Which stores best? RobotKingdom, BBTS, TfSource?

[tootz_05]

Hey peoples! New to the forum & just interested on what everyones thoughts on which website is best for purchasing masterpiece transformers & time frame ie. shipping etc...

[CBratron]

I quite like BBTS. They tend to have everything but they're pretty pricy and do drag their feet on preorders. But for south east asian or Japanese market items it's usually cheaper to go with Robotkingdom or chimungmung or you'll be paying for freight to the US and then shipping from the US.

[Omega Metro]

BBTS is brilliant. They have the POL system. And ship everything promptly. Never had a drama. Website is good to navigate also.
Robotkingdom and Chimungmung is a totally different story. Slow shipping, cancelling orders, bad customer service.

[Paulbot]

For the Japanese releases I always go with HLJ.com, but you have to get in early before the preorders close.

[tootz_05]

Thankz guys, much appreciated!

[drifand]

For the Japanese releases I always go with HLJ.com, but you have to get in early before the preorders close.

Used to like them as first choice, but they are not fair in releasing hot items.
What I mean here is they do not list the items fairly for everyone to pre-order and sometimes they are went un-noticed. They also do not notify people if they have stocks available.

Great ordering system but not good when you are trying for an hot item.

[5FDP]

Been using Robot Kingdom for about 10 years now and never had an issue with them so I'm unlikely to change. I did however give BBTS a shot earlier this year and my first experience was a bad one. I'll stick with what I know.

[Sinnertwin]

BBTS
I use them for the everyday lines like Generations, Beast Hunters, Star Wars, you name it.
Their Pile of Loot & preorder system (no payment up front) have made them my go to website. Their customer service is also the best that i have dealt with. They do tend to lag a bit for preorders sometimes, but when you're not in a rush like i am, it's not an issue.

Robotkingdom
I used to use them quite frequently a while back, but now i limit myself to select items. No Pile of Loot & an upfront preorder payment means i have to be more selective with purchases. Ive found them quite good when dealing with any issues.

HLJ
My go to source now for MP's. 60 Private Warehouse & a no payment preorder plan works for me. They send you weekly updates on your order, but keep in mind that you have to get in quick when an item is listed

AmiAmi
I dont even bother. They can't even update their pages fully to let you know if items are in or out of stock

Chimungmung
I haven't purchased anything yet, but from the feedback on the board, Tony has a lot of happy customers

[griffin]

Ones I use in order of most to least.

- Amazon US. Cheapest for shipping, but not for the Mint Packaging collectors.

- BBTS. Cheapest for American TFs, and the POL is useful. Quick and easy to get something fixed when it goes wrong.

- Ehobbybaseshop. My current source for JP and HK items. Prices and shipping close to Robotkingdom (whom I refuse to use due to poor customer service, and ignoring queries about faulty items).

- HLJ. Haven't used for a while, but they were good when needed.

- Hasbro US store (via shipping-forwarder). Rarely use now that Amazon ship to here, but still a useful backup option.

[Smint]

nippon-yasan.com

Cheapest pre-orders, pay later for pre orders and various shipping options. Faster and cheaper compared to the US stores because they're geographically closer.

Shop around ebay and dont be confined to the one store.

[WeallscreamforStarscream]

Still not happy with Robot Kingdom as to their lack of customer service and handling of my chipped and damaged Grimlock. I'm stuck with it now.

Wont be going there again no matter what.

Chimungmung is awesome!
BBTS is expensive with a great range of product
EBay is probably the best place to go for.. just make sure you know a Knock Off when you see one (or check in the thread in the forums here!)

[1AZRAEL1]

I concur with most peoples views on various sites.

BBTS is good for US release stuff and the Pile Of Loot feature is great because you do save on postage. Customer service with them is pretty top notch. Had a problem with a Living Dead Doll where an arm had fallen off in the sealed box, sent them pictures of it and they shipped out a replacement free of charge.

HLJ has been good for me to get TakTom MP figures, if you get in quick enough. The postage is quite cheap and fairly quick too.

Robot Kingdom used a handful of times, customer service is bad. Won't use them again.

AmiAmi I use for a few Real Action Heroes stuff for the missus. Not too expensive, average customer service.

Amazon has a few things I want. Never had a drama with using them. But as griffin mentioned, sometimes the packaging the figures are sent in leaves a bit to be desired. Not rrally for MISB collectors.

Ebay, only resort there if I can't get what I want on the other websites or older stuff. Some sellers are pretty good, some are horrible. Always check their feedback. Also keep on mind that quite a number of US sellers don't like dealing with outsiders. Some if they do can be quite rude. And shipping is quite expensive from some.

[Maruten]

I usually just keep an eye out for bargains on ebay (and by "bargain" I mean "shipping rate that isn't STUPIDLY high").

But I have also used BBTS and TFSource. I have no complaints about either but from my own personal experience I would more strongly recommend TFSource. That's the first place I go these days.

But basically the main question is: which site is taking orders for the product you want? Often the choice is made for you!

[BigTransformerTrev]

The topic has been discussed here quite a bit of you are looking for more info:

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=15184