UK members who order from Plaza ?

[chinbeard]

It's a while since I ordered from Plaza and in the past I just added up an order and sent 'request total' to get combined shipping.

Now you have to pay for each item + shipping separately, is there anyone who knows a way around this, I mailed Plaza and they sent me instructions for 'request total' when there is no shopping cart which still will not work as I am only given the option to 'confirm+pay' Plaza's instructions say "confirm but do not pay" which cannot be done.

As ever Ebay can never leave well alone !

[stevenh]

I don't imagine this is the "Global Shipping Program" getting in the way... I didn't think that existed in Japan yet.

 

So it must be this, from the bottom of all of their item listings:

 

Combine shipping:

We combine shipping with other items that will be shipped by SAL shipping. To combine shipping, please request us an invoice after your purchase (do not pay at this point) and we will send you an invoice from ebay with combined shipping cost.

Please note that we cannot combine shipping with items that will be shipped by EMS shipping (mainly trains). When a train is purchased together with this item, the train will be shipped by EMS in a different package.

[Quetz]

Hi,

 

I ordered about a fortnight ago and found this problem, I just went to the US eBay site and used their 'add to basket' button & all seemed to work fine.

 

Stephen

[chinbeard]

Thanx Stephen I'll give it a try !

[katoftw]

I've always just done a invoice request asking for combined shipping.

[Drunkenclam]

I did a big order about 2 weeks ago with Plaza. I too had to go to ebay.com rather than .co.uk to get the shopping basket to work. All goods arrived present a correct. Although did get a £70 customs bill.

[velotrain]

I've always just done a invoice request asking for combined shipping.

 

Kato - I think they're saying that UK eBay is only showing Buy it Now and no Add to Basket option, so you're forced to pay straight away.

 

I need to wonder why anyone would be using PJ, when there are less expensive options - which could also mean a lesser customs bill.

[katoftw]

I have never used the "Add to basket" option.  It is only a relatively new feature time wise.

 

Using the BIN option should be fine.  Although I'm sure PJ doesn't require instant payment, nor have any poster said so either.  So my solution would work.  It was a option I gave 7 weeks ago while they were attempting to find options.

 

As for buying from PJ.  they have some stuff others do not, hence why you would by from them.  But you don't get the discount other offer.  Which is the reason they have stock others don't.

[cteno4]

Some also just like using the ebay system when ordering from overseas, I see that a lot here in the us with Modelers not use to ordering directly from overseas.

 

Pj also at times can do decent prices with shipping Sal, it's odd but over the years they have been cheaper to get a case of Tomytec vehicles with Sal shipping than from HS. Don't know what that almost always was. Plus now and then they would pop up with a few cases of vehicle sets that were sold out elsewhere.

 

Jeff

[Quetz]

I used PJ initially as it was on ebay & at least I could have a moan if it never arrived, service seems as good as everywhere else and will deliver to my work address (Hobby which is the only other one I've used so far won't, actually come to think of it I used ModelTrainPlus for a train & he would deliver to my work address too).

As has been pointed out, the .co.uk version of ebay used to let me buy a load of items & leave them in an unpaid state (& request an invoice) but now immediately seems to take me to the paypal page before it confirms the order. So that's why I suggested using the Add to Basket option on the US version of the site. I have not tried it in the past month or so cannot confirm whether this is due to an ebay change or maybe something  I have agreed to with ebay/paypal in ignorance.

 

Edit: I've not had customs charge so far from PJ as I've only ordered small items and been delivered by SAL, the train I ordered from HS & the on I ordered from ModelTrainPlus where both sent EMS (as requested) and ran into the Parcel Farce customs hijacking (£13 'handling fee' plus the sales tax due).

 

Stephen

Edited May 15, 2015 by Quetz

[cteno4]

The immediate payment for buy it now options is a selection that can be made by the seller. I wonder if plaza screwed up and turned it on or ebay changed the default on it. Has anyone contacted Jun at plaza to inquire?

