

We email tracking numbers to the email address on file to notify customers that a package will be on its way soon and to prepare for the delivery. If you are unable to have someone available to accept your delivery, the package will be left at the front of your residence, as all packages do not require a signature at delivery. Any lost/mis-delivered packages must be reported within 48 hours as all traces must be filed within 5 days of delivery. Any reports after that date cannot be traced, therefore, cannot be replaced.

Can I combine orders to save on shipping?

Unfortunately, we cannot combine orders. In order for us to offer the discounts, specials, and flat rate shipping that we do, each order must include a shipping cost. Shipping cost is based on the month order code. For example, JAN23 coded orders and FEB23 coded orders receive a separate shipping charge. New customers who wish to place orders from previous months may do so, but each month will be assessed the flat rate shipping fee. Late orders placed through the Excel form may not be combined with current month’s orders and are subject to a shipping charge. If a customer combines orders, the orders will be assessed the appropriate shipping charges. 

Collectible orders that are placed in separate months or orders, but arrive within the same week, may ship in one box, but will be assessed the shipping cost for each order. Due to their size, collectible items cost more to ship, because they generally have to be sent by FedEx, which charges based on dimensional weight.


Ordering

Do the single issues come bagged and boarded?

We offer 2 different price options for customers who would like their single issue comics bagged and boarded. Note: all books are bagged and boarded with current size supplies.

Option 1:

BCW Current Comic Thick Bags are an acid free, archival quality product made of crystal clear polypropylene
BCW Current Comic Backer Boards are made from 24 point solid bleached sulfate, coated and buffered on one side with 3% calcium carbonate, and are precision cut to size. 

Option 2:

eGerber Mylites2 Made from 2 mil thick Mylar D® The 2 mil sleeves are twice the thickness and 4 times the protection of 1 mil thick bags. The most popular Mylar sleeve.
eGerber Full Backs 42 mil, acid-free, 3% buffered backing board. Genuine acid-free, cellular fiber. Meets strict U.S. Government standards for archival storage. 3% calcium carbonate buffer throughout, maintains a neutral pH.
White on both sides. The highest quality backing board available anywhere.

If I order a variant am I guaranteed to receive it?

We price our variants based on an estimated amount of orders we will receive and our eligibility for those items. There are occasions, where the demand exceeds our eligibility, and we have to make adjustments. We make adjustments by allowing all customers to purchase at least one copy. There are occasions where the demand is still so great that we are unable to fill all customer orders. When this occurs, customers will be notified by email about the adjustment.


Are the special discounts available after the order deadline?


The special discounts are available after the deadline until we update the site for the next month's products. Once the update is made, all special discounts are removed. Those items can still be added at the normal discount after the month has been updated.


What condition should I expect to receive my items?

At the discounts we offer, we are unable to guarantee Mint or Near Mint condition. Many titles are not received in mint or near mint condition. Pop figures are also items that we cannot guarantee the condition of the box, due to the nature of the packaging.

Items purchased from in stock inventory are generally in good condition. Items purchased on sale are considered clearance items, and the condition is not guaranteed.

How do I receive credit for a canceled item?

Each week, we receive cancellations from Diamond on our invoice and they are keyed into the system with a reason code and an email is sent. The system automatically applies the credit to the order that the item was originally ordered in. The credit will be applied to your next order payment. However, if there are no outstanding orders, you can request to have the credits refunded to the original payment method.

What do the reasons mean when I am issued a credit?

Will resolicit-- the title under this code has been canceled and the publisher plans to re-offer it at a later date. If you wish to receive it, you will need to order it under the new code with (RES) next to it.

Canceled backorder-- this mean the item was either not ordered before the deadline and was backordered in the hopes of extras being available, or the item was shorted or received damaged by the distributor and the replacements were placed on backorder, because the distributor did not have the item in stock.

Out of print-- the item is currently not available from the distributor and no new in print date is available from the publisher.

Late order allocations-- the item was placed on order after the deadline. The late orders were confirmed by the distributor, but later allocated by them due to limited quantities. 

