Hi guys,

Some time ago, there was a topic about good online modelshops. Costas (Major_Goose) mentioned this site:

HobbyEasy.com

Now in my eyes their prices are very low (e.g Tamiya Panther costs about € 40 here and € 15 at hobbyease.com) and even with shipping costs it's still cheaper than buying my kits here in the Netherlands!

Now I would like to know if any of your guys has experience with this shop, and if somebody knows whether they are any good.

I just like to be sure before I order something there...if anything goes wrong, I can't just go to their store or something like that!

I hope you can give me some usefull intel on this

Greetings,
Martin

Hi, Martin

I live in Turkey. There are some model that I cannot find here. I got a lot of stuff from HobbyEasy . You can trust those guys. I got one order and there was one item missing. I sent them an e-mail about it . They sent me missing item . My experience is pozitive.

goodsite, thats the main site i order from, and i've never had anyproblems, and yes the prices are cheap (big score)

good luck
shain

the prices are definatly nice, but wouldnt the shipping cost an arm?

Frank

Hi Martin,
I have just recieved my first order from them and was very pleased with the service I got. the bonus for me was not were the models cheap but so was shipping and you can chose which method you would like to ship by. Two thumbs up from me

Martinnn,

i have been doing business with them a few times... i live in malaysia and the price of DML kit were low compare to that of elsewhere in the western side of the world...but at hobby easy the price + shipping is more then the price in my local hovvy shop. However, due to the fact that the local hobby didnt have their newer kits then i do online shopping from hobby east.
if compare to other online shop in this region (Japan, HK , China..etc..etc) , hobbyeasy offers much cheaper shipping cost.
But there was only one minor drwaback..when i place an order, they will prcocess it in 2-3 days....once (in my case) was 4 days..
other than that, they're great...
Once i ask them to get me a rare (old) DML figures set that they dont stock and they guy answer me that he will get the kit for me with no extra cost...well he did..in 4 days i get email saying that the kit is available.
overall, hobyyeasy is a good site...and they sponsored Armorama too

Hi Martin,

I would suggest Lucky Model. They are based in Hong Kong too. They too stock various kits at very affordable prices. Their items are usually priced slightly higher (at least for all the items i am looking for) than Hobby Easy by a few US$, but their service is impeccable.

Their replies are usually fast unlike Hobby Easy. Once, i purchased an item from Hobby Easy using credit card, and was told 4 days later that the item is not in stock despite their online shop saying that it is. Personally, i was put off by this since i had given them my credit card details.

Lucky Model on the other hand have this "available" status on some of thier items. These are the items they do not have on hand but can get if you order from them.

Another advantage of Lucky Model is that they accept Paypal.

On the down side, I am still in the process of switching onto ASDL so shopping on Lucky Model can sometimes take quite awhile because their pictures load slower.

I have used hobby easy now for a few months and have placed many orders with them and i find there service first rate and would highly recommend them. Cheers Bob.

Hi all,

Thanks for your replies, you all sound very positive, I think I'll give it a try!

@ 3442: yes, there are shipping costs, but even with these shipping costs they're still cheaper. For example:

@ Target: I'll have a look at their site as well!

Tamiya Panther ausf. G in Holland = € 40

Same tank at HobbyEasy = € 15, + € 10 shipping. That makes € 25, which is still cheaper.

Oh and for all who have actually ordered there already, what shipping methode do you like to use and why? I'm not familiar with shopping outside the Netherlands...And which methode is best to pay?

Grt

Hi Martin,
I used registered airmail which means that the parcel will be able to be traced if it goes missing also airmail is faster than surface..
I think Visa is probaly the best way to pay.

Only I don't have Visa....need to be 18 for credit card!

Is there any difference in costs between buying with your creditcard or buying by bank ?

btw, if I am in Hong Kong on holiday or something like that, I'll take a lorry with me and buy every scale model shop empty.....aah it's so cheap there!

I have a question for you guys that "import" from these overseas shops. Do you have to pay customs or import duties on these models? Particularly Bob and any other Aussies that have used hobbyeasy.

Its just that I have checked their costs against a couple of Aussie online stores and the overseas prices have only been a couple of dollars cheaper and if duty of 10% had to be paid it would not be worth the exercise.

Brian

there is a slight different... when i purchased by cc, then ur bank will charge u with their interest i.e 1.5% ...

by bank means bankdraft, bankers cheque..we u apply for this service, the bank will charge u on certain percentage.... then u will need to send the bankdraft to an online shop somwhere in the globe ..thus, u have to pay for the postage... and the time taken to reach the shop....

that's the different.... if you dont have CC then beg your parents to buy it fot you..hahaha

Well I've talked with them about getting me my own credit card (almost 18) but they say I should think about it twice due to the costs of transferring money and the risks of online shopping with a CC.....

Hmm.....cheap models.....even with the costs to send it to the Netherlands....and now I get stuck on the money-part of the whole thing

I have bought from htem at least 4 times. Each time no problems at all and higly recommend them and their great low prices. Even with postage to Australia the stuff is cheaper that buying here.

