forget import stores

[Arthur-Otaku]

Forget any import stores and found an japanese contact to buy directly in yahoo jp auctions, you will found any japanese game half priced compared to ncs, lik-sang, blah blah blah

Doubt? I bought an laser active loose + pac s1 complete + pac n1 with manual for 200 dollars only. In ebay you will found only the pac n1 loose for 200 dollars

[Aussie2B]

Depends on what you're interested in. Of course, you can get most stuff cheaper on Japan Yahoo because everything is so widely available, but it's a different story when you factor in middleman fees, the money transfer fee, shipping fees for the item to be shipped TWICE, etc. I only use Japan Yahoo for very rare and/or very expensive items. When it's cheaper normal stuff, it's MUCH cheaper for me to buy from eBay or a store. Take for example, all the Super Famicom games I've bought for under $10 each. If I pay say $5 for the game and another $4-6 for airmail from Japan, that's about $10 total. If I buy the same item on Japan Yahoo for $1, it's a lower initial cost, but my middleman has to charge me around 16-18 MINIMUM to complete that one transaction. Now that game ends up costing around $20. Now with expensive stuff, it's better. I can pay $60 for some item on eBay and another $5 for shipping, but if I can get it for $30 on Japan Yahoo, even with all the fees it's still a better price.

[Arthur-Otaku]

Depends on what you're interested in. Of course, you can get most stuff cheaper on Japan Yahoo because everything is so widely available, but it's a different story when you factor in middleman fees, the money transfer fee, shipping fees for the item to be shipped TWICE, etc. I only use Japan Yahoo for very rare and/or very expensive items. When it's cheaper normal stuff, it's MUCH cheaper for me to buy from eBay or a store. Take for example, all the Super Famicom games I've bought for under $10 each. If I pay say $5 for the game and another $4-6 for airmail from Japan, that's about $10 total. If I buy the same item on Japan Yahoo for $1, it's a lower initial cost, but my middleman has to charge me around 16-18 MINIMUM to complete that one transaction. Now that game ends up costing around $20. Now with expensive stuff, it's better. I can pay $60 for some item on eBay and another $5 for shipping, but if I can get it for $30 on Japan Yahoo, even with all the fees it's still a better price.


I buy cheap and common japanese games in lots, it's cheaper than buy one or two only and will save on shipping too, these lots of common games are very cheap on yahoo japan and you get many games for free pratically. There are no lots of common japanese games on ebay, sure, that japanese sellers on ebay gets a very chap lot in japan and sell all games separatelly, very very smart

About rare games, I agree with you, nothing is better than yahoo auctions

I am luckly, my contact doesn't charge fees to bid items on yahoo japan, only charge the bank transfer and local shipping cost

Japanese people is very friendly, maybe if you search, you will found a guy that will bid yahoo items for free, ask jp ebay sellers to do this is a bad idea because these people only want money, nothing else

Before finish, SAY NO TO LIK-SANG AND NCSX, PLZ!!!!

[Iron Draggon]

What I wanna know is, can I get SEALED games this way? If I could find a way to track down all the old shmups and stuff that I want for my Saturn that I still haven't been able to find sealed on ebay and at other places, I wouldn't mind trying it out whenever I can afford to look for all the stuff that I still want and be able to buy it when I find it. I'm sure that alot of importers that I've bought from probably got what they sold me that way.

Currently, I'm most interested in finding a sealed copy of the original release of Metal Black (not the Saturn Collection version) and also a sealed copy of Ginga Eiyu Densetsu Plus (Legend of Galactic Heroes Plus). I've made several requests for the latter, but no one has been able to get it for me yet. It shouldn't be too rare or hard to find, but perhaps it is hard to find it sealed. But still, I had no problems finding the prequel to it sealed, so it should turn up eventually. Same with Metal Black too. I finally found Gun Frontier, so it should turn up eventually. It's annoying that they made another version of it though, because every time that I've found a sealed one so far, it's that God-awful re-release, and that just isn't gonna do it for me at all, it has to be the original. I think it's better if a game is never re-released, because then it's alot easier to find the version that you're looking for, instead of the alternate!

