Importing machines/cells direct from Japan?

[penrhos]

Hopefully this is the correct section so here goes for my first posting...

I've been using Shoppingmalljapan as an agent to buy Arcade PCB's from Japan for 3 years now and am picking up a pachinko machine next week from a friend.

So does anyone direct import stuff from Japan and what do I need to know.

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I know his machine can have the cell swapped for another but there are loads of types : CR , CRA , CRF , CRI etc how do I tell which ones will fit what body.

How heavy are the balls per 1000?.

How heavy is a cell and what are the typical dimensions?

How heavy is the outer case and the typical dimensions?

As I've got my eyes on this lot...

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I know its going to be surface and an 8 week wait for most things (thats what I have to do for 70% of my arcade stuff).

[luckydog]

importing balls from Japan would be very costly unless you had a container coming in.

you can get good deals on balls on ebay

[millermaster1]

What is your 5th link a photo of? Some sort of control box? Just curious !

[new in town]

What is your 5th link a photo of? Some sort of control box? Just curious !

here's the Translation.

Translated version of http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/120839179

[millermaster1]

Where is the science for dummies translation !
I thought Japanese was hard to read!

here's the Translation.

Translated version of http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/120839179

[kmhamel]

I get my cells from Japan. Kiai (Key-eye product) will bid on them for you on YJA. He will also search in shops for you, for free. He charges 10% or 1000 yen min. Shipping to US runs approx 22800yen for two cells packed in one box. the exchange rate is 88 yen to a dollar. At this time I am waiting for 4 cells, total cost for cells (bid YJA) was 23401 yen, shipping (across japan, packing, and shipping to US (EMS) was 60600yen, Kiai percentage was 8560 yen. With the grand total of 92561 yen or $1051.

Over the last two year cells have averaged around $250 each, to your door step.

Shipping for a full machine approx 32700 yen (EMS). I got Lupun 3rd (Tower) on August 27th. The machine ran 18000 on YJA. Total cost was 61240yen. That would be $696 at today's exchange.

Hope this helps.

[kmhamel]

I tried setting up for direct import (by sea). US customs do not want indivudals to import. You need to go to their office and fill out the paper work, they told me to set aside 5 hours approx. Once the paper work was filled out, i needed to put down (give to customs) 100 percent of what the items cost and duties. If everything went well and the items passed customs, they would give the money back in 4 to 6 months minus duties. You would need to do this each time you import. Now if you have a bond or are a bonded company it's easy, they need a manifest, you pay the duties, when customs is done matching items to manifest, you take it home.

[portercbl]

I

tried setting up for direct import (by sea). US customs do not want indivudals to import. You need to go to their office and fill out the paper work, they told me to set aside 5 hours approx. Once the paper work was filled out, i needed to put down (give to customs) 100 percent of what the items cost and duties. If everything went well and the items passed customs, they would give the money back in 4 to 6 months minus duties. You would need to do this each time you import.

Typical,governmental, GREED, make money off of the little guy B.S...
Those B-stards are holding up a deadly dongle from me!
Jerry

[compirate]

2 cels EMS to the east coast is 25000Y.

1 cel slo-boat to the east coast is 6750Y

I recommend to anyone thinking about importing, check what Kia thinks your total with shipping will be (at whatever the purchase price of the item/s is) BEFORE you send off the money for an auction. Although things look cheap, the extra cost of packing for overseas travel and shipping are more often then not more than the item costs.

I know his machine can have the cell swapped for another but there are loads of types : CR , CRA , CRF , CRI etc how do I tell which ones will fit what body.

CR means Card Reader, the F means Fever, it's a designation only used by Sankyo more of a shorthand thing like CRF Koda Kumi is CR Fever Koda Kumi. Not sure about the 'A', but usually these games have lower odds, but smaller wins.

The easiest way to tell what games fit what frames is here

How heavy are the balls per 1000?.

More than a little, less than a whole lot
Your going to find them here cheaper than importing, unless you've got a container coming. Importing is only good for something you can't get here, like gold plated balls

How heavy is a cell and what are the typical dimensions?

Dimensions and weight vary, a Marilyn Monroe cel by Bisty is 18" x 20" x 6" and 16.6lbs

How heavy is the outer case and the typical dimensions?

Height and width are all the same, depth/weight varies by frame.
32.25" tall x 20.5" wide x 9-12" deep - 38lbs

Your just as well off getting a whole game in the frame of your choice (usually cheaper). Sometimes you can get the frame you want with a game you don't think your interested in, just to get the frame and then the game will surprise you! If you can get the frame/game here, and the special cels from Japan, all the better.

As I've got my eyes on this lot...

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If you look at his ad, he says that 2000 balls weigh 12kg - 26lbs
Still better to get them here.

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Spiderman 3! good choice! Gotta find the frame first. Refine_joy has some nice stuff up right now at good prices, mostly slots though.

Adams_apple912 has had a lot of good stuff up also, very low BINs

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That's Winter Sonata, based on a Korean soap opera. Set up as more of a desktop unit, can be converted back to frame use unless some major modification was made.

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That's a pretty cool battle counter, electroluminescent display, keeps track of 5 days of stats (bonuses, how often, how many starts till a bonus, etc)

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Automatic control box for a pachinko. These are maker/frame specific. As far as I know, the dial varies the speed with which starts are racked up.

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An empty Bisty Lumina frame, a frame which you will find has a lot of games that fit it - Sankyo/Bisty Lumina Game List

I know its going to be surface and an 8 week wait for most things (thats what I have to do for 70% of my arcade stuff).

My average is 6 weeks from the time they leave Japan, almost to the day.

[penrhos]

My friend says the machine is "Metal Shock" so all I need to do is work out what else will fit inside and I'm off for a YAJ spending spree.