Suruga-Ya

[MD12]

It's probably my first time posting here. I recently tried a Suruga-Ya (https://www.suruga-ya.com/en/index)order as they offered free shipping during a promotion. Suruga-ya sells a lot of second-hand items (very similar to Mandarake) so sometimes you might find some interesting items. They seem to offer reservations for new items as well. My items were shipped through DHL, but they did not provide a tracking number when they shipped the package out, and later, DHL sent me the tracking information. 

 

The first item is Tomytec Keihan Electric Railway Otsu Line 80 Series, which I only ordered because I want to complete my Tomytec tram collection. For some reason, the 80 series has "TR" initials similar to other trams, but the 600 series are not numbered similarly.

 

The second one is the Kato Yamanote Line E231 Suica 10th Anniversary set, which I've been looking for a while. I saw two sets last time in Japan but could not afford it then. The price is much lower this time, and with the excellent exchange rate of USD to JPY and free shipping, I couldn't help but spend some money...

 

The third item is the "Thank you Heisei" memorial platform entrance tickets set, which came with 36 platform tickets with the date of the last day of the Heisei era stamped.

 

The last one is not very unrelated to train models, but for my other hobby of civil airliners: a ResKit 1/144 A320 landing gears upgrade kit that I am not sure when I will start building kits again.

 

Some thoughts,

1. Unlike Mandarake or many other second-hand shops in Japan, they did not list the condition of a particular item. I am lucky that the items are mostly in mint condition, though the box of the Tomytec Keihan Electric Railway Otsu Line 80 Series had its better days, and I feel the price could be lower due to the box condition, based on my observation when I visited several shops in Japan last time.

2. I saw people complain of a slow shipping process after ordering, but mine was acceptable.

3. The items were packed in shrink wrap with cardboard and without any cushioning materials in the box. My box was squeezed, but luckily, nothing was damaged.  Though Aamzon.co.jp uses a similar method to ship, I personally don't like this approach as model boxes often get damaged. I am definitely spoiled by Railgallery Rokko's dedication to packing the models.

4. They put three stickers/labels on the Tomytec box directly - had some hard time removing them.

5. I am not sure if the price is reasonable, but sometimes, if you are looking for a particular previously released item, you don't really have options. 

6. They charge 500 yen as an order-processing fee.

[Kamome]

Suruga-ya have certainly come onto the scene for NEW railway stuff now, amongst other things. They were the cheapest option for some HO Runtec containers I preordered and currently have the lowest price for the upcoming HO DD51 in Hokkaido (Hokutosei) livery from Tomix. Around ¥26,000 whereas the usual cheapest, Ami Ami, has it for around ¥29,000. 

 

I also bought a new Tamiya RC  XV-02 chassis from them for ¥26,000 whereas the next best price was ¥30,000

 

I find their website not the easiest to navigate, there’s a lot of trawling, but can’t argue with many of their prices. 

[SwallowAngel]

I think anyone with this hobby is somewhat used to traversing ancient websites or websites screwed over by translation, so I dont think that will be that much of an obstacle here 😉

[Gunzel]

I just found some well priced stuff (as well as some crazy priced stuff) but their shipping costs to Australia kill them in comparison to Buyee or similar. And the shipping pricing is very opaque, I have to go almost all the way through the checkout including entering credit card details to find out the shipping price. I'll keep an eye out for another free shipping deal. At least they will ship to Australia now, for a long while they weren't, thanks @MD12 for reminding me to have another look.

[Yugamu Tsuki]

At least at the end of 2023 they were doing their free shipping almost every weekend; mind you they raise the prices higher compared to non free shipping times but this is a standard business practice to make a sale look better. I took advantage of them quite a lot and got all the nephews new Plarail starter kits for Christmas. Shipping was with DHL for me, so receipt was always within a week. Can't say I have a complaint from them other than finding ways to get more money from me that I initially planned 😆

 

As for in person, Surugaya is pretty good and organized. Lighting was great, nothing stacked on the floor, plenty of helpful workers. Last trip to Japan my hotel pillows were far flatter than I'm used to. There was a Surugaya next to my hotel and I was able to get a cheap pillow for 300yen that helped to beef up what the hotels offered. I believe they also help in person with making Duty Free purchases.

[Tony Galiani]

Hadn't planned to order anything from them but was going through their web site and found a few items that appealed to me and, with free shipping this weekend, I decided to give them a try.  Considering that shipping can run US$30-40 for any kind of order, the prices and final cost seemed quite reasonable.  Of course, I will have to see how this works out - how long the shipping takes and the condition of the items.  I will post a follow up when I am back from Japan and - hopefully - find the items waiting for me.

Ciao,

Tony

[Tony Galiani]

Back home to find my order from Suruga-Ya waiting for me.  Packaging, as previously noted, was not quite up to what we expect from Japan but it did the job so can't really complain.  I ordered six items.  Two figure sets were shrink wrapped together; three small building kits were wrapped together and the DMU set was wrapped then all this was placed on a sturdy piece of cardboard and the whole lot shrink wrapped.  Then the odd part - this was just placed in an oversized box with no padding so could move around pretty freely.  However, everything seemed to be okay when I received it.

