I wrote this around the time Big Apple Collectibles shut their doors. Like most of the content I write, it was not published. This is one of the many articles I sat on. But there is a lesson in it in terms of consumer protections, not one I normally talk about, and that’s chargebacks. A process that gives me anxiety thinking about both as a consumer and a merchant. Once you have one in the thousands, you tend to freak out at the prospect that high dollar sale may evaporate,
I realize anyone following this blog was expecting a Pinterest post, but I need to regroup as Pinterest only gets more complicated. So I am taking a break to talk about the one thing that I rarely do, and that is chargebacks.
I am in the process of downgrading my Funko collection to make room for comics and action figures and getting rid of all of the duplicate comics I have acquired while finishing off series, like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor and a lot of other issues. Plus collections I will never read such as Rom and the Micronauts. Also Build a figure parts or action figures I am not interested in, like the most of the Void. Not to mention other things like computer components, like a mother board I never used in the build before my current build. All of which are up at: https://www.ebay.com/usr/benvspider
While going through the Funko I came across some of the Funko I bought from Big Apple Collectibles, notable due to their specially branded protectors.
I am hoping with this article about Big Apple Collectibles I can provide details for those who want to collect and how to protect themselves, and when to actually perform a chargeback. Which, after running a business that took credit cards (web hosting), I am reluctant to encourage. But it is a valid last resort when you did not get what was promised. Again, last resort. While there are sites out there that claim most consumers think it is a valid form of refund, I would argue otherwise, having gone through Capital One and Chase, which clearly outline it is not.
My First Order with Big Apple Collectibles
I should have stuck with the price gougers on eBay
October 6, 2021
The first time I saw Big Apple Collectibles (sometimes called BAC), was through an ad on Facebook. After clicking, I found Big Apple Collectibles had some exclusive pops that only they offered, so I figured, why not take a chance. Those exclusives made by Funko were a seal of approval, which I will discuss further in. If things worked out, I would order more. Azula, Zuko, Crosshair, and Inuyasha were among some of the Pops I bought, paying $211.89, way more than I would ever recommend as a first-time purchase with any company.
Normally, I try a small purchase first before going nuts. With a few exceptions, like when I was buying dice for a friend at Misty Mountain Gaming Dice and ended up spending $600. How much of that was for me and how much was for the friend is an incriminating secret. I don’t even play Dungeons & Dragons… but they had dice made out of tiger eye rock. How could I resist stuff like that? But unlike this maker of dice, I would regret my order with Big Apple Collectibles.
Black Friday Deals
November 26, 2021
While deals were limited with Amazon, the deals were pretty good with smaller companies. I got a Black Friday sale email from Big Apple Collectibles. I was shocked to find the Cabbage Man running for $50. Which I had a hell of a time trying to get without paying through the nose.
I ended up buying that and some other Funko. I thought I would try and cancel the second order. I was prepared to accept the order because I was pushing my luck. I figured I could use it as a giveaway. But they canceled the order, and everything was right with the world.
Side note: No, it was not. But it seemed like everything was going well.
By mid-December, my third order from Big Apple Collectibles arrived. At this point, I was happy with them. I got two Cabbage Man, two Jets from Cowboy Bebop (the extras up on eBay as I write this). I was not expecting everything would go south months later.
It’s all downhill from here
March 27th, 2022
My first order was reaching the 6-month mark, which was well after the promised date. Notably, the company charges up front. I contacted them to see if I could get the stuff that they claimed to have set aside for me. Six Pops in total: Zuko (lightning/glow in the dark), Inuyasha, Zuko (Blue Spirit), Batwoman, Dark Trooper, and Star Wars: Movie Moment: The Rise of Skywalker Funko Pop! First Order Tread Speeder.
I offered to pay separate shipping on what was sent.
They did not read my email
March 28th, 2022
New reply for the ticket #BAC00129998
Hi Shop, Spider,
I am sorry for your negative experience.
When you place a pre-order with us, we are effectively your agent ordering the item from our
vendors and other retailers (exclusives), and then we both wait to have the order sent to us via
freight truck and then we turn around and send it to you.
