Katie B.

Having successfully ordered from Merchbar years ago, on Mar-31-2023 I placed a backorder for a rare pressing, with the anticipated delivery timeline noted as "Up to 8 weeks (May 2023)". I never got a confirmation email for my order, although I wrote down the number. I live in Canada, and although Merchbar advertised CAD prices on their website, they charged my credit card in USD without notice... usually not a big deal to me.

3 months later I check back to see if the pressing is in stock, and observe the backorder still says "Up to 8 weeks", however now updated with the timeline Aug 2023. After waiting until August to see that the backorder is perpetually pushed back (this time to Oct 2023), and is now on sale at a significantly lower price than I paid, I connected with customer support.

Citing industry supply chain issues, they apologized for the delay and provided a refund for the sale amount (again in USD), although I was still willing to wait longer given the rarity of this album. They also finally resent proof of my purchase with tracking information.

Later on Dec-8-2023, I see there is a sale on another rare album I've been seeking, this time explicitly stated as "In Stock". I made the purchase, again noting that prices were advertised in CAD yet charged to my card in USD. After hearing nothing all week, I checked the product page which was now indicating an 8-week backorder timeline.

I reached out to customer service again asking if my purchase was indeed successful, and they repeatedly gave me the runaround, responding "We know that you would want a confirmation if the item is actually in stock. Just a brief overview of how Merchbar works..." then explaining that they are dropshippers. They spouted the same nonsense the rest of reviewers hear: industry supply chain issues, supplier partner delays, out of our control, etc. The thing is, it's not called "dropshipping" if you your suppliers never have products in stock—it's fraud.

After 9 months of Merchbar making interest on my purchase payments, I cancelled both orders and received refunds accordingly, however in USD (a huge loss with the exchange rate). Turns out their FAQ states they show other currencies for convenience, but only charge in USD.

What disgusting and fraudulent business practices. Merchbar deserves to be shut down for failure to fulfill such a massive proportion of their orders, as reported by thousands of customers.

I've successfully ordered from this company over a decade ago, so I figured I'd support a small business. I received an automated receipt for my order, but never any tracking/shipping confirmation. I was still charged, although oddly less than my original order amount, so it is unclear if some items were unavailable.

After waiting three months, the items still haven't been delivered.

I tried using their contact form twice in the last month, but never received a response, not even in my spam folders. Then I tried calling their phone number during business hours, which rang endlessly and eventually disconnected. I was hoping to reach out on Twitter (where they seem active), but they have blocked private messages.

Since the company isn't interested in customer communication, I've filed a dispute with PayPal for a refund. Avoid this company at all costs.