Do current catalogue "sold out" TOMIX items generally reappear?

[Stephen NZ]

I've noticed that a lot of items on websites such as Hobby Search (www.1999.co.jp) appear as sold out even though the items that appear in the current manufacturers' catalogues? For example the 3- and 4-car sets in various paint schemes of the TOMIX Kiha 261-1000 (98232, 92595, 98263) all appear as "sold out" on Hobby Search, Model Plus etc., even though they still listed in the "Tomix Guide 2020-2021".

In general, do these items tend to be restocked if they still appear in the catalogue or it a case of once they are sold out, it's too late? It seems strange for manufactureres to feature products in a catalogue that seem generally unavailable? Should I just give up and pay a premium for sets that appear on places like eBay?

[railsquid]

Once they're sold out, it's a question of hoping there will be a re-release  or buying second-hand. The presence in the "Tomix Guide" (there was a reason why they renamed it from "Catalogue") says nothing about the likelihood of future production, alas.

[Das Steinkopf]

There are some limited edition sets that will never see the light of day again but some will reappear, the licenced sets such as the EVA 500 Series will probably never reappear due to time or production unit limits normally applied to some of those deals, the general sets tend to get recycled from time to time with the more sort after or popular models appearing a year or two later on, I have been waiting for KoKi 105's for 6 years and they will be back in stock in a couple of months.

[ED75-775]

3 hours ago, Stephen NZ said:

Should I just give up and pay a premium for sets that appear on places like eBay?

 

Stephen, if you're looking for Japanese trains then I wouldn't recommend eBay as your first port of call. You'll find a better, and more reasonably priced selection, on Yahoo! Auctions Japan. They do offer buying for international customers, or you can sign up with a proxy buying service like Zenmarket. I personally go through Zenmarket and they have been very reliable to date. Service fees are reasonable, goods are very well packed and they provide regular updates to let you know where your stuff's at.

 

Of course YAJ and Zenmarket do not have everything you could ever want... case in point, the C11 number plates you were looking for, or the Kato ED75-1000 body I'm hunting for. I've now resigned myself to waiting for a rerun whenever that will be. But if you're not prepared to wait, YAJ and Zenmarket are a great place to begin hunting. I would not recommend using fleaBay for Japanese N scale unless you're really desperate - I've found some prices there can be a bit eye-watering.

[bill937ca]

Another source of second-hand trains is Mandarake, which is a series of stores selling many popular Japanese culture goods including trains.

 

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/ListPage/list?keyword=N gauge&lang=en

[bill937ca]

On 5/2/2021 at 7:30 AM, Das Steinkopf said:

There are some limited edition sets that will never see the light of day again but some will reappear, the licenced sets such as the EVA 500 Series will probably never reappear due to time or production unit limits normally applied to some of those deals, the general sets tend to get recycled from time to time with the more sort after or popular models appearing a year or two later on, I have been waiting for KoKi 105's for 6 years and they will be back in stock in a couple of months.

 I have heard that Tomytec trains / trams with ads on them only appear once because of copyright.  The permission to produce the model is probably a single use agreement.

Edited May 3, 2021 by bill937ca

[Stephen NZ]

On 5/2/2021 at 11:51 PM, ED75-775 said:

 

Stephen, if you're looking for Japanese trains then I wouldn't recommend eBay as your first port of call. You'll find a better, and more reasonably priced selection, on Yahoo! Auctions Japan. They do offer buying for international customers, or you can sign up with a proxy buying service like Zenmarket. I personally go through Zenmarket and they have been very reliable to date. Service fees are reasonable, goods are very well packed and they provide regular updates to let you know where your stuff's at.

 

Of course YAJ and Zenmarket do not have everything you could ever want... case in point, the C11 number plates you were looking for, or the Kato ED75-1000 body I'm hunting for. I've now resigned myself to waiting for a rerun whenever that will be. But if you're not prepared to wait, YAJ and Zenmarket are a great place to begin hunting. I would not recommend using fleaBay for Japanese N scale unless you're really desperate - I've found some prices there can be a bit eye-watering.

