Ordering From Other Countries, Any Guidance?

[oldcarfan]

I've recently become interested in some of the Japanese kits that can't be found in the US. On top of that, my son is wanting some Anime items. I can order them from Amazon and they are decently priced, but they ship from Japan, China or Australia. The sellers have good ratings, so I'm not worried about that. Since I haven't done this before can anyone advise me? Amazon lists the price and shipping. Is it that straightforward? Are there customs or other fees that I need to know about? I would appreciate any help.

[Mr mopar]

I order stuff from japan all the time it's pretty straightforward ,if it's under $100.00 dollars there should be no duty's on it.and there about a six week wait .hope this helps you out!

[Jhedir6]

Gary, 

I dont and havent used Amazon, but if you want to order from Asia, some good ones are, 

Hobby Search http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/

Hobby Link Japan https://hlj.com/

Media Mix Hobby https://www.mediamixhobby.com.sg/shop/index.php

Im sure there are others. I've used all three and never an issue. I like Media Mix cause alot of the time he has items that others are sold out on. He's in Singapore so shipping's a little be longer, usually 14 days or so to Canada but all is packaged safe and I've never had a bad experience.

David

[Chuck Most]

I've bought quite a bit from Japanese vendors via Amazon and I can't complain. I've never been charged for any other fees beyond shipping and handling. Only thing is it might take a little while for the item to get to you, so I'd suggest not waiting until a week before you need whatever it is you need before ordering. That being said, I've never gotten an order past the latest "expected" date. 

[Chillyb1]

I recommend that you order from Hobby Link Japan (http://www.hlj.com/) rather than go through Amazon. They usually have the best price and are so reliable and responsive that you can rest assured that yours will be a hassle-free transaction. I received a package from them yesterday, less than two weeks from order and payment! 

There aren't any sorts of import duties or other customs fees for shipments to the USA.

 

 

[Don Sikora II]

If you order from Hobby Link Japan, they are a fantastic company to do business with. That said, be sure you understand their shipping procedures and how they handle payments for items. If you're ordering multiple items you probably want to use what they call "private warehouse" so you have the lowest possible shipping charges. But this option involves paying for items when they are in stock, not when you want to ship them. It works very well once you understand the system.

[oldcarfan]

I went ahead and ordered from Amazon since we already have an account there. They are coming from a vendor called Toy Shop Japan Hobby One. They have a 99% good rating. I just ordered a couple sets of Fujimi wheels. I figured that would be a fairly cheap test of their service. $9 per set and free shipping. Seemed worth a try. I'll let you all know how they do.

[Dave Ambrose]

I ordered an American kit from a Japanese vendor off eBay. He had the best price too.  The kit was here in a week and exactly as advertised.

[Edsel-Dan]

I have ordered books and DVD's from Amazon that came from Great Briton with No problem

My payment went to Amazon, they would forward any necessary to their outside vendors

All the items I ordered were VERY Cheap read $1.oo to $5.oo and FREE Shipping!!!!!!

Delivery from GB was Fast

I did not realize they were coming from Europe until Received and seeing the shipping label!!

[Brizio]

I don't buy on Amazon, but on other places all around the world, and never had any issue...  

[Junkman]

Click on the 'Buy' button, click on 'shopping cart', make sure all the items you want to buy are in it, click on 'checkout', enter your details,
click on 'continue', click on 'confirm', click on 'I accept the terms and conditions', pay, wait for it to arrive.
At least that's how I do it all the time.

 

[Mike999]

On eBay, I've ordered from Tokyo-Hobby several times.  They have great prices and ship quickly.  If you're looking for an older or discontinued Japanese kit, they might have it.  I ordered a couple of Aoshima kits from Tokyo-Hobby that nobody else seemed to have.

Lucky Model is also great to deal with.

Haven't dealt with Hobby Link Japan in a while, but never had a problem with them when I did.

[Gt fan]

I order just about all my kits from Europe or japan even china. I have been dealing with Hobby Easy a lot . Never had any problems. Most of them tag the parcel "a gift or toy" so they don't get held up and or taxed. I ordered 4 1/12 scale hiro kits at one time. No issues  I also have a small separate bank account for ordering. This way if there is ever a hack or an issue I can just dump the account with out no other problems. 

[oldcarfan]

My thanks to Toy Shop Japan Hobby One in Tokyo. I placed an order, my first from another country, through Amazon with them last month. I was going to just get a set of wheels and some anime stuff. I ended up buying more. The order arrived in the mail a couple days ago, no damage in about three weeks. All together I spent less than $35 and it came with free shipping. I prefer supporting local business, but in this case the LHS said that if they could get it, it would be $60-70 dollars and they couldn't be sure of delivery time.

[martinfan5]

I order stuff from japan all the time it's pretty straightforward ,if it's under $100.00 dollars there should be no duty's on it.and there about a six week wait .hope this helps you out!

We( USA) do not have duties on toys,  I ship monthly from Japan well over $100 worth of model kits , no duties paid. ( note, model kits fall under the toy category)

Edited March 17, 2017 by martinfan5