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Thread: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

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    Sandwich Shooter Sederien's Avatar
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    Default The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    A member here requested that I post a quick guide to shopping for pachinkos on Yahoo Japan Auctions, and I'm more than happy to oblige.

    The following is a quick and dirty guide to shopping on Yahoo Japan Auctions for those individuals who do not speak Japanese. (I do have to note, however, that Japanese lingual ability helps -immensely- when searching for what you want and especially when deciphering the auction text telling you if a machine is cyclical, for example. So crack open those textbooks, friends.)

    Lesson 1: What is YJA?

    Yahoo Japan Auctions is Japan's answer to eBay. For some reason, eBay never really caught on in Japan and Yahoo managed to attract the majority by adding auctions onto an already growing Japanese community (due in large part to the attention Yahoo paid to overseas markets).

    It essentially works the same as eBay. Each auction is up for a limited time, may have a buyout, may have a reserve, etc. Unfortunately, for those of us outside of Japan, unlike the majority of eBay auctions, items are rarely, if ever offered to be shipped off the island. So no matter what you're looking for, you will need a third-party to serve as your proxy bidder. We'll cover that in a later lesson.

    By the way... Let me cover one thing now so you aren't disappointed later. Even with a third-party proxy...

    SHIPPING IS EXPENSIVE.

    You are very likely to pay twice the cost of your purchase in shipping. Especially if it's a full machine and not a pachinko cell.

    OK. On to the fun stuff.

    Lesson 2: Browsing for Pachinko/Pachislo

    Since this is PachiTalk, I'm not going to cover the myriad of items available outside of pachislo or pachinko. If you're interested, you can find a whole wealth of other resources elsewhere on the internet to assist you.

    Instead, we'll focus on one category, which (conveniently for you) means that you can easily browse for machines even if you don't know exactly what you're looking for.

    From the main page, there's a bar of categories to the left. At the time of this writing, the seventh option from the top:

    'ホビー、カルチャー" (Hobby, Culture)

    contains what we're looking for.

    You then need to specify further on the next page and click on the second item from the bottom:

    "パチンコ、パチスロ" (Pachinko, Pachislo)


    Congratulations. You can now browse all of the auctions you're looking for... but perhaps you'd like to refine it a bit.

    Here's the link direct to pachinko only auctions.

    Here's the link direct to pachislo only auctions.

    Here's the link direct to accessory auctions (such as promo materials, play guides, etc.).

    Quickly, the auctions are listed as such:

    Picture. Title. Price. Bids. Time left.
    BIN Price (if any)
    Seller name.
    Icons

    ...

    Now at this point, you're probably wondering why I've been linking straight Japanese pages with no translation when this is meant to be a guide to non-Japanese speakers.

    Well, you need to familiarize yourself with the actual site if you're going to continue onto Lesson 3. If, however, you have no intention of searching for a particular item, or you're just plain curious, here is the link you're searching for:

    Translated version of http://list5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/2084046936-category.html

    Lesson 3: Searching for Pachinko/Pachislo

    Now that we've covered the basics of browsing, let's assume that you know you want a particular machine... Winter Sonata or Winter Sonata 2. (I've picked these because they're unlikely to disappear from the site for some time and will be a good example).

    The issue is that you can't search for "Winter Sonata." There will be no results and I will personally laugh at you (should I find out).

    So you need to search in Japanese. (And now the translation issue from Lesson 2 makes a little more sense.)

    Now, the great thing is that it's not too hard to find the Japanese name of the pachi you're looking for. In fact, we already have hundreds of machines translated already in the Research Center. (Post requirement to enter, new members. Say hello!)

    Do a quick search for "winter" in the Research Center and we'll get a few results. Clicking on the entry for Winter Sonata (post requirement to view) gives us a page that usually includes an iFrame for the website 777.nifty.com, which is great resource for this.

