Troll and Toad is a well-established online marketplace catering to collectors and enthusiasts of trading cards, board games, miniatures, and accessories. Operating for over 25 years, the company has built a reputation in the gaming community, offering a wide variety of products ranging from Pokémon cards to Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!. However, recent customer reviews and complaints have raised concerns about the legitimacy and reliability of the platform.
In this article, we will analyze whether Troll and Toad is a legitimate service by reviewing its history, offerings, customer feedback, and the issues users face.
Company History and Vision
Troll and Toad has been a trusted marketplace for trading card enthusiasts for over 25 years, offering a diverse inventory that spans popular games like Pokémon cards, Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh! products. The website is designed with gamers in mind, aiming to provide the best deals and the fastest shopping experience possible.
Their mission statement revolves around a customer-first approach, ensuring that they prioritize customers’ interests by offering fast shipping, quality assurance, and responsive customer service. As a company that is owned and operated by gamers, they promise a positive shopping experience while maintaining their reputation as experts in the industry and niche markets, always focusing on delivering excellent service to loyal customers.
Product Categories and Offerings
Trading Cards:
Troll and Toad offers an expansive range of trading cards from popular TCGs such as Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, making it a go-to platform for card collectors. The website caters to various interests with an extensive selection of both individual cards and complete sets, providing everything a collector or casual player may need.
Board Games:
In addition to trading cards, Troll and Toad provides an extensive selection of board games, catering to a wide variety of interests, ensuring that there is something for every type of gamer.
Miniatures and Dice:
For those who enjoy tabletop role-playing games and strategy games, Troll and Toad also offers miniatures and dice, allowing players to enhance their gaming experience with quality accessories.
Accessories:
The site features a range of accessories such as card sleeves, binders, and more, designed specifically for card collectors. Troll and Toad’s Buylist feature is a valuable service for collectors looking to sell or offload cards, providing a reliable platform for these transactions.
Customer Reviews: The Truth Behind the Ratings
Trustpilot:
When it comes to Trustpilot, Troll and Toad holds a respectable 4.2/5 rating based on 1,352 reviews, showcasing positive feedback from many satisfied customers.
SiteJabber:
In contrast, SiteJabber presents a more concerning picture with a 1.4/5 rating from 55 reviews, highlighting significant customer service issues and transaction issues, which have raised concerns among users.
Scamadviser:
Scamadviser offers a middle ground with a 4.1/5 rating from a larger pool of 2,703 reviews, indicating that overall customer experiences vary, though still largely favorable.
Positive Aspects of Troll and Toad
Wide Range of Products
Troll and Toad boasts an extensive inventory of cards and collectibles, offering products from popular trading card games like Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and more. Whether you’re after individual cards or complete sets, the platform provides a convenient option for both casual buyers and serious collectors, making it a one-stop shop for all kinds of enthusiasts.
User-Friendly Website Interface
The easy-to-navigate website allows users to quickly find the items they need, thanks to a robust search functionality and intuitive filters that help you narrow down your selections by category, rarity, and price. This user-centric design enhances the shopping experience.
Competitive Pricing
When it comes to pricing, Troll and Toad remains reasonable compared to other platforms, with many users praising the ability to find hard-to-get cards and rare collectibles at better prices than elsewhere.
Fast Shipping (When It Works)
Troll and Toad also stands out for its efficient shipping times and tracking features. Customers in the United States report receiving their orders on time, with real-time updates providing reassurance. Their quick processing times for U.S. orders are a key reason why some customers keep returning.
Major Customer Complaints: What Users are Saying
Payment Delays for Buylist Transactions
A prevalent complaint among Troll and Toad customers is the delay in payments for cards sold through the Buylist feature. Many customers report waiting months for the agreed-upon payment, citing reasons such as company restructuring and staff shortages.
The sporadic communication from the company has left many feeling frustrated and unprofessional in how they handle payments, leading to the perception that the platform is unreliable and untrustworthy due to the lack of timely compensation.
Poor Customer Service
A recurring theme in reviews is dissatisfaction with customer service. Many customers have found it impossible to reach support via phone, email, or live chat, and when they do get through, they often receive unhelpful responses or no response at all.
Issues with missing or damaged items remain unresolved despite multiple attempts to contact the company, with unanswered emails forcing some to dispute charges with their bank.
Issues with Damaged and Incorrect Products
Another major concern for customers is receiving damaged or incorrect products. Some buyers have reported receiving cards that were not in the advertised condition, such as near mint cards with visible damage, or receiving the wrong product altogether.
Attempts to resolve these issues have been hindered by poor quality control during shipping, especially for individual card orders, booster packs, and card lots, eroding trust in the platform.
