The Best Remote Control Toy Stores

Tuesday, October 15th

2024 Remote Control Toy Store Reviews

AMain Hobbies

• Prices from $11.24 to $2,849
• Offers drones, vehicles, and parts
• Parts Finder tool to repair your RC toys
• Free shipping on $99+
• Returns within 30 days for like-new items
• "A+” rating and accreditation from the BBB

In 2004, Kendall and Kelly Bennett started AMain Hobbies in Chico, California, using their 2-car garage as a base. The company quickly grew and had to move to three different locations in its first ten years.

Worldwide customers

Nowadays, AMain caters to customers worldwide, operating from two large facilities covering 50,000 square feet each in California and North Carolina. The company offers a wide variety of RC products like planes, helicopters, drones, and cars/trucks, and is committed to providing excellent customer service. Their mission is to share the fun and camaraderie of sports and hobbies with people of all levels, from beginners to experienced racers.

Slightly outdated UI

The UI for AMain Hobbies isn't horrible, but it does feel a little outdated and is missing some modern styling. The text is a little small in some of their listed menus, which might make it hard to read for some. However, the organization of the items is easy to follow and makes it simple to narrow down what you want right off the bat. The filter system allows you to choose from brands and product status (so you can easily select items on special sale). One thing we didn't love is that the parts are included in the overall sections for drones instead of having a standalone section, which might make it harder to browse for just drones.

Not much variety in drones

To compare prices from various retailers, we used two methods. Firstly, we examined the price ranges for remote control drones and vehicles individually at each store. Next, we analyzed the least expensive and most expensive RC items to understand how different companies measure up in terms of value. For the RC drones, there are over 6,000 products. However, keep in mind that some of these products are just parts or tools because there is no way to separate just the drones from the search. As far as we found there were only about 5 individual drones on AMain Hobbies. The prices ranged from $599-$2,849.

More selection for other TC options

For vehicles, there is a slightly wider selection. There are planes, boats, and cars/trucks and the total range of price across these vehicles is $33.99-$729.99. The least expensive RC item from AMain Hobbies is $11.25 for a mini battery-operated car and the most expensive sits at the drone for $2,849.

Easy to find the parts you need

If you're looking for a place to buy parts, AMain Hobbies is one of the best. They've got thousands of options for parts for almost every RC toy imaginable. Since they work by allowing customers to build their own gadgets, the parts are a huge selling point at this retailer. The company even offers a "parts finder” tool where you can select your vehicle type, brand (where applicable), and model to get a list of parts sold by AMain Hobbies related to your particular toy. So, if you're looking to make repairs, this is a great retailer to check out.

Free shipping

AMain Hobbies offers several shipping options to cater to their customers' needs. First, there's the "Super Saver Shipping" method, where AMain Hobbies covers a portion, if not all, of the shipping cost, so customers don't have to pay the full price for shipping. This method may take up to 10 business days for delivery as it uses the most cost-effective shipping method. For orders over $99 within the 48 contiguous United States, they offer free shipping no matter what, but it may also take up to 10 business days for delivery.

Other shipping options available

Another option is the "Flat Rate Shipping" of $2.99, available for merchandise with smaller and lighter shipping requirements, with no minimum order values to meet. Lastly, there's the "Rush Processing" shipping, which allows customers to pay a nominal handling fee to prioritize their orders for faster printing, pulling, and shipping.

Returns within 30 days

For returns, AMain Hobbies offers a standard return policy where they accept new and unused products for a refund or store credit within 30 days from the date of purchase. However, in exceptional cases where processing requires a significant amount of labor, they reserve the right to charge a restocking fee of 15% on returned merchandise. While the original shipping cost (where there was shipping) will not be refunded, most items are eligible for free return shipping under the company's $99 free shipping policy. Additionally, they recognize that unforeseen circumstances may occur, and if customers are unable to meet the 30-day time frame, the company encourages them to reach out for a tailored solution.

