Waiting period for orders from HLJ

[Iceblue106]

Hello all,

I was just curious as to what kind of experiences fellow members have had with the wait time for orders made to HLJ.

I have recently "Pre ordered" the VF-1J unpainted 1/60 scale valk and to be honest, I have no idea how long it will take to receive the order.

I normally order my toys off of e-bay, so this is actually my first time dealing with HLJ.

Any information or feedback would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

Blue

[anime52k8]

Well first they have to get it in stock, which is up to Yamato and not HLJ. Usually Yamato stuff comes in on the last day of the month it's scheduled for release. Then once they get the item in stock they have to process your order (collect payment, pull the item from the warehouse, pack it for shipping, send it out, etc.) which can take a couple days to a week. Then however long it takes to ship from japan to you based on your location and shipping method. EMS takes about a week on average to the SF bay area, SoCal tends to get stuff a little quicker, SAL can take anywhere form 2 weeks to over a month depending on what mood the postal service is in.

So it'll probably another month before you have it in hand.

[Tober]

HLJ... As said above, neither the Unpainted VF-1J or VF-1A have been released yet. Release date is sometime in 'October'. When HLJ have them in stock you will get a payment request or you will be automatically charged if paying through PayPal. Then it usually takes HLJ about 3 to 5 days to process and dispatch as they only post twice a week.

[Iceblue106]

Ah ok well thats not as bad as i was thinking it would be. I went the EMS route (via PayPal) and based on what you both confirm, I'm thinking i will see this valk sometime mid November than.

Thank you both for your quick response and for your info as well.

Blue

[Archer]

Since this is an inquiry thread, I was wondering why you guy's prefer EMS? I've only ordered from HLJ twice, but I used EMS once (first time) and FedEx the second time. Fedex got to my location (midwest U.S.) MUCH quicker (about 2 or 3 days iirc) than the EMS shipment.....

Is there some advantage to EMS I'm missing?

Edited October 20, 2011 by Archer

[anime52k8]

EMS is a little cheaper on some items and to certain locations and I like EMS because if I'm not home to sign for a package It's a 3 minute drive to the local post office to pick something up vs a 20 minute drive to the FedEx distribution center in my area.

personally I just use which ever is cheaper of the two, and I stay away from SAL because it's incredibly slow, has no tracking number, and there's little you can do if your stuff gets lost or damaged in shipping.

[Archer]

Alright, that makes sense. Generally, I've been jaded by HLJ's claims that FedEx is quicker (which it was when I used it), so I fork over the extra so I can get the stuff quicker. Your right though, FedEx center is far away from my location as well (a 45 minute drive), but meh, I try and stay home or have someone stay home when I'm expecting a package.

[pud333]

I have the same problem. I'm never home, so EMS is better. Fedex = 30 minute drive if I am not home - one way. And that's on a good day with no traffic. EMS = Post office five minute walk away.

Edited October 20, 2011 by pud333