    Translated version of http://777.nifty.com/cs/catalog/777_780/catalog_crfuyunosonata_1.htm

    But that page is translated and won't give you the Japanese name... Which is why you need to:

    1. Locate the title. (Pretty easy to spot in this example.)
    2. Either hover over that title and Google will pop-up with the Japanese title for you to copy OR click view the original
    .

    In either phase of step two, you should spot the characters in the same place the English title used to be:

    CRぱちんこ冬のソナタ(京楽)

    You don't need all of it. The part in parentheses is actually the manufacturer (Kyoraku), CR is unnecessary as well, and any reference to pachinko or pachislo is unnecessary. Just grab what's left.

    Here's a visual of what to strip out:

    CRぱちんこ冬のソナタ(京楽)
    - Manufacturer

    CRぱちんこ冬のソナタ
    - CR

    ぱちんこ冬のソナタ
    - Pachinko

    Pachinko:
    ぱちんこ OR
    パチンコ


    Pachislo:
    パチスロ

    (You have to match those visually to remove. You'll come to recognize them in time.)

    冬のソナタ - Fuyu no Sonata (Winter Sonata)!

    Great. We have our search term.

    Let's go back to the Pachinko, Pachislo section of YJA and look in the top left. You'll see something resembling a search bar. Paste "
    冬のソナタ" into the bar and hit enter. (The drop down to the side is already filled is as "search within this category.")

    Here's the result:

    http://search5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/...ale=0jp&acc=jp

    At the time of this posting, there are over 300! auctions for Winter Sonata. So perhaps we need to be more specific...

    Lesson 4: Advanced Search for Pachinko/Pachislo

    Thankfully, it's not too hard to to be more specific. This time, since we're searching for the machine, let's do the same search, but starting in the
    pachinko only auctions.

    http://search5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/...cat=2084046951

    Now we get a much more reasonable 40 or so auctions.

    Hmm... Good, but what if we're not willing to pay a lot for the machine? Or perhaps we searched yesterday and only want to see the new auctions?

    Well, there's a very helpful Narrow your Search box to the left...

    If you check the box next to NEW and hit the button below, you'll only see the auctions that have come up in the past day. (Great if you're trying to search for something over time and don't want to review a bunch of auctions.)

    If you put a maximum number of yen in the second text entry box (goes from ____ ~ ____ ), you can hit the button and it will strip out any auctions above your maximum.

    Lastly, here's perhaps the most useful function not listed:

    Multiple search terms!

    When you enter two terms separated by a space (i.e. "冬のソナタ キューティーハニー" which is Winter Sonata and Cutie Honey), it will search for auctions containing both terms. Which means you'll get no results.

    Rather, put both terms in parentheses like so:

    (
    冬のソナタ キューティーハニー)

    Now YJA will find auctions containing EITHER term.

    Another quick tip is to take advantage of the - sign. 卓上 signifies the auction machine has been turned into a desktop model (stripped and put into a box). You may not be interested in those. Take them out:

    (冬のソナタ キューティーハニー) -卓上

    Now you're searching for Winter Sonata OR Cutie Honey and NOT a desktop model.

    Finally, you can search for cells only by simply adding: セル to the term. (Means cell in Japanese.)

    So go ahead and make your own custom search with all of the machines you're looking for this way. Then, after you've got it and you've browsed them once, click the NEW box, search again with the button below the NEW option and make a bookmark. Then check back once a day to see if what you're looking for came up.

    Here's my current bookmarked term:

    (マハラジャ あっぱれ応援団 キューティーハニー ピンボール ミラクルカーペット フィーバー花月外伝 セブンズロック フィーバー陰陽師 志村ワールド 中森明菜 冬のソナタ 雀帝倶楽部 シンドバッドアドベンチャー 花満開 井出洋介の華麗なる麻雀 アラジンディスティニー 哭きの竜 プロジェクトミネルヴァ アニモー かぐや物語 奇跡の電役キャプテンロバート 華舞鬼ノ國 セル) -卓上

    And since that one went too long and was cut off... I have a second:

    (義経物語 ピンボール ローズテイル) -卓上

    to catch the others.

