Hobby Search

[cteno4]

I think my cc was rejected one time as I had just placed a couple of other overseas orders in rapid succession and the cc company worried it might be fraud. Some cc companies like disturbman notes require you to inform them if used out of your country.

 

might also be just a hiccup in the verification system, did you try it again the next day? I’ve had this happen with large online shops where all verifications were coming back bad for a short spell.

 

jeff

[Sensei_Yoda]

Thank you very much guys for replying. In fact I have tried several times, I will see other alternatives.
Sorry for the inconvenience. Greetings!

[roadstar_na6]

I'd just use PayPal and have currency exchange done by the CC company and not PayPal. That way you get PP protection and a much better exchange rate than PP's.

Edited January 25, 2022 by roadstar_na6

[cteno4]

1 hour ago, roadstar_na6 said:

I'd just use PayPal and have currency exchange done by the CC company and not PayPal. That way you get PP protection and a much better exchange rate than PP's.

True that! Although the couple of times I had ebay issues with PayPal they were extremely hard to deal with and sort of guilty until you could prove your case, where as they cc companies have always been super easy to deal with on bad charges, everything frozen and not on the balance until sorted out, and that is usually quick.

 

jeff

[katoftw]

My CC go charges without issues in past 12 hours.

[mags_minibuilds]

Yes, I'd had a CC issue with them. They responded that certain credit cards are not compatible with their paying system (?!). Mine was just a regular VISA card from Bank of America and I called my bank to make sure it wasn't blocked for foreign transactions. So I ended up using my credit card through PayPal.

 

On another note, I've emailed Hobby Search on Jan 25 regarding an issue with one of the product I ordered and haven't received any reply yet.

 

I purchased these Kato signs and let me know if you think the printing job of these are acceptable? Some signs are printed off-centered from the plastic. I had also contact Kato Japan but no reply yet either. The perfectionist in me finds it unacceptable because other signs on the sprue are printed ok...just some of them are off.

 

-----

IG: http://https//www.instagram.com/mags_minibuilds/

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by ZandT

[chadbag]

On 1/24/2022 at 6:54 PM, cteno4 said:

True that! Although the couple of times I had ebay issues with PayPal they were extremely hard to deal with and sort of guilty until you could prove your case, where as they cc companies have always been super easy to deal with on bad charges, everything frozen and not on the balance until sorted out, and that is usually quick.

 

jeff

 

Using your CC through PayPall with CC exchange rate does not mean you forego the ability to resolve things through the CC if PP becomes recalcitrant.  PP will get pissed off if you do it but you still have the option, which I have had to use when PP wouldn't look into a clear case of fraud.

 

 

[cteno4]

Yep exactly my situation, and PayPal was pissed! I now generally use PayPal for ebay as ebay usually gives good protection. I rarely use pp on foreign charges due to them not being as protective plus the worse foreign transaction fee/exchange rates stuff plus cc is usually so much more protective of me and seems to have a tighter grip on the sellers’ funds to get their attention!

 

jeff

[chadbag]

31 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

Yep exactly my situation, and PayPal was pissed! I now generally use PayPal for ebay as ebay usually gives good protection. I rarely use pp on foreign charges due to them not being as protective plus the worse foreign transaction fee/exchange rates stuff plus cc is usually so much more protective of me and seems to have a tighter grip on the sellers’ funds to get their attention!

 

jeff

Well that is what I am saying.  You can use CC with PayPal on foreign and just check the CC does the exchange and they will process it in the foreign currency amd you get the better rate. And if PP doesn't protect you you can still fall back to the CC complaints.  You lose nothing.  But often gain ease of making the payment for those foreign merchants that have stupid systems.

I am not PP friendly -- but if I have to use it I do.

 

[cteno4]

Sorry yes total agreement. I only use pp as an intermediary when I have to these days or for personal transactions.

 

jeff

[roadstar_na6]

2 hours ago, chadbag said:

You can use CC with PayPal on foreign and just check the CC does the exchange and they will process it in the foreign currency amd you get the better rate.

A much better rate. Today's exchange rate is 1€=131¥, PayPal's is 1€=123¥.

[cteno4]

Yeah I think PayPal is tossing in the “international transaction” fee (1-3%) like many ccs are doing as well and as usually not a great exchange rate on top of that.

