Galeleo

iTrader: (3)

Hopefully this question doesnt offend:

I am looking to purchase some gear from hobbyking.com. I am wondering if any other fellow canadians have ordered sucessfully from the site?

A few things I am curious about:

How long did it take to recieve the order? The items I want to order will come from the main warehouse in HK.

How much was duty/brokerage fees?

I am scared to order anything, then be held hostage for extra fees from the gubment or UPS/Perolator/Fedex, especially if the fees are more than the cost of the gear I would like to purchase.

I have ordered from the company before, when I was living in the US. It was pretty easy an not extra fees.

Thanks.

JJRC

iTrader: (1)

I've never ordered from them but have from A Main and Infernos Only.

There is no duty, but there may be Taxes (HST or GST/PST depending on your province).

Brokerage depends on shipping method. In my experience UPS is the worst. If at all possible I try to ship USPS which ends up being delivered via Canada Post. I've rarely even paid taxes via Canada Post but always pay taxes/brokerage when it's UPS or Fedex.

JJ

SavageCanadian

iTrader: (60)

I order from them lots, I always use the fast shipping and usually get it and a week from HK. As for fees, just have them make the value at like 30% the real value (they have a option for this in checkout) and you wont get hit with any extra fees or tax at all.

Galeleo

iTrader: (3)

Awesome, that is good to know.

I have also ordered from AMain, but only when I was living in the US. They have excellent customer service and delivery times were excellent.

How long did it take for your orders to arrive from Amainhobbies? I realize you are in BC, and that is much closer to the Cali warehouse...I am in ontario.

I will definately order some parts from the US then. I was hesitant as I have heard LOTS of bad stories about the namebrand delivery services other than canada post.

Still curious about the HK site. Hopefully someone has some experiences to share. I really like their lipos, excellent quality and price!

Galeleo

iTrader: (3)

Do they offer delivery via USPS or canada post...i know they use their own shipping carrier, but I know when I ordered when in the states, it was finally delivered to my house via USPS.

Whats the largest amount you ordered, if you dont mind me asking? I am looking at placing an order for around $300 USD or so...mostly batteries and a speed controller and motor, and a few odds and ends like a ton of EC5 connectors...much cheaper than the local hobby stores!

I am wondering if I should break up my order into smaller amounts to avoid any extra incurred costs?

SavageCanadian

iTrader: (60)

Largest order I didnt was around 200 i think, if you order from the HK warehouse, it comes via canada post once its cleared customs. On a order that big, just select the 10% of the value and you should be fine. What ive noticed from years of buying from the states and else wear, if the order is around $100 or less, you wont get hit with fees and taxes, its not worth the paperwork. When I order from like as Amain, and the stuff I want is 200-300, i break it up into 2 or 3 orders that are all around 100 bucks each, ya you pay a bit more shipping, but then you wont have to pay fees and taxes on it thru customs so in the end it works out to be cheaper. What I have noticed is that fedex seems to have the lowest brokerage fees of all the private type carriers. I had a $700 order from the states (Absolute Hobbies) and I paid no tax and like a $15 brokerage fee.

Galeleo

iTrader: (3)

SavageCanadian, THANK YOU!

I very much appreciate your input and sharing your experience with me. Unfortunately, now I won't see my tax refund as I am going to be buying RC stuff!!

Hopefully this helps out others that are wondering.

For the record, I do my best to order/buy stuff from the rc hobby shops that are near me, but they don't always stock the parts/bodies that I would like/need and ordering those parts is still quite pricey when compared to other avenues.

savage.25

a friend of mine ordered some stuff from the HK and it took a little while... something close to a month but its way cheaper than paying $30.00 a battery at the LHS.. as far as i know there was no other fees other than shipping. i live in BC too so it might be a little faster shipping for you.

R3VoLuTiOn

iTrader: (29)

Hobby shops need to source agressively. There are a few that do a damn good job but from what I've been seeing, others aren't.

I still support all of the local ones, but they need to figure out why even the states is so much cheaper, never mind overseas.

SUNA

iTrader: (47)

Be careful what you write folks. Advising or admitting to mail fraud could open yourself to tax disputes. Last thing you want is tax issues. Plus if the parcel is lost your claim is only for declared value.

My advice is to claim the full amount and pay the extra few dollars in GST.

Steve S

iTrader: (5)

Nobody said anything about fraud. It's the seller's responsibility to declare the value of the shipment. The recipient doesn't "claim" anything.

R3VoLuTiOn

iTrader: (29)

Steve, I disagree as the drop down menu selection for value declaration is the buyers choice.

Steve S

iTrader: (5)

Funny, I've never seen a retailer that queried the customer for the customs declaration before now. Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure the legal responsibility is on the shipper, no matter what the buyer requests. The only negative consequence for the recipient is if the parcel is lost, as mentioned above.

valk

iTrader: (13)

Whats legal here is so far away from whats legal in china lol... When you bring a part into canada though, you are liable for the customs charges. Though it seems
Pretty arbitrary what they will charge sometimes.

Tax is a fact of
Life. So is shipping. Im
Much happier buying from
Amain as they will fir sure take care of me if something goes wrong. Some of tose overseas stores are very dodgy on this so you just hope things will work out. That the automation does what its supposed to correctly lol.

It is of
Course against paypal policy to ask for item value to be declare lower.

Rcmart and rcmarket seem pretty good if you use their ems for the hard to find stuff. Just buy enough stuff to make the shipping worth it.

Galeleo

iTrader: (3)

Suna and Valk you both have some rather valid points. I am the cautious type, and would prefer to have the shipper claim the proper amount of my shipment. I work hard for my money, and if my parcel gets lost, I would want the insurance to cover the costs of the lost items. I usually take the shipping insurance when it is offered.

I have ordered several times from HK, and I realize the risk in ordering with them. The return policy is non-existent, but the cheapness of the products they offer and the quality you get for the price, it is well worth the risk. I have purchase lots of batteries from them, and I still use all of them, none have puffed or lost capacity.

My worry with ordering from the US or HK is the duty fees. I do know some people that have ordered clothes and electronics from the states to be hit with significant duty fees, like 1/4 to 1/2 the cost of the items in duty alone. I have no problems paying the tax on items, but when the tax and duty almost doubles the price, then it makes it more difficult to buy the items. This is more of an insult when ordering from the US, when there is supposed to be free trade.

I understand that duty fees are meant to protect canadian industry and economy, but when CDN merchants are not providing the merchandise or services that you can get from ones in the US, I fail to see that hurting the canadian economy.