Hell Dorado: the US gets some..?

[Volstagg Ophanim]

Well, not yet, actually.

I've done some research and price comparisons,
and have put in an initial Order with
both Maelstrom Games (UK) and Fantization (US). 
My intention is to get prit' near Everything Hell Dorado before it goes away ;
Towards that end, I did some comparison shopping:

My Inital Order
----------------------
IMMORTALS STARTER BOX
SARACENS FÂTINA AND JAFAR AL EFRIT 
MERCENARIES DON QUIXOTE DE LA MANCHA 
SARACENS LAYLA BINT SURAYA BINT JAVARA 
SARACENS ALCHEMIST AND LANCER 
MERCENARIES ISAÏA BEN MOSHE AND GOLEM 

Price from Fantization:
$194.94 + $13.93 shipping =208.87 USD   =£142.780 GBP   = €155.124 EUR
Price from Maelstrom:   
$142.62+(free shipping)      = $142.62USD  =£94.45 GBP      =€105.884 EUR

Yes, I ordered these from Maelstrom. 

But; I have Also ordered some goodies from Fantization,
in order to test the relative delivery speeds of both companies.

I am expecting Fantization to be Much Quicker,
(as it is relatively so much closer)
but I do wonder if it will end up being  worth 1/3 again  the expense....
I'll update this thread with exact results once I have them.

I -really- wish Maelstrom had had a Sarasin starter in stock

Has anyone else had particulairly good or bad experiences with these,
or other venues?
I'd like to be assured of getting everything while I still can.....

[alecfras]

Ask, and ye shall receive from Maelstom!  Don't waste the cash on Fanization for 1/3 the cost extra simply because it may or may not get there any sooner.  You'll be putting together your initial guys by the time more stuff arrives anyway, so it shouldn't be an issue at that level.  Also, you're saving upwards of 10-20 bucks PER BOX!!  Maelstrom also gets continual orders and restock on their ebay lists/main site on a regular basis, so just drop them a line and ask them if they've got any and they'll put some up for you that way.  I asked them for a couple items they didn't have up and a week later they had like.. 3 'cause I requested it.  *shrug*  Trust that they have the full range.  It just might not always be there when you go to check due to market demands.    Also, you just can't beat the free shipping.  I already made 2 big orders from them without any problems!    The first one came in 2 different packages and the second came in one big box to give you an idea.

- Alec

[Volstagg Ophanim]

Cool!

Thanks for the Vote of Confidence, Alec;
It's always a little freaky trying out new retailers....

I'll go ahead and shoot another email to Maelstrom requesting the Sarasins!

[Rich_B]

Maelstrom are a friendly little store, their Mail Order business is the focus of the business rather than the bricks & mortar outlet but I wouldn't hesitate to deal with them in person or online (they are about 15 miles away from me in Mansfield). After going in there the other week I can confirm that they are very well stocked with all the ranges they carry

[Magno]

Well I ordered about $300 worth of gear from Maelstrom about two weeks ago, some of the stuff was not it stock so I'll definitly have some feedback in a few weeks on how they handle large international orders with stuff not in stock.

They said they will ship everything in one box, so the hold up naturally will be when they get a restock.

I've ordered from fantization before, not particularly impressed with their service nor their prices.

If Warpathgames, or the Warstore picked up Helldorado the US would have a much better time on getting HD minis.

[Volstagg Ophanim]

An Update:

My order from Fantization arrived today-

Say what you will about prices; a three-day turn-around is impressive.

I think the lesson I draw is to only order 'in-stock' items from Fantization, vice pre- or back order.
If its within their control: they seem to have it together.

(The items I ordered from Fantization were not in stock at Maelstrom, FYI)

[Volstagg Ophanim]

A Further Update:
My first packet (of several, apparently) arrived from Maelstrom today:
One  pack out of all I ordered, indiviually wrapped & shipped.
A quite respectable 17 days from Overseas.

Hopefully; the rest will arrive in the nexts four days for a nice even three weeks;
That would make Fantization: 30% more expensive but in Hand in 3 Days
and Maelstrom: 30% Cheaper and In Hand in 3 weeks.
(Mind: this is -projected- only as of now; Only 1 item has actually arrived from Maelstrom as of yet...)

Long Story short:
Order with confidence from whoever has your Item in Stock,
but pursuant to:
http://arch01.forum.helldorado.fr/index.php?topic=3573.45
I wouldn't place a request for anything back-ordered....

[Magno]

Well, I orderd a bunch of stuff from Maelstrom weeks ago. I received one box three weeks ago, but the Saracens Starter, Ibn Malik and Damned Demon of Gluttony have yet to arrive.

[Volstagg Ophanim]

My second Maelstrom parcel arrived today:
I have received about 3/5 of what i ordered from them at this point.
If the rest arrives by the end of the week, I'll give "two thumbs up: no worries!"
So far, I'm pretty pleased-

Magn0->

Have you contacted Maelstrom to check the status of your order?
Since the information that Asmodee is no longer producing current orders beyond stock levels is new,
Maelstrom may have been caught in good faith, believeing they could back-order on the supply chain.
Not Maelstrom's fault, But: unless they confirm they have shipped it, I'd get a refund at this point...

FYI: I found a Talik ibn Malik w/War Eagle and a  Saracen starter at
http://www.wargamesemporium.co.uk/
(and they offer 10% off £100 order or above)
I don't have it in hand as yet, but their communication has been first rate, so: odds are good.

...I'm still looking for a  Damned of Gluttony (and a Lost Vorenus & WormPile) myself....