Japanese auction site bidding services

[gwEm]

Anyone tried one of these? If so which one, and was it any good?  :)

[Philly Q]

I've seen them before, and did seriously consider using one (can't remember which one in particular) when I was looking for a particular Tokai or something. 

But ultimately it did seem very complicated and the language barrier threatened to be..... well, a barrier. :? 

You do see some amazing stuff on Japanese sites, but there's so much background information (such as terms and conditions...) which is really difficult to decipher.  It just makes me wary.  Maybe I worry too much - but I have bought lots of things from Japan, I'm just more comfortable in the familiar surroundings of eBay.

[gwEm]

thanks philly, naturally i thought you might have been someone who at least considered it.

of course, there is a rare guitar i like on yahoo japan auctions at the moment. its listed as non-working/junk, but i'm confident i can fix it.

the price on the site translates to 230pounds or so, so quite reasonable. But I do estimate that when including the various fees and commissions I'm going to end up paying 370pounds or so by the time its actually in my hands.

and do i trust the auction agent?

i'm very much in two minds.

[Philly Q]

Although I've never actually bought through one of these auction sites, I've bought loads of things from Japan, probably 15 guitars or more and many CDs/DVDs etc.  Never encountered a dishonest seller.

With the current exchange rates plus import costs, though, you probably are paying more than things are worth - or at least absolute top dollar.  I always lose big money when I sell my Japanese imports!

The decision is yours!  :lol:

[gwEm]

The decision is yours!  :lol:

 :D its true - the Japanese do seem an honest people

[Philly Q]

Yeah, without getting into the dodgy area of national stereotyping, in my experience that is true!

[gwEm]

I've decided to leave it. The guitar in question is listed as 'junk'. I'm confident in my ability to fix most things, but if the neck is warped then I'm lost and into too much expense.

What I am going to do though is keep an eye on Yahoo Japan Auctions in case an example comes up in better condition.

The whole of that site is GAS city by the way - all of those rare and cool Japanese models at reasonable prices, and theres generally a variety to choose from. You can easily get USA Fender Cyclones, for example, only available in Japan.

[Philly Q]

The whole of that site is GAS city by the way - all of those rare and cool Japanese models at reasonable prices, and theres generally a variety to choose from. You can easily get USA Fender Cyclones, for example, only available in Japan.

Sounds like a dangerous place to visit!  :lol:

It's bad enough with just my saved eBay searches for specific things, if I start just "browsing" I'll be in trouble.  Some of the Fender Japan models are super cool, like the other day I saw a Mustang with a matching headstock....  I bet there are some Yamahas which would be very tempting too.

Even some of those strange signature models made for J-Rock guitarists I've never heard of can trigger a bit of GAS occasionally.