What is the best value Yahoo! Auctions Japan redirection service?

Hey guys, I thought I'd get some input on which redirection services you guys think are the best value for shopping on Yahoo! Auctions Japan. So far, I've used:
Rinkya: Excessively high fees, not a fan.
Buyee: Reasonable fees, don't offer SAL shipping by default, credit card required and you can't bid on auctions that have multiples of the same item in stock.
From Japan: Reasonable fees, allow everything to be done via PayPal (no credit card required) GREAT bidding, sniping and watch system.

So it's down to Buyee vs From Japan, so let's compare the fees on two items. I'm comparing the fees alone, since the value of the item and the international shipping costs (for the same postage option) will be the same regardless of who you use.

Item #1: PC Engine Body

From Japan
Commission Fee = ￥200
System Usage Fee = ￥65
Domestic delivery charge = ￥390
Bank transfer fee = ￥168
TOTAL = ￥823

Buyee
Buyee Service Fee = ¥500
Payment Fee = ¥200
Domestic Shipping Fee = ¥390
TOTAL = ¥1090

Item #2: Boxed PlayStation

From Japan
Commission Fee = ￥200
System Usage Fee = ￥75
Domestic delivery charge = ￥1080
Bank transfer fee = ￥168
TOTAL = ￥1523

Buyee
Buyee Service Fee = ¥500
Payment Fee = ¥200
Domestic Shipping Fee = ¥1080
TOTAL = ¥1780

As you can see, From Japan is indeed cheaper! For the PC Engine body there's ¥267 difference and for the boxed PlayStation a ¥257 difference. Combine that with the fact that From Japan have a greater range of shipping by default (you have to send a message to Buyee and request SAL shipping if you want it), allow PayPal to be used for everything and have a better bidding, sniping and watch system and I think From Japan is the clear winner here.

A Toubib has made a comparison between Rinkya and From Japan, which really only serves to highlight how absurd Rinkya's fees are

 

I use ShopTokyo, it's small (one person runs it herself) but it has reasonable fee's, a range of shipping options, friendly service, can't really fault it - http://shoptokyo.livejournal.com/

 

So many of these have huge fees. Really puts you off. Just wish Yahoo Japan would just open up worldwide shipping but only allow sellers in Japan.

 

How does she go with YH? Many redirection services have automatic sniping as part of their services, I'm not sure a single person on their own can do that though... I see she charges a 15% item fee, which seems to be the norm for a lot of these services... I appreciate the recommendation, but I'm not sure she's "the best" from my quick inspection

By the way, has anyone used FromJapan? They seem to be quite cheap, no package consolation fees, 5% item fee (with the option of getting this for free if you rack up enough points).

Even with the cost of redirection, the total price is often cheaper than buying on eBay. I brought my PC Engine + CD-ROM2 + Interface Unit for a good $30 less than eBay, and this one came with the genuine AC adapter (which are rare and would have made the eBay one even more expensive)

 

ebay overcharges on Tales of Destiny Director's Cut.

 

The problem is, its current model prevents that from happening easily: The seller specifies how the item is sent and is responsible for shipping, so YAJ isn't involved with that. Unless they start adopting a model like Amazon's...

Currently, there is a field that indicates whether the seller can ship overseas, but so far I haven't seen any seller allowing overseas shipping...

I do. Just received some items from them too.

I think that you already know my story, so what else would you want to know? Or are you asking for the opinions of other users to get more views?

 

God, I hope not! I hate Amazon, 95% of that stuff I try to buy from there they won't ship to me.

Yeah, you mentioned you liked them, which is how I found them. I'm asking because other users might know of a different service that's even better which neither I nor you know about. I mean, I was originally using Rinkya, and would have appreciated someone telling me there were far cheaper redirection services than them! Someone who's maybe tried multiple services and can give an informed opinion as to which is the best value. Which will probably end up being me, as I'm about to try a 3rd redirection service

 

watching this topic to get more info. i am looking for a "pocket pikachu color" from yahoo auctions japan and looking for a redirection service (or better some place i can buy directly from except ebay)

 

Ebay has something set up to allow people to easily ship internationally -- and it's prohibitively expensive. Long story short, unless someone wants to go out of their way to ship internationally, there are going to be layers added, which equals cost.

I have my own system, but like one of the ones above, it is run by me, myself, and I, and is subject to my schedule. I've had to stop it for a week or so a few times, but I don't think it was too disruptive (once was after the Earthquake). I've got a few kinks I'm trying to get out which makes me pull my hair out sometimes, but I still do it. Nature of the beast when you scrape a site.

 

I tried out Tenso recently. Customer service is really, really good.

 

I bought a CD from Yahoo Japan with Buyee and I can safely say shipping was damn fast and I think cost me only $13 AUD or so... but then you got the extra 500 yen or something for processing and such so yeah it kinda adds up in the end I guess

 

Tenso looks to be really good value, except they don't have a Yahoo! Auctions bidding system.

 

Tenso, is by Buyee. Reason why Buyee is a bit more, it's their own proxy service. I contacted Tenso and they mentioned to use Buyee for Yahoo Auctions and any Japanese site to use their Tenso site service.

If you're in doubt, email their support. I was surprised how good their english is, and they are very patient and polite. Wish business were like that over here.

 

SO there is a part I need that is on Yahoo! Auctions Japan, but I have no way of getting it. I searched on google and came across Private-Imports-Japan, but their prices might be too expensive for me. Is From Japan my best bet?

 

I'm just about to have them ship some stuff over, so far, they're the cheapest and their website is quite good. You can also use PayPal for everything, which is great. The final test will be shipping (i.e are they cheap).

 

If you guys want, I can give you my referral address. Helps us both out.
http://www.fromjapan.co.jp?afid=V62357

Ive had one issue with FromJapan throwing out a box, which sucks, but that was after a few fairly large orders

 

That's a weird coincidence, I just asked them if they normally keep the item's original box. They said they normally do, provided it's obvious it's not part of the shipping packaging. They said it's a good idea to tell them that the item comes with a box you want to be kept.

How's the affiliate thing work BTW?

 

Just gets us extra points, which can be used for minor discounts. Better than nothing though!

 

Hmmm, how do I do that? I already have an account.

 

I think you would have to make a new one :\