Shopping service discussion

I use the shopping service tag on egl comm sales when I want to get something from a physical shop. You can find SS located in different city's there, so when something is sold out online or in the Tokyo shops I pay a few % extra for a SS in Sendai or Fukuoka or wherever. Some of them charge over 15% but it's worth it if it's a popular AP print that you just know will go for $500+ on the secondhand market.

What are your favourite/most frequented Japanese shopping services? Any horrible experiences with ss that you'll never return to again?

There was an interesting link about some experiences with FromJapan's new fee system in the Larme thread here (along with more ss discussion within the Larme thread):
>>9312642

I like Tenso (forwarding service, fee by weight) for general shopping orders but now that I use ZenMarket (300 yen fee per item) I noticed fees are generally lower for bigger orders (i.e. if you're buying anything heavy). My friend purchased using FromJapan and they ordered/received the wrong item, but refused to do anything about it since she didn't pay for the protection plan (I guess that makes sense but it sucks).

>>9313226
I'd be up for helping out with the spreadsheet if you'd like, but I've never gone about collaborating on a spreadsheet lol.

Buynosaur has really stepped up their game. I know a lot of seagulls have had shitty experiences with them early on, myself included. But their shipping is really cheap compared to other taobao sellers and I've got two big orders with them now that we're both easy and pleasant.

>>9313292
What a shame. I've been a loyal FromJapan customer for about 6 months now and have a current order open with them (paid charge one, waiting for charge two). I guess I'll finish that and then take my business elsewhere.

>>9313391
>Discussion of Chinese and Taobao shopping services should stay confined to the Taobao thread
You had one job buddy.

>>9313292
>>9313409
I don't think I'll be using FromJapan anymore except for Mercari orders. They were my regular proxy so last month I tried out their new system. I ordered 4 items separately that I wanted to ship together. I chose the regular plan for all the items but they charged the buyer protection fee on the cheapest item (a ribbon) somehow? When I contacted them about it, they said it was my mistake and they couldn’t change it. It was the third order I placed with the new system, so I was very careful about what I chose when ordering.

The next issue was with the shipping insurance. I asked them in an earlier email if EMS orders would be insured even if I didn’t use the buyer protection plan for some/any of the items and they said yes. I chose EMS because it worked out to being the cheapest option that offered tracking and insurance. (I’m also irritated by the fact that they don’t allow you to add insurance to Small Packet SAL anymore). When I received the consolidated package, the slip was marked: ‘insured value: 0’.

tl;dr FromJapan is more expensive now if you want insurance on anything, and what is covered by the ‘protection plan’ in conjunction with your shipping choice is a bit dubious. My go to proxy is now Zenmarket; I’ve found them cheap and easy to use.

>>9313292
I'll go ahead and post FJ's policy about their buyer protection plan policy versus simple forwarding plan here for simplicity.

"Regardless of the item(s) purchased, if an order doesn't ever arrive to our warehouse, receiving of compensation will depend on the plan you have selected. Buyer Protection Plan : We will fully compensate and refund you for your purchase. Basic Forwarding Plan : We bear no liability, and the cost of the product will not be refunded. The same policy applies in the case of a non-delivery or store bankruptcy."

I've only ever used White Rabbit Express, but they a. don't go by the exact exchange rate, and b. they do charge phenomenal fees. The upside is either your product gets to you, or your money is refunded no questions ask. I went through them because I wanted the art on my menherabusu order intact and needed a service that offered ePacket (not SAL) shipping on a small order.

>>9313536
I'm strongly considering Zenmarket since I tend to only want small purchases often from several stores. White Rabbit Express gets way too pricey if you order from multiple stores at once.

Also, White Rabbit Express has a 12.5% service fee, a 4 dollar fee per shop, and a 1 dollar fee per item. They are pricey. They offer in-store pick up for specialty items that cannot be ordered online. They offer any shipping imaginable from surface to ePacket as well as EMS/FedEx. They do not charge a consolidation or repacking fee. They have a 100% money back guarantee. They use to offer forwarding services, but it seems that is done through 'BLACKSHIP' now. I assume it's the same forwarding service White Rabbit offered beforehand, only under a different name. I've only used their shopping service. My art came in perfect condition.

>>9313226
seconding a spreadsheet kindly

I've also heard people say good things about Personal Shopper J. They have a ninja as their mascot. The owner is acknowledged by the Japanese Police Department as an licensed antique dealer. I actually need to contact them about a 150+ year old teapot I possess for some damn reason.
>http://personalshopperj.com/
This site only the beta version. Here's the link for anyone making spreadsheets since the blackship forwarding site/service is new.
>https://www.blackship.com/

Anyone else waiting on confirmation from your SS that a lucky bag was delivered? I used Zenmarket and one bag was estimated to be delivered to them on 12/31. I knew they were on holiday until the 3rd but by the 5th I still hadn't heard so I messaged them and they said they are still backed up. I still haven't heard anything and I'm getting nervous but don't want to be any more pushy than I already have been. Maybe it is normal to have to wait this long? This is my first time using an SS for a lucky bag.

I've used Japonica Market and ZenMarket and both are good.

ZenMarket is cheaper with a 300 yen flat commission rate but doesn't buy from Mercari since it prohibits shopping services.

Japonica Market's layout is more archaic but they're good if you really want to buy the item. I used them to to buy from a seller on Mbok who only sells to females so they had an account with a female name.

I couldn't buy some items on YAuctions with ZenMarket since the seller wouldn't sell to shopping services. Japonica has some accounts that don't seem like shopping services so you can buy from more sellers.

I too am going to stop using FromJapan. The new hidden fees are obnoxious and I find their response rate and purchase time too slow for the price.
I have used Japonica a few times and although they don't have a nice layout like FJ, they are super fast and communicative. I recommend them if you are rushing to get something. They will be my go-to for Mercari from now on.

For yahoo japan I use Zenmarket. They are economical and I have no issues buying items and receiving packages.

>>9313538
Be careful if you are ordering multiple small items. They charge 300 yen per item even if they are from the same store. It can end up getting really pricey, depending on how many things you get

>>9313830
I'll remember to be careful about that. It sounds great for those high price items though.

>>9313635
At least they bought your stuff.. I used zenmarket too and they are still waiting to buy some of the stuff I want (for nearly a week now), a jumper I added to my order last week is sold out now.

>>9313700
I forgot japonica can buy from Mercari. Thanks for the reminder! I've talked about it in the Larme thread but I've used kairai in the past for mercari and they were fine, but a little slow because I think it's only one person. I might try japonica next time.

How long does it take to get a quote from Zenmarket?

>>9313292
I still use FromJapan, because most of my orders are Surugaya hauls that cost more than 1500 yen, so I have free domestic shipping and I only have to pay the 300 yen service fee once for the whole lot. However, the lack of tracking if you don't get their buyer protection plan really bugs me.
I checked Zenmarket out to see if it would be cheaper to use them, but apparently for shopping orders they charge a fee for each item even if it comes from the same store, so the total would be way too high

I've just been needing to find more alternative SS for instore purchases, especially for CC.

>>9313957
How much would you pay for that, keeping in mind pp fees and possibly traintickets?

>>9313700
I also forgot Japonica could do Mercari orders. I'll have to check them out.

I've been using Japonica for my Mercari and Fril orders because sometimes they have little discounts and they're super fast communication-wise. Chibi Tenshi is good too.

Also, can Zenmarket shop on Mercari and Fril?

>>9314136
>Also, can Zenmarket shop on Mercari and Fril?

Mercari, no
Fril, yes

>>9314140
So has Mecari JP banned all shopping services now? I can't find anything on their website that says that

>>9314152
I'm pretty sure the sellers decide. You have to use a more personal SS instead of an obvious company, like >>9313253 suggests.

>>9313921
I missed out on two lucky bags cuz of that so I feel you. They must be super backed up. They got back to me about one bag arriving but still no word on the one that was supposed to get there the 31st.

>>9313536
>>9313830
I've been using FJ for about two years, and have ordered about 50 items through them without issue in the past. I stuck with them rather than switching to Buyee because I'm from Europe so I need a proper SS to consolidate items from multiple different shops to avoid customs, not just an auction forwarding service (and because for a while few other SS did Mercari/Fril). However, this means that their consolidation fees sting.

