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Hey I'm just wondering what is the best cheap models site for shipping to Australia like Wayland or Maelstrom, or even if there is a good one in Australia, because I'm tired of GW's pricing for us and planning to order some models for cheaper (from what I've seen in Wayland, almost half price! ). This is for the total price including shipping, and I need to know quickly so I can finish at least half of my army by the end of the school holidays like I planned to...

http://defiantgaming.com/
Aussie based, but has little GW
or
Maelstorm
or FireStorm

A quick question to any of you guys in Aus, or other overseas locales for that matter, who have used Maelstrom.

How are they with the taxing situation? As in, do they send packages as 'sample' or else without any kind of invoice inside them/pricing, so that you don't get taxed?

I'm not sure how the tax situation is in Aus, but when I ordered from Wayland and it came out to S. Korea they included all the invoicing and I got wacked with a nice $50 tax bill on top of what I had already paid. It may be of course that you don't have to pay tax on overseas orders, in which case apologies for disrupting the thread.

Mines written "toys" which is what they are (Maelstorm)
I didn't get the invoice , there is no tax either. Infact in my history of online buying i never got any tax. Maybe because the seller i bought from, knew how to hide stuff but Really I never get one. And I have bought a $1000 worth of electronics...

I do however seems to remember we are"supposed" to pay a tax of some kind if it exceed a certain price

Import Duty in Australia kicks in at the $1000 mark. Order less than $1000 and you'll be fine.

Maelstrom is the place I use. Half the price, no shipping costs, can't ask for much else. They have supply/shipping delays during big sales, but that's only because GW stops them from ordering stock more than once in a week (yes, they sell that much).


Don't buy locally. No sense in paying twice what everyone pays for the same thing...

WHOOAAAAA , They sell that much? Well besides going to the FLGS and occasional purchase.HMBC is correct , don't buy anything locally in aussie, I learn it the hard hard way

Yeah, Maelstrom are worth looking into if you're not in a hurry.

Only complain I've had with them so far has been with my current order... Ordered 3 items, that were all showing as in stock, and received an email which very helpfully informed me that:

Maelstrom wrote:We have split your order.

The details of this split are included below:

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Reason For Split: Some items are not in stock

Way to be informative, guys...

So, apparently, I'm receiving some part of my order straight up. It can be a surprise when I open the package. Or something.

You got an E-mail didn't you? Would you rather they told you nothing? If they'd done that we could enjoy a different post from you, one where you complain that they didn't tell you.

H.B.M.C. wrote:You got an E-mail didn't you? Would you rather they told you nothing? If they'd done that we could enjoy a different post from you, one where you complain that they didn't tell you.

You seriously think it's unreasonable to expect that if they're going to take the time to tell me that they're not shipping my entire order (despite it having supposedly been all in stock) that they also tell me just what it is they are shipping?

And yes, I certainly would have thought it poor form for them to have not told me at all and just shipped it short. The email they sent is good service. Actually telling me what was missing from the order would have been better service.

I buy from Wayland Games, similar to Maelstrom but I find their customer service to be much better. I have had zero problems with Wayland Games and highly recomend them.

Wayland. DOOOO EEEEET!

Can anyone put paid to the rumour that if GW shipped dice with their models then the import tax would change from models to gaming pieces, and thus be dramatically cheaper?

I've used Maelstrom for the last 2-3 years and have had only 2 problems with them, both are recent.

1: Some items can take up to a month for them to get in stock and get sent out to me. My current order was put in March 27, and I did another April 5. The BL book from the first order was shipped and arrived a week ago.
The rest of the stuff has been combined into 1 order. 2 boxes of white lions were all that is left of the first order, and they have not been in stock at all since I ordered them. For heaven's sake guys - order 100 of them and get them into stock for awhile at least.

2: They only really carry the GW plastic kits. Not usually a problem but looking at doing eldar for 40k and will need autarch, farseer, pathfinders etc... none of which they have.


I'm looking at Wayland Games for my next purchase to try them out. If they are as quicker... they will get my business and keep it.