    Lesson 5: Purchasing Pachinko/Pachislo on Auction

    My goal for this guide was primarily to introduce you to shopping on YJA and not (at the moment) purchasing. For purchasing, you should loosely follow the next few steps:


    1. Find an auction that...
      1. has more than 1 day left (1 日) - IMPORTANT if bidding through a proxy like Kiai.
      2. you want to buy

    2. Translate the auction page through Google (copy and paste) and READ CAREFULLY
    3. Check with others here to ensure that you're bidding on what you want. (Google is awful at translating between cyclic and non-cyclic.)
    4. Send an e-mail out Kiai and let him know that you're a PachiTalk member interested in purchasing an item on YJA with a link to the item.

    Kiai is our Japan-based contact who has been very good to our members. He charges a commission of 10% of the shipping cost plus 1000 yen for all auctions. You will be charged for domestic and international shipping (shipping to Kiai, packaging materials, international shipping) and in almost all cases:

    IT WILL BE EXPENSIVE. (Hundreds of dollars for a full machine. $350 shipping minimum to the US to give you an idea.)

    Cells can be shipped for as little as $60-70, but there's no insurance, tracking, and you get it in 6 weeks to 6 months. It'll still cost $100+ when domestic shipping, packaging, and commission is included.

    Finally, please... if you use Kiai, pay on time. Understand what you're doing. Treat him with the same respect and kindness he's shown us.

    You can search this board for Kiai's email or PM me.

    ---------------------------

    Hope this was helpful.
    Last edited by Sederien; 07-20-2008 at 07:39 PM.
    Currently Own: Nothing. I play mostly online now.

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    Crippenese spoken here. drcrippen324's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    amen on the treat him with kindness and curtasy the guy is out of this world and has never done a bum deal with anyone so please please please dont do it to him he is one of the few good guys left in this world
    My rice krispies told me to do it



    please note pachitalk.com cannot be held responsible for any injuries or death that occur as a results of anything strange people like me suggest you do

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    Closet Okie Meathead's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    Looks like a sticky post to me. Most informative, Sederien. Thank you!
    A Hardy har har...

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    Gibisans - Japan West compirate's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    I think that 'Shipping is Expensive' should be in a larger font, flashing, with lights and sirens!

    And definitely only auctions with more than a day to go. If you aren't sure about the item, have Kia ask the seller any questions. Also, Kia checks and answers his email in the evening (his time), about 13 hrs ahead of Eastern Time (8pm for him is 7am for us, different days). Don't worry about the difference in days/time for auctions, the auction page shows the time left based on the date/time set on your computer.

    Another interesting thing about YJA, some auctions automatically extend the time. If one person bids in the last few minutes, the auction extends to 15 minutes so other people can up their bids. Good for sellers, sux for buyers

    Have had many things shipped by slo-boat. Haven't lost anything yet, arrive mostly 6 weeks to the day, +- a day. Your mileage may vary.

    人生は恐れなければ、とても素晴らしいものなんだよ。
    人生に必要なもの。それは勇気と想像力、そして少しのお金だ。

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    Sandwich Shooter Sederien's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    Quote Originally Posted by compirate View Post
    I think that 'Shipping is Expensive' should be in a larger font, flashing, with lights and sirens!
    I wanted to put a notorious <blink> tag </blink> on it... but I was 100% sure it wouldn't work. Blink was depreciated for a very good reason. ^^

    http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030427
    Currently Own: Nothing. I play mostly online now.

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  11. #6
    Hyah! rubberratt's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    Quote Originally Posted by compirate View Post

    Another interesting thing about YJA, some auctions automatically extend the time. If one person bids in the last few minutes, the auction extends to 15 minutes so other people can up their bids. Good for sellers, sux for buyers
    Yeah... this hurts sometimes, and ya can't blame the bidder Be prepared to "lose a few" and not cry

    せぶん戦闘機 せぶん

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    Eye Shooter p.opus's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    Just to update this sticky.

    Yes, it is rather expensive to use this method, but the rewards can be great. There are some really rare finds.

