Gundam Model Kit Retailers



Overview

BBTS is essentially the Newegg of collectibles - it started as just another online retailer, but has an inventory and wide selection that is hard to match. Their ability to get their hands on all kinds of hard to find items continues to amaze me. Limited items, store exclusives (including Japanese store exclusives), convention exclusives - if they don't have it, you'll have a hard time finding it anywhere else. Their redesigned catalog system merged new and used products, making it easier to see everything they have available. Their Pile of Loot feature allows you to combine preorder and in-stock items to minimize shipping costs (flat-rate shipping has been eliminated as of the latest site redesign).

Prices

Prices tend to be on the high side, but frequent sales and clearance specials can make for some great deals (new items are usually exempt from sale pricing). Shipping is no longer flat rate. Loose or opened merchandise is listed as an alternative to new products where applicable, and collector's grade versions of some items are available for an additional cost.

Selection

BBTS is more oriented toward collectibles, so the selection of model kits is rather limited. They stock mostly Master Grade kits, with some Seed, HGUC, SD, and Wing kits thrown in. Perfect Grade availability varies considerably, but they usually have the recent ones in stock at a reasonable price.

Experiences

BBTS always finds ways to get me to place orders. They said that sales would be less frequent after they upgraded their inventory control system, but now sales are almost constant (and much bigger than ever before). Their ability to selectively discount different types of items makes for some great deals. They cater to collectors with their collector's grade condition and packing upgrades, but even standard grade items with standard packing arrive looking like they just came out of the factory. The staff is also responsive to e-mails. Their regular newsletter has lots of upcoming product announcements, and sometimes they accidentally let some news slip before the official announcements.


Overview

Originally listed under Discount Trains Online, all non-train items are now listed under Go Hobbies. While the Go Hobbies name might make it look like it is a general hobby shop, it is really a train shop with some other stuff listed under a different name. They do carry some Gundam items, but it is a mixed bag.

Prices

Pricing varies. Some items are insanely high, some are insanely low (few are in the middle though). You can get some good deals if you pick from the low-priced items. Shipping is a flat $6.95.

Selection

This is where DTO/GH falls flat. Their "catalog" is a jumbled mass of item listings spread across several pages. Few items have pictures, and the item names make it difficult to identify the items. The Bandai part numbers are included, so this is the most reliable method of identification. Making matters stranger, some item numbers are the modified numbers that HLJ uses (when Bandai went from five-digit part numbers to six-digit part numbers, HLJ changed the leading 1 to a 9, presumably to make things easy for their sorting mechanism). Some items also have part numbers that don't map to anything on HLJ, so I have no idea what they might be.

Experiences

I placed one order from DTO (before Gundam kits were moved under Go Hobbies), and it arrived with no major problems. Items weren't in perfect shape, but there was only minor damage to the contents. For the price, it wasn't bad, but I would advise caution. Most of the good deals are gone by now anyway, so unless you need a no grade Astray Gold Frame, I would pass on this one.


Overview

Gundam Shop used to be THE place to buy Gundam model kits online, but it eventually turned into just another dead Gundam web site. They had a wide selection of kits (and a near-complete catalog listing of kits), decent prices, cheap shipping, and an active message board. In 2004, prices went up, the inventory dried up, new items stopped being added, the message board went dead, and the site finally went down completely.

Rumor had it that Gundam Shop would be back on March 31, 2006, but it was a few months late. The site is up now, but I hae no experiences with this new Gundam Shop.

Prices

Prices are bad. Sorry, but just about everything I'm tracking can be found elsewhere for several dollars less. Some items, like the HGUC Dom/Rick Dom kit, are priced insanely high ($47.99 in this case for a kit that sells for about $20 everywhere else). Shipping is tiered by cost, starting at $4.99 for orders under $25 and topping out at $14.99 for orders over $300. Shipping costs don't look too bad, but with item costs at about 10% above other stores, this isn't the place to go to for deals.

Selection

Like the old Gundam Shop, the store features a fairly complete catalog (how often it gets updated remains to be seen). A decent amount of the catalog is in stock, typically around 50% or so, placing it somewhere between PlaJapan and Gundam Store and More.