Lokyar wrote:Can anyone put paid to the rumour that if GW shipped dice with their models then the import tax would change from models to gaming pieces, and thus be dramatically cheaper?

I very much doubt it. Either way they would still be Toys, which is the actual category that the import tariffs apply to, as I understand it.

I use Wayland as their service is top notch, super fast (pre-ordered GK army, sent on release day UK and got it in within a week!) although I wait for their sales and free post offers to make the deal even sweeter :-)

Has anyone had any experience of shipping from Maelstrom to an overseas locale other than Aus?

I'm not keen on using Wayland again, they left my order sitting on a shelf for a month because I didn't pay the extra $10 on top of VAT for postage (which was illegal for them to charge in the first place if you live outside of the UK - kind of funny as I had just seen a news special on BBC iPlayer about online companies dodging VAT payments). In the end I think it was just an admin error, my email must have been lost or some such like, which was responsible for the slow turnaround and I can't really blame them for. But then the invoices were left in the box, I would have thought it was a no-brainer to take them out, so I ended up paying another $50 tax when it arrived in S Korea. And GW ain't cheap at the best of times

I'd say go with Wayland, I just got my two Assault on Black Reach box sets and a set of citadel files, took a little more than a week to arrive.

But I mean really, I could have got it from GW for $320 and spent ~$160 extra...

Though if you wanted to still get some time in the school holidays to paint n stuff you probably should have ordered a bit earlier .

The choice is yours...

insaniak wrote:

Lokyar wrote:Can anyone put paid to the rumour that if GW shipped dice with their models then the import tax would change from models to gaming pieces, and thus be dramatically cheaper?

I very much doubt it. Either way they would still be Toys, which is the actual category that the import tariffs apply to, as I understand it.

Cheers!

insaniak wrote:

H.B.M.C. wrote:You got an E-mail didn't you? Would you rather they told you nothing? If they'd done that we could enjoy a different post from you, one where you complain that they didn't tell you.

You seriously think it's unreasonable to expect that if they're going to take the time to tell me that they're not shipping my entire order (despite it having supposedly been all in stock) that they also tell me just what it is they are shipping?

And yes, I certainly would have thought it poor form for them to have not told me at all and just shipped it short. The email they sent is good service. Actually telling me what was missing from the order would have been better service.

Usually, when Maelstrom splits the order (which they seem to do alot nowadays), you'll find out what got split from what in the following dispatch emails you'll receive later. Atleast thats how I remember it goes.

I've almost exclusively used Maelstrom Games (even before it was famous!), and have been pretty good. Except lately they seem to take forever in the stocking/dispatching of orders now. I wonder if its cause they're so popular now they're inundated with orders. Not to mention GW's draconian ordering policy doesnt help much.

It's so unfortunate, since for us Aussies its near half price than what we'd pay retail, and free shipping! If you're not in a hurry, they're great. Hell, I just made a massive order in the vicinity of $200-$300 two and half weeks ago and still havent received the dispatch notice. Im getting eager, cause even though Im saving a buncha money, I made a huge order (to finish off my Orks army once and for all), and am anxious to receive it.

Afterwards, I may take my business elsewhere.

Pacific wrote:Has anyone had any experience of shipping from Maelstrom to an overseas locale other than Aus?

I'm not keen on using Wayland again, they left my order sitting on a shelf for a month because I didn't pay the extra $10 on top of VAT for postage (which was illegal for them to charge in the first place if you live outside of the UK - kind of funny as I had just seen a news special on BBC iPlayer about online companies dodging VAT payments). In the end I think it was just an admin error, my email must have been lost or some such like, which was responsible for the slow turnaround and I can't really blame them for. But then the invoices were left in the box, I would have thought it was a no-brainer to take them out, so I ended up paying another $50 tax when it arrived in S Korea. And GW ain't cheap at the best of times

Hi Pacific, you would not have been charged VAT on a ROW order whatsoever from us so I am not sure what issue you are referring to? And as it clearly says on the site, you wont be charged VAT on ROW orders but rather than remove it it will be used to subsidise the shipping costs, which I can assure are significantly more than you probably think they are.

