The table below is a quick overview of the codes shown on our pages. See the comments below the table for even more complete information.

In Stock	We currently have plenty of stock of this item.
Low Stock	Item is in stock, but at the current sales rate we expect to run out of the item within one week (if we don't get additional stock).
Very Low	Item is in stock, but at the current sales rate we expect to run out of the item in 2-3 days (if we don't get additional stock).
Backorder	Item is currently out of stock. There are no customers waiting for the item, so we have not ordrered it from our suppliers. Additional supply is uncertain at this time.
Backorder	Item is currently out of stock. The item has been ordered from our suppliers to fill customer orders within the last 60 days. Additional supply is likely, but may take a few weeks.
Backorder	Item is currently out of stock. The item was ordered from our suppliers to fill customer orders more than 60 days ago. Additional supply is unlikely in the short-term as the manufacturer is also probably out of stock.
[month] Restock	Item is currently out of stock but we expect more to arrive in the month shown.
[month] Release	This is a new item that has not yet been released by the manufacturer. It is scheduled to be released in the month shown.
Order Stop	This is a new item that has not yet been released by the manufacturer. We have taken more orders than we expect to be able to fill, based on production information from our suppliers. No further orders will be accepted until supplies are confirmed when the product is released.
Discontinued	Item is out of stock and the manufacturer has discontinued it. We don't expect to get any additional stock for the forseeable future.

Our stock code system displays items that are in stock as circles, and out-of-stock items as squares. The colors offer more details about the exact status of the item.

In stock items: The colors are based on how many pieces of the item we have left compared with how quickly the item is selling. We are comparing the number of pieces in stock with the number of orders for the item in the last seven days. If stock levels seem to be enough to last at least one week, the circle is green. Below one week it is yellow, and below three days is orange. These colors are calculated by the current sales pace, so if that speeds up, things may go out of stock sooner. In addition, we may get new stock of items at any time, so something can go from "very low" back to "in stock" without running out. But you can never be sure.

Out-of-stock items: If customers have ordered an item that we don't have enough stock of, we place an order for that item with our suppliers. We have a monthly order cycle with many suppliers, so it can take up to two months for new stock of an item to arrive even if the supplier has it available. Items backordered for less than two months are shown with yellow squares. We will frequently get additional stock of these items. However, if more than two months have passed since we ordered an item and it's still not here, that usually means neither our supplier nor the manufacturer has it available, and it could be a very long time before more stock arrives. These are shown with red squares. If something is out of stock, but no customers have requested it, then we won't have ordered it from our suppliers either. These items are shown with gray squares, and until somebody places an order for the item, we won't have any information about how likely it is that we can get more. If we have firm information about the arrival of new supply of a backordered item, the square will become green, and we'll show the month that new stock is supposed to arrive.

Future Releases: New items that have not been released by the manufacturer yet are shown with blue squares. The month the item is supposed to be released is shown as well. In some cases, supplies of new items may be limited. If we take more preorders for an upcoming item than we expect to be able to fill based on supply information from the manufacturer we will stop accepting new orders for that item until the actual supply available is confirmed when the item is released. Such items are shown with a blue square with an 'X' in it. If we receive enough stock to fill more orders, we will begin accepting new orders at the time of release.

Discontinued items: If we run out of an item and confirm that the manufacturer will not be producing any more, it will be shown with a black square with a "jolly roger" skull and crossbones. In many cases, this means the item will never be available again. Some companies, such as Bandai and Tamiya, will have extremely long production cycles for some older items. In some cases, they may be only produced once every few years. Rather than show these items as "backorder" status for months or years at a time, we show them as discontinued until we get a new production announcement from the manufacturer.

How we assign stock to customer's orders: Overall, HobbyLink Japan assigns stock to customer's order on a "first come (ordered), first served" basis, but the principal of "first shipped, first served" also applies. The details follow:

Several times per week, we go through all customer orders in order from oldest to newest. If a customer's order is completely in stock, it will be automatically shipped. In addition, if the order is more than two months old and any part of it is available, we will make a partial shipment. However, we will also ship the orders of any customers who have requested a partial shipment of their available items.

What all this means is that if you're in a hurry to get your merchandise and don't mind the extra shipping charges, you should put the items you want quickly on separate orders, or you should regularly monitor your order status using the Account Maintenance System and ask for a partial shipment if you see any stock at all available. On the other hand, if you want to keep your shipping costs down, and don't mind waiting, go ahead and place one big order.

Lastly, regarding shipping costs, keep in mind that whenever we ship anything to a customer, we always check to see if there are any available items on any other orders in order to make the largest (i.e. most economical) shipment possible.