Great reputation

In terms of reputation, AMain Hobbies has some great credentials. The company holds an impressive "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau as well as accreditation since 2007. In terms of third-party reviews, however, the company has some mixed feedback. There are tons of reviews with extremely positive points noting that the company has great customer service and multiple customers who feel like there isn't a better place for RC gear out there.

Just a few complaints

On the other hand, customers who didn't enjoy their experiences at AMain complained about shipping times, slow shipping despite paying for expedited delivery, and damage to their merchandise during shipping. Some customers noted they waited months for shipping on an item that never ended up arriving. So, if you're in a hurry to get a new RC toy delivered to your door, you have to be prepared to pay for shipping or check a different retailer.

Best option for RC vehicle variety

Overall, AMain is an impressive powerhouse if you're looking for parts and a wide variety of RC vehicles of different types. If drones are your go-to, there might not be as much in stock here as you're hoping for. On the other hand, there are plenty of RC boats, cars, and planes.This is a reputable remote control toy store, and while some customers had concerns about shipping times, this constituted a small number of customers overall. Most shoppers were extremely happy with their experience with AMain Hobbies, and we were equally impressed. AMain Hobbies earns our highest rating for remote control toys.

RC Envy

• Prices from $20 to $2,200
• Offers drones and vehicles
• Selection of parts available
• Free shipping on $250+
• 30-day limited returns

RC Envy was founded with a simple idea: it aims to offer a wide range of high-quality RC aircraft, vehicles, and accessories along with exceptional customer service. They started small, selling items at local meets and online, but they are continuously growing and adding new products. Their goal is to provide customers with the same level of support as a local hobby store, offering a wide selection of products, plenty of inventory, and the convenience of 24/7 shopping. They believe in putting the customer first and always strive to resolve any issues.

Easy shopping, but missing filters

While the website design for RC Envy isn't the most modern (in fact, it looks a bit like a site designed about 10 years ago), we don't have any problems with how the site works. All of their merchandise is listed along the top menu and you can easily access any RC toy you might be interested in, from racing cars to underwater drones. The only place the older styling of the website shows up as an issue is the lack of filters for searching. While you can do a basic "sort by” function on the lists of different RC toys, there aren't any clear filters for style, price, color, or brand as seen at other retailers.

Amazing prices on drones

To get a good read on the prices at RC Envy, we compared their drone and vehicle price ranges as well as the lowest and highest cost RC toys. This way we can see how those prices compare to other retailers in our review. For drones, there is a huge selection at RC Envy. The drones range from popular quad-copters used for filming to underwater drones. The prices go from $20 for four mini quad-copters to $2,200 for an underwater drone that films in 4k.

Fewer choices for other RC vehicles

For the vehicles, the prices range from $85 for a truck to $880 for a monster truck. The cheapest and most expensive options are both drones and were already listed above. One thing to note about the products at RC Envy is that there were fewer listings for RC boats, planes, and regular helicopters (not quad-copters) than at other retailers. But, if you're looking for a new drone, this is the place to go.

Parts for 13 vehicles

RC Envy does offer a few options for spare parts, but it isn't a huge variety compared to other retailers. There are 13 different RC vehicles and drones that RC Envy has parts for. Only one of these products is a drone, so despite selling plenty of drones, getting parts for them at RC Envy may be a little harder.

Free shipping on $250+

One significant aspect that sets RC Envy apart from other retailers in our review is their shipping fees. Given that all RC toys from this store are shipped from Canada, customers might anticipate higher shipping rates compared to many other competitors, and that is true if you have to turn to their flat-rate shipping costs. For any order under $250, RC Envy offers flat-rate shipping for $20 from Canada to the United States. However, if you purchase something that is $250 or more you will still qualify for their free shipping. This threshold is higher than other options on our list, but it's better than no free shipping, especially with international costs.

30-day limited returns

At RC Envy, if you want to return your remote control toy, you have 30 days to do so. Just remember to keep the item unopened and in new condition. But here's the catch: you'll need to pay for the shipping when sending it back to Canada, which can be much more costly than returns within the United States. Also, if you open the box, they won't accept the return, so make sure it's still sealed to get your refund.

