Tools from Japan

[Fidel Fernandez]

I have placed an order with Tools from Japan and I have not heard from him. How long do I have to wait?

It is a little more than 2 weeks. I placed several orders after that an I am afraid I won't get them on time for this year break.

This is not in any way a complaint. I just want to know if I should contact him. He suggest to wait on his website, but I don't know what to do.

What is your experience?

Fidel

[Rick Fisher]

Hey Fidel ..

I have bought from Schtoo a few times.. It wasn't fast but everything showed up as it should .. He is a regular poster on the forums. Good guy .. Your money is safe, see if you can get a tracking number.

I should have explained his online name is Schtoo .. He is pretty well known and pretty well liked on the woodworking forums.

[David Weaver]

Stu is a one man operation and some of the items he stocks and some he has to special order, so it can take a while. He never stiffs anyone, though.

He doesn't provide automated status updates and sometimes you get your order before he responds because when he gets busy, filling orders takes priority over responding to questions and requests.

[Harold Burrell]

Yeah, you'll get your stuff. And if you don't, it won't be any fault of Stu's.

You do have to be careful though, ordering anything from him if you have some sort of "window" of time in which you need something delivered. It does take awhile...

[Brian Holcombe]

Stu is a great guy, you don't have anything to worry about. Send him an email, just keep in mind the time difference.

[john zulu]

I did order some items awhile back. There was no status for a while but rest assured you will get them. He is a one man shop. Give him some slack.

[Bob Strawn]

Stu is solid, you can count on him. His advice, tools and business ethics.

After having done business with Stu, I can honestly say that I owe him, not the other way around.

Bob

[Fidel Fernandez]

I know that his is a good person and a good business man. My concern is the holiday shopping is here in that translate on mail slow down.
I am leaving Texas and this is my last month here and I won't have a permanent residence for a while. My house is for sale right now.

That is the reason of my concern, the order on the mail and no place to redirect the mail to. I think the international mail is sent back if it is not claimed. I am not sure.

[Jim Belair]

I know that his is a good person and a good business man. My concern is the holiday shopping is here in that translate on mail slow down.
I am leaving Texas and this is my last month here and I won't have a permanent residence for a while. My house is for sale right now.

That is the reason of my concern, the order on the mail and no place to redirect the mail to. I think the international mail is sent back if it is not claimed. I am not sure.

Also note, as per his website, he is "closed" the last week of Dec. and first week of Jan.

[Mike Holbrook]

I think we have to remind ourselves when dealing with hand made items from Japan that it is not the commodity market we typically find here in the US. It is not unusual for top master craftsmen to take years to fill orders. The double edged sword here is, if we want items made by craftsmen who take their reputation and product very seriously we have to realize instant gratification isn't part of the agenda. Stu does a good job of getting items through his suppliers in a timely fashion, considering the fact that it is in many ways a different system.

Stu tends to make lengthy involved responses to questions about the items he sells and woodworking in general. The fact that he is so conscientious often means one time you may get a very lengthy response even covering off topic subjects. The next time or two you might not get any response simply because he can't respond at that level to all the questions he gets. I doubt Stu can hire people to handle that level of communication either.

I understand the frustration in trying to order items from such a company. I am irritated at Amazon Prime for missing the two day delivery on an item. I feel somewhat justified in my issue with Amazon because they guarantee fast deliveries and I made my decision to buy from them based on that guarantee. Stu makes no such guarantee and I have to remind myself every time I order from TFJ. I have an item I want to order from TFJ right now. I have been putting it off trying to figure out a good time to make an order. If I don't do it soon I may wait until after the first of the year when I suspect lead times for dealing with orders may be shorter. The exchange rate complicates this process. The rates are favorable now but what will they be like later. The point being a transaction with TFJ is more complicated and we should realize that before we place an order.

[Brian Holcombe]

I know that his is a good person and a good business man. My concern is the holiday shopping is here in that translate on mail slow down.
I am leaving Texas and this is my last month here and I won't have a permanent residence for a while. My house is for sale right now.

That is the reason of my concern, the order on the mail and no place to redirect the mail to. I think the international mail is sent back if it is not claimed. I am not sure.

Always best to go right to the source, email him if you have not already.