Anyone bought anything from this online hobby shop?

QUOTE: Originally posted by boybuddho Was the package labeled as a gift, Dan? A friend of mine orders from E2046.com ( Hong Kong) and usually gets his kit(s) within a week. He told me they are marked as "gift", and I was wondering if that is why he didnt have to pay customs fees. Thanks for posting the site...I'm going to have to take a look see. Dan

Nope, it was not labeled as a gift. It is US Govt policy that plastic model kits are not subject to customs duties when inported from a MFN country. Red China and Japan qualify. No need for any deception to avoid a fee. Check the Commerce Dept. website for more info: http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/tic/tariff/

-Dan

Steve,
sure, here it is:
http://www.hobbyeasy.com/Home.do?status=yes

Hey guys,
Wanna share the site address with us?
Thanks,
Steve Gorder

Was the package labeled as a gift, Dan?

A friend of mine orders from E2046.com ( Hong Kong) and usually gets his kit(s) within a week. He told me they are marked as "gift", and I was wondering if that is why he didnt have to pay customs fees. Thanks for posting the site...I'm going to have to take a look see.

Dan

Jason -

There are no custom fees for plastic hobby kits imported into the USA from countries with MFN status (or whatever it's now called). I don't know if the same is true in the Great White North. Shipping was 9 USD.

-Dan

thanks for the update. there was no customs fees or anything? how much was the shipping?

For anyone interested:

Got back from a two week trip today and there was a box from Hobbyeasy waiting for me. Nothing fancy; just your standard corrugated box. Opened it up and wrapped in layers of bubble wrap was the Corsair. All sprues bagged in the manner we' expect. No missing pieces; no damage to anything.

The price including shipping was 20.01 USD. I could have bought from Tower for $1 more and maybe had it a day or two earlier. My LHS wants $28 plus tax for it.

I'll keep them in my list of sites. For kits where there's a BIG difference in price I'll probably order from them.

HTH.

-Dan

thanks for the update.

Quick update for anyone interested: received e-mail from Hobbyeasy that my order is shipping today; they will not charge my credit card 'til it's out the door (a point in their favor).

-Dan

thanks danok2.

I decided to give them a shot. Ordered a Tamiya F4U-1A. Total cost at checkout: 20.01 USD. Will keep the board posted as to status.

-Dan

...lots of factors to consider when ordering online! I tend to stay a way from ordering stuff on line because there's always this fear in my mind that the order is going to get lost in the process of shipping.

anyways thanks for all the advice

You may save on the Hong Kong outfit. But given everyones apprehensions so far regarding shipping time, costs, customs, etc. what is piece of mind worth to you?

I was thinking of the Hong Kong sites for the Tamiya 1/16 Tiger I. Although their prices were awesome, as others said, the shipping will kill you. Even the slowest route was $62 and would take 2-4 months!
Another thing to consider is Customs. I remember coming up against that on one of them, where if the Duty wasn't paid, by you, it would be held at Customs.
All of this was enough to scare me off.
I tried a shop I've dealt with in the past and they hooked me up. I'd just shop a little bit more.
Beesides Tower and Squadron, these two have been very good to me...
www.hobbyworks.com
www.hometown-hobbies.com

Good luck.

I was looking at that same site. Played around with the order/checkout process. While the shipping seemed a bit high, the total cost always came in lower than any US online store I checked (Tower, Internet Hobbies, GM, Squadron). In fact, the total cost, including ESTIMATED shipping, was very often less than the cost of the item alone from the above US stores. For example, I tested the Academy Tiger I (kit #1348); with shipping, it was about 38 USD from hobbyeasy; Tower wants 42 USD just for the kit. GM wants 44 USD; Squadron wants 50 USD. Similar differences on other items.

I left the default shipping method as "Small Packets -AIR". According to the site, this will take 6-11 business days.

I haven't yet ordered, but at these prices, I'm tempted to give it a shot. I a bit wary 'cause the shipping is only an estimate; final cost will be e-mailed. If I do give it a try, I'll post my results.

HTH.

-Dan

Never dealt with them. I try to stick to US and Canadian online stores. The only "overseas" purchases I've made are with WWII Productions in Australia and they get two big thumbs up!

I reckon that the prices are good, but the shipping will kill you. That seems to be how it works doing overseas orders. Who knows how long it will take to get here? I personally who look to something more local.