Best place to buy Japanese games (not for current systems)?

[Clownzilla]

Pretty much what the title says. The problem I'm having is that it seems that Play-Asia is too expensive and Ebay sellers seem to gouge. I had a friend of mine come back from Japan with all sorts of PSX games that were pretty fun and he payed MUCH less than what Play-Asia and Ebay sellers want. I understand that shipping half way around the world isn't cheap but there MUST be a better place to buy these things. Do any of the Japanese stores sell online to those outside of Japan or am I pretty much stuck with Play-Asia and Ebay?

[rob black]

http://yahoojapanauctions.com/

[Bojay1997]

http://yahoojapanauctions.com/

Given the OPs desire for low prices, I would strongly disagree. Yahoo Japan auctions are great for rare items, but you end up paying a marshalling service a percentage to bid for you, shipping to the marshalling service and then to the US and the exchange rate is currently terrible. In short, you aren't going to get a bargain buying stuff on Yahoo Japan auctions even if you win items for low prices.

[Parodius Duh!]

yamatoku-classic on ebay, dude lists anything for every system and starting bids are always .01-1.00

[Parodius Duh!]

Given the OPs desire for low prices, I would strongly disagree. Yahoo Japan auctions are great for rare items, but you end up paying a marshalling service a percentage to bid for you, shipping to the marshalling service and then to the US and the exchange rate is currently terrible. In short, you aren't going to get a bargain buying stuff on Yahoo Japan auctions even if you win items for low prices.

Unless you have a friend in Japan (like me) I agree that YJA is absolutely pointless to use unless you are after a very rare item....it will cost you an arm and a leg just to get cheaper games.

[Guyra]

The shipping have been the largest cost every time I've ordered from Japan, but considering the crazy prices you quite often find on Yahoo! Auctions Japan, it's still worth it. Considering the percentage is based on what you actually pay for the item itself, and not the shipping, 5%(which FromJapan (http://www.fromjapan.co.jp?afid=F36213) take) isn't exactly much. Customs don't take shipping costs into account either, so that won't be a problem. I'd rather have high shipping costs and low item prices, than the other way around. (Also, you can get rather low shipping prices, as well.)

Ony of the main pieces in my collection I bought there for 530 yen. That's roughly six dollars, if you include the extra 5%. The same item recently popped up on eBay for roughly $110. And then you can have the proxy service combine shipping for you, and you can choose what shipping method you want. Super expensive, "have it in a couple of days" shipping? Sure. Really cheap, "wait for three months" shipping? You bet. And anything in between. :)

And judging from my roughly 50 purchases from Japan, I'd have to say they're generally better to take care of their items, and more honest about their condition, than westerners generally are. It might not be how it really is, but that's my experience. I've bought several items that Japanese sellers have described as "used," having "wear and tear," or being in "acceptable condition," etc. And when I've gotten them, they've been what you get on, say, eBay and Amazon when it's listed as "Great," or, "Like new!"

Oh, and you can even get items for 1 yen. (I've bought an anime motif pillow and an anime figurine for a friend of mine, both for 1 yen.) That's a single cent of a dollar - so basically, I only paid for shipping.

Yahoo! Auctions Japan is well worth it, just use a good proxy service(see link above), and choose whatever shipping options that works for your wallet, and it's quite certainly the way to go if you want to get Japanese games. :)

[Parodius Duh!]

Fromjapan sucks and almost bankrupted me, for the record they pull money out of your account as they please, so if you are a person with bills and set amount of cash in ur bank, fromjapan will take it out without your knowledge when they feel like it. I use to get Japanese anime VHS through fromjapan and it was nothing but hassles in the long run, they dont just take a 5% commission either, they also take a bank fee, if you use a credit card, thats an extra fee, if it ships from a far away region thats another fee, if the package is over a certain weight, thats another fee.....best bet is just finding a person online who lives in Japan and ask them if they wouldnt mind getting some stuff for you, this has worked like 15 times for me and its usually members on here or any other gaming site, guaranteed at least one member lives in Japan, speaks English, and will be happy to help you!

[Guyra]

Fromjapan sucks and almost bankrupted me, for the record they pull money out of your account as they please, so if you are a person with bills and set amount of cash in ur bank, fromjapan will take it out without your knowledge when they feel like it.

