subscriptions

[vynsane]

so, i need to tighten the belt a bit. we're going to be trying to buy a house in the near future, and we need to scrimp and save as best we can. i don't want to give up comics all-together, and the mrs doesn't want to make me, but we need to save somehow.

marvel's subscription service is pretty freakin' cheap. i put together an order of the top monthlies that i buy now, and it came to 138.85/year. that's for 5 monthly books, and includes a full year of ASM at 3x/month, avengers (mighty and new), amazing spider-girl, and daredevil. i'm going to be dropping some titles like avengers: the initiative, invincible iron man (even though i've only bought the first issue, i just can't get into another series if this is going to work...) ultimate spider-man (i haven't even read the last few issues of ultimate spider-man that i got), and probably spider-man family. it's mainly a reprint book, with one new story per issue. even though it's put out every other month, that's a hefty $5/issue i can do without.) and the creative team is changing on immortal iron fist, so i'm probably not going to be too into that series anymore (though a similarly huge shift in daredevil didn't have the same effect...)

but yeah, the end result is about a 50% reduction in my spending on comics. i'll continue to collect a few shining examples that don't offer subscriptions (invincible, brit, astounding wolfman, walking dead, all hellboy-related titles, madman, fables, jack of fables) but i'll be cutting things like avengers: the initiative and other superfluous marvel series. i'll also be more discerning in which mini-series i collect...

[vynsane]

in all my problems getting this posted, i never arrived at the relevant conundrum (100+ geekpoints if you know where that's from...)

would you, being comic book geeks, trust your local PO and marvel itself enough to deliver you quality items every time for the chance of saving a lot of extra dough? i know marvel has some sort of satisfaction guarantee, but does that hold over to the mail man ripping the bag as he takes it out of his pack, leaving the mailbox open and the comic inside getting soaked by the rain because the house you rent has no gutters and somehow the water pours right down onto your mailbox?

i'm going to have to get a bigger mailbox and better location for it... seriously, the mailbox the landlord provided is barely large enough for standard letters.

[RoIIo Tomassi]

If its just reading material, fine. But if you LOVE comics I wouldn't risk it. My Entertainment Weekly ( which I dont give a shit about) comes in the mail every other week is completely shredded from getting stuffed in the mailbox all retarded. I would have heart attacks if my comics showed up like that...repeatedly.

And Amazing Spider Girl is on the fence. What happens when you get a subscription to books and they get cancelled? I'm sure there is some kind of bureaucratic headache there...

[vynsane]

i was just reading up on their policies, here's what they have to say:

How are the comics mailed?
All comics are mailed in weather-resistant cellophane with a protective cardboard backing. US copies are mailed periodicals rate mail via the USPS. International subscriptions are sent via private international courier.

What do I do if my copy arrives damaged?
If your copy arrives in an unacceptable condition contact Marvel Subscriptions immediately for a replacement copy. Marvel Subscriptions maintains a limited supply of previous issues for replacement purposes. If the quantity of lost comics reported becomes excessive, however, we will place the account under review and notify the customer. Reporting a title as lost in no way reflects negatively on your account. Monitoring areas of loss helps provide valuable information to our postal liaison to ensure the effective delivery of Marvel Subscriptions.
What if my issues frequently arrive damaged?

If your issues frequently arrive damaged, please contact us for a further explanation of the situation. Please keep in mind that your mailbox may be too small for the magazine. If this is the case, please try to arrange with your letter carrier to place the magazine in a different area. Effective June 2002, all re-shipment for domestic subscribers will be limited to two (2) issues per subscription. In addition, subscribers requesting re-shipments will be asked to communicate any problems with delivery to their local postmaster.

The procedure is as follows:
After the first call for a re-shipment the subscriber will be asked to request that his/her local post office place a publication watch on the subscription. The subscriber will need to contact the local postmaster and fill out a Magazine Watch PS Form 3721. This will allow the postal service to monitor and discern the source of the problem.

When a second re-shipment request is made, the subscriber will be asked to submit a formal complaint to the local post office and have a copy forwarded to our offices. This complaint will be passed on to our liaison at the USPS for further investigation.

My title has been cancelled. What are my options?
If a title you have subscribed to has been cancelled, you have several options. You can request a refund for undelivered copies, have your subscription balance transferred to another title or an extension on an existing subscription.

i had a subscription to ASM a long time ago, and was highly pleased with the quality. i think it really depends on the mail service, and ours kinda sucks. i would DEFINITELY get a different mailbox if i went through with this. knowing their constituency, and their anal-retentive needs, marvel MUST have a lot of pull with the post office.

