HobbyLink Japan Avis 135

After paying nearly $500 Canadian for 1 transformer which included a pretty steep shipping fee and import charges the toy arrived dinged in a corner,
After reaching out to company, they tried blaming the shipping service but the box it came in was 100% and that i've seen other postings about the same transformer being dented in the same spot as mine.
In the end they wanted to take zero responsability.
So I cancelled all future purchases from them and hope people will read these reviews before deciding the buy from them.
First time and the last time

Ordered from HobbyLink Japan and had a very smooth experience overall. All items were in stock and processed quickly, with dispatch within a couple of days.I chose EMS shipping to Italy and the delivery took about 7 days from dispatch, which is well within their stated timeframe. Tracking was consistent and updated across Japan Post and Poste Italiane. Customs clearance was handled efficiently with no delays. I was informed in advance that VAT and handling fees might apply, and in the end I only paid €11.86 on delivery, which was reasonable and transparent. Packaging was excellent and the items arrived in perfect condition.Overall, very reliable service with strong execution. I would definitely order from them again.

I have ordered from them quite frequently but lately any new product less than a week old, is either Order Stop or Discontinued

No longer my go to for imports

Shame

I've been a patron of hlj.com. this is where I purchase all my models and kits. It one of my trusted vendors and I would highly recommend this to anybody who's just starting to invest into model kits or for veterans as well.

they have 0 consideration for the customers

avoid.

Seems like a scam. Shipping costs were never told(and they ended up being more than the item costs) also never told I couldn't cancel the preorder once in stock and it finally told me the shipping costs.

They hide shipping costs until after checking out and charging you for something you purchased. Then they attempt to force you to pay more than 100% of the item’s price in shipping fees. Literal scammers.

I have used HLJ for over twenty years. Since September of 2025 I do not recommend them anymore. They are absolutely overcharging for shipping. The change in amounts between the second week of September and first week of October 25 was stark and obvious. They no longer get stock as quickly, shipping is delayed. Customer service oscillates between friendly and rude.

Used to be an easy recommendation but now their listings very often don’t have images, they have changed the window in which you can cancel preorders to be incredibly narrow and orders and deliveries are massively delayed.

Used them since 2018 but the removal of the backorder system makes getting kits harder when I have a job or the notification only comes up as I'm asleep i can live with no cancelling figure preorders after a certain date at least that is very well explained and honestly a good site ui but the amount for people locked into preorders or can't get back orders or the potential for bots to abuse the new notification system has killed this site as a viable option which is a shame

This website is a scam. I placed an order for $175. A few days later I got an email saying I had to pay an additional $250 for shipping. After I paid they now say they are having problems with logistics and can’t ship but also can’t give me a refund. It has now been over a month with no response. Don’t get scammed!!!

I had a disappointing experience with HLJ. My order arrived late, and one of the items was damaged. Customer support wasn't helpful at all and basically ignored my messages. For the prices they charge, I expected way better service. I won't be ordering from them again.

when you pre-order something, you expect to have it as soon as it comes out. now with shipping times, i fully understand not having it instantly. we can't teleport things after all.

what i do not expect is to be told the thing i pre-ordered is now on back order, and god doesn't even know when i will be charged.

ok. let me cancel it so i can get it somewhere else then.

"no."

I have uaed this company for a long time and I am telling you now, do not start. I got into the bad havit of preordering something and forgetting about it. A mistake on my part of course but now one I cannot fix. I am stuck having significant amounts of my paycheck taken at the start of the month for stuff I nolonger once because they changed their cancellation and refund policy to essentially:"No", they will also not let me close my account with them leaving me stuck in this position, this cannot be legal.

I’ve been a HLJ customer for a very long time, my last order I placed was for a RG Gundam Kit I had ordered, paid, put into warehouse as I’ve been severely ill. I had forgotten over a significant amount of period and when I found out my order was cancelled and the money had been refunded into online credit, I was fine with it. I became more ill and had forgotten over a period of time and apparently your credit expires. I emailed them them and no reply. They basically rob you off your money and they’re good at that. Avoid this company at all costs. Bunch of thieves

Cannot guarantee stock from preorder anymore. Customer service team provide same excuse blaming COVID and Bandai suppliers

Cannot guarantee stock and offer to pre-order. This happens MULTIPLE times. Getting more and more untrustworthy.

It is a complete waste of time to wait for the items to be available (never happened).

refuse to make exchange on a defect item. The customer service representative, Ken Matsuda doesn't bother to help and only replying BS that AI nowdays can do better.

I cannot find the words to express my gratitude to HLJ for showing me, once again, how little they care about their customers. Seriously, I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

To anyone who uses their services, I only hope that you never, ever have to contact their customer service. I have never seen such uncooperative, closed-minded people.

Decided to ship out my items from private warehouse but was told there will be a long delay due to operational changes. No estimation on when they will be able to dispatch my items at the moment.