Site: www.batmintonchain.com

They accept Paypal, and major credit Card. their site is secure with 128 bit SSL

I bought my Yonex MP-88 for $110 USD (dollar) Shipping is $16-19 so My total cost was $128 USD.

They're new store, I email them and ask a whole bunch of question. About Grip size and If they include string. They recently updated their website to include string option with racket.

Yonex

MP 100 - $110 USD only 2U G4 grip
MP 88 - $110 USD
MP 77 - $95 USD

Ti 10 - $105 USD only 2U G4 grip (that what they told me)
Ti 8 - $90
Ti 7 light and long(original version) - $90
Ti- 6 $80

Ti - Swing Power $125
MP 99 $160

what is the region code on your racquet? SP i presume? do you have any pictures of your racquet? Just a bit curious...

prices look good... though i wonder if they could be fakes? If they are a new store selling sp racquets, it's probably bough from overseas where fakes are plentiful. They might not be able to tell the difference between good fakes and real, and end up selling you a fake unintentionally. What would you do then?

yeah that would be very awful...that's why i wanna see how his racquet looks like.

Yea true. I think my mp-88 looks real enough, It said SP on the racquet. They are currently selling 3 racquet on eBay, thats how i found out about their site. They are new at eBay also, so no feeback yet, so i guess you we can wait for feeback to see what other says about the racquet.

These guys are located in Singapore so it would stand to reason that the racquets would be SP-designated.

Hi,

all the rackets are not fake ... i wont use SSL on my site if my rackets are fake ... because I have to submit all important documents (address, passport, IC) to the SSL company in order to get a authentic site certificate + 128 SSL.

I also advertise at overture (yahoo + msn + aol etc) they also require me to prove that all the stuff I sell is for real (including the invoices from where I bought the items)

The reason I got it cheap is because I purchase in bulk of 100 rackets ... and I dont profit much out of it.

and yes the rackets are all in SP.

and the phone number listed is also for real ...

just out of curiousity... y is the MP 99 $160 when the MP 100 is only $110?

That's the actual price that my supplier given me ... and I believe anywhere in Singapore the price of MP99 is more expensive than 100.

Originally posted by swijaya0101
Hi,

all the rackets are not fake ... i wont use SSL on my site if my rackets are fake ... because I have to submit all important documents (address, passport, IC) to the SSL company in order to get a authentic site certificate + 128 SSL.

I also advertise at overture (yahoo + msn + aol etc) they also require me to prove that all the stuff I sell is for real (including the invoices from where I bought the items)

The reason I got it cheap is because I purchase in bulk of 100 rackets ... and I dont profit much out of it.

and yes the rackets are all in SP.
If you read my post, I said that you might be selling fakes unintentionally; i wasn't accusing you of purposely selling fakes. If you are getting yours from the Yonex supplier than that should not be an issue. I presume we'll get a refund if we do get a fake or broken etc etc racquet right? Shipping overseas could be dangerous. BTW, no shipping information on your site! Info for Canada, UK, Hk, and Swden will be much appreciated by your shoppers :).

Btw, how would you even yahoo etc even know the racquets are real? Many BFers need help identifying real from fakes, and I doubt clerks at microsoft will be another better.

As for SSL: I've gotten two SSL certificates from my websites in the past without providing *any* information. Not even email. It was for my site but not under my name though... i got my host to do it for me so they only have my host's info. The privacy agreements prevent my host from disclosing my details unless compelled to by US law enforcement.

I hope you don't think i'm accusing you of selling fakes... I'm not. I myself would buy from you. (well, more likely to when you post shipping info for canada :p.) What I am saying is that people need to be careful when buying over the net, as there been many instances of fakes being sold to those not careful enough.

a couple more comment on your site:
you only supply bg 65 or 66 string? I would seriously consider adding to the list, especially 68ti, 80, 85, and 88ti. You also need to mention what tensions you are willing to string them at. More shipping info would help make jittery shoppers feel more secure: how you will box it, how long it takes, what happens if racquet arrives broken, shipping fees, brokerage fees, etc. Remember, the more complete your site is, the more reputable it'll look.

Btw, i'm surprised so many people visit BF!

PPS, what is your relation with Trademark14? It's very very unusual for someone to sign up with BF to ONLY advertise a site. And to advertise that site on the day s/he signs up. I think that might even be against BF rules as well.