After the fee change I had an order of ~ten small items - a couple from auctions, a few from Mercari/Fril, and a handful from the same store. I added up their breakdown and 3,300 yen of the Charge 2 was fees, not shipping/tax. I guess from their perspective it's only a couple of dollars per item, but I noticed that where I'd ordered several items from the same store, they charged me for each item rather than for the order as a whole. The flat rate fees really fuck you up if you're ordering a lot of small cheap items.

I've used Japonica for stuff which FromJapan couldn't get or where I needed to make specific requests and they're all right, but they're pricier overall and slower to process. I've not had the experience >>9313700 had - I've only used Japonica a few times but they seem to respond quite slowly.

>>9314188
Ugh I'm switching from FromJapan to Zenmarket now because of fees and I'm sad to see that ZM is so slow. FJ was so fast, they would get shit done within 24 hours usually

>>9314202
You might could try white rabbit express. I mentioned the fees earlier, but I don't know how they'd compare to FJ or Japonica. They are super speedy at ordering (usually that business day) and offer free package consolidation. Also, they'll put whatever you want on the customs fees which allows you to write it out in any language imaginable. (German, French, Polish, you name it.) Don't do what I did and accidentally put the original Japanese. I did that... didn't get a customs charge, but my shipment got delayed in West Nassau because they had to send it to a broker who spoke Japanese. I'm sure he laughed when he got the product and it said something like, 'pair of gloves'.

customs form* My bad.

The other two currently unmentioned is Treasure Japan and JSS. Tresure Japan confirms that they can purchase from Mercari.
>https://treasure-japan.com/
JSS I've actually heard nothing about.
>http://www.japanshoppingservice.jp

I am curious though. Why do so many on Mercari refuse to allow SS to purchase? I'm surprised to hear that it would be an issue that the item was going overseas.

>>9314188
>>9314208
They cancelled the things that were sold out and when I saw their message about it they had already returned my money. But I'm still annoyed because now I'm paid shipping for a hairclip I only added to my order because it was cheap (I didn't notice that was the only thing of my order still in stock).

I mostly use Zenmarket for auctions/regular webstore purchases & I'm pretty happy with them, they can be a bit slow but really helpful overall. The only problem is that when you buy something you need to add it to your cart first, wait for them to confirm the order, and only then pay it. If you're after something sought after or spot a really great deal you're out of luck because of how long it takes, so I've been using Japonica for my fril/mercari orders.
The problem with Japonica however is that they will only ship with EMS if the value of the items you bought is over 6000 yen. I don't really care for EMS shipping, I actually prefer to avoid it as it does attract some attention from customs in the UK. Does anyone have any suggestions for SS's that will buy from fril/mercari and don't have any funny restrictions on shipping? (FromJapan are the same as far as I know, not to mention that after reading this thread I'm not too keen to try them out anyway)

>>9314215
>https://treasure-japan.com/
>We never undervalue items on customs declaration.
>ok bye

>>9314228
http://egl-comm-sales.livejournal.com/tag/%21ss
These are either Western girls temporarily in Japan or Japanese lolita who like to shop for cute stuff anyway so might as well get paid for it. When they buy from auctions, mercari or fril they look just like any other Japanese lolita and the seller has no way of knowing that their precious dresses are actually going overseas. You just have to find one that's active and currently in Japan.

>>9314224
Probably worried about issues with shipping overseas (always riskier than domestic shipping)/filthy gaijin

>>9314228
>wait for them to confirm the order, and only then pay it
This part really slows them down and I don't understand why they do it. You already have the money on your account, so why don't they just go ahead and buy it?

>>9314232
I never undervalue because in my country that can lead to huge problems if they doubt the validity of your claim in the rare instance the package does get inspected. Then again I don't wear lolita... so I may feel differently if I was importing dresses worth hundreds of dollars.

How long does it take for zenmarket to check items?

I want to buy from a Japanese band's website, but they say state on their website they do notndo international shipping. There is no mention of shopping services, so is it safe to assume I can use a shopping service without a problem? The only ss I've ever used is Tenso, but id like to try out others like maybe Zen Market or Japonica. Do they work like tenso where you pay for the item on the site then pay for the shipping when they get it or do you send them the money for everything and they purchase it for you? Sorry for all the questions gulls.

>>9314243
You must not live in Europe anon
>>9314253
With Zenmarket you'll need an account. You add an item to your cart on their website, wait for them to confirm it then pay for it.
With Japonica you send them an order + paypal transfer through their website and they'll email you back to confirm.

>>9314233
There's Cutie Pie Kawaii who runs an actual shop out in PA. I never used her service because, well, it doesn't tell you a whole lot. I wonder if the sellers would pick up she was a shopping service though.
>http://www.cutiepiekawaii.com/japan-shopping-service
There's also Noppin. They will buy adult items with ID verification. You know, in case you refund a blouse and decide to import a dildo.
>http://www.noppin.com/
Shopping Mall Japan I'm only mentioning because they have a built in sniper system that customers can use on auctions.
>http://shoppingmalljapan.com/
This is a new one I've never heard of before.
>http://www.bridge.jpn.com/

Use all these at your own risk. I'm just mentioning less common ones that may not be as obvious as more known names.

>>9314256
I don't. Here if they doubt the validity, they can actually hold the package and demand proof of receipt. That rarely ever happens, but it can, and then you are going to be responsible for lying on a customs declarations which generally leads to your package getting incinerated in spite.

In instances where people refuse to pay duties, CBP will call the people who shipped the product to ask if they want it shipped back overseas. Most say no because that would generally require them to process a refund for the buyer. In this case, the package is also put in the incinerator. It's sad. Sage for off topic.

>>9314224
Some SS are just rude and they don't want to deal with them. And like other anon said, they sometimes worry about shipping overseas, especially with lolita.

>>9314228
FromJapan don't restrict what shipping you use for high-value items, other than not letting you use the very cheapest method (small packet airmail or something?) They let me send a $300 parcel via a really slow three-month method lately, as well as offering Airmail and FedEx.

DHL are the best to use if you need something fast from abroad to the UK IMHO, you always get taxed but they don't charge a handling fee so it ends up a lot cheaper than EMS does, as well as arriving in 3-5 days rather than 1-2 weeks like EMS which tends to get stuck in cusotms.

Question:
I believe it's illegal to send glues/adhesives from Japan to other countries (I live in the USA) because of flammability
I want to buy some press on nails and false eyelashes from Don Quijote but I think some of them have glue enclosed. Do you think I could ask zenmarket to open the package and remove the glue before sending it? If not then, is there an SS who would be willing to do this? I know fromjapan won't (they'll just throw out your entire item) and they'll charge you a "disposal fee"

File: Screenshot_20170110-053531.png (1B, 486x500px)

1B, 486x500px

Wellll, looks like the option to add tracking to Small Packet is back for items purchased with FromJapan's basic plan ? Weird that they didn't advertise it though.

Krad is killing me with their hiked up brand prices they sell through Clobba. I bought a piece form them and it is absolutely not worth that $230~ range.

Does anyone know how to get the Chinese prices for Krad and their offshoot brands? I know they only go through specific sellers, but is there a Chinese shopping service that could buy from one of their official Chinese outlets?

I'm currently in the process of ordering a JSK+socks+bow from Mercari with Japonica. It's going really well so far. Very quick communication.

>>9314258
I used bridge.jpn to buy ghibli museum tickets! They're legit

>>9314767
Ah, cool! Thank you for the update on that. It's good to know they are legit.

>>9314644
>Discussion of Chinese and Taobao shopping services should stay confined to the Taobao thread.
Anon please

Anyone have a good Korean ss?

>>9314232
I've heard of people getting charged with mail fraud for undervaluing packages. Why would they throw themselves under the bus for some cheapskate stranger? Just pay your fucking taxes, Jesus.

>>9315108
I agree.
What if the package gets lost? Contents damaged?
All these things can happen to the SS and if they under-insured the package because they lied about the value at your request.
They are the ones that are screwed because they broke the law and they are out of pocket too cause the cheapskate buyer probably wants a full refund.

>>9314989
Oops, sorry. My bad, OP. I'll take the question over there.

>>9315108
>>9315167
It's not worth it to buy anything from Japan if I have to pay taxes, customs, service fee and handling fee on top. If something gets lost and damaged most SS wouldn't pay for that. If a buyer gets angry about it I guess they lose a costumer, but if they don't mark things down they lose thousands of potential customers.

>>9315225
>If something gets lost and damaged most SS wouldn't pay for that

So you don't pay via paypal or...?

>>9315243
I don't. I imagine if someone claimed their money back through pp, the loss still wouldn't be as big as not having customers from those countries at all. There's a reason most SS do mark down.

