HobbyLink Japan Reviews 

Great seller/website if you’re looking for any new or older Japanese collectibles - figures, games, etc.

Haven’t had any issues with them communication wise or with their shipping - always ships out fast (1-3 days) & their prices are good. Also, their pre-order system is good as well. They send you reminders via email of your pre-order list & you don’t have to pay for them until they arrive at the warehouse & they’re ready to ship out to you.

Very good shop, I recommend it.

They're TOTALLY unable to put an item description so customs doesn't stop the packages.

Used hlj for a few years -regularly for xmas -birthday gifts for my collector mad son ! Always find something new and often not available anywhere else.now in 2021 its even better value as Import taxes have been squashed on items under £130- bear in mind it was a measly £15 this is a massive jump which benefits all UK buyers .personally I wont go anywhere else -post is quick -7 days average and charges are fair .a lot of negative reviews for things that hlj have no control over which I find rather petty! Blame your government not the seller ! Emails received on time confirm my order status I recommend this company wholeheartedly .

Have been a HLJ customer,( personal and business) for over 15yrs. The last 2yrs, they have been borderline pathetic on a good day.
Lot of true reviews here. Today is the last straw. I quit HLJ.

I can pinpoint when they lost it. As soon as the new site came up, everything else slid down, and has been doing so ever since. Possibly due to a change in command, staff, or ownership? ..the "new"site ( that has never worked, and they just say 'be patient'.. 2-4yrs guys? Patient enough?, or are you just doing nothing about it?) is an abomination at best. Just useless, poor functionality, not intuitive, excuse for a website and e-commerce solution.

WHENEVER, you have a problem with ANYTHING, product, shipping, or customer related, the customer service teams from the past have disappeared. The teams today will not help. At all. They will blame the customer, not give out the smallest of refunds for their own mistakes, I have had coupon codes that don't work due to site malfunction, and they just ignore it and say their hands are tied. They have lost pre orders after I paid and just said, "buy something else", and they now totally stonewall the customers with repetitive, weak, email deflection replies.
Shipping is also atrocious, and a lie. Time to arrive?, I don't care.. but I often pay more than the item I have shipped. !!?? Seriously?

I USED to have nothing but good things to say about HLJ. Huge fanboy... in 2011..
Those days are sadly gone..

HLJ USED to be a stand up solid company... Now, I struggle to find much good in HLJ at all. Truly.

HLJs prices are no longer competitive at all either when you factor in shipping...
So I ask..
When I can go to an overpriced local store, find literally the same product, and take it home for the same price as HLJ costs to my door, but instead, with GOOD customer service.. why go to HLJ at all anymore?

Why HLJ?
Why don't you address the problems and people telling you about them? Hmmm. Why does HLJ not allow Google reviews? I'll tell you why folks. HLJ 2021. Neo Apathy. Neo $.
They don't care about us

I have ordered from HLJ a couple of times now. Up till now I have been hit with custom charges no fault of HLJ. They state on the website you might incur custom charge. But since the new trade deal with Japan and UK I haven't had a single custom charge on orders below £135 so me and the wife we now be using HLJ even more now EMS postal option is amazing got the items with In 5 days.

Excelente loja. Segura, confiável, respondem aos e-mails e além de fornecer muitos itens, tratam o cliente muito bem.
Não costuma demorar até chegar aqui no RJ.
Você pode comprar varios itens e deixá-los no estoque da empresa por até 2meses cada item. Isso te permite agrupar os itens em um mesmo frete, evitando gastos.

CONS:
Of all JP stores, proxy, and forwarding services I used, HLJ was the only one that ever gave me rage with their packing. From some packages I received, one looked as if the staff didn't even try and just put it in the biggest box possible, while in the other packages, the item was bent. It's not a hard item, yet I never saw other JP stores/proxy/forwarding services did that to my items. Slooow website. Have to relogin so often. No manual payment for pre-order available. Pre-order closed so fast.

PROS:
Private warehouse system where we can combine item released in different months is something that other similar stores don't have and it really helped drag the rating up. Cancellation with no hassle, whenever buyer wants.

Sito per amanti del modellismo davvero valido, offre un vasto catalogo ed un servizio per rintracciare anche oggetti al momento non disponibili.
Mi sono trovato bene nel comprare model kit disponibili ed in offerta oltre alle prevendite potendo lasciare in giacenza i prodotti e combinandoli in spedizioni quando disponibili.
Purtroppo il pagamento dei prodotti è immediato, appena disponibili, quindi nel caso di diversi preorder in uscita a breve distanza si viene bombardati da richieste di pagamento e quando si decide di spedire si pagano la spese di spedizione ma ricordate che all'arrivo del pacco c' è da pagare amche la dogana e l'iva.
Per il servizio di recupero non ho avuto fortuna nel reperire i pezzi che cercavo ma per fortuna non si paga niente e può risultare utile per trovare prodotti esauriti.
Consigliato a chi cerca cose particolari non disponibili nei negozi italiani o gruppi di persone che vogliono fare un acquisto unico di diversi prodotti.

The delivery is too fast and also item in safe. HobbyLink Japan is truly recommended.