>As for SSL: I've gotten two SSL certificates from my websites in the past without >providing *any* information. Not even email. It was for my site but not under my >name though... i got my host to do it for me so they only have my host's info. The >privacy agreements prevent my host from disclosing my details unless compelled to >by US law enforcement.

agreed if you only need an SSL, but for authentic site, you will have to fax them all your important documents.

if you mouse over on my SSL, it will display all information about me .... I believe your SSL wont have it.

>PPS, what is your relation with Trademark14? It's very very unusual for someone to >sign up with BF to ONLY advertise a site. And to advertise that site on the day s/he >signs up. I think that might even be against BF rules as well.

seriouslly ... i dont have any relation at all with him ... you could ask Kwun to check whether his IP is the same as me ... which I can assure you it wont happen .... Especially I know that vbulletin has a function to compare all users Ip address.

I did advertise before at BadmintonCentral and I was warned by him (maybe you can find on 2nd or 3rd page with title no commercial advertising) ... so I will not do it again ... otherwise I would be banned here.

as for the shipping, I leave those things to my vendor directly .... so I still need feedback from my customers as well ... but they are all insured ...

for the new shipping, they will all come with badmintonchain.com logo in the box (just finish the printing of all the boxes).

btw, thanks for your input ...

I just visited your auctions on eBay. May I ask why you make them Private Auctions (that is, ``bidders' identities protected'' or not shown). I can understand the purpose of private auctions for sensitive materials (adult movies) or high-priced items (luxury/collector's cars, houses). But badminton racquets? Hmm ...

Err the site does not work? :)

sure ... I will make it public by tomorrow night.

yodum, it's due to a daily back-up.

how about this ... free MP77 if you could apply authentic site + SSL at InstantSSL without submitting your documents for commercial use ...

Originally posted by Yodums
Err the site does not work? :)

The original poster misspelled the address of the website. Should be www.badmintonchain.com not www.batmintonchain.com.

Phil

Tammy,

I attached you my conversation with ebay live chat .... there is no way I could change it to public ... but next time i will surely do it public.

Thanks Phil.

Are the region codes SP? I'm really interested cept what I'm worried about is the shipping. What kind of courier do you use? UPS? FedEx etc.

Yodums

can I PM you ? ... i dont want Kwun think that I do commercial advertising here.

Replied.. I just thought if you answered those questons, it'd be beneficial to everyone since they are kind of pondering about it :)

yodums,

can you help me to put my replied ...

Hello ...

shipping is different from country to country ... nothing would happen when you add the products to the cart ...

shipping would be shown after you've checked out (provide details where you are from) ... then the system will automatically calculate your flat rate shipping.

yodums,

I attached you two files regarding the picture of the box ... (note, this hasnt been wrapped yet).

Originally posted by Tammy
I just visited your auctions on eBay. May I ask why you make them Private Auctions (that is, ``bidders' identities protected'' or not shown). I can understand the purpose of private auctions for sensitive materials (adult movies) or high-priced items (luxury/collector's cars, houses). But badminton racquets? Hmm ...
eBay stronly recommends you keep the auctions private due to the scamming going on. (i.e. stealing bids or pushing down the price.) Or was it strongly recommend them public? I can't remember... :o

Originally posted by swijaya0101
yodum, it's due to a daily back-up.

how about this ... free MP77 if you could apply authentic site + SSL at InstantSSL without submitting your documents for commercial use ...
I dont think that's possible. I didn't check InstantSSL but i presume they require the documents? So far as I know, authentic site just ensures that you are who you are claiming (i.e. IBM etc.) Proof that you are who you claim you are if you are a new store isn't worth much. But we still appreciate your attempt of assuring us of your legitamcy. When your reputation grows, then that's going to be worth more than that certificate.

One of the things I look for in a specialized online store is an unedited forum where anyone can post. It shows that the owner trust his customers enough to let them say whatever they want about their store. Afterall, if you want the customers to trust you, shouldn't you trust them as well? It'll also be beneficial to you since customer will know what they want instead of buying whatever "looks good" and is inexpensive (i.e. a mp22.) Running a forum IS alot of work though and you might be subject to false statements...

