Thanks guys.

I didn't have much luck finding another seller with a strong enough rating who is selling Phoenix. The seller @connseanery got his from is says he's out of stock and won't have any more until August. If anyone identifies a good taoboa seller offering Phoenix at a great price please let me know.

 

Just dipping my feet with taobao, so forgive my ignorance here. Is this a good seller and price to pick up the Yes-Model Starscream and Coneheads?

型模良品YM03红蜘蛛 KO惊天雷闹翻天 MP11三尖头飞机直流电太阳风

I see there are also two entries for Starscream. Is it going to matter which one I select?

 

Check out post #170 and the attachments for an explanation of store ratings and the layout of an item page. This seller does have a lot of comments on successful transactions for this item so it seems pretty legit. Triple diamond means a good number of successful transactions but the large stores have the crowns.

The 2nd entry is to pay the balance if you reserved it ... I think.

 

Thanks for the reply. Ive read the entire thread front to back, just wanted to make sure I wasnt missing something obvious before I grab these guys. Everything looks legit to me though, so I think im just going to grab all 4 I need and hope for the best.

 

How about buying just one first to get used to the process?  

I think diamond rating is good enough.

 

I figured with everyone saying the savings are better if you buy in bulk that I should get all 4? Is this not true?

 

Did you message the seller to confirm that the items are in stock?

Money doesn't get released to the seller for 10 days and the items you buy should definitely get to the consolidator warehouse in that time. I've found that domestics shipping within China is really quick and cheap.

You save a small amount on the shipping.

For example if you choose the Zhongshan consolidator warehouse that ships with EMS, the 1st kg is 83 yuan and after that every .5 kg is 22 yuan. That 39 yuan difference between the 1st kg and every subsequent kg following amounts to about $6 USD.

 

Ok, so I bit the bullet and ordered a Yes-Model Starscream and a KO MP Ironhide for a test order. One seller was 3 crowns and the other was 5 diamonds, both products had reviews, etc. We'll see how it goes!!

 

Good luck!

Here's a reason why you should not buy too many items in one order: most freight forwarder impose a size/weight limit. It is difficult to hit the weight limit for plastic toys, but it is possible to do so for size.

In my case, the limit is 120cm (47") for length and 2.1m (82") for sum of 3 dimensions.

 

You know how to check order and shipping status right? On taobao there's a lot more information available with whats going on with your item vs ebay.

 

So this particular seller has 7 in stock?


A few days a go he told me he had none left now he has 7?

 

Like people have been saying, some stores don't keep accurate inventory. That's why you basically need to ask them.

Some stores do keep very accurate inventory and I try to remember to make note of the ones that do.

 

Can you explain please?

If you don't mind maybe you can share a list of the stores that keep accurate inventory counts shown.

 

I added some screenshots of the homepage, incoming, and shipping logistics pages (google translated).


I'll need to go home to take a look on my home computer for notes about the specific stores.

 

Thanks. Looking forward to your info on the stores.

 

I didn't actually ask if my items were in stock. Is this really necessary? My Starscream is flagged as in transit to the shipping warehouse, but my Ironhide hasn't moved yet.

 

Give it a few days ... if doesn't ship by then, message the seller and confirm they have it in stock. U want it to get to the warehouse before the 10 days is up and the money gets released to the seller.

Getting a refund is easy enough but I rather confirm availability... Particularly for popular items.

 

I tried to reach out to your guy about Phoenix. He says he doesn't ship to the USA. Aren't you in the USA?
Also, is there a more effective way to see if a seller will ship abroad to the USA? When I select International--->USA it doesn't tell me whether or not they do. I'd like to find out so I don't wast time with a seller who doesn't ship outside of China.

 

Most will only ship locally. What actually happens is that they will ship to a freight forwarder, who will then ship to you. Make sure you set your shipping address correctly.

 

They aren't supposed to ship to the US. They ship to a forwarding warehouse either JCEX or Zhongshan, which stores all your items until you build a package to be sent overseas.

Read this document on how to select the consolidator warehouse. Taobao Global Consolidation and Shipping

Also look at my attachment in post 195. It shows the package logistics. Look at the delivery address that I circled in red. It is the consolidator warehouse in China. They assign me an ID and store all my packages away until I build/pay for an overseas package.