TOPIC:

Hi,

Doing a rebuild or a custom job will usually make you do a lot of research first.
Especially for vintage parts this can be a tough job.

In this topic I would like to share the experience with the sellers I've done business with for my builds.
For vintage parts as well as rerelease and aftermarket.
Most sellers have a page on eBay but offer the possibility for storefront purchase as well.
That is why they can be found under different names.

I will make a list where the sellers will be mentioned in order of how favourite they are with me.
Might say a Top # review - don't know exactly how many I will mention yet.

Criteria for this selection are :

* Communication - this weighs quite strong in my personal opinion
* Item price, availability and rareness in general
* Shipment cost
* Shipping time
* And for aftermarket parts also quality since that's obvious for Tamiya

Hoping others will also share their experience - whether it be good or bad.

Seller #1

This will be Lightwatermodels or Victor101s RC Car Shop on eBay.

stores.ebay.nl/...hop?_rdc=1

Located in the United Kingdom.

The number one spot is for this seller for several reasons.
First of all it - since this is Tamiyabase - there can often be found vintage parts here at very good prices.
Shipment cost is low and shipping itself is always done quickly.

Most of all this seller (his name is Gary) communicates better than any other store.
You will always get an answer and great service is offered accordingly.
When finding several items in the store, a discount for combined shipping will be possible if you wait for the invoice.
In case of a storefront purchase (without eBay) even a nice discount on the parts can sometimes be obtained.
For this approach contact can be made through this e-mail :

Sales@lightwatermodels.com

One hundred procent trustworthy and a real eBay asset! Numero uno on my list.

Seller #2

Next seller is Jason's Store or jr-rc on eBay.

Located in Japan.

This seller has a nice selection of parts among which even some vintage aftermarket.
Prices are good and shipping itself is always done very fast.
Initial shipping cost are a bit higher but still very reasonable.
Recommended is to wait for the invoice when combined shipping is applied - this will usually come out a bit cheaper.
Communication can be a bit harder with this store.

But a very respectable second place since there is much to say for purchasing something at this store.

To be continued - many more stores to come among which some very good sellers!

Hi Edou, i only know Gary (victor101) and i had a very good transaction with him :
I bought him a pack of four wheels and tires. He send me the pack but 6 weeks later, i still haven't receive it ! I send him a mail, and he send me another pack !
Two days later, i receveid the 2 packs at the same time ! New mail to Gary and he said i can keep the 2 packs !
So i send him back one ....
highly recommended !

Thanks for sharing that info!
I think the initial delay was caused solely by the postal service...

Aftersales are indeed great - I have ordered quite a few parts at his store.
One of the shipments got mixed up and I received some vintage Striker parts instead of the intended items.
After I sent a mail about this, I received the parts I had ordered a few days later.
I could even keep the other parts free of charge and send them to another fan that actually had a Tamiya Striker!

Wish all the sellers provided such good service to their customers!

I'll second both Victor101 and JR-RC as good vintage Tamiya sellers.

I can add to the "recommended sellers list":

Tamiya-RC :
He is not on top when it comes to communication, but has good items, reasonable prices and deliver well packed, quickly. His prices are usually at JR-RC levels on comparable products. They seem to be monitoring one another :-D

Tony's Tamiya Parts:
His shop is back up again after a large quantity of his stock got damaged/lost in a fire about a year ago. He delivers top service and has a great diversity of parts for vintage Tamiya RC models.

-Lars

Tamiya-RC does indeed have some very nice parts of which the price itself is good.
This store has a higher basic shipment cost though which is less interesting for smaller orders.
Combined shipping is possible - as indicated on the site.

Tony's Tamiya Parts I have come across often - haven't ordered anything yet but the store looks very promising.

Anybody have any experience with Vintage-TamiyaParts?
They sell on eBay regularly but on their website you can 'add to cart' lots of items of which I'm sure they are not in stock.

www.vintage-tam...s.com/CMS/

And I'd like to say again :

It's recommended to wait for the invoice from jr-rc because this will give (much) less shipment cost when combining items!

I'll vouch for the previous sellers.
Just don't try and contact Jason, he'll never reply!

I do need a piece of advice though.

I ordered some parts from a seller, and waited for an invoice for total + combined shipping.
Usually I get one the next day, without asking.
However, two days later I get asked for payment, so requested an invoice.
No reply.
Sent an email - still no reply.

Going on five days since I made the purchases, what are my options?
I want the parts, but I don't want to pay shipping costs for each item.

I would like to add another seller :

HOBBY-JAPAN

Quick shipping
Very good communication
Low prices
Lot of items...

David

Falcon#5 wrote:

Usually I get one the next day, without asking.

Did you order at this particular seller before and did he automatically send an invoice the next day too?

Edou wrote:

Falcon#5 wrote:

Usually I get one the next day, without asking.

Did you order at this particular seller before and did he automatically send an invoice the next day too?

This is my first purchase from this particular seller.
Every other seller I have bought from has sent invoices.

After several requests for an invoice, still nothing.

If there is another store that sells the parts, I'd try to cancel the order and get the parts elsewhere.
Some sellers like to play around with higher shipment cost and lower prices because (I think) this might be to their advantage with the fee they have to pay eBay.

Did this seller mention any combined shipping in his ad?
Btw - best to send your requests as an eBay message and not use your regular e-mail...