 

jeff

[chadbag]

One thing to remember when using CC (with or without PP, but if using PP specifying CC conversion instead of PP converting) is to make sure your CC doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.   Looking at my CC, about 1/2 do and 1/2 don't.  I just have to remember which ones do charge and not use them.

 

[disturbman]

On 2/3/2022 at 4:33 PM, ZandT said:

On another note, I've emailed Hobby Search on Jan 25 regarding an issue with one of the product I ordered and haven't received any reply yet.

In my experience, their customer service has been very slow but they always ended up answering. Though perhaps not so much in satisfactory manner, they are very inflexible. If you want better and less impersonal service, use one of the smaller shops.

 

The printing on those signs were really bad.

[Cat]

I ran into the CC glitch today with a card I use all the time for foreign purchases.  Tried a different card and it worked fine.  Does indeed seem like an interface problem between their verification code system and some credit card companies, even bog standard big bank ones.

[mags_minibuilds]

On 2/5/2022 at 12:14 AM, disturbman said:

In my experience, their customer service has been very slow but they always ended up answering. Though perhaps not so much in satisfactory manner, they are very inflexible. If you want better and less impersonal service, use one of the smaller shops.

 

The printing on those signs were really bad.

 

It's been 20 days and I never did get a reply from Hobby Search regarding about those signs. Perhaps it's too small and irrelevant for them so they don't even bother answering. However, I did hear back from Kato Japan. They sent me replacements (the print alignment is much better), however, they said it's a huge exception because the store should be responsible for exchanges. However, since HS never responded and they understand it's a manufacturing issue, they sent me a replacement.

 

Just FYI, Kato Japan replied:

 

Quote

 

You mentioned that you bought this product from Hobby Search, there is an advantage to buying from overseas mail order sites: the prices are cheaper.

 

Basically, if there is a problem with the product, the dealer from whom the customer purchased the product will take care of it.

However, due to the fact that they are shipped from overseas, they are inevitably inferior to local dealers in terms of repair and after-sales service.

 

For the above reasons, KATO recommends that you purchase from a dealer in the country where you reside.

There is a possibility that products and parts that are not carried by KATO Japan may be carried by dealers in that country.

Even if the dealer does not have it, dealer staff can check with KATO Japan for a quicker response or some kind of follow-up.

 

So, if you are interested, we would be very happy if you could purchase from KATO dealers in the U.S. or KATO USA.

[bill937ca]

It seems Hobby Search no longer carries Tamiya products. My previous purchases like Tamiya Craft Bond Glue are blacked out in my HS purchase history and Tamiya is no longer on the Hobby Tool manufacturer list.  Why?

[Yavianice]

@bill937ca I am surprised you were able to purchase Tamiya Glue before, actually. Because glue can be flammable, this usually has a hard time getting on anything "Air" related (even if the glue is not flammable). So probably what I am guessing is that they did sell all of this stuff before, got too many complaints from customers that their parcel was "confiscated" (or got a slap on the wrist by japanese customs), and pulled it. Seeing that on the Japanese HS site there still is plenty of Tamiya stuff for sale. For this reason, RG-R also does not ship anything glue or petroleum based (at least not when I asked him some time ago). 

 

That or it could be that localized branches that sell Tamiya that are outside of Japan were complaining that japanese wholesale places like Hobbysearch are pushing them out of the market. Something that I know EU KATO point of sales are also concerned about.  A quick browse on Amazon Japan reveals that most Tamiya products also aren't able to be shipped to Germany at least.

If you get a reply from HS about why, then reply here, I'd be interested to know.

Edited March 13, 2022 by Yavianice

[cteno4]

The craft glue is PVA glue and can be shipped by air, I’ve ordered it a couple of times from japan from different shops.

 

odd tamiya is gone. I dropped an email to them to ask

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

The other item was a Tamiya cutting mat  which wouldn't be a problem.

 

[bill937ca]

I got a reply from Hobby Search. The products were taken down from the English website at Tamiya's request.  Any outstanding orders will be filled. They will not come back  in the foreseeable future, at least.

[cteno4]

Weird, guess they want folks buying them from tamiya distributors in their country and not exported from japan.

 

jeff

[Cat]

Huh.  HobbyLink Japan is still showing quite a lot of Tamiya product in stock and new items arriving soon.

[cteno4]

Yeah saw that too and they are mainly an export business.

 

jeff

[Madsing]

I love the Tamiya Craft Bond. I could buy it locally, but 3 to 4 times more expensive than from Hobby Search…