FAQs
Collectors Alchemy
What is Collectors Alchemy?
Collectors Alchemy is a small, Arizona based online store that is dedicated to providing the Pokemon community access to Japanese, English, and Chinese product.
Who is behind Collectors Alchemy?
There are three of us that own/run Collectors Alchemy. If you watch/participate in our whatnot channel then you've met Mel, she's the face of Collectors Alchemy.
The other two? They make sure Collectors Alchemy runs smoothly with every aspect of the business.
Shipping
Do you ship internationally?
At this time we are only shipping within the continental USA.
Speaking of shipping, when do you ship?
Collectors Alchemy ships three times a week:
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Saturday
If there is a holiday on any of those days then your order will ship the day AFTER when the post office is open.
Hey, my shipping label hasn't updated and you said you shipped!
There are times when the post office will take our packages, confirm that they have taken them, but then nothing gets scanned in as it leaves the post office.
The other side is that they are backed up and it takes a few days longer to get the scan.
We apologize if either of these have happened to your package. We stick to our strict shipping schedule as those days are the only days we have the ability to go to post office.
Once it has left our hands there isn't anything we can do but follow up.
Thank you for your patience and understanding with this.
Pokemon Product
There are AUTHENTIC Chinese Pokemon cards?
Collectors Alchemy recognizes the fear and stereotypes that are associated within the Pokemon collecting world when it comes to certain products.
We stand by our authentically sourced Chinese product.
We put a lot of time, effort, and funds into making sure we offer our buyer nothing but official Mainland China Nintendo Pokemon Product.
Please make sure to check out our Chinese Pokemon Card Information Section for a better breakdown.
Chinese Pokemon product not in stock?
Getting stock from China is rather tricky when it comes to shipping and customs.
What we like to do is show you the stock of items we have on the way. If it's up on the site then it's about halfway through it's month-ish long journey.
We don't want you to wait TOO long for items to be in stock so that's why, for now, we utilize the 'Notify Me When It's Back In Stock'.
On rare occasion we will offer a PRE-ORDER for securing a very rare or limited Mainland China release.
So....when does your Chinese Pokemon product ship to me?
If our Chinese Pokemon products are IN STOCK on the website then that means we have the items IN HAND - READY TO SHIP.
All it takes then is a purchase, order processed, and it being dropped off on one of our shipping days (Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday). We usually ship Priority Mail or USPS Ground Advantage.
If you're needing a potential order shipped faster then we ask you contact us so we can work with you to get it to your destination in a timely manner.
Can I PRE-ORDER a Chinese Pokemon product?
Normally we do not offer Chinese Pokemon product for PRE-ORDER.
There are very long transit times from China to the USA and while we can get smaller, lighter quantities here relatively faster via AIR (5-12 business days) compared to SURFACE (1 Month+), it's still not a guarantee it will make it through customs in a timely fashion.
That being said - IF (and that's a BIG IF) there is a very limited/rare Chinese set that is due to hit and there is a LOT of interest in it, then we MIGHT open a PRE-ORDER to secure stock.
Huge amounts of patience and understanding would be required when placing a PRE-ORDER for Chinese Pokemon products.
PRE-ORDERS
Do you do PRE-ORDERS?
We don't currently carry a lot of PRE-ORDERS. A large portion of our stock is already in hand, ready to ship to you.
If we do have a PRE-ORDER up it's because we know the release date, have secured our stock, and know when it should arrive to the Collectors Alchemy warehouse.
For stock we don't have set release dates/etc then we have that as backordered. Make sure you click "Notify Me" so that you get an email on when we have that product in stock!
Okay so you did a PRE-ORDER, what happens now?
Thank you for trusting us with a PRE-ORDER!
If we have a PRE-ORDER up then please make sure you've checked out the listing and/or your confirmation email. It will contain the needed information of when that set is due to release in its originating country, when it will ship to us, and when we expect to have it being shipped to you.
If something happens (like a delay) the website will reflect that change and you will be notified.
A Shipping delay? What is that?
There could be a few reasons why you received an email about your item having a shipping delay.
1. The release date of that item was pushed back by the manufacturer. This means we won't have it in hand until a later date. This is beyond our control.
2. The product we purchased to stock the store is delayed by weather, customs, or some other hitch in the chain to get it to the Collectors Alchemy warehouse. While we try to plan for this there will be times where that kind of delay is beyond our control.
3. Your item has shipped out to you and the postal system hasn't scanned or updated the tracking. This too is beyond our control.
I want to cancel my PRE-ORDER.
Depending on the PRE-ORDER there might a NRD (Non Refundable Deposit). If that is the case then you will lose the deposit that was paid to secure the PRE-ORDER.
If there is not an NRD then 3.5% of your payment to secure the PRE-ORDER will be deducted to cover the processing fees for the transaction.
Please make sure you read our PRE-ORDER Policy and Refund Policy.