Terms & Conditions

We hate fine print as much as you do, but some people seem to have different assumptions about how mail-order services like ours operate. This is to make sure we're all in agreement about how things work.

Our fundamental policies are spelled out below. Placing an order with us indicates that you have read, understand and agree to the following:

1. Authorization to ship and charge the customer. Placing an order through our web site represents your permission to us to ship the items you order, and charge you for them, based on our shipping policies. We do not require any further permission or clearance from you to charge your credit card or other means of payment prior to shipping, even if the final amount to be charged, including shipping, has not been confirmed to you. Also, please note that as any business does, we expect our customers to make payments in a timely manner when their order is ready. If more than eight days pass from the time we alert a customer to a payment issue without the problem being resolved, and without any contact from the customer, that order and all of the customer's outstanding orders will be canceled, and their account(s) will be disabled. We ask that customers who are having a temporary payment problem contact us at trouble@hlj.com to work out a solution and avoid cancellation of their orders.
2. Shipping policies. We will process your order for shipping and charge you if either (a) all items on your order are available, or (b) more than two months have passed since you placed the order and one or more items are available, or (c) you request shipping of available items. When processing any given order for shipping, we will also check any other order(s) you have placed with us, and add any shippable items from that order(s) to the shipping order. If the size of any one item in your order prevents the use of SAL small packet shipping (if you requested SAL), we will ship your order by SAL parcel class, or EMS, or FedEx (even though you requested SAL), depending on where you live, at our sole discretion. Orders that have a merchandise value of 15,000 yen or more will always be shipped by a trackable class such as SAL parcel or EMS, or FedEx (depending on where you live) even if small enough to be shipped by the cheaper SAL small packet method. All additional costs related to changes in your shipping class for any of the reasons above will be charged to you.
3. Returns and Refunds. Always consult with us (by contacting trouble@hlj.com) before returning any merchandise, regardless of the reason. If you contact us first, we always accept requests to return saleable-condition merchandise for any reason if made within 10 days of delivery, although we will not refund the shipping charges necessary to return the item to us in Japan. "Saleable" condition means the item is in like-new condition with all parts and components present, that it's packed exactly as packed by the manufacturer, and there is no damage to the outer package. Opened "blister pack," "blister card" or sealed "blind box" (collection-type/gashapon/capsule toy items) merchandise which cannot be opened without cutting or tearing the package or its seal may not be returned. If a return becomes necessary due to a mistake in shipping, shipping damage or a defect in the product, we will compensate you for the shipping charges to return the item to Japan if you ship the item as directed by us. All claims for returns or refunds due to shipping damage or manufacturing defects must be made within 10 days of delivery. We reserve the right to reject claims of manufacturing defects on mechanical items (R/C cars, battery-operated toys, etc.) in cases of obvious user abuse.
4. Problem Resolution. HobbyLink Japan is committed to customer service and will promptly address any customer claims of shipping errors, damage, defects, missing items, etc. if we are contacted within 10 days of delivery at trouble@hlj.com. Under no circumstances should you ever contact your credit card company to dispute charges from HobbyLink Japan. We will solve all genuine customer service problems through refunds, reshipments, discounts or whatever else it takes to reach a fair solution to the problem, and that's our promise! But it's your job to tell us a problem has occurred. As such, not only will we vigorously contest any credit card "chargebacks" (refusals to pay) filed by customers, but such customers will be blacklisted from using our service, meaning we will accept no further orders from them, ever. We also share information about blacklisted customers with other online merchants offering similar merchandise.
5. Product Descriptions. We always try to be as accurate as possible on our website. However, we do not warrant that product descriptions or other content of this site are accurate, complete, current, or error-free. If a product offered by us is not as described, your sole remedy is to return it in unused condition as described above, or to reach some other solution by contacting us at trouble@hlj.com. If you have any questions about the nature of an item that are not addressed on our website, you are responsible for asking them (by e-mailing questions@hlj.com or products@hlj.com) prior to purchase. If you failed to ask us pre-purchase questions and the item is not what you expected, again, the only solution is a return as described above.
6. Your Account. If you use this site, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and password and for restricting access to your computer, and you agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account or password. We reserve the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, remove or edit content, or cancel orders at our sole discretion.
7. Copyright. All content included on this site, such as text, graphics, logos, button icons and images is the property of HobbyLink Japan or its suppliers and protected by international copyright laws. Unauthorized copying or commercial use of this material will result in legal action. We encourage customers to report suspected cases of illicit merchants violating our copyrights (though some merchants do use our images, etc. with our permission), and we have been rewarded customers if we're able to stop the violation in question.