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Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:16 pm
by violentpig
Ever wanted an item from Yahoo Japan but realize almost all seller do not ship internationally?

Well, there are many bid services out there that can help you out. A "middle-man" if you will. A service that will bid on and win the item, pay for it, receive it, and finally ship it to you. I myself use Rinkya.

Pros to Rinkya:

1) Incredible browser and real time bidding system. If you want to bid you do it yourself and it's put in immediately. With some other services, you have to msg them and tell them how much you want to bid, and they manually do it themselves whenever they can. This is not something ONLY Rinkya does, however they do it really well. Their search indexes are great as well as their browser. Many people who use non-Rinkya services actually still use Rinkya's browsing system.

2) Extremely friendly staff. If you need to talk to them they get back to you within 24hrs usually and you don't get some cut & paste response. It's personal and they truely listen to you and answer any questions.

3) Best shipping I've ever had, every single time, nobody or no business has even come close. The boxes have 1/4" cardboard. It may add to overall weight, but if you're buying something off Yahoo Japan, chances are it's quite fragile.

4) Honors shipping requests. I have had many shipping requests that have been fufilled. I wanted my Raiden Kubrick double boxed - no prob. I wanted my black sorter double boxed - no problem. I asked if they could ship something seperate from everything else - no problem. Whenever I ask for a shipping request, they say they will pass it on to the warehouse, and 100% of the time they've honored it. NO hassle, no run-around. They do what you ask.

5) No actual deposit needed. They only approve your credit card for a deposit amount (you're NOT charged) and you get to bid 5x what you're approved for. I initially started with a $10 pre-approval so I could bid up to $50. I was NEVER charged that $10, my card was only approved to be charged $10 if Rinkya decided to do so. Since then I've asked for increases in my max bidding a few times, and because of my track record with them they up it without even pre-approving my card! So for a $10 pre-approval I can bid $1000US on Yahoo Japan. *NOBODY can match that!* Some places you have to send 50% of your max bid (or more) via paypal first, even if you don't win now you gotta get a refund which who knows if paypal will screw with you on exchange rates (e.g. giving you bad rates both ways)

6) Great MyRinkya bookmark system similiar to ebay's watch list.

7) FAST as hell shipping. If I choose EMS whenever I hit "ship now" to send my items I get them within 5 business days of placing my request. I order my items on a monday, I get em next monday.

8 ) Will quickly contact the seller if you have a question. I've contacted them to ask a seller a question and they send 2 emails. 1 that they emailed the seller and are awaiting a response, the 2nd will be the response.


CONS:

1) Fees are the highest in the business. It is a $15 service charge no matter what you buy, and then it's another $15 AND $1 for every 1,000Y the item costs. Items 1,000Y and under do not have this charge, items 40,000Y to 100,000Y have a flat fee $40. I'm sure this is confusing, so I will give you examples.

(all prices are US dollars unless noted as Y, I'm using a conversion rate of 100Y = $1USD to make life easier)

Item sale price: 1,000Y. Cost to you: $10 (1,000Y) + $15 (service charge) + $0 (final value fee) = $25US. 150% of item cost in fees!
Item sale price: 5,000Y. Cost to you: $50 (5,000Y) + $15 (service charge) + $20 (final value fee of $15US + $5) = $85US. 70% of item cost in fees!
Item sale price: 15,000Y. Cost to you: $150 (15,000Y) + $15 (service charge) + $30 (final value fee of $15 + $15) = $195US. 30% of item cost in fees (getting better)
Item sale price: 80,000Y. Cost to you: $800 (80,000Y) + $15(service charge) + $40 (flat rate final value fee) = $855. Just under 7% of item cost in fees (that's great!)

The shipping is actual + 25% which is fair. This it not a "con" I just may as well mention is as I'm mentioning fees.

2) Poor exchange rate on the yen. Last I checked 1USD was worth 110Y, but Rinkya is only giving 102Y. They only update their rate it seems monthly, but all services do give a lower than actual rate.


To sum it all up, Rinkya offers such a great service to me I probably won't use anything else. And as you can see, the more valuable the item you buy the better their fees get in relation to the price of what you're buying. They pack their items so well you I have no fears of damage whatsoever. They list my items as "Used games and toys" so I never git hit with duty no matter how much the package is worth (with a few times declared value over $500).

If I was to buy something cheap and unlikely to get damaged I would consider another service. Like if I was going to buy a plush Chocobo or a stylish japanese sweatshirt I'd definately look elsewhere. However if I'm buying an MGS2 Raiden where it seems 50%+ have broken swords due to being so fragile I'd go Rinkya. Sometimes in life you get what you pay for.

