Question about auctions

[Grandiloquence]

Apologies in advance if this has been covered before. I notice a lot of people buy stuff from yahoo.JP auctions. How do you go about signing up and deliveries not living in Japan? I feel like I'm missing out a bit on some good stuff being limited to eBay!

[elmer]

There are a few different Japan-based online brokerage companies out there that will place the bids for you, accept the goods, and then forward them on to you.

I've used Jauce.com ... who were nice and professional.

But beware the fees charged ... IMHO it's really only worth buying "big" things. With the small stuff, the fees will nickle-and-dime you into 2x or 3x (or higher) the selling cost.

[mickcris]

I use this place:
http://shoppingmalljapan.com/
there are some extra fees and shipping, but you can still find some good deals and rare stuff.

this is a bit old but it compares some of them:
http://mdl.livejournal.com/9953.html

[Black Tiger]

Apologies in advance if this has been covered before. I notice a lot of people buy stuff from yahoo.JP auctions. How do you go about signing up and deliveries not living in Japan? I feel like I'm missing out a bit on some good stuff being limited to eBay!

There are proxy services like fromjapan with browsers you can use to bid with. You only sign up with the proxy company and they buy the items and receive them before sending them to you. Obviously they charge fees for the process, but you can get many items which rarely show up in English language circles and regular items can still be much cheaper than you'd end up paying in places like eBay.

[Digi.k]

I automatically signed up with buyee.  Yes there are extra fees but I think I got a good deal.  Now I've just won and paid for stuff I gotta wait for the shipping fees once the seller sends them to their distribution offices.

I was after this but I lost the auction around 5am while I was asleep..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151693506435?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

then I stumbled and ended up winning this. I don't know the asking price of these anymore but I think I got a decent deal.
http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/198251407

(Unit Price x Quantity of Items) + Buyee Service Fee + Payment Fee)
(8,850 yen ×1 item(s)) + 885 yen + 200 yen

[Otaking]

I haven't done for many years, but I found that using proxy bidding services to buy from Yahoo.jp in the end is much more exspensive than eBay. You have to pay to ship the item from the seller to the proxy, then pay the proxies fees, then pay for shipping to you. The proxy never ships out of Japan using economy shipping, they never mark down the value of the package, so you always have to pay large import fees. As said in the end it's much cheaper to just buy on eBay.
Where you might use a proxy to buy on Yahoo.jp is for really obscure Japanese items, only things that never ever appear on eBay.

The best way to use Yahoo.jp is to have a friend in Japan to buy items for you. When they send it to you get them to mark the value of the package as $1, so no import fees, and use the cheapest method of shipping. This is what I did, but I couldn't buy very much as I didn't want to annoy my friend by buying tons of stuff. I just bought a few things I couldn't get on eBay.

[Digi.k]

I haven't done for many years, but I found that using proxy bidding services to buy from Yahoo.jp in the end is much more exspensive than eBay. You have to pay to ship the item from the seller to the proxy, then pay the proxies fees, then pay for shipping to you. The proxy never ships out of Japan using economy shipping, they never mark down the value of the package, so you always have to pay large import fees. As said in the end it's much cheaper to just buy on eBay.
Where you might use a proxy to buy on Yahoo.jp is for really obscure Japanese items, only things that never ever appear on eBay.

The best way to use Yahoo.jp is to have a friend in Japan to buy items for you. When they send it to you get them to mark the value of the package as $1, so no import fees, and use the cheapest method of shipping. This is what I did, but I couldn't buy very much as I didn't want to annoy my friend by buying tons of stuff. I just bought a few things I couldn't get on eBay.

This is something I am worried about.  Those import, custom and handling fees once they arrive in your country.  I don't think this will be a problem on items less than say 23 USD.

But I'm still thinking the more expensive/rarer stuff could still end up cheaper than what you end up paying for on ebay.

[Otaking]

I haven't done for many years, but I found that using proxy bidding services to buy from Yahoo.jp in the end is much more exspensive than eBay. You have to pay to ship the item from the seller to the proxy, then pay the proxies fees, then pay for shipping to you. The proxy never ships out of Japan using economy shipping, they never mark down the value of the package, so you always have to pay large import fees. As said in the end it's much cheaper to just buy on eBay.
Where you might use a proxy to buy on Yahoo.jp is for really obscure Japanese items, only things that never ever appear on eBay.

The best way to use Yahoo.jp is to have a friend in Japan to buy items for you. When they send it to you get them to mark the value of the package as $1, so no import fees, and use the cheapest method of shipping. This is what I did, but I couldn't buy very much as I didn't want to annoy my friend by buying tons of stuff. I just bought a few things I couldn't get on eBay.