 

Jeff

[katoftw]

I don't see anywhere where it says it requires immediate payment though.  Normally it would say so in the postage and payment tab, but it does not.

[Quetz]

-ebay.co.uk

-select an item

-click 'buy now'

-takes you to a page "Review your order" detailing my address and 'pay with pay pal', page also display "You're almost finished. Until you complete checkout, another eBay user may buy this item." at the top. The only option is a continue button that takes you to pay pal payment to complete the purchase. Purchase is not complete until this is done.

 

Just go to the US version of the site and use the Add to basket option,  :) 

[katoftw]

Want a pain in the bum.  Lucky it is nil effort to use another countries ebay.

[Quetz]

Sorry when I say ebay.co.uk I did actually mean Plaza Japan via their ebay.co.uk shop, so it could either be an ebay.co.uk issue or an ebay.co.uk/PJ issue.

[katoftw]

I just had a quick look.  It is easy enough to change the .com to .com.au or .co.uk in the address bar.  Funny enough yes the UK version does not have the basket option.  Weird!

[cteno4]

I've had a lot of strange combos of stuff from seller listings over the years. Ebay is constantly fiddling with things and the permutations of settings can cause odd behavior. There is a permutation where some things can look like free shipping but at the end they have a shipping charge (so always look closely before clicking the final buy button). Ebay has figured out the permutation but has not plugged it in the last year,mthey keep saying next revision of the software.

 

Jeff

[Welshbloke]

My recent experience with Plaza is that if you click "request total" from the basket you get an error message: "This seller does not offer combined shipping".

 

So, go into "My Ebay" and one of the options on each individual item is "request total". Do it that way and it works fine for me. Weird glitch!

[bill937ca]

It's a while since I ordered from Plaza and in the past I just added up an order and sent 'request total' to get combined shipping.

Now you have to pay for each item + shipping separately, is there anyone who knows a way around this,

 

I placed an order this week and I got an individual payment notice for each item.  After I paid thinking this was the invoice I got a refund of the balance from Jun and a request to wait for the invoice next time.  So I guess those payment requests aren't the invoice!

[katoftw]

You still buy from PJ?  While I have a habit of looking at what they have.  Their prices are so much higher the HS, AA, MTP and L1H.  The only bonus I see in PJ is they normally have some of the harder to find items.  But that is because of their prices.  And also their prices on older items don't seem to increase when say Tomix/Kato do their increase.  Which again is a result of slow moving stock.

[bill937ca]

You still buy from PJ?  While I have a habit of looking at what they have.  Their prices are so much higher the HS, AA, MTP and L1H.  The only bonus I see in PJ is they normally have some of the harder to find items.  But that is because of their prices.  And also their prices on older items don't seem to increase when say Tomix/Kato do their increase.  Which again is a result of slow moving stock.

 

I buy the odd item, usually items I can't get at HS.  Most of my orders are from HS. But his prices are lower than they were a couple years ago.  Depends on how favorable the US exchange is for you.

Edited April 21, 2016 by bill937ca

[cteno4]

Actually plazajapan has traditionally had better prices on some items like tomytec vehicle collections (the big ones). Don't know why but even with their slightly higher Sal shipping it's worked out cheaper most times I've gone to get a collection in the last 5 years or so. Before that they had prices closer to HS. As ebay fees have risen I think they have passed it on.

 

They have also stocked some interesting things in the past like etched metal parts other exporters never carried.

 

Also some folks like the comfort of having ebay to back up the sale. Yes we all know that is not needed, but many folks that don't do much of any overseas buying just find it comforting and it's not a huge price to pay if that makes them comfortable doing the hobby.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[Welshbloke]

There's also the problem of simply not knowing which shops are out there.

 

I wouldn't know about Modeltrainplus if I wasn't a forum member, and aside from them I get my Japanese N from ebay (mostly Plaza and AmiAmi) and Amazon Marketplace (which seems to have attracted a few Japanese model shops).

 

It really comes down to who has the parts I need for the best price. That can vary hugely from month to month!