I again repeated my request.
They sort of read my email
March 31,2023
New reply for the ticket #BAC00129998
Hi Shop, Spider,
Thanks for reaching out.
lf you’d like I can either cancel those item(s) holding up your order to store credit that way you use
the credit to order the ones we cancel or anything else you’d like.or
I can split your shipment and invoice you for the shipping cost of the additional shipment
Why are they asking me if I want to cancel? I wish I took the option up, but I never brought that option up. I really wanted the Zuko, Azula, Crosshair, and Inuyasha. Shouldn’t they be doing things that are profitable? Yes, but they don’t seem to care about long-term repercussions of crappy service.
I thanked them for somewhat reading my email, repeated myself, and stated I never brought up canceling. You would think they would be happy to make space in their warehouse.
I received another response, this time with an invoice by PayPal to pay for the extra shipping.
I paid the extra shipping an hour after receiving that email and waited.
April Fools, but the Joke’s on Me
April 1st, 2022
I got the following email:
New reply for the ticket #BAC00129998
Hi Shop, Spider,
I just took care of that and issued you the split order invoice (which you should have already
received) for shipping your split order items.Please take care of this invoice as soon as possible so that the items do not get sold out in the
interim, since they are no longer reserved for your order until you complete this invoice.Thank you for being a Big Apple Collectibles customer.
…and I foolishly thought I was making some progress.
They created a shipping label, and that is all they did
April 4, 2022
It’s now over 6 months since I ordered
April 11, 2022
I contacted them to see why FedEx had not picked up my order. It was waiting on a courier to pick out my items. My patience was wearing thin.
Turns out they did not refund the order they canceled in November
April 14, 2022
While rechecking credit card statements, I realized I had not received a refund on the second order I placed back in November. I contact them again.
Big Apple Collectibles claims they shipped my order out
April 18, 2022
They claim it was shipped out. I sent them this screen shot proving it hadn’t.
They claimed to have sent my refund
April 19th, 2022
They claimed to have sent me a refund and I would get in 7 – 10 business days (which I have yet to experience that long with any reputable company).
But here is the weird thing, my bank shows a refund that day. Which is miraculous. Since it takes normally 24 – 48 hours for a refund to show with Chase. They had to have done the refund before the 19th.
A box arrived carrying disappointment
April 19, 2022
I open it to find 5 Funko in cases and protective boxes and two protectors (which should have been reserved for the rest of my order). But one Funko listed as shipped was missing. Since part of my order arrived before recycling pick up, I put the box in the recycling bin. I had thought I was lucky because normally recycling comes much earlier. But Big Apple Collectibles sends me:
New reply for the ticket #BAC00133694
Hi Shop, Spider,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention! Can you please provide us with a photo of the items
you received as well as pictures of the shipment box they arrived in, including the shipping box
dimensions labeled on the outside of the box? Also, if there are any initials on the shipping box or
packing slip a photo of those would help us greatly to prevent this from occurring in the future.Upon receipt, we will turn this over to our missing item/damages department for processing.
First of all, there was no packing slip. Notable they should see from their end the weight of the box.
Second, and I am struggling here because perhaps, maybe, there is some logic in asking for picture of what arrived as evidence of what did not arrive. Could I not just take a picture of an empty box and say nothing arrived? Another company did this to me, but the moment I brough I questioned the logic in the request I soon found a refund on the way.
Everything missing could be ordered elsewhere
April 23, 2022
So, I am at my wits end. I decided to see how hard it would be to get the missing/waiting on preorder parts of my order on eBay and Amazon. I found the price had dropped for Crosshair now below $20. Azula, the Big Apple Collectibles version (the one I ordered from BAC) was on eBay for less than $20 and not in short supply. There seems to be a massive amount of First Order Tread Speeder Funko, so I am going to wait for a price drop. Leaving a Star Wars Funko.
After a speedy delivery of missing items being fulfilled by Amazon and eBay, I decided that enough was enough, I want my money back. I don’t care about their stupid policy for items they forgot to ship (they should check their inventory). I wanted a full refund on items not sent as well as the extra shipping I paid for. I requested a cancelation.
