A long wait (268 days and counting)

[4bairns]

Is there a reason we can’t order parts from the German website directly?

[tahra]

Is there a reason we can’t order parts from the German website directly?

Each official playmostore ships only to their own little country. Printing a label with another country on it seems to be too advanced for them.

If they did, considering the goodies/prices/promos available to the first rate customers in Germany they'd have a LOAD of foreign orders, with their yucky foreign euros... and you know how much they love money, right?

[GrahamB]

I'm not sure where in the world you are, 4bairns, but tahra is correct. In the UK, parts orders are received by Playmobil (UK) in Essex, processed, paid for by the customer, then sent (electronically) to Germany, where the parts are picked (they have a massive spare parts section, I am told) and shipped back direct to the customer using UPS. You probably knew all that. The customer has to order through the Essex place.
This all worked fine, pre-Brexit. Although it's working again now, it takes a long time for orders to be shipped back from Germany, but that might be a Covid thing.

The main advantage of ordering from the UK is that we can order klickies (not from licensed themes) which I think is not possible from other countries, including Germany. I think it is also possible we can order other parts, even if they are shown as unavailable on the website Ersatzteil Finden (Find Spare Parts) facility. Worth a try, certainly. Of course, all parts over about 8 years old are not available.

I would rather put up with the current system than be forced to send orders to Germany. I get the sense that the UK staff genuinely try to be helpful by locating parts. The operation is not yet too big to have lost this aspect.

[Erik]

[quote author=GrahamB link=topic=17598.msg319609#msg319609 date=1650618014

The main advantage of ordering from the UK is that we can order klickies (not from licensed themes) which I think is not possible from other countries, including Germany. I think it is also possible we can order other parts, even if they are shown as unavailable on the website Ersatzteil Finden (Find Spare Parts) facility. Worth a try, certainly. Of course, all parts over about 8 years old are not available.
[/quote]

In Belgium we CAN order klickies and "non-visible" parts too, luckily. 

[GrahamB]

Thanks, Erik. That's interesting. Is it a new idea, allowing the ordering of klickies and other parts?

[Erik]

Thanks, Erik. That's interesting. Is it a new idea, allowing the ordering of klickies and other parts?

No, I've never known it to be different, really.

[4bairns]

“I'm not sure where in the world you are, 4bairns, but tahra is correct. In the UK, parts orders are received by Playmobil (UK) in Essex, processed, paid for by the customer, then sent (electronically) to Germany, where the parts are picked (they have a massive spare parts section, I am told) and shipped back direct to the customer using UPS. You probably knew all that. The customer has to order through the Essex place.”

I’m here infrequently and have had some struggles navigating the site so just finding this (while looking at my profile).

Graham, I’m in the US, California to be precise. Seems to be fewer parts available on the Playmobil US site.

[Ismene]

Yes, the US parts department is more sparsely stocked, and many parts never come in.