Buying from Japan Quick Guide

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002
Topre Enthusiast

10 Dec 2013, 08:04

No problem :)

@rakutenwaxoff:
Unfortunately I don't have much experience with the auction side of Rakuten, but I imagine it's not too different to Yahoo Auctions Japan in how it operates. Yahoo Auctions Japan also requires a Japanese issued bank/credit card which is why services like buyee.jp came about.

I haven't checked if buyee.jp supports Rakuten auctions but I think it probably doesn't, so your only option would be to enlist a personal buying agent instead. I have a guy who can probably help you -- he accepts PayPal payments but I think it's a bit more expensive than using buyee or tenso.

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hasu

10 Dec 2013, 22:25

Most of Japanese don't know rakuten auction ever exists :p It has not so many items but sometime you can find a bargain.

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cookie

23 Dec 2013, 15:03

Thank you a lot 002, this will help me with my group buy :)

User avatar
002
Topre Enthusiast

23 Dec 2013, 22:18

If you gentlemen are buying the HHKB sets and you get stuck, drop me a PM and I can help you through it.
I bought a few sets of these just two days ago :)

User avatar
Muirium
µ

23 Dec 2013, 22:50

Reckon it's a good time to buy an HHKB, 002? (One of the current wrist wrest bundles, specifically.) And is doing so via a European proxy by the name of Cookie any smarter than bothering with Tenso registration for myself?

German shipping is terrifically cheap, I must admit, and it's possible Der Zoll will charge a lot less than Her Majesty for customs, too.

User avatar
002
Topre Enthusiast

23 Dec 2013, 23:35

You guys might be able to save money ordering them all together. I'm guessing the intention is to only order the little replacement keycap sets, otherwise people ordering keyboards etc will be getting the better deal on split shipping costs. Seriously you should register for Tenso and Buyee anyway given that it's free, and you never know when something will pop up on Yahoo Auctions :)
Seems they have a good deal on the HHKB at the moment, and they rarely go on special so now is a great time to buy an HHKB I would say.

Edit: BTW it's worth pointing out that the replacement Esc/Control cap set consists of keys that were previously extremely rare. I think PFU only gave them out in limited quantities.

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Muirium
µ

23 Dec 2013, 23:46

PFU's sale ends in a few days, as I understand. Doesn't seem like a good time to be stuck in the ID paperwork confirmation stage with Tenso! I'd need to receive a confirmation letter from them (verifying my address) before I can order anything.

https://www.tenso.com/en/member_confirm_identity/

User avatar
cookie

24 Dec 2013, 11:10

So it seems that everyone is buying this themself... man I m so busy right now :(
And I wan't those caps so bad!!!

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Muirium
µ

24 Dec 2013, 11:13

cookie wrote:So it seems that everyone is buying this themself...
Not me.

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cookie

24 Dec 2013, 11:18

well I am registrated and ready to roll... but I am a bit afraight that something could go wrong when ordering :(

User avatar
002
Topre Enthusiast

24 Dec 2013, 11:35

If you get stuck anywhere, feel free to PM me. Do not be afraid. Worst case scenario is that you fuck everything up and noone gets their keycaps and your credit card details will be stolen by Yamada Taro.

User avatar
cookie

24 Dec 2013, 21:08

The biggest hurdle is that I don't have a credit card and the identification process :(
Jeah I really don't want to screw something up if people order HHKBs and the more expensive stuff so I am little afraight something will get lost or so.

User avatar
002
Topre Enthusiast

24 Dec 2013, 22:41

You'll be fine :)
Do you have a debit card at least?

User avatar
cookie

24 Dec 2013, 22:56

Nope :( I am afraight that there is no chance for me to even pay all this stuff without that :(

Dgsbllx

24 Dec 2013, 23:54

Muirium wrote:PFU's sale ends in a few days, as I understand. Doesn't seem like a good time to be stuck in the ID paperwork confirmation stage with Tenso! I'd need to receive a confirmation letter from them (verifying my address) before I can order anything.

https://www.tenso.com/en/member_confirm_identity/

Could we just place the order through Tenso and then confirm all that stuff afterwards? They have provided an address etc

User avatar
cookie

24 Dec 2013, 23:55

I already asked them, they usually keep parces for 60 days

Dgsbllx

25 Dec 2013, 00:04

O well, hopefully that will be enough time to get verified >.<

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Mr.Bean

25 Dec 2013, 19:40

Ordered a set of caps and travel bag for hhkb i hope everything goes well.

