Online Stores Poll 2015!

[BigTransformerTrev]

Well once again it's time for the Ozformers annual poll where you vote for your favorite place to spend your online bucks!

Please vote for which is your favorite online store. Also please feel free to leave feedback on your own personal experiences with any store you have dealt with.


Websites in this years poll:


Australian Sites
Ebay - http://www.ebay.com.au/
J2OZ - http://www.j2oztoys.com/
Premium Collectables -http://www.premiumcollectables.com.a.../transformers/
TFI Downunder - http://www.tfidownunder.com/


American Sites
Amazon - www.amazon.com/
BigBadToyStore - http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/default.aspx
TFSource - http://tfsource.com/


Canadian Sites
TF-Direct - http://tf-direct.com/


Japanese Sites
AmiAmi - www.amiami.com/
Hobby Link Japan - http://www.hlj.com/
Hobby Search - http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/


Chinese Sites
Chimungmung - http://www.chimungmung.com/
Ehobbybaseshop - http://www.ehobbybaseshop.com/
Robot Kingdom - http://www.robotkingdom.com/


Other info:

Previous Years winners:
Winners of 2013 Poll:
Robot Kingdom – 18
BigBadToyStore – 17
Ebay - 11

Winners of 2014 Poll:
BigBadToyStore – 14 votes
Robot Kingdom – 11 votes
(no clear 3rd place winner)


Stores retired from the vote due to no votes in previous years:
HasbroToyshop
Etsy
Jay Jays
TRU Online (2 years running)

Other Online stores not included in this years vote due to there being a limit to 15 poll options, but worth mentioning:
Ozformers: Swindles Salesyard
JustBots
CapturedPrey
TheChosenPrime
Mandarake
Actionrobo
Anime Export
Transformerland
Nippon-Yassan
TFCC
80's Tee's
Big W
Target

Notes:
*I cant but the admins can see who has voted for what, so don't start 10 basic accounts to ramp up the numbers of your fav store or those votes will be discounted.
*Don't leave negative feedback about stores unless you have actually shopped/dealt with them and you must leave the details of what went wrong.
*I know ebay is primarily an American site but I have listed it in the Aussie section since they also have an Australian based server & service
*I particularly wanted to include Nippon-Yassan, Anime Export, & Transformerland in the poll but there just were not enough poll spots and I wanted to include some of the new Aussie companies. I also wanted to include JustBots as they are an Aussie company but they don't have a website. If any of these stores (or any other ones not included) are you fav please vote OTHER and then mention them in a post. If they prove popular enough I will put them in the 2016 poll.

[DELTAprime]

I've had problems with HLJ this year so BBTS is my pick this year. I've ordered from PC but none of my items have shipped yet so I can't vote for them.

EDIT:

Robot Kingdom
Put an order in with them once, but then items got delayed and I found them cheaper elsewhere so cancelled my order.

Ehobbybaseshop
Only shopped with them once and it was for some MP’s that had sold out everywhere else. Pricey but got me what I wanted.

That reminds me...

Ordered the first LG Fembots from RK, when all 3 had paint issues they refused to help for any of them. I'm done with them.

I ordered from ehobbybaseshop three times this year. Once for some TT movie figures that sold out everywhere else, that went well. But I placed two orders for TAV figures and never got an invoice for them and when I emailed them about it they did not return my email. I don't know why they are ignoring me but I think it's just plain stupid for someone in business to treat a customer like that.

Anyway I'm not supporting any small non-Aussie based stores anymore. At least the big stores will give you credit or a replacement if you have trouble. Smaller guys tend not to. I hope the small Aussie guys PC and TFI treat customers well when there's problems.

[BigTransformerTrev]

My personal experiences with the stores:

BigBadToyStore
Still where I do the majority of my online shopping, but that is dropping off significantly as I give more of my business to Hobby Link Japan. BBTS have been pretty good over the years I have shopped with them, but they have stuffed me around a few times too. The email updates are good if they are a product line you are interested in, but annoying if you’ve only ever bought a one-off item and they still send you updates about the toyline a year later.

