EU parcels are going out now!
about 2 months ago
– Tue, Feb 03, 2026 at 01:39:08 AM
Halloo everyone,
At last, the parcels got through the painful (and frankly absurd) customs/UPS debacle and arrived with the Polish fulfilment team! 400+ parcels are being shipped out to EU backers as we speak! Hopefully everyone will have their's within the next 1-2 weeks.
Terribly sorry it has taken so long, but we cannot thank everyone enough for your patience during this time. It has been a long old slog, but we are almost fulfilled!
Thank you ever so much for backing Mörderin by John Blanche and for hanging in there with us! You are all fantastic!
Best,
Thistle
Finally some good news for our patient EU backers
2 months ago
– Fri, Jan 23, 2026 at 09:51:47 AM
Halloo everyone, especially our super patient backers in the EU.
We finally have some good news regarding the Polish customs delays!
The shipment has now been cleared and is on its way from the customs agency to the local EU fulfilment centre in Poland. This means that posting parcels to backers should begin by the end of next week (so before the end of January).
Frankly, it has been a ridiculous situation, with lots of buck-passing between customs and UPS, but at last we are witnessing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Once more, we would like to say a huge thank you for the patience and understanding shown by our EU backers. Your understanding and support throughout has been amazing. Thank you!
Thanks everyone for backing this project and making John Blanche's Mörderin a success! Truly we cannot thank all of you enough.
Best,
Thistle
EU backer update - UPS and Polish customs agency
3 months ago
– Fri, Jan 09, 2026 at 05:50:43 AM
Halloo all and Happy New Year!
Another quick update for EU backers: We have been chasing daily since offices reopened after the holidays and UPS have been very slow. Please see previous updates for more info regarding what has been going on.
The latest update from UPS today:
The parcel is being shipped from UPS to the Polish customs agency today, so should (we are informed) be with them by early next week. When it arrives, the customs agency will be reclassifying the package in order to clear it and allow it to finally be delivered to the Polish fulfilment hub, when shipping to EU backers can at last commence. From what we have been told, this may take another week, so we are now hoping that miniatures will be going out to backers within the next couple of weeks.
We will continue chasing for updates next week. Huge apologies once again to EU backers for these bizarre custom delays (UPS have been particularly unhelpful). After all of this stress, I am never doing another Kickstarter again, that's for sure.
Happy New Year everyone!
Thistle
EU backers - A quick message
3 months ago
– Tue, Dec 23, 2025 at 11:28:41 AM
Halloo all (EU backers in particular),
Just a quick message before Christmas. EU backers: We have been chasing, chasing, chasing, getting passed pillar to post - long story short there are still delays between UPS and Polish Customs. Please see previous two updates for more info regarding this.
I will continue chasing after Christmas and get you folks an update on actual delivery as soon as I have it! So sorry once again to EU backers for the weird delays due to Polish Customs.
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thistle
EU shipping update – Polish customs headache almost over…
4 months ago
– Fri, Dec 12, 2025 at 02:29:09 AM
Halloo backers!
I hope you are all well. This update is specifically for EU backers, since everyone else should have received theirs by now.
So, following on from the previous update…
It would seem that Polish customs incorrectly classified these as toys, which meant they rejected them because they are not CE marked, packaged with safety details etc. Zealot Miniatures have advised that they (Polish customs) have classified them incorrectly – being miniatures and models they are exempt from EU laws on toys (the usual, correct HS code for miniatures was used).
This is where EU product-safety law intersects with the miniature hobby world. I have been informed that this exact situation happens more often than you’d think across Europe when customs misclassify hobby miniatures as toys.
Zealot managed to get in touch with the Polish Department of Trade and Export, and had a Zoom call with one of the managers there. He basically explained that we had to request that they reclassify them as miniatures not toys, in addition to providing another certificate of conformity and declaration that they are produced in the UK. Zealot have done this and they were sent across about a week ago.
Polish customs have since been going through the process of reclassifying them. They are processing the reclassification as "collectable statues" rather than "scale models", but we are still awaiting a decision. Zealot have been chasing for updates daily.
The very latest update from yesterday is as follows:
Originally Polish customs asked for a declaration of conformity for the material and so Zealot used the documents they have from SioCast to provide info saying the material is fine, non-toxic, toy safe etc. So now when we say it's not a toy they are saying it contradicts what was sent about the material being toy safe. Very frustrating!
But! Good news is they will allow us to pay a local Polish customs agency for reclassification and relabelling.
The paperwork for that is being sent over today. This means they will be relabelling all 400+ boxes (that were pre-packed prior to leaving the UK). We have to pay extra for this, but all that matters is that they finally leave customs and can be shipped out to all you patient EU backers!
So, that is where we are right now. Hopefully very close to the light at the end of the tunnel! Once again, many apologies for this – it has been a huge headache and very stressful for everyone.
Thanks for all your patience. Hopefully we will have some good news for you before Christmas!
Best,
Thistle
