Yahoo!Japan auctions?

[brittney_rochelle]

Non pony post

Has any one ever tried to use Y!JP auctions? How do you do that? Do you need a middleman? I know nothing of these things.

[Spectrum]

I've bid on things, but never actually won anything. I'm pretty sure a middleman is required; most people use websites like Rinkya and Shoppingmalljapan. You have to put in a (refundable) deposit in on SMJ, and while you don't on Rinkya, Rinkya's fees are pretty steep.

[rosierjay]

i've done both, but that was almost 10 years ago.
i can see if i still have their contact info, and if they still do it.

what are you hoping to get? i know i still buy off amazon.jp.co

[ponylady]

Thanks Spectrum and rosierjay 

[banditpony]

There is noppin and fromjapan as well. Both of those are popular.

Smj's fees really hurt for smaller items. I recall a small lightweight item that cost 200yen wound up being at $25 when all was said and done. I only use them when I know the item is so obscure I'll never find it on ebay. They are reliable though, but their customer service is poor.

Oh. And smj ships from japan to the usa then ships domestically. There have been quite a few times where it would of been cheaper to just get item sent ems from Japan. But it depends on the item... I believe both noppin and fromjapan do ems straight to you.

[SummerSkye]

I just got a couple pullip dolls and used noppin. It wasn't too hard and their customer service is very nice and responsive. I didn't think the fees were too bad. I think it's definitely worth it for rare items. The dolls  I got would be listed at $100+ here and I got each at under $30. Even with shipping and fees it was still a good deal.

[brittney_rochelle]

I'm getting back into collecting pokemon things and sometimes its easier to find certain plushes and figures from Japanese websites! (Raichu is my favorite and merch of him is limited).

I'm not in a position to start doing it now, but I wanted to get some info ahead of time. Thank you guys soooo much~

[MiRaja]

I use Noppin, I was satisfied every time I purchased.  They did do some things for what I specifically buy on there, so that US buyers couldn't be hurt by some deceptive practices on Y!Japan, which was really nice of them.  Rinkya doesn't offer this, as far as I know.  I buy kimono, fyi, and what is available on Y!Japan is waaayyyy better than on Ebay.  Japanese Sellers list on ebay the 'left overs' anymore, because US buyers can be SO cheap when it comes to Kimono and the accessories, that it is far more profitable to sell on Y!Japan while also not having to deal with International shipping. 

Still, I get a lot of good deals, though I usually buy obscure sorts of kimono that just aren't available on Ebay. 

That said, if you know or have worked with the seller before on whatever else site, they will sometimes offer international shipping without going through a middle person.  Several of the Japanese sellers on Ebay sell also on Y!Japan ( as I said, they sell their leftovers on Ebay! ) but will combine what I've purchased on ebay and on their Y!Japan for me, or give me two invoices, one on each, but will be sent together and the shipping properly calculated.  It does really pay to at least understand a bit of Japanese, if even just for basic contact and asking if they will ship international. 

But for those that don't, I would recommend Noppin over any of the rest. 

There is also Rakuten too, just FYI.  But it's not a middleman site.  Well, it is, but it's not through Y!Japan, though things are sometimes crosslisted.  You want the GLOBAL Rakuten, not the Rakuten.com, but you can buy off of there, though some stores will not ship internationally, and others do.  They do offer a lot of the same sorts of things on Y!Japan, though you'll be paying Retail prices, but retail prices in Japan are still often cheaper than things that are purchased and put on Ebay via international.  I buy sweets and confectionaries from Rakuten when I can for my beloved dance teacher, and it's the only place I can get those sorts of things without it costing both an arm and a leg. 

[ponylady]

Thanks MiRaja that is super helpful information for all of us 

[Taffeta]

Yeah, I also use Noppin (Formerly Crescent Trading, I think?) and I've always been happy with them. They answer questions quickly and they do a lot of legwork for you. The downside is the commission but then you wouldn't have the item otherwise. I've got a lot of stuff  - both books for study and various Japanese things not available through other mediums with their help. They also will keep items for you for a good length of time so you can package up several item wins together and pay one shipping cost.

They also translate auctions for you if you don't speak Japanese, although sometimes their auction titles are a bit funny looking, since they translate the characters literally in names sometimes.

I would also recommend Noppin though. I also used to use them back when Amazon.jp used to insist on sending everything to the UK Fedex and racking up huge custom fees and shipping fees by doing so and it saved me a fortune on study books and such like.