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RushRebel

Shipping prices from HK to US

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Has anybody in the US purchased from Stellamodels or RCMart, and if so, what are the taxes and shipping costs like? I realize that's broad a question with many variables, I'm just looking to get an idea and am curious what type of kit you purchased, shipping speed, etc. Tamiya's MAP pricing is keeping me from buying any new kits domestically. If I'm going to keep up with the hobby, I'll need to order form overseas. Thanks for any help.

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Kits like M05 or DT03 would cost anywhere from $25-$45 to ship.  As far as I can tell, there are no import taxes to US.  

 

 

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45 minutes ago, Juggular said:

Kits like M05 or DT03 would cost anywhere from $25-$45 to ship.  As far as I can tell, there are no import taxes to US.  

 

 

Thank you, that's good news. Never thought it would get to the point where buying a kit and having it delivered from Hong Kong would be cheaper than Tower Hobbies w/free shipping. I might finally get a 3-speed.

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Shipping on kits can be expensive from HK.  I often check the website and eBay to see if there is a difference.  Sometimes one method works out cheaper than the other.  But I will say, I ordered an Egress from RCMart on Saturday night and it was to my house by the next Saturday!  I have used RCMart, Stella, and RC Jaz and have not had problems with any of them.

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A bit different because i'm in New Zealand, but I've ordered a lot from RCMart and RCJaz. I find that the shipping costs of kits varies a lot. My TRF102 was less than NZD30 but a Monster Beetle was going to be about NZD70. Obviously weight makes a difference, but that also meant its cheaper to buy a Monster Beetle locally. A Super Astute is in the middle and that makes it marginally cheaper to order from HK. New Zealand wouldn't allow MAP pricing so the local sellers have to get close to the international sellers though.

I find RCJaz generally better than RCMart too, shipping is cheaper and quicker. 

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When ordering from HK, each shipping bracket seems dependent upon weight of the parcel. With RcMart, you can continue adding items until you reach that breakover point into the next bracket. Subsequent brackets are also cheaper so ordering multiple kits usually works out better for me.

Check out Tamico as well, Germany to DC is always pretty quick _ 5ish days for me.

Just ordered an SMT10, Wild One and Lancia from them at a bargain, basically a free kit considering US MAP pricing. 

 

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I just recently ordered an egress from rcmart,  i chose express shipping lt was $80. The standard shipping was around $70. The kit came in 6 days and was able to track it whenever. 

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I found even with US MAP pricing it still makes sense to shop Tower vs. the HK sellers for kits and compare.  I've been a Super Saver member at Tower for years ($10/year membership), and the discounts are a little better than the codes they put on the home page.  For example, one HK seller wanted $150+shipping for a F103GT TS050 kit, but with Tower's discount code applied to MAP it was nearly break-even between the two retailers.  I gave the order to Tower, but had to wait an extra six weeks to receive the kit because of slow shipping from the factory to our distributor, then shipping to Tower, then shipping to me.

I've been using HK for new releases I want quickly, especially limited edition 47xxx that can sell out at Tower and never come back again.  It's impossible to know where you are in a pre-order queue.  Expensive kits where shipping is less expensive than MAP+discounts are also good candidates.  Parts and hopups that fit in postal envelopes (better selection, lower prices, inexpensive shipping) are usually ordered from HK.  But I still buy body sets and paint from Tower as the size of the body set kills shipping from overseas.

Bottom line, I found I have to use 6-8 different retailers and comparison shop between them for certain items before placing an order.  Generally HK is getting more of my RC business these days, with certain supplies or certain shipping speeds satisfied by USA retailers.  PM me if you want my list of retailers and what I think each one excels at.

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13 minutes ago, speedy_w_beans said:

I found even with US MAP pricing it still makes sense to shop Tower vs. the HK sellers for kits and compare.  I've been a Super Saver member at Tower for years ($10/year membership), and the discounts are a little better than the codes they put on the home page.  For example, one HK seller wanted $150+shipping for a F103GT TS050 kit, but with Tower's discount code applied to MAP it was nearly break-even between the two retailers.  I gave the order to Tower, but had to wait an extra six weeks to receive the kit because of slow shipping from the factory to our distributor, then shipping to Tower, then shipping to me.