This is something I am worried about.  Those import, custom and handling fees once they arrive in your country.  I don't think this will be a problem on items less than say 23 USD.

But I'm still thinking the more expensive/rarer stuff could still end up cheaper than what you end up paying for on ebay.

I'm not sure but I don't think you will have to pay import fees on $23.

But like I said I've just personally experienced proxies to be more than eBay. They seem really good at first, when you first win the item on Yahoo.jp you think wow that's so cheap. But always by the time you get it and you've paid all the proxy fees, shipping and import fees it works out more expensive.

[Digi.k]

these are the fees from my proxy.  They are to europe but I think you can also check the fees to other countries.  I guess I have to wait and see for myself if it works out better than ebay.

https://buyee.jp/help/yahoo/guide/shipping-fees

[mickcris]

depends on where you are.  in the USA, I have never had to pay import fees.

[mickcris]

I automatically signed up with buyee.  Yes there are extra fees but I think I got a good deal.  Now I've just won and paid for stuff I gotta wait for the shipping fees once the seller sends them to their distribution offices.

I was after this but I lost the auction around 5am while I was asleep..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151693506435?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

then I stumbled and ended up winning this. I don't know the asking price of these anymore but I think I got a decent deal.
http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/198251407

(Unit Price x Quantity of Items) + Buyee Service Fee + Payment Fee)
(8,850 yen ×1 item(s)) + 885 yen + 200 yen

lol.  that was me you outbid you jerk!

[Digi.k]

I automatically signed up with buyee.  Yes there are extra fees but I think I got a good deal.  Now I've just won and paid for stuff I gotta wait for the shipping fees once the seller sends them to their distribution offices.

I was after this but I lost the auction around 5am while I was asleep..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151693506435?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

then I stumbled and ended up winning this. I don't know the asking price of these anymore but I think I got a decent deal.
http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/198251407

(Unit Price x Quantity of Items) + Buyee Service Fee + Payment Fee)
(8,850 yen ×1 item(s)) + 885 yen + 200 yen

lol.  that was me you outbid you jerk!

whoops.. I made a frantic bid during my lunch break using the shopping mall's wifi earlier and just hoped I'd put enough on there to win, I had like 14 mins left on that auction and the wifi connection was sloooow....sorry man... T___T

[mickcris]

I automatically signed up with buyee.  Yes there are extra fees but I think I got a good deal.  Now I've just won and paid for stuff I gotta wait for the shipping fees once the seller sends them to their distribution offices.

I was after this but I lost the auction around 5am while I was asleep..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151693506435?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649

then I stumbled and ended up winning this. I don't know the asking price of these anymore but I think I got a decent deal.
http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/198251407

(Unit Price x Quantity of Items) + Buyee Service Fee + Payment Fee)
(8,850 yen ×1 item(s)) + 885 yen + 200 yen

lol.  that was me you outbid you jerk!

whoops.. I made a frantic bid during my lunch break using the shopping mall's wifi earlier and just hoped I'd put enough on there to win, I had like 14 mins left on that auction and the wifi connection was sloooow....sorry man... T___T

Haha, its cool.  im sure another one will come around.  I would have gotten it for 7900 yen had you not bid.  Good thing you did not win that other one as its probably broken.  The YP one looks like it has a better chance of working.

[SuperDeadite]

Another thing to note is with the rise of proxies and international bidders, prices are skyrocketing.  10 years ago, yahoo was a gold mine as it was a lot harder for internationals (which generally bid way higher then locals) to get in.   These days prices aren't much better then ebay, often more expensive depending on where you live in the world.  The real reason to use yahoo these days is for finding extremely rare items that a person wants at any cost.  Not recommended for bargain hunters on a budget.

[Digi.k]

Another thing to note is with the rise of proxies and international bidders, prices are skyrocketing.  10 years ago, yahoo was a gold mine as it was a lot harder for internationals (which generally bid way higher then locals) to get in.   These days prices aren't much better then ebay, often more expensive depending on where you live in the world.  The real reason to use yahoo these days is for finding extremely rare items that a person wants at any cost.  Not recommended for bargain hunters on a budget.

ah well there goes the bargain hunting but it does seem like fees you pay in the end along with shipping will be more or less what you end up paying on ebay.. but still I did managed to hunt this down.  Something I've been wanting to get since 1992 but I missed the chance to buy it still brand new shrink wrapped but it was going for like 60+ USD and I regretted not buying it then because I thought it was too much.. Then like back around 2005 I saw it again (used copy) on ebay and it ended going for 70+ USD and regretably I ended up not bidding.

picked this up for around 4000 yen so kinda pleased.
Falcom Neo Classic CD, which is basically select music tracks from the Falcom games up till around early 90's recorded with the london symphony orchestra.

http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/n44653719