Black Tree Miniatures

Just to mark the milestone: Its now over two years since I placed my order. Been mailing, but still radio silence since Aug'25, even using a different email address (in case they were deliberately ignoring mine). I might try a written letter to their Texas PO Box, although I expect it'll just waste another £3.40 for the postage. :cry:
 
If that is still a valid address. the yanks have a pretty bad version of Company House it appears.
We don't have any Texas locals here do we? I'm NOT saying 'sending the boys around', It's more a postage thing.
 
Raedwald said:
Just to mark the milestone: Its now over two years since I placed my order. Been mailing, but still radio silence since Aug'25, even using a different email address (in case they were deliberately ignoring mine). I might try a written letter to their Texas PO Box, although I expect it'll just waste another £3.40 for the postage.
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very sorry to hear it. 90 pounds is not a small amount of money, and crap like this is really bad for the hobby in general. People with a moral compass and business ethics would have sold the molds a long time ago. We were understandably sad to see Silver Fox close, but Ral PArtha Legacy has the molds now and is selling the minis. That's a good outcome
Gamezone of Spain is also down, more than likely it was shut down by the Spanish or EU authorities for taking money and not providing product, which is really sad as i have a lot of their models and they are Superb sculpts

The fact that the Blacktree OEO website is still up and taking money is pathetic.
I think the hobby community has been more than patient and accommodating. Maybe it's time to close this whole sad chapter? eoe orbis needs to close
 
sigh.. it's not quite that easy... the Consumer Protection Act of the USA kinda only covers USA citizens (I hear that it is still possible (at the moment) to be a USA Citizen).
 
I've not had any responses either. Fortunately not a huge order, about £30, but I didn't realise it was this dodgy company as I ordered through a British Website that promised fulfilment, but then turned out to be just a front for what seems like an American scam. The US Consumer Rights Act might not help, but surely fraud is still illegal? It wouldn't be so bad if they'd at least respond.
 
There was a UK arm, as I understand it and Manic can correct me if wrong the chap running the UK bit has had some serious health issues over the last few years and the UK side of things went somewhat out the window. The US side took things up and we had a short revival where things seemed to be moving in a positive direction, that has come to an end and it's back to radio silence and no clear indication if anyone is either going to get their models or money.

I think one issue with the online shop is alas Shopify - it's quite good at running a shop front and presumably as long as the bills are paid (I've no idea if that might be annually for instance) then it keeps running - what happens fulfilment wise behind that is a totally separate beast. If it's all gone horribly wrong presumably the website shopfront will just vanish at some point when the payment runs out? I don't know what the shopify payment model is - maybe funds sit with them for instance in your account so maybe (and total out loud speculation) you can be in a strange situation where a shopfront is self sustaining paying for itself out of your account as long as new orders are trickling in?

It's a real shame and you hope the people running things would either seek out a company that will take on the moulds/rights and potentially the backorders of customers. It'd be a shame to see some of those models completely vanish and there are a good few I'd still rather like! As ever communication is the issue, it's always the issue. If they are having fresh woes and are upfront about it everyone is likely to be much more forgiving and tolerant.
 
that link isn't for the consumer protection act of the USA (Federal government). It's a complaint you file with the Texas attorney general. I got a good way thru it and did not see a provision for being a US citizen. Sadly, I'm sure there are plenty of people here in the US who also got their money taken. I looked up the address once and EOE was in a business park
EOE Orbis, Inc
3852 Business Park Dr
Amarillo, TX 79110-4200

it also comes up as
EOE Orbis Inc
3746 Business Park Dr,
Amarillo, TX 79110-4217

Under the TX Secretary of state it shows that business name as forfeit, so there's now way they kept the rent up o nthe business address. Alternatively, if i was to file a complaint i would use the home address on file, the 2800 John Drive, Amarillo, TX. I got my money back from my bank, so I'm done with this but it's time for this to stop IMHO

Company Overview​

Eoe Orbis, Inc. is a Domestic For-Profit Corporation organized under the laws of the State of Texas. The business was filed on October 3, 2014 and is currently listed as Forfeited Existence with the Texas Secretary of State. The official file number for this entity is 0802076264.

The principal office address is located at 2800 John Dr Amarillo, TX 79110-2312.

The Registered Agent on file is Lloyd J. Olsen, located at 3852 Business Park Drive Amarillo, TX 79110.