HLJ sent me a model kit with a missing part. Customer service said they obtained the replacement part, but could not ship it due to Covid. Yet, I can still receive orders from them, and their website indicates "now shipping worldwide" 3 months later, still not shipping my replacement part.

HibyLink japan sell some awesome products.
I bought motorcycle magazines
it was great ... until fedex invoice.

Ok it's not HLJ mistake. I should have read little informations on fedex fees.
The result is here : 47 € fedex charges for 7 magazines.

What's the joke.

Never again.
Never !

Great customer service, would recommend to anyone. A lot of negative reviews here seem to be basing their experiences on factors outside HLJs control. Import charges are decided by your governments. Shipping charges by third parties. The one and only complaint I'd have is that items stored in your private warehouse for over a certain amount of time are only refunded at 85% rather than 100%. I'm sure there's a good reason for it, but it escapes me. Probably a matter of instant demand versus later demand. Never had an issue with preorders. Never had an issue with their staff. Prices are reasonable and they've been incredibly helpful during the pandemic, keeping hold of items long beyond the usual auto shipping dates. Can't recommend enough.

Hobby Link Japan is one of several companies in Japan that I buy toys and models from. While their selection of goods is often smaller than that of their competitors, they usually stock items that I’m looking for and occasionally have goods that I haven’t found elsewhere. Also, they tend to get items in stock that are sold out/unavailable from other sellers.

While Japan Post SAL and EMS shipping is currently unavailable to the US, I like that they offer both DHL and FedEx shipping options, whereas their competitors offer only one of these shipping options. Their shipping prices usually are lower as well, and they ship out packages more quickly too. I also like their private warehouse option, which allows me to ship several preordered items that arrive in stock at different times over a 60 day period, allowing me to save on shipping costs by compiling several orders into one. Their competitors’ terms are not as flexible.

Because of this, HLJ has become my first choice for ordering toys and models from Japan. I only go to the other companies if HLJ does not stock an item I’m looking for.

This is the bottom line with HLJ, and it is the underlying reason for the majority of their bad reviews: the customer does not come first, and, in fact, they treat their customers with contempt. I had been a long time customer of HLJ for about a decade, and I had spent several thousands of dollars with them during that time. However, they sent me a condescending email due to some pre-order cancellations that I had made, and they demanded that I grovel to them in order to not have my account suspended. I have never ordered from them again, and I will never go back. Their attitude towards customers demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how to run a successful business. If you treat your customers as if they are privileged to buy your products, then you will soon find yourself without customers.

I have been building models as a Hobbyist for 55 years and can say with complete honesty Hobby Link Japan is by far one of the most professional companies I have ever dealt with. I place my order and it is at my door in 5 days and i live in Bel Air, Maryland USA! I get delivery updates on my order telling me when it will arrive and when you order if they do not have the model they will let you know before charging you OR if you want it they will back order it for you if it is still available. This is the most complete professional company i have dealt with and there is one more in the States that is good also but will not mention it here with respect to hobbylink Japan. What I will say though is Hobbylink Japan's prices are the BEST and you can quote me. To the men and women in Japan who run this company all i can say is Domo Arrigato Veri Mushta! (I hope I spelled that right.) Syonnara!

Not to bad as far as collector sites go. I cancelled multiple pre orders without issue so far. The prices are generally reasonable as well. My only real issue with HLJ is sometimes they really do take their time shipping things out of their warehouse. It already takes a while to get things all the way here to Canada, so that extra time does add up.

Although this was only the 2nd time for me to use HLJ, they have the best preorder prices for me IF you happen to chance upon it as soon as the listing comes up. The items I POed were a few bucks cheaper than anywhere else but it does gradually change to match other sites as the day/days pass. Bit the bullet and placed my order as early as I could though to reap the benefits and it was worth it. They also got the stock almost as soon as the items are released in Japan and prompt ship out as well. Extremely happy customer right here.

Poor consumer service. I have been insulted back in 2017 for buying an item and DARING to ask a question about a promotional thingy that I wanted to be added to my cart because I was ELIGIBLE.
Shipping time was not respected, I had to wait FOUR MONTHS instead of two, back in 2017 too.

HLJ was lying about shipping options. It's possible to ship orders to my place through FedEx and DHL. Perhaps they're trying to save on shipping costs?

Simply the best & only selection for the latest Plamo and Hobby kits.
I am in the UK & as many have already read/commented, the shipping cost to us is something to be very careful with as items have to be below a certain value.
When I place a large order there is also a tradeoff on how many kits to buy as at certain point buying three RG kits was a few pounds difference to buying two kits.
The import tax is then the biggest killer, but sadly that is what it is...good old Blighty Taxman & not HLJ's issue.
Amidst the Coronavirus shutdowns I have just this morning had a box full of joy delivered, via FedEx which has taken a mere 5 days to arrive. I also see that the package was actually packed and signed by Scott (owner of HLJ) himself, so it just shows the effort that the company does put into the business, despite the global shutdowns - Thank you!
We desperately need more Plamo love here in the UK & Europe, we seem to be behind the rest of the world!