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RecoverToy Shop

Our shop has been running on the internet since 1999 when Tony first started making reproduction boxes from his collection of Matchbox Lesney Toys. This category of posts relate to our on-line store including changes and updates to the store and tools for our customers.

RecoverToy Website Changes

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The RecoverToy Website and our store site are getting old, just like the operators!

We are not stopping anytime soon, but it is time for a change with the websites.

Our existing RecoverToy Store is still operating and will do some for some time while we complete our migration to a shiny new store.

Some changes are coming soon and from early next week, this information part of the site will be migrated to the new platform. In that site we will be able to provide more information about the toys that we all love to collect, repair and restore.

Our current shop site will remain active for some months to come and you will be able to continue ordering through that site with your existing accounts. No change there at the moment.

Our new RecoverToy Shop is ready for transactions and you can use it now. You will need to register a new account with the new store.

So what is different ?

The main difference is the technology and the goals of the change are numerous but the most apparent changes that impact you as customers are:

  • Stock Control
  • Better product presentation with images and product information
  • Improved payment options

Key points:

Stock Control means that we have a centralised count of our stock, which we have not had in 25 years of trading.

Stock Control means that the new store will not accept orders for items that are not in stock. We will offer a ‘Wish List’ option see you can let us know what we need to get for you, without requiring a payment up front.

Of course, we are trying hard to be accurate with stock, but to give you an idea of the metrics, we list over 5,000 product lines. So far in our manual transition to the new store, we have manually entered 3,000 products, ensuring product details are accurate and photos. As a part of that we have counted over 25,000 individual items and we are only around 50% done. It is going to take us a while longer.

Will we get it 100% accurate? Probably not. The items are frequently too small and easily dropped then lost.

Please have a look at the new RecoverToy site and store. Feel free to send us some feedback via our contact form.

We are really looking forward to being able to manage our stock and your orders.

Thanks for your ongoing support in our 25th year.

No More Small Packet Letter Post

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Australia Post, the US Government, and to a lesser extent eBay, have essentially said “No More Small Packet Letter Post”.

The impact on RecoverToy is to remove our ability to cheaply send our low value toy car parts for a realistic cost outside of Australia.

In a nutshell, the USA Government have created a law that requires all inbound mail to the USA to have specific information about the contents of the packet supplied to the USA Customs and Border Protection Service prior to the packet leaving the originating country, in our case, Australia. Read more at https://www.uspsoig.gov/document/implementing-advanced-electronic-data-challenges-and-opportunities

Australia Post, seizing the opportunity to stop small business in Australia from using letter post to send merchandise and make us use Parcel Post, have only developed a process for recording the required data for Parcels and not for small packet Letter post. Read more at https://auspost.com.au/sending/send-overseas/customs-forms-regulations/electronic-advance-data-ead

The end result of this is that all articles of merchandise from Australia to the USA and potentially other countries must be sent as parcels with a minimum cost of AU$25.00 regardless of the weight or value of the items. So a standard RecoverToy packet weighing 30grams (approx 1.5oz) and valued at AU$4.00 will cost AU$25.00 to post. Let alone the additional time processing the information with the woefully useless process Australia Post have implemented for the data capture.

Obviously, that is not a viable process. As a result we have had to:

  • suspend our RecoverToy_USA and RecoverToy_UK ebay stores from trading
  • remove all cheap international post options from our website store and eBay Australia store
  • modify the International Postage rates for our RecoverToy eBay Australia store.

The situation for any of our International customers is:

  • If you want to purchase only 1 or 2 items the postage cost will be excessive per item
  • If you want to purchase many items, then the postage cost per item will not be too bad and the more you purchase the cheaper the per item cost will be
  • All current orders will be reviewed and where practical the items will be delivered as a parcel, where this is not possible a refund will be issued.
  • Approximately 150 small packets posted in the period March 2021 to May 2021 have been returned to us today. Each of these will need to be back-traced to the order point and refunded.

At this time, we have no apparent options, although we are pursuing communication with Australia Post.

We will update this information as soon as anything changes.

RecoverToy eBay UK Store

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Our not so new RecoverToy_UK store is gradually being populated with our reproduction box listings. While we have had the RecoverToy eBay UK Store account for a number of years a lack of time has delayed us listing.

There are differences in how the UK eBay site operates and we are still coming to grips with the differences between the sites.

We will eventually list all our reproduction boxes and other items in the site so that our UK customers can deal directly in UK sterling.

RecoverToy and the Coronavirus COVID-19 2019-nCoV

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Thanks to all our customers who have asked about RecoverToy and the Coronavirus (aka COVID-19 or 2019-nCoV). We are all ok and currently healthy.

For our on-line orders, we are still trading, until instructed otherwise, and as long as the post office is open we will be posting orders on a daily basis.

