Amiami and Hot Toys

[bandito]

My theorys on amiami. I am not an expert.
1.) Yen exchange. Pre ordered items promised at a lower or higher exchange rate.
2.) Maybe they have a fight with hot toys replacement for international orders.
3.) japans new tax.

To be precise it's hypotheses....
1.) Does not matter, PO prices are in Yen. Amiami have always honour the PO prices, weather you buy in Japan or out of Japan, Amiami gets paid in Yen.
Amiami also has frequent habit of retaining PO price even when product come into stock.
2.) Being an official HT retailer, you should be claim parts directly from HT Hong Kong.... I've done so, but for other official retailers.
3.) By right international buyers are not subjected to tax... However buying Internationally or Domestically, you're paying the same price (minus the shipping), hence you're actually paying Japanese GST (tax %) even if you're not in Japan.

My educated guess (with 7 years Amiami experience) is SSC tremendous price hike has make purchasing HT from Amiami be competitively cheaper... hence the clamp-down...

 

[bandito]

Amiami has been one of the main online stores I've been using for toy purchases, but they have one of the harshest policies for damaged statues.

Not sure how they would handle requests for replacement HT parts. Sideshow is pretty brilliant with replacement/return requests. Well, they have been for me anyway.

I actually purchase a faulty TTM20 body from Amiami .... and repaired it myself... though I only paid USD30 or so, including shipping...

 

[Lawrence]

Did you decide yourself to do it yourself, or did Amiami give you no choice for a return/replacement?

 

[bandito]

Did you decide yourself to do it yourself, or did Amiami give you no choice for a return/replacement?

How about on purpose, knowingly buying a faulty product.....

 

[Lawrence]

Does it feel like some of the other asian online stores are not putting up new pre orders for HT figures now?

 

[Lejuan]

Does it feel like some of the other asian online stores are not putting up new pre orders for HT figures now?

I noticed angolz hasn't been up to date on releases too.

 

[Lawrence]

I noticed angolz hasn't been up to date on releases too.

Yeah, Angolz was one of the places I noticed it happening. Maybe HT is enforcing region specific sales all around.

 

[V8_Club]

I haven't checked HLJ recently but I haven't seen the Han and Chewie preorder in the latest newsletters that were sent out.

 

[LoNeNg]

I checked Han and Chewie on Japanese site of HLJ but could not find them there. I am not sure if they are not really listed as I used Google translate. I also checked Hobby Search and found out that they have emoved every Hot Toys listings in their English site. I am wondering if HLJ will remove theirs too.

I prefer to buy from HLJ not only because they offer small discounts on preorder but also because the shipping cost from Japan is lower than shipping cost from the US.

 

[Lawrence]

BiJ has put all their HT pre orders as 'Out Of Stock'. Last 1/6 figure offered seems to have been Batman (Arkham City).

 

[Lejuan]

I suppose it was inevitable. Bummer.

 

[potato]

well you guys can help protest by not purchasing any Hot Toys products.

 

[Lawrence]

All that would do is make me miss out on a bunch of wanted figures

 

[Lejuan]

I'd rather do something that effects real change...



...to my 1/6 Star Wars collection.

 

[LoNeNg]

I asked HLJ about this issue and here is their reply:

Unfortunately, we cannot carry the Hottoys new release figures anymore. They do not want their Japan release version to be sold to overseas. HotToys items which we have gathered pre-orders for will become available.

 

[koon]

BBTS having a big Hot Toys sale on stuff that ain't selling. Sideshow has a tonne available for coupons.
Things are going to get weirder...

 

[potato]

the plan will soon backfire if the biggest online shops stop selling HT to overseas markets. HT already starting to lose steam, doing so will just favor other companies.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

well you guys can help protest by not purchasing any Hot Toys products.

Good luck with that one