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Just a quick heads up that those who've dealt with bigbadtoystore's pile of loot option will be aware of but those who haven't before need to be aware of so they're not caught out by it like I was.

When preorders/orders are charged with pile of loot selected, you're hit for item cost and the shipping all in the one hit, rather than being hit for the shipping when everything actually ships.

Just though it was worth really putting that out there for those who haven't used PoL on BBTS before, so people's budgets aren't thrown out to the likes of $50+ like mine was heh.

UPDATE: It looks like BBTS are in the process of fixing this issue, by making this more "transparent". Kudos to them for getting onto it so quickly.

This makes sense though, does it not? They're holding this stuff for you, they want to make sure that when the time comes, and you ask to ship everything, that they then don't have to deal with charging you again for the shipping. After all, if something is wrong with that payment they then have to deal with the hassle of either bothering you for the money, or refunding the money they already have and restocking everything they were holding for you.

And if you are worrying that they might be charging you full shipping for everything you add to the pile of loot, I can vouch from personal experience here. I once had a MASSIVE pile of loot built up, and each time I added something the charge for shipping on the additional item was very small, or even non-existant. So on future additions to the pile they do charge a pro-rated shipping rate based on what the entire pile of loot will cost to ship.

Hmmm. I was actually unaware of this. I thought they only charged you for the item once it comes in, not shipping too. Doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of POL if you're charged shipping for each item? Isn't its purpose to save on shipping by combining it? I'm curious to see how it works out because I have about 6 different preorders right now with POL turned on. Either way, thanks for the heads up!

EDIT: Yatsuyasun's post does make since. By charging you up front, they won't have to charge you again later. I just hope the amount for shipping drops dramatically for each new preordered item as they become available. I appreciate the info.

Actually it doesn't make sense from a common sense perspective. The thing is that when they're holding multiple items and shipping later, the first thing you're going to think of is that they'll charge for shipping when they actually ship.

Don't get me wrong, this way works too, but if you're not expecting it, getting hit with the shipping upfront like this can throw out your budget. That was why I was making this post to give those who haven't used PoL before on bbts a heads up about it.

I'm guessing this is if you use paypal? Because I've never been charged for a pre-order...only once the item comes in stock. And any in stock item, I get charged the price plus full shipping for the first item, then anything else I add I only get hit the cost of the added weight to the package...usually less than a buck.

BBTS has never charged me upfront for a preorder. NEVER. Not through a debit/credit card or PayPal. They charge you the full amount for the first item once it's in stock and placed in your POL.

Now, if the item you're placing in the POL is instock, then yes, you'll be billed immediately. Then preorders are added with no fee. Once they come in, you get charged the full price of the item, plus a dollar or two to adjust the shipping fee.

If they did bill you, for some reason, it was most likely a temp hold to make sure the card was active and viable and the funds will be released to you in about a week. If they billed you and you still haven't received the holding funding back, contact customer service and explain what happened. They'll make sure the funds are released to you.

Multiple Products Shipping Estimate
The shipping fee is based on the estimated weight of the products ordered.
The total below assumes all items ship together using the 'Pile of Loot'
Items shipping separately will incur further shipping fees.
Exact shipping fees will be determined when exact product weights are known.

Nothing in there says "we won't charge you what you authorized"

Since this thread sems to have been engulfed in miscommunication; I'll clarify both the intent behind it and what I was actually saying.

First off, at no point was I saying that BBTS are dodgy in any way shape or form.

Secondly at no point was I accusing BBTS of charging people up front for preorders.

Thirdly at no point was I saying that BBTS is wrong for charging people the way they do.

However what has been annoying is that it does fly in the face of common sense considering how they do things like preordering.

The thing is that dealing with things like their preordering policy, they give an impression that they charge as they go in terms products arriving et al.

When you translate that line of logic, then the conclusion it reaches is that the shipping is charged when it actually ships rather than upfront with the item cost.

The problem there is that it can throw out your budget royally if you're not aware of it. That's especially problematic when you're an international customer and shipping is a minimum of $40.

That was the point of this thread - to make people aware that shipping is charged as you go with PoL rather than when it ships, so people aren't caught out by it like I was.

Incidentally, if anyone from BBTS is reading this, one improvement I would suggest is making that clarification more blatant when people are ordering and choosing PoL as their shipping option.

Bowspearer wrote:That was the point of this thread - to make people aware that shipping is charged as you go with PoL rather than when it ships, so people aren't caught out by it like I was.

*sighs* Several people, myself included, have tried to explain to you how this works:

If an item is currently in stock on their site, you pay for the item and it's shipping as it goes into the POL. (They tell you this, plain as day.)

Only preorders are charged when they ship. (You are not charged for an item that's not in stock. It has to either be in stock (which is how they charge), or on a preorder that's just come in to be released to customers (also, how they charge), for their system to actually charge your card. If that wasn't in place, they could just charge every user's card for $#!7s and giggles.)

When you have a POL that mixes both in stock items and preorders, you are charged for the in stock items, and will be charged for the preorder items once they arrive and are released into their system for you to buy. They also adjust the shipping fee, slightly, to accommodate the additional items. (They can't ship 'em for free...)

So, yeah, they're going to charge you upfront for in stock items. You should know this, especially since you've purchased items over the internet before. If they charged you for a preorder, you need to make sure the item isn't in stock. If it truly is on preorder and you were hit with a charge, you need to contact their customer service, or Joel (directly) and ask what's going on. But, please do so politely.

Beyond that, this is all on you and not on them. Their FAQ is super clear, and if for some reason you don't get the jargon or whatnot, you can email them and ask for full clarification. At this point...all on you. I'm not trying to be rude, but I am trying to be honest with you.

OH FOR BOOTING UP COLD!!!!!!!!!! *tripple facepalms*

Seriously, you do get the irony of the entire attitude of your last post right? On second thought, scrap that since it's clear you don't, since you haven't bothered to comprehend my posts.

Obviously I get the way it works. I'm not opposed to the way it works. I've said this TWO FRIKKIN TIMES already!

Furthermore this was never about when you're charged for the item cost. Seriously if you're even bringing that up, then I have to seriously question your reading skills.

This was always about the shipping charges and when you're hit with them. Do I need to spell those words out to you so you actually get it?

Here's the thing, I don't even have a problem with when I was charged per se- my issue is with it being abiguous and being caught out by it. Even then, I'm not bagging them out and telling people to avoid them. I'm simply saying "major heads up with shipping charges using PoL on BBTS so your budget isn't thrown out". Seriously, WTF is wrong with that?!

And guess what? By the third post in this thread it had served its purpose because someone who wasn't aware of it now is so when they do order, they'll take the shipping charges into account at the time they order rather when they want it all shipped out.

Now you essentially say "check the fine print" but a) there's always a chance that something will be missed and b) because of that, you're going to wind up with miscommunications.

Next time, you might want to try grasping what a post is actually bout before blindly leaping in and ASS-U-MEing.