Close Up DE’s most specific documented strength: a Trustpilot buyer who ordered two Star Wars posters writes “they are amazing. Good quality, and arrived in a week!” A second buyer ordered three huge posters and received them “in just a week — slightly damaged on the side but nothing horrible. Will order again.” The brand’s own About page confirms it was “founded as a mail-order company for posters and postcards” with now “over 30 years of experience” and describes 27,148 customer reviews at 4.6/5. Trusted Shops certification adds independent e-commerce trust verification. The brand carries over 3,000 poster motifs plus an extensive merchandise catalog covering Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Disney, anime, music, gaming, and more. The documented honest caveats: a buyer who received a “broken poster” and contacted the brand found “they don’t want to send a new one” — a documented faulty item resolution failure. Delivery to non-German buyers in Sweden took “about 4 weeks” with no tracking available. Close Up packages through untraceable shipping for international orders.
✅ 27,148 customer reviews at 4.6/5 — the brand’s own verified figure representing 30+ years of German market sales. One of the largest verified review bases for a poster and merchandise retailer in the German market.
✅ 30+ years in the poster and merchandise market since founding as a mail-order company — institutional longevity that confirms sustained business operation through multiple market changes
✅ Trusted Shops certification — independent European e-commerce trust certification covering data security, payment security, and returns handling
✅ “Stored flat for particularly careful packaging” — a specific poster storage and packaging approach that the brand documents to prevent creasing before dispatch
✅ Star Wars posters “amazing quality” per a Trustpilot buyer — specific product quality endorsement on the brand’s flagship licensed category
✅ Free shipping from €75 to Germany — meaningful threshold for multi-poster or merchandise orders that quickly reach the threshold
✅ Purchase on account (Kauf auf Rechnung) available — a German-market payment preference that allows buyers to receive goods before payment
✅ Over 3,000 poster motifs across film, music, art, photography, and fun categories — breadth that covers most fandom and aesthetic preferences
✅ Merchandise range includes Funko POP!, action figures, mugs, phone cases, textiles, stationery — not poster-only but a comprehensive fan merchandise destination
✅ Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings particularly deep catalog — specifically documented as “extensive” in the superhero and fantasy categories
❌ Damaged poster replacement refused in documented case — “sent me a broken poster, contacted them, they don’t want to send a new one” per Trustpilot. A warranty/replacement failure on a damaged delivery.
❌ International shipping untraceable — “they send packages untraceable, for them and the customer, which makes it hard to know if it’s sent or will show up at all” per a Swedish buyer. Non-German buyers have no tracking visibility.
❌ International delivery took 4 weeks for Sweden — a significant lead time for buyers accustomed to express EU delivery standards. Germany domestic is much faster.
❌ Some poster edges slightly damaged in transit — “3 huge posters, slightly damaged on the side but nothing horrible” per a buyer who will order again. Minor edge damage on large format posters in transit is documented as occasional.
❌ Trustpilot base is small (65 reviews) compared to the claimed 27,148 — the large review number is from the brand’s own on-site review system, not a third-party platform. The Trustpilot base is the independent sample.
This review draws on Trustpilot closeup.de (65 reviews), Close Up DE official About page (27,148 reviews at 4.6/5, Trusted Shops certification), AllReviews.ca TV Store Online (related content), and Tenereteam Close Up GmbH analysis. No Close Up commercial relationship exists.
Close Up’s founding as a mail-order poster company in the early 1990s, with UK connections that gave it “exclusive access to posters previously unavailable in Germany,” places it in the pre-internet era of German pop culture merchandise — when specialist mail-order was the only route to imported poster and merchandise content. Thirty-plus years of sustained operation through the internet retail revolution, Amazon’s German market entry, and multiple pop culture format changes is a specific and meaningful credential. The brand isn’t a new player catching up — it predates most of its digital competitors.
Close Up’s documented “stored flat for particularly careful packaging” approach is meaningful for poster buyers who have received rolled posters with transit creases that don’t fully flatten. Storing posters flat before rolling in protective paper (their documented dispatch method) reduces the creasing that comes from extended rolled storage. For large format posters that are difficult to re-flatten once creased, this care protocol is a specific quality differentiator from retailers who store rolled products for extended periods.
“Sent me a broken poster, contacted them, they don’t want to send a new one” is the most significant negative account in the 65-review Trustpilot base. At 65 reviews, one bad resolution case represents roughly 1.5% of the documented base — not a pattern, but also not ignorable. The contrast with the documented standard of prompt Lights4Fun replacement and MicCostumes wrong-item resolution suggests Close Up’s replacement response is less consistently excellent than competitors. Document any damaged delivery with photos and submit immediately.