Originally posted by swijaya0101
Hello ...

shipping is different from country to country ... nothing would happen when you add the products to the cart ...

shipping would be shown after you've checked out (provide details where you are from) ... then the system will automatically calculate your flat rate shipping.

yodums,

I attached you two files regarding the picture of the box ... (note, this hasnt been wrapped yet).
those look a lot sturdy that the gift-wrap kwun got at another place :D

hi bigredlemon,

thanks for your input ... i really appreciate it ...

i will try to put an unedited forum for all sales and feedback as per your suggestion ... but may be in a month time ...

do u have any other brands besides yonex?

hmm, i've been on this site for a while, but never registered until i needed to buy a racket so yup, i've been reading this site alot to get reviews on racket
ughh i dont have any relation to badmintonchain, just thought i post this store (website) up cus i recently bought a racket from their site and just wanna see if anybody else have any comment to say about this site. and plus i think they sell racket a pretty decent price so i thought i let you guys know...cus i see some people ask about cheap store.

And yea i have a suggestion too, since swijaya0101 is supposedly be the owner of store.

Racket need more details like the Grip size, is it 2U or 3U, string tension and yea need to include more string option too like Bg 65ti or any Ti string.

oh yea what was the tension you string on the MP 88?

Originally posted by trademark14
[B]Site: www.batmintonchain.com




i think you have a typo in the url... cause batmintonchain doesn't work for me..... on the other hand www.badmintonchain.com does.

how long does express shipping from SP to California take?

express using SingPost EMS is about 3-10 days ... they are all subject to your country custom clearance.

So what's the general consensus on this store? Hehe.. thinking of getting a Ti-10 and a MP100.. ^^

Seems like only 1 person from BF has bought a racquet there? @@

Calvin

Originally posted by slacker4lyfe
just out of curiousity... y is the MP 99 $160 when the MP 100 is only $110?

Originally posted by swijaya0101
That's the actual price that my supplier given me ... and I believe anywhere in Singapore the price of MP99 is more expensive than 100.

Yeah, MP99 SP in Singapore is surprisingly more expensive than MP100 SP (unlike in HK). IMHO, I'll rather add a few more dollars and get a MP90 JP from Japan!

u thinking of getting any other brand besides yonex???

i am trying too .... but I need to get all the yonex stuff first.

by end of the month we would have ashway silicon 12, 8 titanium 700, 6800
victor prodigy 501, 503
sintec ti 99, 958, mp200, pro 168

by the way whats an mp200 and fro the ti-10s are you getting ore after the first batch goes b/c i seen a low ammount of ti-10s on your site nd i was wondering so the grip size is what and about string tensions and how much shipping is to California and how many days it would take???:confused:

it's sintec brand

it's 2U G4

shipping by EMS = $34 or standard $19

both includes insurance

EMS takes about 3-10 days but usually arrive after 2-4 days
standard takes about 7-21 days but usually arrive after 7-10 days

we will get more until we run out of stock ... coz Ti-10 will be disontinued soon.

Ouch...after shipping cost ti-10s are the same as what i can get in the US without having to get it shiped out to me... sorrie but i dont think ll be etting one from you

Yes...after shipping costs.....there is no advantage to ordering from Singapore.....if anything....I think it might be more expensive

Originally posted by Gryp
So what's the general consensus on this store? Hehe.. thinking of getting a Ti-10 and a MP100.. ^^

Seems like only 1 person from BF has bought a racquet there? @@

Calvin
Gryp, tell me before you order, I might have a few friends that are interested in gettin more rackets, I'll hav em share shipping costs wif ya ;)

Originally posted by gleny67
Yes...after shipping costs.....there is no advantage to ordering from Singapore.....if anything....I think it might be more expensive
Unless you get bunch of friends together and make a big bulk purchase. Also you get 5% discount for $500+ orders too. :D

Originally posted by gleny67
Yes...after shipping costs.....there is no advantage to ordering from Singapore.....if anything....I think it might be more expensive

And don't forget duty and taxes (15% plus $5) imposed by Canadian customs :)

Originally posted by swijaya0101
I attached you my conversation with ebay live chat .... there is no way I could change it to public ... but next time i will surely do it public.

So that was a mistake ... My first thought was a new seller with private auctions ... What a bad combination for attracting bidders!

I've seen a few cases where dishonest sellers using private auctions and extra eBay user IDs to boost up prices. I'm glad yours was a mistake.

Good luck with your new business!

no worries tammy .... thanks for your opinion ... It help me to improve on the way I handle things.