[vynsane]

so i am definitely going through with this. i'm getting money towards it for father's day, so that will help greatly as well... this sunday will be my last pickup at my usual place, and i'm a bit depressed and uneasy about that. i hope they understand.

[jjreason]

Assuming they order your books months in advance, I'm sure they'd like as much notice as possible for your cancellations. I'd think about giving them a call as soon as possible, then going in to pick up the balance of your books when it's convenient for you.

[vynsane]

they don't order books specifically for you, they send out an email every monday night or tuesday and you tell them what you want. they've got a good handle on demand for certain things, so if they take "members" into account in ordering at all, it's like the last part of the process.

that said, i didn't make it there today, so i'm going to wait until i'm back down for the 4th of july.

[vynsane]

so i got confirmation of my subscription orders today, looks like they'll be starting next month. hold on to your butts... hoping they come to me in acceptable condition!

[jjreason]

Keep us posted, that might save me a lot of money as well based on the number of Marvel books I've been getting.

[vynsane]

a report: one year later.

so now that i've had a year of comics in the mail, and have had basically all the issues you could have with such a service, it's time to analyze.

timeliness: overall, the receipt of comics was slow. books would come a few weeks late in most cases. the 'avengers' books (new, mighty) were the major problem-areas for some reason. when i would call customer service (who were always actually very helpful and friendly) to check up on these titles, i always got the same 'the writer is taking a long time to blah blah blah' excuse for some reason, which flew in the face of... well, reality i guess, seeing as how the book was on shelves for weeks at that point.

damaged books: there were a few problems here and there. in two instances i waited too long to request a re-issue (they hold a limited supply of backups) and instead got an extra issue tacked on to my subscription to cover the cost of buying that issue again in-store. in other instances, i got a reissue without any hassle. you get 2 per subscription. the most recent is the $4.99 cover price 'Amazing Spider-man' #600, which came to me with a rip in the middle of the cover on the bottom, and all corners folded.

canceled series: 'Amazing Spider-Girl' was canceled with three issues left on my subscription. i received a letter saying i was going to be automatically transferred to 'Marvel Adventures Super Heroes' which was a new series starting up at that point. i called and had the remaining three issues transferred to the just-then added 'Spider-woman' series (the forthcoming Bendis/Maleev joint) with no problem. my last issue of ASG came with an extra piece of paper in the bag that i could have used to do the same thing.

renewals: they seemed to have a problem with this - it was very inconsistent. the debit card i had used to initially subscribe was subsequently closed in the year hence, so when renewals came around they were all declined. as the various series reached my last issues at different times (Daredevil was like clockwork, and therefore was renewed first, Invincible Iron Man was second) it was a bit more difficult to track than i anticipated. i received an email about the automatic renewal for DD, but not one for Iron Man. i received one for New Avengers and Amazing Spider-man, but not for Mighty Avengers. i didn't miss an issue of DD or Iron Man, and won't miss an issue of New Avengers, but as it's thrice-monthly, i will miss two issues of ASM. i decided to cut Mighty Avengers, as i haven't been enjoying the newest incarnation - it's a much different book than it was when i initially signed on. each time i called to fix the renewal problems, customer service was polite and helpful. they renewed at the special previous subscriber rate - which is an even better deal than initial subscriptions. an initial subscription now costs $24.97 (up a dollar from when i signed up last year) but the re-subscriber rate remains at $19.97, which is like an additional free issue a year!

verdict: well worth it if you're not fully anal about condition (a few wrinkles here and there aren't a big deal, they'll flatten out in the bag/board) or getting books when they come out. if you need the new issue in pristine condition when it comes out, you'll just have to pay the cover-price premium. but if you want a deep discount, you'll have to deal with some inconsistencies.

[vynsane]

TODAY ONLY!!!!

if you were thinking about picking up any subs, today's the day. to celebrate marvel's 70th anniversary, pick up three 12 issue subscriptions for $39! $13 each!

It's Marvel's 70th Birthday and we've got a surprise for all the True Believers out there. But what is it, you ask? For one day-that's today, August 11th-you can order ANY 3 print subscription titles for just $39! That's a once in 70 year deal for 3 titles of your choice delivered to you! But hurry, because this offer expires faster than you can say "Hulk Smash!"

To take advantage of this offer, just call 800-217-9158 or 845-457-3124 and mention promo code "M8MN39". All orders must be placed by 10PM (EST). Don't hesitate, Make Mine ‘39!!

http://marvel.com/news/comicstories.914 ... ECIAL~excl~