Ordering Hot Toys in Canada?

[kazar123]

So I ordered my first Hot Toy a bit ago, the 1/4 scale Boba Fett. I ordered it from Sideshow Toys and with the shipping, duties, import fees and exchange rate I payed a ton for it.

I'm a bit lost on where I should be buying from.

Also these figures seem to get sold out super fast? I'm scared that if I don't buy em now they are just going to disappear. I found a Han + Chewbacca set for $700 canadian. Will I ever see that set again? Apparently Kylo Ren was already on sale and sideshow is saying January-Feb?

I'm just so lost on how to get these things without screwing myself over.

 

[StarTrekFan]

Try Toy Square, they are very good and Eric and Carmen are, in my opinion, the best
www.toys2.net

 

[SammyG]

Where are you located? Toy Traders in Langley BC has probably the largest selection of Hot Toys and Premium Formats that I've ever seen... the only problem is that they do not ship.

 

[Lee in MI]

Toy Square. Used to be my go to for years before SSCs became the NA distributor.

 

[Sardo Numspa]

If you're in the general Toronto area, I agree Toy Square is excellent. Also, Imagination Hobby in Montreal is decent (and last I spoke with them, they had a Han/Chewie set for sale, new, unopened). You still have to pay tax at both Toy Square and Imagination, but at least there is no DUTY, and the shipping costs are pretty reasonable.
Toy Square, Eric, gets his Hot Toys pretty early too. I've gotten figures from him in-hand, before many on this forum in the US received theirs from Sideshow.

 

[roguebaron]

If ordering direct, make sure you set up an account with fed ex and give it to SC, it will save you the handling fees, it's not a lot, but it helps.

 

[kazar123]

toys square does seem pretty good.

What about the question pertaining to the availability of figures? If I'm not grabbing them as they come up are they lost forever to me?

 

[BadMuthaDude]

I haven't tried them yet but Urban Samurai has their prices listed in CAD so you know exactly how much you are paying: Canada's Leader in 1/6 Figures and Parts

I'm honestly out of the collecting business until our dollar improves. It's brutal right now.

 

[mah45]

Also try toysonfire.ca or toysonfire.com in Ontario or Quebec. They are where i have been pre ordering my hot toys figures from. I also pre order for Toys Square and eric is awesome to deal with.

 

[kazar123]

I haven't tried them yet but Urban Samurai has their prices listed in CAD so you know exactly how much you are paying: Canada's Leader in 1/6 Figures and Parts

I'm honestly out of the collecting business until our dollar improves. It's brutal right now.

Yeah it is. I'm worried that I will miss out of these figures if I don't buy them now though? Like if I don't pre-order Kylo Ren now will they just all get sold out?

 

[Invictus Sol]

Haven't bought from them, yet, but Toytards in BC looks good. Prices are in US or CAD and are way better from what I've seen than just straight exchange. They also have rewards points. Only downside is they do sell out fast and you have to pay for the figure upfront when pre-ordering.

And yep, regardless where you go, you will need to order fast. It's very rare that a popular release is still available once SSC ships to their clients.

 

[JEDI JF]

Yes it is quite brutal right now and I don't expect this to change in the near future with the current dollar value.

 

[Bo Shrek]

I just picked up Sandtrooper from Toy Traders yesterday...$315CAN + tax = $353.
This was my first purchase from Toy Traders.

 

[maru81]

Yup our dollar sucks right now.

I do local pick up from Toy Square or order from Toytards.

Tried Popcultcha, and did not get hit with any fees☺ saved more then 100 bucks CAD on MK43 figure.

I dont think Kylo will be sold out right after release, most figures don't nowdays.

 

[Sidewinder]

toys square does seem pretty good.

What about the question pertaining to the availability of figures? If I'm not grabbing them as they come up are they lost forever to me?

Your local suppliers will buy less of the product than SSC has, so it's more likely that figures will sell out in pre order stage than once it's released.

Toy square is a very small store, so I don't know if they have a larger warehouse elsewhere, but their store in Markham is small with a lot packed in it.
If you found Han and Chewie at $700, I'd get it because it's pretty much sold out now and prices are going up quickly. It was $480 at SSC and including shipping would have been around US$520 anyway, so when you add in exchange rates and fees, $700 is pretty much retail cost still.

 

[Sardo Numspa]

toys square does seem pretty good.

What about the question pertaining to the availability of figures? If I'm not grabbing them as they come up are they lost forever to me?

When it comes to availability, it's a crapshoot. Most of the stores/individuals I've dealt with will order pre-orders for customers that want them, and then order a few extra for walk-ins or people that wait for in-hand reviews to decide to purchase. But it's hard to say which figures sell out quick and which don't. You can always try Kijiji as well. I've bought several figures from Kijiji and never had a problem. It allows you to examine the figure before buying, and if you're buying from another collector, you can feel relatively confident in the purchase. Sometimes the price is great, because they are forced to sell due to some other situation. But I've picked up a couple of sold-out figures from Kijiji at near launch pricing.

 

[dopeybenny]

toys2 is one of the easiest to deal with in Canada - purchased my first ever Hot Toys from them years ago and still buy from them if I don't get them locally. You can pre-order with them, and they have always dealt directly with Hot Toys so they sometimes will receive theirs before Sideshow receives and ships theirs. They also generally get all the Toy Fair exclusives.