Andriyol

01 May 2015, 18:35

002 wrote: Intro:
Ok so I get the occasional PM about buying stuff from Japan, so I thought I'd throw together a quick guide to get people started.
Here's the summary:

- Create a tenso.com account
- Create an amazon.co.jp account (if you want to shop on amazon Japan)
- Buy stuff

There are other popular Japanese shopping sites (for example, Rakuten), and there are other proxy services too, but if you knew that, you probably don't need this guide. If you have specific questions about other sites, I'm happy to help.


How It Works:
Tenso.com is a forwarding service. When you register with them, they give you a unique address, which is simply a physical warehouse address that includes an ID number that identifies packages that they receive as belonging to you. When you register yourself on a Japanese shopping website such as amazon.co.jp or rakuten, you do not enter your real address as your residence, you enter your tenso address. I think you can see where this is going :) The reason for this is that many online sellers/stores in Japan will not ship internationally.

Some sites (such as amazon) allow you to enter multiple shipping addresses, but I suggest you just keep it simple and enter your tenso address unless you know what you're doing. You can always change the information later if you need to.

You make your purchase, they ship it to your address at Tenso. When your package arrives at Tenso, they send you an e-mail, you pay the handling and shipping and they send your parcel out via EMS and give you the tracking number.


Registering at Tenso:
1. Go to http://www.tenso.com
2. Click 'English' in the Top Right
Spoiler:
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3. Click 'Registration (Free) on the right
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4. Follow the steps to complete registration (NOTE: Tenso changed their rules recently and for some countries, you are required to prove you identify with some scans or photos of ID material that proves your real residence)
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5. Once you're registered, check your 'My Page' tab which lists that address you use for online shopping in Japan
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(Other)
- Tenso will hold your items for 60 days if you wish to combine on items to save shipping.
- Tenso's fees can be found here: http://www.tenso.com/en/guide/fee/index.html

Registering at amazon.co.jp:
1. Go to http://amazon.co.jp
2. Click 'In English' at the top
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3. Hover over the 'Your Account' option and choose 'Start here'
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4. Complete your registration and when prompted for address, enter your Tenso address. There is a personalised guide for entering your Tenso address on Japanese websites such as amazon.co.jp and Rakuten on Tenso:
Spoiler:
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Buying Stuff:
This really depends on where you are shopping. If you're shopping on Amazon, it's pretty straight-forward:
1. Find your item (Google Chrome + Auto Translate is your friend here)
2. Add it to your cart and proceed to checkout
3. Log in (if prompted)
4. Select your address (this is where you can edit or add new addresses to your Address Book)
5. Choose your shipping option
6. Choose your payment option (NOTE: You will need a Credit or Debit card for most purchases from Japan)
7. Place your order! 8-)


Conclusion:
So most of this guide is pretty straight-forward stuff. The good thing is that most of these online shopping site forms are pretty much the same (how many ways can you ask for someone's details anyway?) so when you know how to register at amazon or rakuten, it's the sky's the limit really. You might run into the occasional site that use images instead of text for their forms which is a bit of a pain in the arse, but stick to your Tenso guide for entering address and you should be OK.

Some other suggestions:
- Order "direct" from PFU Japan! ;)
- Sign up to http://buyee.jp and check out Yahoo Auctions Japan. Keyboards are here

Hope this is of use to some people. If I've missed anything or something isn't clear, please let me know.
Mods: Wasn't sure if this belongs here or Off-Topic. Up to you if you want to move it.