Hobby Link Japan
For the first time I have voted for them instead of BBTS. I’ve never had a problem with them, their shipping is very fast and their prices are usually lower for Japanese items than BBTS. Only problem I’ve had is they often get very limited stock of items so if you don’t get in within the first day or two you miss out.

Ebay
Like everyone else I’ve had a few crap experiences on there as well as grabbing some great deals! These days it’s really hit and miss – you know you are taking your chances and can just hope the seller turns out to be a good one. Still the best variety anywhere online.

Amazon
Gotten some really great deals on there! Only problem I’ve found is they carry a lot that wont ship to Australia

Hobby Search
Only shopped with them once but they had a good price and cheap postage, though the postage did take a long time.

Ehobbybaseshop
Only shopped with them once and it was for some MP’s that had sold out everywhere else. Pricey but got me what I wanted.

TF-Direct
Only shopped with them once. Put in an order and one of the items that was available apparently wasn’t so they gave me a discount on the other items I had ordered. Good communication.

TF-Source
Only shopped with them once. Found postage quite pricey but the products were as described.

Robot Kingdom
Put an order in with them once, but then items got delayed and I found them cheaper elsewhere so cancelled my order.

Premium Collectables
Tried to interact with them on this board once or twice but got ignored so took my business elsewhere. May come back to them though as would like to support local business.

[prjkt]

I'd put RK under "Chinese" sellers as they're HK based.

As for stores I've used:

BBTS: Good communication, usually good packaging (except for one time the whole box ended up shredded somehow, forcing Auspost to re-package). Helped out with a problem with my Botcon Rainmakers, PoL feature is great. Would prefer to the option to pre-pay a pre-order, in addition to the current pay on arrival method, as I don't always have the cash at the time to item drops, but then I don't always have the cash at the time of order either.... Shipping/postage times can vary from really quick to over a week between hitting "Ship my order" and it actually being sent.

RK: Again, good service/communication, always quick postage. A couple of "older" items in their store arrived with rust damage on the screws, so not sure of their warehouse conditions... Only had that occur twice though. Prices for JP items tend to be less than BBTS, but more for Hasbro items - only reason I use them is if I'm ordering a bunch of mixed-source stuff as postage sometimes comes to less than BBTS, and I want it sooner. Main drawback is that there's no PoL style feature, and they wait until every item on the order is in before posting. Up-front payment on pre-orders is a benefit sometimes if I've got the cash ready, but have occasionally missed out if something's sold out before payday.

HLJ: I use them for most of my JP sourced items, prices usually work out to be better than BBTS/RK, but stock levels are low, pre-order listings tend to show up much later, and don't last very long before selling out. As above, good communication, quick to help me out with my MP G2 Bee issue. Private Warehouse option (aka BBTS' PoL) is great, as not everything I want is released at the same time, although the max 2mth limit can be a bit annoying if I have three items released one month apart meaning I have to pony up for two separate postage fees.

eBay: Some bad, mostly good. Prices vary but can usually find something I want if I'm willing to pay up.

Premium Collectables: Two transactions so far, but for pre-orders, so can't comment any further atm. Communication is good, as when purchasing via the mobile site it seems it doesn't display the bank account details for direct deposit, so I had to email them for that. Will update once my orders start to arrive.

Funpub/TFCC Club-store: Expensive postage, especially forcing payment of bubblewrap when ordering loose/bagged figures (it's only $1, but still) but still the cheapest way to get a bunch of the TFCC/Botcon exclusive figures if you're ordering a large enough amount. Can't comment on communication though. If you're only after one or two figures/bagged sets, probably still cheaper overall to get them from BBTS/eBay etc.

[drifand]

I do not have enough things nor money to justify spending at bbts.
To me they are expensive and is like a last resort. With the strong usd is harder to buy from them. They however do not require payment upfront.

Hlj is a roll of the dice for items that are hot and often "order stop" catch them at the right moment and you got a steal. The one thing that I respect this store is they NEVER charge you inflated prices regardless they know how popular the item is elsewhere. Shipping charges are decent as they have cheap ems compared to other online jpy stores. Website could be better for locating new pre order items

Nippon Yasan, cheap , some customer service, irrelevant discount points , heaps of shipping options which I have to vote best for this category and pay at anytime which is also another plus. Down side tends to stop pre orders early when they know item is hot and raise their prices. When the item heat dies down they make the item on sale. IMO disloyal to the honest customers making them pay and then pissing them off later. For transformers though, they have one of the cheapest in the market if you are not overly concerned about packing.