No review presence for RC Envy

One thing that worries us about RC Envy is that there isn't much feedback from customers in the remote control toy industry. It's hard to tell how well they do with delivering on time and meeting customers' expectations because there aren't many reviews or comments. With no presence on the Better Business Bureau or on popular third-party review sites like Trustpilot or Sitejabber, there wasn't any clear way to verify if this service was offering the quality they promised.

Top option for drones

Bottom line? If you're looking for drones, especially unique ones, RC Envy is a great place to start. They have a huge selection of drones as well as a range of other RC toys in stock. But with the downside that the company is based in Canada, you might need to be careful if you need to return something due to the extra cost of international shipping. Also, we couldn't find many reviews from other customers, so it's a little hard to know if they are as good as they say. But if you spend over $250, you get free shipping, which is a nice bonus. So, if you love RC toys, and you're in the market for a drone, RC Envy is worth checking out.

RC Superstore

• Prices from $129.95 to $1,419.90
• Offers RC cars, trucks, planes, and boats
• Parts available
• Free shipping on $99+
• 30-day return window
• "B+” rating from the BBB

RC Superstore is a family-owned and operated hobby store and mail-order company established in 2002. The company offers a diverse range of quality radio-controlled products at affordable prices.

Extensive collection of remote control devices

Their extensive collection includes RC cars, trucks, boats, airplanes, helicopters, slot car sets, and various hobby products sourced from top-grade manufacturers in each category. Located in the historic city of Faribault, Minnesota, RC Superstore takes pride in providing customers with the industry's highest quality products at prices suitable for all.

Clean and easy to shop

The website for RC Superstore lives up to the name. There is a huge shopping selection on this site. All of the options for RC toys are easily labeled on the top bar, and everything is easy to shop for, find, and add to cart. The design of the site makes the text easy to read, and the modern red and white color scheme makes it really smooth to find and click through the different areas of the site. On top of the visual design, there are a variety of helpful filters allowing you to separate out the products by brand, color, and whether or not items are in stock. The listings themselves also offer star ratings as well as the number of customers who have reviewed the individual items at a glance.

Price comparison

When we do our price comparison, we usually start with the price range for drones and then check out the price range for vehicles. However, as RC Superstore doesn't carry any drones at all, we decided to break up the remote control vehicles into two categories. So, for this comparison we looked at the prices for RC cars and trucks, the prices for RC planes, and finally the least and most expensive items available from RC Superstore.

Prices start higher than competition

For the remote control cars and trucks, there appear to be tons of products. Yet when you look through the 48 product pages only three of them contain actual completed RC cars. The prices for the cars and trucks range from $229.95-$1,419.90. So, the starting point for RC Superstore is a little higher than competitors. For the RC planes, there were 12 total planes in stock at the time of our visit. Like the cars and trucks, most of the other merchandise is made up of parts. The prices for planes range from $129.95-$649.95. The cheapest RC item happens to be the $129.95 item which is a quad-copter. The most expensive sits at $1,419.90 for an RC truck.

Parts available as well as toys

Not only does RC Superstore excel in providing a range of complete remote control toys, but it also proves to be an invaluable resource for anyone in need of parts and accessories. From the tiniest "fiddly bits" like screws to crucial components like helicopter rotors and beyond, the store's inventory is likely to carry just what you require. Much of their inventory is made up of parts and upgrades, so if you're into building your own RC, this is a great place to shop.

Free shipping on all RC toys

In terms of shipping, RC Superstore goes the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction, offering highly reasonable shipping fees (at least, for those you have to pay for). On top of that, when your order exceeds $99, the shipping becomes completely free. Since any of the completed RC items are over that threshold, you'll only ever have to worry about paying for shipping with parts.

30-day return window

For returns, the store allows a 30-day window from the shipping date, but items must be in unopened and unused condition to be eligible for a refund. Although restocking fees are non-existent, customers are responsible for covering the return shipping costs. This is the standard across the industry, so there's not much surprise here that RC Superstore also asks for unopened packages.

