Question: buying Hot Toys from Chinese eBay seller

[gmoney5000]

Hey all, just a quick question. So I've never purchased from a Chinese/Hong Kong seller before for a hot toy, but I'm considering it. For those who have and live in the US, specifically the tri-state area, what are the import charges like?

Cause I wanna know if it's worth it to purchase from Asia but I dunno if import fees or whatever additional charges would make the purchase worth it.

If anyone knows, I'd greatly appreciate if you could let me know.

Thanks!

 

[Droid747]

There should not be an import charge for the price of a figure or 2. In the US your purchases have to be over a certain amount before it gets hit with import charges.

 

[nyc1962]

I use Timcent on Ebay as my go to seller for Hot Toys purchases from Hong Kong.

He usually has new items first and is great if you can't wait for SSC to get figures in stock. He usually has figures that are sold out, but be prepared to pay over retail (somtimes over $100+)

His prices for new figures just released are above retail, so not sure if that is an issue for you. I recently paid $264 for the new Civil War Scarlet Witch figure which I think retails for approx. $225. In all the time I have buying from him (over two years) I have never paid an import fee.

He ships day after payment and has and EMS option (Express Air Mail) for $17 and I usually have figure in about 5 days. He has a free shipping option with regular air mail that takes about 10-14 days. I live in New York City so EMS purchases come Kennedy airport

 

[tworow2]

China and Hong Kong is a big difference when it comes to eBay.

Never buy something of value from China. Too risky.

Hong Kong is fine though, thats where HT comes from after all.

 

[gmoney5000]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys!

China and Hong Kong is a big difference when it comes to eBay.

Never buy something of value from China. Too risky.

Hong Kong is fine though, thats where HT comes from after all.

Why is that? Have you personally had a bad experience or is China kinda notoriously bad for buying pricey items?

 

[Antihero]

Tried twice to buy from China. On my first experience, I already paid for the item but didn't hear from the seller for 1 week. No "item sent" confirmation, no tracking number, nothing. After e-mailing him several times during that week, he finally replied and said that he hasn't sent the item yet because he attended the Yulin dog/cat-meat festival. He was actually busy eating dogs and cats.

 

[kurisuchie2kimi]

I'm not from the US, but I only have good things to say about Timcent, he's a great seller - amazing packaging, fast turn out from payment to shipping. He's great, I'll always buy from him over any other ebay user

 

[Motuxmen]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys!



Why is that? Have you personally had a bad experience or is China kinda notoriously bad for buying pricey items?

There's just a lot higher chance of a main land seller being fake or hacked. But if you don't preorder (never ever preorder on eBay) and you don't wait longer then a month to file a complaint you will be covered no matter what. But just use common sense: if the past sales are all junk purses and cheap toys or things that are not hot toys don't buy. Just because they have good feedback doesn't mean it's for selling hot toys. And if it's noticeably cheaper then everyone else it's probably not legit. There are a few well known china based sellers, and the same for Hong Kong. It's just about doing a little (very little really) research.

 

[Sassafras]

I bought a "Dragon Model" from a Chinese seller a while back; seller had long e-bay history with great feedback. Hafta say it was a terrific transaction, seller fell over himself sending e-mails and to let him know if there were any problems. Item arrived fast - i paid shipping, it was high, but not ridiculous. Item arrived perfectly packed and shipped. Had better communication than from some U.S. sellers. There wasn't an import charge, just shipping.

But I try to stick with sellers with long e-bay history who seem to care and work at it, and have some reasonable response to any negative comments.

 

[gmoney5000]

Tried twice to buy from China. On my first experience, I already paid for the item but didn't hear from the seller for 1 week. No "item sent" confirmation, no tracking number, nothing. After e-mailing him several times during that week, he finally replied and said that he hasn't sent the item yet because he attended the Yulin dog/cat-meat festival. He was actually busy eating dogs and cats.

Haha this story can't be for real?! It's hilarious!

 

[tworow2]

Why is that? Have you personally had a bad experience or is China kinda notoriously bad for buying pricey items?

Well, China's where all the knock-offs come from.

But like everyone else said, if they're a long time member with a good feedback history you don't really have anything to lose. eBay/Paypal almost always side with the buyer in any dispute.

 

[TimothyR]

I live in Pennsylvania. I've never had a problem ordering something from either place and have never been charged an import or customs fee in my entire collecting lifetime.

My rule for eBay is, thoroughly check the feedback scores.. I rarely buy from someone who is under like 99.8% positive with their feedback. And I'll also make not of how many people have provided feedback and make sure it's from different customers.

Also.. I tend to go by the "if it's too good to be true, it probably is" rule. If a price seems suspiciously low, I won't bother.

 

[Soleax]

Anything with value marked under $800.00 should have no custom import tax in the U.S. I would be more careful with sellers from mainland China regarding Hot Toys due to counterfeit/scams. Always research as much as you can about the seller before buying. Make sure they have a good track record with selling Hot Toys.

 

[gmoney5000]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, really appreciate it!