How long should it take to get wheels from Japan?
#1
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Thread Starter
How long should it take to get wheels from Japan?
I ordered a set of AME wheels from a shop in California around December 17. They originally said they should take about a month to build then a week to ship from Japan. That came and went and they said it would be about another month. That has passed. Last they said was that 3 out of 4 wheels were done and they were finishing the last one.
I'm starting to feel like I'm getting the runaround and might be getting ripped off. Before I bought from them, I checked their listing with the Better Business Bureau and they didn't have any complaints. They also had a following on Facebook with a few hundred customers on there, so they look legit. But we're coming up on 3 months, which seems like a long time.
I'm starting to feel like I'm getting the runaround and might be getting ripped off. Before I bought from them, I checked their listing with the Better Business Bureau and they didn't have any complaints. They also had a following on Facebook with a few hundred customers on there, so they look legit. But we're coming up on 3 months, which seems like a long time.
#2
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3 months to make 4 wheels? unless AME has some serious production issue.
i have had a lot of jdm wheels, pretty much all of them arrived in 4-6 weeks. granted, that's on the fast side, coz' they already had all the face and barrels, but it can't that that long to build a wheels, like i said unless they have serious production issue.
i used air ship, a lot faster and predictable. if you ask me, high chance what happens is the wheels are on a cargo waiting to be filled, and then ocean freight over. they will just wait until the cargo is full before shipping (to dilute the shipping cost). if your wheels are the first thing to go into cargo, good luck. if it's the last item, you are in luck.
that's just my guess. could be some other things i don't know. but i am talking about my experience
i have had a lot of jdm wheels, pretty much all of them arrived in 4-6 weeks. granted, that's on the fast side, coz' they already had all the face and barrels, but it can't that that long to build a wheels, like i said unless they have serious production issue.
i used air ship, a lot faster and predictable. if you ask me, high chance what happens is the wheels are on a cargo waiting to be filled, and then ocean freight over. they will just wait until the cargo is full before shipping (to dilute the shipping cost). if your wheels are the first thing to go into cargo, good luck. if it's the last item, you are in luck.
that's just my guess. could be some other things i don't know. but i am talking about my experience
#3
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That makes sense. If that's the case, I'd rather they just tell me they're waiting for the container to fill before they ship. I can't imagine it taking 3 months to make 4 wheels. At that rate, they're only putting out 16 wheels a year.
#5
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I waited 3 months for my SSRs. But the guy at the wheel shop told me up front how long the wait was going to be so it wasn't an issue.
I ordered a set of AME wheels from a shop in California around December 17. They originally said they should take about a month to build then a week to ship from Japan. That came and went and they said it would be about another month. That has passed. Last they said was that 3 out of 4 wheels were done and they were finishing the last one.
I'm starting to feel like I'm getting the runaround and might be getting ripped off. Before I bought from them, I checked their listing with the Better Business Bureau and they didn't have any complaints. They also had a following on Facebook with a few hundred customers on there, so they look legit. But we're coming up on 3 months, which seems like a long time.
I'm starting to feel like I'm getting the runaround and might be getting ripped off. Before I bought from them, I checked their listing with the Better Business Bureau and they didn't have any complaints. They also had a following on Facebook with a few hundred customers on there, so they look legit. But we're coming up on 3 months, which seems like a long time.
#6
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iTrader: (2)
I've ordered Volks before for customers and I've had it take anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months...
I would assume they build the parts in bulk and if they have all the parts laying around they can put em together pretty quickly, then it just depends on shipping, as people above have already noted...
If they don't have all the parts (correct barrels and/or faces) laying around, it may be a while before they do another production run...
I would assume they build the parts in bulk and if they have all the parts laying around they can put em together pretty quickly, then it just depends on shipping, as people above have already noted...
If they don't have all the parts (correct barrels and/or faces) laying around, it may be a while before they do another production run...
#7
I've ordered Volks before for customers and I've had it take anywhere from 4 weeks to 6 months...
I would assume they build the parts in bulk and if they have all the parts laying around they can put em together pretty quickly, then it just depends on shipping, as people above have already noted...
If they don't have all the parts (correct barrels and/or faces) laying around, it may be a while before they do another production run...
I would assume they build the parts in bulk and if they have all the parts laying around they can put em together pretty quickly, then it just depends on shipping, as people above have already noted...
If they don't have all the parts (correct barrels and/or faces) laying around, it may be a while before they do another production run...
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#9
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Going on 6 months and still no wheels. Last time I talked to them, they said my wheels were in a container on a ship when the earthquake hit and everything had to be re-inspected. That was almost 3 months ago. Seems pretty hard to believe a ship has been sitting at port for 3 months.
#10
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Going on 6 months and still no wheels. Last time I talked to them, they said my wheels were in a container on a ship when the earthquake hit and everything had to be re-inspected. That was almost 3 months ago. Seems pretty hard to believe a ship has been sitting at port for 3 months.
#12
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Going on 6 months and still no wheels. Last time I talked to them, they said my wheels were in a container on a ship when the earthquake hit and everything had to be re-inspected. That was almost 3 months ago. Seems pretty hard to believe a ship has been sitting at port for 3 months.
#13
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Thread Starter
I would suspect I'm being ripped off. But they have an A+ Better Business Borough rating and I can't find a single reference to them scamming anyone online when I google them. They also have a fairly large following on facebook and host a lot of local meets in SoCal. So they seem reputable. But they'd be a lot more reputable if I had my wheels.
#14
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So after 8 months, I finally have this resolved. I wrote to AME North America a month ago. They checked into it and apparently my wheels were never ordered.
As best I can tell, the place I ordered through (Flawless Rides in San Diego) took my order then sat on my money. When I ordered them, they were running a promotion for 25% off any order. That put my wheels at $2,600 delivered, which the guy at AME NA later told me is less than even he can order them for.
My best guess is he was hoping the exchange rate would get better and he could order them without losing money. I would have preferred he cancelled my order and saved me 8 months.
The good news is I finally got a refund today, so it wasn't a complete disaster. The distributer for AME also imports Work and gave me a deal on a set of Work wheels to make up for it. They should be here in 2-3 months. Assuming, of course, the universe doesn't truly hate me.
As best I can tell, the place I ordered through (Flawless Rides in San Diego) took my order then sat on my money. When I ordered them, they were running a promotion for 25% off any order. That put my wheels at $2,600 delivered, which the guy at AME NA later told me is less than even he can order them for.
My best guess is he was hoping the exchange rate would get better and he could order them without losing money. I would have preferred he cancelled my order and saved me 8 months.
The good news is I finally got a refund today, so it wasn't a complete disaster. The distributer for AME also imports Work and gave me a deal on a set of Work wheels to make up for it. They should be here in 2-3 months. Assuming, of course, the universe doesn't truly hate me.
Last edited by Yes; 08-01-11 at 05:24 PM.