Updates: To read our more recent updates on this issue, please click here.
As some of you noticed, cards bought through our European Union online store are thinner and bendier than the cards offered in other regions. This has raised concerns about their durability, as well as their potential effect on competitive integrity. This affects only cards purchased through our online store within the EU, and applies to any set sold through the store, not just our latest releases.
We have been trying to confirm this for ourselves, and now that we have been able to investigate, we are taking action to address your concerns. Effective immediately, we have temporarily closed the store for new orders from all European Union countries. This is to prevent more people ordering cards they will be unhappy with while we work to set up alternative manufacturing that will conform to the card quality standards you’re used to, and a new logistics chain to deliver those cards to you.
Any orders which have been placed but not yet manufactured will be fulfilled using stock from our other regions, which will be MPC 330gsm. This stock will be sent to an EU-based redistributor and posted to you from there, to prevent you being liable for any customs duties or VAT.
Everyone who has placed an order through our EU store (whether you have received it or not) will be getting a personalized email from us soon, so keep an eye on your inboxes. This will detail the options available to you. This will include a full 100% refund if you are unsatisfied with the other options. As there are a large number of orders, we once again ask you to bear with us.
If you purchased any of our products at the 2023 World Championship in Barcelona, please email us, as we do not have your contact details on record and we will not be able to contact you! This applies to anyone who bought cards from there, not just European customers.
Our online store continues to serve customers in the USA, Canada, and Australia unaffected, as does netrunnercards.co.uk. All these stores use the same card stock as before (MPC 330gsm or a close equivalent from our UK printer). Our sets will also continue to be available within the EU through our print-on-demand partners at MakePlayingCards and DriveThruCards (as well as print-and-play, of course) while we’re working on getting our own store back up.
This situation has been a regrettable learning experience for us. We take full responsibility for this issue. We did not realize how different this card stock is from those of our other printers during our preview and approval of card samples. We apologize for this and pledge to make it right. We will build on these lessons as we put together a better manufacturing and distribution infrastructure for the EU region. Although there will be a delay while we research the logistics involved and deploy a new solution, we are certain that both the product quality and the fulfillment speed will align with your expectations.
Thank you for your patience and support as we bring this to fruition!