I went ahead and put in an order for a ti-10 from badmintonchain. Total came out to 140 with shipping included.

I'll post some feedback when I get it.

I was wondering if you buy something from badminton chain and it arrive in Canada Vancouver. Do you have to pick taxes on the racket? I was thinking of getting a racket from them.

Thanks

you have to check with you local custom + tax dept.

some contries, allow you to buy certain amount from online without custom + tax.

swijaya0101, On your website I notice that you don't get to choose the grip size of the racket. G4 G5 etc.

Originally posted by dropsmash
I was wondering if you buy something from badminton chain and it arrive in Canada Vancouver. Do you have to pick taxes on the racket? I was thinking of getting a racket from them.

Thanks

You have to pay taxes if the amount is over $20 CND (15% + $5 customs fee). Since the package should be mailed insured, the store has to declare the actual value of the racquet for insurance. So you can't avoid the taxes.

For people in the US, this is not a problem. Well ... we Canadians should pay for what we get: free health care and free education :)

dropsmash ... currently our stocks are 2U G4 SP

yes we have to declare the right amount ... may be couple of dollars different only.

Originally posted by Tammy
For people in the US, this is not a problem. Well ... we Canadians should pay for what we get: free health care and free education :)
i think US is more aggressive with its tax and duty collection because of the union lobbys... though i dont know the law there about racquets so it's only i guess... from what i do know the tax and duty rate tends to be much higher for importing stuff to the US from non-preferred trading countries than we pay in canada.

also free education? pff no in Canada. Most highschools want a couple hundred dollars in administration fees. University fees go from 4k to 25k a year... its subsidised but it sure isn't free... (like in *cough* *cough* california.)

i dont think free healthcare + education is the reason ..

Australia allows up to A$300

If I am not wrong Singapore is in FTA with USA ...

hi i was just wondering has any 1 heard of the site i was thinking of buying a racket from there but not sure if they are real or a fake because they are unstrung.

has any 1 bought n e rackets from this site r they a good company.

by the way what are the grip sizes and weight of the ti 10 models.

http://www.badmintonchain.com

you should ask them. in their faq, they claim they are genuinely from Japan. Also, Keep in mind that badmintonchain is from singapore, and their shipping charge is 25 $USD

The Ti-10 is 2U G4 SP long version.

Yes they are genuine Yonex racquet .... we will not sell any fake racquet as we got them directly from the yonex supplier.

Shipping is USD$20 (insurance is included).

All brand new racquet are coming un-strung. Some are strung with low-end string as an incentive from the supplier.

yep. I;ve bought one in that online store.

coz I have just bought one (MP-100), and I got the product in just 4 days! amazing,

I'm in australia btw, are u guyz all in singapore? Are rackets that cheap over there? coz the rackets we got (me and my pal) from badmintonchain.com which is based in singapore, are genuine (definitely not fake, believe me, I'm not stupid :)),

nah i dont think its fake, come on guyz i just bought one~,

trust me, it's surprisingly cheap, you get the product in good state and better still, its quick.

am still happy as I have just received it days ago, imagine my excitement of having to spend less for a racket I cant get in any sports stores around the city in a blink of eye!

hi swijaya0101 i was wondering how do u no what verson the grip sizes are and weight do u own the shop or work there if u do i wonderin do they sell the ti 10 in g3 3u.

what rackets do u have in g3 3u and g4 3u how can i make sure cos it doesnt say on the site in ur opinion whats the best racket u got on there for about 65ish pounds.

Hello,

yes i am related with badmintonchain.com :D :D :D (i started it).

the main reason why i dont have the grip size + weight, because there are lots of combination, and it's quite hard for us to keep the stock for each of them.

we only have Ti-10 in 2U G4 ...

we have MP-100 in 3U G5, Ti-7 light in 3U, MP-77 in 3U ....

may be you could email me for more details on which brand that you are looking for ... then I will get back to you by tomorrow (Monday morning) after I've checked with my supplier.

can u chek out all the rackets that they have in the 3u g3 version wouldnt grip size g5 b to small ive never layed with that thanks a lot.

and by the wat what r the specs of the following rackets which i am intrested in.

mp 100
mp 77
ti swing power

do they do the new mp77 light?

i live in the uk do they ship there and approx how long will it take do they do refunds?
i read somewhere that the rackets r insured wat does this cover

thanks again!!

swijiya could u tell me the above things plz

insurance will cover for damages + lost during shipment require about 7-10 days investigation by our shipping vendor.

shipment to UK is around 7-14 days.

as stated in our Terms & Conditions, we dont do refund unless we caused the problem (eg. wrong order)

All racquets are checked for any defects before we put them into the box.

