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ofurotaimu2011-01-15 06:05 pm
fascinates) wrote in ofurotaimu2011-01-15 06:05 pm
Entry tags:
[Guide] Ordering from Shops with no International Shipping
In the Vocaloid and Utattemita fandom, most of the merchandise are either 1) in comiket/other conventions or 2) in Japan-only online shops. Most of the time, Vocaloid and Utattemita CDs are sold in Toranoana, Animate, Amazon Japan and more recently, Three!!. If you are a non-Japan resident, it's a bit hard getting stuff from those shops (except Amazon, unless you wanted an item that is not shipped internationally). In order to buy from these shops, you need to use a deputy service.
note 1: I will not be talking about shopping assistance for comilket/vomas, since it's an entirely different thing. This will only be about items sold in online shops.
note 2: As most utaite and producers discourage auctions (like Clear), and because of my inexperience with it, I will also not discuss auctions and how to bid on them using these services.
What is a deputy service?
- A deputy shop/service is a third-party site which will help you order from shops that do not accept shipping outside Japan. Aside from the shops mentioned above, it also includes auctions (Y!J, mbok, etc.), specialty shops (Melonbooks, etc.) and even real shops located in Japan. Basically, you tell them what you want from what shop and they will order it for you with a commission fee.
How do deputy services work?
- Basically, your product will be ordered and be sent to you in these steps:
1. You register in the site/service.
2. You ask them to buy whatever you want (by giving links in the order forms).
3. They give you the list of fees you have to pay (will be discussed below) and you need to either pay it in full or partial.
4. They will order for you and notify you when they manage to do so. (This can interchange with #3, as they can order first before you are made to pay.)
5. The product is mailed to their storehouse in Japan.
6. They will notify you that your product has arrived. If you live near Japan, chances are they will ship from there. If not, they will send the product to their storehouse in US and from there, they will send it to you.
7. You are asked to pay for shipping fees unless you have an initial deposit (will be discussed below). Most of the time, the shipping is EMS, but there are some services where you can choose shipping method.
8. They will mail the product to you.
Why is using deputy services expensive?
- They are expensive to the point that you can pay up to 2.5 times as much compared to when you just directly order online. This is because of the fees you have to pay:
1. Commission fee: This is the fee you have to pay them for ordering for you. The lesser popular the site you're ordering from, the more likely that the fee is slightly larger. Usually, it ranges from $5-$12. Some shops charge per item, while some charge per batch order.
2. Bank Wire fee: This is the fee you have to pay for them paying for your order. This is, more often than not, $2-$3.
3. Sales Tax fee: This is the 5% sales tax which is compulsory in web shops.
4. Internal Shipping fee: This is the fee you have to pay them for receiving your item in their Japan storehouse. Basically, you have to pay for the seller shipping the item to them. This can be from $5-$10.
5. International Shipping fee: This is the fee you have to pay to receive your item. The price is dependent on the mail service they use. Usually, it is EMS. It is a bit expensive, but your item is secured and tracked.
Why do some deputy services ask me to pay first before I can even order?
- This deposit secures your account and is usually used for bidding or if you ask them, for paying for your items. Most of the time, it's just for good measure to make sure you're someone they can trust.
What kind of payment to they accept?
- Paypal is the most popular way of paying for deputy services, although some also accept direct credit card payment, money orders and bank transfers, depending on the service or your location. Most of them accept only USD and Yen as payment.
What are some of the downsides of using deputy sites?
- Aside from the expensive fees, there are also these:
1. You cannot cancel webshop orders when they have already confirmed them.
2. You have to pay as soon as possible when they notify you, because some shops add fees the longer you let your product stay in their storehouse.
3. It might take a longer time to ship the item to you due to the roundabout way it is held.
Aside from buying from webshops, what can deputy sites do?
1. They can bid in Japanese auctions for you.
2. They can buy in RL Japanese stores for you as long as you describe properly what you want to buy.
3. They can pre-order for you.
4. They can sell you stuff (yes, some of them do have their own shops) in a cheaper price.
5. They can help you look for webshops where you can buy the stuff you want (especially if they are rare).
Below is a list of some of the better known deputy shops. I cannot say which is the best one because it depends on where you live or where you order from. Some of them have downsides (like you can't ship directly from Japan and you have to pay a lot for shipping, etc). so it's up to the buyer to look for the shopping service that will suit their needs the most. In order to find a suitable deputy service for you, you need to:
1. Ask for an estimate/quote. It wouldn't hurt to e-mail them and ask for an estimate of how much they will charge you for ordering from a shop, especially if it is an unknown shop/product. Most of them reply readily and amiably.