>>9315167
>>9315108
I don't know how Europe works, but in the U.S. the seller is not responsible for undervaluing packages, the responsibility falls upon the buyer. They see the buyer as the 'primary importer' so they are ultimately responsible. The company in Japan shipping out the product did not break any laws in CBP's eyes, but 'Mary' who asked for the products to be undervalued certainly broke the law. (It is illegal for an American seller to undervalue a product for exportation, highly illegal.)

If you read CBP's twitter, they give a live update feed of the strangest contraband they find. Like, they seriously have posts like 'My bologna has a first name. It's c-o-n-t-r-a-b-a-n-d,' when they found 12 Mexican sausages. I actually advise following them just to laugh.

Also, when it comes to importation, you are the primary importer in America and it is considered your responsibility to let CBP know that an item is being imported. Doing this can actually avoid custom and brokerage fees. Send CBP an email with your order number, tracking, date of shipment, seller (originating city/country), delivery address, name, total price, breakdown of price (price of individual items and shipping), and then a list of every individual item broken down by item name, size, color, description, garment measurements, and garment material. A lot of fees actually result from the CBP broker having to track down the material and measurements of the garment for entry. These are not things that people normally put down on customs declarations. Also, sometimes what they put down in English is not an actual word in English. (For example, no one in CBP knows what a 'parker' or 'jsk' is.)

Doing this can really speed your package entry through customs in the event SAL or registered airmail gets inspected, or you are sending EMS/FedEx. Even more helpful is if you know the port of entry because then you can contact them directly. In FedEx's case, you need to send that info to FedEx directly because they have private brokers. EMS is just a broker with USPS.

>>9315361
I've never done that and I've always received everything quickly enough. Is it really required?

>>9315369
Not usually, but if you are worried then it doesn't hurt to let them know. It's technically required, yes. Most packages under 800$ are suppose to pass duty free, but if a package is stopped, and they can't find the proper information, it can certainly lead to some unwanted extra costs.

Does anyone know how long it normally takes for zenmarket to buy you something (from the moment you paid)? They are so extremely slow I think I'll never use them again but it may just be because of new years holidays or something? Or does it normally take longer than a day?

>>9315406
It's usually one working day for me. They've slowed down a fair bit recently so it might be new year's, yeah.

>>9315406
It says explicitly that it was because of the New Years.

>>9315406
They will buy within a few hours, or at least they did for me, but they do not buy on Sundays, so look out for that.

I sometimes find really good deals on the site but since my timezone is way off from Japan. When ZenMarket or Japonica get to it, it's sold out. The times I browse Mercari and Fril can be about midnight in Japan so are there shopping services that buy online outside of business hours? I think I saw cream cookie collection jsk in sax once for about 20 000 yen, but it sold out before the shipping services opened.

>>9316167
If you find something on fril, you can make your own account and buy it with a card and get it sent to tenso. No option like that for Mercari though.

>>9316178
What are people's experiences with doing this? I've been considering buying through tenso on fril especially as some sellers offer instant buy, but I'm always worried about possibly having to communicate with people etc. if something goes wrong. Using a SS does give you peace of mind but yeah, the time zone issue is pretty annoying

>>9316178
Does fril require a Japanese credit card? I had some problems trying to enter my card number so I assumed it wouldn't take foreign cards. It didn't tell me exactly why the card wouldn't be excepted so maybe it's something else?

From Japan are kinda shady. Item on mercari was in "perfect condition" but they told me my item was obviously damaged when they got it but only showed me a small part of the damage. Received the item in awful condition with far more damage than expected/shown on their pic. They won't refund because "lol we told you and youI proceeded anyway" except they never told me it was THAT bad.

Also does Japonica mark packages down? Living in Europe and ordering overseas is suffering, customs will fuck you in the ass nearly everytime.

>>9315108
Easy to say when you're murican or loaded.
I don't fucking want to pay a hundred €€€ of taxes because customs are overcharging jews and i already paid 200€ for my dress + shipping and other fees. Fuck that shit. They won't have my shekels.

>>9316377
They do! Which is the main reason why I've been using them, haha.

>>9316390
Aw nice!
It's such a pain to be european though, you must be careful and mark it down but not too much or it's suspicious, blegh. And they get me almost every time, those walnuts.

>>9316377
So they told you the item was damaged and you are upset because you received a damaged item?

Also FJ has stopped doing Mercari orders recently, unsure why... I had some things I wanted to order from there.

>>9315108
I don't mind paying taxes. However, I DO mind being forced to pay bullshit "service fee" that are unavoidable because the post here won't let you deal with the customs yourself

>>9316384
Anon...people like you are why no one wants to sell the Europeans.

>>9316423
Why would you not want to sell to Europeans because of that? What's the harm to you in marking a package as a gift for example? Serious question
As a European myself, if a shop or individual won't mark a package down I most likely won't buy from them anyway. I'm not keen to pay 25% extra on top of everything I buy, I don't think that's particularly weird or unexpected

File: 6cf.png (1B, 486x500px)

1B, 486x500px

>tfw your SS was too slow and you missed a lucky pack you really wanted
sucks to be a gaijin sometimes

>>9316396
Someone mentioned shopping services being banned from Mercari or something lately... anyone have a source on this?

>>9316466
>>9316396
>>9313536
How do you guys find lolita on mercari and frill? I tried searching lolita and Angelic pretty but it brings up all sorts of dumb normie shit

>>9316466

Damn, is that why FJ suddenly told me they were having 'technical difficulties' with Mercari specifically?

That fucking blows.

>>9316604
You can sort by brand on Mecari. Not sure about fril because I've never used it

>>9316423
So when Americans tell us they don't sell to Europeans because they don't want to fill out more forms they were lying?

>>9316396
Nah, they told me it was damaged but they barely showed me anything, just a pic of a single stain. So I thought the damage was limited to that and didnt know it was that bad.

>>9316953
Well. We can't lie about the customs declaration, no.

>>9316956
I can understand.
But really, I hope you guys understand that we have to pay insane taxes on top of having already bought a 100-300$ dress plus shipping fees and that we can't afford to pay something like 200€ of taxes every time.
But yeah I understand if some murican tells me they wont lie on the customs form and I just don't buy it.

>>9316430
By marking the value down, the package can only be insured for the marked value. If I sell you a $300 dress but mark it as $25 value, and it gets lost or damaged, I can only file an insurance claim for $25. But you'll want $300 back and will make a Paypal claim/chargeback. So I'm out at least $275 - no thanks, I'm not taking that risk.

>>9316466
i just got a jsk using japonica last week and it reached them just fine today so idk how true that is (japonica is a little more covert though)

>>9316956
Didn't mean you lie about the custom declaration. No one from the US has ever refused to sell to me because I want the parcel marked down, but because it is quicker to send stuff to US buyers (less forms to fill in). If I buy something from outside the EU and they find out the parcel is marked down, the seller is non-liable.

>>9316982
I didn't know about that. The post in my country insures things up to x amount (like 500 euro) and doesn't consider the value of the customs declaration because you could also write down a way higher value and claim back more money from them. If they lose something, you can claim back the money if you have the receipt of your JSK/blouse/whatever and that's the money you get back. So when I send something overseas I use the PayPal invoice.

>>9317067
Didn't realise you had to put so much effort into it in the States...
I live in the UK and I've sold a few things abroad, filling out a customs declaration takes literally a minute, they ask you what's inside at the post office, you tick a few boxes on the label that goes on the package and that's it.

>>9315108
>buy a dress for 200$
>taxes are 50$
>customs is 60$
>paying half the dresses worth to the jew gov

Not from the uk but this is common

>>9316982
Actually you could ask for the money as a gift if you worry about the charge back. Be honest about the risk and most ppl understand.

>>9317076
>Actually you could ask for the money as a gift
I did this with someone from the US once (she didn't want to pay for insured/tracked shipping) and she claimed back the amount through her creditcard company after she received her dress.

>>9317076
Looking up customs information just puts me off buying anything at all. I live in the Netherlands and it's absolutely fucking retarded the amounts they charge you. Would move to the US just for no customs alone.

>tfw had a dream i had to pay about $3000 in shipping fees for one order through an SS
Time to stop buying stuff online

>>9317081
It's true, the amounts they charge you here in NL are insane.
I had to pay 175 euro's to customs once on an order from Japan (buyee).
Still use Buyee but only on small, less expensive orders with low shipping costs.
For others I used From Japan and marked my packages down but their fee system is stupid nowadays so I don't use them any more.
Thinking of switching to ZenMarket and/or Japonica, but I'm not sure if ZenMarket allows you to alter the value like FJ or Japonica does though.
Does anyone know?

