As someone that has had 0 knowledge when it comes to stuff like this (and others you had mentioned prior to this video) videos like this are super helpful as it provides not just knowledge, but insight and further information needed when it comes to wanting to save, or just get products elsewhere, truly these videos are appreciated, thank you for what you do Emily :)
I'm glad to hear these types of videos have been useful! I haven't heard many others talk about importing in this particular way much so I was more than happy to help fill in this bit of the knowledge gap 😊
A lot of collector channels recommend buying japanese versions of games to save money, but this is the first channel I've seen make a tutorial about the process. Great job
This is great! I order a lot from Japan but this opened up a lot of new possibilities, so cheers for that! Also, you gave me the final push I needed to pre-order the Altina watch, I realised that I would be kicking myself if I missed out on it.
Thanks! Ah gosh the watch lineup was just too good to pass up despite the hefty price tag 😅 Hope you enjoy Altina's & I'm looking forward to hearing how it looks in person if you plan to cover it 😄
Emily, you're the best! I've been eyeing some really niche merch on another proxy site but I was nervous to use it because it seemed a little sketchy (and I wasn't 100% sure about how it all works), but after watching your video I was able to find what I wanted on Zenmarket and I feel much more comfortable ordering now! Thanks a bunch 🥰
This is GREAT! I have purchased many items from Japan totally unaware of the possibilities and strategies you presented in this video. Moving forward I will definitely be applying this new found knowledge. Thanks!!!
Thank you so so much for mentioning Neokyo! Tried zenmarket and buyuu to no avail for a Keitai phone but got one immediately after seeing your video 🎉🎉🎉
Wow, thanks, I didn't know about this, I feel like this is much better and more complete than those lists you can find on the internet. I've been ordering from Japanese stores through zenmarket for a while, but I only recently started collecting some games again. Very helpful :)
Hi Emily! I appreciate you making this video showing all the different proxy services you can use! I only knew of Buyee lol. I also want to say that your recent haircut looks really nice on you! I hope you have a great week Emily! :)
Great video! These are my favorite types of videos because I’ve always needed to find good proxy’s for purchases such as figures. Thanks for the useful information ❤
@@orbalology I think I most definitely will but more so once I move and have an actual game room. Most of our figures are in the closet in storage due to lack of space to display them ☹️.
Really appreciate you going into deep detail on these sites to help us with our imports definitively gonna be picking up some games in the next couple of weeks 😎
@@orbalology am already on play-asia following your filtering steps haha.. this is not good for your wallet, I ended up ordering Metroid prime Japan variant because of the different box art (cant get enough of this game)
I'm binge watching your videos, just found your channel and it's amazing. Love the vibe and great recommendations. I've used proxy services to buy a lot of artbooks from Japan, and i've gotten great deals on books that are now impossible to find anywhere. I had to start selling some because I got too many lol, so I'm not sure if I should be watching this video 😅
i am happy you made this video. my friend had a proxy and I had to have them get me the three houses tea cup. but thanks to this video i might be able to order stuff myself. thank you!
This was an awesome walkthrough the process and I appreciate you showing it in a natural way, super easy to follow! I've only used a proxy once for some artbooks, but seeing how easy it is to use Mercari Japan makes me excited! Thanks again!
Interesting you mentioned that watch. Currently thinking about buying the Persona 3 watch. Also super beautiful. Keep up the good work. Always looking forward to your hauls.
I only learn of the games when they appear on sale tbh😅 & btw you suit your wavy hair, and you blessed with they pretty pair of hazel peepers👀 😍 hazel eyes are rare where im from, we all mostly have blue... subbed anyway, will tune in for the content, best wishes 👍
Thank you so much for this video, this is great! You will hear this a lot but I learned so much and am excited to try this out. I’m especially glad you showed the Xenoblade search since I also want to snag a physical copy of the XC2 soundtrack. 👍
I'm glad you found this helpful! I've been trying to get ahold of the XC2 OST for a long time now and glad to find it substantially cheaper on these Japanese sites than what you see on Amazon or eBay.
Dude I love your channel, I just got into switch collecting summer 2022, and I find your videos very helpful and insightful. The collection is currently 80 games strong
Thanks for the class! I thought that I had learned Japanese until you mentioned that chrome translated the websites. That gutted me. Btw, do that watch vid!
Omg, those Legend of Heroes watches are beautiful! I was not aware that they did those kind of collaborations with clothing brands i Japan; that is so cool!
I joke about how you're always giving me new ways to spend my money, but in all seriousness, you do a fantastic job of explaining these complicated processes. (And hey, as a bonus, you can probably use anything you buy as a result of one of these as a tax write-off!)
