HLJ Service Overview

Q: What is HobbyLink Japan?

A: HLJ is an Internet mail-order business based in Japan which ships Japanese hobby products, toys and publications to customers all over the world. HLJ was started by and is currently headed by Scott T. Hards. An American who became involved in the hobby industry while living in Japan (writing for Model Graphix magazine, in charge of the Aero Detail series of books on WWII aircraft, and doing other translations and international projects), Scott got tired of people outside of Japan asking him to send kits because they were not available overseas, or priced at absurd levels. So in 1995, he started a business to do just that.

Since then, HobbyLink Japan has grown steadily, and as of mid-2007, it has a full-time staff of 21 people, some of whom are shown here.

Q: Just how low are HLJ's prices?

A: It depends on the item, but HLJ's prices are generally 20-50% lower than in North America or Europe when converted into the local currency. These are not special discount prices, but simply the Japanese retail price. Even with the higher shipping costs from Japan, most products are still quite a bit lower than when acquired outside of Japan.

Q: Your prices are in yen! How am I supposed to pay? Do I have to go get yen or something?

A: No. Any major credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) can be used for payment. You can also use PayPal, or if desperate, a money order or cashier's check. We will charge your credit card in yen, and your card issuer will do the conversion to your local currency for you. A convenient currency conversion pull-down on each catalog page shows you about what you'll expect to pay in your local currency, too.

Q: Isn't shipping going to cost a fortune and take forever?

A: Since shipping usually involves crossing one or more oceans, it naturally costs more than domestic mail-order, and it takes longer. But again, we think the price difference and selection will make it worth it for you! How much time it takes depends on where you live, but 1-3 weeks for SAL shipments to most countries, and one week or less for EMS shipments is typical. Complete shipping details are available to give you a good idea of costs and to help you choose the shipping method that best meets your needs.

Q: What about import duty and taxes?

A: For U.S. customers, there is no import duty or taxes on hobby items or toys. Customers in other countries will usually have to pay import duty and possilbly other fees, however. This varies greatly from nation to nation. Individual customers will just have to determine whether ordering from HLJ makes economic sense after such duty is imposed on their shipment.

Q: How do I know what's in stock? Is everything listed on these pages always available?

A: Unfortunately not. Many of the items shown on our pages are almost always in stock. But a good portion of them are either low-production "garage kits" or "spot production" items which are only manufactured once every few months, or even longer! That's just the nature of the hobby industry. The stock status of the items in our database are currently shown in our search engine results, and after you place an order, you can check the availability of what you've ordered at any time using our Account Maintenance System. We've posted comments regarding availability of the kits you can order to give you an idea of what's out there and what's just wishful thinking. Availability of hobby products can be very spotty, but we're happy to watch backorders for our customers, and ship things when they do become available, even if that means waiting for months.

Q: Okay, how do I order?

A: It's easy! While browsing our product catalog, just click the "Buy this item" buttons that you'll see on the product pages, just like most other Internet mail-order sites. When you've selected your final item, click on the "Go to Checkout" button to confirm your purchases, and then proceed to the check-out page. Before you get started, however, please read our Policies Page to make sure that you understand some of the details of how we operate to avoid unpleasant surprises.

If you have any other questions, please e-mail questions@hlj.com

Scott T. Hards
President