The company's leadership includes Dean Edwards, who serves as Director and Vice President and is associated with an address at 3852 Business Park Dr Amarillo, TX 79110, Lloyd J Olsen, who serves as Director, President, and Treasurer and is associated with an address at 3852 Business Park Dr Amarillo, TX 79110, and Vaughan Edwards, who serves as Director and Secretary and is associated with an address at 3852 Business Park Dr Amarillo, TX 79110.
 

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I just want to say i find the whole thing sad and regrettable. I'm sure these folks were hobbyists and enthusiasts and then someone got sick (probly from eating the toxic food we have here). Then they're using this hobby to pay the bills and can't even afford to cast and ship models. These are not wealthy people getting rich, just trying to survive in a poor, back-roads neighborhood of dustbowl TX.
However to keep just taking money is not ok

BTW, before anyone screams doxing, this is all public information on the internet that comes up with a simple search.
 
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The Dungeon Master
Lets leave it there with the deep dive. The public company information has been posted and fair enough that is in the public registers for reference, but we're starting to go a bit far when we're posting the google street views of the houses and whatnot. The public register doesn't need re-publishing you can signpost to it. It's one thing to point towards where someone can file a formal complaint or to provide a registered address should someone want to try sending them a letter asking about an order, however it's starting to feel like the thread is crossing lines. We don't have hard and fast rules about where those lines are, but it feels like the thread has strayed onto one. So time perhaps to stop this direction of travel.
 
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FWIW my earlier speculation about a shopify storefront theoretically being self sustaining looks like it could be true - their (Shopify) help documentation does say that fees can be paid from your account balance - https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/...lls/making-payments/payment-methods-for-bills. So I guess that means a shop that doesn't fulfil, but does take orders might stay online possibly without the 'owner' being that involved, it would only need to earn a few hundred a year to manage that!

A few articles do mention raising concerns about storefronts to Shopify directly via their help pages via the chat. Whilst they certainly will probably try to take a step back (ie "we're just selling the software"), it does suggest they investigate accounts that might be breaking rules. Given there are lots and lots of threads in the various forums online about EOE/BlackTree it wouldn't be hard to cite some anecdotal evidence that they (Shopify) should contact their client (Blacktree) and perhaps close the storefront if they fail to respond. Perhaps someone with an open order should try that route?

Certainly buyer beware if nothing else, but it does seem very poor practice to be taking orders if they are genuinely unable to fulfil them. That does seem to be, well rather fraudulent to put it bluntly even if originally unintentional to give them the benefit of the doubt.
 
Brother Meredith said:
Anyone know of/can point in the direction of recasting sellers of the range?
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The only companies that i know for certain have picked up other ranges to save the molds , etc.
Ral Partha Legacy- Casting some of the original RP line, Thunderbolt Mountain , RAFM, and a few more i don't recognize
5th field miniatures is casting the defunct Center stage miniatures line as well as some of the old Metal Magic, Archive miniatures, dungeon crawl classics and a few more.
there are probly more but these 2 stick out in my mind as i have purchased from both once or twice and zero problems. Excellent White-Metal castings too

it would be great if Blacktree sold the Harlequin molds to one of these companies.
 
Fimm McCool said:
Ral Partha Europe, Alternative Armies and Scotia Grendel have also picked up ranges when the original owners ceased trading.
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And Mirliton SG out of Italy own most, if not all, of the old Grenadier molds and rights to produce figures from them. I ordered a few figures from their “Nightmares” line a few years ago and can confirm they are identical to the Call of Cthulhu licensed figures from Grenadier that I bought in the 80s.

Regarding the original topic of the thread, it’s a shame the EOEOrbis shop is not fulfilling orders properly. I bought dozens of Doctor Who miniatures off them a few years ago when I lived in the States, with no problems. Fast, friendly service and they even threw in an extra figure or two on a large order.
 
yeah, that was what they were like at times. I never figured out but they claimed they were allowed to still sell left over Doctor Who minis after the license ran out, but not CAST any more. yet.... mm...
 
Just thought I'd share my experience with eoeorbis/BTD.

I placed an order last November thinking, "Surely they have caught up with the backlog of orders by now." By the end of April, the window for reclaiming my money from PayPal was nearing its end. Since I had given up hope of getting my order, I filed a claim.

The same day, Sam from eoeorbis replied, apologizing that I had to wait so long and explaining that she had been very ill with a respiratory infection. Since she's the only one working right now, they are even further behind on orders.

Two weeks later, my package of goblins arrived! So, there seems to be some activity going on at least. I just wish I'd ordered more than just 21 gobbos. :(
 
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