I’ve never really bought from them before but jumped in on that 60% or whatever it was winter sale when I saw people talking about it on modelmakers reddit.
My money definetly left my account, but beyond the initial order confirmation email I’ve heard nothing from them in over a month and the website has been ‘under renovation’ for like three weeks.
Is this normal around this time of year? Has squadron gone bankrupt or something and ran with the money? I’ve dealt with slow websites before, but even PSA hasn’t been this bad and that was with a product that they are KNOWN for being slow on.
EDIT
also while I’m at it does anyone know what the customer support email is for squadron? They didn’t include one in my order confirmation and with the website down I can’t find it anywhere.
Couple of other threads on it. Supposedly filed for bankruptcy and closed doors. Might want to get with bank/whatever about getting money back or about a claim
That is unbelievably frustrating that they wouldn’t even bother telling the customers, and especially that they do this right in the middle of a massive sale.
Do you happen to know where this was officially disclosed, in case I have to show my bank?
I got a letter in the mail last week that was a notice of bankruptcy for Squadron. I’m not up to speed on my legal-ese but I think it was a notice that I couldn’t collect against them, or something like that. It was weird that I got it. Looked like something a shareholder would get.
A lot of us saw this comming for a few years. Their prices wern’t the best and hardly anything was in stock. I went to their EagleQuest show in 2019 and bought the ticket where I could go through their warehouse and get 40% off anything and everything I wanted off the shelves. Problem was, there wasn’t much on the shelves to begin with.
I ahree with the above, I stopped ordering when what I wanted was “in stock” in the flyer but back ordered when I called to place my order. To add the product wasn’t first run limited supply either. WWHEN they were good they were good, actually matched the “lowest price guarantee” when called on it however thier unfortunate lack of available inventory was disappointing. Maybe they can recover and cliam a top spot again…until then there are several other companies out there who truly seem to have the hobbyist best intetest in mind.
Now you can better understand why Squadron went out of business.
This story emerged around New Years, as Squadron announced their 70%-off sale. A couple of days after that, rumors started that Squadron was closing. The website was updated to a single page that had a message about being unavailable temporarily.
There was never any official word from any officer of the company, such as a CEO or president. Again, nothing but conflicting signs to read, that drove heated speculation and confusion:
The bricks-and-mortar store was still open, and people could pick up orders there, but Squadron made no new sales. Some who placed orders in the 70%-off sale received their purchased items. Some received notifications of their purchase, then received refunds. Others received no word at all.
The clearest indication was a YouTube video of around 45 minutes, from Jef Verswyvel, who did casting for Squadron. In that video, he said they were closing for good.
Then came confirmation that Squadron declared chapter 7 bankruptcy, in the form of publicly-available information from their home county’s court, found and shared by people here and on other forums. Chapter 7 is liquidation.
Next, people began receiving letters to let them know that they were among the creditors, with information regarding a conference call in the immediate future, to provide them with information about their options.
Again, at no time did any official officer or representative of the company make any announcement. But that’s not surprising, given the poor decisions they’ve made in their slow decline over the past 10 years or so.
In retrospect, it looks like the “massive sale” was an effort to scrounge some cash, any cash, by moving existing stock.
Case number: 3:2021bk30105
Assets: $500,001 to $1 million
Liabilities: $10,000,001 to $50 million
Judge: Michelle V. Larson
Chapter 7 Filed Jan 19, 2021
Type: voluntary
Updated: Jan 20, 2021
Note that the asset and liability values presented are not actual, but are check-box entries in the bankruptcy filing. If you are a creditor, consult an attorney. Do not rely on information from the internet (i.e. you get what you pay for).
I was there for the 2009 show and you didn’t have to buy a ticket and there were sections that had everything between 20% to 75% off. I just showed my exhibtors badge and got on the bus and they took us over to the warehouse that was packed. Each area had an employee who would assist you in what you were looking for. Up front was the checkout where they had pallets and carts full of kits and supplies at rock bottom prices. I went nuts and maybe spent less than $200 with an armfull of kits, paints, and books. My big purchases was Modelmaster paints sets for $1 to $3 and .99 cent squadron books.
I think those experiences are going to be far and few in the future.
You were there during an IPMS/NCT model show. Squadron used to open the warehouse that day. The 40% everything days were during Eaglequest, a show & contest put on by Squadron for their customers. Registering for the show got you access to the warehouse and the discount. In the last couple of years they sold tickets to just the warehouse, for those who didn’t want to attend the show. Those of us who axctually participated in the entire Eaglequest hated that they did that.
Eaglequest was always a great weekend spent with fellow modelers from around the country. I will miss that.
To bad about them going under, I purchased many kits and books from them in the past.
I remember that last sale with up to 70% off, there wasn’t much as to good kits or books listed. Ended up not purchasing anything because I had no interest in what was being offered.
I’m sad when any hobby supplier goes out of business these days. I thought our hobby was doing gangbusters during this pandemic but first Wingnut Wings and now Squadron? Makes me wonder if there might be a lot of good deals on eBay for unopened kits once life returns to normal (hopefully soon).