I bet yahoo Japan works the same way. Page after page of the re-release versions of everything, and only one crappy looking used copy of the original, if you're lucky. I just hate it when they reissue stuff, because then that's all you ever find, and all the originals just mysteriously disappear as though they never even existed. Like when a PlayStation game gets re-released in the Greatest Hits series. Once that happens, then all you'll ever find anymore is that damned GH version! Why can't they just reissue games exactly as they were originally released, if they didn't make enough to go around the first time? Why do they always have to change it somehow and mess it all up? I know I'm getting off topic, but I really would like to know. It bothers me!

Anyhow, I don't know anyone in Japan personally, except this one American guy in Okinawa, and he can't find anything for me. I don't think he really wants to bother looking for stuff for me all the time, but he says that there really isn't alot of that kind of stuff where he is, so I guess I'd have to find a service. And I can't afford to do that right now, otherwise I'd be actively looking. As for Lik-Sang, I've never used them, and I don't intend to start. As for NCSX, I know better now, and I'll only use them as a desperate last resort. I do like Play-Asia though. Their prices are usually very reasonable. I've used Yes-Asia before too, but they're a little more expensive, although not by much. And I do know a few stores that I'm keeping a secret to myself! There are still a few relatively untapped goldmines hiding out there, if you're lucky enough to stumble upon them, and they can be real treasure troves!

[Arthur-Otaku]

You will have many more chances to found these selaed titles in yahoo than ebay. Do a search for metal black in ebay and do a search of metal black in yahoo, 1 vs 50? Anything is common on Japan (almost). About import stores, they are worst than ebay so you will not have luck searching in import stores, I don't lose my time searching anything in these stores, they don't have a accurate condition of games, don't have real photos of items, high price and etc

About your friend in Japan, I don't know why but all non-japanese that lives in Japan always says that cheap, good and old import stuff is hard to found, only japanese people know where found good stuff, sure, they are japanese and lives in Japan since they born -_-

I found an site called segaga domain with some nice photos from japanese stores and prices are really high but stores called "junk store" sell loose and some mint stuff for ridiculous prices - I don't know why they call these stuff as junk because many of them are good titles and in mint condition. In yahoo japan you found many stuff for ridiculous prices too like pc engine lots as example

About play asia, I don't trust in this store, they sell many "asia" version of new games for cheap price, I don't trust that "asia" version are really original, looks like chinese imitation, the same imitation of chinese anime dvds with english and chinsese language - PS2 games in Asian version comes with manual in japanese AND ENGLISH, very similar to anime dvds! Korean versions are really original but "Asia" versions I doubt

[Aussie2B]

Asian versions are official. If I'm not mistaken, they're made in Japan just like the Japanese releases. Besides, if they were pirated, it wouldn't really make much sense how the Asian releases are often available a few days before the Japanese releases are. It would be pretty hard to bootleg something if you don't even have it yet. :P

I avoid Asian releases too, though. I just like to have games in their original Japanese form if they're made by the Japanese. The packaging is usually slightly nicer too.

[Iron Draggon]

Dang, I wish that I knew how to navigate yahoo well enough to find what I want! I really want to get Metal Black even more now that I finally have Gun Frontier. I know they're nothing alike, but Metal Black and Wolf Fang are the last two shmups that I really wanna get besides Radiant Silvergun, and I still can't afford to get RS yet. So I wanna get Metal Black, then Wolf Fang, and finally RS whenever I can finally afford it. But being so anal about only buying sealed games and then being even more anal about only wanting the original release makes it alot harder to find one that's acceptable to me, and not to mention it makes being able to afford it more difficult, because I'm expecting it to cost me somewhere around $100 shipped. But I must have it real soon!