>>9317081
Don't speak so soon. Obama put the duty free limit up to 800 back in March, but I don't know how long that will last. With the new president, it might get a lot harder to import stuff from Japan. I'd hope he wouldn't target importation from Japan, but with Trump's emphasis on American products, it might happen that we all start paying customs here soon in America on any imported package.

>>9317077
When someone does this, claiming the money back, do you lose the payment even if it's been paid as a gift? Sorry for the ignorance here.

>>9317220
Yes, the money gets taken from your PayPal account. In my case, I didn't have any money in my account so pp kept sending me letters about it

>>9317220
http://egl.livejournal.com/18929625.html?thread=427294681#t427294681
#neverforget

>>9316395
Japonica also has the option of shipping from a personal address instead of a business address if you want it to look more like a gift. They also have an option where they won't include an invoice insidw the package.

>>9317203
They both allow you to alter the value. Buyee is horrible value for money, don't use it anon

>>9317203
Zenmarket lets you price the package whatever you want. You need to pay an insurance fee that's dependent on the difference of the declared and the actual value though. I think it's 1-4% or something. This is so if the package is lost they well refund the cost since the mail company can only refund up the declared value. They collect that fee and use it to refund customer if their package is lost.

>>9316604
There's an American mercari. Make sure you're using the Japanese one. Also I don't recommend using the app. Btw, shit sells out real fast.

Has anyone used mintkismet yet? She does in store shopping.

>>9317376
I mean it's good that she's a lolita but
>Please note: I am not located in Tokyo
While Osaka has many brand shops, Tokyo has the most stores because of sheer size

>>9317369
See, I like using the app way more. It's better for keyword searching. Have to be on the Japanese iTunes Store to get it though.

>>9317453
There's quite a lot of Osaka special sets and what not, so having a Osaka SS might help sometimes

>>9317254
I'll admit I've been using Buyee because I'm lazy and it's so easy to use but damn they are so expensive.
So I'll probably just quit using them once my latest purchase has been shipped cause in the long run that will save me money, which is more important than a user friendly do-it-yourself bidding service.

>>9317257
That sounds good, think I'll definitely give them a go next time I want to buy/bid on something.

>>9317231
Unrelated but whatever happened with her?

Hi I came from, /fa and just bought some a bomber jacket online. Can someone tell me how long Rakutens take to generally send out a shipping estimate? Its been a week and nothings come through except an order confirmation.

>>9317453
I'm moving close to Tokyo next month (~10 minute train ride) and am considering doing a shopping service on the side. Would anyone use a SS for Tokyo and surrounding area stores?

I still need to work out the details and fees but if any gulls would be interested, please let me know!

>>9318170
Stores can be extremely slow to invoice. Listen Flavor's rakuten store took a whole week to invoice me. Also remember that coming of age day was the 9th and a lot of places were closed that day

>>9318177
It depends on your added value. Can you do things poeple can't do through tenso or a cheaper SS? I usually use an in-store SS for things that have sold out online, so it depends on how quick/often you can go to Tokyo. And I use one when I want something custom made, and my SS charges 10%+pp fees for that.

>>9316178
Which card do you use?
I can't get any of mine to work.

>>9321391
I have a visa from tdbank. I use them because they generally don't block foreign transactions, and if they do they have 24hr service so I can call them to take the hold off my card.

In your case you might need to call your card provider/bank prior to making a purchase on fril. They might think your card number has been stolen and block the transaction. That's what I have to do if I want to use my other cards.

Either that or fril has changed terms in the past couple of months. Haven't bought from there since November.

>>9321460
Thanks for the info anon! They must have changed something, my cards haven't had issues anywhere else. Guess I'll have to use a SS for anything I want.

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>>9321460
>>9321482
There's actually a notice in their user guide saying that as of November 1st, they no longer accept foreign credit cards.

>>9318177
10min train ride to where in Tokyo? Its huge.

Big SS like Japonica and Zenmarket do NOT communicate with sellers well. That's why they are often restricted on mercari.

>>9322800
Who do you recommend for Mecari?

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What does tenso mean by the 410 yen included with SAL and airmail?

Also, how difficult is using YJA with tenso? Should I just stick to a shopping service for it?

>>9324620
Airmail in Japan seems to come with a 410 yen fee extra to register the mail. That's not the only site I've seen requiring people to pay the 410 yen fee exactly. I think some shopping services just omit that the 410 fee is for registered airmail, choosing instead to include it within the base price of shipping without designation.

Or registered SAL, I forgot to mention registered surface mail as well. I guess it is for the extra services provided over unregistered mail.

>>9322800
Gonna call bullshit on Japonica. They're good for mercari, if expensive. I could see the comments they were making to purchase things and they were like excessively polite

>>9324644
Thank you!

Still, does anyone know how difficult it is using YJA with tenso?

>>9324863
There must be multiple people at japonica communicating with sellers tough. Maybe some are more polite than others. And you can get negative feedback for the smallest things in Japan.

>>9324864
You can't, even when sellers accept credit card payment through Yahoo Kantan pay, the system doesn't allow foreign credit cards.
I live in Japan and always have to use convenience store pay or bank transfer.

>>9316982
As a european buyer, I always ask for packages to be marked down, but I also state that IF the package gets lost, I know I'm not going to get my money back...not everybody here is an ass. I only buy from people with a lot of positive feedback and good communication, though, cause I don't want to get fucked over myself. Worked out perfectly for years now.

>>9325070
Your word is pretty worthless when you can just click a button on PayPal and get your money back

>>9325081
Anon, you can be paranoid about anything. Hell, the person you sell the dress to can spill orange juice on it herself and claim that you sent a damaged item to get money back. It's not quite the person's word that's worth something, but their reputation. A seller/buyer with a good history isn't going to want to fuck that shit up all of a sudden.

>>9325081
Insurance don't work like that in every country though. My country's post company offers maximum 20€/kg if it's something super expensive without additional insurance. Most of the time you wouldn't get even that because they would find a way to blame you on it. For example, my brother ordered an engine and the seller didn't take the oil out. They smashed the engine so badly the package got a hole and it was all over in oil but they just told to sort it out with a seller because it was his fault and he probably has to pay for ruining other packages. Sure, the seller had made a mistake but the oil wouldn't have bled everywhere if they didn't decide to destroy it.

>>9325081
We don't care you don't want to sell to us. Nearly all SS in Japan mark down packages and US shipping is absurd anyway.

>>9325081
And the seller would spill all the details on cgl and nobody would want to sell to me ever again? No thanks. I'm also not saying that this is the perfect solution, but it works for me and I always get very positive feedback as I am very quick to respond, act mature and don't pull shit like "just clicking a button to get my money back". Did something get lost in the mail? Yes, in the 8 years I'm doing this now, one dress got lost in the mail. I had to suck it up and live with the loss, which was pretty small compared to the money I saved in custom fees until that point. Just to remind you: I'm only doing this with people who have a good reputation and stellar communication and I myself always try to make sure to be as communicative and easy to deal with as possible.

Can anyone help me with putting my card billing address in on a japanese site? I"m having trouble with the zip code since 5 digits is too short and the 5+4 is too long. Also, what filed would I put my state in?

>>9326118

If there is not a area to put in "Country"/ "State" that site probably doesn't allow using foreign credit cards.
Ones that do will almost always have a selection for "Country" so that the system makes enough room for your zip code / address formats.

How do you get zenmarket to mark your parcel down?

>>9325081
Serious question: In my country the value is only written down on the package, so when my package is lost nobody would know what it's worth. I could claim the original value that I didn't written on it and nobody could prove me wrong. Then again I have to pay extra for insurance but that insurance range is so big (25€ - 100€ ) I still could get away with marking down on the package and claiming the original value.
I can totally understand when sellers don't want that potentional trouble though.

>>9329264
the option will present itself when you ask them to consolidate your items for shipping

>>9329348
It hasn't tough.. I made my package and am waiting for them to tell me the shipping costs

Does anyone know of any SS that do wishlist services? I know Tokyo pirates used to, but since they became Accio Tokyo, they stopped.

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>>9329264
You can change it while you're making your package Anon.
Package> Click on "Change" next to declared value.

