Everyone who orders from them knows that they can charge quite a bit on shipping, both EMS and SAL. However, my last nerve has been strung. The other day, I ordered a preowned Ultra-Act UltraSeven figure for $35 from them. Today I was given the the invoice to pay off. With shipping, my order was over $60 USD! Sure, I knew beforehand that EMS charged quite a bit, and I had been a victim of their freakishly high shipping costs before. However, just now I realized how much money I was essentially throwing away. I still bought the damn thing, because I really wanted it!
However, what about upcoming figures like the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla (1995) or S.H.MonsterArts Destoroyah. They'll have a field day with shipping charges for those! I've decided that once they shipped out my UltraSeven figure, I'll request cancellation for the former two items. Sure, I'll risk losing my account with them, but so be it! I'd rather buy from vendors such as Hobby Search or HobbyLink Japan over Amiami. With them, shipping is a lot more manageable, and with HLJ, if you don't have the funds to pay it off immediately, then you can have it held in their virtual warehouse till you can fully pay off your bill!
To give Amiami credit though, the high shipping costs benefit people who buy more than one item at once with them. If you buy one item, yeah the shipping is gruesomely high. However, if you buy at least several items from them at the same time, shipping will not change. It will stay the same. In that aspect, yes, you WILL save money. However I do NOT buy figures in bulk. I buy one at a time.
So with that, I am leaving Amiami and returning to my old favorite site, HLJ!
I tend to favor any business that offers the cheapest price (item + EMS combined). How does HLJ's shipping rates compare to AmiAmi's?
ReplyDeleteAgain, it really depends on where you live. Their shipping is definitely cheaper than Amiami's.
DeleteThe thing with Amiami that irritates me is that they give those super cheap discounts, but they overcharge on shipping to the point where the discounts are rendered moot. HLJ's base prices for their items may be a little more than Amiami, but shipping at least is reasonable. EMS shipping with ranges between $15 to $30 for certain items in my experience with them. The main reason I like HLJ is their Private Warehouse system overall.
Thanks for the info! My reserve for Godzilla '95 is placed with AmiAmi this time instead of HLJ, but only for the sake of trying them out for the first time. I'll heed your warning too because I also care about reasonable rates and a flexible policy.
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