I just placed an order through Zenmarket and was indeed much cheaper. Thanks for the guidance. Unfortunately, my wife noticed she can order from stores such as Uniqlo too, so I'm not sure if I'll actually save money ultimately! Haha

[cteno4]

Well at least you can use her purchases as justification for your orders and ship stuff together!

 

jeff

[Szdfan]

So I just signed up for Zenmarket and it’s not the most user friendly experience I’ve had. I’m on order to calculate estimated shipping, I have to figure out the weight of the package?

Edited May 3, 2021 by Szdfan

[Szdfan]

Also, I’m a bit confused...the Zenmarket shipping calculator adds the cost of domestic shipping to the amount to ship internationally as well? So would I be paying both a domestic and an international shipping fee?

[roadstar_na6]

9 minutes ago, Szdfan said:

So I just signed up for Zenmarket and it’s not the most user friendly experience I’ve had.

 

You surely haven't used other proxy services then 😄

 

9 minutes ago, Szdfan said:

I’m on order to calculate estimated shipping, I have to figure out the weight of the package?

 

Yes. A good way to get an estimate weight is by checking HobbySearch listings, but keep in mind the box and packaging materials will also add a bit of weight to the parcel. ZM does try to put all the stuff in the smallest yet safest box they could fit it in, so you'll be paying the cheapest shipping rates for your stuff that are possible. Other proxy services just toss all parcels they receive for you into one bigger box, which makes shipping costs skyrocket.

 

2 minutes ago, Szdfan said:

So would I be paying both a domestic and an international shipping fee?

 

Yep, but that's pretty obvious, isn't it? 🙂

[bill937ca]

17 minutes ago, Szdfan said:

Also, I’m a bit confused...the Zenmarket shipping calculator adds the cost of domestic shipping to the amount to ship internationally as well? So would I be paying both a domestic and an international shipping fee?

Zenmarket can have listings from any number of small shops with inventory otherwise inaccessible to us.  The shop ships to the Zenmarket warehouse and you pay for this. Once your items arrive at the Zenmarket warehouse those items are combined into a package for international shipping. You pay for that also.

[Szdfan]

12 minutes ago, roadstar_na6 said:

 

Yep, but that's pretty obvious, isn't it? 🙂

I think I might be really dense here and don’t really understand proxy services, but I think I might be starting to understand.

The items I purchase through Zenmarket are not sent to me directly, but to Zenmarket, who then sends it to me, which is why I also have to pay domestic shipping.

 

This changes the calculation of what I want to purchase through Zenmarket and why it costs $27 to ship a $10 item. 

[Stephen NZ]

46 minutes ago, Szdfan said:

So I just signed up for Zenmarket and it’s not the most user friendly experience I’ve had. I’m on order to calculate estimated shipping, I have to figure out the weight of the package?

I think it is because it will depending on what you ultimately add to your shipment. I presume postage for two parcels of, say, 500g each, will be different to one parcel of 1kg, so until you tell them what to put into a single shipment, it isn't possible for them to give you quote.

[bill937ca]

Generally I would say Zenmarket is mainly for must have items.  All the charges add up, but they are fair. There are cheaper avenues for routine items. How much do you want to spend and how bad do want that elusive item? I bought curved Tomix turnouts last year when they weren't available anywhere else, but normally I won't order track this way. Without curved turnouts my limited space won't work.

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by bill937ca

[katoftw]

Weigh some of the stuff you have at home for reference. Eg. Single loco in jewel case = 160g.

[Yavianice]

Hobbysearch includes the weight of all items on their website. Use that as reference.

[katoftw]

1 hour ago, Yavianice said:

Hobbysearch includes the weight of all items on their website. Use that as reference.

10 years buying and never noticed.

[bill937ca]

It's there.  Right at the bottom of the item.

Edited May 4, 2021 by bill937ca