>>9329370
If you already submitted your package then u goofed. See >>9330220

You can message them to see if they will be nice enough to change the value without charging you the repackaging/package cancellation fee, but it might not work.

How long does it usually take for ZenMarket to confirm your package? I'm at the stage where I've selected the shipping method and they've packed it, but they haven't given me an invoice for the shipping fee yet

Any gulls with experience with From Japan using acredit card?

Trying to buy a dress off of mbok using From Japan for the first time with my card. I knew about their policy requiring an authorization number and thought nbd but my bank/card company won't give it to me. At this point, I'm tired of dealing with my card company's call center and am ready to jump ship back to japonica or something. I'd rather not be banned for not being able verify I'm the card holder though.

>>9331927
After being a loyal FJ customer for about 6 months, I stopped because their fees are getting way too high. Come over to Zenmarket

>>9331927
Fuck FJ, come join anon >>9331930 and I at Zenmarket. I was with FJ for 3 years but after being forced to pay for their buyer protection plan twice (which I didn't consent or choose to do) and combining fee, I'm done with them. For mbok or mercari, you're probably better off just dealing with Japonica despite the higher fees.

>>9331930
>>9332072
As long as I don't have to deal with this authentication bullshit anymore, that's sounds like a pretty good idea. There were quite a few anon commenting on the slower speed so I might give them a try with a less time sensitive item.

So Zenmarket wasn't able to nab a dress I requested. Am I able to request they credit me back the funds I deposited for it that are still in my account?

>>9332288
The funds will go back to your (Zenmarket) account, which you can then request for them to refund to your card/Paypal/whatever.

>>9331794
I've also been waiting for them to invoice me for shipping for 4 days now. This is my first time using Zenmarket and at first I thought they were slow because of the new year sales but this is getting ridiculous.

>FromJapan charges me over ¥7,000 yen for charge 2
>ZenMarket charges me only ¥5,200 for a larger and heavier parcel
Glad I made the switch

>>9332645
Different anon but I jut got the shipping confirmation today, took them 3 days to just give me a shipping estimate. I hope they'll be quicker at actually shipping it out.

First time I ordered something from Yahoo Auctions was Rinkya.com. They will fucking gobble your wallet with a ridiculous $22 commission fee. Never doing that again...

I've used Zenmarket a couple times to buy some YuruYuri anime merchandise. I love how loading funds is incredibly easy from your bank account. However, buying from them during the holidays can be a slow process as they close for a week or two. But I have had nothing but positive customer service from ZM so far.

I got another YuruYuri wall scroll (sold at Comiket) from Otamart using Japonica Market back in October 2016. I had the worry of it selling out after waiting a few days for by bank to transfer money to my Paypal account, but those guys did a wonderful job shipping the wallscroll. :)

I'm trying out Zenmarket because people say it's better than From Japan, but I notice with Zenmarket you have to pay a shipping fee with a service fee. Are you guys sure my order is going to end up cheaper? I thought with From Japan you didn't have to pay for shipping to the warehouse.

>>9336162
With FJ you always had to pay for domestic shipping (unless the store/seller sends it for free). The difference is that FJ will lump that fee in with your 'charge 2' payment, whereas ZM charges you right when they pay for it to be shipped to them.

The order will be cheaper with ZM because the commission fees are lower, they don't charge a combining fee, they don't force EMS on orders over 6000JPY, and their shipping fees in general seem to be a bit lower.

>>9336175
They don't force EMS ? Great ! There's this figure I've been eyeing that's 9000 yen but I didn't want to pay out the ass for shipping. I might switch to ZM for my individual Yahoo Auctions/occasional big purchases and stay with FJ for Surugaya hauls.
One question though, does ZM let you purchase R18 doujins ?

Is there any SS that can still buy from Mercari AND marks down packages? There aretwo items i want on there that aren't on Fril.

I wish I read this thread before I ordered some rubber straps through FJ a few weeks ago. Needless to say, I'm pretty fucking salty after just paying 9,632 JPY for my charge 2 payment. Lesson learned.

>>9337116
Japonica Market.

>>9337355
Holy shit anon, what the fuck made your charge 2 so expensive ?

>>9337355
How many straps did you order that your charge two came out so high?

>>9337393
>>9337529
I ordered seven, and between all of their little fees it added up quickly. I should mention that 2,000 of it was because I chose EMS for the peace of mind.

Anyone tried takoyaki.co's wish list service? I'm thinking of trying it but my dress is pretty rare and popular.

>>9318177
My current Tokyo SS charge 10% in fees, if you're charging that or less then sure.

Reposting my question from the itabag thread

What would you guys consider to be the best shopping service when buying a shit ton of small stuff from places like Surugaya? I'm currently using Fromjapan and I was wondering if there was anywhere better.
I dont want to use Zenmarket if I can avoid it. the 300 per item from the same store kills me

From Japan is shit and you shouldnt use them really. They're shady.

>>9337831
I'm currently using FromJapan for everything and soon going to switch to Zenmarket for my auctions stuff (that 200 yen bank transfer fee is killing me) once all the stuff waiting to be sent is gone, but I might remain with FJ for Surugaya hauls for now since it only costs 300y and I haven't found a better option

>>9338060
Shady how ? Post deets

>>9338073
Not that anon, but just read through the thread. The recent fee system change has fucked a lot of people over. There might not be as much vitriol over it if FJ hadn't touted the new fees as a way to save money. I'm the end, using the service generally costs more than before. They should just be honest that they wanted more moola.

That said, if they're working for you for buying a ton of stuff from the same store then great. Honestly that looked like the only "reasonable" use of FJ when I was looking at the new fees, but I never buy more than a couple things from one store so it doesn't work for me. Ah well.

How long can you keep items at the Zenmarket warehouse before having them ship them to you?I'd like to buy an item now, but wait until I have more items before they ship them to me.

>>9338271
45 days. Every extra day costs like $1 per item

How does anyone feel about using Tenso as a mail forwarder?
I can do a lot of the shopping myself just need mail sent abroad for me.
Anyone have any experiences with them/ other forwarders?

I used Jshoppers but they have been overpriced in my experience albeit that was quite some time ago.

Japonica vs ZM

what's better?

>>9339212
I use them for different purposes.
Japonica for mercari, fril & things I know might sell out fast since they're quite quick. ZM for auctions, general shopping, sometimes Fril.
I live in the UK so don't really want to do massive hauls to not attract too much attention from customs, Japonica force you to use EMS for anything over 6000yen worth which isn't ideal.

>>9337377
Thanks bro, living in Europe is awful for customs, they overcharge you crazy bad here if you don't mark down the package and even then they'll still try.

>>9339189
I've only used 'em once to get some WEGO bags that were on sale and didn't have any problems. Their shipping rates seem reasonable as well

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question but I'd like to know, do all the SS charge you with Paypal fees ?
I've only used Japonica market so far

>>9340526
Zenmarket don't

Aaaand FromJapan changed things AGAIN, now you can't mark your package as a gift if you use Small Packet

>>9340777
But they do?

>>9340777
yes they do

>>9340526
If it bothers you a lot you can report them since it's against paypal's rules

Do Tenso charge you a consolidation fee for every package you combine or is it only for the first 3?
This is the example they give on their website:
>As a base fee, we charge 200 yen regardless of the number of packages being consolidated.
>Independent of this, we charge another 300 yen if you wish to consolidate two packages, or 600 yen if you wish to consolidate three.

Does that mean they don't charge you a fee for the fourth and every subsequent package?

>>9341920
I recently paid 1000Y to consolidate five packages.

I went to check out zenmarket for the first time mostly because of this thread, but their cart system is so weird? How long does it normally take them to "check items"? I didn't put the size I wanted in the description or anything because I didn't know it would automatically get submitted (or at least that's what it looks like happened).

Are there shopping services that combine shipping for items from one seller from auctions? For example, if you win two bids from the same seller, will they automatically have the seller ship the items together to save on shipping costs? I just realized that Buyee doesn't seem to do that and I'm way overpaying for a seller that cuts the shipping cost by like 60% with the amount I'm buying from them.

Is Japonica willing/able to put in an offer for an item on Mercari? Some sellers say they are open to negotiation but it seems like with SSs it's just a direct order.

>>9342874
Japonica will do it.

>>9342874
Fromjapan will do it unless circumstances prevent them, Zenmarket will do it if you win all the items on the same day in japan time.

