GlobalFSD Offers Cheap Samples of 5-meter Filament Strands to Try Out

[Brian_Krassenstein]

Have you ever wanted to try out a filament, but didn't want to spend a ton of money on an entire spool that you may or may not like? I'm sure it's happened to everyone in the past. Filament can be expensive, and it also doesn't have a very long shelf life. This is what a new company called GlobalFSD realized and they created a filament sample depot. They sell filament in small sample sizes of 5 meters, priced at between £1.25 - £2.95, with affordable shipping as well. They currently offer over 45 different types of filament with many color choices. What do you think about this idea? Read more about this endeavor at: http://3dprint.com/22419/globalfsd-filament-samples/

Check out GlobalFSD at: http://globalfsd.com

[RedSox2013]

In November, we first heard about Global Filament Sample Depot (GlobalFSD). Just a few months later, they've announced a worldwide expansion. The company now offers 5- and 10-meter samples of name brand filaments across the globe, accepting the US dollar, the euro, and the British pound. The broadening in currencies accepted showcases their unique marketplace, allowing makers to test out new varieties of filaments for effectively pocket change. Find out more about the expansion in the full article: http://3dprint.com/45683/globalfsd-filament-samples-2/


Below is a photo of a sponge created with Formfutura's Porolay Gel Lay:

[curious aardvark]

I can vouch that these are good people :-)
And a massive selection of filament too.

[Wolfie]

Well, I just placed my first order. And the shipping takes your breath away

The order was $57.62 and shipping on that came to ANOTHER $55.84 pushing it up to $113.45. Then when I get to paypal, its up to $116.35.

I don't think I will do much more business with them based on shipping costs alone. For $116, I could have several nice 1kg spools instead of a handful of samples. Hope I don't regret this.

[GOC]

...Then when I get to paypal, its up to $116.35...

- I would have bailed on that order. There's many quality suppliers out there that offer free shipping, and that is 4 spools of filament worth of $$.

- So what types of filament did you pick up?

[GlobalFSD]

Well, I just placed my first order. And the shipping takes your breath away

The order was $57.62 and shipping on that came to ANOTHER $55.84 pushing it up to $113.45. Then when I get to paypal, its up to $116.35.

I don't think I will do much more business with them based on shipping costs alone. For $116, I could have several nice 1kg spools instead of a handful of samples. Hope I don't regret this.

Hi Wolfie,

Thank you for placing an order with us. We will definitely be in touch with you to verify that your order shipping cost is actually correct. Could you please PM us with your order number & email address if you haven't already done so?

Many thanks, GlobalFSD.

[GlobalFSD]

Hi Wolfie,

A further update to our last post -We have identified an error with one of our shipping cost options, specifically international tracked shipping under 1kg -this applies to your recent order which we have also identified. Therefore you will receive an email from us regarding it at some time today.


many thanks, GlobalFSD.

[Wolfie]

- I would have bailed on that order. There's many quality suppliers out there that offer free shipping, and that is 4 spools of filament worth of $$.

- So what types of filament did you pick up?

Yea, I paused for quite some time before committing. But I wanted the color changing stuff as well as the gel and I don't know where else to get samples of the stuff before I drop $60 or so on a spool and find out either I don't like it nor the printer doesn't like it.

Their product prices are completely reasonable and I would have bought more but I was still dazed from my jaw hitting the desk when I saw the shipping costs. And the one I most wanted, they are out of, BioFila Silk.

Here are the goodies I ordered:

SemiFlex by NinjaFlex™ - Colour:Sapphire Blue, Diameter:3mm, Filament Length:5 Metres
BambooFill by ColorFabb - Diameter:2.85mm
Biofila by twoBears - Diameter:2.85mm, Filament Type:BioFila Linen
bronzeFill by ColorFabb - Diameter:2.85mm, Filament Length:5 Metre
FilaFlex by Recreus - Colour:Orange, Diameter:2.85mm
FilaFlex by Recreus - Colour:Skin I, Diameter:2.85mm
FilaFlex by Recreus - Colour:Skin II, Diameter:2.85mm
Graphite Infused ABS by Filabot - Colour:Black, Diameter:3mm
POROLAY GEL-LAY by FormFutura - Diameter:2.85mm
Thermotemperature Changing ABS - Colour:Blue Green to Yellow Green, Diameter:3mm
Thermotemperature Changing ABS - Colour:Grey to White, Diameter:3mm
Thermotemperature Changing ABS - Colour:Purple to Pink, Diameter:3mm
woodFill by ColorFabb - Diameter:2.85mm, Filament Length:5 Metres

International Tracked Worldwide 5-10 days
Unit price: 36.00 GBP


Payment: 73.15 GBP
From amount: $116.35 USD
To amount: £73.15 GBP
Exchange rate: 1 U.S. Dollar = 0.628706 British Pounds

Hi Wolfie,

A further update to our last post -We have identified an error with one of our shipping cost options, specifically international tracked shipping under 1kg -this applies to your recent order which we have also identified. Therefore you will receive an email from us regarding it at some time today.


many thanks, GlobalFSD.

Good. Because I really think that what was charged was a bit out of line for the small weight of product I ordered. I will post back here when I recieve that email and what (if any) resolution there was in it. I am as quick to praise as I am to complain.

As I said, the purchase prices were reasonable and the service you are providing is a needed one for folks like me just getting started and needing to find samples to test with and learn what works and what doesn't without breaking the bank. The shipping...well, oof. I wanted tracking so I could see where it was and when it would arrive here.

I also believe that your site dropped the shipping address too. I specified my work address (nobody home if it needed a signature) as a shipping address on your form. Yet my receipt emial from paypal says its shipping to my home address anyway. So, yall might want to look at that too.

I get it that sometimes sites don't do quite what we want them to. Its how you respond to those issues and resolve them that really shows who you are.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, PM sent with order # and further details needed to verify the order.

[GOC]

- Those do look like some pretty cool filaments to play with, I can't wait to see some prints. If you have the time I wouldn't mind seeing some photos of whatever you print with the 'BioFila' & 'BambooFill', those look intriguing.

- Definitely can't wait to hear what type of compensation you get from them for the inflated shipping rate.

[Wolfie]

Well, I didn't get an email but I did get a PM here from Tim Kay. He was very apologetic as to the errors in the cart and owned up to the errors. Here was part of his response:

The actual postal charge for a tracked service to your postal address based on the weight and size of your item came to £17.85 (this was without the copperfill-see below), which by my calculations would mean that you are due a refund of $28.14, which we will round up to $35 during to currency exchange and money lost due to paypal fees.

They were also out of the Bamboo I ordered and he subbed out CopperFill (a considerably more expensive filament) for it and promised to ship me the Bamboo (along with a Coconut sample) later once they had it in stock.

So I personally apologize if this incident has tarnished your experience with GlobalFSD, but I hope that our honesty and openness will restore some of the faith in what we believe is an exciting offering, not just for us as keen 3d printing enthusiasts, but for the 3D printing community worldwide.

Yes, it did. I was iffy as to ordering again but I am pretty sure I will order some other filaments from them once I give these a run. As I said in my earlier post, we all make mistakes. How we respond to them really indicates who we are and where our moral compass is pointing. I don't think they could have owned it better. Tim was completely clear as to the errors and made it right as far as I am concerned.

So, now I just wait for them to arrive from across the pond