    Also, with the price of modern pachinkos in the US approaching 500.00, the price advantage of purchasing from a US reseller is not as great as it once was. Don't get me wrong, I still would rather buy from akimono.com or five brothers if they had what I want in stock...Buying a machine direct from Japan usually means you're responsible for getting your own transformer and wiring it up yourself.

    I am in the process of purchasing my first cell from Juno at Bidservice.jp - Juno's Japan Bid and Buy Agent Service for Worldwide.. The selling price of the cell was less than 40 dollars on the auction site but with shipping and the bid services fee's it's going to run me over $200 once everything is said and done.

    I am not saying that using a bid service is in any way "economical" but it is a good way to find really hard to find items. It definitely is an option of last resort. And quite frankly I don't see many options for getting this particular cel or machine in the US.
    71 Nishijin "A" Bowling, 80's Nishijin Hit Parade , 05 Sankyo Star Wars, 07 Fuji Yamato 1, 09 Fuji Yamato 2
    ----------> ----------> ....And so it goes...

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    Blind Shooter kkl1961's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    Awsome info, thanks!
    Lifes a Beach...

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    Pachi Puro emmadog's Avatar
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    Default

    Not just an option of last resort but many times-the only option.
    I've picked up some great arrangeball machines over the years that were made after the mass importation of pachinko machines to the U.S.
    In other words, several that I have/had were the only examples in this country from all that I can tell.
    EM Pinballs & Arrangeballs

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    Pachi Puro Pachinko Botan's Avatar
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    Any chance of putting a sticky post link to Juno website please unless I'm blind and Iv missed it on this topic


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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    Scowlin' Jean Hornigold hanabi's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    Quote Originally Posted by Pachinko Botan View Post
    Any chance of putting a sticky post link to Juno website please unless I'm blind and Iv missed it on this topic

    the link is in post #7 above, here it is:


    Quote Originally Posted by p.opus View Post
    I am in the process of purchasing my first cell from Juno at Bidservice.jp - Juno's Japan Bid and Buy Agent Service for Worldwide..


    Angie ...
    Pachinkos, Pachislos, Coffee, Papercraft Ninja, Pinball

    I ran away with the Steampunk Circus!
    I was hiding in a room in my mind...
    You crush the lily in my soul...



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    Pachi Puro Pachinko Botan's Avatar
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    Thanks need to get my eyes tested


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    Tokie Owens lorre001's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    hi,

    i was wondering if importing a pachinko through juni bidservice is a good way. If anyone has experience, please share.
    thanks!

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    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    I have imported some machines through Juno and FromJapan. I have to say I think FJ have better shipping rates. I also thought Juno is a bit lean on packing materials. So I don't use him for complete machines any more. But do still use him for other items instead.
    Ian #UKPachinko

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    Tokie Owens lorre001's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    how much for shipping a full machine to europe?

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    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    Well that depends on the machine. As rates vary on size and weight.
    Ian #UKPachinko

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    Tokie Owens lorre001's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    Thats the problem as you never know up front how its packed and what the weight of the package is.

  25. #18
    I was thrown out of Top Gear Drunkenclam's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    FromJapan have a shipping fee calculator
    http://www.fromjapan.co.jp/en/estimate

    The newer the machine, the heavier it is.

    There are a few of us listed sizes and weights in the Fj thread

    http://www.pachitalk.com/forums/show...ight=fromjapan

    Its always worth going on the side of caution and making it slightly heavier and wider than you think.

    All pachinkos are the same height and width, same as pachislos. As they are made a standard size to fit the racking. The thing that changes is the depth and weight.
    Ian #UKPachinko

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    Fever Hunter Bsoder52's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    Anyone know of a good overseas proxy these days?

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    Pachi Puro Peteybob's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Quick and Dirty Guide to Shopping on YJA

    From Japan has been doing an great job for me over the past nine months for both auctions and regular shopping. Excellent packing of goods and prompt customer service (within their hours of operation). http://www.fromjapan.co.jp/sp/conten...side2_first_en

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