Any tips for Yahoo Auctions Japan?

Shapey Fiend

I figure some people on here have been using the service for a while and might have some pointers. I've got the hang of browsing around and looking at stuff with an online translator. It's pretty easy. The thing I'm wondering about is who is the best agent to go with (there are loads) and what sort of prices can I expect to have things shipped? I'm happy with slow methods if they're cheaper.

Also, what sort of money would I need to be spending to make it worthwhile? I like the idea of picking up old arcade sticks that I'll never find on Ebay but maybe I'd better confine things to larger orders? A lot of stuff that's R@RE and overpriced as **** on Ebay is common and cheap as chips on Yahoo Japan so I'm hoping the other overheads aren't too arduous.

Casey120

I'm using :
http://www.shoppingmalljapan.com/
There was a comparison of different services on A.O. and SMJ was the cheapest and very reliable, they have lots of shipping options from the fast and expensive EMS to cheap and slow SAL.
You just put in a deposit by Paypal and you can buy stuff right away .

I never had a problem with them and use them for years now .

Shapey Fiend

Cheers Casey. That looks like a very satisfactory setup.

Jack burton

Whats the story with import duties with those fellas?

Do they sort it out or would they be flying close to the waves and under the radar?

Casey120

Import is never on the one that sends it but you could ask for a lower value on the package .
Downside would be if it gets lost in transit as you can only claim the value you had put on there .

Jack burton

Oh I was just wondering if you have ever had any issues with it

90% of the time I get stuff from America get stung so just double checking, I must start getting a few bits off Yahoo auctions

Casey120

When I use EMS it's always bingo but SAL seems to go by unnoticed most of the time so it's SAL insured with tracking for me .

geotrig

Be prepared to pay things aren't that "cheap",i've reduced the amount i bring on as it just doesnt seem to be worth it as much these days.
some are cheaper alright but make sure you factor in internal shipping costs and charges .....it normally comes to at least 3 time the amount of the auction if not more once all charges are taken into account (internal shipping,bank fee ,smj fee other etc),Big packages are expenisve to ship, also in my experience are more likely to be pulled by customs.so be prepared to be able to prove the value when they ask....irish customs seem to think size matters also sea is a really slow so unless you're not bothered about the wait its ok
EMS is a great service ,fast ,reasonable price up to certain weights etc

STG.Otaku

geotrig is correct. Be careful with YAJ. What may appear to be a 'cheap ¥100 item will quickly escalate to a ¥3000 item when you factor in fees, handing charges, repackaging and God knows what else they throw at you. Keep in mind too that you are effectively paying for shipping twice so check the original listing to make sure the domestic shipping rates are reasonable first!

Personally I prefer to buy in bulk and ship by Sea Mail. Saves a fortune in shipping costs and takes around 8 weeks to arrive on the boat from Japan to my door. What I like about Sea Mail is that during the time you are waiting for your shipment to arrive, you can take the time to enjoy the items you bought previously and use them. Rather than having items arrive every day, give them a look for 5 minutes and chuck them on a shelf along with the other items in your collection.

Then again, who doesn't like receiving fun goodies in the mail every day!?

Regarding customs, no one shipping method is safer than another. Parcels large or small all stand an equal chance of getting pulled. It is purely a lottery and the only real answer to that is if you don't want to pay customs duty on your parcels, then don't order anything from outside the EU!

Retr0gamer

STG.Otaku wrote: »

Then again, who doesn't like receiving fun goodies in the mail every day!?

Sauron.

Casey120

For reference here's the total cost before shipping to me from my last buy from SMJ :
Winning bid -16150 JPY
Shipping intern to SMJ -1360 JPY
Fees total 19 USD + Processing 3 USD
Converted to Dollar = Invoice Total: 202.55 USD

Total SMJ fees $ 21,-