Garden Railway Forum

I have to say though if you look at some of the things they are selling and the prices, they are like 1/10th of what they should be. Sometimes if something is too good to be true, then it probably isn't true, though the PayPal but does give you a fighting chance of getting your money back.

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steamgeorge wrote: ↑Fri Nov 27, 2020 2:16 pm The price has just gone up from yesterday - only by about £4 though I think. I'm tempted too..........

I think that is because the price is in dollars, so varies according to the exchange rate

Since following the link, my Facebook feed has been inundated with adverts for this.

I too am quite curious, but a word of caution, if it is a scam then they will probably ship you something (not necessarily what you asked for) this gets around the Paypal buyer protection, because they can show a proof of delivery.

The prices are very carefully set, low enough to be attractive but not high enough that you will invest a lot of additional expense/time making a fuss if it proves to be a scam.

Nice bit of detective work by someone over on the 16mm Assoc. Facebook page found this Youtube video. The poster states the loco was handbuilt by a friend and it took 2 years...

I know labour's cheaper in that part of the world, but by my reckoning, if the same chap's building all of these he's on less than 2p an hour, and has a VERY long waiting list.

It is quite an appealing little loco...

Hi All,

I can confirm I have been dumb enough to order one of these.
I'll document what happens here; the possibility that I'll have to ask PayPal for my money back is pretty high, but what's life without a little risk?

Lovely little loco and at a great price but I'm trying to avoid buying anything from China at present.

invicta280 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:11 pm Lovely little loco and at a great price but I'm trying to avoid buying anything from China at present.

Definitely the wiser choice, but I thought I'd go for it for the common good. Everyone needs a bad example!

Yes it is a scam, good thing im not buying it!!!

Needless to say I have not had any response to my email I sent them.

Quick update: this past afternoon I received a shipment notification from the folks at hxhing.com; naturally, the tracking number they provided doesn't register literally anywhere, so this is looking more and more delightfully suspicious as time progresses.

CaptainClockwork wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:34 amthe tracking number they provided doesn't register literally anywhere, so this is looking more and more delightfully suspicious.

Not necessarily suspicious. I've often been sent 'tracking numbers' even for sensible carriers like Royal Mail, Hermes etc and they don't register until after the item has arrived, let alone the Chinese ones from obscure carriers that are impossible to trace.
I think you'll get the item eventually, but I'd be amazed if the promised delivery schedule is met, but stranger things happen.

I checked their registered office, its in London with one Director registered with a correspondence address in China, Incorporated 16th April 2020 and over sixty other companies registered at the same address. Don't know if that helps in any way.

CaptainClockwork wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:34 am Quick update: this past afternoon I received a shipment notification from the folks at hxhing.com; naturally, the tracking number they provided doesn't register literally anywhere, so this is looking more and more delightfully suspicious as time progresses.

Thanks for reporting back on your progress, I'm really intrigued. Fingers crossed for a good outcome!

Andrew.

Andrew wrote: ↑Mon Dec 07, 2020 2:50 pm
Thanks for reporting back on your progress, I'm really intrigued. Fingers crossed for a good outcome!

Andrew.

I think a 'good' outcome is extremely unlikely! But he's said he's happy with the risk...

EDIT: see below.

CaptainClockwork wrote: ↑Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:37 pm ... the possibility that I'll have to ask PayPal for my money back is pretty high, but what's life without a little risk?

The thing for me is this: assuming it is a scam (which I confirm I do assume), it's not so much about people who can afford a one-off loss of fifty quid taking a bit of risk, but more about (a) giving that fifty quid to the black market and (b) actively encouraging the scammers both to invent more scams and take money from people who can't easily afford to lose it.

CSL wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:17 pm

CaptainClockwork wrote: ↑Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:37 pm ... the possibility that I'll have to ask PayPal for my money back is pretty high, but what's life without a little risk?

The thing for me is this: assuming it is a scam (which I confirm I do assume), it's not so much about people who can afford a one-off loss of fifty quid taking a bit of risk, but more about (a) giving that fifty quid to the black market and (b) actively encouraging the scammers both to invent more scams and take money from people who can't easily afford to lose it.

That's a completely valid way to look at this, and I do agree that this isn't something I would actively encourage others to do, but I like to think that I'm helping to educate the public, if only a little. If this does indeed prove to be a scam, I have a paper trail to prove it as such, so if and when the next scammer tries to hit the garden railway community, we're that much more aware and on our guard.
And hey, on the very small off-chance that this ISN'T a scam, it'll at least make for an interesting story.

CaptainClockwork wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:10 pm That's a completely valid way to look at this, and I do agree that this isn't something I would actively encourage others to do, but I like to think that I'm helping to educate the public, if only a little. If this does indeed prove to be a scam, I have a paper trail to prove it as such, so if and when the next scammer tries to hit the garden railway community, we're that much more aware and on our guard.
And hey, on the very small off-chance that this ISN'T a scam, it'll at least make for an interesting story.

Ian
Assuming you paid through PayPal, you should be protected. I've found PayPal to be very forthcoming on the occasions when goods I'd paid for failed to turn up. I do hope it all works out and your loco (and the track...) arrives, though.

Rik

As per my post on the first page, I still have not had a response from my email to them, but maybe they are just very busy.