S.H. Figuarts Star Wars

[Big Deano]

Nippon Yasan may be a bit more expensive, but if you ask they mark the item as a gift and low value. I have yet to be charged by customs with them.

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[Smudger9]

Nippon Yasan may be a bit more expensive, but if you ask they mark the item as a gift and low value. I have yet to be charged by customs with them.

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Good to know. I might change tact. I'm getting hit on all my Ami2 stuff now, even the snail mail items.

 

[RegJr]

Well, a while back I made a post saying I was going to try to use DHL as a means of shipping from amiami rather than EMS (parcel force) to the UK.

I've just received my first package from amiami using DHL and I can't recommend DHL enough. They text you with information every step of the shipment, you get an estimated delivery day and time, and the delivery is speedy. I paid £24 customs charges through them. Roughly the same as parcel force. They text you days in advance of receiving your package with the amount of customs charges and a link to pay it. This means no delay in getting your new stuff.

Now comparing DHL to parcel force is like night and day. Parcel force really are awful in comparison (not that I didn't already know that). With parcel force you get no communication, and when it comes to paying customs charges, you get no indication until you receive a letter, yes a letter through the post. Which adds days onto your waiting time. Unless you have your wits about you to ring them up and pay it.

You pay customs charges of roughly the same amount for both DHL and parcel force but in terms of service DHL is miles ahead. And I will use them from now on. I've changed all pre orders at amiami to DHL.

A question (and this will show my ignorance of international shipping practices): why do our fellow collectors in the U.K. pay a hefty customs fee (e.g., £24), but a U.S. collector, like myself, will pay for the item, plus shipping, and it will come right to my doorstep, no extra fee required?

 

[gambot]

RegJr: Taxes/customs. In sweden we got high taxes but we also get free healthcare, high school and so on.

 

[RegJr]

RegJr: Taxes/customs. In sweden we got high taxes but we also get free healthcare, high school and so on.

Okay, so you are funding your free healthcare (and free college, etc.) through customs (amongst other things, of course).

Oh, and we have free high school here in the United States - it's paid for through local property taxes (I paid $2,415 in property taxes this year for the local public school/community college system).

Anyway, I am still waiting for my SHF Luke, which shipped from MyKombini on 7/24. I chose SAL to keep the shipping cost down, and I am expecting it to arrive any day now.

 

[Rogerbee]

Lol great: This seller is currently away until Aug 15, 2016. If you make a purchase, there may be a delay in processing your order.

Oh, sorry about that! My bad for not checking!

 

[Rogerbee]

A question (and this will show my ignorance of international shipping practices): why do our fellow collectors in the U.K. pay a hefty customs fee (e.g., £24), but a U.S. collector, like myself, will pay for the item, plus shipping, and it will come right to my doorstep, no extra fee required?

In the UK we have the NHS, have to pay for college and we have import duty and VAT. This is why some UK retailers look to charge way over the odds for stuff because they've already factored that into the price.

As others mention, it depends on what the retailer/seller puts on the declaration form as to how UK customs interprets that. MyKombini, when sending a Figuarts, put 'PVC Figure (no battery)' and prices in Yen and they go through no problem. Others put exactly what the figure is and the prices in $ and these get hit every time.

 

[TonTon]

A question (and this will show my ignorance of international shipping practices): why do our fellow collectors in the U.K. pay a hefty customs fee (e.g., £24), but a U.S. collector, like myself, will pay for the item, plus shipping, and it will come right to my doorstep, no extra fee required?

In the states I've gotten hit with customs taxes buying a guitar from Japan when it was shipped via DHL. So in that regard I would maybe recommend avoiding DHL in the US if possible. There might be a certain $ threshold as the guitar was $600, a bit more than the typical figure purchase. I typically just get EMS or regular mail from places like Australia whenever it's available as I've never had any issues, don't have any figure buying experience from Japan unfortunately.

 

[Rogerbee]

Yeah, there are thresholds above which you will get hit, which is why some record lower values on things. Again I suspect it would have been down to what was on the form as to why I didn't get hit when I got Maul via them.