Uhm ... what? You transfer money to them manually, and then you use that money to buy stuff. Meaning you've already payed for the items beforehand, they don't take it from your account. And then you are prompted to pay for the shipping later on, which is also something you do manually. Also, if they "almost bankrupted" you, it sounds more as if though you were spending money you shouldn't have in the first place. Stop spreading FUD, this is just stupid.

Also, guess what? It costs more to ship stuff the heavier and larger it gets! *Ghasp!* And it's the postal service who sets those rules! In fact, that's how it is anywhere in the world! Also, using credit cards anywhere is a fee, that's not From Japan's fee. In fact, you only have to use it once even if you buy several items, so they're actually reducing your fees in that sense. And if you use a credit card, you don't get the bank fee, which you try to make out as a fee they take no matter what. No, that fee is only if you use bank transfer. Which most people don't.

In addition, the only way for them to actually "pull money out your account" would be by them having your credit/debit card info, which they have. But if they were making illegal withdrawals through your card, you could've stopped this by simply contacting your credit/debit card provider. And they might even refund whatever money they illegally took from you if they came to that conclusion after an investigation(which usually takes up to a few months). So either those were legal withdrawals, meaning you spent money you shouldn't have in the first place, or for some strange reason you decided not to do anything about it. Yeah.

FromJapan doesn't automatically "pull money out of your account." You actually get a mail saying that you need to pay for items or for shipping, and then you have to go and do that manually.

[Parodius Duh!]

Well then they must have changed some regulations, I have not used them in years because I thought the service was THAT shitty. Yeah you add the money to bid on shit first obviously, all the fee charges they pull out as they please as well as a small bank charge when they pulled the fees.. And yes packages get heavier the more items you buy, the more shipping costs, Im not a twit! FromJapan use to charge an extra weight fee on top of the post offices cost is what I mean!

Still, best bet all around is finding someone in Japan to get the items for you, proxy services suck always. Its super easy to find someone to help you in Japan...

[Guyra]

Personally, I don't really think the proxy I use suck at all, though I would bet that there are some that do. In any case, I agree with you on the fact that having someone who lives in Japan help you out would be the best solution, but I don't really see how it's easy to find a person willing to help you, a complete stranger, out for nothing at all.

[Parodius Duh!]

well I mean most people come to agreements, Id ask a person to bid on say 3-5 separate items and Id send themlike an additional $10 or 12 bucks, overall it worked out the best compared to proxy services which tend to get a bit confusing as well on top of the fees. Definitely nobody ever use Rinkya, the worst proxy out there...

[Niku-Sama]

why would you use any thing other than a prepaid card for such things?

they may be great services but as always there are communication issues and to be safe a prepaid debit card loaded with $X.XX ammount is probably the best way to go

[Ryudo]

http://japangamestock.com/

[recorderdude]

prices seem to really vary there. just checking on the stuff there, they want 3800 yen for tails skypatrol when you can get it for 900 on japanese amazon. Sonic Drift's less bloated at 500 yen but there was a guy selling them on ebay for $5 apiece a while back anyhow.

[Tanooki]

I feel ya on the shitty prices. I'm trying to find a low price non-inflated price for Bonk on the Gamecube and also F-Zero Climax GBA too. Both on ebay are a rape and pillage job at/over the $40 mark, and Star Soldier normally is $50 but I lucked into a BIN that popped for $25 some days ago which I nailed or that would be on my list too.

[recorderdude]

Goin for the Hudson Selection series, eh? Seems like the PS2 versions are half the price of the GC ones and, having played both the PS2 and GC ones, they're practically identical, so if you want em to play, I'd go for those. If you want them because gamecube though, good luck to ya.

[Nesmaster]

I've been grabbing a few Super Famicom and 64 games from Japan lately on eBay, it doesn't seem so bad to me. Shipping from a lot of sellers in Japan is equal to or CHEAPER for me than buying from the US (being in Canada). You just gotta filter through all the items and find a happy medium. Seems to me the bigger sellers/stores have auctions that end higher then smaller sellers though.

[IHatedSega]

Unless you have a friend in Japan (like me) I agree that YJA is absolutely pointless to use unless you are after a very rare item....it will cost you an arm and a leg just to get cheaper games.

Yeah, I know people who buy very very very very rare Japanese death films, and the only way to get it is on there. Definitely worth it if youre looking for rare stuff thats only released in Japan. Any kind of stuff that would get past customs.

[Tron 2.0]

http://japangamestock.com/
2nd that but it's a shame they don't take request any more.

