So yesterday I ordered something from BBTS for the first time and realized they have shit I missed out on for forever and was looking out for on ebay the whole time. So I want to compile a list of proper and trusted import online shops for the future on top of maybe other tips and recommendations and what to look out for when importing.Do you mind sharing your favourite sites? Until now I exclusively preordered on amiami...
I like going to 4chan and talking about my toys and my feelings
>>10986972>BBTSFell for the scam
>>10987002My bad, I meant to type:>feel for you, manBecause BBTS is a great site and I'm glad you found it. Please ignore my previous post.
>>10987027whats the hate anyway? They were the only ones that had the figures I wanted and were only 80 bucks both. On ebay they go for 200+
>>10986972The best sites will depend on where you live because of shipping, import taxes, sales tax, etc., but generally BBTS is terrible for imports, especially ones that aren't standard releases because they mark the prices up like crazy. Just look at any P-Bandai SHF release like the Super 17 they're charging $125 for when P-Bandai themselves is charging $85. That you're saving $6 on shipping is meaningless when it's a $40 price difference. And that's without considering you can find most P-Bandai releases cheaper from Japanese sites like Hobby Genki. Personally, I largely don't pre-order anymore and wait to see reviews before I buy a figure, so I mostly use domestic sites with free shipping that get their figures in a few months later like Eknight or Kappahobby. The higher price ends up being more or less what a single figure would cost after shipping imported, though if you're buying multiple figures paying a combined shipping total from a Japanese site like Amiami, HLJ, or Hobby Search will be cheaper.
>>10987199Ignore it. It's literally just one dude from a third-world shithole who has a permanent hateboner over the fact that people like you have a site where you can find the shit you've been looking for all this time while he's stuck paying out the ass paying scalpers for the same things. He spends all day every day poking through every thread on the board looking for any mention of the site just so he can bitch and moan about it.Don't take the bait and let the dude seeth by himself.
>>10987199What were the figures?
>>10987199>whats the hate anywayThey price gouge on some figures and not on others. People go there thinking they can score some easy mode event or webshop exclusives for cheap and when they see the mark up and seethe about it for the rest of their lives because toyfags aren't normal.If you're just looking at normal toys their prices are fine and they allow for zero-commitment pre-orders. The only reason I'd advise against them now is that the yen is so weak that if you're trying to buy Japanese toys you're probably better off using Japanese retailer sites because even with the expensive shipping things generally end up being cheaper.
>>10987204If it's still on P-Bandai then buy it from P-Bandai retard. Those markup prices are for people who miss out, you'll pay that same difference on eBay.
>>10987357>The only reason I'd advise against them now is that the yen is so weak that if you're trying to buy Japanese toys you're probably better off using Japanese retailer sites because even with the expensive shipping things generally end up being cheaper.This. If it's something no longer available to purchase in Yen, then yeah BBTS is usually fine. However, with the yen so cheap right now, even with DHL shipping, I'm still paying nearly $20 less per figure than if I were to have purchased it in dollars.
>>10987360I actually DON'T recommend buying directly from P-Bandai due to the aforementioned Yen exchange rate. I encourage people to use places like Hobby Genki for P-Bandai stuff since it usually ends up being noticably cheaper. I paid like $70 shipped for Mecha Frieza.
>>10987360>Calls others retard>Fails to read as far as the second lineAnother site that's cheaper than P-Bandai is Global Freaks, though they get their stock a few months later. And BBTS jacking up the prices to scalper levels from day 1 still makes them terrible for exclusive imports.
>>10987389lucky in EU there is no need to get shit from japanese import sites for SHF
>>10987408Cry me a river.
>>10988015Uh, okay, keep paying more for the exact same thing then, I guess?
>>10986972Goddammit, why are you telling everyone my secret spot for shit that's sold out everywhere else?
>>10988054Nice reddit reaction image.
>>10988567/toy/ is healing
>>10987199Some people don't understand stuff like late tax and exclusive markups, but most of the hate comes from their markups, when compared to direct sites, such as buying a Figma from amiami being much cheaper than buying it from BBTS.For the most part, on expensive import figures, BBTS should be your LAST resort, as in, you can't find it on your usual sites? Check BBTS. They'll likely have it, but not as cheap, but also likely better than second hand, like eBay. So basically, your situation exactly.
>>10987206I'm from a 3rd world country, South Africa to be exact, and I use BBTS for "imports" from Japan and Hong Kong. It lands up being a bit cheaper overall with their pile of loot and combined shipping than buying a few figures from AmiAmi, HLJ and HG and trying to ship those out seperately. BBTS is great and their customer service has been fantastic.
Does anybody know whether 5k toys marks their shipments and you have to pay duty fee? Also is there maybe a chinese alternative I can order from directly maybe? Thinking about going full chink stores since they send everything unmarked and you can save big time...Should I just buy everything on Aliexpress?
I just realized I can use other countries amazon for buying toys....Is it worth making a japanese account? Do they ship internationally too? Can I preorder toys there?
>>109934585k doesnt ship outside continental usa.
>>10994998yeah it does wtf are you talking about retard
>>10994739i have been using amazon.jp for a year now. managed to pick up quite a few mafex's and revoltechs. my agent venom was pre ordered there and arrived quickly. it can just be a bit difficult to return things, you have to cover shipping to return and i think they make you use a certain expensive shipping method. otherwise a good experience.
>>10995045Doesn't ship outside north America. I've been moving between India, Singapore, Philippines and Taiwan the last year and half. It doesn't ship to any of these cunts.
>>10987199>whats the hate anyway?Oh idk.
>>10995686now thats an Epic COOMer Moment right there
>>10995160I'm from the civilized world anon. (and they confirmed it via email to me)
>>10995686This I dont get why there is still discussion over this. Any benefit to using BBTS is utterly negated by the up to 50% markup they charge. I could buy imports for cheaper at my local overpriced hobby store.
>>10995160what are you on the run from?
>>10995686The price on the right is before shipping. Amiami likes to slap you with the additional fees AFTER you've already committed to buying the item, so while it looks like BBTS is charging you more at first glance, that's roughly the amount it's going to cost you from Amiami by the time they send you the invoice.
>>10996704I don't know about Amiami(haven't ordered from them in a few years) but Hobby Search has her for 5000JPY and they're certainly not going to charge you $35 shipping for a single action figure. I ordered four figures from them recently for 2310JPY/$14.85 shipping.
>>10995729
>>10996704>Amiami likes to slap you with the additional fees AFTER you've already committedUnless your Australian, no Amiami does not charge "fees" besides the shipping. This tells me that your either lying or you've never shopped from Amico let alone any import shops. I'm going to assume your a burgermutt just like me and from my years of purchases from Amiami, I've never encountered any of those "fees" you've mentioned. Look anon, I know that shopping from a chinaman website is sooo scary and your in soo love with your eaglebux that you refuse to take advantage of the yen conversion. But in the end of the day, your paying more with domestic shops.>b-but muh customer supportI had issues when amiami sent defective products and they replaced it with no issue. They even paid for the shipping.>but muh pile of sh-loottrue, I'll give you that, but you can group items(preowned, new, preorders) within the same month and they can give you a shipping estimate if you contact them.>WAHHH SHIPPING IS SO EXPENSIVE & SCARYThen use surface mail, sure it's slow, but you weren't going to get the figure quick anyways if you were taking full advantage of BBTS's loot system.
>>10996892>>10996833
>>10996886>Unless your AustralianAnd even if that's the case, BBTS are going to charge you GST too. And that's GST on top of their import price gouge. Fuck our govt.>t. Ausfag who buys jap shit from japland and burger shit from burgerland.