Regarding not putting an invoice in the box, it is illegal for us to not put the invoice alongside the product when sending items cross border. And under representing the value of exports etc is fraud and it would take just one complaint to mean a fine.

Most countries have similar rules on imports because it is part of international trade laws.

In my experience, it is largely a matter of luck whether your parcel will be examined and taxed.

I received a $90 parcel of Soda Pop figures and got charged £5 import PLUS £8 fees (what a cheek). OTOH I received a $240 parcel of MERCS figures and didn't get any import taxes. Both parcels where sent to my home address. The MERCS box was much larger and more impressive.

I've received parcels at my work address with and without tax added.

It seems pretty random.

H.B.M.C. wrote:You got an E-mail didn't you? Would you rather they told you nothing? If they'd done that we could enjoy a different post from you, one where you complain that they didn't tell you.

They offered me a refund a while back, for going out of obliterator stock completely and being unable to deliver it , telling me to email them back to get the refund
Emailed them, fast forward to present day , I never got a reply or my refund

I also enquired previously about other orders, took them four days to respond and another 4 to respond after i had to give them an answer to a question they asked as a result of the first one
They've got very poor customer service

I'm going Wayland, apparentlly they have better customer service, and the shipping doesn't even add that much to the total cost, its pretty much equivalent or less than Maelstrom prices.

Waaagh_Gonads wrote:2: They only really carry the GW plastic kits. Not usually a problem but looking at doing eldar for 40k and will need autarch, farseer, pathfinders etc... none of which they have.

That'll be a moot point in a little while when there are no more metal GW kits, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Ronin wrote:I wonder if its cause they're so popular now they're inundated with orders. Not to mention GW's draconian ordering policy doesnt help much.

It's both of those. During busy periods they can be sending out 5000 orders a week. They shift a lot of GW product in these sales. GW only lets them order new stock once a week. It's an unenviable position for a retail store to be in - where demand is so high that you need to restock multiple times during the week - but it does play havoc with their delivery times.

Thanks for all these posts over one night! I think I might go Wayland if I do want these models quickly. I've actually compared to the prices at Maelstrom and it looks like Wayland might be slightly cheaper, has anyone else noticed this??

It's a half-dozen of one, and six of the other.

With my orders, there's usually only about a dollar in it overall.
(I will order one box every 5-6 months, and an odd codex/rulebook at other times. Nobody gets rich selling me gaming stuff anymore.)

www.phoenixforge.com.au

Luke's discounts, pre-orders and special starter offers are only surpassed by his top notch customer service.

This isnt a side-thing for him, it is his business and life. You can expect nothing less than the best.

Also, Luke doesnt get behind due to 'Cons, at least not without forewarning, which is alot more than some online discounters and alternative stockists can say.

I've found Wayland is great for getting your hands on Direct Only, especially when they have discounts on they can be very reasonable. Most of the orders from Maelstrom were without issue, however a couple were painful (long waits, no communication). I prefer Wayland's service and I've never had any problems with them.

rich1231 wrote:

Pacific wrote:Has anyone had any experience of shipping from Maelstrom to an overseas locale other than Aus?

I'm not keen on using Wayland again, they left my order sitting on a shelf for a month because I didn't pay the extra $10 on top of VAT for postage (which was illegal for them to charge in the first place if you live outside of the UK - kind of funny as I had just seen a news special on BBC iPlayer about online companies dodging VAT payments). In the end I think it was just an admin error, my email must have been lost or some such like, which was responsible for the slow turnaround and I can't really blame them for. But then the invoices were left in the box, I would have thought it was a no-brainer to take them out, so I ended up paying another $50 tax when it arrived in S Korea. And GW ain't cheap at the best of times

Hi Pacific, you would not have been charged VAT on a ROW order whatsoever from us so I am not sure what issue you are referring to? And as it clearly says on the site, you wont be charged VAT on ROW orders but rather than remove it it will be used to subsidise the shipping costs, which I can assure are significantly more than you probably think they are.