2. Compare prices. There are many sites to choose from, so try computing which shop would ship for the least fee to your location.
3. Be careful. There are a lot of deputy sites out there, but not all of them are trustworthy. They all have FAQs and all of them have contact numbers (US-based) or e-mail, so don't be afraid to ask if you have anything you do not understand!
4. Do not buy on impulse. Make sure the things you buy through a deputy shop are those that aren't really sold in shops that have international shipping. Unless they are very rare / not available in international shops they are not worth using deputy sites for.
• Noppin ( http://www.noppin.com/ )
- advantages (profile)
- shopping service faq/steps
- general fees
• Celga ( http://www.celga.com/ )
- shopping faq
- fees faq
• Shopping Mall Japan ( http://shoppingmalljapan.com/ )
- general fees
- ordering tutorials
• Goody-Japan ( http://goody-japan.com/ )
- commision fees
- shipping fees
-clefairy has a general review of the service here.
• Japamart ( http://www.japamart.com/ )
- shopping faq + general fees
- shipping fees
• Treasure Japan ( http://treasure-japan.com/ )
- faq
• Japan to Door ( https://www.japantodoor.com )
- ordering faq
- general fees faq
• From Japan
-lluvia has an amazing review of the service here.
• Other Lesser-known Stores:
- Masato IWS
- Japan Auction Agency
From all of those, I have only used the first three. Here are my thoughts on them for those who are curious:
Noppin/Crescent Shop
+ this is the best deputy shop for beginners, as they are very quick to respond and are very accommodating.
+ you can ask individual questions and they will answer you readily.
+ they are very strict when it comes to notifying you of the status of your order, from the point of ordering it until it is ready for shipment; you can also check the status via their bbs.
+ they are very careful with your items and they will use the package suitable for the amount, size of your items.
- they are more expensive than the other deputy services, make sure you buy in bulk if you want to save money.
- you need to pay on time.
- you need to pay an initial deposit before you can order.
- since their website changed (from crescent to noppin) there had been some irregularities when it comes to payment. but this can easily be resolved by asking them personally.
Shopping Mall Japan
+ they are quick to answer your orders and also quick to ship.
+ it's pretty easy ordering from them because of the automatic system
+ their fees are not as steep as other shops and even cheaper if you order from just 1 shop + by bulk.
+ if you live in Asia, they will send the items to you straight from Japan, so you save time, especially if it's fast mail (like EMS).
- since they're automated, it's kind of hard to ask questions and request special treatment of product.
- they almost always pack your products in boxes, no matter if they're doujinshis or magazines or CDs, so expect large packages and a little more expensive shipping.
Celga
+ they answer questions readily and sometimes are willing to give estimates.
+ they aren't as strict with fees as with other sites.
+ they pack stuff well and carefully.
- they are more expensive than the others
- sometimes they "forget" that you have items so you might need to bug them about it instead of the other way around ^^;.
Currently, I'm using Crescent and Shopping Mall Japan. Both of them order from Toranoana, Animate and Three!! and you can also ask them to order from even lesser-known sites. So far there are only minimal problems with them, just that they are really expensive in total. Well, it is the price to pay, I think ^^;.
If you have any questions or if you can give a review on some of the other sites (listed or not), feel free to post them in the comments. Thank you tosoutherncross, serenato and waowao who had introduced me to deputy sites and how to use them ♥.
note 1: I will not be talking about shopping assistance for comilket/vomas, since it's an entirely different thing. This will only be about items sold in online shops.
note 2: As most utaite and producers discourage auctions (like Clear), and because of my inexperience with it, I will also not discuss auctions and how to bid on them using these services.
What is a deputy service?
- A deputy shop/service is a third-party site which will help you order from shops that do not accept shipping outside Japan. Aside from the shops mentioned above, it also includes auctions (Y!J, mbok, etc.), specialty shops (Melonbooks, etc.) and even real shops located in Japan. Basically, you tell them what you want from what shop and they will order it for you with a commission fee.
How do deputy services work?
- Basically, your product will be ordered and be sent to you in these steps:
1. You register in the site/service.
2. You ask them to buy whatever you want (by giving links in the order forms).
3. They give you the list of fees you have to pay (will be discussed below) and you need to either pay it in full or partial.
