That’s right, Oldschool Runecape has a real-life merchandise store. If you pay attention to regular Runescape updates, you may have noticed mentions of their merch shop hosted on Backstreet Merch, a UK-based producer of apparel & accessories.
Although OSRS is created, hosted, and maintained in the UK, their audience is spread across every continent. The issue with their new merch shop is that it marked mainly to Western Europe and North America, making it expensive and/or convoluted to receive their packages.
This is where having a UK reshipping company is a necessity. You will have your own UK-based P.O. box to receive your goods, and the company will send your OSRS merch to you. Fees and paperwork may vary depending on the recipient country, but it is often much easier than going through direct international postal shipping.
This would especially be useful for buyers in developing countries (like Latin America) due to the instability in their postal systems.
What exactly do they sell?
Since 2015, both the Runescape and OSRS teams have periodically launched special edition shirts, keychains, toys and other accessories that fits certain updates.
For example, the 6-year anniversary of Oldschool Runescape launched a series of limited key-chains, long with a hilarious promotional video:
Some items have come out of availability, but some still remain for long-term orders. This includes:
- Runescape Max Cape keychains (including the Runescape 3 varieties)
- Bob’s Brilliant Axes Hoodie
- The Dragonfire Shield Keychain
- A Slayer Cape iPhone Cover
- Fire Cape Keyring
- Old School Red Logo T-shirt
Ocassionally, the Oldschool Runescape team will announce new items or discount sales embedded within the game update pages. If you don’t keep up with the official news, I would keep them bookmarked to see when they launch new products.
They also offer free shipping on bundled orders of more than $70, but that’s always subject to change.
Using a Mailbox Service
Having your own PO box in the UK is advantagious to take advantage of local promotions, cheaper shipping rates, and in some cases, faster international shipping times.
MyUkMailbox also has a “Buy For Me” service, which allows them to make payments on your behalf if you have issues making an international transaction. They charge a mere 10% of each transaction, and to be qutie fair, can usually end up cheaper than international charges with payment processors.
If you don’t have a mailbox setup, I would suggest registering to take advantage of limited march sales from Jagex.
Note for Covid-19
You should be aware that there are delays in shipping routes on the UK-side of things. According to Backstreet Merch’s website, they will have periodic delays and will be unable to provide regular customer support during the pandemic.
And for international buyers, be aware of your own country’s postage situation due to the Pandemic. You may be better off using My UK Mailbox to fulfill orders from Runescape’s Merch Shop, even if you are in the list of supported countries.