 

I think it worked out to be a pretty decent value - one Kato and one Tomytec figure set, one Green Max building kit and two TGW kits (all small) and a two car KiHa set - US$80 total including 500 yen handling and free shipping via EMS.  I ordered the item on February 4th and they were shipped on the 7th.  They were here when I got back home on the 17th though I do not know exactly when they arrived.

 

I would definitely use them again.

Cheers,

Tony

[Tony Galiani]

Just placed another order from Suruga-Ya as once again they had free shipping this past weekend and, combined with the prices on offer for the items I selected, it was a very good deal.

 

However, it really is worthwhile to do some comparison shopping as their prices seem to vary wildly.  A week or so ago, I spotted a Tomix Ozora set I wished to purchase and it seemed okay with the free shipping.  I then comparison shopped and Plaza Japan was US$20 less on the set so, even with shipping cost, it was pretty much the same.  Then I checked on a DMU I wanted and Plaza Japan was about a third of the price on that particular model and a few other items I wanted were better or comparably priced at Plaza Japan.  So that order went to Plaza Japan (which also does a much better packing job).

 

I definitely plan to continue using Suruga-Ya when I can take advantage of the free shipping and can get a good deal though their pricing is not automatically better than other on-line shops.

 

Ciao,

Tony

[katoftw]

I find their prices generally are higher than HobbySearch for most new items. And this makes them the highest prices from the 4-5 online retailers we generally deal with. Only the free shipping weekends can make them comparable in total invoice costs.

[SwallowAngel]

I also took advantage of the free shipping past weekend.

 

I personally found that Suruga-Ya is most useful for older items. I ordered a  KATO 5003 and KATO 5002 to complete a set + a hoodie for my friend.

 

Suruga-Ya makes it quite convenient to order a multitude of different used items. A similar site would of course be Mandarake, but I personally dislike the fact that they ship all items seperatly if they come from different stores. It just increases cost of shipping  + VAT, unneccesarily IMO. Proxies would also be an option, but depending on the item even that option can be quite annoying, as you need to factor in the shipping cost within JP + whatever other fees they charge for storage.

 

I have yet to receive my package but condering that anything fragile is included, I doubt that many suprises will be found.

 

 

[Kamome]

My experience as @Tony Galiani mentioned is to shop around. Obviously I use Suruga-ya domestically so there is free shipping over a certain purchase value anyway. They are not always the cheapest, although they have become more competitive on certain items in recent years and so I have ordered a number of things through them, not necessarily all railway related. They also have used stock although I have not purchased used items through their website. I'd prefer to look at stock first although the local shops to me don't carry any railway product.

 

Best to be aware that not all the stock on their website is new, so you need to know what you're looking for and if you have a variety of interests, you may find you save in some areas, but would spend more in others. I've never looked at their N gauge stock as a good number of places have similar pricing. They certainly had some of the better prices on specific HO items, some model kits and some RC products, not to mention I have also purchased new Lego sets for my kids birthdays in previous years as they've been cheaper than most of the competitors for specific things rather than the range as a whole, or had sold out at the main toy retailers.

 

Some examples.

 

• Tomix HO-615 Kiha 10, Suruga-ya ¥12,630, Ami Ami ¥13,090, Yodobashi ¥13,860(¥1386 points for next purchase)
• Tamiya XV-02RS Pro Chassis Suruga-ya ¥33,470, Super Rajikon ¥33,473, Amazon Japan ¥33,838.
• Kato E353 4 car base set - Suruga-ya ¥12,110, Amazon ¥10,540, Ami Ami ¥11,930
• Kato 1-317 HO EF510-0 JRF - Suruga-ya ¥10,850, Amazon ¥10,555, Ami Ami ¥10,540 (Ami out of stock)

Ami Ami charge ¥600 on top of orders for domestic delivery to Kyushu. Super Rajikon in Osaka charge depending on box size so a large chassis or car kit around ¥1100 from Kansai to Kyushu. Yodobashi, Amazon and Suruga-ya usually free shipping dependant on sale amount.

 

So you really need to know what you are looking for and what other places are asking like you would anyway. 

[Gunzel]

I'd definitely recommend not mixing heavy things like books and more fragile things like model trains or computer gear in the same order, their packing is just not up to standard for that sort of thing. Also limiting the number of books or magazines you put in a single order as the boxes aren't that strong and can also be damaged if they are just overall too heavy.

 

But the free shipping weekends make it great value, especially for books and magazines. Thanks for the tip off here.

[MD12]

8 hours ago, Gunzel said:

I'd definitely recommend not mixing heavy things like books and more fragile things like model trains or computer gear in the same order, their packing is just not up to standard for that sort of thing. Also limiting the number of books or magazines you put in a single order as the boxes aren't that strong and can also be damaged if they are just overall too heavy.

 

But the free shipping weekends make it great value, especially for books and magazines. Thanks for the tip off here.