4. They will order for you and notify you when they manage to do so. (This can interchange with #3, as they can order first before you are made to pay.)
5. The product is mailed to their storehouse in Japan.
6. They will notify you that your product has arrived. If you live near Japan, chances are they will ship from there. If not, they will send the product to their storehouse in US and from there, they will send it to you.
7. You are asked to pay for shipping fees unless you have an initial deposit (will be discussed below). Most of the time, the shipping is EMS, but there are some services where you can choose shipping method.
8. They will mail the product to you.
Why is using deputy services expensive?
- They are expensive to the point that you can pay up to 2.5 times as much compared to when you just directly order online. This is because of the fees you have to pay:
1. Commission fee: This is the fee you have to pay them for ordering for you. The lesser popular the site you're ordering from, the more likely that the fee is slightly larger. Usually, it ranges from $5-$12. Some shops charge per item, while some charge per batch order.
2. Bank Wire fee: This is the fee you have to pay for them paying for your order. This is, more often than not, $2-$3.
3. Sales Tax fee: This is the 5% sales tax which is compulsory in web shops.
4. Internal Shipping fee: This is the fee you have to pay them for receiving your item in their Japan storehouse. Basically, you have to pay for the seller shipping the item to them. This can be from $5-$10.
5. International Shipping fee: This is the fee you have to pay to receive your item. The price is dependent on the mail service they use. Usually, it is EMS. It is a bit expensive, but your item is secured and tracked.
Why do some deputy services ask me to pay first before I can even order?
- This deposit secures your account and is usually used for bidding or if you ask them, for paying for your items. Most of the time, it's just for good measure to make sure you're someone they can trust.
What kind of payment to they accept?
- Paypal is the most popular way of paying for deputy services, although some also accept direct credit card payment, money orders and bank transfers, depending on the service or your location. Most of them accept only USD and Yen as payment.
What are some of the downsides of using deputy sites?
- Aside from the expensive fees, there are also these:
1. You cannot cancel webshop orders when they have already confirmed them.
2. You have to pay as soon as possible when they notify you, because some shops add fees the longer you let your product stay in their storehouse.
3. It might take a longer time to ship the item to you due to the roundabout way it is held.
Aside from buying from webshops, what can deputy sites do?
1. They can bid in Japanese auctions for you.
2. They can buy in RL Japanese stores for you as long as you describe properly what you want to buy.
3. They can pre-order for you.
4. They can sell you stuff (yes, some of them do have their own shops) in a cheaper price.
5. They can help you look for webshops where you can buy the stuff you want (especially if they are rare).
Below is a list of some of the better known deputy shops. I cannot say which is the best one because it depends on where you live or where you order from. Some of them have downsides (like you can't ship directly from Japan and you have to pay a lot for shipping, etc). so it's up to the buyer to look for the shopping service that will suit their needs the most. In order to find a suitable deputy service for you, you need to:
1. Ask for an estimate/quote. It wouldn't hurt to e-mail them and ask for an estimate of how much they will charge you for ordering from a shop, especially if it is an unknown shop/product. Most of them reply readily and amiably.
2. Compare prices. There are many sites to choose from, so try computing which shop would ship for the least fee to your location.
3. Be careful. There are a lot of deputy sites out there, but not all of them are trustworthy. They all have FAQs and all of them have contact numbers (US-based) or e-mail, so don't be afraid to ask if you have anything you do not understand!
4. Do not buy on impulse. Make sure the things you buy through a deputy shop are those that aren't really sold in shops that have international shipping. Unless they are very rare / not available in international shops they are not worth using deputy sites for.
• Noppin ( http://www.noppin.com/ )
- advantages (profile)
- shopping service faq/steps
- general fees
• Celga ( http://www.celga.com/ )
- shopping faq
- fees faq
• Shopping Mall Japan ( http://shoppingmalljapan.com/ )
- general fees
- ordering tutorials
• Goody-Japan ( http://goody-japan.com/ )
- commision fees
- shipping fees
-
clefairy has a general review of the service here.• Japamart ( http://www.japamart.com/ )
- shopping faq + general fees
- shipping fees
• Treasure Japan ( http://treasure-japan.com/ )
- faq
• Japan to Door ( https://www.japantodoor.com )
- ordering faq
- general fees faq
• From Japan
-
lluvia has an amazing review of the service here. • Other Lesser-known Stores:
- Masato IWS
- Japan Auction Agency
From all of those, I have only used the first three. Here are my thoughts on them for those who are curious:
Noppin/Crescent Shop
+ this is the best deputy shop for beginners, as they are very quick to respond and are very accommodating.