My recent experience with BUYEE.JP TENSO japanese buying service is awful. What can I say about them is only they are fraud scammers. I received damaged items I bought on Yahoo auction using their service, they haven't provided any additional packaging besides seller's one, however I paid them for additional protective packaging. Also they damaged my item during consolidation, sent it to me in such condition. When I asked them for partial refund they claimed that I have not proved their fault.
So, I DO NOT RECOMMEND using their service to anyone!

User avatar
seebart
Offtopicthority Instigator

01 May 2015, 19:15

That sucks Andriyol. The only time I imported from Japan was when I got a pretty good deal on a keyset for my HHKB2 from a dealer called smart imports. Their service was good. I would recommend them.

User avatar
XMIT
[ XMIT ]

01 May 2015, 19:46

I had a good experience buying a Realforce keyboard through Amazon.co.jp and Tenso that I've documented elsewhere.

In some cases (like Filco) there is no straightforward way to pay with a foreign credit card. Often times an e-mail to the site or what have you will help with that.

User avatar
002
Topre Enthusiast

02 May 2015, 00:37

I have done over 10 transactions on buyee.jp now -- all for Topre related stuff. I've never had a problem. I am sorry to hear about your bad experience, Andriyol...maybe it was a one-off?
Spoiler:
buyee.png
buyee.png (144.67 KiB) Viewed 10035 times

User avatar
SL89

02 May 2015, 14:01

002 this is a great guide, thanks for sharing, it opens up a whole lot of things I've been rather hesitant to bother looking mo
re into.

kevin

18 Jun 2015, 08:00

Andriyol wrote:
My recent experience with BUYEE.JP TENSO japanese buying service is awful. What can I say about them is only they are fraud scammers. I received damaged items I bought on Yahoo auction using their service, they haven't provided any additional packaging besides seller's one, however I paid them for additional protective packaging. Also they damaged my item during consolidation, sent it to me in such condition. When I asked them for partial refund they claimed that I have not proved their fault.
So, I DO NOT RECOMMEND using their service to anyone!
Never had any issues or problems with Tenso or Buyee. Been using them for two years. Yes, Buyee is not cheap and not fast with customer support, but other problems? no.
Though now I'm fully in other deputy service http://www.remambo.jp
Found a total satisfaction for my purse :)

User avatar
vivalarevolución
formerly prdlm2009

26 Apr 2016, 20:22

Necro!

So I'm looking to buy from Japan. I wanted to hear about others' experiences using some of the proxy services mentioned in this thread. Also, experiences using a proxy service with Yahoo Auctions. Is Aleado any good?

User avatar
Belfong

27 Apr 2016, 03:52

I have used Tenso before. Very good experience.

User avatar
vivalarevolución
formerly prdlm2009

27 Apr 2016, 03:58

Belfong wrote: I have used Tenso before. Very good experience.
Thanks. Have you used it with Yahoo auctions? That's what I am most interested in at the moment.

User avatar
Belfong

27 Apr 2016, 07:05

I have not. I bought HHKB from amazon and send to tenso.com.

User avatar
002
Topre Enthusiast

27 Apr 2016, 09:43

Just use buyee.jp if you want to buy on Yahoo Auctions.
I am pretty sure that Buyee and Tenso are run by the same people and probably even the same warehouse, although with buyee you don't really know (or need to know) where the warehouse is because the whole bidding process is handled by them up until the point where they have your item in their warehouse and then give you the shipping options.
Good luck!

User avatar
vivalarevolución
formerly prdlm2009

27 Apr 2016, 12:50

002 wrote: Just use buyee.jp if you want to buy on Yahoo Auctions.
I am pretty sure that Buyee and Tenso are run by the same people and probably even the same warehouse, although with buyee you don't really know (or need to know) where the warehouse is because the whole bidding process is handled by them up until the point where they have your item in their warehouse and then give you the shipping options.
Good luck!
Thanks. My rudimentary search shows that Buyee and Tenso are the same entity.

Also, regarding the poster Andriyol that criticized Tenso/Buyee, I found the same post with the same wording on a different website. Sounds like a competitor is trying to smear the Tenso/Buyee name rather than have an actual complaint.

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