Shaun Walsh Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Looks like Hobbyking has closed the UK warehouse, There was a massive sale yesterday with huge reductions and now the UK warehouse option has gone from the website. Managed to grab a few items, best bargain was a dual channel lipo charger with £100 off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Manuel Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 (edited) This is from the Hobbyking chat line. Edited October 17, 2021 by Gary Manuel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 (edited) That wouldn’t surprise me tbh given what we know about HK at this point, but it is bizarre that they sprayed “we’re restocking our UK warehouse” all over FB the other day… Edited October 17, 2021 by MattyB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 I snagged some Durafly spares, on which there were very large reductions. It will be a shame if it's true that the UK warehouse is closing, the Durafly spares situation had got noticeably better over the past couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Walsh Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 CENTRAL, Hong Kong - Oct. 16, 2021 - PRLog -- HobbyKing® today announced that the UK warehouse closing sale has begun in the United Kingdom. The closure is HobbyKing's first step in implementing a planned eCommerce optimization strategy. As HobbyKing remains focused on driving sustainable growth, it intends to consolidate its supply chain while still delivering value to its customers.Throughout the warehouse closing sale, customers can take advantage of UK-exclusive discounts of up to 80% off original prices. All products in the UK warehouse are on sale. All purchases made during the closing sale will be final."Due to HobbyKing's recognition, we encourage hobbyists to shop early to take advantage of the best selection of RC products as we expect them to sell very quickly. We remain committed to providing hobbyists with engaging products while offering even better deals on the most popular RC products," said Anthony Hand, Director, and Founder at HobbyKing.For updated details regarding the acceptance of loyalty points, store credit, and returns relating to the UK warehouse, please contact HobbyKing's customer service (https://support.hobbyking.com/hc/en-us/requests/new). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 not wanting to be a prophet of doom.................. but another nail in the coffin of our dying hobby.. ken anderson...ne..1....deaths announcements dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Walsh Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 2 hours ago, ken anderson. said: not wanting to be a prophet of doom.................. but another nail in the coffin of our dying hobby.. ken anderson...ne..1....deaths announcements dept. From a glass half full perspective it may help local model shops survive longer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarlyBird Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 2 minutes ago, Shaun Walsh said: From a glass half full perspective it may help local model shops survive longer. The only thing I will miss is the covering film, obviously could give EU warehouse a try, while it's still there (more doom and gloom?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 4 hours ago, Shaun Walsh said: There was a massive sale yesterday with huge reductions and now the UK warehouse option has gone from the website. The closing sale has been suspended & orders are subject to a delay due to a Covid case at the warehouse. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 I’ve asked on the help line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Shaun Walsh said: From a glass half full perspective it may help local model shops survive longer. what local model shops...we had 4...now none... ken anderson...ne...1...no shops dept. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tosh McCaber Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Hmm, Having checked the web page, I see that HK still seem to have their UK site!!? https://hobbyking.com/en_us/?gclid=CjwKCAjwk6-LBhBZEiwAOUUDp3rx1mrXwq6KeojO3wc8djLziTB1by4-b9ox7gha41XQWIz8YAJ_RhoCGvcQAvD_BwE&___store=en_us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 No, they don't Tosh - from about 11 o'clock this morning you have only been able to order from EU or Global warehouses. They turned off the UK warehouse . some time after 6am, when I'd just ordered some bits at greatly reduced prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan h Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 2 hours ago, EarlyBird said: The only thing I will miss is the covering film, obviously could give EU warehouse a try, while it's still there (more doom and And me.. Some films were reduced down to £3.30 a roll yesterday aswell (5metres) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darran Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 The hobby king blog stated yesterday that the warehouse closing down sale had begun and it was streamlining its operation. Today the blog said it’s uk warehouse was currently closed, due to a COVID outbreak. Read into it what you will, but it looks like the UK warehouse is closing, if not closed already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 I believe HK have already shut warehouses in the US and Australia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Chaddock Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 I fear the closure of the UK warehouse has more to with the postal service than anything. Shipping charges from the EU warehouse tend to be no higher than from the UK warehouse. From a purely commercial point of view why have two warehouses when the cost to the customer is the same. Just one container ship to Rotterdam and that's Europe covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 I'm not surprised. Over the last couple of years I have noted that they had become less and less competitive on prices, particularly with regards to model aircraft. This is not specific to the U.K. warehouse. I would say that the H.K. bubble has burst. Also there are more and more Chinese companies dealing direct on the internet now compared with a few years ago. We are also becoming more savvy to the pricing hikes being used and no longer accept the advertised price as being what we end up paying. Although I do a lot of internet price trawling, I am finding that the LMS is giving good value, even if there is a few pence difference in price. The only problem being stock availability. Another thing I have noticed is that many of the LMS's are stocking lower priced alternatives than the known brand names. Despite the doom and gloom merchants, our hobby is still viable to the suppliers and in my opinion not as expensive as a lot of others. If you want a really cheap hobby, then get a stick, a piece of string and a bent pin. Dig up some worms and go sit at the side of the local communal lake ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ovenden Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Wonder whether the unsold uk warehouse stock will be dumped; flogged off via ebay; shipped off to the EU warehouse or sold on as a bargain job lot to an agent/broker/salvage yard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Why wouldn't thety just take the remaining stock to the EU warehouse? By some accounts the stock situation at the EU warehouse has been very poor for the past several months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel R Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 Mixed feeling about HK shutting their UK warehouse. As Simon notes, EU warehouse postage was looking similar anyway. As an aside, I have been finding UK shops offering similar value on most parts for some time anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 8 hours ago, leccyflyer said: Why wouldn't thety just take the remaining stock to the EU warehouse? By some accounts the stock situation at the EU warehouse has been very poor for the past several months. Customs barriers, not worth the effort. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 So that just leaves the EU and HK warehouses. With the new EU/UK regulations on VAT on sales into the UK/EU from overseas it maybe that the future of the EU warehouse is also uncertain, especially when you consider the big increases it the costs of container shipping. The whole purpose of the overseas warehouses was to circumvent VAT payments and by "drop" shipping via a local warehouse they could manage the tax more efficiently without any risk to their customers. Now they can just register for UK/EU tax in HK and ship direct from there, yes the customers will pay the VAT, so that will be reflected in the prices, but there will be no additional overheads with container shipping and running overseas warehouses. My last order from the UK warehouse included VAT, so maybe that was part of the decision as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 The thing is that- just like orders from Motion RC EU - you will get hit with duty, which is understood, plus a variable extra handling charge, which can be £10-15 on top of that. No problem paying the VAT, or even the duty, but that handling charge on top of the shipping charges starts to make small orders -such as for spare parts -untenable. Now invariably there will be calls to support your local model shop instead, but the average local model shop (if such a thing even exists) certainly doesn't carry the spares for a lot of those models which were popular through Hobbyking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 I now get my large wooden props from Ali Express. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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