Cheap Takom on eBay (concerns)

[Kingsman]

Some of you, like me, may have noticed someone on eBay offering Takom FV432, King Tigers and Maus for under £13 each with free surface shipping (delivery June!).  They seem to be attracting a lot of views and watchers, unsurprisingly.

 

I tried to buy a couple of 432's but payment would not be accepted.  Worrying.

 

Trying to get to the bottom of this and being concerned that there was something wrong with my accounts, eBay told me that the seller has used different email addresses for his eBay and PayPal accounts - which will cause payments not to be accepted.  More worryingly, PayPal told me that the seller is currently unable to receive PayPal payments at all - the only method he accepts - but wouldn't tell me why (understandably).  Originally the listings indicated that some of the items had previously been sold, but that notation has now disappeared: they now just say "n available".  Which is odd.

 

I looked up his eBay feedback, and it is overwhelmingly good: something like 120 good vs 2 bad.  The bad ones accused him of selling counterfeits (beauty products?).  Takom, or indeed any other plastic kits, would be difficult to counterfeit - and would be a very strange thing to counterfeit anyway.

 

So, assuming the payment issue is resolved, do I buy or do I not?  

 

At that price I'd be prepared to risk it - perhaps foolishly.  If they never arrive, not forgetting the long delivery forecast, eBay or PayPal will sort it out.  Be warned, however, that parcels from China are very likely to be rummaged in Customs because of the vast quantities of counterfeit, unsafe and illegal goods currently coming through from there.  So it's highly likely you'll get stung for import VAT and the Post Office processing fee, which will almost double the price of these kits.  Of course the same risk is there if you buy from more established Chinese and Far East sellers too, except that the proportional cost will be less at normal retail prices as the fee is fixed regardless of the VAT value.  20% + £8 is about typical for Royal Mail: my last hit on a Parcelforce parcel was a £13 fee on top of the VAT.

 

You do get odd random genuine kit bargains from China.  A while back someone was offering the MiniArt T-54-1 and Amusing Hobby FV215B for about £15 each: random product choices!  I got a MiniArt AEC MkIII from Korea for about £12 a couple of years back. Whether these Takom listings are bargains remains to be seen.  I've explained my concerns.

[Kingsman]

I've just checked back and all this seller's listings have now been removed

[Chimpion]

Just one comment - 120 good and 2 bad isn't "overwhelmingly good" feedback on eBay. Plenty of sellers have 100%. I don't worry if it's 99.8%, but if it gets below 99% it's not a good sign. Always check the reviews in that case (as you did).

 

[Gorby]

There have been other discussions on here about this same issue. The general consensus is that it's a rip-off. Someone mentioned that a cuddly toy turned up rather than a kit. I should imagine that if you intend to commit fraud, getting 120 instances of positive feedback is quite easy with a load fraudulent accounts + friends, family etc.

If you are happy to loose some money then try it, as you say there are some legitimate bargains to be had, but this one smells too fishy to me.

[colin]

Do a search on BM, looks like the same person who was selling Takom V2 kits and others at rediculous prices and was removed by ebay, has started up again.

[Panzer Vor!!!]

IF IT LOOKS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE THEN IT PROBABLY IS  !!!!!

[Kingsman]

Oh I entirely agree, Herr Panzer.  I spent most of my working life as a buyer.  Caveat Emptor.

 

But with the ever-increasing price of these things we just want it to be true, don't we?  The posting was more of an FYI and warning for anyone else of a similarly wishful thinking mind who might also have seen them and wished or tried to buy.  Yes, I might have risked £26 for a pair of 432s. In fact I would have done if the payment had been processed.  But no more.  My risk.

 

Yes, the fella had the V2s too and a couple of aircraft.

[ivan-o]

I don't know if this the same bloke but someone was selling  DETAILS of the FV 432 for  £12 odd so beware ! As said it could be to good to be true.

[Panzer Vor!!!]

I,m all-ways  wary if it costs more to post the item then the asking price

[Bullbasket]

1 hour ago, Panzer Vor!!! said:

I,m all-ways  wary if it costs more to post the item then the asking price

 

Slightly different scenario, but I recently tried to order a Sherman sprue from Asuka. Previously I'd ordered two sprues from them, at a cost of 700 yen. They charged me just under 500 yen P&P which was very reasonable. This time, the cost was 400 yen for the sprue, but the P&P was 2200 yen!! In other words, they wanted in excess of £15 P&P for an item which cost £2.79. Needless to say, I declined.

Incidentally, anyone wanting to order direct from Asuka, beware. They are very hit and miss. And they are absolute bu**ers for not answering emails.

 

John.

[Kingsman]

I saw a thread the other day which mentioned an intermediary supplier who sold Asuka sprues too.  In the US, I think - maybe the US importer.  Damned if I can remember where I saw it though.  If I come across it again I'll let you know.  Murpy's law says Customs would have rummaged your parcel and stung you for 56p VAT, to which Royal Mail would have added their £££ fee.

 

I have noticed that P&P from foreign shores often doesn't go up, or go up much, for adding more items.  But if you only wanted the one Asuka sprue ........  There must be a baseline charge and then a gap to the next size/weight band.  I tend to try to get as much as I can in one place in order to reduce the P&P effect per item, and to save up a list of items I want rather than buying individually. I saved about £80 in multiple shipping fees on a big bunch of Legend stuff by buying direct. Legend don't have an online shop but will sell direct for larger orders if you ask them: I wanted nearly £400 worth.

 

Being a saddo, if I'm on a virtual shopping trip I make up a spreadsheet of who's got what I want at what price and work out the shipping per item from each.  If the price difference between EU and non-EU is less than 10% I'll always go EU because of the import fee risk.  Over 20% is worth the risk, 10-20 is a matter of judgement.  Where prices are similar - Der Sockelshop and Modellbau Koenig in Germany often have many items at the same prices but don't usually have the same stock - it can sometimes work to your advantage to "balance" 2 or more orders.

 

Another little trick with overseas non-Eurozone countries is to look at the comparative price in local currency.  I saved about 10% on each of 3 orders a while back just by paying in Zloty, Grivna and Swiss Francs rather than € or $.  Yes your card company will sting you £3 or £4 in fees for each but it can be worth it.  These aren't currencies that PayPal supports for UK clients.

[redcap]

Probably same bloke given it was China who was flogging the new Bobcat 1/48 Yak 28 at £14.99 delivered. I then received an eBay message 2 weeks after I took the bait as it was a bogus seller and got my money refunded. The seller was sending fluffy toys worth a few pence rather than kits.

 

AVOID like the plague as the factory can't even make them at that price; much less a seller make a profit too.

 

Gary

[frankie]

On ‎30‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 21:24, redcap said:

Probably same bloke given it was China who was flogging the new Bobcat 1/48 Yak 28 at £14.99 delivered. I then received an eBay message 2 weeks after I took the bait as it was a bogus seller and got my money refunded. The seller was sending fluffy toys worth a few pence rather than kits.

 

AVOID like the plague as the factory can't even make them at that price; much less a seller make a profit too.

 

Gary

Happened to me also( conqueror tank-amusing hobby :free shipping-14,99£)

it was a rip-off,  got my money back(via pay-pal).

one word: AVOID!!!!

[Duncan B]

There is no way he could be selling the Takom FV432 or any other recent releases at that price and be making any money, the trade price is way higher than that!

Clear and simple, as Panzer Vor says, if it's too good to be true then beware.

 

Duncan B