Tomtom39 Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Should have added that I only buy (or rather did ) from the UK warehouse site. However if you have a problem, you still have to go through their customer services. If lucky you might even get to correspond with someone on "live chat" and then get dumped halfway through having your queries answered. Emails to them seem to disappear into the ether and they are incapable of dealing with more than one issue at a time! HK are on the very bottom of my list of suppliers.What a shame as they can at times have some very tempting products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daithi O Buitigh Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 The vaklue where VAT kicks in is £15 for the contents - however there's a snag. Once they decide VAT is due, then VAT is applied to both the contents AND the postage so, for an ityem costing £20 and a delivery charge of £10, you end up paying VAT on £30. After that, the Parcel Farce rip-off begins: they have two rates, one for 'normal' deliveries and a second if you asked for the item to be shipped 'Express' (having it sent Express doesn't really get it to you much faster but you end up having to pay more than double to PF for doing exactly the same thing for a 'non-express' parcel) Local Hobby shop? I would support them IF we actually had one. There is one in Belfast that (a) moved from a central location to a site that is so far out of the reach of public transport as to be virtually inaccessible for me and (b) never really had anything in stock (no carbon rods, wire, ply or any of the normal stuff we use (on one occasion I asked about balsa and was told "There's a sheet of 1/4" there" - that was their entire stock.. There is, I'll admit a hobby shop in Bangor (the Co Down one - not the Welsh one) but that requires a bus and a train trip to get there and the same back HK's Live Chat does work if you keep it simple and straightforward (have all the relevant details to hand and give them - too many start a tirade and the CS guy just goes into shutdown mode). Be prepared for a wait (while a stream of people who want to know why Malay Post or whoever didn't deliver their parcel the day before yesterday - after all, they ordered it all of a week ago) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David... Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 When you place a HK order have you noticed that they value the goods correctly (?) at their trade price not the retail, it makes a big difference to VAT thresholds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D for Donald Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Daithi - there are plenty of hobbyshops that do mail order this side of the Irish Sea you could order from and a lot nearer and quicker than Hong Kong and without the tax issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daithi O Buitigh Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 I'm, well aware of the mail order shops, just as I'm aware of the 're-sellers' on ebay but I prefer to buy my toys at the lowest possible price. So what if it takes over a month to arrive? AsI said, I've tried supporting my LHS - but it was never reciprocated (unless I wanted Airefix or trains) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Posted by David... on 13/04/2014 18:49:42: When you place a HK order have you noticed that they value the goods correctly (?) at their trade price not the retail, it makes a big difference to VAT thresholds... Not in my experience, David. The full retail price is listed: I believe one can choose to have a percentage of the value quoted on the customs invoice but we wouldn't do that, would we... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daithi O Buitigh Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 That's correct Pete - they also state the full value to be the 'list' price and that doesn't include any discount earned by the 'buddy code' or 'cash back' By trhe way - don't get me wrong: I have no objections to paying VAT (well no more than most people) but I do object to the two tier system used by Parcel Farce. Why should they charge over double the price for an 'express' item when the postage surcharge has already BEEN paid. Apart from that, my one instance of ordering something 'express' took four DAYS to arrive after paying the rip off fee (for what they claimed was 'express 24' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D for Donald Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Daithi, maybe the low price competition from HK is the reason you have no hobby shops near you? I hope it doesn't go the same way here - but it's entirely up to us. When we pay tax and courier charges and wait for months for the stuff, the price is perhaps not so attractive after all. Your local shop will only stock stuff if there's a big enough a market for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daithi O Buitigh Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Maybe - but that's how it was from way before I even heard of HK. When the shop changed ownership (Wilbur was a well-known local RC flier), model aircraft supplies took a very poor second place to trains and plastic kits When I do a price comparison, I factior in VAT and delivery costs (as for free shipping, I still have the idea that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch - the cost is there, just not visible). Again, regarding the time taken to deliver - they're toys when all's said and done so what if it does take a month or more to arrive - it's not as if I really HAVE to have them in my hands right away. In that there's no difference between waiting for a delivery from Hong Kong and waiting for the local not-so-much hobby shop to get round to ordering them and selling them to me (for a mark-up of course) Edited By Daithi O Buitigh on 13/04/2014 22:48:26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D for Donald Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 There are instances of that here - and I suppose it depends on the interests of the proprietor. Luckily there are still a good number of suppliers here but I'm told a lot are struggling because of the likes of HK are killing it. Once they are gone they are likely to stay gone and that would be a great shame. Unlike local shops you wont get good practical advice and a place to take faulty stuff back from HK customer services!