"B+” on reputation

While RC Superstore isn't the top tier for reputation in this review, it still has a good reputation overall. The company has earned a "B+" rating from the Better Business Bureau which is still a fairly good score overall. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any reviews for RC Superstore from verified third-party review sites. For this reason, there's no way to know how customers generally feel about the practices at RC Superstore. The retailer remains a good option for high-end toys, but it might be a bit safer to shop somewhere with a better reputation.

Top option for parts

While we loved the experience of browsing the RC Superstore website, there were a couple of problems with RC Superstore. First, their prices may start slightly higher than competitors, and their inventory is a little limited. RC Superstore compensates by providing an extensive inventory of parts and accessories for those interested in building their own RC toys, though. On the positive side, they offer free shipping on all items over $99 (which includes all completed RC toys), though the lack of customer reviews on third-party sites might raise some concerns. Despite this, RC Superstore remains a viable option for enthusiasts seeking high-quality RC toys, especially for those looking to build custom creations.

HobbyTron

• Prices from $9.95 to $450
• Offers drones, cars, and cartoon toys
• Free shipping on $75+
• 45-day limited warranty
• 30 days to make returns

Established in 2004, HobbyTron has a mission to provide young dreamers with endless fun, learning, and opportunities. So, when it comes to remote control toys, HobbyTron stands out with an extensive and diverse inventory that few retailers can compete with. With over 1,400 options in the RC Cars category alone, including brushless, drift, electric, and nitro cars, customers have an array of choices, though it's missing some high-end toys for adult enthusiasts.

Fun and kid-friendly website

The overall design of the website is super fun and makes it easy to browse with bright colors and easy-to-select buttons to find what you need. When you check out the listings, there are helpful star ratings on each item to show how other customers feel about the products. But, there were a couple of downsides to HobbyTron. First, it's definitely more kid-focused than other sites in this review. So, some serious drone hobbyists might be put off by the fun colors and cartoon characters. Second, some of the searches don't turn up all the items in stock. For example, a racing drone was not included on the pages of items in the "drones” section of the shop, so you may have to do a little digging to find all the items for sale.

Low prices and kid-friendly merchandise

To see how the prices at HobbyTron stack up against other companies in our review, we looked at the price ranges of remote control drones and vehicles at each store separately. Then, we also checked the cheapest and most expensive RC items. At HobbyTron, there are 83 different products for drones. It's important to note that none of these are the expensive drones favored by drone enthusiasts who want to use the drones for filming. These are much closer to traditional toys. The prices for these drones range from $9.95 for a little hover unit to $109.95 for a Sonic the Hedgehog drone helicopter.

Competitive RC car prices

In terms of vehicles, there are plenty to choose from. With 94 different products, you can get RC cars that include name-brand supercars like a Bugatti Chiron or Lamborghini Aventador. The prices run from $9.95 for a buggy to $129.95 for the Bugatti/Lamborghini bundle. Finally, in terms of the least expensive RC toy, the lowest cost is $9.95 for a buggy or walking robot. The most expensive item in the store is $450 for a racing drone that did not show up on the drones page but was listed on the "Best Sellers” page only.

Free shipping on $75+

The shipping at HobbyTron is calculated based on the individual item. However, shipping costs are usually reasonable and under $5 for most of the items we checked. On top of that, HobbyTron also offers free shipping on most orders over a $75 subtotal, and items that are replaced through a warranty directly will have the shipping charges covered for the replacement item.

45-day warranty

HobbyTron advertises a "45 Day True Warranty," which promises to repair or replace any defective product within 45 days of purchase. It's important to note that the warranty only covers items that have a manufacturing defect and won't cover any problems or damage resulting from using the item or customer damage. If your item is not covered by the warranty, but you still want to make a return, it gets a little more complicated. HobbyTron offers a return policy for returns within 30 days for items not covered by the warranty. However, customers should be aware of a restocking fee of 20% and that items must be returned in like-new condition.