Initial order allocations-- the distributor does not receive all ordered quantities from the publisher and is forced to lower the amount they are ale to fill. We are then forced to allocate customer orders by chronological receipt of order.

Canceled by Previews-- the distributor has canceled all orders for this item.

Canceled by publisher-- the publisher has canceled all orders for this item with no plans to re-offer it at a later date.

Lateness-- the item is so late that either the publisher or the distributor has decided to cancel the item.

DCBS did not meet eligibility--the requirement for DCBS to purchase the item has exceeded the amount for which we have received pre-orders. All orders are first allocated to a quantity of one, then orders are filled in the order in which orders were received. Please note: the date of order is based on the date the item was added to the order and not by the date the order was placed initially. The system tags a date to each item as it is added to the order, so if an order is edited and an item is added after the initial checkout, the date it was added is noted.

I saw an item and I think it has the wrong price. What do I do?

If you notice an error in the spreadsheet or think that a price may be wrong, please contact us at customer.service@dcbservice.com. We reserve the right to correct prices. When prices are corrected, we will send an email to all customers affected and give the option to remove that item from their order or adjust quantities. Customer responses to remove items must be received within the order edit window. If the edit window has passed, then customer requests to remove items must be received within 5 business days.

Why was an item shown as being on my invoice and then it was not?

Each week, we import the following week's books a few days before the shipment is received. This import allocates all the expected items from the shipment to customer orders and shows in the customer account as a half-filled red circle. When the shipment is received the following week, all items are scanned, counted, and recounted. Any items that are short or damaged are removed from extras and then customer's open invoices based on the last orders received. When removed, the circle will show as fully white. There are rare occasions when an item has been in stock for a few weeks and a damage is discovered and the item is immediately removed from the latest order.

If I purchase a book, will I receive the cover pictured?

Covers shown are for illustrative purposes only and are supplied by the various publishers. The vast majority of covers shown on our site use the artwork that will be on the actual cover of the book. However, in some cases, publishers may use artwork from previous issues, black & white artwork for a color book, variant cover artwork, draft artwork, or other artwork to represent their books. Many times variants covers are not available at the time of solicitation and the publisher uses the regular cover image. If you are not certain about the cover you will be receiving, please email us and we will be happy to provide the image, if it is available to us.

In addition, if a book is offered with multiple covers but only one ordering code, those covers will be filled to customers at random. For example, if one ordering code offers Covers A, B, and C, Cover A may be shown on the site but your order may be filled with any of Cover A, Cover B, or Cover C.

What happens to my orders when my payment is late?

Payments made after the deadline by check and money order, or a credit card that is declined during the normal charge cycle, will delay shipment of your order, but your items will be held for a short time. If payment is not made by the time of the scheduled shipment, we reserve the right to remove items that are sold out from the unpaid order to fill other late paid orders. Also, if payment is made after the scheduled shipment, the order may be held to be combined with the next scheduled shipment. Shipping costs will not be refunded if orders are combined due to delayed payment. If there are paid items in the invoice with unpaid items they could also be held until the unpaid filled items have been paid. Because the shipment will be larger and weigh more, a shipping refund will not be made. If there are 2 or more unpaid orders in your account, your account can be “locked” to prevent further ordering before getting your account up to date. When your account is “locked”, we will always be happy to set up payment options should you need to do so. If payment is not received, restock fees will be assessed and payment for unshipped items will be applied towards the restock fees.

If an order is unpaid, and subsequent payments are made to different orders, we reserve the right to apply payments to the oldest order balance. 

How do I use the Pull List?

Place your first order through the shopping cart. You will receive your UserID and Password for our site in your e-mail order confirmation. Log into our site and click the "Order History" link on the left and click into your order. Begin adding items to your Pull List by adding a quantity next to each item in the Pull List column. You can add items in two ways. You can look at any of your existing orders and add items to your Pull List by using the quantity field to the right of each item and then clicking the "Update Pull List" button. Or you can go to "My Pull List" and use the Search box to find items in our database to add to your Pull List.

