Buyee.jp - YJA importing service?

[alucard7x7]

Interesting, I'll have to check out those services. Do they include a calculator before you buy so you can get some sort of estimate before you bid? I have no idea what sort of shipping and fees I'll be paying so i'm a little hesitant to jump in.

[Spyder138]

Do they include a calculator before you buy so you can get some sort of estimate before you bid?

Fromjapan has a shipping calculator. I've never used it to see how accurate it is. They are the only proxy service I've used. Shipping into the US can be very expensive plus you pay domestic shipping within Japan, pay the proxy service system usage fees, packing fees, and a percentage of total cost of your item(s). I just had what I believe was a 22 pound package shipped standard fedex with standard packaging and I believe the cost of shipping was about $125. I've had larger packages cost more than $300.

I think the decision to import yourself versus buying domestically is really about how hard is it to find what you are looking for, how patient can you be to wait, and how much risk are you willing to take. For instance that GITS pachinko you want can probably be bought thru rakaten for about $125 and then you probably have $300 in shipping/fees etc. You can probably save a couple hundred over buying from akimono, but you don't have their service, warrantee, or know if the machine you receive will even work. That's what the extra couple hundred you pay akimono gets you. Personally I like buying from Japan because I sometimes buy quirky things that no one in the US would import for resale, like a ball loaner or a cell cleaner. And sometimes like with the Eva 9 I didn't want to wait until it was available in the States and decided to take a chance. I almost soiled myself when on day 2 of playing the shooter stopped working. Luckily I was able to find the problem and fix the machine, but for a couple days I thought I had spent $450 for a few hours of play time.

[alucard7x7]

Wow, really great insight Spyder. I think that puts things into perspective for me. I've imported things from Japan since I was in Jr. high, just never anything as large as a pachinko machine. That's what worries me is the cost but I never considered the Russian roulette you could potentially be playing by ordering something without warranties or guarantees. I'm pretty impatient when it comes to purchases on things I want (aren't we all?). I think that's why I want to see if I can't get what I want on my own but I'm sure Akimono is the smarter choice. I do believe I've inquired them in the past about getting specific machines and it sounded like they can look into getting what you want and shipping it in their next order of machines, but it isn't like they go out and order just one machine someone is looking for and have it shipped in, correct?

You're heart must have sunk when that shooter stopped working! I would have died!

[Spyder138]

....it isn't like they go out and order just one machine someone is looking for and have it shipped in, correct?

You're heart must have sunk when that shooter stopped working! I would have died!

I don't think Akimono do one off shipments because of shipping costs. I am sure they do container or partial container shipments via slow boat a couple times a year to minimize their costs. They will attempt to find whatever it is that you are looking for. I think generally they ask for 50% up front in case you flake. The folks from Akimono are members of this site. I believe they use the name Akimono and JackDaniels(something or other) or you can email direct at their website to ask for sure. They have always been really responsive to me.

Yes, my heart sunk. Ultimately after tearing things apart I found a thumb tack that had gotten lodged under the cam that fires the shooter and wouldn't let it make a full rotation. I could manually back it up by hand so it took a while to figure it out. Truth is I am probably responsible for the tack. I had a tack that I found in another machine I had bought and I set it aside and probably knocked it onto the floor at some point. I use a magnet to pick up dropped balls and probably got the tack with a load of balls and tossed it into the ball tray. I make sure to look more closely at what the magnet picks up now!

Good luck and let us know how your experience goes with whatever service you use.

[alucard7x7]

I'll send them a message and see what they say.

A tack? Oh man... Lucky you caught it. Man, I'm going to be paranoid now every time I load my balls into the machine. I freak out if I have visible particles on the balls let alone something like that!

Well, I'm going through FromJapan to order a new Lupin machine:
http://buyee.jp/rakuten/detail/auc-exf%3A10004121

Here's a preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgA-AzSB1NQ

Wish me luck!