Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

I just spotted a site selling the RTR version of the Element Sendero for a solid 15% off... but I've NEVER heard of it before. I'm not finding any mention on this forum of them, either.

"ActiveHobbyz" is what they call themselves... Anyone heard of them? They seem to have a 30% all products sale and free ship over $70 right now.

And, just to be safe I checked ActivePowersports because of the name similarity - they're selling it at the same price as everyone else.

?:shock:?

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

One of the hallmarks of scam sites is having a high percentage off sale on literally everything. Looks like it's also a Shopify site which means it was able to be quickly set up by scammers as well.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Use card for which you have protection against fraud, should be fine. With all the consumer protection out there anymore, its actually pretty difficult to get taken by scammers in the long term. May have to cancel the card and be reissued, but is what it is.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Once and never again.

They dont have live stock, its a drop ship crap shoot. Bought 2 bodies off them once, got one and the other was back ordered. Forgot about it and by the time I remembered I was past the Paypal time frame.

If you look through their site you can actually find multiple listings with different pricing and even stock quantities.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

The question is why put yourself through all this trouble in the first place if we're not talking about some rare item, and even then they're still typically too good to be true (like a site posting XR10s for $250 a while back).

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

If its a rare item you doubt the stock on, sure, I get that. But an enduro? Why not save yourself some cash and get it for 289, which is what 340 with 15 percent off gets you. I don't know about you, but i'd take 50 bucks savings I can turn around and throw into a good set of tires for it.

Its kind of like gambling with someone elses money when you have consumer protection, its not actually going to put you out anything if the company is a scam and you CYA.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

I think it's simply following the logic that a random site, that has no google results outside this thread, is selling a brand new model for a discount that beats out literally every reputable site on the internet. I'm not claiming OP should miss out on a deal, I'm saying that by the time you go order with your card and spend 3 months of nothing happening, it won't have been worth trying to save $50.

We seem to have this thread bi-yearly where someone asks "does anyone know XYZ site" which follows the same script.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

I said screw it and ordered from Horizon Hobby through Amazon, payments on Prime card, will just be paying for a bit longer.

I will say that the PayPal icon was a lie on that site - I went most of the way through setting up an order and it only offered various credit cards as the payment option in the end.

They sent me an email offering me 20% off my "in-cart" item when I left the site without completing the purchase, they didn't have a way for me to empty my cart.

Was kinda laughing to myself - were they really going to give me an additional 20% off an already 30% off item?

Doubtful...

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Just pulled the trigger on a TRX-4 Tactical unit. Yes, prices seem too good to be true, but I do order from RCMart, Tamico, Stellamodels that sell Tamiya kits at incredible prices too. So I figure why not? I used a credit card that offers fraud protection, so if it all goes south, I feel protected. I figure they are drop shipping to have items this cheap, so with this being a current model, should not be a issue to get one. I will let you guys know how this store does for this order, finger crossed.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

I just spent $484.19 last Fri, Aug 2nd on that site. Ordered a Traxxas Slash 2wd VXL Fox edition and a small surplus of upgrades. They sent me an e-mail confirming the order and billed me on Mon, August 5. I just went to the site today and saw it no longer exists through direct web entry or e-mail link. The recipient info on my bank account looked suspicious, so I did some detective work and ended up here. The site said 6-8 business days to ship.

When I ordered it , it said received then updated to procesing a couple days later so everything seemed normal compared to normal shipping affair. I am going to the bank tomorrow to look into this. I don't know if they'll tell me to wait 6-8 days to see if it shipped, if the site comes up as a fraud or what? I just ordered with a normal debit card. I don't know if they have the same consumer protection as a credit card? Curious and hopeful as of now I guess.

Anyone have any updates?

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

No, I think with a Debit card purchase your only security is whether or not your bank will help you, should the charge be deemed fraudulent. I’ve had my debit card compromised a couple of times, and it was fortunate(creepy, at the same time) that my bank had algorithms to detect irregular shopping traits, so they were able to freeze my account until they could confirm I hadn’t made the transactions, and then reverse the charges. A voluntary debit purchase, however, might be hard to reverse.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

You're not alone Subaru Guru. Just spent $181 last Friday. Hopefully will be able to get my money back, but not likely.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

This. Good luck to any who bit on the too good to be true 'deals.'

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

As this site disappeared, another even more outrageous scam-site has appeared... marvelgadgets dot store

I won't even actually post the links to these places.

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/gener...ml#post5955276

I hate to think of a kid new to the hobby being suckered into dropping $100 for a $450 rig and getting caught up in this crap... :evil:

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Just a quick update, Odered a TRX-4 Tactical on 8/1, order said unfulfilled as of 8/5, so I started sending them messages to the provided email address on their web site. It stated in their FAQ they quickly respond in 1 to 2 days. After no response after a few days, I tried to contact one last time, and then I contacted my bank and filed a fraud claim. The only information I was given was that this store is based out of IL, and is categorized as a mens and womens clothing store, odd indeed. My fraud claim is still being reviewed by my bank, but was assured it will be resolved in a few days. I now see the site was taken down, so I wonder how many more people ordered stuff, and were stiffed.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

I filed a dispute with my bank on Thurs, Aug 9th. Overnight the Consumer Protection Agency gave me a "provisional credit" of $484.67, the entire amount of my claim reimbursed via my debit-checking account in under 24 hours. Astonished this morning lol, I called the bank and they told me Mastercard had 10 days to completely resolve this. They did reimburse me, but -- should they find this to be a "valid site" have 10 days to take it back out due the $484.67 being a "provisional credit" as of now.

