Some bad news on the action figure front. DorkSideToys online store has gone out of business. As of this writing, the online store is now closed. The last day was Dec 18th,2022.
I have personally ordered from DorkSideToys in the past and have been very happy with their service. Their sales were some of the best around (see below). Unfortunately, it appears financial instability and the recent surge of products may have taken their toll.
Customers with pre-orders are best to charge back if they used a credit card. Others may be out of luck.
First, let’s start by saying that nothing in this article has been 100% substantiated and is currently based on discussions and rumors. I will update the article if new information from DorkSideToys or Eddie, the owner of DorkSideToys becomes available.
So what happened?
There has been a post appearing on Facebook from an unverified former employee stating the following;
galactictradeship PSA: Dorkside Toys is dead.
Full disclosure: I used to work there.
Ordering anything from Dorkside right now is playing with fire. Maybe it ships, maybe the FBI seizes the warehouse first. Maybe the few remaining employees that are left stop showing up. If you have store credit, USE IT NOW. If you have an outstanding preorder, cancel it with your bank or your credit card. Your preorder ain’t coming. Don’t even waste your time emailing. Dorkside cannot issue refunds because they are massively in debt and locked out of their accounts.
Dorkside used to be a good business and a fun place to work. It stopped being all that awhile ago. Greed and incompetence took over. There was a coup in the management ranks, outside infiltrators gained influence, and Eddie the owner thought he could run things without his longtime partner. (Spoiler: He couldn’t) What’s happening right now is karma. The story will come out sooner or later, but it’s not my story to tell.
I make this post to stop people from being ripped off as Dorkside continues to operate as the ship goes down. It may look like business as usual right now, but sooner rather than later there will be a tipping point and no more orders will go out.
PS And oh yeah, we totally got the Major Bludd that broke the action figure internet from Dorkside. Hasbro shipped a rogue case. They sold them to employees and friends.
That’s all folks!
#RIPDorkside
Again, the above has not been confirmed.
It appears that the online retailer is facing financial issues. A going-out-of-business sale was started shortly after they announced their yearly black Friday sale this past November.
Rumor Mill – What is being said Online
- DST’s PayPal account may have been suspended.
- They were buying stock at retail. It has been suggested that DST may have been purchasing stock at retail from big box retailers in order to have items online before their competition.
- They were having a hard time competing with Hasbro Pulse.
- They have gone dark. Dorksidetoys has purged its YouTube channel. As well as disabled comments on Instagram.
Heavy discounts at DorkSideToys were a clear signal
Over the past year, DST had been holding sales more often than your usual retailer. This was probably our first indication that something was wrong. Often figures that had just been announced would show up in the sales section shortly after release. This normally occurs when a retailer is short on cash and needs to liquidate as much of its stock as it can to either stay afloat or push toward bankruptcy.
This is very reminiscent of the Megalopolis Toys’ implosion. Where many fans were left in the cold without their orders or the ability to be refunded.
So when did this become very apparent for DST? I would point to October 28th. When the pre-orders for Hasbro figures did not show up for pre-order on DST. This would have been the moment you knew the end was near.
Lastly, manufacturers like Hasbro have been filling orders at a record pace recently. During the pandemic, most manufacturers were having issues fulfilling orders because of bottlenecks in manufacturing and shipping. Over the past 8 months, however, these bottlenecks are not an issue. Subsequently, retailers are flooded with stock they may not be able to afford. This would force some retailers to go into unmanageable debt. Most likely what has happened in this case.
All sales final
If you ordered in the past few weeks during their out-of-business / black Friday sale, it appears that in-stock items are being shipped. Fingers crossed.
Personally, DorkSideToys was on my short list of trusted online retailers. They were a great place to order from. Hopefully, Eddie and his staff at DST will take care of themselves over this holiday season. It is not something any of us would want to go through. Let alone over the holidays. And from collectors like myself, DorkSideToys, you will be sorely missed.
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Update: Checking the website recently, during the first week of February 2023, it appears DorkSideToys may be trying to come back from the ashes.
According to the site, it seems that a new website is in the works. Currently, the website has a message stating “Opening Soon” with an email subscription form to keep you up to date.
On other Dorkside news, Google is also stating that the brick and mortar store in Murfreesboro, Tennessee is permanently closed.
Makes you wonder if they sold the brand to outside buyers. Only time will tell. In any case, until more news comes out, take everything you see with a grain of salt. Even if the site does miraculously come back to life, it’s going to take a lot to gain back the trust of the collector community.
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