30-06-2025 - Newsletter #255

I am working on a new system for placing pre-orders on the website and ordering out-of-stock products: 'Special Orders'.

Ordering out-of-stock items on the website was possible before the pandemic, but unfortunately that was not successful. More than half of the orders were cancelled after arrival. This while at that time everything was shipped quite quickly by air to New Zealand and in a period, when suppliers had a good stock level.

Nowadays a lot comes in by sea transport and many suppliers and manufacturers do not have everything in stock.

The new system will therefore have some restrictions. I will start with suppliers, who have a reliable stock and can deliver reasonably quickly.

I would like to start with the following brands:

- Noch (landscaping items and HO scale model railway)
- Warhammer 40,000
- Hornby
- Scalextric
- Fujimi
- AMT

Note: placing 'special orders' is not fully operational yet.
If you are interested in trying out 'Special Orders', please let me know. 'Special Orders' needs to be activated per customer.

Robert

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22-06-2025 - Newsletter #254

A new improvement to the website ensures that popular items sell out less quickly. New stock is automatically ordered before an item sells out instead of waiting until there is no stock at all. The better an item sells, the sooner more stock is purchased.
This was already done with certain paint ranges, but is now fully automated for all products on the website.
This not makes it much less likely that best-sellers sell out, but it also saves me a lot of time keeping an eye on low stock of thousands of products.

AK Interactive has released a new paint line: AK Quick Gen.
Quick Gen is a contrast paint, like the Speedpaint from the Army Painter and Xpress Paint from Vallejo.
The Mini-Kiwiland Shop will stock the entire range of 79 colours plus all the accessories and sets. The first shipment is expected within a month.

Robert

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15-06-2025 - Newsletter #253

The procedure for picking up an order in the showroom has changed on the website.
The setup was still based on the previous location, where it was possible to choose a time slot outside opening hours for pick-up.
However, it was not possible to do this on the same day, because a lot of stock was not in the showroom, but at a storage location one street further away.

Choosing a time slot or day is no longer required from now on, as long as the order is picked up within a week.
An order can also be picked up on the same day, but it can take up to 2 hours before an order is ready.
In addition to the order confirmation by email, you will now also receive a confirmation that the order is ready for pick-up.
Because this is new and I am not sure whether everything is useful and clear, I would like to receive feedback on this from those who use this service. Can things be better? Is a second confirmation confusing? Or was something of the previous procedure more convenient?

Among the new arrivals are the entire new Ionic acrylic paint range from AMMO by Mig Jimenez. 180 colours!
I also received some nice big 1:16 scale Trumpeter kits en 1:72 scale HaT military figure sets.

I received plenty of useful feedback after my intention of stocking Arma Hobby kits. I decided to give it a try. Stock is expected within a month.

Many thanks,

Robert

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08-06-2025 - Newsletter #252

A few thousand items are expected in stock this month. Some have already arrived, but most are still to come.

What has already arrived are mainly paint and hobby supplies from brands such as Vallejo, Mr. Hobby, Tamiya, Ammo by Mig Jimenez, AK Interactive and Army Painter.

Arrived kits are from Eduard (more than 70 kits!), MiniArt and Airfix.

Not everything will be mentioned in the newsletters. To keep an eye on all new arrivals, it is best to follow our new arrivals page.

Robert

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30-05-2025 - Newsletter #251

Did you know?
After placing an order on the website, it is still possible to add items to the same order. As long as an order has not yet been paid for, additional orders are automatically merged.
Shipping costs may change however, depending on the delivery address and the size of the total order.
Adding items to outstanding orders can be particularly useful when items placed on your watchlists have arrived and you want to secure a copy before other customers do.
After securing your item, you can then take a good look on the website when it's more convenient for you to see if other products can be sent along. After each additional order you will receive an email with e new total to pay.
Please note that orders must be paid within a week if you want the order to count towards your loyalty discount purchase balance. This is fully automated.

Arma Hobby
I'm considering stocking Arma Hobby products (plastic aircraft kits). Please let me know if there is any interest in this Polish brand:

Arma Hobby Website

Any feedback is highly appreciated.

Robert

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22-05-2025 - Newsletter #250

A new milestone for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop: Newsletter number 250!
A great opportunity to explain the current situation of the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.
The sale of online orders continues to increase. This makes it even more difficult to combine mail order with the showroom, unfortunately.
In February I had already shortened the opening hours of the showroom to free up more time for mail order. This has improved the situation, but I'm afraid it's not enough.
At the moment I have no intention of shortening the opening hours of the showroom further or even closing it.
I expect that the online sales will continue to increase. Hopefully, this makes it possible to hire staff at some point within a few months.
Extra help will also free up more time for other activities that are currently difficult for me. Such as improving the website and looking for new brands/suppliers.

The current location is unfortunately not ideal as many visitors notice, but I had no choice after the eviction of the previous building. The two-year lease here expires in 4 months. It looks like it will be renewed. Only if I can find a better property within 3 months will I give up this location. I would prefer to move to the Hutt Valley, but that is quite unlikely. I have not been able to find any suitable option for a long time already.

If there are any changes in the above circumstances, I will of course let you know in a newsletter.

Robert

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