So yeah, I just wanted to give other people here some hope. Looks to be 100% bogus to me. Idk, I like to live life by the edge. I'm convinced they won't take the $ back out. So, I went to my local hobby shop and bought a Fox Edition Slash 2wd vxl, Venom produo (dual power) charger, and a Traxxas ID 2-cell 7600mah battery "thumbsup"

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Thanks for posting up your experiences - hoping no brand new entrants to the hobby ever get suckered into ordering from these sites, could be enough to turn them away from the hobby as a whole.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

I doubt they will be taking back the funds, the site is totally gone now. Whomever it was took the money and ran, leaving MasterCard and Visa to pick up the pieces. At least we are protected. I did the same moved on to a TRX-4 Bronco, that was promptly shipped and will actually be here Monday. This was just another one of those life lessons.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

visa and mastercard wont hurt from it I assure you, but when these people sign up to be able to take electronic payments, they have to provide banking information to have the funds transferred into. If the big companies wanted to track down these people, and assuming they are stateside, they could. You have to provide identification when opening any sort of financial account, which is verified. Its not easy to spoof bank accounts these days.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

OK, everything just got weirder...

Check this out now:

https://activehobbyz.onshopbase.com/

Prices are back up to normal levels...layout is totally different?

WTF?

I only found it because I was searching for a lexan body, and there was a hit at this site.

:shock:

Still looks bogus in a lot of ways...

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Not to punch anyone in the eye here, but if they deals are too good to be true on a brand new site, and you think you might get scammed, why risk it, even with a card with fraud protection?

Moreover, if you you think there is a very good chance it is a scam, why in the F*** would you give these people money? You do understand you are just funding their next scam and making it profitable so they'll do it again? What is God's name is wrong with you? Are really that desperate to save a couple of bucks on hobby shit? If you are that desperate, than you REALLY should not be in this hobby.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

exactly.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Looks to be scamming more people. I tired my login at the new site, and says my login is incorrect, or the account has been disabled.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Currently leads to this statement:

"Sorry, this shop is currently unavailable."

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

I'm not going to argue about it, but in order to understand my statement, one has to have an understanding of commercial pay systems. Just because someone batches out at the end of a day, does not mean they get your money or your credit institutions money. Its just not that simple in this day and age.

That being said, my previous statements about buy it and let someone else worry about it may have been irresponsible advice to give, although not incorrect.

As far as anyone looking to save a few bucks on stuff shouldn't be in this hobby, lets keep apples to apples. The wealthy don't get that way and stay that way not looking to make a buck any chance they get.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

People do not set up these scam sites because they are not getting away with the money... they are, that is why they do it.

Second. I never said "anyone looking to save a few bucks on stuff shouldn't be in this hobby..." I said people who are desperate. I have a budget for my RC wears, and do not want to spend any more that I have to. A dollar saved on one part is a dollar I can put towards the next part. But, there are a number of people in this hobby (and I am guessing in every hobby) that are already living very close to the bone, and the only way they can afford parts and such is to take gambles with incredible prices sites like this offer. When lean times have hit me I have scaled back, shelved my trucks, or sold them.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

you are correct, which is why having consumer protection is important, not everyone does. Very much like when utilizing paypal the difference between "friends and family" and paying for goods.

ok, we're on the same page then. I too have seen far too many people living beyond their means to feed their habbits, RC or other.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

BTW, I was just made aware that someone relatively new to the hobby got fleeced by this site - really disheartening to hear, as he is now having to fight to get his funds back before he can then actually order a crawler kit.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Really? I have been into this hobby since 1986, not about to leave it. I am a licensed contractor in my state, I am not poor by any means. But a deal is a deal my friend. Its no different than buying a new car, a house, a pet. If people want to shop around for the best price, so be it. The internet makes it easy to do so. Why bash people over wanting a item for a cheaper price? As I've stated before, I have ordered from overseas many times: RCmart, Stella models, Tamico, and got great deals. So much cheeper than the U.S. sites. This Active Hobbyz looked legit by all accounts, but as we all now know its a scam. So no amount of finger pointing makes any sense other than to let other people know to stay away from this site.

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

Yes, really... ***sigh***

Perhaps you should reread my last two posts. As stated, I am not against getting a good deal and saving money. Like the unbelievably lucky bastard that posted up about finding an RC mispriced on one of the main crawling online stores. These are the deals we dream of. And, kudos to that store for honoring the price.

But, with a minor amount of web-savvy you can spot a site that seems too good to be true. A turn-key storefront and unbelievable prices on everything are two big warnings. One key give-away that something is not right is when they offer discounted Traxxas RCs, there are not that many people that don't know that Traxxas does not allow that. Now, everyone who had a hunch that this particular online vendor was a scam and decided to "risk-it" has just made this deal profitable for the scammers; who, no doubt, will be setting up the next "looked legit by all accounts..." (only not legit enough to not ask if it is a scam) storefront.

Now I am going to poke some people in the eye...
I am guessing that a good number of people that fall for these sites are the same ones who respond that email from that Nigerian diplomat who just happens to need your help transferring $50,000,000 out of his country. Due to his diplomatic status, he can't do it himself, but if you help him he'll give you $3,000,000 for your assistance. You just need to establish a bank account at First Nigerian Savings and Fraud, and once you pay the one time account setup and money transfer fee of $1500, he will be able to transfer the full amount and you'll get your $3 million. Oh, and in addition to the $1500 fee, you'll have to give them all of your personal information... :roll:

And now, I submit this for your consideration...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Uc-cztsJo

Re: Anyone ever order from "ActiveHobbyz"?
 

/thread