Overview

As the name implies, this store focuses on anything and everything Gundam. They are frequently recommended by others.

Prices

Their raw prices are very competitive. While not as low as some sale prices, their regular prices are among the best out there. Shipping however is another story. There is no option for free or flat rate shipping, and shipping costs are based only on weight. Orders under 5 pounds will cost $10 or less to ship, and each additional 5 pounds will cost $2.50. Obviously, the best deal will involve coming close to a multiple of 5 pounds without going over. Shipping costs are shown before you place your order, so you can mix and match to get the best deal.

Selection

Their selection is hard to beat; practically every Gundam line is represented, and most items are in stock. Action figures and other Gundam items are also plentiful. This is really Gundam Store and More's strong point - if you can't find it anywhere else, you'll probably find it here. The only weak point here is that updates with newly released items tend to be a few months apart, so they rarely have the most recent items.

Experiences

I have only placed one order from GSaM, and that was only because they had decent prices on the 1st edition 1/100 Destiny and Strike Freedom (most other stores either couldn't guarantee the 1st edition kits or wanted way too much for them). I managed to get a $100, 1.86kg order shipped for $7.50 (.4 cents per gram), which wasn't too bad. The overall order cost a little more than what a comparable order would cost to have shipped from Japan, but that's to be expected when dealing with limited edition kits. There were no problems with the order, so I have nothing to complain about.

It took me a long time to place an order from Gundam Store and More because they just don't have any spectacular deals. Prices are going to come out to about the same as HLJ after shipping, but GSaM has the advantage when it comes to selection and shipping time. I would like to do more business with this company, but that is hard to justify when there are usually better deals elsewhere.


Overview

HLJ was created specifically to address the problem of getting Japanese hobby items and collectibles to the foreign market. While their primary market is the US, they do business worldwide. Being in Japan, they are able to offer the latest items as soon as they are available. However, their ordering system is not the easiest to understand. Orders are shipped when all items in a single order are in stock, or when an in-stock item has been on order for more than two months. When an order ships, all in-stock items from any other order by the same person will ship as well. Two shipping options are available - SAL and EMS. EMS is faster, but more expensive. SAL takes about a week to ten days to get to the eastern US, but there are size and weight restrictions on the packages (2kg per package, limited to small boxes). All of this makes ordering from HLJ a bit tricky, but they have a wide selection, a large list of sale items, and availability before any US retailer.

Prices

Regular prices are Japanese retail prices. Early Bird pricing on some preorders takes 5 percent off that price and sale items are discounted 30 to 70 percent. Keep in mind that surface shipping (SAL) will add about 1.5 Yen per gram to the total cost. SAL typically takes between one and two weeks to arrive in North America, depending on how close you are to a main USPS distribution center. EMS shipping will arrive faster, but will cost more.

Selection

If HLJ doesn't have it, it's not currently available in Japan (more or less). Model kits go in and out of production frequently, so only limited edition kits are ever truly out of production (and even those come back from time to time). Historically, there have usually been some HG, MG, or SD kits on sale at any given time (though this has not been the case lately) so if you aren't picky, you can sometimes find something to pad small orders with to get the most out of the shipping cost (just remember the size restrictions). Sale prices are locked in when an order is placed, so ordering sale items with a long lead time preorder item will preserve the sale and allow you to put together a full order later (keep in mind that in-stock items in any open order will ship after two months).

Experiences

HLJ can be tough to deal with if you don't understand their ordering system. Orders will ship either when an entire order is in stock (with order being defined by the order number, not the full list of all of your open orders) or when an item has been on order for two months and is in stock. When an order ships, all in-stock items in your other orders will ship as well. The limitations on the size and weight of SAL packages are also annoying; SAL shipments are limited to 2kg per box (packing materials typically take up 500g per box) and a maximum length-width-height total of 90cm (EMS shipping is also available, at additional cost). Shipping was much more convenient when UPS was the default option, especially for larger items. Still, HLJ is the best of the Japanese retailers when it comes to the American market. I have yet to find another foreign company I would trust with my credit card, and no company can compete with its item catalog.


Lots of HGUC kits for less than $10 each? I placed an order to see if they were for real.