Once your Pull List is created, you can simplify creating your order each month. Just log into the site, click "My Pull List" and then click the "Create Order" button. Any items in your Pull List that are offered that month, will be added to your shopping cart. You will be able to modify the order before finalizing it.

The books are not automatically pulled, the list is just a tool for you to use each month to create your order.

When will my order be charged?

If you place an order only containing collectibles (statue, busts, or action figures), your order will be charged once all items have arrived and are being readied for shipment.

If you place an order containing collectibles and books or books only, your order will be charged in the middle of the month following the order placement. The exception to this is if you place a late pre-order. In that case, you will be charged within the normal charge cycle for that month's pre-order. Generally the charge cycle is the 14th-16th, but can be delayed if it falls during a weekend. Items that have been allocated to a customer's open invoice, that were placed in an order that has not been charged, will be charged at the time of shipment processing. This includes any order late additions, items from the trade paperback link, and early releasing product.

DCBS reserves the right to charge large orders before the Diamond due date or if there have been payment issues in the past.

If you need to delay a charge, any request to delay must be received 4 business days before the charge cycle begins on the 14th of the month. We can delay a charge up to 14 business days, but any additional extension will need to be authorized by the management.

When can I expect my order?

Pre-order items are typically offered two-months in advance. Each item on the site is tagged with the scheduled ship date for that item. With each order placed, the customer schedules a corresponding shipment. So placing an order in February schedules a shipment for the last week of April, March schedules a shipment for the last week of May and so forth. If you skip a month, it's not a problem, there just won't be a corresponding shipment. Once your next order is placed a new shipment is scheduled and any late arriving items are held and sent with the first available shipment. 

We reserve the right to hold orders when the majority of the books have not released from the order. If your order contains no pre-order items and only contains already released product, your order will be held until complete.

If you discontinue your orders or if you are a one time customer, any late arriving books will be sent in one final shipment after all items have arrived. This includes advance-solicited books that ship after the regular monthly schedule. One flat rate charge pays for one shipment per order. There is no additional cost for this final shipment for domestic customers within the continental US. Final shipments to customers outside the US will be assessed the actual shipping cost for the final shipment.

If you do not place regular monthly orders, and your orders contain items with multiple release dates outside the normal 2 month pre-order period, each order may be held until it is complete before being shipped.

If you are a collectible only customer or the majority of your order contains collectibles and there are not regular monthly orders placed, your order will be sent once all items from your order have been received. If you would prefer to receive your items as they arrive, the additional cost is $9.50 per additional shipment. Please email us after your order placement if you would like to have that option added. This option is only available to orders shipping in the Continental United States.

Can I cancel an order or some items in my order? 

Unfortunately, we do not accept order cancellations. In the event that an order cancellation is authorized, we will charge a 25% cancellation/restock fee. In order for us to offer the prices we do, it is important to maintain a minimum amount of inventory. If the order has been charged and/or items have filled for that order, a cancellation will not be authorized.

We are also unable to cancel individual items from an order after the deadline has passed. Once the deadline has passed, the order is placed with the distributor and we are unable to cancel items once it is accepted. We have a function on the site that allows customers to edit their current month’s order, for pre-order items, up until the deadline. You may do this by logging into your account and clicking into your current month’s order. The system prompts you through the edit process and all additions are saved immediately. Items that have already released, including all items on the trade paperback link and clearance items, are not able to be edited.

I ordered a bundle, but it now shows as canceled, why is that?

In order for our system to properly allocate single items in a bundle, the bundle is "canceled" in the system and replaced with the respective line items for each item included in the bundle with the proper pricing. For example, "November 2015 Vertigo New Series Bundle", During the month of December, this item will be replaced on your order summaries with 12 lines corresponding with each of the 12 Vertigo titles.  The total for the 12 lines will equal $24.38 (or multiples of $24.38 if you order multiples of this special).  This includes 1 book with a regular price of $4.99 and 11 books with the regular price of $3.99.  If you select bags and boards for other items in your order, then bags and boards will also be added during the month of December to these 12 issues at the normal bag and board prices.

