From Humble Beginnings...

buildCOBI.com literally started in a garage, as a little, tiny eBay business with six or eight products and an idea. The idea was simple: take the brand I love and give it the best possible treatment imaginable, and in our case, that took the form of what I hope is the best possible shopping experience around. The plan itself was deceptively simple in the beginning, too. Create a great site, stock it with all the amazing COBI products and then build the greatest resource possible for the brand I love so much. The first part was easy. I created a site I was proud of and filled it with the coolest sets available. The rest… Well, let’s just say it wasn’t so easy, but it’s been the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done in my professional life, and one of the most fulfilling in my personal life as well.

The second part was the execution. Early on I developed a philosophy for buildCOBI.com: provide all the products at very reasonable price, commit to free shipping at feasible level ($100) and then provide THE BEST customer service imaginable and the most knowledge out there about COBI and its ever-changing life of products. And, yes, it wasn’t easy in the sense that it’s the endeavor I’ve worked hardest on in my entire life (and it’s been incredibly challenging at times) but my love for tanks, battleships and building toys and COBI has made it all worthwhile, without any doubt.

And, yes, I’m still in the garage, but things are a lot different. We have over 100 products now, off-site warehousing, an amazing website that I couldn’t be more proud of, but we’re still able to provide the kind of service I committed to in the beginning. Test it if you want, because I literally personally guarantee it. If you’re not happy with a product or the service, I’m going to make that right for you. Be that a discount if an item is temporarily out of stock, or an exchange if you change your mind, or even a free set here and there for great customers, I promise that you’ll never get a phone tree, ever. You’ll never have to wait a week for a response to any email, ever. You’ll never have to live chat with an algorithm, ever. In fact, I’m always available for a call. 541.778.1117 is the main line and I’ll answer the phone if you have a problem. buildCOBI.com will always stay a small business in the sense that I WILL NOT ever let it become anything other than what it is now: a company that loves to be the best, do the best, and build relationships with the only thing that really matters, you, the customer.

Thank you for your time, and I hope you’ll come back again and again. Happy building.

Chad Snyder