Post PICS of your latest purchase

[AccordWarrior]

So I'm looking at pulling the trigger and noticed this:

"Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges.

These charges are the buyer’s responsibility."

I've been reluctant in the past to buy international items due to the vagueness of this. I once tried to research how to determine what import duties, taxes & other charges might be and never came close to an answer. Sellers seem to be clueless. Have you done this before I'd be curious to find out how much additional this will end up costing?

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying.../td-p/30516141

It looks like <$800 you're fine.

My Ertl 1/18 2F2F Skyline came from the UK and I just paid the cost of the item plus shipping. For whatever reason Ebay didn't assess a tax although they have for domestic purchases.

[hiptech]

Thanks... good info!

[CyborgGT]

I've ordered a few things from that part of the world (mainly JDM parts for the Accord), and a couple from UK/Europe, and I've never been charged anything extra. Good to know about the $800 limit, though, especially with car parts!

The part of the ad that annoyed me is where it says they wait 10 ten days after payment clears before shipping, which just sounds odd. I'm hoping that's not always the case, because their reviews are great as far as shipping is concerned; a couple buyers (one from Canada) described total transaction time as less than the ten days. My fog lights took only two or three days to get from Malaysia to my doorstep, but of course now we're having major back-ups at our ports, on top of the existing domestic shipping problems, so who knows when this'll arrive...

[hiptech]

The new normal... everything's a mess!

Looking back now there's been so many times I've passed up on items from abroad because I couldn't figure out the additional costs...oh well. At least I learned something useful from you guys.

Thanks!

[CyborgGT]

Well, to confirm the legitness of the seller I linked, it's here! It finally shipped out this Tuesday, and already arrived today. Photo includes a 1:18 and a Hot Wheels for scale. The car also came with a booklet that includes a nice 6-page spread on the real car - all three body styles. I wish I could read Japanese, but there are a couple photos in there of a gorgeous factory maroon interior (looks a bit redder than mine) in left-hand drive featuring an HOA steering wheel and power-folding mirror switch. The picture they use for the "F22A" (as described in the caption) looks suspiciously like a 3rd-gen engine, though. Anyway, the model:

[hiptech]

Very nice to see the level of detail in this model!

BTW I believe the Google Translate app is capable of translating from Japanese to English...

[CyborgGT]

Yeah, it's as detailed as any of the Maisto 1:18s I have (*ed. - well, except for the lack of steering and an opening hood; only the front doors open). Me not being a serious collector, there are very few cars I'd pay more than $100 for in either scale, but I'm very happy with this.

[rustyaccord]

I picked up this old Power Wagon from a friend of mine, and promptly spent all of my year end bonus buying parts!
It's a 1977 Dodge W100 Power Wagon. 318 small block with a 727 auto.


Please note: it looks a LOT nicer in the pictures. The only positive about the body is that the floors are solid.
Been sitting for the last 3 or 4 years so it needs quite a bit of work. My buddy rebuilt the engine in high school about 6 years ago, and the trans was rebuilt shortly after. Should have less than 10,000 miles on the rebuild. I've wanted an old 4x4 since I was a kid so I'm pretty excited to get this one going.

[Raf99]

Obviously some sentimental feelings going on here, but what are your plans for this old beast?

[rustyaccord]

Mainly for use as a shop truck, hauling firewood, etc. I'm still working out some bugs before I can drive it, but it definitely has potential to turn into a restoration someday. I think a 440 and a stick shift would be fun. Or a Cummins 4bt crate engine if I can justify the price. For now it's going to stay as is.

[CyborgGT]

Got myself a JDM Walkman!




Technologically, I'm stubbornly stuck in the early 2000s and don't stream my media. My iPod Touch kicked the bucket, Apple stopped making iPods altogether just recently, and I've been wanting to try something new for years anyway. I figured, I had a Walkman cassette player in the '90s, CD player in the early '00s... why not revisit an old friend. The reviews were great, even if it seemed geared towards people who are more of an audiophile than I am. It was a little bit of a pain to figure out how to transfer files from iTunes onto it (again, more probably because of my technological retardation), which is where I'm still going to buy all my music, but now I'm in and can quickly move the files over. A cool little throwback feature it has is the screen saver in the photo above. The image of the cassette tape shows whatever song is currently playing, and the reels actually react to you playing, pausing, and fast-forwarding a song with the buttons on the side. This little connection to my childhood has me so happy!

As for the JDM-ness, this was just a pain to get ahold of. I assume because of the supply chain issues. I don't like spending too much money overseas when shipping is inherently risky, so I tried hard to find one in North America, but pickings were slim. Best Buy, Crutchfield, etc didn't have them in stock, and I only found one, close enough in Canada, through eBay. It didn't arrive as advertised and I don't trust used electronics, especially with this one being Android-based and connected to the internet, so I returned it. Being a retail worker myself, I hate - HATE, with an unbridled passion - Amazon just for being shitty to their employees, so I never use them unless as a last resort, but they had them in stock. I think this was my third-ever purchase through them. The photo I got in tracking when it was "delivered" wasn't even of my door! It was my neighbor's apartment, who I talked to, and all they got was their own order, which they showed me still unopened. Luckily I got a refund. Third attempt, I caved and went back on eBay, buying from this Japanese seller, and it worked out. It was even almost $100 cheaper than on Amazon!

[verothacamaro]

LOL that thing is super neat. I didn't realize that was a screen. Is this a product that Sony is still manufacturing or did you find a new, old gem?

[CyborgGT]

Yeah, it's a current product. It's not as good as the iPod, which was smarter about file organization and let you create and edit playlists on the device itself, but it'll do.

[deevergote]

That’s awesome! I love gadgets.

[hiptech]

I still have an iPod 7G & Classic but don't use them as much. The 7G battery is gone and the Classic still works but since it doesn't have Bluetooth isn't my goto device. I must admit I'm not an Apple fanboy but have always admired these devices. As for iTunes, to this day I still look for any Android program with half the playlists and the flexibility. Nothing comes close to their Smart Playlist!

My biggest dilemma is using Google maps in the car on my Galaxy S22 while simultaneously listening to a non BT iPod both over Bluetooth. Haven't worked out yet...

BTW, I do recall an EB seller a couple years ago offering modified classic iPods with SSDs replacing the HDDs. They were pricey but seemed like a great idea I wonder if they were any good?