Customer service has room for improvement

When we checked out HobbyTron, there was no listing for this company or its parent company, World Trading 23, Inc., on the Better Business Bureau. So, we had to stick with customer feedback to get a read on this company's reputation. Across different third-party review sites, the feedback on HobbyTron was mixed. With an average rating of just 3 stars across different platforms, HobbyTron is noted as being lackluster in terms of customer service. Complaints include a lack of response to emails, orders charged to credit cards without shipping, and encounters with rude representatives. Additionally, an alarming number of complaints state that the RC toys didn't work correctly right out of the box, leaving customers frustrated and stuck when HobbyTron didn't honor their warranty policy.

Only good for kids' toys

HobbyTron's disappointing reputation is a big red flag for us. As the backbone of any reputable business, good customer service ensures a positive shopping experience. Unfortunately, HobbyTron's fun, kid-friendly site doesn't stack up against sites with much more robust customer service. Further, as this site doesn't cater to adult drone enthusiasts, the company doesn't stand out as much as we'd like. It's still a great place to buy low-cost RC toys, but only if you're okay with keeping them once they break.

Geekbuying

• Prices from $7.99 to $6,493.99
• Offers drones, vehicles, and parts
• Options for kids, adults, and pets
• 48-hour shipping within the US
• Returns within 14 days

Established in 2012, Geekbuying has been dedicated to prioritizing customer satisfaction. They offer an extensive selection of consumer electronic gadgets that customers are sure to appreciate. In theory, Geekbuying prides itself on providing top-notch service and expedited global shipping. The company maintains local warehouses in various countries, including Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, and America. Orders shipped from these warehouses enjoy duty-free fast shipping, with dispatch within 48 hours.

Preview likes and star-ratings

Shopping at Geekbuying is fairly easy. While the site comes across as a little cluttered, their filters are solid and easy to use. Customers can narrow down their RC options between drones, vehicles, and parts. There are also filters to select only items that ship from a warehouse near you, so you can take advantage of their 48-hour shipping. As a bonus, many of the listings show star ratings and "likes” on the preview image, so you can get an idea of how many other customers liked the particular item.

Around 200 different RC drones

In order to compare prices between different retailers, we checked out the pricing in two ways. First, we checked the price ranges for remote control drones and vehicles separately at each retailer. Then, we also looked at the least expensive RC item and the most expensive RC item to see how companies stack up against each other in terms of value. At Geekbuying, there are around 200 different RC drones. These range in price from $19.99-$876.99 and include helicopter-style and quadcopters with filming equipment included.

Toys for adults, kids, and even cats

For vehicles, there are about 80 different items ranging from RC shark toys to cars to even remote control speed boats. These range in price from $19.99-$449. Finally, the least expensive RC item is a robotic fish toy for cats for $7.99 and the most expensive item on the site is a $6,493.99 robot companion.

Not the best stop for parts

On top of regular merchandise, Geekbuying also offers parts for RC toys. These include spare batteries, extra parts for drones, spare lasers, and cameras. The prices for parts range from $8.99-$55.99. There aren't a lot of spare parts or upgrades overall at Geekbuying. With only 13 items to choose from, this might not be the ideal place to find replacement parts. They certainly don't have options for every RC unit out there.

48-hour shipping within the US

As you explore the various RC toy options on Geekbuying's website, you can filter the search by setting it to "Ships from United States" if you want to take advantage of the 48-hour shipping. This allows customers to get delivery without waiting for overseas shipping. During our review, the US warehouse appeared to stock around 400 items. However, the parts section is only available with shipment from China, so if you need to fix something, shipping is going to cost you. It's worth considering that international shipping costs can be quite hefty, so for something small like a new battery, you may want to shop somewhere else to get a better shipping deal.

Returns cost the customer for shipping

Should you find the need to return an RC toy, Geekbuying permits returns within 14 days of purchase, given that the product's box remains unopened. However, in all cases except where your RC toy is "dead on arrival” where customers should contact the Geekbuying customer service team, the customer is going to be responsible for return shipping costs. This is true regardless of if you buy from a local US warehouse or if you buy from overseas. So, keep the cost of returns in mind when buying a new toy from Geekbuying.