MP100 is in 3U G5, 2U G4
MP77 is in 3U G4
TI SP is in G4.5

let me double check on the spec and get back to you by tomorrow ...

and ... i dont think it's a good idea to do a sale at badmintonforum.com ... may be you should directly email me if you have any further questions.

i duno wat ur email ad is and wat is the weight of the ti sp i really wanted a ti10 but in 3u ne way u say u got to version of mp100 if i order that how do i choose which 1 i want

thanks again

my email is sofian@badmintonchain.com :)

I ordered from badmintonchain. Very good people.. Fast response to questions and good updates. Total time from order to receiving a racquet is a little more than two weeks. I would order from them again.

i ordered ti10 last month and won slim10 from ebay last night. based on the 2 transactions, i could tell that this store is very friendly and provide a good service. would definately recommend it to my other friends local & overseas.

Originally posted by ren
yep. I;ve bought one in that online store.

coz I have just bought one (MP-100), and I got the product in just 4 days! amazing,

I'm in australia btw, are u guyz all in singapore? Are rackets that cheap over there? coz the rackets we got (me and my pal) from badmintonchain.com which is based in singapore, are genuine (definitely not fake, believe me, I'm not stupid :)),

nah i dont think its fake, come on guyz i just bought one~,

trust me, it's surprisingly cheap, you get the product in good state and better still, its quick.

am still happy as I have just received it days ago, imagine my excitement of having to spend less for a racket I cant get in any sports stores around the city in a blink of eye!

Does this sound slightly too good to be true? If Badmintonchain get their racquets directly from the Yonex supplier why don't they have an account with Yonex (they don't according to Yonex Japan) and why don't they have any sort of returns policy?

Not sure how this thread 'Badminton Store [Cheapest One]' became a thread on the merits of buying from a single store, but hey, these things happen. ;)

Like all successful products, you are going to get imitations and fakes - Yonex is no exception. If you purchase directly from a reputable badminton retailer then you are always going to receive a bona fide 100% original racket.

If you want to buy the cheapest possible racket then you increase your chance of getting a forgery. Of course, not all are fakes - but Yonex don't give the rackets away to the retailers so anyone selling at below the trade price either have a very very good deal or have not purchased from Yonex (if you get my drift).

Jonathan.

www.badders.com (http://www.badders.com) - the badminton community
www.badders.net (http://www.badders.net) - the badminton store

Originally posted by Badders
Not sure how this thread 'Badminton Store [Cheapest One]' became a thread on the merits of buying from a single store, but hey, these things happen. ;)

Like all successful products, you are going to get imitations and fakes - Yonex is no exception. If you purchase directly from a reputable badminton retailer then you are always going to receive a bona fide 100% original racket.

If you want to buy the cheapest possible racket then you increase your chance of getting a forgery. Of course, not all are fakes - but Yonex don't give the rackets away to the retailers so anyone selling at below the trade price either have a very very good deal or have not purchased from Yonex (if you get my drift).

Jonathan.

www.badders.com (http://www.badders.com) - the badminton community
www.badders.net (http://www.badders.net) - the badminton store

Your hint seems to be drifting in two directions; might they be received from Yonex if not purchased (if you get my drift)?

Originally posted by Badders


If you want to buy the cheapest possible racket then you increase your chance of getting a forgery. Of course, not all are fakes - but Yonex don't give the rackets away to the retailers so anyone selling at below the trade price either have a very very good deal or have not purchased from Yonex (if you get my drift).


The problem is, how we are going to know the "trade price"? I assume such price will be greatly varied via geo. region, demand, # of ordering, status of dealership, etc.

For example, say if I was told by a US dealer (very small store front) that his "incoming" price is USD$60 for a particular model. Then, I might find www.bbesports.com (reputable dealer in china) selling this one for USD$50 in retail. Can I just claim BBE selling fake then? Of course, not. ;)

Sorry...I wasn't very clear :)

The key here is reputable. If you trust the retailer then you will be fine, it is buying from a more unpredictable unknown source that could raise a few issues.