>>9337621
They don't offer the service anymore

Just got buttfucked by tenso. Don't reccomend. They first overcharge by setting a Yen /USD exchange rate that's not accurate to today, then somehow over exaggerated the weight of my package as being 3 kg when it's under 2 kg before even opening it.
I will not use them anymore and switch to one of the other forwarders, they're not worth the fees.
Oh and also for consolidating my items they charged me 1400 yen alone which is bullshit it's not that much work to just throw like 5 items into a box.
They're shipping fees are also heavily padded up from what Japan post actually charges and other companies charge so they're essentially trying to make extra off you at every single step and opportunity which I understand, making profit and all, but for fucks sake how can it be possible it would be cheaper for me to have used a buying service instead? Also would have been cheaper to shop all items individually.

>>9353670
Follow up on that "review" I've found some new players on the block for forwarding in Japan and will be testing them on my next orders of figures and books, will report back if either of them come back nicely , however honestly it can't possibly be worse than the savage anal rampage of tenso.

How long does it typically take Japonica to ask for payment 2 and ship out items? My order arrived at their warehouse a few days ago and they still have not sent a final invoice. Any other ss I've used asks for the final payment within a few hours of receiving the item and ships it out on the next business day.

>>9353970
They seem to be overwhelmed right now, they're taking longer than usual to invoice. Maybe try sending them another e-mail.

>>9353981
Ok, I'll do that. Thanks anon! I forgot to mention it was my first time using them so I didn't know whether or not that was normal for them.

>>9354224
Might be obvious but did you specifically request an invoice? They just kinda wait around for me to buy more stuff until I say "okay I'm finished, invoice me". Last time I used them it took 2 days after asking to get the invoice and 2 more days to ship, but it was right at new years so they warned me it would take some time.

Is it better to buy something from rakuten and have them ship directly to your or have a shopping service buy it for you?

>>9354403
Depends. If you're just ordering a couple of items it's better to buy directly.

>>9354403
Also depends how fast you want it.
Many rakuten shops will only ship to foreign countries using end which is not worth it if you're willing to wait slightly longer and it's a relatively small light item.
A lot of times though after you factor in the fees you pay a buyer it almost evens out. If you can order and deal with sellers yourself it's better to use forwarders than buyers so you don't have to pay extra for someone's time to purchase your stuff.
As mentioned above though I don't personally reccomend tenso or their "buyer" company buyee, although buyee somehow is a bit better than tenso however don't buy their "insuranice" packages as they won't actually refund you anything should something go wrong. There are plenty of claims against them on that on trustpilot so I wouldn't reccomend bothering and if something goes wrong go through paypal to make any claims.

>>9354856
Hurr durr, meant EMS not "end"

>>9337621
Yeah I did, it felt like a huge scam to me. First of all, I will never know if they ever really searched for the dresses. And secondly I've never received the partial refund that they have promised to give back after not finding the dresses.

I've contacted them several times about the refund and they promised to refund me immediately via paypal. Days and weeks passed by, nothing happened. Then after contacting them again they offered me to include the refund as a compensation with a future order (which I have no interested in, apart from searching for dream dresses I'm not making lolita-related purchases anymore). I know it were just a few dollars, but it was part of the deal so I felt exploited.

>>9342874
My SS always does, but she charges 10%+pp fees

>>9342799
You should always put the colour and size in the description and it takes several days before they buy it for you

Can anyone recommend forwarding services other than tenso then? Their shipping prices really are jacked up like >>9353670 said.

>>9354224
I think you should send them an e-mail, I sent them one about ordering a second item on Mercari before mailing my order internationally and they responded very quickly. It might just be how they prefer to communicate with buyers.

>>9353670
Agreed, I only use tenso if I know I don't need to consolidate and I'm ok with shipping it with SAL since that shit's quick over to CA.

>>9354967
Google Japan mail forwarding services,or "japan online buying services" there seem to be a lot of them with random people vouching/reviewing on the internet for a couple so just do your research on any you want to try. That's what I did and am currently experimenting with a couple with fairly inexpensive items and will update my findings with them when the processes are all said and done.

Because tenso is the biggest most well known(and because the whole idea of using buying services specifically for Japan is sort of a small niche area) that's why they continue to get used and many people just don't know better so not many people have gone around experimenting with other smaller lesser known services yet, so if you want to find the better deals and not be ripped off by the tenso scheme you'll have to actively do some effort to find it and experiment a bit unless more people out there are willing to trailblaze a bit and try smaller services and update with how it went as well.
So far as a buyer Zenmarket seems okay although takes a bit long of a process to even buy the items, Jshoppers is ok too (mail forwarder only) but they Only use EMS so it's only good if that's all you want to use.

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Not sure if this is the right thread for this but I ordered some Yosuke shoes through Buyee (last time I use them btw) and I keep looking at the tracking but now it says "Item returned from import Customs".
What does that mean?
Please tell me this doesn't mean that my stupid fucking customs sent it back to Japan.
They have no reason to do that as I always pay the customs fees & shit and shoes are not prohibited.

>>9342874
Depends on the seller & service. Some services use multiple names to bid, so if you win 2 different auctions with 2 different un the seller won't ship together.
Also for Mercari, if the seller is using the rakuraku shipping service, they can't combine two separate purchases

How quickly does FromJapan quote and process orders? I put in an order for them to pre-order a limited item about an hour ago, but I need it ordered when reservations start on the 21st at 11:00 JST. I would have ordered earlier, but bandai are idiots and didn't announce the time pre-orders started until about an hour ago and FromJapan wouldn't snipe for me unless I had an exact time and not just the date. I inquired about them grabbing me a slot before hand about a week ago and they said that as long as I payed a 2000 yen fee, they'd go on at whatever time I requested and pre-order my item. I'm just worried either my request or my payment won't go through in time and I'll miss out on my item.

>>9362439
They're usually pretty quick. I think it takes around 4 or so hours.

>>9354967
>>9358859
big in japan is good

>>9317376
I've been using her for a while and would recommend her.

best service for multiple cheap <1000yen items on mbok? I've been out of the game for a few years.

>>9364316
Momoirokumasan if it's fashion related

>>9364321
850 yen per item? Sorry, but that sounds terrible anon.

>3800y charge 2 from FromJapan for 4 items

Good thing I'm switching to Zenmarket for auctions, paying everything but the shipping first is much better

Can anyone provide more info on the upcoming ap re-release? This is my first time doing a MTO with a SS and everytime i have used her I have had to spoon feed her, and I absolutely will not miss out on Carnival. Sorry for the noob questions I just dont know where to look for more info cause I dont usually use an SS and have no lolita senpai to guide me. Thankyou!

Best SS for ordering multiple items from one webstore?
>swimmer haul incoming

>>9366326
Have you been following Lolita updates on Facebook? There is already a lot of information shared about the re-release of Holy Lantern and Carnival.

Both dresses will be a MTO exclusive for the AP Tokyo store from 2/25 till 3/5. However if your ss lives outside Tokyo she can still order one of the dress. She only has to make a phone call with the Tokyo store. The carnival dresses will be shipped out in late July and the Holy Lantern dresses will be shipped out in late August. If they receive too many reservations, both dresses will be shipped out in late September. Hope this helps!

P.S. the carnival dresses are expensive though! The OP is around 54,000 Yen and the jsk is around 43,000 Yen.

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I decided to finally place an order with Japonica for a few items in Mercari and noticed that they can't accept new members (and I'm assuming, new orders) for the time being. Any idea how long it takes them to get through a rush period? I'm kicking myself for not placing the order yesterday. Also, if you order 3 items, but want them separated into 2 shipments (for SAL purposes), will they do that or do that automatically start making your shipment as soon as items get to their warehouse. I couldn't find anything on their site about it.

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>Won auction on Tuesday
>Paid for everything but domestic shipping
>Still awaiting buying

Why is zenmarket slower than a molasses-covered snail in the winter? Their speed makes me consider going back to stinkin' buyee.

Bit of a reverse question - has anyone tried selling on yahoo jp auctions through a service? And if so, recommendations? I have a stash of vintage kimono to get rid of and the market in the US is nonexistent.

>all the cheap SS don't buy from mercari anymore
I wish I knew that beforehand. Did mercari change their policies or something?

Looks like Accio Tokyo do mercali/fril now. Expensive but since they're fast they're more likely to snag a dream item.

>>9368003
If you ask them to do it they probably will. I haven't done something similar myself but they did keep a few of my items for longer than 30 days because I wanted to combine them with another order I was placing. So they seem to be pretty agreeable overall.