Reviews are positive overall

Geekbuying boasts a significant number of positive reviews, with 11,000+ customer ratings giving the company 4 or 5 stars. Across third-party review sites, Geekbuying has an average star rating of 4.2 out of 5 total. However, it's essential to be aware that negative experiences exist, some of which involve broken toys that remain unrefunded despite arriving in non-working conditions. Since the only way to handle "dead on arrival” items is to contact Geekbuying customer support, there's no stated policy or guarantee that these things will be handled with a refund. Customers who didn't like their experience at Geekbuying noted this experience in multiple reviews. Overall, the company is well-regarded despite not having any presence on the Better Business Bureau.

Check out more reliable options

Ultimately, choosing Geekbuying for your RC toy purchase depends on your flexibility with delivery timeframes and your willingness to take a risk. Geekbuying does have a wide variety of RC toys, but if you're looking to maintain or upgrade your toy with parts from the same place you bought it, Geekbuying isn't going to be the place for you. Further, with some concerns about their refund policy for toys that arrive broken, there are a few red flags for this company overall. With those things considered, Geekbuying falls lower than most remote control toy stores in our review. For customers seeking more reliable customer service and a smoother shopping experience, it may be smart to consider other retailers with a more established track record.

Horizon Hobby

• Prices from $19.99 to $1,399.99
• Offers a range of vehicles
• Free shipping on $99+
• Free shipping for military servicemen/women
• 30-day limited returns

Since its founding in 1985, Horizon Hobby has become a major player in the radio control products and accessories industry. The company is fueled by a dedicated team that is committed to inspiring its customers. Horizon Hobby offers a collection of brands that reflects the pinnacle of RC innovation and performance, providing advanced technology, convenience, and enjoyment to RC enthusiasts across the globe.

Clean and modern UI

Shopping at Horizon Hobby is a breeze. The company offers an easy-to-find "shop” tab if you want to get right into toy browsing. If you know what brand you want to shop for, you can start with brand names instead. On top of easy searches and quality filters that allow you to limit your options by 14 different filter types, you can easily see how popular items are. There are start ratings available at a glance on individual listings as well as the total number of reviews offered by customers who have purchased an item before. The design of the site is clean and modern and makes it easy to get what you need quickly.

Sorry, no drones

To compare prices at Horizon Hobby with other companies in our review, we examined the price ranges of remote control drones and vehicles separately at each store. Additionally, we analyzed the least expensive and most expensive RC items. In terms of drones, we were disappointed to find that Horizon Hobby doesn't have any. We checked a typed-out search and the helicopter section to see if the popular quad-copters were included there, but there just aren't any high-end drones at this retailer. So, if that's what you're looking for, you'll need to shop somewhere else.

Good variety of other RC options

For vehicles, Horizon Hobby offers a variety of options. You can choose by your skill level or just start browsing ready-to-operate products. There are a total of 191 planes, 353 ready-to-run RC cars, 13 helicopters, and 46 boats. Through all these items the prices range from $19.99-$1399.99 which also reflects the prices for the cheapest item ($19.99 for an RC plane) and most expensive item ($1399.99 for an RC truck) at Horizon Hobby.

The company sometimes offers repairs

While Horizon Hobby does offer repairs, at the time of our review this service was unavailable. The company notice states that once the updates to the website are complete, you can go back to getting your items repaired by their experts. However, there is no statement about how soon this will happen. They appear to work on most types of RC when the service is working - except for JR products, including DSMX add-ons to JR radios.

Free shipping on $99+ or for military members

If you're looking for free shipping, you're in luck. Horizon Hobby offers a deal for free shipping on orders $99+. On top of that, Horizon Hobby offers free shipping to demonstrate its support for military servicemen and servicewomen, extending this benefit to APO/FPO addresses. However, it is important to note that LiPo batteries cannot be shipped to overseas military addresses due to regulations set by the United States Postal Service.

