In recent developments that may affect collectors and retailers alike, Penguin Random House (PRH) has acknowledged delays in shipments of comic books from major publishers such as Marvel, IDW, Dark Horse, and Boom Studios to stores on the West Coast. This situation highlights the complexities of distribution logistics within the collectibles market.
As the exclusive distributor for a range of prominent comic book publishers, PRH has indicated that recent disruptions in service stem from issues encountered with UPS. Specifically, difficulties arose in the scanning of PRH-generated maxi-code barcodes at a UPS terminal located in the Salt Lake City area, which has had a cascading effect on shipping timelines for retailers on the West Coast.
“Late last week, Penguin Random House became aware that UPS was having difficulty scanning PRH generated maxi-code barcodes at one of their terminals in the Salt Lake City area. Without the ability to successfully scan these barcodes, local UPS staff members were required to hand-key all shipping and tracking information in order to generate updated labels and barcodes. Unfortunately, the time required to perform these manually intensive processes caused some of our shipments to be delayed in transit. The moment this was brought to our attention, UPS and PRH teams collaborated to determine the root cause of the issue and implement a solution. Additionally, communication was sent to retail partners.
“The root cause of the issue has been identified, and all newly generated barcodes are scanning successfully. In the meantime, UPS has developed contingency plans to process any remaining cartons with non-scannable barcodes with minimal impact to transit time. Our teams are continuing to closely monitor next week’s shipments and are working with UPS to ensure real-time resolutions that prevent further delays.
“If you are still seeing shipments without tracking details for your 11/12 releases, please contact Customer Service as soon as possible… We recognize the impact that delays of this nature can cause and apologize for the disruption. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding.
For comic book collectors on the West Coast, this moment serves as a reminder of the operational challenges in the distribution sector of the collectibles market. As delays are addressed, we encourage patience as retailers navigate these tensions.
Based on reporting by https://www.facebook.com/richard.james.johnston. Read the full story at https://bleedingcool.com/comics/penguin-random-house-on-marvel-idw-dark-horse-boom-west-coast-delays/.