I've been using HK for new releases I want quickly, especially limited edition 47xxx that can sell out at Tower and never come back again.  It's impossible to know where you are in a pre-order queue.  Expensive kits where shipping is less expensive than MAP+discounts are also good candidates.  Parts and hopups that fit in postal envelopes (better selection, lower prices, inexpensive shipping) are usually ordered from HK.  But I still buy body sets and paint from Tower as the size of the body set kills shipping from overseas.

Bottom line, I found I have to use 6-8 different retailers and comparison shop between them for certain items before placing an order.  Generally HK is getting more of my RC business these days, with certain supplies or certain shipping speeds satisfied by USA retailers.  PM me if you want my list of retailers and what I think each one excels at.

Im a super saver member also and tower wants $640ish for the egress. Even after the  tower discount rcmart was still  around $200 cheaper including shipping. Personally it is tamiyausa’s  loss with the map pricing. I dont mind spending $20-$40 more for a kit to support locally. I did that with my monster beetle but anything more than that im ordering elsewhere even if that means out of the country

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12 hours ago, RushRebel said:

Has anybody in the US purchased from Stellamodels or RCMart, and if so, what are the taxes and shipping costs like? I realize that's broad a question with many variables, I'm just looking to get an idea and am curious what type of kit you purchased, shipping speed, etc. Tamiya's MAP pricing is keeping me from buying any new kits domestically. If I'm going to keep up with the hobby, I'll need to order form overseas. Thanks for any help.

I'm in south Florida, and order from Stella, Rcmart, and Tamico all the time. Tamico is in Germany, and sometimes has even better pricing than Rcmart. They use DHL shipping, and its typically a flat $40 fee. Kits usually arrive in 7-10 days, where as Stella, and Rcmart can take 3 to 4 weeks to arrive. If your not in a hurry Rcmart, and Stella are great. All of these online shops take pay-pal, and there are no taxes of any kind.

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Yep, I completely agree with that.  A few cases that tended to work out favorably for Tower include the TT02 '99 Impreza Monte Carlo ($120 Super Saver+free shipping vs. $90+$65 shipping from RCMart), F103GT TS050 ($172 Super Saver+free shipping vs. $136+$59 shipping), TT02B Plasma Edge II ($125 Super Saver+free shipping vs. $87+$65 shipping).  Pretty much with any $150 or less kit, the Super Saver discount plus free shipping could beat a lower HK price plus the less expensive, non-EMS shipping.

It's when you get to the more expensive kits like tanks, semis, TRFs, CR01s and 3-speeds, mid-grade TA/TBs, higher end re-releases, etc. that US MAP pricing even after discounts won't be any match for HK sellers and the shipping costs.  Plus, on new releases that are limited edition, if you really really want it, it might be worth a slight premium to order it from HK and known inventory instead of waiting six weeks to find out you didn't make the cut on the preorder list.  This happened on my TS050 kit; I had to wait for a second shipment before Tower could fulfill it.

So, best to compare between sellers, prioritize price/timing/gotta have it, and make a choice...

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It is crazy that now with map pricing tower wants $195 for tt02b ms that i bought a few years ago from them for $125. I really cant see how this helps them at all

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12 hours ago, RushRebel said:

I might finally get a 3-speed

That's a huge box.  As other members said, the shipping for that might start from $80.   

I miss the days of Towerhobbies.  A pristine New In the Box kit to admire!  

Instead, I'm scavenging for damaged kits these days.  Since this one has no box art, I don't mind the damage. (wrinkled sticker sheet is under heavy books for some rehabilitation)  

J0NLZs8.jpg

 

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The other day I was "talking shop" with the owner of my local hobby shop. He said the Tamiya MAP pricing has done wonders for his business. He would bitterly complain about how Tower Hobbies was killing him because he couldn't match their kit prices. Now that everything's level and fair, business has really picked up......and then I woke up from my 1989 dream and found myself back in 2019. 2019, where the closest RC hobby shop is 45 minutes away and they carry Traxxas and Axial, not Tamiya. Oh, and big mean Tower Hobbies went bankrupt and got bought out. Sorry for the sarcasm but with the exception of the Super Astute, my money goes toward used Tamiyas and not into their pockets. Its not that I don't want to support Tamiya. Its that I can't afford to anymore.

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