So i bought some Tamiya enamels off Ebay...

[Monty]

I prefer to use enamels for almost all of the detailing I do, and Tamiya has a few enamel colors in their 10 ml bottles that don't seem to be available in bottle or tinlet (Humbrol) form from other mfrs.  (I tend to avoid purchasing rattle cans whenever possible).

I believe the Ebay seller I bought these paints from is in Hong Kong, and while their listing does stipulate that the product will probably take well over a month to arrive, that just seems curious given Hong Kong's status as hub for international business.  I think Marco Polo walked from Italy to China in that amount of time. 

The shipping/tracking seems kinda iffy too.  No known international shippers (DHL etc), just something called Winit, which doesn't appear to offer much info on the package's status: 

Tracking details

Winit tracking #ID18104603566348TW

• Dec 10, 2018
• 17:01pm

• Picked up Package from Origin
•  

• Dec 2, 2018
• 04:27am PST

• Tracking number provided

I ran the tracking # through their site and wasn't able to glean much except, again, a very loose time frame for delivery.

In retrospect, I probably should have asked this board if there was a better source for these paints, but here we are.    

 

[niteowl7710]

Seller is from Taiwan, not Hong Kong. Or at least that's where that package is coming out of as "TW" designates it a Chungwha Post which is the Taiwanese Postal Service.

As far as shipping time goes, well it's enamel paint and that's considered flammable HazMat by the International Postal Treaties, so you may literally waiting on the slow boat from China to come in as it will have to be shipped via Surface Routes if the seller was honest. If not it'll probably take a week or two, i find a lot of International sellers pad out their shipping times simply because if it shows up in 15 days, when you go to fill out the feedback you'll check off that part where it says "Did it arrive by xzy", and it keeps people from filing PayPal disputes when they don't get their package from halfway around the world in 2 business days. 

Edited December 12, 2018 by niteowl7710

[Monty]

My only other international purchase was several years ago when I bought some aqueous Gunze Sangyo paints from a store in Australia because they had been pulled from the US market.  That shipment took under two weeks.  Based solely on that, I assumed shipments from most centers of business (in this case Taiwan) would be equally prompt.  Obviously you know a lot more about this stuff than I could ever hope to.  Very informative.  Thanks!

[TomZ]

Everything I've ever bought from there takes a month to get here. I suspect that a group of sellers collectively load a huge shipping container and send it over on a ship. I haven't bought anything as obscure as Tamiya enamels. but I've bought loads of small items like droppers and makeup brushes.

[Dave Van]

6 to 10 weeks easy........and yes....their tracking sucks and does not cover the USA......

[fumi]

It appears the seller is using a cargo forwarder which groups packages together and ship once a week.

It is Christmas season now, expect longer shipping time than usual.  Given that Chunghwa Post picked up the package on Dec 10, you will probably receive it the week after Christmas.

[fumi]

8 hours ago, Monty said:

I believe the Ebay seller I bought these paints from is in Hong Kong, and while their listing does stipulate that the product will probably take well over a month to arrive, that just seems curious given Hong Kong's status as hub for international business.  I think Marco Polo walked from Italy to China in that amount of time. 

My personal experience is that packages sent to me from the US by First Class International will take around 10 days to leave the US from the time USPS received the package, and delivered to me within 3 days after it arrived Hong Kong.

Packages I send to the US by e-Express will take 3 days to leave Hong Kong after I posted it, and moves around within the USPS system for up to a month before the recipient receives it.

While your package is sent from Taiwan, I would expect similar delivery time for you as Winit is using Chunghwa Post as its forwarding agent.

[fumi]

3 hours ago, Dave Van said:

6 to 10 weeks easy........and yes....their tracking sucks and does not cover the USA......

Depends on what shipping service is chosen.  If I ship to the US by e-Express (under 2 kg) or Speedpost the packages are fully trackable.  If I ship by registered or air parcel then it is not trackable once it leaves Hong Kong.

As for why registered is untrackable, you can thank USPS for that.

[Dave Van]

I've gotten items in 10 days from China or HK. But MOST take much longer. And yes....tracking depends on whom used.....but I never get tracking into USA with Winit.....thx

[randyc]

My wife ordered some rings off ebay from China.   It was well over 35 days and one showed up so late she had forgotten all about it.    When I contacted seller, tehy did reply to please continue to wait that things were going slowly at customs or whatever.  So about your only choice is to wait it out?  

Hope it comes sooner than later.