So just to be sure you will be selling mostly NTSC-J game?
So just to be sure you will be selling mostly NTSC-J game?
All I want from a JP games supplier is shipping from within the US. I can get almost anything I want from sellers like hit-japan and yamatoku-classic on eBay, but shipping prices are what slow me down.
Now if you were to setup with someone in the US to distribute the stuff for you...
With Hit-Japan Ive realized its just way better to save up and buy 200-500$ worth of games at once. If they know you are buying alot the will gladly hold whatever you want for weeks and give you bigger discounts on price. They also offer flat rate shipping on really large orders if you contact them, and also upgrading to EMS isnt really that expensive, and EMS doesnt take 2 weeks.
Ive bought hundreds of games from Hit-Japan over the years, and the reason I keep going back is mainly price, but also condition/quality of the items is almost always better than advertised (which is what I look for the most).
Yup!
I purchase a TON from hit-Japan, including a lot of the GBAs that I modify for my business. They're really great for letting you stockpile completed auctions for a few weeks if need be, plus they're pretty good about accepting reasonable "best offers". I've found that they'll almost always accept 20-25% off the asking price of BIN or BO items
That is correct, Japanese games, hardware and merchandise.
I already run a business here selling other items (Food & Drink). Due to the high volume of parcels we send daily we receive discounts from Japan Post. I am incorporating these prices into the product price so shipping is included.
Also, the high prices that I used to pay on eBay when I was in Europe has driven me to do this. These sellers profit margins are ridiculously high.
Last edited by RetroGamerJapan; 03-31-2013 at 06:45 PM.
Some questions,
By "Games selling from $3 - $10 dollars", do you mean you will be focusing on stocking games valued at that level? Will you stock games valued significantly above $10?
I don't have much to contribute in terms of suggestions except to ask for the following,
If I were to buy 3+ games simultaneously, would there be the possibility of a discount/deal of some kind? I'm interested in building japanese collections for different consoles, but I'm starting from scratch, so extra incentive to buy games in bunches or even significant lots would be great.
I wish you the best of luck, I'm intrigued by what I've heard so far and you have my attention.
I'm sure hit-japan gets that same discount considering they have thousands of items listed at any given time. Point being, volume alone isn't going to give you an advantage over a company like hit-japan, not to mention the slow-ass delivery time.
There used to be a few JP games sellers on eBay that operated on the west coast. That was a big plus in my book. I got the games quickly, from people fluent in English (which is obviously a bonus when dealing with you as well), and with dirt cheap shipping.
I'm just saying THAT is what would bring my bucks to a JP-focused retro seller
I can give you some suggestions based on my perspective and my needs, you can extrapolate on this as I imagine my needs will match a % of your potential client base. Especially since some of the feature that could interest me is not something I've ever found on another website offering the same kind of service you want to provide.
Here is what I am:
+ English speaker, I do not speak japanese and do not wish to learn.
+ Game collector, strong focus on NTSC english games.
+ Curiosity towards NTSC-J, % of my collection dedicated to NTSC-J is < 1%
+ Ignorant as to what console have native NTSC-J support and what games have dual language built-in OR games that are english friendly (close to no story, english menu, strong emphasis on gameplay)
Here is what I want:
+ A website that will educate me as to which console can play NTSC-J natively, and what are my alternative (for example I know the SNES is NTSC-J friendly and only need to have two plastic tab removed, tell me that!), also sell me NTSC-J consoles!
+ A website that will identify what games are english-speaker friendly. If it's a game with close to no text and is all about gameplay, yeah I am interested! I just probably don't know about that game, tell me about it and you'll create a need I did not have before (good example would be Parodius Da! for SNES, that game is awesome and you don't need to be japanese to enjoy it, there are probably a lot more game that fit in this category)
+ Competitive pricing. If I can find your product cheaper on ebay, I will buy it on ebay.
+ Paypal, it's simple, it's efficient, don't make me register on another paying service.
+ Picture of every item (stock photo is fine), a youtube link to a gameplay video (that's hot), and a description of the product that is not the useless text found on the back of the box.
+ Good inventory. Going to an online game store and finding that everything is out of stock sucks balls. Your idea of having a request to stock that will be fulfilled within 48h is very cool, if you can deliver on this.
If you manage to create an online store that incorporate all of this, I will give you my money!
Yes, some games would be more expensive. The super rare titles would be slightly more expensive and I plan to sell new products a little bit over 10 dollars (I currently have boxed and sealed Chrono Trigger which I will list for about 11 dollars).
Buying more than 1 product saves me on shipping costs, so I would of course incorporate this into the store.
Thanks for the comments!
Their prices, without shipping, is what I am aiming for WITH shipping included (cheaper if possible). And also by not going through eBay i save on eBay fees, which makes the products cheaper still.
Thank you for the comments and in particular your advice about info on console regions and fixes. I plan to include as much info as I can on this.
No offence, but buying from eBay will save you money over YAJ.
That's really cool and fantastic idea of selling retro games through an online shop. But it involves high-risk and security. For an online gaming store there must be a separate lounge for each type of game and also add a shopping cart to the site. I really like your idea, and I am here to support you in any manner.
Last edited by charleskinley; 04-04-2013 at 12:36 AM.
I truly think that sellers need to lower the prices on some classic/retro games. I know of a store about 30 minutes from me that specializes in classic gaming (with some modern gaming) and his prices are absolutely insane. He has a copy of Contra for the NES sitting in a glass case with other more expensive games with a price tag on it of $17, and it's been there for what seems like years. Retro gaming is not as big as it was some years back, I remember 2001-1007 there being multiples stores that dealt in retro gaming in my area and other stores that had a small section of the store specifically for retro gaming, now they're all gone. All of them. People are buying their games online and even then they're more expensive than they should be. Unless the game is truly a rare find and/or comes with it's original box with instructions and sleeve than I don't think anyone should have to pay more than $5-$10 for an NES game, and $10 being a rare thing. If we're talking a Dragon Warrior IV or something than that's different, but a game like Contra or Kid Icarus shouldn't cost me nearly $20 to buy.....that's just plain silly.
And locally located, and old ownership...but we all know that many items on eBay are just turned around from a YAJ purchase, often times made by a buyer outside Japan. In any case, the shipping costs and profits come right out of the final buyer. And don't even get me started on STV-style shenanigans, using multiple accounts to bid against a proxy bid made on the buyer's behalf, just to milk more money.
It's not just obscure things and arcade games that are too expensive on the 'Bay. Most every example of a sought-after game can be found, if it is, lounging in somebody's eBay store at outrageously inflated prices.
In any case, if you can source things at a price that is competitive with directly buying off YAJ (either out-of-country collections or local purchases off the grid) then I support your effort...I don't want to sound like good new sources aren't appreciated. But I highly doubt even the most noble seller is going to turn down the chance to sell at eBay or even YAJ pricing.
Brick and mortar stores have a totally different dynamic because of the very high relative ongoing costs compared to running a smaller operation without a storefront, or maybe even running off the (tax) grid as a private person looking for extra income. If you truly feel that having a brick and mortar retro games store provides a valuable service, you'd pay for it...but of course nobody does, especially when the 'net is a much better place to do learn and find unusual things quickly.
Last edited by Ed Oscuro; 04-02-2013 at 09:09 PM.