[Nesmaster]

http://japangamestock.com/

Just checked this out and the prices when buying loose are pretty good. B3G1 on Fami and Super Fami too, shipping cost ~$8 to ship 4 titles. Thanks for the link.

[Tanooki]

Goin for the Hudson Selection series, eh? Seems like the PS2 versions are half the price of the GC ones and, having played both the PS2 and GC ones, they're practically identical, so if you want em to play, I'd go for those. If you want them because gamecube though, good luck to ya.

Which would make sense if I had a PS2 of any sort, which I don't. :) Also I just want Bonk at this rate, Lode Runner I doubt they could find a way to make fun for long and I have a love-hate thing with Adventure Island as it is so that would have to be stupid cheap to buy it ($10~.)

[wiggyx]

yamatoku-classic on ebay, dude lists anything for every system and starting bids are always .01-1.00

Also hit-japan. Both are GREAT sellers and you can often get some good deals.

yamatoku-classic (http://stores.ebay.com/Used-Video-Game-Yamatoku-Classic?_rdc=1)

hit-japan (http://stores.ebay.com/Hit-Japan-Video-Games-and-Anime?_rdc=1)

[recorderdude]

Which would make sense if I had a PS2 of any sort, which I don't. :) Also I just want Bonk at this rate, Lode Runner I doubt they could find a way to make fun for long and I have a love-hate thing with Adventure Island as it is so that would have to be stupid cheap to buy it ($10~.)

Actually, Hudson Selection Adventure Island has a mode where taking a hit takes a bit off of your hunger bar but doesn't kill you. You'll still die in 3-4 hits if you don't replenish, but trust me, it's FAR less enfuriating. I love adventure island but the one-hit KOs seldom *don't* feel cheap.

[Stringfellow]

Also hit-japan. Both are GREAT sellers and you can often get some good deals.

yamatoku-classic (http://stores.ebay.com/Used-Video-Game-Yamatoku-Classic?_rdc=1)

hit-japan (http://stores.ebay.com/Hit-Japan-Video-Games-and-Anime?_rdc=1)

I will also vouch for Yamatoku_Classic got a famicom for $15 and after very little work it plays great and when I say little work I mean cleaning and getting an rf cable.

[xelement5x]

Yamatoku is good. Hit-japan is okay, they seem like they've gotten a bit greedy with shipping stuff recently but that's just my opinion.

I've used Goody Japan for a lot of my recent YJA stuff. 600y bid fee and 250y bank transfer fee right off the bat for YJA stuff, but they don't want it until they're ready to ship out to you. They also take PayPal and will hold your items for up to 30 days to combine so I can't really say I've got many issues.

I only use them for rare/obscure stuff or super good deals. I got a batch of 5 Virtual Boy games for 500Y before the other fees, which really worked out nicely.

[wiggyx]

Anyone here remember the eBay seller japandy? That dude was awesome. English speaking white dude that lived in Japan and he would take requests. I.e. He would go to Super Potato or wherever and get stuff for you if you gave him a grocery list of goodies. I miss that dude.

[Kiddo]

So, has anyone here seen SolarisJapan?/ (http://solarisjapan.com/)

I found them searching for shops that sell Satellaview 8M Packs. The Super Famicom "Bargains" section seemed alright from what I could tell. Any reviews?

[Nesmaster]

So, has anyone here seen SolarisJapan?/ (http://solarisjapan.com/)

I found them searching for shops that sell Satellaview 8M Packs. The Super Famicom "Bargains" section seemed alright from what I could tell. Any reviews?Those really are low prices for loose SFC, but the selection is smaller. 350 JPY for Rockman Soccer and 500 JPY for Super Mario World seems good. I placed an order for 7 items so we'll see.

[wiggyx]

They are?! Seems pretty pricey to me :/

[Nz17]

JapanGameStock.com has been good to me. I've ordered many Japanese Dreamcast games from there and JapanGameStock's selection goes back to the Famicom.

[Parodius Duh!]

Anyone here remember the eBay seller japandy? That dude was awesome. English speaking white dude that lived in Japan and he would take requests. I.e. He would go to Super Potato or wherever and get stuff for you if you gave him a grocery list of goodies. I miss that dude.

retrogamecity will do that foryou too. just message him, hes an American in Japan

[Parodius Duh!]

JapanGameStock.com has been good to me. I've ordered many Japanese Dreamcast games from there and JapanGameStock's selection goes back to the Famicom.

