TOPIC:

Okay, Banzai Hobby is definitely on my (small) list of most favourite stores...
I've been ordering there quite a bit lately but this time their service was exceptional.

I was looking for some 3x35mm screws for my F103 and it turned out those are not easy to find.
But during my search I noticed that aftermarket brand Square (Japan) does make a titanium version.
So I sent a mail to Banzai if it would be possible to get this item in stock.
And within a week they've managed to make it available in their store!

Edou wrote:

With Jason I'm pretty sure he just doesn't want to be bothered with stock questions.

I have a comment to make about Jason, aka JR-RC, as he seems to have been mentioned a few times in this thread.

First, I should say that I am not an antagonistic eBay user by any means I now have almost 13 years of eBay history, and still have 100% positive feedback. I have bought hundreds of parts and many cars, and even sold many hundreds of parts, over the years. I believe I have the track record to prove I'm a genuine, friendly eBayer. I'd say I'm a very average, reasonable vintage RC collector, who has saved up and bought many, many things over the years...not as much as some people, but still a lot by any normal human standards

However, while Jason is a seller who always sends you what you buy, has reasonable postage costs, and posts promptly, he is also an arrogant fool who simply does not listen to his customers.

Up until a few years ago, I had spent maybe $5-6000 on items from him. But at one point I purchased an expensive NIB Kyosho Tomahawk. And when I received it, I found that the blister packs in the box were all loose at the items inside them were loose in the box. Now, this is a minor thing on one hand. But when you are a collector of vintage NIB kits, and you are paying about $1200 for a single model, and the auction does not mention anything about the blisters being detached inside, then it's not unreasonable to ask the seller about this.

So at the time, I wrote to Jason to ask him about this problem. I was not aggressive. I simply asked about the problem, and yes I expressed the fact that I was a bit dissatisfied. I wanted to discuss it. I did not demand a refund. But I had a feeling that if the broken blister packs had actually been declared in the auction, the price might have been a little lower. Also, perhaps the pack broke in transit? I didn't know, but I wanted to discuss it.

Jason simply did not reply. Soon after this though, he banned me from buying from his store. I have been banned ever since. He is the only eBay seller who has ever banned me. It's really quite hilarious, to tell you the truth!

Some of you may also know a collector called Retro-RC, aka Darryn? He has been a good friend over the years and he also knows Jason somewhat. He has even told me a bit of Jason's background - just how and when he came to be this huge seller of Tamiya parts, based in Japan (yet originally from Australia). Darryn was so blown away by Jason's reaction that at one point, Darryn contacted to Jason to ask him about me, and the reason for the ban. Jason never replied and simply ignored the request.

So as far as I am concerned, that is Jason. Even if he un-banned me tomorrow, I wouldn't buy anything from him ever again - and why bother? There was a time a few years ago when his eBay store was so extensive, that to collect vintage R/C items on eBay you almost always had to buy from Jason. That is no longer the case though, as other sellers and in particular private trades have really grown over the years (ie sales that do not even involve ebay).

So, buyer-beware when using Jason. And I am not the only person to have been banned by him. I've heard similar stories. But I can only describe my own experience.

eBay sellers have a responsibility to answer their customers. It's not OK to hide behind the excuse that you are selling a gazillion things at once and don't have time to answer anyone. He seems to think he is exempt from normal common courtesy. So as far as I am concerned, he no longer exists I hadn't even thought about this experience for several years, until I noticed him being mentioned in this thread.

Anyway, that's me sharing one particular experience
Fortunately the list of excellent experiences I have had over the years is FAR longer.

cheers,
H.

Wow and ouch. Thank you for sharing that story. In excellent syntax and layout if I may add.
Quite unbelievable how this could happen to a serious customer and eBayer like you...
Sounds like you were justified in enquiring about your purchase but the end result is just a bloody shame...

Thanks for sharing this experience Hibernaculum !
JR-RC is now out of my list

Mmm... wish we'd see more of Hibernaculum lately.

But that's not why I'm posting. I'd like to mention two shops.
First of all Asiatees .
Although I was sent the wrong item at first, instead of a doubting customer they have gained an even bigger fan.
They responded quickly to my mail and today I received a tracking number for a replacement item.
No fuzz whatsoever was made about sending back the first shipment!



Second shop worth mentioning is Phil's Hobby Shop (based in the US).
They have a very good assortment, prices and shipment are low and the packages seem to always travel really fast.
Stuff I ordered last Sunday has already arrived before the week is over.
A shop that also offers handy materials for custom building - and not to forget a range of hard steel Robinson pinions...

Thumbs up!

Yep it's a thumb up for Phil from me also
good experience with his shop

Cheers, Bram

Me too ordered at Phils a couple of times.

Reading the stories about JR lately, make me feel lucky that I am still allowed to order at his shop after complaining ones, he did ship me the correct item then though.

always had good experiences with berkshire99 dinball blacksmith stellamodels and jaz hobby from which the last item came in three days there is another one will post here when remember it

Better beware you're 100% sure of what you buy at Phil's Hobby Shop.
My first experiences there were good but now they're giving me the run around.
I ordered a tap handle that doesn't match the 2mm tap, even though it should.
Carbon tube I received is not up to the specs that are mentioned.
So my project is stalling and I have stuff I can't use for anything...

Suggestion was to send it back at my own expense which'll be a multiple of the item's worth so that's not an option.
Gonna think twice now before ordering anything there.
Aftersales blows bubbles.

Read on if you want to know why I striked that...

Oh my, I got a refund for the carbon tube.
I'll have to strike the bit about aftersales.

Tap handle turned out to be a faulty item with broken threads inside.
Not great if you have to fix a new item first, but the good news is that I managed to get it functional.
I had already considered it a loss so that's a nice turn around.
Reminds me buying cheap often means buying twice...