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How do I order from Mercari and what shopping service should I use? I'm clueless and in need of spoonfeeding.

>>9371052
I actually tried putting an order through but they cancelled it and refunded my money saying it just wasn't possible for them. I'm considering White Rabbit Express but they are pricey, probably on par with Accio Tokyo, so I may just hold off on ordering since I don't really *need* them.

>>9371600
How much are they?

>>9371055
Japonica will buy from Mercari. Their website is pretty straightforward. Their English is decent and they're happy to help you. Go figure it out. I believe in you.

>>9371055
See >>9369461

Is it cheaper to order something from amazon.jp using international shipping (because they only use express shipping) than it would be to just order from them using buyee and the cheapest overseas shipping option?

Ok so, Japonica is still down. I've been trying to put together what other SS's will buy from mercari:
- Accio Tokyo
- Tenshi Shop
- Kairai
- White Rabbit Express
Are there any more?

Haven't used any of them but it seems like White Rabbit and Accio Tokyo won't mark down packages so I won't even consider using them. I've been thinking of using Tenshi Shop for that reason but her fees seem pretty high & her website doesn't state how long she wil keep packages for. I wanted to buy a few smaller things so I have the feeling it might get really expensive. Any experiences anons?

>>9372042
Well obviously it depends on the weight. Light stuff where it can get to the proxy with free shipping will probably be cheaper than buying it yourself. If you're buying books, I'd rec checking out mandarake since a lot of second hand Japanese things are in good condition and they'll ship with cheaper carriers.

>>9374317
Thanks, senpai

>>9374289
http://support.whiterabbitexpress.com/article/8-customs-type

Are there any SS's who will negotiate with private sellers on your behalf? I guess it's too much too ask but I'm starved for deals

>>9374880
pretty sure japonica will

I need to order just one purse from AP. It's my first time using a shopping service, and I am wondering if Tenso is a viable option. I have nothing to consolidate, the package should pass fine through customs. Are they still too much of a scam? I just want to use a well-known, reputable company. If anyone has any better recommendations I would be all ears. Read through the whole thread and while there seems to be a few options everything seems so sketchy (including Tenso).

>>9374965
Japonica does it for sure. They negotiated for me before although they can't push too hard for a lower price because it risks getting a low rating.

>>9374289
Japanshoppingservice

>>9375963
Tenso's not sketchy, their fees just add up if you start buying from multiple stores (they charge a consolidation fee on top of regular handling fee, etc.) I've made tons of orders with them before which have all been fine, and I usually prefer them if I'm ordering from just one store and/or in a hurry. It looks like the most annoying thing is that fees add up (but they don't hit you seemingly out of nowhere like FJ) and their currency conversion is not so favourable. You'll be fine.

I had FJ mark down my EMS package 50% and now I'm terrified something horrible is going to happen at customs.

If Canada Customs calls my bluff, they'll probably just send me a big bill, not send my package back or something, right?

So I used Japonica to buy a few small items from mercari around mid january. One seller took a bit longer to reply, but they had won all bids on february 7th...and this is the last time I've heard from them. Is this normal? Does it mean they still don't have my stuff? Everything I bought, I bought for Omnia Vanitas and now I'm freaking out that I won't have any accessories to wear. It's my first time using Japonica and mercari, so is this normal or should I be worried?

>>9376106
Just a big bill unless you have something illegal in there.

>>9376115
They've been overloaded with orders lately so they're a bit slow but you should drop them an email and ask for an update on your order, it won't hurt.

Does anyone know a SS that can buy from Mercari that charges a small amount for low cost items? Or maybe one that does a percentage?

I want to buy about 30 100-500yen items, but if I have to pay 500yen on top of each for a SS fee it will be a small fortune. Chibi tenshi and japonica both seem like 500yen per listing.

>>9378026
https://luxas.org/
I just heard of these guys yesterday, apparently their service fee is 20% of you total order after domestic shipping. that also round 100Y to a dollar, so keep that in mind.

>>9378302
The normal rate is 10-15% including paypal fees.

>>9374880
I asked japonica to negotiate a 10,000 yen item down to 9,000 yen (because I read in the comments that a different interested party asked them to lower to 9,000 and then said that was fine). They will ask you what you want the price to be negotiated down to, and if the seller denies it, would you still be willing to pay full price. or not?

They will only negotiate the price 1 time, so if the seller denies your new price, japonica won't re-open negotiations, they'll either buy or not buy the item.

>>9378302
Not even in-store services charge that much, jesus.

>>9378305
>>9378314
Whoops. I'm used to using Zenmarket's flat 300y fee, so I don't really know what the standard is. I just saw everyone saying that all the SS that still bought from mercari were expensive, and I mistakenly thought this would be cheaper.

>>9376026
I went to their site and it seems kinda sketchy. Has anyone used them before?

>>9378302
>>9378305
>>9378314
Yeah but if you are buying a bunch of little cheap things that is actually a great deal instead of paying 500yen extra on each item. So it sounds like Luxas is actually wonderful for cheap items from Mercari/frill!

>>9354911
Aaaaahhhhh, that's fucked up ;-;

I've had nothing but good experiences with them, but now I'll think twice about buying from them in future. I'm sorry, anon ;-;

Japonica seems to be backed up right now. On their homepage it says they're not accepting new members right now, does that mean people who have placed an order before would still be able to start one? Or is that just their way of saying "no new orders" regardless of whether you've used their service before or not?

>>9381311
I think they mean no new orders.

>>9376026
>>9378627
Ok, so after googling around they seem legit, but I couldn't find any reviews or such. I'm going to try them with a few small things from mercari, will report the results.

>>9354911
Exactly same story here. I think they just needed easy money, since no one is buying their overpriced brand anymore. Yes, I'm mad.

Not sure in which thread to ask so might as well do it here.
I want to find out more about an item on fril but I don't wanna bother my SS too much. How would I ask in Japanese (I have a fril account which I used back when they allowed foreign cards) 'are there any flaws to the item?' ? the seller doesn't mention the condition in their listing

Seriously, chibi tenshi is the best shopping service out there right now. She's super quick with buying and answering to emails, reliable, friendly and doesn't want to fuck you over. Her fees are reasonable, easy to grasp and I imo really cheap. I used FJ and buyee but their customer service got worse and FJ's new bullshit fee system + the fact they don't support points anymore and don't take mercari orders completely turned me off.

tl;dr: I think I have a crush and can finally live out my shopping addiction to the fullest.

>>9383995
Have you ever tried having her buy something i. store for you? Or has anyone else here?

>>9384311
Yup. She's pretty good at getting your first choice and on the rare occasion she doesn't she manages to grab your second.

>>9383995
>500 yen commision fee for nearly everything I want
>100 yen mercari payment fee

She might be great for jfash shit, but for a bunch of cheap stuff for an itabag that doesn't sound great at all.

>>9384468
Mercari charges a 100¥ fee for all payments unless they're made with in-app credit (that you get from selling things)

>>9384468
Why aren't looking for lots on YJA or something for itabag shit? After fees it's almost never worth buying cheap things individually.

>>9383995
I also use CT. She's wonderful to deal with, prompt to reply to stuff, gets to know you if you're a repeat customer. I can't recommend her enough.

>>9384669
I didn't know that. Thanks anon.

>>9384674
I've already done that and had decent success, but I'm hunting for merch from a couple of old series, and secondhand places are usually the only place I can find anything. I've found some stuff there that I haven't found elsewhere, hence the interest.

What the fuck, I was checking the shipping price for heavy packages via Zenmarket and via FromJapan, and for a 13kg package DHL costs twice as much with ZenM that with FJ (¥17,755 versus ¥8,430). Good thing I checked with both before bidding...

How do I buy from closet child osaka?

>>9383995
> New BS fee system?

I'm curious, what's the BS fee system? I just brought a bunch of stuff from FJ and they charged just the listed ¥700 yen fee plus shipping (which was a little high but not nuts). Versus other SS that have such a complicated fee schedule I can't understand it.

>>9383995
I don't understand why people continue to say she's cheap. Compared to a lot of services, no, she's really not.

If I buy two large packages (4 kgs), would Zenmarket combine them into one 8 kg package? That would save a lot on shipping. But I'm afraid they won't or it's not possible.

Has there ever been a shopping service pastebin/google spreadsheet?

>>9387197
Just send them an email to ask, they are not the most quick to respond though, so keep that in mind.
But they are easy to work with and friendly.