 

[gambot]

So Luke Farmboy and Phasma to start with ? (I got Kylo already) or should i wait with Phasma and pick someone else?

 

[Rogerbee]

If you want one that is to scale for Gwendolyne Christie, I think the Mafex Phasma would be the one to go for. They tend to get things just right for taller characters.

 

[RegJr]

So Luke Farmboy and Phasma to start with ? (I got Kylo already) or should i wait with Phasma and pick someone else?

To date, my favorites in the line have been Obi-Wan Kenobi (TPM) and Mace Windu - the sculpting on these two are just astounding. Granted, I don't have Luke Skywalker (ANH) yet, so I can't compare the entire line.

And the sculpting on the Scout Trooper is also phenomenal, but that is a fairly pricey set. (By the way, has anyone had any success getting the Scout Trooper to actually sit on the speeder? I was never able to get him to grip the handlebars and place his feet on the accelerators at the same time.)

Really, I have yet to be disappointed by any of the offerings (except for Darth Vader). If it were me, I'd just start working through the collection, acquiring the pieces I was most interested in first, and then filling in with the other stuff later.

 

[Rogerbee]

I'd go on YouTube and look for reviews. Big Deano has done some and I recommend Fwoosh as well.

 

[gambot]

To date, my favorites in the line have been Obi-Wan Kenobi (TPM) and Mace Windu - the sculpting on these two are just astounding. Granted, I don't have Luke Skywalker (ANH) yet, so I can't compare the entire line.

And the sculpting on the Scout Trooper is also phenomenal, but that is a fairly pricey set. (By the way, has anyone had any success getting the Scout Trooper to actually sit on the speeder? I was never able to get him to grip the handlebars and place his feet on the accelerators at the same time.)

Really, I have yet to be disappointed by any of the offerings (except for Darth Vader). If it were me, I'd just start working through the collection, acquiring the pieces I was most interested in first, and then filling in with the other stuff later.

Thing is that i'm a bit afraid that some of them can get expensive. I love the black Jedi Luke but its way to expensive. Will other figures follow this price or do they reissue them from time to time?

 

[Rogerbee]

The rest seem pretty stable, Mace seems to be holding his price so I'd get him while he is.

 

[RegJr]

Thing is that i'm a bit afraid that some of them can get expensive. I love the black Jedi Luke but its way to expensive. Will other figures follow this price or do they reissue them from time to time?

If I am not mistaken, Jedi Luke was re-issued a second time, and Darth Vader is now being released for the third time. If you are patient, that Luke may come out again. But it's a crapshoot as to when and if. Also, keep an eye on eBay: he's trending from $50 - $75 there.

 

[gambot]

If I am not mistaken, Jedi Luke was re-issued a second time, and Darth Vader is now being released for the third time. If you are patient, that Luke may come out again. But it's a crapshoot as to when and if. Also, keep an eye on eBay: he's trending from $50 - $75 there.

I did pull the trigger on farm Luke and Mace. If i can get a black Luke for 50 i get him.

 

[Rogerbee]

I paid $72.69 for mine, he was a second run from MyKombini and I never saw him any cheaper.

 

[dukefett]

In the states I've gotten hit with customs taxes buying a guitar from Japan when it was shipped via DHL. So in that regard I would maybe recommend avoiding DHL in the US if possible. There might be a certain $ threshold as the guitar was $600, a bit more than the typical figure purchase. I typically just get EMS or regular mail from places like Australia whenever it's available as I've never had any issues, don't have any figure buying experience from Japan unfortunately.

I've gotten $800+ shipments and have paid zero customs in the US. The limit is like 200,000JPY for toys. An instrument might be in a different category or something with a lower thresholds.

 

[TonTon]

I've gotten $800+ shipments and have paid zero customs in the US. The limit is like 200,000JPY for toys. An instrument might be in a different category or something with a lower thresholds.

Through DHL? If that's the case then the different category part seems definitely possible.