Hobby Search

[katoftw]

I always use pre approved options to avoid these 3-4 days of waits.

[bill937ca]

1 minute ago, katoftw said:

I always use pre approved options to avoid these 3-4 days of waits.

 

Yes, I do to. My payment is usually in my inbox the next morning.

[JR 500系]

And a chance @ 20000 points (=20000yen) for their 20th anniversary!

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/campaign/20th/spot_the_difference_e.html

 

I'll expect a 20th anniversary sale soon perhaps ~  🙂 

[Gryphr]

If they keep the normal schedule of the last years, there would actually be a regular bargain sale starting next week. I suppose they might combine it with the anniversary 😄

Edited February 2, 2019 by Gryphr

[JR 500系]

On ‎2‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 6:19 PM, Gryphr said:

If they keep the normal schedule of the last years, there would actually be a regular bargain sale starting next week. I suppose they might combine it with the anniversary 😄

 

Very true indeed, and the sale starts today at Japan time 1200pm!  🙂

[katoftw]

Not a bad sale.  Quite a fair bit of JR Kyushu MA, not normally offered in sales.  And Tomix EMU contemporary/modern sets.  Again not normally offered, especially the basic sets.

[JR 500系]

19 minutes ago, katoftw said:

Not a bad sale.  Quite a fair bit of JR Kyushu MA, not normally offered in sales.  And Tomix EMU contemporary/modern sets.  Again not normally offered, especially the basic sets.

 

Yeah I agree, the Ibusuki is on sale!  🙂 Too bad I already got the 2-car set... why not the Isaburo man... Some really interesting locomotives that we don't see often too on sale, like the MA DD51s, and the Kato DF200... The Ishikawa 521 series is really attractive at that price too...

 

Still, couldn't resist getting the E233-2000... been eyeing on it for sometime now and since it is slightly over 10k, I reckon it's an ok price... 

Edited February 5, 2019 by JR 500系

[Kiha66]

Super tempted by that 3100 series, but don't have the money at the moment.

[VJM]

Only 30% off.  I've got the Ibusuki 2 car and wanted the 3 car set but I can't justify it.

[katoftw]

For Australian customers only. Hobby Search will begin to collect 10% gst for the ATO.

[Ochanomizu]

Hello,

 

When will this commence?

[cteno4]

This month’s bargain bin started at 12p jst May 13.

 

australian gst starts May 27

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/infodetails

 

jeff

[Das Steinkopf]

5 hours ago, Ochanomizu said:

Hello,

 

When will this commence?

 

They have stated the 27th of May, I'm far from happy as I have a fairly large preorder which is full of items that have had their release dates rolled back, half of the order should have been released in April.

[VJM]

7 minutes ago, Das Steinkopf said:

 

They have stated the 27th of May, I'm far from happy as I have a fairly large preorder which is full of items that have had their release dates rolled back, half of the order should have been released in April.

I'm in the same boat as well.  One of the big reasons why I have been sticking with HS is that for their prices, what you see is what you get, and not a guessing game like AmiAmi.  Will have to seriously reconsider or go with another retailer.  So far I've been getting around the GHT/GST by forwarding to my brother in Hong Kong for places that do charge it, but the number and size of packages means that the trips my family makes to bring or collect is getting inconvenient.

[Das Steinkopf]

I have ended up cancelling 3 preorders with Hobby Search due to them having to implement the GHT, I had to go back to the devil I know and place orders to replace a number of the items I had to cancel but I am unable to replace all of them, I will still use Hobby Search to some extent due to their greater product variety but that said it's sad for them to now lose the financial advantage that they had as an incentive to shop there.

[Yavianice]

New bargain bin sales at Hobbysearch. For if anyone needs stickers or an East-I

 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/758/0/1?sold=1

[jasona2z]

I don't want to derail this thread, but due to the GST now being charged at HS, if there are better places with decent prices that aren't charging GST yet, can someone point me in the right direction? Thanks. 

[Yavianice]

5 minutes ago, jasona2z said:

I don't want to derail this thread, but due to the GST now being charged at HS, if there are better places with decent prices that aren't charging GST yet, can someone point me in the right direction? Thanks. 