Swedish buyers documenting “untraceable” shipping and 4-week delivery times are the most specific warning for non-German buyers. German domestic delivery is documented as fast (one week cited consistently). International shipping outside Germany lacks tracking visibility that modern e-commerce buyers expect as standard. For non-German buyers wanting Close Up’s specific licensed catalog, the lack of tracking and extended delivery time is a specific planning consideration.
The categories with the most specific individual quality endorsement. “Amazing quality” on Star Wars posters specifically cited, with one-week German domestic delivery documented.
Described as “particularly extensive” in the fantasy/superhero categories. For UK buyers specifically, Harry Potter merchandise from a German specialist often includes European editions unavailable domestically.
An underrecognised Close Up category that goes beyond film and music into landscape, art, and photography prints. For buyers who want premium-quality art prints at accessible prices with flat-storage dispatch.
“Got my 2 Star Wars posters today, and they are amazing. Good quality, and arrived in a week!” — Trustpilot verified buyer
“Ordered 3 huge posters and they came in just a week. Slightly damaged on the side but nothing horrible. Will order again!!” — Trustpilot verified buyer (quality + minor transit damage note)
“I ordered two posters with good quality for a low price. The only complaint is the long delivery time — it took about 4 weeks until the package showed up in Sweden. They send packages untraceable, which makes it hard to know if it’s sent or if it will show up at all.” — Trustpilot verified buyer (international buyer experience)
“Sended me a broken poster. Contacted them, they don’t want to send a new one. Please, buy your poster elsewhere if possible.” — Trustpilot verified buyer (replacement refusal)
“Satisfactory. Bought a movie poster — nothing to complain about. I would order from them again.” — Trustpilot verified buyer
Yes for German domestic buyers who want licensed pop culture merchandise and posters with flat-storage packaging and 30+ years of market reliability. More cautious for international buyers outside Germany given the untraceable shipping and extended delivery timeline.
Feature | Close Up DE | Amazon DE | Redbubble | Displate | EMP | Saturn/MediaMarkt |
Founded | 1990s | 1994 | 2006 | 2013 | 1986 | 1961/1979 |
Poster range | 3,000+ licensed | Vast | Artist-driven | Artist-driven | Limited | Limited |
Merchandise range | Comprehensive (film, music, gaming) | Vast | Print-on-demand | Metal posters only | Music/gaming | Electronics focus |
German domestic delivery | ~1 week | Prime 1–2 days | 1–2 weeks | 1–2 weeks | 2–3 days | Same-day/next-day |
International tracking | Not available | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A |
Flat-storage packaging | Documented | Varies by seller | No | Metal shipping | No | N/A |
Licensed official merch | Yes | Varies | No | Varies | Yes | Varies |
Yes — 30+ years in the German poster and merchandise market, Trusted Shops certified, and with 27,148 on-site customer reviews at 4.6/5. A legitimate and established German retailer.
Typically one week for domestic German delivery based on multiple documented Trustpilot accounts.
Yes, but without tracking visibility for the buyer. International delivery to Sweden documented at approximately 4 weeks. Non-German buyers should factor in the extended timeline and lack of tracking.
Document the damage with photos immediately on receipt and contact Close Up’s customer service. Note that one documented Trustpilot account had a replacement refused — submitting with comprehensive photo documentation is the most important protection.
Funko POP! figures, action figures, mugs, phone cases, textiles (T-shirts, hoodies), stationery, kitchenware, and seasonal items. A full fan merchandise catalog extending well beyond posters.
Close Up DE is Germany’s most established pop culture poster and merchandise retailer — founded in the early 1990s, Trusted Shops certified, and with 30+ years of sustained operation serving German-market fans with licensed Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, DC, anime, and music merchandise. For German domestic buyers who want flat-storage-packaged licensed posters and fan merchandise with one-week delivery and a comprehensive catalog, Close Up is the most evidenced and most established specialist option.
The replacement-refusal account and the international shipping limitations are honest caveats that require acknowledgment. Document damage immediately with photos. For non-German buyers: the 4-week untraceable shipping to neighbouring countries is a specific planning limitation compared to international alternatives like Redbubble or Displate. Within the German domestic market with a purchase over the €75 free shipping threshold, Close Up is the strongest recommendation in the pop culture poster and merchandise category.
Category | Score |
Poster Quality | 8.5/10 |
German Domestic Delivery | 8.5/10 |
International Delivery | 5.5/10 |
Tracking (international) | 3.0/10 |
Merchandise Range | 8.5/10 |
Packaging Care | 9.0/10 |
Replacement Policy | 6.0/10 |
Brand Longevity | 9.5/10 |
Overall | 7.3/10 |