I actually ordered 20+ magazines plus one Hasegawa 1/200 airliner plastic model together once. Surprisingly, the 1/200 plastic model arrived perfectly with an intact box. They used EMS, and I saw the shipping fee was about 30000 JPY, compared to the total value of my order, which was only about 6000 JPY.

 

I agree with you that it is not a good idea at all, and I was just lucky. The outer box of the package was damaged and maybe could not hold the weight of the magazines. One side was almost open, and the other side had been re-tapped maybe by the post office. The only reason all the items arrived was maybe just because they used shrink wrap inside to put everything together.

Edited March 7 by MD12

[cteno4]

Magazines or thin slick soft cover books are the worst at tearing up boxes. I’ve mailed tons of books internationally and domestically and the few I’ve had come unglued were magazines and slick soft cover books.

 

but great idea to keep watch for free shipping for books! Hard to see with international shipping costs they can afford to do this.

 

jeff

[Gunzel]

When I’ve bought books via Buyee and had them repack them I generally don’t have issues, they do a pretty good job. 
 

I’m tempted to order a CRT from Suruga-Ya to see what happens, but I imagine it will get damaged and I dunno how that discussion would go. 

[SwallowAngel]

So my package arrived and my story doesn't really differ from any other posts here:

My package arrived a bit battered, but not too badly damaged. As mentioned I ordered a hoodie for my frined alongside a couple of coaches, so this wasn't an issue. I did however notice that the shrink-wrapped parts were hot glued to the bottom, preventing the items from just flying around in the box.

Additionally the hoodie was put on top of the models, so a bit of cushioning was provided (I guess...).

The the models were basically spotless, though had some replacement axles and couplers fitted, though that much could be seen on the pics provided.

 

Overall a good experience, so if you get free shipping and find something you're interested in, go for it

 

Speaking of, apparently they're offering free shipping again till the 11th. No clue how it's financially viable to do this so often, but I won't complain...

Edited March 9 by SwallowAngel

[mav14]

Just want to add my experience with them, which has been overall positive.

 

I got suckered in with their free shipping promo in February and I've made 12 orders from them since. They have been offering free shipping every weekend, I assume to take advantage of the weak yen. The first 7 orders were shipped with EMS and the last 5 with DHL.

 

• 6 out of 7 orders via EMS came in perfect condition. 1 order came with the box slightly crushed and two of the boxes inside was slightly crushed. 
• The remaining 5 orders came via DHL. 2 came in perfect condition and 3 had some issues being crushed.
• Every order had around 5-8 items. I would estimate 60% were B Train Shorty sets and 30% were Tomix/Kato sets. 
• The remaining 10% were 3 magazines, along with some tracks/buildings/accessories. 

 

The biggest difference is in the box they are using to ship. I've noticed there are two styles. The first one is a proper box which is pretty strong/rigid. This box just has their name/logo printed on the sides of the box. Every order that came in this type of box was in perfect condition, through both EMS and DHL. I've had one order with a heavier magazine come in this just fine. 

The second box is where I've had problems. This box appears to be custom made to fit your order. It looks like they start with a flat piece of cardboard, cut it to size and wrap to fit around your items after it has been shrink wrapped together. This box has their name/logo on blue stripes that go diagonally across the box. All 4 orders that were crushed used this box. The joint that holds all 4 sides of the box together failed because they only put glue in one or two spots and not along the whole corner. Whatever was stacked on top would no longer be supported by the box and instead by the contents inside.

 

I'll try to add some pictures of the boxes later. Overall, the weight of the items inside hasn't played a huge role for me. Everything is shrink wrapped together so they aren't moving around inside the box. Its always the shipping box getting crushed and coming apart that causes damage.

 

In terms of the cost of items, new items are definitely marked up significantly to make up for the cost of shipping. Depending on item sometimes it is a bit cheaper, about the same cost or more expensive than other shops after shipping is added. It really depends and you need to do a bit of research to get the best price. I think lower cost items tend to be a better deal as they don't mark these up so much. For example, something that costs 2000yen will likely be cheaper with their free shipping promo since shipping can cost as much as the item itself.

 

Used items are a big wild card to me. The used items i look at are generally out of production so they are always marked up everywhere else. Any reputable shop that would sell it at MSRP + shipping are out of stock. I've found a lot of the things I'm interested in are generally very reasonable priced with free shipping, if not some of the best I can find outside of Japan.  I think its possible to find better prices in auctions, but the time/effort needed along with the shipping/consolidation makes it not worth it to me.

Edited May 10 by mav14
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[Tony Galiani]

Another free shipping offer - this time to July 25th.  And, as noted before, prices are all over the place but I spotted a MicroAce Shikoku Shinkansen for about US$46 - which is US$30 less than anywhere else I have seen one.  Don't really need it but thinking it would be a neat if I ever do an exhibition again.

 

I resisted temptation on a 6 car JR 181 for only $78 and a Tomix 485 starter set (track, power pack and four car set) for only about $110.  On the other hand, there were a couple of JR Hokkaido sets I would have purchased but really pricey so I passed.

 

Also added a couple of buses, figures and scenic items.

 

Ciao,

Tony