Are the statues I order sent in sealed, unopened boxes ?

We reserve the right to open any statue and inspect it for damage before shipping it to customers. If a customer wishes to only receive statues unopened and sealed, please email Customer Service, so that we may note your account. Any report of damage or defect by customers who request statues to be sent sealed, will be assessed shipping charges for return and replacement.

General

How do address changes affect my pre-orders?

Our system is set up as a regular monthly pre-order service, so the customer’s profile address in their account is where all shipments will be sent. Any address changes must be made to the customer’s profile address by the Friday before any scheduled shipments for the following week. For example, if a customer is scheduled to ship in the 4th week, the address change needs to be made by the Friday of the 3rd week in the month. When a customer places their order each month, any address changes made to that order are reflected in the customer's profile. If a customer fails to update their address and the package needs to be re-rerouted, there is a FedEx fee of $12.50 to do this and an additional shipping charge for the cost to send the item from the re-routed location to the new location.

Please note: single orders that need to be shipped to a separate address, such as gifts, etc. should be placed in a separate account. Please email customer service and we will be happy to set those orders up for you.

Do you sell to retailers, re-sellers, speculators, or buying clubs?

DCBS does not sell to retailers, because we are prohibited from doing so in our contract with our distributor. This includes storefronts, websites, and pop-up storefronts. A retailer is defined as a business operating a website selling comics or operating a brick and mortar location that sells comics. Any platform used to sell product in multiple quantities from a physical location or a unique URL falls under this definition. A unique URL includes a social media page defining itself as a business, but does not include an eBay account.

DCBS is a retailer selling to individual customers.

Our flat rate shipping and discounts are based on a single consumer purchase. Customers selling on eBay, Amazon, or other auction sites, that are not eligible for a Diamond account, may place orders with our approval. Those customer orders are not eligible for flat rate shipping and are subject to actual shipping costs.

Orders that contain multiple quantities of more than a quantity of 2 are clearly orders for resale, speculation, or group purchase, and are also not eligible for flat rate shipping and are subject to actual shipping costs. Those accounts will be noted accordingly.

What if I changed my mind and want to return an item?

We do not accept returns for any items. In order to maintain our discounts and flat rate shipping, we only order what the customer orders. 

What do I do if something is missing/damaged from my shipment?

Please notify us by e-mail within 48 hours of receipt of your shipment of pre-order items and we will be happy to replace your missing/damaged item(s) if stock is still available in the next scheduled shipment and we determine the damage warrants replacement. Please note: all items purchased during a special sale are considered clearance items and the condition is not guaranteed. If we are unable to replace an item, we will credit your account for the item(s) at the price paid. We reserve the right to require return of the item(s) for credit or replacement. All reports of damage must be received with a picture of the damage, so that we may check inventory to confirm that inventory copies do not have the same defect. Most items are not received by the distributor in perfect condition. We weed all damages out initially through a double screening process, but occasionally some do slip through the cracks. If we do not receive notification within 48 hours, we may be unable to replace, or credit you, for the items. All authorized returns must be returned within 7 business days of authorization. Once the return is processed, the replacement will be sent in the customer's next scheduled shipment. Please note: If you have your shipments sent to a freight forwarder rather than being shipped direct from us, we are not responsible for any damaged or missing items.

When can I expect a response to my email?

Generally, we try to respond to emails within 2-3 business days. However, there are times when we receive a high volume of emails and responses may take longer. Emails are answered Monday-Friday and all emails received on Saturday and Sunday are answered on Monday and Tuesday in the order that they were received. During high volume times, additional staff is added and emails may be answered on the weekend to answer emails that were received during the week. 

When an item has been released, if it is on your site, does that mean it is in stock and ready to ship?

We do have some items in stock, but the majority of items that have been released are in stock with our distributor. We place reorders every Monday morning for items that have released and they generally fill within 2-3 weeks. Some of these items are on backorder with the distributor and make take up to 4-6 weeks to fill. If you are placing an order and have time constraints, please e-mail us to ask the availability and we can give you a more specific time to expect your order to arrive. The best way to purchase already released items is by visiting our sister site at www.InStockTrades.com which usually ships orders within 48 hours.