Anime export, my alternative last resort for jpy online stores even though they have the cheapest transformers at times. Their service as I read here sounds bad. I have only ordered once from them and had no issues. You pay upfront.

Amiami is not bad for transformers mp and have significant point discounts. Hot items however are sold out within a minute.

Hobbysearch is like Amiami but I find their prices more expensive. Customer service however is pretty good.

Premium collectables, I cannot rate them as yet but I have ordered tracks, uw devy and mp blue streak from them. They are very cheap if you get two of your mates to order with you and get free shipping for mp cars. I am yet to say they are good or bad.

Tfi down under, service looks great but I feel he needs to be less emotional when on the threads here otherwise he is actually nice to deal with.

Hk online stores like ehobby and robotkingdom they are normally not my prime choice as they are expensive. However they tend to have exclusive transformers which you need to consider them.


Chipmungmung, was okay and good for extra stands like for Starscream, SKywarp etc.... Price wise is okay, nothing to shout about. Service is okay, Tony does respond but again if you going to be picky then he may not be the one for ya.



I do not have a top pick. As the standard transformers mp are not hot cakes and sold out under a minute, I tend to go with the cheapest as I am not a misb collector. But lately I have been buying either from ny or premium collectables for tf toys.

Is hard to rate a store when each of them has a bad point.

Bigw > Huh? I couldn't order Devy
TRU (australia) well we all know is 30% more than actual RRP, for most mps.
Target > I bought non TF items and I am okay with click and collect wich is free. Thumbs up for this.

I have not voted at this stage, as I buy from several stores. I do find it hard to understand why some people don't mind paying $50 more for the same product sometimes, but it is not my place to tell people off. All zooms down on what you are comfortable with.

[CHILENO20]

eBay is where I have done most of my online shopping for a long time. It has been particurlarly good for me for shopping for some bots that we don't get here. Price is a big factor for me so while some other online stores may have a cheaper price on an item, the shipping ends up killing any sort of discount you may have had.

I will add though that the little I have shopped with other online stores here & overseas has been good. In no particular order I have shopped with Renderform.com, chimungmung.com, premiumcollectables.com.au, capturedprey.com, transformerland.com & robotkingdom.com.

All in all it hasnt been bad, just the long wait for shipping as I usually go for the cheaper option but of coarse I already knew that would be a factor.

Happy hunting all.

[UltimateGalvatron]

Swindle's Saleyard (other)
Thanks to jazzcomp, dirge, k.wong23, CHILENO20, Sinnertwin, autobreadticon, spiderken17 and Jinto for all my good buys! All have been pleasures to buy from.
Also thanks to kurdt the goat, spiderken17 and zs96742 for buying from me, hope you enjoyed your purchases!

[UltraMarginal]

Australian Sites
Ebay - http://www.ebay.com.au/
I use this on rare occasions, as a buyer it really depends on the individual seller as to how good your experience is.
As a casual seller it's almost more of a pain in the ass than it's worth.


Premium Collectables -http://www.premiumcollectables.com.a.../transformers/
I have an order with them, I won't see it come to fruition until December January 2015/16.
actually I have one large order that I expect the first part of to be fulfilled in the next month. the rest will be the end of the year.


American Sites
The strength of the dollar and the apparent fact that I seem to be buying all the takara boxed sets for Combiner wars means I haven't used them much lately but my thoughts on the following:

Amazon - www.amazon.com/
Excellent shipping rates on items fulfilled by amazon, I find it helps to label stuff as a gift to improve the packing quality I've never had anything badly damaged and I've bought toys, CD's, statues and books over the years. They own the book depository now and I have had a couple bad experiences with the book depository in the past. their envelopes have improved significantly and stuff generally arrives undamaged. I have previously had a refund for damaged goods.

BigBadToyStore - http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/default.aspx
I have spent thousands here over the years. their sale prices are competitive and it is so worth amassing a large POL to maximise shipping savings. it just means you have to be patient. Their customer service is second to none and while their packing materials aren't as sexy as they used to be they are still some of the best packed toys I've ever received.


