Anyone try hombz.com?

tdhbr

I stumbled across a site called www.hombz.com. I found #10219 Maersk Train listed for $87.88, #10218 Pet Shop and #10217 Diagon Alley for $99.99, among other things.

Does anyone have any experience shopping here? It's close to the "too good to be true" line, but I'm tempted to order a couple of trains to try it out.

andystar

Sounds like a drop-ship scam to me, always be careful of currently available sets at deep discounts like this from websites and ebay.

ColoradoBricks

They seems to be in business for 6 months, mixed reviews. Still look shady to me... you better you paypal for buyer protection

BrickDancer

Tried them out for 1 Maersk, the max limit. Came out to $102.88 shipped ($15 shipping!). And yes I most certainly did use my Paypal account. The buyer reviews of the site have been mixed. So will let you guys know what happens.

ColoradoBricks

@BrickDancer, let us know of the progress, I see some reviews of people having their item cancelled after it was shipped. I bought 1 Maersk last night from [email protected], came to 111.9 (with local taxes and after 10%/Double VIP). $9 saved is still a good saving if it is legit store.

thornie

Last time I found an online independent store that sold LEGO at low prices it was a dropshipping scam. Luckily for me I paid paypal and was able to get my money back when the seller cancelled the shipment while in transit.

BrickDancer

Just testing them out, since the saving works out to about 10%. Didn't want to risk waiting for BF on it to grab an extra. But lets just say they better hope the set arrives in fast and in good condition without dropship scam. Or else it will be the Brickset Effect waiting to strike their website down!

::Hombz trembling in boots:: LoL =)

lannyjack

They have the Pet Shop for 99. The site screams shady to me though. Its all expensive products with really big discounts - Keurig coffee makers, kitchen aid mixers and Lego.

My gut feeling is that its too good to be true, but I like to be proven wrong. :)

Bandit

There is absolutely no way this all isn't just stolen merchandise or a drop shipping scam.

From a review on the web:
"Product is as described; received in a timely manner; only confusion is that it was shipped directly from the manufacturer with a billing name and address that was unknown to me. I thought at first it was an error."

Lol, yeah, I would call that an error all right. Prepare to be blacklisted from whatever site they stole it from, and then either enjoy your stolen goods or prepare to waste a ton of time and energy trying to get everything resolved.

BrickDancer

^Innocent until proven guilty?

It was a pittance of a savings on the Maersk at 10%, was doing it to test the site. I would save more in a few weeks on BF sale since the 10% is automatic plus 5% VIP and all the bonus goodies. So that wasn't the reason.

Either way, it's not that much effort to resolve with TLG if it is a drop scam. Just mail it back and get a refund through paypal. But at least we can cross another e-seller off the list for everyone to know.

absolut3

They are 100% drop ship scam. I know because I've bought from them before.

Little3piggies

Someone please educate me-- i know what drop shipping IS but how is it wrong? Are u assuming that every drop shipper uses stolen credit cards? I've always wondered this. Thanks!

nkx1

^Go

Little3piggies said:

Someone please educate me-- i know what drop shipping IS but how is it wrong? Are u assuming that every drop shipper uses stolen credit cards? I've always wondered this. Thanks!

Unless the credit card is stolen and/or being otherwise utilized in an unscrupulous manner, how exactly would a drop shipper make money? While I'm unwilling to spend the time to dig up a specific example, I recall reading on multiple occasions people reading the shipping manifest and discerning the amount they paid was less than that shown on the manifest. That may confirm drop-shipping Lego is a scam. I've never heard of Lego being legitimately sold via this channel (drop shipping).

BrickDancer

absolut3 said:

They are 100% drop ship scam. I know because I've bought from them before.

Did you call Lego and confirm? Did they use fraudulent or stolen CC?

@Little3piggies has a point. We usually think about it from the shady illegal side, but what if they are indeed doing dropship delivery but using all legitimate means for buying/selling with their own account? Would it still be wrong?

Amberyl

What construct would possibly lead to drop-shipping being profitable if the seller was using legitimate means?

Bandit

I think the proof is 100% there for everyone to see, personally. What more proof do you need?

1. Crappy, fly by night looking website, with no listed physical address.
2. Nonsensically cheap prices for items that you can be 100% sure they'd be *losing* money on if they acquired the items legitimately.
3. They don't accept credit cards, only PayPal.
4. There are reviews on the web stating they do the dropship scam.

Good luck though! :)

Bandit

Of course they use stolen credit cards to drop ship. How else would they be making any money selling these sets at these prices?

Bandit

Amberyl said:

What construct would possibly lead to drop-shipping being profitable if the seller was using legitimate means?

Well, if they were selling them for way more than they could buy them for they could be profitable, but since they're selling for less than those sets are and have ever been available for, that is impossible.

ColoradoBricks

The hombz.com domain expires in 6 weeks (12/5/12), in case it is not renewed, it was not created anonymously:
Geisler, Dean [email protected]
HOMBZ
17595 Harvard Suite C #3251
Irvine, California 92614
United States
+1.9498126916
Could be bogus info, but worth reporting if you are filling a complaint.

nkx1

^Haha, that's about 3 miles from my house. I mapped the address, and it's a retail shopping center. In fact, I've shopped at the Ralph's grocery store there quite a bit.

BrickDancer

^^Great work Detective Colorado! If Paypal fails me, I'm driving over there with my complaint. lol =)

absolut3

@BrickDancer Yes I called lego and yes it was stolen credit card.

BrickDancer

Guess what folks? My paypal payment got canceled. I think the jury has made its decision

Hombz.com. = FAIL

tdhbr

Thank you all!! The Brickset community is fantastic!

adol7

I love the fact that I once registered a domain name that had "lego" in it and was immediately threatened with a cease & desist. Meanwhile, a store can live on and sell LEGO with other people's credit cards without being shut down. :(

Lego

The prices seem very too good to be true, just wanted to know if any of you purchased from them before.

ColoradoBricks

Check out this thread on that site.

Lego

Sorry, should have checked that before.