If the sale price is well below the Yonex trade price then the vendor will be making a loss. Loss leaders aside (which can't be sustained) this is not possible.

Trade price varies from region to region and larger resellers will be able to obtain extra margin as well. The simple formula here is to compare similar retailers in similar regions.

But, if the deal looks to good to be true, it probably is!

Jonathan.

The problem is, how we are going to know the "trade price"? I assume such price will be greatly varied via geo. region, demand, # of ordering, status of dealership, etc.


LB, that depends on the market.

i know in some market, and i think at least in the US/UK, Yonex actually sets a MSRP that dealer must obey. ie. Yonex says "don't sell this racket below US$100". so in the US, you see that most stores have similar prices.

this is what a local US retailer friend told me. eggroll you can correct me if i am wrong about this.

while in some countries like in HK, Yonex does not set a fixed price. the retailers are free to set a price for all the items. usually a retailer will be happy to make say, HK$100 for a racket. so they will sell them just HK$100 above what they pay Yonex. however, the thing with Yonex HK is that the wholesale price fluctuates due to various factors, one is the exchange rate. so as a result, the prices of HK rackets goes up and down every month/week. i was told this by another retailer friend in HK.

Kwun is partially correct for the UK. Most places stick to the MRP but only the online based suppliers seem to be cheaper. If you purchase from a shop the max difference is going to be 10% cheaper than the MRP. I would suggest that the best online price in the UK is about 20% cheaper than the MRP.

Originally posted by kwun


i know in some market, and i think at least in the US/UK, Yonex actually sets a MSRP that dealer must obey. ie. Yonex says "don't sell this racket below US$100". so in the US, you see that most stores have similar prices.



I see.

However, I think there are should be "2 levels" of MSRP, right? The 1st one is usually being listed in manufacture's site or catalog, and the 2nd one (usually lower) is the "real one" to be obeyed. This way, the buyer can feel like they are given a "specially good" deal.

I got this idea from the car market. Generally, no one will pay the MSRP being listed on the sticker, and everyone should more or less settle down for a deal less than the MSRP.

Originally posted by LazyBuddy
I see.

However, I think there are should be "2 levels" of MSRP, right? The 1st one is usually being listed in manufacture's site or catalog, and the 2nd one (usually lower) is the "real one" to be obeyed. This way, the buyer can feel like they are given a "specially good" deal.


it depends on the expectation. if the consumer "expects" to get a lowered price like in cars, then yes.

but most badminton sales in the US don't have bargaining/discount, esp via online retailer, then posting a higher price will actually drive away potential customers.

unless they do what some retailers does: artificially inflate the price and then introduce a fake "discount" to make the consumer have that "i got a good deal" feeling. which is ok, but in actual terms, the consumer isn't getting anything special.

Like I said previouslly to someone who emailed me:

Most of stores in Singapore does not have an account with Sunrise. Only most of the big stores like eworldofsports, sportlink etc will have an account with Sunrise.

Most of the stores here take their goods from Sunrise parallel exporter!!! so if you are telling me selling fakes ... it means that Yonex itself is selling fakes!!!

ynexfan2003: you can ask all singapore yonex fans ... anyone of them ever get an exchange when their rackets are broken?

tell me if there is and help me to exchange it and i'll pay them 50% ... i have few broken rackets myself!

it is true what swijaya says.

in HK, no one expects to get warranty for badminton rackets. you buy it and unless there is some obvious flaws that one should spot before leaving the shop, the sales is final and no one will expect to bring it back.

and i think it is a case of you get what you paid for. rackets are cheaper in many of those countries, and the consumer gets less rights (ie. warranty) as a result of the cheaper prices.

in the US, prices are higher but the consumer is covered by a warranty.

sounds fair to me.

S Wijaya,
It seems that the policy for buying Yonex racquets in UK and Singapore is quite different. In the UK quite a lot of people seem to return equipment to Yonex UK, claiming it to be defective, and it's usually replaced.
Nobody in this thread claimed that your store was selling fakes; but since your prices are so good (compared to UK & US prices at least) and your store is so far from many Western buyers, it's perhaps to be expected that there should be so many queries about your store's legitimacy.