As mentioned above, due to my recent trend of buying Takara versions of stuff I have started using Asian sites more in the last year.

Japanese Sites
AmiAmi - www.amiami.com/
Hobby Link Japan - http://www.hlj.com/
I can't remember if it was ami ami or hlj but I ordered a fairly good size order from one of these sites once, a few gundam markers, action stages and transformers. well packed and quick delivery.


Chinese Sites
Chimungmung - http://www.chimungmung.com/
I used these guys once, quick well enough packed delivery.


Robot Kingdom - http://www.robotkingdom.com/
I have had several orders with Robot Kingdom and I have one waiting for pre-orders to arrive at the moment. I have found their stuff to be well packed in most cases. fairly quick delivery. I am frustrated that they list and charge in US dollars only, it makes their prices a little more expensive than they need to be. their shipping has become more expensive over the years.



Other Online stores not included in this years vote due to there being a limit to 15 poll options, but worth mentioning:


Anime Export I have been buying my masterpieces through these guys for a couple years now, you have to pay up front but I'm yet to have a bad experience. their packing is OK but not stellar. Their prices for Takara exclusives are hard to beat.


TFCC These guys have a couple people who perform pretty good customer service until Brian gets in the way. the problem is you need to interact with their customer service staff so often. In the first subscription service I had a figure with a munted face that hd to be replaced, which they did with no complaint. I had one just not turn up in the second sub service which they replaced with no complaint. this subscription service I have a misassembled figure which the can't do anything about until they hear from the manufacturer because the entire release was done wrong. Their shipping prices are extortionate, I have mass ordered club exclusives in the past and shipping prices were close to express but travel time was much longer. packing was mediocre for a box with several hundred dollars worth of exclusives in them.

ALSO
Welovefine I bought some tees of these guys, good prices, a little on the snug side but good quality and fairly reasonable shipping costs.

[Sinnertwin]

hmmm, let's see


BBTS is my go to store now and anything that I can find cheaper at HLJ (MP's/TaV's etc) i just cancel and order through them. Ive had very, very minimal issues with both that were resolved quite quickly.

eBay, both locally and internationally has been worthwhile enough to purchase through -you've just got to be patient and find the right deals. There are some good ones are out there.

Amazon, i use very occasionally now. While their packaging may not be for the most fastidious of MISB collectors, their postage costs and prices on certain items are well worth looking in to, if you intend on cracking them suckers open.

Robotkingdom, I haven't purchased anything off them in quite a while now. They were my one stop shop when the dollar was at parity but now that has gone down the drain, i have to shop smarter.

Swindle's Sales Yard has probably been the most referred to lately. I've met quite a few new people & have scored some great deals. I hear that Sinnertwin bloke isn't too bad to deal with either

[DaptoDog]

My order of preference:

Nippon-Yasan - I know it was hard to fit them in the poll but I've had impeccable experiences with them. Pricing is generally the best of any of the Japanese sites. Can combine pre orders easily. No upfront payment on preorders, able to use Paypal. Quick to reply to email questions, even when I'm asking about an upcoming pre-order like Thundercracker and Defensor. As most people by now know I'm quite fussy on packing and I've had 4 separate packages arrive this year, all with great care taken in packing.

Robot Kingdom - Can be pricey so generally only use when it's a hard to find or when I was in catch up mode on Masterpiece. Have to pay upfront which is a bugger but happy with packing and overall experience. Also answered my recent question on upcoming Thundercracker Masterpiece.

BBTS - have ordered a few Masterpieces when I was in catch up mode. Great customers service interaction with Joel, very flexible in allowing you to cancel pre orders. Strong USD means I'm likely not purchasing again from them for a while.

Ebay - depends on the seller but generally a good experience.

Premium Collectables - have a couple Trypticons arriving today as my first order, also have Thundercracker on pre-order. Pricing is very good, communication on the boards here seems to be better of late. A shame that there is no Paypal option available given the need to prepay up to 6 months in advance. Seems receptive to feedback about packaging options. Will reserve further judgement until I've had a couple packages arrive.