Shipping Issues and Overcharges
Many customers have had negative experiences with shipping, particularly international customers who face exorbitant shipping fees. These shipping costs often lead to surprises when the shipping bill arrives, with some feeling that the high charges are not justified by the quality of service.
Moreover, timely deliveries are not always guaranteed, as some orders take longer than expected, adding to the frustration.
Fraud and Scams
There have also been alarming reports of fraud-like behavior on Troll and Toad. Some customers have received incorrect or incomplete orders, such as spending $750 on Pokémon cards but receiving only a $30 card case.
With little recourse, these customers were forced to dispute the charge with their credit card company, especially in cases involving high-value transactions where the platform fails to resolve issues.
Common Customer Service Issues
Unresponsive to Emails and Phone Calls:
Customers frequently face unresponsive support via emails and phone calls. Even after following up, many report that phone lines are often unavailable, and when they do manage to get through, they are left on hold for long periods with no resolution. This lack of timely communication leads to a frustrating experience for those seeking assistance.
Slow Resolution of Complaints:
Another issue is the slow resolution of complaints. Even when customers reach a support representative, their issue often remains unresolved for weeks. Damaged cards or missing items are common problems, and many have reported waiting for follow-up or compensation, which never comes in a timely manner.
Lack of Accountability:
A lack of accountability is evident as the company often fails to take responsibility for errors in orders. Customers are typically given vague reasons, such as staff shortages or system errors, instead of a straightforward resolution, which only adds to the frustration.
Pros and Cons of Troll and Toad?
Pros
- Secure Payments: Troll and Toad ensures secure payments through trusted payment gateways, keeping financial details protected when making a purchase. This offers peace of mind to users who are concerned about the safety of their transactions.
- Legitimate Business: With a company that has been around for 25 years and has an established reputation within the gaming community, Troll and Toad appears to be a legitimate business catering to the needs of collectors and gamers alike.
- Wide Product Range: Troll and Toad offers a wide variety of trading cards and collectibles, making it an attractive platform for hobbyists seeking rare items.
Cons
- Unreliable Customer Service: However, a significant drawback is the inability to get timely resolutions from a representative, leaving users frustrated with unresolved issues.
- Delayed or Missing Payments: Some users selling cards through the Buylist service have reported significant delays in receiving their payments, raising a red flag regarding reliability.
- Shipping and Quality Control Issues: Lastly, there have been complaints about damaged products and incorrect shipments, leaving unsatisfied customers questioning the platform’s quality control.
Conclusion:
While Troll and Toad is a legitimate business with a long-standing history and a wide variety of products, it is not without its flaws. Customer complaints, particularly regarding delayed payments, poor customer service, and shipping issues, have led some users to question its reliability.
Despite these concerns, many still find value in the platform’s competitive pricing and extensive product range. If you are considering using Troll and Toad, it is important to weigh the positive aspects of the site against the reported issues to determine if it meets your expectations and needs.
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Frequently asked Questions
What is Troll and Toad?
Troll and Toad is a legitimate online marketplace specializing in trading cards and collectibles, operating for over 25 years. It offers a wide range of products from popular games like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering.
Is Troll and Toad a legitimate website?
Yes, Troll and Toad is a legitimate website with secure payment methods and a long-standing presence in the gaming community, though some users have reported issues with service quality.
Are the products sold on Troll and Toad authentic?
Troll and Toad primarily sells authentic trading cards and collectibles, though there have been occasional complaints about product condition and accuracy in descriptions.
Does Troll and Toad offer competitive prices?
Yes, Troll and Toad is known for competitive pricing, especially for rare and hard-to-find items compared to other platforms.
How is the customer service at Troll and Toad?
Customer service has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting slow responses and unresolved complaints regarding damaged or missing products.
What is the Buylist feature on Troll and Toad?
The Buylist feature allows users to sell their trading cards to Troll and Toad, but there have been reports of delayed payments, causing frustration for some users.
How fast is the shipping on Troll and Toad?
Domestic shipping is generally fast, but international orders may experience delays and high shipping fees, leading to some customer dissatisfaction.
Are there any issues with Troll and Toad’s products?
Some customers have received damaged or incorrect products, leading to complaints about quality control and product handling.
Is it safe to buy from Troll and Toad?
Troll and Toad uses secure payment gateways, though customer service issues and occasional product mishaps raise concerns for larger transactions.
What do customer reviews say about Troll and Toad?
Customer reviews are mixed, with positive feedback on product selection and pricing but significant concerns over customer service and delayed payments.