My own initial experience of ordering from Badmintonchain has been fairly good (will update when I receive the goods); and Sofian seems like a very reasonable guy (in fact, he offered me a discount after a mistake was made in the order); however it doesn't say anything about faulty returns in the terms and conditions of the badmintonchain webpage. I hope you take this in the right way, Swijaya, as I hope to buy more stuff from you in the future. Buying items from foreign regions inevitably arouses a degree of worry,

ynexfan ...

it's true they are very different ... i would say asia countries are very different with europe + north america + australia ...

it's difficult for us to allow return of goods when the buyers claim it's faulty as the distance is so far away :) we have few cases whereby we allow them to return the so called "manufacturing defect" and turns out they sent us the racket with different serial number than the original package.

that's why we always make sure there is no defect when we send the package over ... we really check the rackets carefully and package them into a solid styro-form box.

But there is no way - besides an xray graph - of determining if the racquet has an internal flaw. Yonex do make some duffers which are sold on to unfortunate consumers. It has to be said in Badmintionchain's defense that they have the best prices for top of the range racquets. on the net. No other store comes close.

Originally posted by ynexfan2003
Buying items from foreign regions inevitably arouses a degree of worry, From the vendor's perspective, there is the risk of selling to an overseas person and them trying to claim defective goods. There is also the risk of stolen credit numbers being used, addresses being written incorrectly...a multitude of things can go wrong for the vendor and the vendor cannot tell if the customer is a fraud or not. That would be a severe blow to the vendor's profit margin (which is already quite slim)

ynexfan2003, do you think buying a car more cheaply from the European Union (with lefthand drive) entails a risk? You can always get horror stories coming up in the car magazines - however, the stories are not just limited to imported cars, there are plenty of dealers in UK with poor service.....:rolleyes:

If you really want to buy a racquet with least qualms, perhaps you should take a holiday out to the Far East where you can see and examine before you buy(also experience the food). The situation is really like that described by Kwun (if you have not experienced Asian style buying and selling previously).

S'pore is probably better than most other asian countries. There will be many years before local laws on guarentees move up to the standards set by US, Australia, UK. By then, the racquets will correspondingly be more expensive and we will be trying to source from other developing nations. The same issues will then arise again!:eek:

What I really think is a mistake is thinking the laws that apply to UK can also be applied to asian countries. Different country = different laws and different standards. (and of course the distance involved makes things difficult).

As an anecdote, I've never bought a racquet from a dealer in UK. It was simply far too expensive (nearly double price if VAT included). All my racquets came from M'sia or HK and brought over by acquaintances.:;) I still enojoyed the badminton wether I used Yonex or Prokennex.

Originally posted by Cheung
What I really think is a mistake is thinking the laws that apply to UK can also be applied to asian countries. Different country = different laws and different standards. (and of course the distance involved makes things difficult).

As an anecdote, I've never bought a racquet from a dealer in UK. It was simply far too expensive (nearly double price if VAT included). All my racquets came from M'sia or HK and brought over by acquaintances.:;) I still enojoyed the badminton wether I used Yonex or Prokennex. [/B]

"in HK, no one expects to get warranty for badminton rackets. you buy it and unless there is some obvious flaws that one should spot before leaving the shop, the sales is final and no one will expect to bring it back." (posted by Kwun).

I wasn't aware of this; in fact, I got an email (which I can post) from Yonex Japan saying that broken racquets in Asia can be returned to the point of purchase for replacement/inspection. Some other online shops in Europe seem to have a faulty returns policy. We've seen in other threads that Yonex quality control might not be so tight (cf http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12010); but at 70% of UK prices (incl. shipping), ordering from Asia might be worth the gamble all the same.

Originally posted by ynexfan2003
but at 70% of UK prices (incl. shipping), ordering from Asia might be worth the gamble all the same.
Is this the case? With strings the site in question here is charging £99 GBP for a Yonex MP-99, add to that postage and duty and you are looking at another £20 at least. Then you have the problem of waiting up to 3 weeks and not being able to cheaply call the supplier if there is an issue.

After looking at the first three UK badminton store's they range between £99 and £105 all in.

Jonathan.

I wasn't aware of this; in fact, I got an email (which I can post) from Yonex Japan saying that broken racquets in Asia can be returned to the point of purchase for replacement/inspection.

only when you purchase them directly from sunrise ... which will cost you USD$300 for MP-100

Badders, for some reason the mp99 is much more expensive in Asia than the mp100; badmintonchain are selling the mp100 (unstrung) for usd$142 (c. £85) incl. 7-21 day delivery to the UK. Some people have reported that the mp100 had been reduced to £100 in the UK earlier in the year; but the typical price of the mp100 was around £120-25.

