Playmobil Canada no longer providing replacement parts direct

[The_Mad_Hadder]

I got a automated message this week from CustomerService@playmobil.ca informing me that they will no longer be shipping parts and will order them from Germany direct to you. This means that playmofriends in Canada will now have to pay more for replacment parts as Playmobil Canada will no longer be acting as the importer and doing their big orders of parts like they have been in the past.

A copy of the e-mail response is below:


****Automatic Response/ Une répondre automatique****

Thank you for your email! If you are requesting replacement parts or you would like to order spare parts for your Playmobil set, kindly direct your request to our Parts Department at  partscanada@playmobil.ca

***Please Note: We are undergoing some changes. We are no longer shipping parts requests from Canada. Part requests will be shipped directly from Germany to you. Parts requests over $19.99 (with taxes) are subject to duty fees. If you would like to place an order over $19.99 (with taxes) you will be responsible for the duty fees.


Merci pour votre couriel ! Si vous voulez commander des pièces de rechange ou des pièces supplémentaires, veuillez s.v.p diriger votre demande à notre département des pièces à partscanada@playmobil.ca

***Veuillez noter: le département de pièces subira des changements.  On n’expédiera plus les requêtes de pièces de Canada. Les requêtes de pièces expédieront directement d’Allemagne chez vous.  Les requêtes de pièces plus que 19,99 $ (avec les taxes) sont soumises à la taxe d'importation. Si vous voudriez passer une commande plus que 19,99 $ (avec les taxes) vous êtes responsable pour la taxe d'importation.



Service Canada
6430 Kennedy Road, Unit D
Mississauga  ON  L5T 2Z5
Telephone/Téléphone:  905.696.7529
Toll free/Sans frais: 1.800.263.4734
Fax/Télécopieur: 905.696.0012
Email/courriel: servicecanada@playmobil.ca
Please note that our prices may change at any time without prior notice. Thank you.
S'il-vous-plaìt, veuillez prendre note que nos prix peuvent changer à tout moment sans préavis. Merci.

[Tiermann]

On the one hand that's too bad. On the other hand that's great, because the selection from Germany will be much better than it ever was in Canada. If you are really lucky they will add the website shopping for parts like they have at Playmobil.de
This is the system they currently use for the EU and UK. Shipping costs may be higher but I would love love love for them to do this with the US.

[GrahamB]

So if you make every order less than CDN$19.99 (including taxes), you will not pay duty (is that correct?), but I bet you have to spend at least $50 to get free shipping! (I worked that out from the £30 threshold for free shipping in the UK). I don't think this new system will be cheap, but it may give access to a better range of parts, as Tiermann said.

[Salamander]

Yeah, I guess it cuts out the middleman for those of us who were fed up with getting so little from the Canadian - and US!- parts department, and were lucky enough to have a European friend help out (Waves to the wonderful GrahamB!)  I have paid around $40 in duty for packages of parts that cost around $200-$300. Worth it to get what I wanted though!

[GrahamB]

It's the import duty which puts me off buying stuff from US ebay sellers- that rate of $40 duty for $200-300 of goods sounds about the rate I have paid on a couple of occasions when I have got things (not PM) from US eBay. I guess governments find ways of bringing in tax revenue one way or another, at least it's not as bad as in Argentina, as Tonguello has told us in the recent past.

(Waves to the wonderful GrahamB!)

Thanks, Salamander!

Whilst I have made parts orders for other Playmofriends from DS (UK), a couple of comments on here have made me a little worried that Geobra have a blacklist of people who attempt to make excessive parts orders. Is that just paranoia, or is it true?

[Tiermann]

I don't know if it's true, but I do know they don't like people buying large quantities of things. Their concern are possible eBay sellers. To counteract that there is a special coding you can get as a collector. If you show them you are a collector working on diorama projects and such they will code it so when you order large quantities of things it will go through. This applies to orders direct from the German parts department. It also may be outdated info, I just know that's the way it was for a while.

[GrahamB]

That is very interesting and well worth knowing. I don't suppose my PCC membership number will do it?

[Tiermann]

It may. Might be worth asking Kerstin about what the current rules are and if they still do this
.