Prices

Their regular prices are pretty high, but most items are marked down 25 to 50 percent, bringing the prices down close to or below Japanese retail in many cases. Most of the 50% off items are out of stock, but there are still quite a few available if you aren't too picky. Shipping isn't flat rate but looks reasonable; my $100 order (1 moderately large MG, 2 large HGUC, and 3 medium HGUC - 3.13kg in all) was about $8 to ship to Massachusetts.

Selection

As would be expected, selection is limited on these deals. There is a good catalog of MG and HGUC kits, although many are out of stock due to the 50% off deals. Other lines have only a small number of kits available.

Experiences

My $100 test order arrived three days after shipping (via UPS). One item was missing and my credit card had been charged for the full order. I was later able to get a refund for the item that was not included (it had gone out of stock between the time my order was placed and the time it shipped). The invoice was mailed separately in a card-sized envelope. The items that were shipped arrived in good shape. Order with caution.


Experiences

I placed a test order from this site in January 2005 because of their insanely low prices on HG Seed kits. Nothing ever shipped, my credit card was never charged, nobody responded to my inquiries, and the site is now down. I guess it was too good to be true...


Prices

I keep having to rewrite this section because of policy changes. Their regular prices, as always, aren't anything spectacular. Prices only get down to reasonable levels with their bundle discounts, which can range from 5% to 30%, depending on the current sale. I would only consider placing orders when the bundle discount is at least 15%. Shipping is currently free on orders of $75 or more, but this has ranged from $50 to $250 in the past. Orders of $50 or more get a free NG 1/144 Seed kit, though you have to mention this in the order comments if you want one.

Selection

They stock lots of kits of all kinds, as well as some action figures and gashapon items (Gundam model kits appear to be their core offering though, well, either that or Pinky Street figures...). When you view an item, a random item from the same category will be offered in a discounted bundle. There is also a drop-down list on the page that allows you to select a different item to bundle (both items must be in the same category).

Experiences

I have placed several orders with PlaJapan, with minimal difficulties. It is not uncommon for the item boxes to arrive damaged, but the contents are usually intact. The shipping boxes are sometimes a little bit too small or are improvised from a smaller box and some extra cardboard. This is a small operation, and it shows. UPS ground shipping takes a little over a week to reach the East coast. Their prices are good when they have 20% off bundles and free shipping, but the items will not arrive with mint condition boxes.


Prices

Pricing varies quite a bit, but there are lots of items available for about Japanese retail, which, combined with the flat $6 shipping fee, makes for a lot of good deals, if you can find anything in stock.

Selection

Their catalog used to list a large number of MG, PG, Seed, and Seed Destiny kits, as well as an occasional HGUC kit, but their current catalog is almost empty. Many of the listed kits are out of stock (you have to view each individual listing for stock status, which is a pain), so there is even less available than it might appear. Kits that have gone out of stock tend to disappear from their catalog, so don't count on any restocking. If this trend continues, there won't be anything left by the end of 2006.

Experiences

I had to place an order just for the $50 Psycho Gundam (which is no longer available). As usual, I placed a $100 test order, and had only one minor problem. One item had gone out of stock and was not included, but I was not charged for it and the shipping cost was reduced. I was not sent any notification of this, nor do I know if the order is still open, but the item is no longer listed in their catalog. Given their current stock of kits, I wouldn't bother ordering from them again.


Overview

TisInc is a company that operates multiple online storefronts. They use both a Yahoo store and eBay auctions. Prices vary between the two, so check both before ordering.

Prices

Prices tend to be lower for auction items rather than store items. In general, the auction prices tend to be pretty good, but some are a bit high. Shipping will add quite a bit to the price. How much is difficult to tell because their "standard flat rate shipping" base cost varies, as does the per item additional cost. I don't think they understand the concept of flat rate shipping... I don't know how their store shipping costs work.

Selection

Selection varies. They seem to carry just about everything, so some hard to find items might come up from time to time.

Experiences

I placed two orders from them through eBay, both times for hard to find items plus a few others that were good deals. The total cost after shipping wasn't spectacular. Items arrived dirty and required wiping down with a damp paper towel. Overall, unless they had something I couldn't find anywhere else, I wouldn't order from them again.


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