How to bid in Japanese auctions for dummies.

[katoftw]

6 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

Does buyee charge your card/paypal immediately upon winning an auction, or do they send you an invoice?  Its been a while since I've bought anything from there and I don't entirely remember.

They charge for the auction win value.

 

Then later when they get it. They invoice you for domestic and international shipping.

[Cat]

16 hours ago, Kiha66 said:

Does buyee charge your card/paypal immediately upon winning an auction, or do they send you an invoice?  Its been a while since I've bought anything from there and I don't entirely remember.

I recall that they charge immediately.

[Kanpai Keith]

I’m looking at using ZM for the first time for some finetrack on YA.  How do I get a price for domestic shipping if it’s not listed?

[roadstar_na6]

@Kanpai Keith unfortunately you can‘t see it. It may be worth a shot messaging ZM (there is a button on the lot somewhere to ask them about the item), maybe they can then ask the seller. It takes a while tho and ZM‘s office is closed on sundays.

[Cat]

10 hours ago, Kanpai Keith said:

I’m looking at using ZM for the first time for some finetrack on YA.  How do I get a price for domestic shipping if it’s not listed?

If shipping is not listed and the item is small, odds are very good that it will ship by the pretty inexpensive Nonstandard Post [within 34cm x 25cm x 3cm and under 1 kg.]  The courier services get more expensive, and use of those will typically be listed.

I math out the listings with courier costs to see if the total cost will come in my price range.  I don't worry about the others.  And expect that on a few items I'll get a surprise burning on unexpected high cost.  It all averages out and is the price of the game.

 

With ZM, I try whenever possible to get mulitiple items from a single seller within the 5am-to 5am 24 hour window when ZM will automatically ask for combined shipping.

Edited January 31, 2021 by Cat

[Kanpai Keith]

Well, taken the plunge.  Deposited some funds at Zen and snipe is in.

 

Fingers crossed.

 

Edit: Nope didn’t win despite my strong bid

Edited February 2, 2021 by Kanpai Keith

[Dinosbacsi]

Guys, I have a question. As I'm browsing YAJ via FromJapan, looking for B Train Shorty stuff, often for parts like the motor units and rolling bogeys, or scenery stuff like platforms and such, the site often shows a message stating "The item page includes the keyword "予約 (Pre-order)". The item may be a pre-order. Check the item page for more information about the release date.", then the item description mentions about "first production in 2011" and stuff like that. I suppose that means it's an old listing that hasn't been updated? If I were to order an item with this description, would it even still be available?

[MeTheSwede]

There are often pre-orders for the rereleases of products.

[Dinosbacsi]

So it's safe to assume the product really is available?

[Cat]

Sounds like boiler plate text from a vendor who has been at this for quite a long time.  There are no pre-order Shorties these days, so yes they will be in stock.

[railsquid]

If ordering a pre-release from a normal retailer, it's a fair bet the product will actually be delivered at some point, usually but not always around the advertised time. The same goes for re-releases, which happen from time to time (hence the "first production in 2011" description).

 

However I've never seen that kind of thing in the context of Yahoo Auctions (assuming that's what you mean with "YAJ"), as the whole operation is set up around being able to bid on products which are available.

[Dinosbacsi]

I see, I guess I will try my luck with ordering something with this description, thanks!

[cteno4]

Some do try to sell pre-release on auction sites and many auction sites forbid it other have rules on it. Ebay is you must state release date and must be shipped w.in 30 days of sale, don’t know what yaj is.
 

jeff

[disturbman]

Update about Buyee services. For those who do not know, Buyee offers a free downsizing service that can be requested after package consolidation by submitting an inquiry. You can request that the original shipping boxes and/or extra shipping material be disposed.

[roadstar_na6]

In the meantime, ZenMarket announced they will no longer allow you to reduce the declared value of a parcel from October 24th 😞

Edited October 8, 2022 by roadstar_na6

[Cat]

Got a notice fro Buyee today: they are dropping fees for Yahoo! and Mercari, and Rakuma, and dropping the fee for consolidating purchases.   Also, they are reviewing shipping charges.  Overall this looks like they will be much more competitive with ZenMarket for making multiple purchases.