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Post by actionawesome on Jun 8, 2014 23:55:53 GMT -5
Wow. That is bollocks. Seriously. I would expect that from AmiAmi but not HLJ!
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Post by locidm on Jun 9, 2014 11:46:19 GMT -5
Actually they have always been like that around holiday and sales events. No surprises here. They probably don't hire temps to process higher volume of sales during those times you know?
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Post by TheMazingerZ on Jun 9, 2014 11:49:31 GMT -5
Well, it doesn't matter if it's holidays, big sales, or dead periods. Unlike most of the other stores, HLJ never ships the next day no matter what. They pretty much suck. }|
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Post by TheMazingerZ on Jun 9, 2014 11:56:05 GMT -5
BTW, the reason why HLJ has these sales, is because folks are not buying from them as they used to. Not only are their prices not very competitive upon initial releases, but their delayed shipping practices shun customers away. I know this, as I have been buying from HLJ since 1997, and have seen their decline over the years. Once Amiami started selling outside Japan, HLJ has gone downhill. }|
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Post by locidm on Jun 9, 2014 13:08:10 GMT -5
I think it's a matter of target audience. I'm on the other spectrum from you, which is that I use their private warehouse and don't care about getting my products ultra fast. I've been buying from them for six years and in my opinion they have really improved their services in terms of shipping options (PW plus FedEx which is much cheaper than EMS big heavy orders). As a result I have saved a lot from shipping and try to buy from them whenever possible. I get stuff like the Macross chronicle which is released weekly so HLJ really is a godsend.
On the other hand, with amiami, I don't know if it's my luck or something, yes they ship fast but items are either not packed very well or there is QC issue or somehow I break the item during first transformation. And we all know amiami pretty much don't provide customer support outside Japan on defective products. Every now and then I get lured by their low prices but most of the time I end up regretting it afterwards. The savings compared to HLJ would not be much after taking into account PW and FedEx option.
I get where you are coming from, you want your stuff fast. HLJ doesn't ship fast to tailor to folks like you, but they sure make me a happy return customer every time.
BY the way, I have gotten stuff shipped next day from HLJ on a number of occasions, just never around sales or holidays.
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Post by treatment on Jun 9, 2014 13:30:01 GMT -5
I think it's a matter of target audience. I'm on the other spectrum from you, which is that I use their private warehouse and don't care about getting my products ultra fast. I've been buying from them for six years and in my opinion they have really improved their services in terms of shipping options (PW plus FedEx which is much cheaper than EMS big heavy orders). As a result I have saved a lot from shipping and try to buy from them whenever possible. I get stuff like the Macross chronicle which is released weekly so HLJ really is a godsend. On the other hand, with amiami, I don't know if it's my luck or something, yes they ship fast but items are either not packed very well or there is QC issue or somehow I break the item during first transformation. And we all know amiami pretty much don't provide customer support outside Japan on defective products. Every now and then I get lured by their low prices but most of the time I end up regretting it afterwards. The savings compared to HLJ would not be much after taking into account PW and FedEx option. I get where you are coming from, you want your stuff fast. HLJ doesn't ship fast to tailor to folks like you, but they sure make me a happy return customer every time. BY the way, I have gotten stuff shipped next day from HLJ on a number of occasions, just never around sales or holidays. Yup. That's mostly my experience with them, too. Been buying from them since the first Yamato-Macross (1/72 and 1/60) toys appeared. I usually get my EMS packages from them 5 to 7 days whenever I opted EMS. Sales-period or not. I've never gotten any next-day from them, which is logical since I'm in the US. I don't recall ever using their FEDEX option, but I usually do SAL anyway before they intro'ed their PW. PW is a godsend. And yeah, Ami might have better pricing, but their packaging surprisingly sucks if you order more than one item. As such, I get my Ami EMS-packages about the same time as HLJ-EMS. 5-7 days. Plus, I'm kinda weirded out by how they really calculate their shipping-fees for both EMS and SAL when you combine items. Sometimes, I'm finding AnimeExport, Jungle and HobbySearch having more consistent and better shipping-fees than Ami. Also, not to further slag on Ami, but their CS is quite unhelpful sometimes. One of the things I like about HLJ is they'll work to get you a broken part from the manufacturer and ship it you for free. I'd gotten my 1/60 Macross Zero Roy with a missing thumb, and HLJ sent me a replacement part right away free via EMS. I'm sure they can't do it all the time, but it's better than what I read about Ami's standard sad-panda response to the same issue if you're not Japan-based. :shrugs:
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Post by TheMazingerZ on Jun 9, 2014 14:24:11 GMT -5
Customer Service is okay at HLJ, sucks at Amiami, and it is AWESOME at Anime-Export. Prices suck at HLJ, are AWESOME at AmiAmi, and are okay at Anime-Export. Shipping speed sucks at HLJ, and it's AWESOME at Amiami and Anime-Export. I figure some folks will stick with HLJ no matter what, just like some folks will vouch for Nippon-Yasan (me included) because we have never had any problems with them. Yeah, HLJ has their Private Warehouse, and cancelling an order is as simple as a few keystrokes. But to me personally, I rather have my stuff shipped when I want it (and pay extra for) than having the other perks. If I get a broken or damaged item from any vendor, and they don't want to make things better, there is always Paypal Buyer protection, and/or Credit Card Buyer Protection that can get me my money back. Like I said, this is just a warning for folks like myself that don't want to be kept waiting for something they paid extra to get in 3 or 4 days. }D
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Post by chogokinabdul on Jun 9, 2014 14:30:54 GMT -5
Prices are sucks at hlj and okay at amiami for items, but for shipping prices hlj wins hands down ! I always end up paying for ami ami shipping more than I should comparing with hlj especially if you are buying more items
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Post by treatment on Jun 9, 2014 17:21:22 GMT -5
Well, fwiw, I only ever shop at hlj just when they hold a tremendous clearance-sale and they got stocks of the stuff I want to get. Also, when the exchange-rate is not quite as horrendous as back in 2008/2009/2010. Otherwise, I just hunt for the best deals somewhere else.