@_@

EDIT: HMM, it's not quite as hard as I thought! Now I know I'm looking for

メタルブラック

and currently only 3 copies of it are available, 1 original, 2 reissued, all used.

But at least I am making progress! So if I ever find it in the condition that I want it in, all I have to do is find a service or someone with a Yahoo Japan ID who's willing to bid on it for me, and give them the URL to the item I want?

[sharp]

I have a question, which service, middleman do you use to buy at Yahoo Auctions Japan, as I saw an items I really want to buy and which I never saw at import stores, so I think I need one. The only one I know is Rinkya, anyone has a btter/cheaper alterntive for me.

Already thanks.

[Funk Buddy]

Before finish, SAY NO TO LIK-SANG AND NCSX, PLZ!!!!

Have you ever bought something from those places? Man you really are paranoid. I'll continue to shop there and recomend that others do too. For the most part they only have newer releases anyway, not the cheap old stuff.


About play asia, I don't trust in this store, they sell many "asia" version of new games for cheap price, I don't trust that "asia" version are really original, looks like chinese imitation, the same imitation of chinese anime dvds with english and chinsese language - PS2 games in Asian version comes with manual in japanese AND ENGLISH, very similar to anime dvds! Korean versions are really original but "Asia" versions I doubt

Get over the "Asian" version being bootlegs. How many of us need to tell you they're real?

[geelw]

Asian versions are official. If I'm not mistaken, they're made in Japan just like the Japanese releases. Besides, if they were pirated, it wouldn't really make much sense how the Asian releases are often available a few days before the Japanese releases are. It would be pretty hard to bootleg something if you don't even have it yet. :P

I avoid Asian releases too, though. I just like to have games in their original Japanese form if they're made by the Japanese. The packaging is usually slightly nicer too.


well, genuine asian ps one and ps2 games are generally manufactured in japan, so the packaging will be the same, save for the manual, back cover info ("for home use only" is asian, "for japan only" is um, guess what?), and on some occasions the disc art. there are asian version mega drive games that have japanese boxes and carts, but english manuals and small stickers on the cover that say "asian version".

i also know of a few releases that have gotten extra stuff not avaialble on the japanese counterparts or even better, there are exclusives like the gran turismo concept game that wasn't available in japan. anyway, it's more a matter of personal choice in the end. but informed personal choice makes for a better collection overall.

with 3000+ games here i'm not too particular these days about where a game comes from as long as i know i'm getting an original version. i'm definitely pickier about the few game soundtracks i have, lol. i know one guy who collects some US, PAL, asian and japanese versions just for the package variants- to each his/her own, lol

g.

[Dark_Sol]

Play Asia does not mean they sell bootlegs there. They sell completely 100% official and nice stuff from japan, korea and china. LOL

[Ed Oscuro]

there are exclusives like the gran turismo concept game that wasn't available in japan.
?!

[maxlords]

I'd have to say I've had good luck with Lik-Sang, Lan-kwei, videogamedepot, and NCSX. When I had a friend trying to get me games from Yahoo Japan, I kept getting continually outbid all the time by japanese sellers that bought off yahoo Japan and then resold on eBay US for higher $. They tended to snag more than their fair portion of the deals off Yahoo Japan and only rarely did the good lots seem to slip under their radar. Maybe that has changed but with the fees and the double shipping and the hassle, it seems like Yahoo Japan isn't really an effective solution.

There are a few companies like Rinkya that bid on Yahoo Japan auctions for people then ship the items to them, but they charge a painful premium so it's only worth it for the rarest of the rare items.

Other than that though, there are few ways to get good stuff outside of a friend or yourself going to Japan and buying lots IN Japan. I wish there were easier ways myself, but trust me, I've tried.

If you're scoring some great lots on Yahoo Jp, well cool, but I suspect you're just getting lucky :D

[Yamazaki]

Looks like I ought to get a yahoo.jp account since I live here for a while.


I know that Citibank is also located in Japan. So theoretically if you have a citibank account you can send money without paying too much fees, right?