30-day limited returns

Horizon Hobby is committed to delivering products that bring joy and satisfaction to its customers. Within a 30-day window, customers can initiate returns for a full refund or store credit. The returned merchandise should be in new and unused condition, with its original packaging, parts, accessories, and materials. Unfortunately, if you do decide to make the return, you will be charged for shipping as well as any applicable fees, duties, and taxes related to returning the package, which isn't ideal.

No customer service

In terms of reputation, Horizon Hobby isn't the most impressive. It holds a passable "B-” rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, its star ratings are much less positive. With a 1.5-star average on the BBB site and only a 1.7-star average on Trustpilot, customers aren't particularly pleased with their experiences at Horizon Hobby. Review after review for this company shows that customers struggle to get a hold of customer service. Many reviews complain that Horizon Hobby has "zero” customer service at all. Customers struggled to reverse charges, cancel orders, or even get a representative to talk to them after opening a claim. Overall, it seems safer to go with a different RC toy company that you can trust to have your back.

Check out a different RC shop

While there's a truly massive selection of RC toys at Horizon Hobby, it doesn't seem worth the hassle to buy them here. With all the complaints about customer service, mistaken charges, and customers unable to get their money back, there isn't a lot of security to ensure customers feel good about their purchases. So, with that in mind, this is one of the lowest-rated remote control toy stores on our list. You'd be better off checking out another company where you can guarantee returns and positive customer service experiences.

TomTop

• Prices from $13.34 to $899.90
• Carries drones and vehicles
• 45-day returns
• 1-year warranty

TomTop, established in June 2004, is an online shop offering a diverse range of products at competitive prices. Specializing in various daily-use articles, the shop provides a wide selection, including video games, computer, and mobile phone accessories, as well as fun toys like RC models & accessories. Since 2006, the shop has been recognized as a Gold supplier of Alibaba, earning a good reputation from customers and partners. However, some customers have left complaints about Alibaba as well, so it's not clear if this is a good endorsement or not.

Easy and modern UI

Navigating the extensive selection of RC toys on TomTop becomes a breeze with the convenient sorting options provided. To narrow down the choices and find the perfect remote control toy, customers can utilize the links located on the left side of the page, categorizing products into helpful groups such as robots, quadcopters, and more. Once on the main product page, customers can further refine their search by sorting items based on price, popularity, and other criteria. The only complaint we had about navigation was that not everything on the site was organized properly. For example, it was hard to find Drones as they were mixed in with other items on the RC vehicle page.

Plenty of drones to choose from

In order to compare the pricing at TomTop to other retailers in this review, we checked out the price ranges for drones, for general RC vehicles, the cheapest RC item in the store as well as the most expensive. To start with, it was pretty hard to find the drones. They were mixed in with all the other items and were hard to find even in a text search in the search bar. Finally, we found that the price range for the drones is from $24.99-$299.99. In terms of regular RC vehicles, there are plenty to choose from.

Good pricing on other RC toys

The vehicles range in price from $13.34-$899.90. This range also includes the least expensive (a $13.34 quad-copter) and the most expensive (a $899.90 remote control excavator) items at TomTop. In general, the costs are much lower here than at many other retailers, but given the concerns reflected by customers about the legitimacy of the company, the low prices might not be a benefit in this case.

Shipping could be slow

One benefit of shopping with TomTop is their shipping system. When you place an order with TomTop, they make sure to handle the payment, confirm the order, and send out the package super quickly. On average, they ship your order within 24 hours, which is faster than many other sites. However, as many of the options come from warehouses around the world, it may still take a long time to get to your location. Many of the items sold at TomTop are shipped from Chinese warehouses, which have notoriously long shipping times. For items shipped from within the US, the shortest shipping time you can expect is 2-5 days.

Returns within 45 days + 1 year warranty

At TomTop, all the products they sell are carefully checked to make sure they meet their high standards. If you're not happy with your purchase, you can return it within 45 days to get a refund or exchange for another item, but they don't cover the shipping cost for returns. Also, they've got you covered with a 1 Year Repair Warranty for most products on their website, so you can shop with confidence.