+ you can ask individual questions and they will answer you readily.
+ they are very strict when it comes to notifying you of the status of your order, from the point of ordering it until it is ready for shipment; you can also check the status via their bbs.
+ they are very careful with your items and they will use the package suitable for the amount, size of your items.
- they are more expensive than the other deputy services, make sure you buy in bulk if you want to save money.
- you need to pay on time.
- you need to pay an initial deposit before you can order.
- since their website changed (from crescent to noppin) there had been some irregularities when it comes to payment. but this can easily be resolved by asking them personally.
Shopping Mall Japan
+ they are quick to answer your orders and also quick to ship.
+ it's pretty easy ordering from them because of the automatic system
+ their fees are not as steep as other shops and even cheaper if you order from just 1 shop + by bulk.
+ if you live in Asia, they will send the items to you straight from Japan, so you save time, especially if it's fast mail (like EMS).
- since they're automated, it's kind of hard to ask questions and request special treatment of product.
- they almost always pack your products in boxes, no matter if they're doujinshis or magazines or CDs, so expect large packages and a little more expensive shipping.
Celga
+ they answer questions readily and sometimes are willing to give estimates.
+ they aren't as strict with fees as with other sites.
+ they pack stuff well and carefully.
- they are more expensive than the others
- sometimes they "forget" that you have items so you might need to bug them about it instead of the other way around ^^;.
Currently, I'm using Crescent and Shopping Mall Japan. Both of them order from Toranoana, Animate and Three!! and you can also ask them to order from even lesser-known sites. So far there are only minimal problems with them, just that they are really expensive in total. Well, it is the price to pay, I think ^^;.
If you have any questions or if you can give a review on some of the other sites (listed or not), feel free to post them in the comments. Thank you to
southerncross, serenato and waowao who had introduced me to deputy sites and how to use them ♥.
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hi
Re: hi
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Also, since you're from the Philippines (right??), an extra tip: always have them ship in EMS if you're buying multiple CDs. And do not buy from Amazon JP because the customs tax is high when it's from there because of their shipping method. If it's YesAsia or CDJapan though, I think it's okay :)
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thank you for this!
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They also have a system where, if you search/buy something from their search engine or the stores they're partnered with, the amount of your first payment is instantly calculated and you can pay right away. In other cases, with smaller stores and the like, you just fill in a form with the product you want and they take less than a day in getting back to you with the fees (a couple of hours, if you do it during Japan business hours).
I've only used them for shopping, but they also have a bidding service, if that's what you're interested in. :|d
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They were very quick to place my order for buzzG's album, "Rebellion on the Sunday", which involved just filling in the form with the URL of the item I wanted and the quantity. and it came within 2 weeks from the date of purchase (given the time it takes for them to receive, and for it to reach UK). They updated me immediately with the EMS tracking code when they dispatched it from Japan as well, which was pretty professional and stuff :D
The comission charge is also extremely reasonable I think, at a minimum of 750yen, and then going from 15% and downwards depending on the amount.
I'd definitely use them again if I had the need to but lately I have people sending me albums directly...and then the ones from the spaces next to them so...8D;;. But I'm definitely thinking of using them for some of the bigger named P's albums sometime soon.
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I've also used Japonica for auctions, but have no idea if they do shops.
I want to to try and preorder something soon.... I really need to start asking them for quotes...
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I have tried preordering from SMJ/Celga/Crescent and asked them specifically to hold them until I complete all my items so they can be shipped together. They didn't bug me for having my item stocked there for a long time or charge me extra (since some shopping sites do charge you for not having your items shipped immediately o.o).
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I'll try out SMJ, because the item I want is kinda big, and my friend wanted to order the same item. But it's only avaliable for preorder for one week and the thing is release several months later orz....
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If you want, you can talk to both first and ask how much they will charge you for preorder + commission, excluding shipping. Then you can add in the shipping charges yourself.
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Just now I received a reply about Asamakku's Gift. They're shipping it tomorrow. /shot
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Noppin --> expensive, but most reliable sounding, said they'd get my preorder right on the first day if I paid beforehand
Japonica --> cheaper than Noppin, they personally reply to you via email, so it's nice. But they asked me to contact them again when the preorder for the item opens.