I just placed an order that contains all trades that have been previously released, when can I expect them?

DCBS is mainly a pre-order website. Any order placed through the pre-order link is grouped all month and then ordered at the end of the month, once the order deadline has passed. This includes already released trades offered under the various vendors’ backlists. The backlists are in no way linked to our actual inventory, so the orders are not filled until the distributor fills them from the monthly order placed at the end of the month. These are usually filled within 2-3 weeks of the end of the month in which the order was placed however it may take 4-6 weeks to fill if the item is on backorder or is coming from a remote warehouse. If your items start with the current month’s code, e.g. SEP14, then they are considered by the system a pre-order and will not be “picked up” as an in stock item. If you are placing an order containing only already released trades, please use the trade paperback link on the site. Now that our sister site www.instocktrades.com has moved the Memphis, TN, we do not have that inventory available to us to fill items from the trade paperback link. We do have a small selection of trade paperbacks and hardcovers in our brick and mortar store, but not the extent of the InStockTrades inventory that has been available to us for many years. As of 8/20/2014, we will generally fill all titles purchased from the trade paperback link within 2-3 weeks. However, if an item is short or arrives damaged, it can take our distributor 2 weeks to fill the replacement order. If you wish to receive already released trade paperbacks and hardcovers much faster, please visit www.InStockTrades.com.

What happens when the price of an item changes?

Each week, we receive a listing of price changes and they are keyed accordingly. When a price is increased, we are given the option of adjusting our orders with the distributor. This allows us to accept cancellations from the customer when a price increase has occurred. We automatically notify customers when an item price has increased by more than $1 along with an offer of cancelling the item. DCBS reserves the right to correct all prices.

When does Previews arrive and when will I receive it?

Previews ships to stores on the 4th Wednesday of the month. Weekly customers will receive it in that week's shipment and regular month end customers will receive it in their month end shipment. In month's where there are 5 Wednesdays, the Previews will be sent in the 5th week of that month. Because items are pre-ordered, items ordered in February 2020 are scheduled for shipment the last week of April. Customers who place their first order containing Previews in February 2020 have a shipment scheduled to be sent at the end of April. However, the Previews arrives on the 4th week of March, so as a courtesy, we send the Previews that week, so that the customer may receive it before the order deadline for that month. As long as a customer places regular monthly orders with Previews, they will receive the Previews in each month end shipment. If regular monthly orders are not placed or just one month is skipped, the early-arriving Previews will be held until the next scheduled shipment. Customers who may have stopped placing regular orders and started placing orders again may request that the Previews be sent at release for a $9.50 fee.

What if I do not pay for my order?

Customers will receive an e-mail requesting payment for unpaid orders. Orders that remain unpaid for more than 30 days will be canceled and accessed a restock fee of 25%. Credit for any previously paid and unshipped items will be applied to the restock fee. Restock fees that remain unpaid may be forwarded to a collection agency and will also be subject to collection agency fees. Future orders cannot be placed by the customer until all restock fees and collection agency fees are paid. If the customer pays all restock and collection agency fees and DCBS allows new orders, DCBS reserves the right to require full payment at the time of order. DCBS also reserves the right to refuse future orders based on unpaid and restocked orders.

Do you offer Free Comic Book Day titles for order each year?

We are happy to offer Free Comic Book Day books to our customers, but please note, the titles are not free to the retailer. Because of this, customers are given the option to add a select number of Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) books when they are offered to us during the January pre-order period each year. Eligibility is based on order history, which is determined by the customers total book purchases from the previous year. Customers who meet the guidelines, are eligible for quantities ranging from 2-50 per customer. Once you have created your order and have clicked "checkout" the next screen will tell you how many issues you qualify for. You can then choose your FCBD issues and then click "Continue Checkout." We are prohibited from selling additional copies.

Where is your brick-and-mortar store located?

Our last day of operation was August 30th, 2017 and the storefront is no longer open to the public. All local customers please place orders online as normal.


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