Tamiya next 32nd Release....

[Steve D]

Where did you order from Steve? I know about that shipping issue!

Dave,

 

Ordered mine from Hobby Link Japan, along with the 1/16 Sopwith Camel from Hasegawa. I just ordered a bunch of PE and fabric seatbelts from HGW in Czechoslovakia (for WNW kits) and asked them about their estimated shipping costs. I will have to wait for the reply to see whether I'll go ahead with that order (well, I'll go ahead with it, but reduce the goods until I can afford the shipping charges).

 

I have ordered a few model ships (wood) from overseas, and they are unbelievably expensive to ship due to their large size and weight, but it's a price I have to pay for my hobby and living "down under".

 

One thing no-one has to worry about...Wingnut Wings ship free of charge anywhere in the world (thanks Sir Peter Jackson). If you Kiwis bulk order some stuff, PM me and maybe your cousins "across the ditch" can benefit and alleviate the costs a little.

[Grant]

Hi Steve,

 

I don't mean to jump in where others have an interest but I recently sent a whole load of decals etc to someone in Australia (Victoria) for the princely sum of £3.30 via Royal Mail so, unless you've "bulk ordered" from Czechoslovakia then I shouldn't think the costs would be too bad.

 

I say this purely in conversation and not to advertise or anything, but I've had to learn the ins and outs of shipping very quickly and I've discovered that If I need to send

anything via courier then it's better to choose one through a shipping agent (I  always canvas 3 agents and Royal Mail).   The shippers enjoy huge discounts with the carriers by, I suppose, the sheer volume they send in a year so for an individual (or a tiny company like mine) who's sendings turnover is minute, it makes sense to use them.  Whenever I go direct  to the couriers' web site - just to check - I always find them to be over twice the price of a shipping  agent's quote.  For example, the other day I sent a normal sized, 1/32nd, model to the States, the UPS' web site quoted £58 (FedEx were circa £80 and ParcelForce £153!!) and I booked the exact same UPS service via an agent and paid £25 (a UPS van collected the parcel 3 hours after I booked it!!).   Some might say even that's still expensive but, compared to what? compared to all the other prices on the day, it was cheap.

[Steve D]

Grant,

 

Yes, I suspect the package from HGW will not be very expensive, being flat-packed PE and fabric seatbelts etc, but I ordered over $AUS200 worth (about 20 separate packets - detail sets for WNW and PE enhancements and fabric seatbelts as described). I really did not want to have to pay exorbitant prices for packaging and handling etc.

 

I also always choose the cheapest shipping method they have available. Some establishments offer "Express Courier Service" in 2-3 days, and "Courier Service" in 7-8 days, and "Worldwide Shipping" in a few weeks via normal Postal Service form the country in question. My modelling is glacially slow, so I don't mind waiting

 

I have purchased some goods from other European countries and had to pay their national debt apparently. These are just to enhance the models I already own, not the full sized box for Pete's sake!

 

As I said, shipping a wooden model ship kit from UK or Europe....YIKES! They generally INSIST on courier delivery, as a signature is required for such an expensive item (sometimes several hundred dollars).