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codename-John Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Posted by D for Donald on 13/04/2014 22:53:10: Luckily there are still a good number of suppliers here but I'm told a lot are struggling because of the likes of HK are killing it. Its called global capitalism, you either adapt your business to be competitive in new environments or you fail. Its not the fault of the emerging business that their business model is successful, if its what people want, it will prosper, if it isn't then it wont. By just laying the blame at someone else`s door and not trying to do anything about it makes it their own fault, The world is changing every day and you have to make yourself competitive not just rely on regular customers propping you up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Posted by D for Donald on 13/04/2014 22:26:10: Your local shop will only stock stuff if there's a big enough a market for it. I think that's the crux of the problem, D. The walk-in customer base for so many current and former model shops just isn't big enough for them to make a living, let alone stock items which may be sold once in a blue moon. There probably aren't the number of aeromodellers in any one area to sustain the model shop as we remember it - which is why many all-too-often have had to diversify into other branches of modelling and toys etc. I think the majority that have survived and thrived (there are exceptions) have had to embrace the Internet for sales. They are making it work because they've been able to adapt to the changing economic and business environment and, whilst doing so, maintain a high level of customer service. That comes at a price, of course, and contributes to the price differential between them and the international retailers. The customer is then presented with the choice - confidence in the level of service and the premium that attracts - or take a chance and get more bang for your buck.... Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daithi O Buitigh Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 To be honest, a 'model shop' that doesn't carry wire, ply, dope (all the 'traditional' stuff) and only has one sheet of 1/4" balsa and a very limited selection of glues isn't going to get much support from me. Oh, and asking for a JR plug produced "Sorry - the other guy took them all home to try something" That sort of system doesn't deserve support Yes, I would like to support a local shop - but trying to find one that actually has any aeromodelling stock is almost impossible. I could use the Bangor shop - but the overall cost (including bus and train fares) works out more than having the stuff shipped from Hong Kong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D for Donald Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I have bought stuff (not modelling stuff admittedly) by mail order from Northern Ireland on a number of occasions and never had a problem. I would guess it's the same the other way round. Global capitalism is fine and yes local traders have to adapt to meet it, but once the UK trade has been killed, they are likely gone forever. The government used to impose what was called import duty and tariffs to combat unfair competition. It's a matter of personal choice where you buy your stuff from, but having tried HK, I'm going to stick with local suppliers whenever possible until there is no alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian lawrence 1 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I have now placed over 90 orders with Hobbyking and have only had an issue with I believe a couple of items. There was no problem contacting customer services, or in getting the matter resolved. In fact I would say personally that in my experience the customer service given by them was excellent. Whilst there are some very good model shops in the UK that give excellent service, some do not. I can recall ordering sever items from one store, only to find 1 item had been incorrectly supplied. Upon contacting them I was informed that as the individual item was below their minimum order amount they could not send out the correct item to me, even though I was going to pay postage to return the incorrect one to them. I have also known local shops refuse to exchange items such as esc's and receivers that did not work upon first use. Saying it's not their problem, return the items to the manufacturer. Only when threatened with the small claims court did they back down and exchange the items. Although one particular shop did offer to exchange if I also bought something else!! Needless to say, I did not make further purchases from these people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spice Cat Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Paid for an order on in stock items items on the 7th of April. Still not dispatched. Request sent into support center. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D for Donald Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Posted by Spice Cat on 14/04/2014 12:25:52: Paid for an order on in stock items items on the 7th of April. Still not dispatched. Request sent into support Better to go on Live Chat - much quicker.....and demand compensation for the delay. It worked for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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