Help needed!!!: Shopping online

Here's what I learned:
1. First, get yourself a bank account.
2. Apply for Paypal. Some people don't trust it but actually for me, is the safest way to buy things online. Whenever you transfer your bank money to paypal, It takes 3-6 days. It may take few days but if you have patience, this wont seem a problem to you. If you dont have a bank account, ask someone because for what I know, it is also possible to have paypal without a bank account. I might be wrong, but better ask than assume.
3. Buy only to stores that has accepts paypal. like this site for example. http://www.gundamstoreandmore.com/
sometimes, it is located at the very bottom of the web-page. If you see it, go get it.
But beware, some sites look legit but are shady. Be very careful.
4. Some online shops with paypal require membership. My advice, don't apply for memberships online because your information will be scattered thus a way for identity theft. The site given to you as an example does have that option BUT you can also purchase in that site without any need of applying for a membership at all. There are also shops that require only nothing but to register online ONLY. Be very wary of that.
5. Be also aware that there are shipping fees.
6. Keep on track of your order. They email you with the tracking number of your order. Some online shops take some days to do that.

For more Info, ask for the online shop experts.

hobby stock and hobby link japan are 2 good sites for buying stuff. I have bought from both, and both are good about it

with most stores they usually wait for things to come instock then ship out. you can ask them in the coments to hold the order untill the preorder comes, then ship, or else they'll ship whats in stock first then whatever comes in latter. some shops wait a pre determened amount of time, then ship whats avalable, like said, most shops have options

not may places do COD, so ur stuck with a credit card or pay pal to over online, though you could probably ask to see if they do. easy as a bank account with paypal..

hope this helps!

using proxy if you want japan only released figures XD
if you desperate can't use paypal or credit card HLJ accept using paypal e-check no credit card needed just bank account can borrow family bank account XDD

Shopping from many sites is a good ide, because you can then take better advantage of their respective special sales. Helps reduce corrosive damage on your wallet. Hobby Link Japan and Hobby Stock are good places to shop, and here's another: Hobby Search. Only ships EMS, but can have some pretty good sales from time to time. Also, they have scans of most plastic model instructions (a very good resource). Notice the advertisements from hobby retailers on figure.fm and Dannychoo.com? Those are also good places to start your search.

In my personal experience Hobby Link Japan and Hobby Search have never done me wrong. Both have great service and costumer care, and I think they accept not only credit card but paypal too (I only used credit and debit cards, and never hada problem).

For stuff you can't get internationally, Goody Japan is the proxy I've chosen (well the only one) and it's a dang good one. Great costumer service and shipping; a tad expensive when it boils down to how much the total costs, but what proxy isn't? Besides I never regreted using them, since I got stuff from J-ebay and doujins I couldn't even dream of getting by other means (like doujins online stores).

For doujinshi you can rely on JPQueen and Happy Otaku Site; but personally doujinshi from these kind of stores can get very, very costly (JPQueen is currently not doing business as actively as before) and in some cases using a proxy might cost the same, only you get what you actually want/choose and not just settle with what the stores have, which I foolishly did at times.

AmiAmi is another great store. In my experience, their prices are significantly lower than all the other stores, so if you can get something there it's usually the best place. I get just about everything from either AmiAmi or HobbyLink Japan.

I don't think Hobbystock deals in overseas sales. Unless the items are Hobbystock exclusives, I'd recommend checking online retailers who deals in the international market, such as HobbySearch and AmiAmi.

To get Hobbystock exclusives, engaging a proxy such as Goody Japan would be recommended. Proxies typically handle the purchase process (ordering, paying, internal shipping) and then ship the item to you. It's quite costly, since you are paying a commission, internal shipping and other miscellaneous fees atop of the purchase price. Proxies can also handle mail-order exclusives or bidding on Yahoo Japan Auction.

Typically, most online retailers will ship items released on the same month together. If item A and item B are both released in December, they will be shipped together. I'd recommend that you check the retailers' FAQ to familiarize yourself on their shipping policies.

Online shopping typically requires payment before it ships. If you preorder something that would be released in April 2010, payment would usually be requested when the retailer receives the stock in April and is preparing it for shipment.

Thanks to everybody for helping me!!! I learned a lot with your advises!

I myself goes to HLJ, HS and Amiami rite now... Sometimes Otacute for those exclusives... ^_^

If a shop is only in Japanese then the chances are high that they won't ship internationally, especially for figures. If you want to use any of those you'll need to use a proxy buying service, which can be expensive, so check for availability on the English language sites people have already mentioned here first, and if you can't find something there and you really must have it, then consider using a proxy service to get it from a Japanese site.

COD is very unlikely to be available outside of Japan, so PayPal or credit card are probably your only options.

If you want those delicious exclusives, Otacute is probably the best way to go! In fact they're my back up store. They'll usually will have those figures that get sold out on the spot. (K-on and Nanoha Nendo)

Unfortunately with Otacute you CANNOT cancel an order, so you have to be sure to pay it!