All our planned markets and swap-meets have been postponed indefinitely and we are only taking on-line or phone orders. No personal collections are being processed.

We hope that all our customers remain safe and healthy through this troubling period. Look after yourself and each other.

RecoverToy new reproduction Matchbox Lesney boxes

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Matchbox 23 Ford Mustang GT 350 Box
A reproduction box for the Matchbox 23 Ford Mustang GT 350

We have added to our range of reproduction Matchbox Lesney boxes over recent weeks.

You can find a number of the later issue Superfast K style boxes have been listed.

Like a box for the Matchbox Superfast #23 Boss Mustang G.T 350 issued around 1982 and others including:

Check out our new products in the store.

RecoverToy has a large range of reproduction boxes and hundreds more that we can make. If you cannot find the box you want please send a request from our Contact page.

RecoverToy will be at Adelaide’s Mega Toy Fair in June 2016

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RecoverToy will be at Adelaide’s Mega Toy Fair in June 2016. The toy fair is open on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th of June. Opening time is 10:00.

Bring all your old diecast models that need tyres and we will fit new tyres to make that model look great.

Tyres for Matchbox Toys, Dinky Toys, Corgi Toys, Tri-ang Minic, Tri-ang Spot-On, Budgie Toys, Britains and many more. We will have our full range of tyres and tracks available.

We will be bringing some of the more common parts for Matchbox, Dinky and Corgi, but space constraints will not allow us to move everything from our store to the fair. If you have a specific part or reproduction box that you would like to get from us, please book an order now.

Our range also includes Hotwheels Redlines replacement wheels for bearing and cap style axles for models issued from 1967 until 1973.

Links:

The Mega Toy Fair Facebook page

Adelaide Showground Events page

Adelaide Showground Location page

Adelaide Showground ‘How to Get There’ page

 

 

Australia Post capitulate from small business protests

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RecoverToy was far from being the only voice complaining at the Post Office counter.

A mass of voices via Facebook and eBay forums, has seen Australia Post capitulate from small business protests.

The rule change was to the use of international letter post for small merchandise items. It was introduced on Monday 18th April 2016 and was previously unannounced. It was hidden among changes to the rates and forms for international parcels.

The fact that the back-track by Australia Post was so quick makes me wonder if it was an ambit claim, and if there had been no reaction from the people then it would be still in place.

Surely, Australia Post had figures on how many International small packet articles were being sent ? They must have known that there would be a significant impact on micro business / hobby operators.

On Tuesday 19th April in the late afternoon Australia Post advised that international letter post for merchandise had been reinstated. This means that we can post our small packet items as we have done for the 17 years that RecoverToy has been operating.

All that angst and grief for the micro business operators around the country, and it was avoidable.

Back to making reproduction antique toy boxes and toy car spares !

 

Australia Post forces suspension of trade

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Updated: Australia Post capitulates from small business protests

IMPORTANT !! We are closed due to Australia Post changing the rules !!

Australia Post has changed the rules on International Letter Post and we are currently trying to understand what this means.

It appears that where we could previously send parts and tyres for $4 per package, the new rates will be, as examples, a minimum of $16.00 to the USA, $27 to the UK, and $30 to China.

This is of course not viable for the small items that we supply to thousands of hobbyists around the world.

As a result we have suspended our trading pending a resolution from Australia Post.

The initial feedback today was that there was little chance of a change, and that Australia Post were only interested in assisting businesses that used larger parcel post.

Please feel free to complain to Australia Post and blame them for the store closure.

We have posted the above on our 2 eBay stores in Australia and the USA.

There are many issues with the changes that they introduced at 0900 on Monday 18th April 2016, the biggest issue that the changes were made without any notice to the customer. This change to international letter post was made to the Post Office counter systems, but not advised as a part of the parcel post revisions.

There are some articles that we can still post via letters, and shipping within Australia is also unchanged. But the issue for us is the 1500 eBay listings that would require postage fee updates, along with our on-line store that needs to be re-coded to adjust for the changes, that are effectively a minimum 400% increase.

Our customers will not pay $15, $20, or $30 to post $4.00 worth of merchandise and I would not ask them to.

Please feel free to get in touch to discuss the above.

Thanks for your understanding.

RecoverToy Toy Car Parts

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RecoverToy is open again!

After our lengthy shutdown in 2014 due to family illness, we re-opened in late November and are still working to catch up on orders and our stock.

This store is currently undergoing a re-design and we have to ask you to excuse the mess. Some things are not working quite right but will be back up shortly.

The RecoverToy shop with our full list of parts is available for orders.

RecoverToy provides reproduction parts, tires, tracks, and boxes for all the major brands of toys from the 1950’s, 1960’s & 1970’s including: Corgi Toys, Dinky Toys, Matchbox Lesney, Mattel Hot-Wheels, Tri-ang Spot-On and many others.