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Post by TheMazingerZ on Jun 9, 2014 21:59:45 GMT -5
Yeah, and sadly, that is what I do now as well. But before, 99% of my purchases were done at HLJ. Not anymore... }D
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Post by tetsuryu on Jun 9, 2014 23:33:55 GMT -5
I really would like to hear some opinions from non-American perspective.
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Post by mecha-mania on Jun 9, 2014 23:45:45 GMT -5
Oooook....my experiences with amiami and NY have been great. Both pack well, especially amiami and they have an added advantage of combine shipping. Pricing wise, amiami is still the best, NY can be pricey on hard to get items. On the other hand, i will not touch ishop2go even with a 10 foot pole. Their packaging is horrible and my toy box always arrived damaged (although i dont seek perfect boxes, especially those i intend to open up, but i do expect my toy boxes to arrive in decent condition, definitely no dents or cuts)
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Post by tetsuryu on Jun 10, 2014 0:09:37 GMT -5
Well how high are amiami's shipping rates to Europe compared to HLJ? That's all I wanna know.
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Post by TheMazingerZ on Jun 14, 2014 15:15:50 GMT -5
Well how high are amiami's shipping rates to Europe compared to HLJ? That's all I wanna know. Amiami shipping rates are higher because their shipping boxes are a lot heavier (heavy duty cardboard) and they use heavy duty paper instead of plastic air baggies to protect the merchandise. I much rather have the lightweight boxes, shrinkwrap, and air baggies HLJ uses because it saves a lot on shipping. However, I much rather have my purchase shipped right away. }D
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Post by tetsuryu on Jun 14, 2014 16:22:03 GMT -5
Well at least I know my Trider should arrive in one piece then.
If only he'd be released already so I could stop squatting on this money...
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Post by treatment on Jul 14, 2014 21:06:22 GMT -5
w00t! Got my Yamato-2199 today from the hlj fire-sale a couple months ago...
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Post by treatment on Jul 15, 2014 23:18:15 GMT -5
a little quickie...
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Post by antares on Jul 16, 2014 10:23:52 GMT -5
Customer Service is okay at HLJ, sucks at Amiami, and it is AWESOME at Anime-Export. Prices suck at HLJ, are AWESOME at AmiAmi, and are okay at Anime-Export. Shipping speed sucks at HLJ, and it's AWESOME at Amiami and Anime-Export. I figure some folks will stick with HLJ no matter what, just like some folks will vouch for Nippon-Yasan (me included) because we have never had any problems with them. Yeah, HLJ has their Private Warehouse, and cancelling an order is as simple as a few keystrokes. But to me personally, I rather have my stuff shipped when I want it (and pay extra for) than having the other perks. If I get a broken or damaged item from any vendor, and they don't want to make things better, there is always Paypal Buyer protection, and/or Credit Card Buyer Protection that can get me my money back. Like I said, this is just a warning for folks like myself that don't want to be kept waiting for something they paid extra to get in 3 or 4 days. }D After hearing this, I'm glad I did my masterpiece transformers pre-orders from anime-export. Their prices don't seem much more than amiami, and amiami usually sells out quickly anyways. I have ordered a few things from Nippon-Yasan also, and they ship very quickly. I do like HLJ's packaging, it is probably the best. Anime-Export's prices are lower than HLJ, but I have a feeling their shipping will be more, so not much price difference from HLJ in the end. Just in case anyone was still thinking about this one, HLJ has it on sale right now for 48% off at ¥13,520. A good price for anyone still on the fence. Wow, I would have bought one at that price.
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Post by treatment on Dec 14, 2014 22:50:00 GMT -5
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Post by mazfan on Jun 2, 2015 20:19:27 GMT -5
I love the SOC ships! Got this used from a fellow collector. I can't wait to open and display it!
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