Modeltrainplus? The suppliers section already has several threads of webshops, so maybe you can start there?

[cteno4]

Yeah you are going to have to look at a small shop like modeltrainsplus to avoid the Australian gst collection. A shop would not have to collect if less than $75,000A of Australian business in a year, over that and they have to collect it.

 

jeff

[katoftw]

10 hours ago, jasona2z said:

I don't want to derail this thread, but due to the GST now being charged at HS, if there are better places with decent prices that aren't charging GST yet, can someone point me in the right direction? Thanks. 

Not as simple as who is collecting the new GST and who is not.

 

Sometimes it might be cheaper to pay the extra GST added as that retailer doesn't offer the cheaper SAL shipping.  ePacket is around 1000jpy more than SAL, and EMS is around 2000jpy more.

 

So offer loyalty points/yen, other don't.  Hobby Search offers 1% and calculations are rounded down.  AmiAmi also offers 1%, but rounds up.

 

AmiAmi is one that does charge AU GST, but under 8000jpy, they will allow SAL, over 8000jpy, EMS only.

Hobby Search allow SAL up to 30,000yen.

Edited May 13, 2019 by katoftw

[Ochanomizu]

Hello,

 

I agree with katoftw.  Often AmiAmi has been cheaper than HS, even thought Ami has been charging GST for months.

[katoftw]

AmiAmi was cheaper for non pre order items. But more expensive for pre order items.

 

Now HS are charging GST. They aren't even close for both.

 

For Australian purchasers that is.

Edited May 15, 2019 by katoftw

[gavino200]

Totally different issue

 

I'm moving soon and I'm trying to decide how to handle my pending Hobbysearch orders. With modeltrainsplus it was easy. I just emailed Nariichi and asked him to hold my orders until I have a new abode. 

 

But I think Hobbysearch is a much bigger/less personal enterprise. Would a request like this be accepted? Would it lead to problems, such as lost items? Would I be better off just changing my delivery address using the address of a friend in the general area I'll be moving to? 

 

Any advice would be appreciated. 

[chadbag]

8 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

Totally different issue

 

I'm moving soon and I'm trying to decide how to handle my pending Hobbysearch orders. With modeltrainsplus it was easy. I just emailed Nariichi and asked him to hold my orders until I have a new abode. 

 

But I think Hobbysearch is a much bigger/less personal enterprise. Would a request like this be accepted? Would it lead to problems, such as lost items? Would I be better off just changing my delivery address using the address of a friend in the general area I'll be moving to? 

 

Any advice would be appreciated. 

 

They've been willing to do me some "favors" in the past with regards to "hold" or whatever.  So just ask them.  I don't think it is a terribly big enterprise and I've been satisfied by how they handled my "abnormal" requests.

[cteno4]

I would just contact them, they are very computerized and seem to be helpful on stuff like this as it’s a standard thing that happens. Not as personal as Nariichi San, and English speaking contacts seem to be ever revolving interns so the communication varies a bit, but they have been decent with standard requests.

 

Also they usually ask for payment so you know when something is ready to go out and can make sure at that point as well before paying that it’s going to the correct address. Or ask for a short hold.

 

i guess for the few week transition period it may be best to have stuff to to someone in the new area for ultimate safety.

 

A warning on EMS packages, usps treats them as express mail and if you can’t sign for a package they may just hold them for 5 days and then return them to sender — even with a vacation hold. That happened to me with a vacation hold. I talked with our local postmaster and he was a real jerk about it stating regulations that usps said did not exist and the carriers said they usually hold them for vacation hold but management doesn’t like the express stuff building up (it’s stored separately) so they force it to be cleared out. Folks in other parts of the country have had the same issue. In this situation HS will not refund your purchase prices and you need to repay for new shipping to get it and wait a long time as return shipping seems to go slow boat...

 

I had a second package returned as well as usps misplaced it after I got my come sign for this slip. I put in the search request, but apparently it was found like 2 weeks later in somewhere else and instead of trying to redeliver it was sent back. I guess they never did not check that list and just assumed I blew off coming in to sign for it. Over all I’ve had very few issues with usps, especially with the number of packages I get, but the few I have had have been some bone head ones like this... [rant off]

 

Jeff