*ANYWAYS* I hope you find this useful as this post took me quite a while to do heh.

I'd also like to say the Japanese are the absolute top culture for taking care of their collectibles. I've never once even been remotely close to being disappointed with the quality of an item. Many items that are sealed will even arrived with extra wrapping around the factory seal to protect the original shrink wrap! They go the extra mile to protect things. And with Rinkya secure shipping, if you want an item in NEW condition - you get it that way. No more being disappoint by ebay sellers.

Ok that's it I'm out of posting energy for tonight. :/

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 12:39 am
by James_The_Stampede
I agree. I used Rinkya to buy Bloody Bride, Policenauts and Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers for the PSX and was not disappointed. Though, this was 5 years ago, so maybe somethings have changed :P

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:47 am
by jonthomas83
Thanks Violent Snake. That was a quality roundup and very informative, I think I understand it more now than I did before. If the right item comes about, I'm gonna join up.

One question though, I don't have a credit card cos I can't trust myself! I know I'd get stung by both if this is possible, but do Rinkya accept Paypal?

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 5:21 am
by mattbellamy
As for japanauctioncenter, it's exactly the same as Rinkya apparently, so I won't write all the stuff violentsnake has brillantly described, except for some points:


-The fees are high but not as much Rinkya apparently. Last item I won sold for 3100 yen. They charged me 1048 yen for the won item (I really don't know how it works, when I win an item with a 20000 yen price, they only charge 2000 yen or so, plus 300 yen for the bank charges. THEN, there will be the shipping cost fees (probably around 800 yen like usual). And finally I will have to pay for the EMS shipping costs. However, I have to deposit money via Paypal on my japanauctioncenteraccount, and if I had for example 20000 yen, they charge me 2000 yen for the transfer (which is quite hallucinating).

-You have to wait around two weeks from the moment you win the auction till they receive it to their warehouse. Then you have your items shipped but the order can take up to 7 days so you sometime wait ONE entire week til they ship your item. Then the items arrive to me in 3 days. So basically, from the moment your order, till your product arrives home, it takes about 3 weeks.


The communication is great, the packages are extremely safe and good, you have the tracking number once your items are shipped and you can follow your where your items are from the moment you win the auction.
It looks like Rinkya's better although a taf more expensive with fees,but I might try it next month.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:19 am
by jonthomas83
Cheers Matt, I'm sure this info will prove invaluable for anyone who visits in future. Also a good thread to refer people to if they have questions about middle men.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:14 pm
by violentpig
I forgot to mention, Rinkya has a great information page where you can see if you're items are in stock, or where they may be in transit (e.g. if the seller has been paid and they're just waiting to receive it in the warehouse). It displays it in list format so you can see the status of many items at once.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:29 am
by jonthomas83
Question about Japan Auction Center:

Rinkya will package your goods to your specifications, correct me if I'm wrong. So basically, you could ask them to double box the item, with extra padding etc. Does anyone know if Japan Auction Center will be as accommodating?

Also, I just wanted to add:

For your DEPOSIT, Rinkya only accepts credit cards and debit cards with VISA, Mastercard etc. logos on them. No money is taken out of your account, but the card is needed for verification purposes only. Thereafter, both Paypal and credit/debit cards can be used to make any payements,

Japan Auction Center accepts Paypal for deposit and payment.

So if like me, you don't have a card with a VISA or Mastercard logo on it, then Japan Auction Center is probably your only option.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 10:58 am
by mattbellamy
Yes, japanauctioncenter DOES the extra packages with additional fees of course. ast time they repackaged all my items together and they arrived in pristine conditionm i think that even a nuclear bomb couldnt have damaged them :mrgreen:

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:17 pm
by Marc
Rinkya's high service charge fee always pissed me off when I used them.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:46 pm
by jonthomas83
Thanks Matt thats great news, I will be sure to put in some special requests! lol.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:41 pm
by Screaming Mantis
Yeah, I use Japanauctioncenter for my purchases. I'll have to get them to double pack my items!

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:05 pm
by violentpig
Well, I bought 2 items off shoppingmalljapan. Their site is no Rinkya that's for sure, but it is cheaper.

An item 2680 yen is costing me $43.30. That's about a $15 savings over Rinkya which is really about 25% off the total of what it'd cost me had I gone through them.

