Ordering reel parts from Malaysia

[MeanMachine]

Has anyone ordered parts from Malaysia before?  I want to get a part for a reel I have that's not available in the US.  I saw it on ebay.  Besides shipping are there any additional costs that could come up?  Thanks for all your help!

[handi2]

I have ordered from China and there were no other differences than ordering here. Just figure a month for delivery. The item can be held up in customs.

[Steve-O]

Got a package from Malaysia, yesterday. A reel. From eBay.

Purchased 7.07.16...arrived 7.21.16

the package has 6 stamps on it and a customs form.

Tracking was provided by this link. Postal Malaysia, maybe.

http://www.pos.com.my/postal-services/quick-access/?track-trace

It got to LA, CA fairly quick and then took 4-5 more days to get to UT which should have been only 2. No problems.

good communication between buyer ( me) and seller (nixson lumpoi )

Have also purchased from China with no problems.

The PROBLEMS show up when you try to return something to "over there".

They really make it hard to return anything and rather you keep it. Costs them more than any item you buy is worth by a LOT. And you pay return shipping usually.

For that reason I've never returned anything and live by Caveat Emptor.

hope this helps- good luck.

[MeanMachine]

Thank you!

[MeanMachine]

I ordered a spool for a Abu Cardinal 54 spinning reel from someone in Malaysia on Ebay.  When the spool arrived I noticed a difference when I installed the spool on the reel. I didn't hear the distinctive "click" sound.  Next after looking at the spool carefully I noticed the spool was not even the same size as the original Abu spool.  Because of this variation the line lays on the spool improperly. See for yourself.  I don't think I'll ever send the spool back but buyer beware.

[Shark Hunter]

I was just eyeballing one of those spools for a C4.
I was hesitant, and the price almost cost as much as the reel.
Thanks for the heads up.

[Midway Tommy]

All the aluminum spools look like that on the underside. They only have one slot for the cross pin. I'm not sure I see really bad line lay. It looks fairly even top to bottom from my perspective. I've seen a lot worse straight out of the box. A worn oscillation arm or gear, or small shim washer in the wrong place could make that much difference. If the spool doesn't click and stay attached check to make sure the cross pin is seating properly into the slot. You may have to file or adjust/bend the cross pin. You'll probably have to remove the main shaft to get a good look-see angle of that. Put a little grease on the point and in the groove on the end of the main shaft. There is a small split spring inside the spool that locks into the groove. When you push the button it spreads the spring to release it from the groove. Sometimes it just needs a little lubrication inside there.      

[oc1]

Ordering from overseas is always sketchy and you have to just suck it up and hope for the best.  On the other hand, you're getting stuff from closer to the source of manufacturing.  That should count for something.
-steve

[MeanMachine]

So sorry for the poor quality photos. I think this photo shows it better.  The one on the left is the Abu aluminum factory spool purchased from Les Shaw. The line lay is really poor on the spool on the right. The spool on the right is wider between the top and bottom of the spool.