Best site to order MP TF'S

[skylynx]

Hey guys was wondering what was the best site to order MP transformers from with minimal postage? Thanks

[Cat]

Depends if you want the Asia-exclusive coins with them or not.

Not all retailers consistently source them.

I personally use BBTS (bbts.com) aka BigBadToyStore. They're well established and pretty reliable. They're NOT the cheapest. Not by a longshot. BUT their customer service is second-to-none. That's especially important with MPs to me, as I want to know that if I get a bum figure, it'll be taken care of. Especially as so many MPs tend to have iffy QC (paint on the Lambo molds, for instance).

You can save money by stockpiling items using their 'Pile-O-Loot' feature, if you're looking to order numerous items (orders and pre-orders).

They also don't charge until the item is in stock. I like that. Safer for me.

But again, not the best if you're looking for absolute cheapest prices. Worth it if you don't want to gamble on poor customer service.

[Ultra Mackness]

I've been using Robot Kingdom (robotkingdom.com) for a couple of years now and most recently picked up the three Lambor molds from them. Don't know about the best as I know some people on this board have had problems with adjusting orders and customer service, but they're pretty reasonable on the postage and I've never had any trouble dealing with them.

[GoktimusPrime]

I use Hobby Link Japan (hlj.com) as they charge standard Japanese RRP plus postage. And preorder gives you earlybird discounts which means you pay below RRP. I sometimes use Amazon Japan* if they're offering any exclusive content (as w/ Lambor, Soundwave, Bluestreak and Prowl); they also give discounts for preorders.

*requires Japanese postal address

[tinyJazz]

Cheapest would be the Japanese retailer amiami.com, if you can catch the preorder when it goes up. Some of their tf stuff sells out immediately. Also you can't cancel preorders, but you can group together separate orders in the same month.

The one I prefer to use is HLJ.com, HobbyLink Japan. They're located in Japan so the prices are better than BBTS. They have a "Private warehouse" function, similar to BBTS's POL, and the option to cancel preorders.

Both are supplied by Takara Japan so no MP coins.

I've not had a problem with either of these sites so I can't say what their customer service is like. BBTS is pretty excellent in that department.

[doublespy]

amiami generally have the best price and very reasonable shipping costs (I pre-ordered MP Prowl and Bluestreak from them for 4550 yen each before shipping) But popular items sell out incredibly fast due their relatively small order quantity.

HLJ and Hobby search are also reputable online retailers. If you are looking at pre-ordering MPs Japanese sites are always the cheapest. But if you are after already released figures the chances are slim that you can find one on the Japanese sites. BBTS and RK would be better alternatives.

[Cat]

HLJ were great for me for years.

Then one time there was a problem with an item (a missing piece).

I emailed them about it a few times. They never emailed me back, which was strange, as they had always responded swiftly to enquries.

They then cancelled all preorders I had.

It was bizarre. I'm also not the only person this has happened to, but IIRC the other people had had returns and replacements before. This was my first request, and it was just one part, and was just me asking if they were able to do anything.

[AJ_Prime]

I mainly use BBTS and Robotkingdom, occasionally I use AmiAmi through a friend who does a lot of his orders through there, so we can take advantage of discounts through bulk shipping.

As others have said, BBTS and Robotkingdom have very good customer service, I've never had a problem with them yet. Whenever there have been QC issues with figures they have been quick to respond and provide replacement parts or offer store credits. And the POL option with BBTS is a great way to save money on shipping.

[DELTAprime]

After realizing how much the price difference is between HLJ which dose not give coins and RK which does give coins I've started using HLJ. Postage is cheaper and the toys are cheaper. If I really want the coin I can get them after the fact by hitting up eBay or trade sections of the various Transformers forums.

[lancalot]

i use Ehobbybaseshop sometime as well.... Just remember that if you preorder item at the same time most places will keep you order until the last of that order is released before they send it .... so if you preorder mp17-18-19 together you going to have to wait until dec before you get them...