Yahoo Auctions, Japan
 

Hi guys,

I've been perusing Yahoo Auctions Japan and I've found some super cool stuff! My question is this; how trustworthy is it? Have you bought anything on there? If so, what was your experience?

If it's a safe way to buy, I really want to pick up some seats. If the shipping calculator is to be believed, then I can save a lot of money buying this way than buying through a US distributor.

I started searching using "jauce" at the recommendation of a member here....it seems to be pretty cool/legit. I emailed a few times to ask questions amd always get a reply. The thing I do not like is that you must add money to your Jauce account before bidding,...so even if you dont win, you will probably still have to wait a few days(guessing) to get your money transfered

I've bought quite a few stuff from there and never had a problem with the sellers or the service providers. Most, if not all items are sold as is. So you are taking a risk. Take a good look at the pictures, read the description well and if you feel comfortable with it, bid on it. For small/simple items I use jauce and for larger/complex stuff I use jessestreeter, both of which have provided me with good service.

I'm in the process of buying seats as well, since mine are two piece they can be made to fit into a smaller box to be shipped via EMS, cheap and fast. If its a bucket then I'm guessing your only option is Fedex, UPS or DHL, all of which will be expensive but should be cheaper then buying it here.

i got my bucket seat from japan and the seller mailed it through the mail. I picked it up at the post office :thumbup:

I see some companies sell new merchandise there. So they don't really offer pictures other than the sales pictures. Hmm.

What is the buying process like? How about customs fees?

This is what I'm looking at:
http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/x365179664

Thanks for the response guys :thumbup:

Go on Bride's website and confirm the part number of what you want matches to what the auctioneer is selling.

You'll need the dimension/weight of the box in which it will be shipped, to get an exact international shipping quote. You can ask the service provider to contact the seller for those. If its from a shop you may have to pay 8% local tax. Once again ask the service provider up front so there are no surprises at the end.

As for the bidding process, via jauce I deposit money through my paypal account and bid live through jauce's website. Via jessestreeter I tell him which auction I'm interested in and how much I'm willing to bid. He bids for me and if we win he'll then send me an invoice for the amount I owe to him. If its your first time working with him, I'm not sure if he'll bid on pricey parts without a deposit upfront.

I never had to pay customs, I'm not sure if second-hand automotive parts are classified as dutiable.

How long does it take for it to arrive? 3 weeks or 3 months?

It depends on the shipping method you choose. Usually if it is through Fedex or DHL it is pretty fast like under 2 weeks if it is EMS I have gotten stuff in under a week. They are legit but you do have to be careful. I bought a set of wheels that they barely packaged and they got some damage. I won't use BidJDM again because of that issue.

What about somewhat larger items, like say, a seat? Would it take longer do you think?

My seat took 7 days