FromJapan --> their fees seem scarily cheap. Why's it so cheap!? *checking over to make sure I'm not missing something*
Other places: was unsure to try the automated sites..
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I'm also about to try FromJapan for pre-orders, and based on your and Floor's comments, they sound pretty awesome. :) I'll put in my comments too once I get to use their service.
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(Anonymous) 2011-02-16 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2015-04-05 03:08 pm (UTC)(link)Deputy service in United Kingdom
(Anonymous) 2011-10-05 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)Thanks in advance.
Re: Deputy service in United Kingdom
(Anonymous) 2015-04-05 03:07 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2012-04-11 02:30 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
more service
(Anonymous) 2012-09-21 11:27 pm (UTC)(link)http://www.j-subculture.com
Cheapest and best Japan deputy shopping service I found recently.
(Anonymous) 2013-01-09 12:19 pm (UTC)(link)I think I have found the best Japan proxy shopping service by far.
Re: Cheapest and best Japan deputy shopping service I found recently.
The deputy I use, FromJapan has a 200 yen per item and a 2% charge (forthe first 4 items per store, after that it's only the 2% charge) and various bank transfer fees that vary.But their SAL shipping prices are terrible.Their EMS charge is normal. How good is Sutocorp's shipping?
Re: Cheapest and best Japan deputy shopping service I found recently.
(Anonymous) 2014-06-10 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
no subject
(Anonymous) 2013-02-16 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)Buy from japan - Anislo (https://anislo.jp)
ordering from toranoana.jp
(Anonymous) 2013-05-10 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)Re: ordering from toranoana.jp
Re: ordering from toranoana.jp
(Anonymous) 2015-04-05 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)Re: ordering from toranoana.jp
(Anonymous) 2015-06-06 12:40 pm (UTC)(link)Re: ordering from toranoana.jp
Anyways, I have deputies that can order from Tora. My current favorite is Big in Japan's forwarding service. This requires you to make an account at Tora and pay Tora directly with a credit card. You then ship the item to Big in Japan's address. They then will ship the item to you for 500 yen + intl shipping. They have many options for shipping and even unreg SAL. I've gotten 3 CD and a doujinshi for a total of price + domes shipping + 500 yen + 500 yen SAL
NO TO TREASURE JAPAN
(Anonymous) 2013-12-08 09:22 pm (UTC)(link)If you ever plan to purchase something from Japan, stay away from them!
I have heard many good reviews about them, and how cheap they were, so I decided to give it a shot.
Everything was fine at first, I paid for the items I wanted and they ordered. However, once they received my goods and sent me an invoice, that's when the problems started.
Obviously I already had to pay their expensive commission fee of 1932 yen (which is around 20 USD), I was not ready to lose any more money, so I emailed them to ship out my items via the cheapest method without tracking and if I could send the payment via gift, so I didn't have to pay the stupid $9 international money fee.
However, they said they could not, even if in their FAQ, it said that you COULD.
Obviously these morons (only one person is running this site, however) most likely hasn't updated any of their FAQ or "rules", because clearly it said that you COULD do that! I read everywhere and never did it say that I couldn't get a shipping without tracking and not send my payment as a gift. Obviously, sending something via gift would be hurting ME because I wouldn't be able to be eligible for Paypal Protection! In the end I could have saved $30!
Most likely nobody is buying from them anymore BECAUSE it's been a while since they have updated anything from their site!
This will DEFINITELY be my first and last time using their service! Next time I'll go with my gut and use Biginjap.com's forwarding service. I could be saving more money, and they do have excellent service!
RIPOFF SITE THAT DOES NOTHING FOR THE CUSTOMER TO SAVE YOU MONEY. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!
Treasure Japan
(Anonymous) 2014-12-02 09:41 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2016-07-24 06:14 am (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2020-03-27 02:42 pm (UTC)(link)If you speak Japanese and the shop accepts credit card payments, then you can often save a bit by using a freight forwarder instead of a deputy service. The freight forwarder gives you an address in Japan and then you place the order yourself. You only pay the freight forwarder for shipping costs but not for the shopping service. Some freight forwarders also accept cash on delivery, which typically is cheaper than using the full shopping service. However, if you don't speak Japanese, then it could be difficult to order something yourself to a freight forwarder.