Rinkya has a much better payment system, tracking of items, everything is better but the price. I'll still use Rinkya for items over $100, especially since my deposit with them is over a grand. Plus the more expensive an item closes, Rinkyas fees get alot more competitive.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:09 am
by bay
violentsnake wrote:Well, I bought 2 items off shoppingmalljapan. Their site is no Rinkya that's for sure, but it is cheaper.

An item 2680 yen is costing me $43.30. That's about a $15 savings over Rinkya which is really about 25% off the total of what it'd cost me had I gone through them.

Rinkya has a much better payment system, tracking of items, everything is better but the price. I'll still use Rinkya for items over $100, especially since my deposit with them is over a grand. Plus the more expensive an item closes, Rinkyas fees get alot more competitive.
yah smj is good for cheaper items, but the service has really lacked at some points.

i've not used rinkya due to the deposit, unless things have changed, i have no reason to let someone hold onto my money for me.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:05 am
by violentpig
Rinkya doesn't hold funds, they only approve your credit card for the amount - much like SMJ.

But SMJ is at a 1:1 ratio. At Rinkya it:s 5:1.

So a $100 deposit at SMJ gives you $100 to bid, but at Rinkya it gives you $500 to bid.

Plus at Rinkya all I have to do now is ask and they up my deposit without even verifying my card since I've spent so much there.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:35 am
by TSi
There has to be a way where we can get fees down... we need to find a fellow collector that lives there!

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 9:23 am
by Screaming Mantis
I have been tracking my order from yahoo japan that is coming through EMS. Since I am off at college I am not there to receive my packages. Do you have to sign off on an EMS delivery? Because I checked the status and it says "Absence. Attempted delivery." What should I do guys? Thanks.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 9:33 am
by jonthomas83
They've probably left a note to say where it's at mate, I wouldn't worry too much, it's probably very safe with EMS delivery. They may attempt to redeliver tomorrow or give you directions as to where it has been left. In the U.K. they deliver to the local post office if I'm not in. Then I make a short trip to fetch it within working hours of course, it's very inconvenient but at least it's safe and in from the rain!

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:09 pm
by Screaming Mantis
I have a question since I only use jac.com, do you always have to pay an extra amount than you normally put in just to pay for shipping or other small handling cost? Like besides just depositing for a specific auction. It sucks paying more than what you have to EVERYTIME you want to add a little money to your account.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 9:44 am
by violentpig
I'm surprised Yahoo doesn't run a bidding service for Yahoo Japan. They could integrate it right into the site and probably take a huge chunk of business from Rinkya, SMJ, JAC, etc.

They could even do something quite underhanded like block or ban competitive bid services. Not that I'd be happy with that, but they could do it. Definately more of an ebay tactic though.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 9:46 am
by violentpig
Shopping Mall Japan review:

Pros:
-low fees
-items are sent to US office before they're sent to me making shipping cheaper
-items were well packaged
-charged actual shipping cost, nothing more

Cons:
-poor website
-transactions aren't real time, if you win something you have to wait for invoice and then when you pay it you find out days later the payment was successful, I think they manually process transactions whereas on Rinkya once you pay you get an email receipt of payment
-they screwed up my deposit, days after my items were paid for and on my way to me it still counted my winning bids as "unpaid" so my deposit was much lower than it should've been, had I not had Rinkya as a backup I might've not been able to bid on something
-rinkya takes hours (sometimes minutes) to respond to me, smj takes days

Overall, I like them. They're good for cheap items that aren't fragile. I'll use them for anything $10 to $150 that isn't fragile (as I trust Rinkya's shipping dept more than anyone) and for Rinkya anything under $10 (as the fee is really cheap, over $150 and for anything fragile. Basically SMJ is only to save on fees for low price items.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:47 pm
by GRUDGEKEEPER
So which service (middle man) do you guys recommend for multiple auction wins from the same seller?

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:18 pm
by violentpig
GRUDGEKEEPER wrote:So which service (middle man) do you guys recommend for multiple auction wins from the same seller?
Shoppingmalljapan charges actual shipping from the seller to them so maybe you'd get the combined rate. Not sure.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 2:38 pm
by bay
yes, you can also request (if you know in advance) that they hold off and/or talk to the seller to wait to ship all your auction items once you try and win another one of their auctions.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:14 pm
by Jack Stern
http://www.wirecard.com/

This service makes you a virtual CC that works on the japanese PS Store, maybe it can work on other japanese internet payment services as well.

Re: Buying off Yahoo Japan

Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 4:31 pm
by illusion