I don’t have much to choose from in my area as far as hobby shops go so I do most of my shopping online. I would really like to find a place that I can get pretty much anything(kits,paints,decals,tools) I need at one place. Amazon to me is always high and I know a lot of folks use sprue bros. but they seem to always be out of what I want. Is there a go to place you use?
I’ve been using Squadron Mail Order, now squadron.com since 1988 without issues. I also use the heck out of eBay. Sometimes ordering from China is cheaper including shipping than getting it stateside. For Japanese models that are hard to find, Hobby Link Japan, hlj.com is an awesome place. Culttvman is a good place for sci-fi and pop culture kits like Batmobiles and stuff.
Sprue Brothers is pretty good in my experience. I have also used Roll Models for certain hard to find items. Most items that I look for online tend to be harder to find, so it’s usually a case of where I can find them. I have two great shops nearby so unless its an item I have to have now, and the online deal is really super, including the cost of shipping, I’ll support the local shops. I know that’s a dying luxury, so I’ll pay the extra to do my part to keep the privilege. I can’t imagine not having a shop to run to in a pinch.
You can’t beat the prices at scalehobbyist.com
Other places to check out:
I also patrol ebay for a good buy
eBay,
eBay,
eBay.
Best deals and prices, period.
I’m with doog, I too most exclusively buy from eBay!!!
Toshi
For supplies, resin stuff, and sometimes kits, I definitely go Spruebrothers. I can’t say enough good things about them. Fast delivery and great customer service. I recently bought a Tamiya Corsair from them and the box got smashed somehow. The engine cowl was a casualty. They sent me a whole new kit. When I’m looking for model kits, I generally check ebay first. I don’t care if its used or new, as long as they are complete.
Hi,
I shop at my local hobby shop, but sometimes buy hard to find items online. I use scale hobbyist. They have great pricing (cheaper than retail) but you do have to pay shipping, so it does sometimes balance out. You still probably save some money though. They have kits, paints, weathering supply (a lot!), detail parts (resin, photo etch, metal), tools, reference books, diorama supply, and probably more that I can’t remember off the top of my head.
They provide a tracking number with the order, you can easily track your order and see when it arrives at your local USPS facility, when it goes out for delivery, etc (with date and time). Customer support is great, I had concerns about my order during hurricane harvey (since I live in Houston) and they replied my email within a day or the next. Very quick!
I think they are a great option, and have all the supply you will need. Sprue bros and squadron are reputable but I have no experience with them.
Ebay has some great deals to, I ordered a wooden bismarck 1:350 deck for 25$ from China… and it came but in a month.
Happy shopping,
Kien
I used to buy from several of the ones listed above, primarily hobbylinc.com and scalehobbyist.com. I still find an occasional item on eBay that I want. I have switch my go-to online retailer to hobbyworld-usa. It is run by Matthew Bole, he has some kits, but his primary function is for paint and supplies. If you are looking for something specific and it isnt listed on his site, send a message to him through the site or on Facebook, he is very responsive and you will typically have an answer within the hour. He is located in New Hampshire, and my orders are usually on my doorstep in Idaho within 3 to 4 days.
Dose anyone have free shipping?
Auto world, Pegasus hobbies are a couple more then there’s micro mark too they have different shipping deals all the time
Amazon Prime does. But it’s hit or miss whether the item is Prime or not.
LOL! Come now, if there’s one major supplier that cannot be categorized, it’s eBay.
Can “the best” deals and prices be found on eBay?
Sure.
Can the “worst” deals and prices be found on eBay?
Sure.
My one and only complaint about eBay, and here I’ll break my own rule and generalize, is that’s there’s no real control over the time it takes to get the item.
Bill
I use the LHS in Fargo as much as possible. After that is Sprue Brothers, then Ebay.
My primary sources are Scale Hobbyist, Sprue Brothers, Squadron, Freetime Hobbies and Ebay now and then.
Are there good deals found on Ebay? Sure but bad ones are there too, just need to be careful. Watch out for the sellers that overcharge in shipping to make some extra $. Ebay is also good when looking for discontinued am items and kits but compare as pricing can drastidally change between sellers.
Once in a while online shops offer free shipping or cut down prices way low. I have bought on a special sale from Squadron $8 to $12 decal sheets for $1, $30+ kits for under $10.
Hannants is my No 1 choice, almost my LHS. They do have free shipping if just ordering decals an PE and on order over £100. Of course, i don’t know how they works for over seas.
E-bay, usually for stuff i can’t get in the UK or is a lot cheaper, often from China or private sellers. The high priced shipping does not seem so common now since E-bay included shipping costs in the amout the seller pays in fee’s.
Scalehobbyist.com…My favorite place but shipping is high
Amazon…sometimes
Yes Ebay has been doing that for a while now and it sucks for sellers to be charged a fee for shipping as if making a profit from it. Some sellers were circumventing the final value fee by doing just that but now ALL sellers are punished for the actions of a few.
Still Bish, some are still padding the shipping but not as rampant as before.
I agree, as often the case, the many suffer for the few.