I have used them once and was very happy. Even with the high shipping price, it was still well under the prices in Sweden. I didnt get caught at customs, in which case I heard it can prove more expensive.
I normally shop at Mol plastic modelbouw in Holland. Free postage when buying over €40, good exchange rate at the moment between the Kronor and euro and no problems with customs. they also sponsor armorama and models arrive around 5 days later!!
Add it all up, without a credit card, this isnt the worst optionin the world either!

Yeah I normally also shop at Mol, but they're not cheap....they are very fast in delivery though, and reliable too!

But I was looking for somewhere cheaper!

Grt

martin,if your parents are worried about credit card fraud online just show them all the replies from people here who have had positive experiences. I do all my shopping online, except for using my local model shop,and if you use established shops, places recommended by friends,or on forums like this everything should be ok. I live in the UK and have bought stuff from USA,Germany,Poland,Australia,Hong Kong,Malaysia etc. etc. and can only speak well of my experiences.
Hope this is of help although I don't think your parents will be overly happy with me!
Chris

Haha well still I'll make sure they read this topic. It's not that they don't trust the thought of using CC with online buying, it's just that there is spyware active on the internet allows hackers to watch your screen while you type your CC number, and they're also able to freeze this screen on their computer.

Although I think this is more likely to happen on sites like Ebay and Amazon which has much more buyers, it is a risk....they're right about that.

Is there any second safety like a code which you have to use with your CC online? Like you have with your bankaccount etc ?

Grt

what are the alternates to usign a credit card when shopping online? i was thinking about ording from millitaryhobbies since my hobby shop has been a real bi*** the last time i order( month ago and havnt got any news after 4 phone calls)

beeing under the legal age means i cant get my credit card, and especialy if i need my parents aproval, they wont even give me my bank card

so back to the topic, what are the alternates when shopping online?

thanks,
Frank

Dear Martin,

Do you know that there are some consumer protection rules provided by VISA/Master card over the internet purchase ?

1. Consumer has the right to file a charge back to the on-line in case you have not received the item within the agreed time frame. So, if you place an order to the on-line shop, and you do not have the package received. You can contact the on-line shop first for details. Finally, if the on-line shop does not provide any "real" support, you can ask your card issuing company to "charge back" the transaction. In this way, the transaction will be put on hold. The credit card company will contact the on-line shop for you.

2. As the on-line shop (merchant), it is required to provide the necessary shipping document to their payment gateway services company in order to proof if the item has been really shipped. If the on-line shop does not have any document to proof to the payment gateway services company, they will debit the on-line shop's bank account and refund to the customer.

3. If there is a proof of shipment, but the package is loss via transport. Then it will see if the package is insured. If so, the insurance company take care it. Otherwise, the consumer will take the risk. But for a services on-line shop or Mail Order company, they will usually take care their customer and make their customer happy.

4. In case of fault credit card, in Hong Kong, the credit risk is taken by the merchant. So, if someone stolen your card and buy something from the net. You can just file your charge back and ask for refund. Since there is no order or any information to you that you order items before.

5. Many shops around the world still using the traditional manual credit card payment system, where the on-line shop will capture your credit card no, expiry date. And they send to their bank for credit authoization. In this case, there still exist certain credit risk of losing those information from the on-line shop to others.

With the latest on-line payment services, the on-line shop do not have any credit card information of the consumer. Instead (like PayPal), when the consumer place the order, the consumer will be redirected to a payment page offered by the payment gateway services provider (usually the banker). The consumer only enter the information provided by the bank directly without giving any information to the on-line shop. After the transaction is completed, the bank will notify the on-line shop for whenever the transaction is completed or not. In that way, all credit risk will be put to the bank. Any there are a lot of rules for the bank to follow to provide the consumer in case of hacker.

At last, any on-line payment system conformed to Verify by Visa standard would require the consumer to enter additional information ONLY KNOWN to their card issuing bank/company (e.g. Birthday, home address...) when you open your credit card. So, if someone stolen your card and using your card to make purchase, he/she willl be asked for some personal information (e.g. SSN or card id) which you don't probably give it away easily.

Just for your information.


Best Regards
Raymond Chung
LuckyModel.com

http://www.visa.ca/en/personal/shop_zero.cfm

check this out! protected from all online buys! how awsome! worth reading

now i wonder if somethign goes wrong, is it a pain to get your money back?
Frank

wow, i kept on seaching the site and found out they have a policy asking for your password and if you dont have it you cant order!

this is great
Frank

Hi Raymond, thanks for your reply, this is very usefull information!

But oh, is that some promotion of your own online shop ?? :-) :-)

@ Frank: thanks for the link, good to know there is a safety net

But how about costs of using visa with online shopping? Does it cost me money to transfer money with Visa? How and when do I have to pay for my use of a Visa card?

Grt

Dear Martin,

You can register your an account and you will receive some newsletter for any promotion information.


Besides, we do not charge for additional fee for payment via VISA/MASTER card.


Best Regards
Raymond Chung
LuckyModel.com