This is the point where I should have done a chargeback
April 25, 2022
They still wanted pictures of a box that had likely been recycled several times over by now.
I repeated my request for them to actually read what I sent. Again, I reminded them that I wanted the rest of my order canceled, my shipping fees refunded, and a refund for the missing item.
I didn’t do a chargeback, because at the time, I believed they had run out the clock. I thought I had waited too long.
But it turns out, I was wrong.
Chargebacks Are Not the First Step
Chargebacks are not the first move, and they’re not the last, either. They’re a final attempt to resolve a failed transaction without escalating to legal action.
Credit card companies expect you to try working things out first. They also track how often you file. Use chargebacks too frequently, and future claims may be denied or face more scrutiny. And when you truly need to file one, when a seller disappears, refuses a refund, or never delivers, you may not be able to. It’s a limited-use tool, and banks will treat it that way.
In my case, I waited, followed up, paid extra shipping, and gave them every opportunity to make things right. They didn’t. And by the time I was ready to act, I thought the window had closed.
They ran out the clock, at least, on what I believed was the end of it.
What I didn’t realize back then is that six months wasn’t necessarily the hard limit. That was my impression at the time, that once six months had passed, there was no way to dispute the charge. But that’s not always true. In cases involving undelivered products and services, misrepresented outcomes, or failure to fulfill what was promised, some credit card issuers, including Chase, allow disputes to be filed up to 540 days from the transaction date.
This wasn’t just a matter of delays. It involved items that were never sent, responses that ignored the actual issue, and a lack of follow-through after I paid. I had documentation. I had order history. I had a paper trail of trying to resolve things reasonably. What I lacked was the awareness that both products and services purchased by individuals or businesses may still qualify for action long after the standard dispute windows have passed.
I had to contact them by other email accounts since they stop responding to the email I use for shopping
May 24, 2022
I went back and forth with them, sometimes trying different emails because it seemed they blocked me as opposed to dealing with me when providing them a picture of what came. Which is when I decided to work on this post. I had a reached a point where it was no longer feasible to pursue a refund. I unsubscribed from any further advertising.
A promise that things would ship out soon.
July 21. 2022
Here is an update about your order
We know you’re still waiting to receive your order, and wanted to provide you with an
update.We have not forgotten you! As we previously announced there was a manufacturing
defect issue with Azula that we have been working closely with Funko to resolve. Up until
now we haven’t had any concrete date that we could provide of when it will ship. Today we
received notification from Funko’s warehouse that all items are now prepared and will be
shipping out this week. We should be receiving the truck next week. We will be
immediately working to ship these out to you the final customer. We again apologize for all
the delays as they have been completely out of our control. Please see below message
from FunkoThank you for your patience!
– The Big Apple Collectibles Team
Kind of funny that these Azula Funkos were no short supply on eBay at the time. Spoiler, this order was not sent out shortly.
It’s been a long road getting from there to here
(/sigh the Enterprise theme song is now in a loop in my head)
January 18, 2023 – I received a notice that a shipping label had been created for my order. That the three remaining items would be shipped.
January 23, 2023 – The box they shipped arrived. Did everything get delivered? *laughs manically* No. Deadshot and Azula arrived, but not one of the Star Wars Funko I had order. Again, no packing slip was sent. I could have saved the box to send them a picture of what was not sent, but there is no guarantee they would do anything, especially without that slip they always asked for. Ergo repetition leading to the same results, wasting my time and leading to further anxiety. I didn’t bother to try and get support.
Big Apple Collectibles Closed their doors
April 7, 2023
I dropped off writing this before I got to the closure, so I am not sure of the exact date, but based on TheWayBackMachine, the last update with their closure, despite saying they are opening soon is on April 7, 2023. The domino that seemed to trigger this was on April 5, 2023, according to The lawsuit of NYIP Owner II LLC v. Big Apple Collectibles Corp. was filed by NYIP Owner II LLC filed on July 11, 2024. Big Apple Collectibles owed $594,961.64 in unpaid rent as of July 8, 2024.
