Using Japan Yahoo
#1
Posted 09 October 2004 - 11:01 PM
#2
Posted 10 October 2004 - 09:37 AM
I bid on Yahoo Japan every once in a while for BB/LB stuff. Mainly for Kinnikuman items for my store though. I have a firend in Tokyo who will hold stuff for me and then ship it here, so I have all my auctions shipped to her house. There is a rare occasion where a seller will ship to the US, but that is the exception, rather than the rule. Shipping is horribly expensive. So, I usually wait until I have a huge box full of stuff before I have my friend ship it to me.
As far as payment goes, a lot of sellers will accept cash (Yen, not dollars) so I will mail yen from my house to theirs in a USPS Global Priority Envelope. It takes about 4-5 days to get there. I have sent up to 70,000 yen at once before (roughly $700) with no problems. The big problem comes when a seller won't accept cash and requires a bank transfer. My friend helps me out with this too.
It is really a pain in the arse to bid, win, contact the seller (my friend translated some basic emails for me to use when contacting the sellers, very, very few know english), send the money, etc. etc.
I have found that there are a few that hate non-japanese. I have gotten negative feedback before for trivial things. Once, because I was from the US and I won the auction. Second because I took a little to long in leaving feedback. But oh well, this is their auction, I have to play by their rules, whether implicit or inferred.
The signup process is a bee-eye-itch too. You have to know Kanjii AND Katakana as the form requires both characters. Plus they charge you $2.50 per month just to have an account.
All in all, if you don't have a good friend there in Japan, you will have to either look for sellers who will take cash AND ship to the US (there are some out there) or use a 3rd party entity.
#3
Posted 10 October 2004 - 10:19 AM
#4
Posted 10 October 2004 - 11:22 AM
Not really. A lot of people have thought that but really, most of the LB/BB and other older toys only show up on Yahoo JP. Trying to hunt down older toys in a regualr mom and pop type store can be a major chore.Wow...that's pretty serious. Looks like the best way to get stuff you want is to take a lil' trip to the Land of the Rising Sun...am I correct?
I know Hydra has had some luck, but only for a few items. My friend Jason went over there, and he has a Japanese wife, and he just about blanked when he went over there looking for stuff.
#5
Posted 10 October 2004 - 12:27 PM
One, what programs are available for one's computer that write in both Kanjii and Katakana and allow you to translate the YahooJP web-pages;
and two, how do you meet people in Japan who will ship for you and all that jazz?
I guess those are kind of inane questions. If you are a really serious collector, you'll find a way. For those amateur collectors, like myself...I guess you just hope your luck doesn't run out.
#6
Posted 10 October 2004 - 02:31 PM
1. I don't have a way to write eaither, other than copy and paste from Babelfish. I use Babel fish for the basic translations, but it spits out really bad broken english, and vice versa. I have had a few people tell my friend that I am very rude, when using Babelfish to translate. So now anymore, I have her translate for me.Well, then...two questions come to mind.
One, what programs are available for one's computer that write in both Kanjii and Katakana and allow you to translate the YahooJP web-pages;
and two, how do you meet people in Japan who will ship for you and all that jazz?
I guess those are kind of inane questions. If you are a really serious collector, you'll find a way. For those amateur collectors, like myself...I guess you just hope your luck doesn't run out.
2. I know my friend because I am nest friends with her son, who lives here. I have known him for many years, and that is how I met her. Other than that, you may meet a few people here and there on the web.
#7
Posted 10 October 2004 - 07:09 PM
#8
Posted 11 October 2004 - 05:55 AM
#9
Posted 21 October 2004 - 01:08 AM
I'd really only recommend it if you speak Japanese, though. Or, at least do a lot of research on the locations of toy shops. Frankly, without specialized knowledge, you'll just end up running around like a chicken with its head cut off, so it's best to plan things carefully first.
-Hydra