Regarding not putting an invoice in the box, it is illegal for us to not put the invoice alongside the product when sending items cross border. And under representing the value of exports etc is fraud and it would take just one complaint to mean a fine.

Hi there, I guess you work for the company.

Well if those are the rules I guess that's it. Although on a side note I used to work for a company that used to do a lot of international shipping, for smaller packages we used to just mark things as a sample/gift so there wouldn't be taxation involved. I can't imagine that you get too many orders to S Korea in any case.

However, I think the VAT issue could do with some transparency. Indeed, the website says that the VAT charge is used for paying international shipping costs. However, it's a little vague - I would much rather a total cost -20%, then with a confirmed amount listed as a postage charge. Even if it's not the case, there is then no chance that the purchaser feels like they are being swindled, or the company is getting creative about how it puts the sale through the books.

Pacific wrote:

rich1231 wrote:

Pacific wrote:Has anyone had any experience of shipping from Maelstrom to an overseas locale other than Aus?

I'm not keen on using Wayland again, they left my order sitting on a shelf for a month because I didn't pay the extra $10 on top of VAT for postage (which was illegal for them to charge in the first place if you live outside of the UK - kind of funny as I had just seen a news special on BBC iPlayer about online companies dodging VAT payments). In the end I think it was just an admin error, my email must have been lost or some such like, which was responsible for the slow turnaround and I can't really blame them for. But then the invoices were left in the box, I would have thought it was a no-brainer to take them out, so I ended up paying another $50 tax when it arrived in S Korea. And GW ain't cheap at the best of times

Hi Pacific, you would not have been charged VAT on a ROW order whatsoever from us so I am not sure what issue you are referring to? And as it clearly says on the site, you wont be charged VAT on ROW orders but rather than remove it it will be used to subsidise the shipping costs, which I can assure are significantly more than you probably think they are.

Regarding not putting an invoice in the box, it is illegal for us to not put the invoice alongside the product when sending items cross border. And under representing the value of exports etc is fraud and it would take just one complaint to mean a fine.

Hi there, I guess you work for the company.

Well if those are the rules I guess that's it. Although on a side note I used to work for a company that used to do a lot of international shipping, for smaller packages we used to just mark things as a sample/gift so there wouldn't be taxation involved. I can't imagine that you get too many orders to S Korea in any case.

However, I think the VAT issue could do with some transparency. Indeed, the website says that the VAT charge is used for paying international shipping costs. However, it's a little vague - I would much rather a total cost -20%, then with a confirmed amount listed as a postage charge. Even if it's not the case, there is then no chance that the purchaser feels like they are being swindled, or the company is getting creative about how it puts the sale through the books.

Pacific, I am the owner of Wayland.

I think we are absolutely transparent. How on earth can anyone think they are being "swindled" as you put it, which is an innapropriate use of the word. Perhaps though you have misunderstood what it says on our site. When you login to our site you are presented with a price and a shipping cost. You can accept that price and place an order etc. If you are in the EU will then see a VAT breakdown for the order. However if you are in the ROW there is no VAT involved in the transaction so you still pay the price you agreed. You would be severly put off if we showed the actual true cost of shipping internationally as a seperate line rather than subsidise it.


But the marking things as a gift etc when it isnt, is fraud and has severe penalties if caught. We are a professional company and operate within the law. And i wont risk this business on something so foolish.

Well, my order wasn't broken down like that - I was given an extra (minimal) bill for shipping on top of the VAT I had paid as part of the order, but my bill was a normal one and according to it I was charged for VAT. I'm not sure if that differs from how you usually operate, but I can assure you that was what I received.
Hence my request for transparency, and a broken down list of what the bill actually included. Of course I was under no illusions that the P&P to the opposite side of the world would be the 8 pounds or so, but in any case I would have preferred:

- total cost of items
- minus 20% Vat
- total shipping cost.
- item total

And I didn't mean to imply that your website is anything other than legit - I've used you many times in the past without complaint. But, you could see how someone could think that if they don't received an itemised bill of what they are paying for, and they are not 100% sure where there money is going.

Anyway, that's just my thoughts on it, if I ordered from you again it would be the kind of system I would prefer.