At this point, Big Apple Collectibles was telling their former customers that they needed to do a chargeback to get their money back.
Unfortunately, as we no longer have the ability to process a refund on Shopify or Amazon Pay, we kindly request that you contact your credit card company to initiate the refund process. – bigapplecollectibles.com April 7, 2023 via TheWayBackMachine
By this time, even with the extended protections Chase offered, I was beyond the period to seek remedy. Without reading the agreements signed by the owners of Big Apple Collectibles, I would argue they have been blacklisted. At the same time, merchant providers like Shopify, Amazon Pay, and others do not like having to issue refunds, especially when the merchant does not have the funds to cover the losses.
Barring a miracle, Big Apple Collectibles is not coming back.
After fixing this post, I got curious about the aftermath
Here are some of my unaddressed notes, and I may come back latter to amend, especially if anything changes.
1. Funko, Inc. v. Big Apple Collectibles Corp.
Filed: 2023
Allegation: Big Apple Collectibles allegedly failed to pay for a large quantity of Funko merchandise.
Amount Sought: $500,000
Issue: Breach of commercial contract. Funko delivered inventory; Big Apple allegedly never paid.
Relevance: Shows serious financial strain and broken supplier relationships at the heart of the company’s collapse.
2. NYIP Owner II LLC v. Big Apple Collectibles Corp.
Filed: July 11, 2024
Allegation: Big Apple failed to pay nearly $600,000 in commercial rent for its warehouse space.
Amount Sought: $594,961.64
Location: 85 Executive Boulevard, Elmsford, NY
Issue: Breach of lease. This case reflects the company’s logistical and financial breakdown just before disappearing.
3. FedEx Corporate Services, Inc. v. Big Apple Collectibles Corp.
Filed: September 20, 2023
Allegation: Specific details were not disclosed publicly.
Issue: Likely tied to unpaid invoices or misuse of FedEx shipping services.
Relevance: Reinforces the pattern of vendor disputes and deteriorating business operations in their final year.
I can not find anything in regards to customers
Toro v. Big Apple Collectibles Corp.
Some personal thoughts
I want to come back to one of the cases that Big Apple Collectibles was involved in, Toro v. Big Apple Collectibles Corp. This was an ADA accessibility lawsuit filed in March 2023, just weeks before the company shut down. As someone who strongly supports digital accessibility and takes it seriously, I found the timing and the way the case ended worth examining.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, cases like this are typically about compliance, not money. The usual outcome is injunctive relief, an order to fix accessibility barriers on a website. But at the time this case was filed, Big Apple Collectibles was already in operational decline. The company stopped fulfilling orders, customer service was no longer responsive, and its website had begun winding down. By April 2023, it was effectively defunct. In that context, it’s difficult to understand what corrective action could have been taken.
The case was marked as “settled and conditionally discontinued” in July 2023, with no public record of what, if anything, was resolved. The terms were not disclosed, and no technical remediation or compliance outcome was published. I don’t know whether any financial settlement occurred, and I’m not making that claim. But in the absence of transparency, it’s difficult to assess what this case actually achieved for users who rely on accessible design.
To be very clear, I am in favor of accessibility enforcement. If there’s an issue on my own site, I want to know about it and fix it. But I also believe that enforcement should serve the broader goal of inclusion, not end quietly, without explanation, after the defendant has already ceased to exist. Outcomes matter. And so does public accountability.
I am no stranger to pre-orders, or waiting over a year… but I have never experienced anything of this magnitude of failure.
So far, everything I ordered on Kickstarter I have gotten. I was a little worried about my last Kickstarter, the Olight Ostation AA & AAA battery chargers. But they had arrived, and while there have been issues reported, I have had none. They have been great at keeping all of the batteries I go through charged. I am also eagerly awaiting my STAR WARS: The Vintage Collection Mos Eisley Cantina Playset, so I can populate it with droids in clear violation of the no droids rule. Oh, and a to-scale Dragon Man.
A few people on Kickstarter I highly recommend following:
Jon Rosenberg, always delivers and then some.
My friends at Gold Key Comics
Make sure to tell them Spider sent you.