Carts are great from them, but Id never purchase a Disc game from them again. "Great" condition to them is covered in light scrathces, where as "Great" condition to someone like yamatoku-classic on ebay means the discs still look brand frickin new!!!

[Tanooki]

Actually, Hudson Selection Adventure Island has a mode where taking a hit takes a bit off of your hunger bar but doesn't kill you. You'll still die in 3-4 hits if you don't replenish, but trust me, it's FAR less enfuriating. I love adventure island but the one-hit KOs seldom *don't* feel cheap.

That right there is my love hate thing with it, one hit death and shrinking health constantly and the floaty control a little too, now you've got me interested in it. I wonder I'd they found a way to make lode runner fun. I am liking the updated star soldier.

[GhostDog]

Pretty much what the title says. The problem I'm having is that it seems that Play-Asia is too expensive and Ebay sellers seem to gouge. I had a friend of mine come back from Japan with all sorts of PSX games that were pretty fun and he payed MUCH less than what Play-Asia and Ebay sellers want. I understand that shipping half way around the world isn't cheap but there MUST be a better place to buy these things. Do any of the Japanese stores sell online to those outside of Japan or am I pretty much stuck with Play-Asia and Ebay?

eBay is your best option even though you may not like to hear that. Just be patient when searching games. The cheap titles in Japan are common games. I was able to rack up a bunch of games in my time mostly for Saturn and Dreamcast.

[dementia_]

So, has anyone here seen SolarisJapan?/ (http://solarisjapan.com/)

I found them searching for shops that sell Satellaview 8M Packs. The Super Famicom "Bargains" section seemed alright from what I could tell. Any reviews?

They're good. I also recommend http://www.japaneseretrovideogames.com/

[SEGA_Queen]

They're good. I also recommend http://www.japaneseretrovideogames.com/

I've been wondering about Solaris Japan myself. I even made a topic in the Import-Mania section of the site, but nobody replied. Oh well, at least I've got my answer now. Thanks dementia!

[zakthedodo]

I've purchased from the following many times and never had any issue.

Hit Japan (http://myworld.ebay.com/hit-japan)
Japan Trust777 (http://myworld.ebay.com/japan-trust777)
akiba connect (http://myworld.ebay.com/akiba-connect)
susi-sumo jpn (http://myworld.ebay.com/susi-sumo-jpn)

I usually sort by price lowest to highest and was nicely surprised some of the prices I got.
The usual suspects, say for the Mega Drive...Pulseman, Battle Mania 2 for example I found between 70 to 100.
However, as good as a game Gleylancer is, it's always near 200...forget it.
They usually show a photo of the exact item and shipping isn't that bad, say 7 dollars a game, but shipping for systems is almost as much as the systems themselves.

[xelement5x]

They're good. I also recommend http://www.japaneseretrovideogames.com/

Thanks for that link! I took a look at them and they had a Mega-CD with obi that I was looking for at a very reasonable price.


Similarly to them though (a retro site based in the UK), I've used a site called http://www.genkivideogames.com/ and they were pretty awesome to work with. Prices were reasonable, everything was shipped fast and packed well, plus they gave me some promo stickers which was a nice little extra.

[SaturnHST]

Yamatoku is great. They always put up lots of detailed pics of the actual item and they are usually in great condition.

Hit Japan is ok. They always put up a Best Offer option and will usually accept a lower price. The condition of their items aren't as good though. Discs/cases have scratches, dust and discoloration. They use to use stock photos for all their items but it looks like they stopped doing that. I did get one of their 100 game lots and the box arrived crushed/partially opened and was missing around 20 games; was probably opened by customs. I contacted Hit Japan and they sent me an additional 20 games, so they're pretty good about that.

[BricatSegaFan]

I use Ryoplanshop on eBay quite a bit.

Very friendly and reasonable prices, they also include free tea with every order!

[Nesmaster]

So, has anyone here seen SolarisJapan?/ (http://solarisjapan.com/)

I found them searching for shops that sell Satellaview 8M Packs. The Super Famicom "Bargains" section seemed alright from what I could tell. Any reviews?

My package came and the items ranged from near mint to bashed in broken plastic/non-working (prices 200 - 500 JPY). Battery-backed game still saves but to get a cartridge where it looks like the heel of a shoe went through the back and non-working is disappointing. I've notified them about it but on a $4 game I'm not sure any course of action is worth my time unless they offer to eat the cost and ship another copy.

