1/6 What is cheaper in general for hot toys figures?

[Aagion]

1. Pre-order from sideshowtoy.com
2. Pre-order from reseller on ebay..
3. Buy in stock from sideshowtoy.com.
4. Buy after it's in stock from a reseller on ebay.

I live in Sweden by the way so I generally pay a lot for shipping.

Which option is the cheapest in general? Thanks.

 

[medicomsucks]

Do you have friends in the US who you trust? I would say the cheapest option would be to get a few figures at a time from bigbadtoystore, have them all shipped to a US address for $4, then have them sent together internationally as gifts.

 

[Motuxmen]

Never preorder from eBay. They only cover you for a couple months after payment and it’s generally a lot longer till these ship from hot toys.

 

[Aagion]

Never preorder from eBay. They only cover you for a couple months after payment and it’s generally a lot longer till these ship from hot toys.

Could you elaborate? What do you mean when you say that they only cover you for a couple months?

 

[Aagion]

Do you have friends in the US who you trust? I would say the cheapest option would be to get a few figures at a time from bigbadtoystore, have them all shipped to a US address for $4, then have them sent together internationally as gifts.

I do actually, I have some cousins there. What do you mean "as gifts"? What method would they be using?

 

[Motuxmen]

Could you elaborate? What do you mean when you say that they only cover you for a couple months?

The buyer protection and refund policy backed by Paypal is only good for a couple months after you pay. So after that if there is an issue with the seller, or the seller goes out of business(happens a lot) you have no way to get your money back through Paypal or eBay. Technically they can’t even list preorders that don’t have a confirmed release date within 30 days of the listing as it’s a violation of the policy.

Given some of these figures don’t release for over a year it’s just to great a risk to take PO through eBay. In the last three or four years I’ve seen a handful of the most populate sellers on eBay for hot toys go out of business, people with thousands or tens of thousands of positive reviews, and many people be out of luck and out of funds.

A lot of time if it’s 6months plus from PO time to release the listing won’t even show up anymore so you don’t even have a way to file a complaint normally. If you have eBay and bought something 6 months or more ago, try to find that listing and often you can’t.

 

[Motuxmen]

I do actually, I have some cousins there. What do you mean "as gifts"? What method would they be using?

On the customs declaration forms if it’s listed as a gift you usually don’t have custom fees.

 

[Aagion]

The buyer protection and refund policy backed by Paypal is only good for a couple months after you pay. So after that if there is an issue with the seller, or the seller goes out of business(happens a lot) you have no way to get your money back through Paypal or eBay. Technically they can’t even list preorders that don’t have a confirmed release date within 30 days of the listing as it’s a violation of the policy.

Given some of these figures don’t release for over a year it’s just to great a risk to take PO through eBay. In the last three or four years I’ve seen a handful of the most populate sellers on eBay for hot toys go out of business, people with thousands or tens of thousands of positive reviews, and many people be out of luck and out of funds.

I see, thanks. Won't be preordering from ebay then!

 

[Aagion]

On the customs declaration forms if it’s listed as a gift you usually don’t have custom fees.

I understand, thanks for the help!

 

[karamazov80]

It depends, as there is lots of variation from figure to figure. Nowadays, Hot Toys seems to anticipate, and exceed demand pretty well. In times past this wasn't always the case. And in that sense, you might be able to find figures cheaper on the secondary market, or with SSC coupons if you wait. BUT. . .you never know. Sometimes figures can sneak by you, sell out quickly, and be hard to pick up for a decent price later if you don't pre-order with SSC early.

But I agree with the guidance that you not pre-order from eBay. You may want to pre-order from other, legitimate sites based in Europe though. I don't know what they might be, but it could be cheaper even with their markups than dealing with custom fees and shipping from importing directly from SSC.

I live in the U.S., and sometimes order from PopCultcha.com, which is based in Australia. They are an official HT distributor, but the shipping is pretty dang cheap for overseas shipping, they have great discounts from time to time, and they'll frequently have items that have sold out from U.S. retailers.

 

[dominishin]

I buy aftermarket on ebay. Usually $50+ cheaper than retail.

Paid $150-$200 shipped for all my figures that released in the past 6 months.

Not sure what ebay is like for Swedes though.

I just keep a close eye on everything I want and check ebay and Sideshow. Saving $50+ off retail on every figure purchase QUICKLY builds up.

 

[gmoney5000]

I buy aftermarket on ebay. Usually $50+ cheaper than retail.

Paid $150-$200 shipped for all my figures that released in the past 6 months.

Not sure what ebay is like for Swedes though.

I just keep a close eye on everything I want and check ebay and Sideshow. Saving $50+ off retail on every figure purchase QUICKLY builds up.

Aftermarket can be worth it depending on the character though. The lower-tier or less desired characters you can find at a deep discount a few years later. For instance, I was able to pick up Quicksilver and TWS Nick Fury at least $50-70 less than the retail price. And when you take into account that there is the potential for $15 off coupon or even 15-20% off coupons, that really makes it a steal!

But the issue with that is it all boils down to luck and timing.

 

[Stryker2011]

You’d be better off going with Bigbadtoystore in the states as others suggested. Sideshow over charges on shipping no matter where they ship it. See if your cousins would be willing to help you out.

 

[medicomsucks]

You’d be better off going with Bigbadtoystore in the states as others suggested. Sideshow over charges on shipping no matter where they ship it. See if your cousins would be willing to help you out.

Unless i get a $50 off code or a sideshow exclusive, bbts is the way I'll go from now on. The shipping is outrageous and i live in the midwest. It would be another story if it was next day delivery, but usually its about 7 business days once shipped.

 

[Aagion]

What's the ballpark figure for shipping stuff of this size from the US to Sweden? Also, what shipping method/carrier is recommended? I am unfamiliar with the US stuff. You dont need to pay customs fees if you send the package as a gift, right?

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[spindrift]

For me- PO from BBTS- no deposit(well in most cases not all)
Second way to go for me is to watch Ebay as soon as retailers are getting them in- most of the time no more than BBTS and on some figures lower as competition for lower prices on many available

 

[MegaPrime33]

The only reason I have ever bought anything from SSC before was to get the rewards points, which after collecting the points for a few years, allowed me to get a premium format figure for free. Otherwise I'd buy from BBTS simply because the shipping is cheaper.

 

[jespernicolaj]

I live in Denmark and I use these guys - https://www.lacitedesnuages.be
You can also check out www.superhelten.dk, he usually have some Hot Toys on sale.

 

[Aagion]

I live in Denmark and I use these guys - https://www.lacitedesnuages.be
You can also check out www.superhelten.dk, he usually have some Hot Toys on sale.

Ouch, very expensive compared to the other stores. Still, cheap shipping. Thanks!

 

[BioFan]

Cheapest is prob have a friend in HK that will help you PO from secretbase and have it sent to you as a gift.
Buying from anywhere else, price is marked up.

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