I have joined CAS's ownership team - PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN HELP YOU OR IF THERE IS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SEE

[Frunkstar]

Agreed trying to get anything sent here without shelling a kidney "the legal route" is a total no go Ross, to encourage trade this side of the pond that is a thing you guys would need to address or you will not get many customers here mate.

I know you can put down returned good to circumvent the charges, though it does not always work in reality & you end up having to make a claim to get your money back & both the admin fee & whatever else it is they call it they charge you don't get back, it's a huge ball ache, I spent months on to HMC about getting the correct commodity code out of them to get the import duty set at the correct 5% rather than 20%, I had any parcels being sent to me marked with that code in 2 inch high letters on all 6 sides of the parcels as well as on the customs form - they totally ignored it & still charge the full sum & I had to claim back, these days I have everything marked low value gift & take my chances, they simply to not give a flying ****

 

[Frunkstar]

Just want to clarify that when a previously owned item is sent to us or anyone else outside of Europe for appraisal / archiving / etc purposes, there should be no VAT. It isn't a purchase of a new item that should be subject to tax. We mark our custom forms for items shipped outside the U.S. to clarify that, and no VAT or similar taxes are levied.

Sadly thats in an ideal world, not making waves, just saying in reality that is not always the case, see my previous post Ross, they are thieving cunts I swear as I am sure anyone in the UK collecting & buying stuff from across the pond will confirm

 

[maxf]

guys - you wont pay import duty to get your item back... I never have done with AFA. You're paying for an appraisal service, not the item - the insurance value doesnt come into it and it's legit.

CAS just need to mark the forms properly. On the off-chance HMRC do charge you, it's an error and you can apply to get the charges back.

 

[Lindo]

I appreciate the need for competition within a market place but if CAS is based in the US as is AFA obviously then I think it might be a struggle to change the mind set of people using AFA and converting them to CAS will be a stuggle

 

[newswseller]

Is there any concerns regarding Ken Black being one of the co-founders of CAS?

From a google search 'ken black auction', It appears he has filed for bankruptcy protection a number of times to protect his financial interests while his previous business go into administration, most recently sellersville auctions (during a period when CAS was starting up?).

I'm interested to know to what extent everyone's items are protected whilst on the premises of CAS? especially on the fulfillment side of the business.

 

[Ross_Barr]

Is there any concerns regarding Ken Black being one of the co-founders of CAS?

From a google search 'ken black auction', It appears he has filed for bankruptcy protection a number of times to protect his financial interests while his previous business go into administration, most recently sellersville auctions (during a period when CAS was starting up?).

I'm interested to know to what extent everyone's items are protected whilst on the premises of CAS? especially on the fulfillment side of the business.

Hey there newswseller, CAS made a statement on the unfortunate Sellersville Auction situation in the following link in order to clear up the issue as related to CAS: https://www.facebook.com/collectorarchive/posts/777254099110154

If you choose to go our fulfillment route or otherwise do business with CAS, as one of its owners I can give you a 100% guarantee that your items will be completely safe and handled with full white glove treatment. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send me a pm. Thanks.

 

[Ross_Barr]

I appreciate the need for competition within a market place but if CAS is based in the US as is AFA obviously then I think it might be a struggle to change the mind set of people using AFA and converting them to CAS will be a stuggle

Even before the owners at CAS approached me this April to join their ownership team, I was a huge believer in CAS and the fine products we produce. Imporantly, the turn around time is fast, CAS doesn't u-grade MOC or baggie figures, and all items are automatically encased in 99% UV resistant acrylic with no need for an upcharge to get it. For that, and many other reasons, we have had many former AFA customers come try us out, and I hope many others will do the same in the near term.

But I agree with you that taking market share from a company that's been around for 19 years won't be easy. With that said, we think there is more than enough room in the market for us, AFA, and UKG to all do well and provide good service to the community.

 

[Ross_Barr]

What about recasing AFA cases? Cracking them open and then redoing them in your style? I've cracked two open and both came apart easily but I'm aware that some may be a little trickier

We already do provide that service, Rich. At a lower cost than if you were just to send a raw (ungraded) item in:

http://collectorarchive.com/latest/recase/

 

[lejackal]

I have no prior knowledge of Ken Black but the simple google search suggested above does bring up some rather worrying stories, also the fact there are multiple instances of him disappearing with peoples items and money in more than one company.
It doesn't look great, particularly as at the same time he is presumably saying he can't pay other creditors he is contributing to the start up and tooling costs for this venture.
I like the products but I'm not sure I'd be confident in sending merchandise to him.

 

[newswseller]

I have no axe to grind, but i find the whole 'Ken Black' issue interesting and should really be discussed/clarified properly.

The 'transparency' post alluded to by CAS has since been deleted (too many revelations?). I did see there were a few negative comments on there, and one which said that CAS's first registered address was the same as sellersville and that the founding two partners (initially prior to Todd) were the same two chaps responsible for the sellersville company.

I think really there should be full disclosure as to who really own's CAS?

Hey there newswseller, CAS made a statement on the unfortunate Sellersville Auction situation in the following link in order to clear up the issue as related to CAS: https://www.facebook.com/collectorarchi ... 4099110154

 

[Frunkstar]

Is there any concerns regarding Ken Black being one of the co-founders of CAS?

From a google search 'ken black auction', It appears he has filed for bankruptcy protection a number of times to protect his financial interests while his previous business go into administration, most recently sellersville auctions (during a period when CAS was starting up?).

I'm interested to know to what extent everyone's items are protected whilst on the premises of CAS? especially on the fulfillment side of the business.

Hey there newswseller, CAS made a statement on the unfortunate Sellersville Auction situation in the following link in order to clear up the issue as related to CAS: https://www.facebook.com/collectorarchive/posts/777254099110154

If you choose to go our fulfillment route or otherwise do business with CAS, as one of its owners I can give you a 100% guarantee that your items will be completely safe and handled with full white glove treatment. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send me a pm. Thanks.

I did not get a chance to read the statement, I would be very interested to read it as I must admit I have my own reservations regarding this, I lost out with sellersville myself to quite a sum for myself personally, only peanuts compared to many by the sounds of it, but I did not get as much as a reply to the emails I forward to them regarding some serious undisclosed condition issues of an expensive lot I bought.

I also have some other reservations but do not feel this is the place to discuss those matters, not trying to be negative in any way as I would love to see CAS succeed in this venture as it's clear AFA need the competition & stateside collectors need a better alternative to them & their practices, but I do see why many must have some serious & justified concerns considering Mr Blacks history.