Hit-Japan on ebay is probably the best for BINs, but Yamatoku Classic lets all or most of his auctions run starting from $0.01 or $0.99. I've not received my Japanstock.com order as of yet.

[SEGA_Queen]

My package came and the items ranged from near mint to bashed in broken plastic/non-working (prices 200 - 500 JPY). Battery-backed game still saves but to get a cartridge where it looks like the heel of a shoe went through the back and non-working is disappointing. I've notified them about it but on a $4 game I'm not sure any course of action is worth my time unless they offer to eat the cost and ship another copy.

Now I'm worried about my own order from Solaris Japan. How well did they pack your stuff? I'm curious whether the damage was due to poor packing, or if it was in that condition from the start.

[Nesmaster]

Now I'm worried about my own order from Solaris Japan. How well did they pack your stuff? I'm curious whether the damage was due to poor packing, or if it was in that condition from the start.

Triple bubble-wrapped in a box, so it definitely shipped in the condition I got it in. Everything else for the price was fair but even had this cart worked it's very beat up.


It is no problem, we should have another one we can send you to replace it, if that is ok for you? :)

They sent me this a few hours after I emailed them, so they're willing to deal with it at least.

[SEGA_Queen]

Triple bubble-wrapped in a box, so it definitely shipped in the condition I got it in. Everything else for the price was fair but even had this cart worked it's very beat up.


Thanks! That alleviates my fears a bit.

[dementia_]

Why does my JapanGameStock total increase over 1,000JPY extra (after shipping, mind you) once I get to the order screen?

[Niku-Sama]

Maybe i'll ask here instead of starting a new thread...
i won a few auctions of yamatoku's and i wanted to do the combined shipping but their site is only picking up one of the auctions.
theres 2 so far and i am waiting to see if i win a 3rd.

1st is a FDS AC Adapter 2nd is a Loose Famicom with manual and 3rd (if i win) is a disk system game.
does it take their combined shipping site thingy a little bit to catch up to all their auctions?


i missed a 4th auction by 50 cents, was a FDS complete for $20 with error messages, was going to check famicom world once i got it to see if i could fix it but oh well...

[xelement5x]

Maybe i'll ask here instead of starting a new thread...
i won a few auctions of yamatoku's and i wanted to do the combined shipping but their site is only picking up one of the auctions.
theres 2 so far and i am waiting to see if i win a 3rd.

1st is a FDS AC Adapter 2nd is a Loose Famicom with manual and 3rd (if i win) is a disk system game.
does it take their combined shipping site thingy a little bit to catch up to all their auctions?


i missed a 4th auction by 50 cents, was a FDS complete for $20 with error messages, was going to check famicom world once i got it to see if i could fix it but oh well...

You can email Yamatoku and ask him to send you a combined invoice for everything (using whatever shipping method you want) through ebay. Supposedly you can pay through his site as well but there is no benefit in doing that since ebay gives you bonus bucks for checking out through them.

[M.Buster2184]

Not very helpful, but there is a small local chain here in Seattle called Pink Gorilla that specializes in Japanese imports for almost every system.

[Bazoo]

Yeah, I know people who buy very very very very rare Japanese death films, and the only way to get it is on there. Definitely worth it if youre looking for rare stuff thats only released in Japan. Any kind of stuff that would get past customs.

Perhaps I shouldn't let morbid curosity get the better of me, but...what exactly do you mean by death films? Like, snuff movies?

[Niku-Sama]

You can email Yamatoku and ask him to send you a combined invoice for everything (using whatever shipping method you want) through ebay. Supposedly you can pay through his site as well but there is no benefit in doing that since ebay gives you bonus bucks for checking out through them.

I hate to res this thread but I have a question.

I've been buying from yamatoku for quite some time now and I took a break from it and started up again only I cant get a combined shipping link to work.

does any one have the old link for yamatoku classic combined shipping page so I can weigh my options before my 14 days is up

[xelement5x]

I hate to res this thread but I have a question.

I've been buying from yamatoku for quite some time now and I took a break from it and started up again only I cant get a combined shipping link to work.

does any one have the old link for yamatoku classic combined shipping page so I can weigh my options before my 14 days is up

Lol, I actually bought some stuff from him again recently as well. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find whatever site he used to have that would give you the combined shipping costs either, and I couldn't find a link back to it no matter how I tried, so I just made a request for SAL (since I knew I was under 2kg). You could just try emailing him and asking.