Given that Sofian is only charging $118 (£70) for the racquet itself, his profit margin must be decidedly thin.

usd$300 from Sunrise? You're pulling my leg, Sofian. :p Anyway, the correspondent was talking about buying from retailers not directly from Sunrise. It's strange that everyone else's experience of buying in Asia (Kwun, Cheung) seems to call this statement in doubt. Sofian, I think it would be helpful if you added details about the warranty etc. to the terms and conditions of your webpage for the benefit of those like myself who are unfamiliar with trading standards in Asia.

no joke :D

that's the price they are selling at sunrise shop ... SGD$549 retail ... which is around USD$300

that's why they can afford to exchange your racket

Originally posted by ynexfan2003
...... but at 70% of UK prices (incl. shipping), ordering from Asia might be worth the gamble all the same. That's the way I looked at the issue before. After all, if you do get a dud racquet, it is cheap enough to get another. The only issue there is the waiting time.

Customer service in HK is not as good overall. The prevailing attitude is that for goods such as a racquet, generally what you see and examine is what you get. The profit margin on racquets are very thin here. For other goods (like electrical goods from brand names), warranties are provided. So it is a matter of what sort of things one purchases.

I just received an mp100 (3uG5) from badmintonchain.com a couple of days ago. Although I was a bit hesitant about ordering from Singapore before, I'd definitely recommend this store and will probably buy more stuff from it in the future. The delivery time was reasonably quick (2 1/2 weeks), it was better packaged than racquets I've received within the UK, it was genuine (serial no. is 4517030 010936SP) and, most importantly, it was c.65% of the price this racquet was being sold at in the UK earlier in the year.

I can post pics. for the benefit of those who are still unsure whether to order from badmintonchain.

So, three cheers for Sofian : Hip, hip, hooray! :D

Hey ynexfan2003,

What shipping option did you choose? Standard Parcel or Speed Post? I chose Standard Parcel, and it's been almost two weeks since I ordered mine. I'm beginning to get anxious. :D I don't even know if my order has shipped! Ahhh! Hopefully, it'll get here by tomorrow so I could try it out at the gym.

Originally posted by flymordecai
Hey ynexfan2003,

What shipping option did you choose? Standard Parcel or Speed Post? I chose Standard Parcel, and it's been almost two weeks since I ordered mine. I'm beginning to get anxious. :D I don't even know if my order has shipped! Ahhh! Hopefully, it'll get here by tomorrow so I could try it out at the gym.

Standard Parcel; you should have been given a tracking no. with which you can check whether the parcel has left Singapore.

In any case, Standard Parcel is 10-21 days. You should only get worried if after three weeks you still haven't received the racquet; in which case, compensation can be claimed from the shipping company. My racquet was insured for SGD$750.

Sofian hasn't replied with my tracking number. :(

Did you send him a pm or an email? Sometimes he doesn't check his pm's on BF, but he definitely reads his emails and gives prompt replies.
Sofian's quite a reasonable guy; I'm sure he'll sort out the problem presently.

What did you order anyway?

I e-mailed him yesterday morning about it. Haven't gotten a reply yet. :(

I ordered a Ti-10.

My order has yet to arrive. :( I don't know when my order was shipped, and I never got a tracking number, so I don't know when it left Singapore. It will be three weeks tomorrow. So far I'm not pleased with the service and the long wait for my order. I guess the low price compensates for the long, long wait for the order, but I'm beginning to think it's not worth it. I've heard only praise for Badminton Chain, and it's unfortunate that I'm the first one to get the average service(as opposed to other people who've received great service).

I retract my negative comments. :D I never checked my PMs before, and I just saw a message from swijaya0101. I usually check my e-mail for a message from Badminton Chain, never my PM. One of the reasons I posted the above was that it took a while for them to respond, so I'm pleased to see that they've responded.

Sorry, I'm just getting impatient. Patience isn't one of my great virtues. :D

I've just received my Ti-10 from Badminton Chain after more than 3.5 weeks. The wait was a bit long, but I think the price is worth it. I'm just happy that I received my racket! Also thanks to Sofian for keeping up with my incessant nagging about my order! :D