F-rating says to stay away

Despite offering attractive pricing, TomTop receives the lowest rating among all remote control toy retailers due to alarming customer feedback and complaints. Dissatisfied customers have used phrases like "scam" and "false advertising" to describe their unfortunate experiences, leading to the company receiving an "F" grade from the Better Business Bureau. Many shoppers reported receiving broken items and faced unsatisfactory responses from TomTop, which often suggested seeking local repairs instead of offering straightforward refunds. Additionally, the need to ship items back to China makes the return process cumbersome and expensive.

Keep looking for better RC

We never like to see the word "scam” in reviews from customers. Given the troubling factors, we strongly advise against purchasing remote control toys from TomTop. The unfortunate experiences shared by numerous customers indicate a high likelihood of encountering similar issues. Instead, opt for alternative retailers, where you can expect a significantly better customer experience and greater peace of mind.

Trend Times

• Prices and selection unclear
• 14-day returns

Trend Times is a company that offers a variety of toys, but seems to focus on RC toys in general. Strangely, though, this company appears to redirect all purchases to eBay instead of offering the items directly on the website itself. Further, these redirect links don't take you to particular listings, but only search pages on eBay itself. It's a very strange experience overall and doesn't instill a lot of confidence in the company as a whole.

Ancient UI

If you're looking for a modern site that makes you feel comfortable shopping, you're not going to find it here. Trend Times looks like an artifact from the beginning of the internet, and certainly doesn't impress us with a feeling of legitimacy and trustworthiness. The site page is cluttered and confusing to look at.

Purchase through eBay?

A puzzling aspect of purchasing remote control toys from Trend Times is the lack of clarity regarding the buying process. Upon examining the products, it became apparent that all items had to be bought through Trend Times' eBay store. However, attempting to make a purchase through this route led to generic search results rather than a dedicated store specific to Trend Times. This confusion leaves potential customers unsure of how to proceed with purchasing any of the RC toys listed on the website.

Strange typos

On top of that, there were some strange typos on the site that made us feel like the company hasn't put its best foot forward for customers to see. For example, we found obvious typos on their "about us” page. There is also a warning that other companies are "copying content” from the Trend Times website, which was an odd claim to make.

Prices are just for show

Prices at Trend Times are almost impossible to find. While some items have prices listed on them, once you get to the purchase window you see a button that says, "Find best price here”. Instead of allowing you to choose from prices, however, this redirects you to eBay where the item you selected may or may not be on sale. While there is a massive variety of options visible on Trend Times, it's unclear if any of these RC toys are even on sale. Our advice? Take your money somewhere else.

14-day return policy - with a fee

Trend Times says they offer a 14-day return policy for their remote control toys, but there is an important caveat: a 25% restocking fee will be deducted from any refunds provided. However, considering that almost all of the items at Trend Times are sold and processed through eBay, this raises questions about the implementation and practicality of this return policy. It may be more likely that customers would have to go through eBay to process complaints and returns.

Trend Times isn't trending

Unsurprisingly, Trend Times' reputation is far from stellar. The company holds an "F” rating from the Better Business Bureau. There are a variety of complaints against the company, and the nature of Trend Times' responses to these grievances is concerning. The company's argumentative tone in addressing customer concerns is evidenced by statements such as "This is really sad as the customer is not being reasonable". Instances of customers receiving items that did not match the online descriptions or were defective, and not receiving the promised resolutions, further add to the disappointment in Trend Times' customer service approach.

Not worth your money or time

Given the lackluster buying experience, limited clarity regarding the purchase process and pricing, and the disappointing reputation of Trend Times, it becomes evident that there are better alternatives available for buying remote control toys. Other online retailers offer a more seamless shopping experience, have better RC merchandise, and are actually committed to providing excellent customer service and robust return policies. In light of these factors, we advise you to steer clear of Trend Times in your remote control toy shopping.