Dumb question, if I'm JUST buying from rakuten, is it better to use a SS, or just use Rakuten (first time ordering from Japan that's not Bodyline)

>>9394791
Not all shops on rakuten ship overseas, so check that first

Is Zenmarket reliable for auctions? I have an order open with them right now so I thought I would like to combine it with an auction I'm trying to bid on, but it ends in 13 hours, and they have been so slow with "checking" non-auction purchases I wasn't sure if that was enough time.

>>9395489
Auctions don't go through the "checking" process, so as long as you don't bid on something from a seller that's been blocked, you'll be fine.

>>9381311
I switched to buyee because it's cheaper than japonica

>>9354911
>>9337621
It was totally a scam, If I recall correctly, It was $5 a month to look, and if they didn't find it, they refunded you $2-3? Figured it couldn't hurt, so I paid $10 and asked to look for one dress.

2 months came and went, not a peep from them. No updates, nothing even being like "We haven't seen it, but we're still looking!" Which would have at least sounded halfway believeable. The deadline passed and they didn't refund me, so I wrote them a bitchy PM basically being like "I need you to refund me, did you even bother looking" and they replied "oh yeah, we'll get you you're refund, we totally looked! We didn't see it anywhere, it must be really hard to find! If we see it, we'll be sure to PM you!" and I'm like, "You mean buy it and upcharge me for it." Like...no shit it's hard to find, that's why I paid you to look.

Couple months later 2 of the dream dress came out and I was able to buy it. At least I got my $6, I guess, no big loss, the whole thing was dumb on their part.

>>9399422
Is buyee that good nowadays? I remember that back in the day folks had a lot of issues with it. Would it be good for an order of multiple items from a single store (that isn't one of the 'main' ones eg. amazon/rakuten/zozo/etc)? I want a few keychains from one store but I don't want to pay out of the ass for shipping 200g worth of stuff.

I used Tenso before to buy a figure from amazon JP and the pricing seemed decent enough. Then again, it's not like I'm getting multiple outfits and accessories.

I'm using Zenmarket for an online JP store and I'll compare it then. I can say that as of now, Zenmarket charges 500 yen for taking photos of the stuff you ordered? A little weird imo.

>>9385400
I agree with you, she's not cheap. I go with her because she'll take good care of the shit I want with next to no hassle, and I'm willing to pay a premium for that.

I have tenso, I've used FJ, I used Celga in the dark ages, and at this point in my life I have more money than time so CT is seriously the way I go when it's not tenso-level simple shit.

Now if you're impatient, cheap and have more time than money, she's definitely not the first SS I'd recommend.

>>9405300
So who would you recommend?

>>9405271
Most Japanese SS's charge for photos. 500 yen is definitely really steep.

>>9405342
I'd recommend starting with the bigger/non-personal services as mentioned in the thread. When I mentioned time, I was specifically thinking about how I personally used FJ's bidding/snipe system so other people's experiences may vary. I only moved to CT once I was able to afford the extra fees.

I did use a variety of one-off personal SS when lj-egl was still a lot more active, so the other option is to find a smaller personal SS that's starting out and give them a shot. The downside to this is the possibility that they flake or are rubbish, but the upside could be being an early adopter to a really good and cheap (at the start, anyway) SS.

>>9405503
From my experience FJ is one of the fastest SS's. They always buy your items within 6-7 hours and they're pretty speedy with shipping too. I've just started using Zenmarket, but so far FJ seems to be faster on the ordering.

Package consolidation question here.
I bought a couple of posters, and according to the seller they were shipped in a tube. They're both 37x52cm, so roughly 18x26 in. Would it be worth trying to consolidate it with other items, or should I not bother and ship it separately?

anyone know of any personal shopping services in NAGOYA?

I ordered a pair of light sandals from rakuten for £3 and the seller is charging me £15 shipping.
Is it better to use a service or just pay the shipping ?

>>9314248
doubling this

File: FUCK YOU TO HELL FROMJAPAN.png (80KB, 472x648px) Image search: [Google]

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HEY GUYS. DO NOT AND I REPEAT DO NOT USE FROMJAPAN BECAUSE THEY'LL LITERALLY TEAR YOUR ASS OUT OF YOU ON SHIPPING FEES.

I only bought a plush and they're charging me close to $260 to this.

WTF KINDA BULLSHIT IS THIS.

YOU CAN EVEN SEE THAT THE DOMESTIC SHIPPING WAS BARELY 540YEN AND THEY"RE CHARGING ME 26,426 YEN?

They're only giving me the DHL option when I know that my plush can fit into the airmail requirement for 5 times less then what they're charging me.

I'm just so fucken pissed that they're literally beating me in fees when it shouldn't even cost that high in the first place. I've been trying to message them to try and change my shipping options or to somehow lower the costs, but it's looking pretty sad for me right now gulls.

Please kill me.

>>9416675
Holy shit anon... what is the plush/how big is t?

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>>9416682
I bought the Yuuri and Victor version of that plush. I knew shipping fees were gonna be high but I wasn't expecting it to be over $150 at the very highest. There's barely even 30 minutes left to their working ours before they leave for their weekend.

Also another shitty point is that my payment deadline is 4/03 so I don't even know if I can solve this problem in time before they rape me with even more fees for late payments.

I haven't fucken cried in years, but holy shit this was a punch in the gut for me.

>>9416675
FromJapan is stupid as hell and restricts your shipping options depending on what 'plan' you choose. If you go with the 700y one it locks you out of airmal and SAL, no matter what you bought.

>>9416849
Yeah unfortunately I accidentally chose that plan without realizing I didn't click to change it to the basic plan back in November. Which was even before they changed their entire fee system lineup anyways. Still no update from their end.

They just sent me an automatic message saying I'll be charged late payment fees if I don't pay right away. I'm really SOL gulls.

>>9314248
>>9414601
They usually take one working day unless they're packed with orders (during the holidays, for example)

>>9416675
I know I've ordered the equivalent in terms of size of box before and paid like $150 shipping, is that plush made of lead or some shit? What the fuck?

It looks like zenmarket won't buy from fril anymore. What's a good alternative?

File: 1488352030300.jpg (24KB, 656x488px) Image search: [Google]

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>Japonica still closed

Come back, I need to buy stuff for my itabag...

>>9417553
Anon i just bought something off fril from zenmarket yesterday are you sure? or did i just barely make a deadline?

>>9416675
>>9416694
Holy shit anon that's not right! I ordered two jumbo plushes that were about the same size, it not a big larger, and I only paid 6,000JPY for EMS; that was including 6 other smaller plushies as well. This was a year and a half ago but still, shipping rates haven't gone up THAT much! Glad I switched to Zenmarket.

>>9417587
I guess I'm lucky. I got an email this morning saying they'll accept an order from me and they gave me a 'new customer' number. I guess they felt bad when I tried to order and they had to refund the deposit (it was on shortly after they made the announcement a month ago).

>>9417601
I'm not sure. I just know that if I try to add anything from the fril.jp domain, an error message pops up

>>9417077
I'm guessing it depends on the time of day too? Last item I sent in during Japanese daytime a few days ago was checked in about 3-4 hours.

>>9416675
Anon contact them before you pay anything. Maybe you can split the plushies in two shipments or something. Also, if it's because of the weight, ask them to use Fedex.

I just tried to place an order last night and got this message:

Unfortunately, we cannot purchase items from fril.jp , so we have to cancel your item ctw2.
We hope for your kind understanding.

Best regards,
Yulia

They cancelled my order as well.
Really strange, considering I just bought a few items from there last week...

>>9418714
Which SS?

>>9418746
Sorry, forgot to mention lol. I was on zenmarket

>>9368511
There's a bunch of us buying yukata, kimono and accessories in the US, what are you talking about? Just in my comm alone there are about 10 of us who collect traditional j-fash. All you have to do is list it on eBay and as long as your prices are reasonable it should sell easily

>>9417587
Idk Anon, I've been a long-time japonica customer and I'm getting annoyed at them right now. All my items are at the warehouse, I have a huge order, I asked them to prepare a shipment over a week ago when the last piece arrived, and haven't heard anything since. I wonder what's going on with them. I'll send another email tomorrow but this is getting ridiculous, I'll be moving in a month and need to get this shipment going

>>9418714
Same problem with zenmarket, they said it's because they're a proxy and fril doesn't do proxies or something. Which is weird because I had no problem buying from fril just a short while ago too. I ended up turning to Tenshi and she snagged the dress for me instead.