Haha, I'm happy to help enable. Also not too sure how to go about the tax write off stuff yet, you have to be careful about what is and isn't eligible 😅
I had no idea this was a thing. Really great walkthrough of these sites and I will definitely be using them soon. It's so hard to find good Trails merch here in the US.
Fantastic video! I've not done proxy shipping but defo gonna try to do it soon! Thanks for this excellent guide. I have a few addendums that would help others: For bundles, depending on what is in the bundle you could sell what you don't like or need to help make some of the money back. it'll probably be sitting on eBay for a bit (especially if the game does not contain english text and/or is localised physically), but people will definitely pay money for it evantually. i say that from experience. Customs very much depends on the country. In the UK right now customs charges are almost always non-existent cause of brexit, so it's quite easy to get away with paying them like in the US. But budgeting in advance customs fees is essential, and if you don't get your package checked, that's a nice bonus :) Also the katakana for soundtrack is " オリジナルサウンドトラック ." "bgm" and "ost" also works too, as well as "OP" and "ED" if you're looking for opening and ending themes.
Great video! I never knew there were so many different ways to buy games from Japan. I've only ever used Play-Asia for my PS3 and Switch physical copies of Okami, and my physical copy of I Am Setsuna. I still need to play my copy of Chrono Trigger DS. I think I got it around 10 or so years ago, but I still haven't gotten around to playing it for some reason. I've thought about getting various Japanese games over the years such as a real copy of Mother 3, so I'll definitely try and check out the websites.
Great guide Emily. I hope it gives people the confidence and knowledge to try proxy shopping. Being a big fan Touhou project and its doujin music I have used Proxy shopping more than I would like to purchase cd's and collectables. I just try to avoid it because everything is always so expensive! I am not as good as finding the deals like you are 😮💨. I will definitely try out the auctions next time I get the itch for some Touhou or switch items. It looks like the correct way to go.
When it comes to the sleekness and soft gold tones of the 'Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Original Soundtrack' bundle, I'm really feeling it! For about $30, to receive just under 8 hours worth of tunes on 5 discs is a pretty good deal. Before I purchase anything I always ask myself "what if it's fake?", and if the possibility is high, I then ask myself "how close is it to the real thing?" and if it's within range I proceed. I'm not saying the soundtrack bundle is fake, but if it was a copy, it wouldn't matter to me because: the price reasonably reflects direct materials and labor, the quality looks acceptable for the purpose of use (listening or collecting), and there are no indications its trying to be something it isn't (Nintendo seal of approval). Orbalology: the study of low prices orbiting highly desired items, lol.
In my experience you don't see too many fakes on the Japanese sites actually. They of course do come up but most sellers make it clear when something isn't authentic because of how strict Japan is when it comes to bootlegs. With Japan still deeply into physical media you see a lot of it circulated for cheap in the secondary market so the chances something being fake is fairly low. And any fakes you do see tend to be really obvious when you compare it to other listings. Haha, that could be a cool alternative definition :)
I actually just used my first Proxy Service (buyee). I really wanted that Rixia Mao Figure and I bought one from Rakuten. The shipping with EMS would cost 45 euros, but I found those "Character clear poster set" that came with the japanese limited edition of Hajimari no Kiseki for just 1000 yen. I thought it cannot increase much in shipping cost if I just to add those. Ofc the shipping cost went up to 65 Euros and I went with normal Sea Parcel for 30 Euros. Now I want to get the limited edition of the Trails in the Sky games on PC, they are much cheaper then the evolution editions. My Trails in the Sky collection is pretty thin compared to my Crossbell and Cold Steel collection sadly. Its probably gonna have cheapest shipping if I buy all 3 games together on the same listing, so buyee dont have to put my stuff in 1 more box lol.
Very helpful again, I've never tried the proxy service route. I've always wanted Japanese copies of all the old final fantasy and dragon quest games, I'm gonna see if I can find a better deal than on ebay
This is a very insightful helpful video. But that is a LOT go through and remember just in order to import stuff. I don't think someone like me has patience to deal with that. I just want to buy and not deal with it. 😅 Great video nonetheless I'm sure people who want to go through all that will find it useful. ❤️
Like with anything new it can be overwhelming at first but not too bad after you give it a go! Yes there are a few extra steps but I find it worthwhile to find great deals on unique items.
A rabbit hole, indeed! It's already dangerous for me to search a topic in Etsy and American Mercari. Expanding that to Japan, I'd be playing a risky game! I should try it at some point. I've never had someone break the process down so well, so this was really enlightening.
Haha yup there are some months were I can go a bit overboard using this route 😅 But it's nice to have more options especially when Japan releases so many cool things!
This is unrelated to the video but I was wondering, would you be interested in doing a Switch accessory/controller video? Just curious cause I love collecting cool controllers along with obviously collecting games lol
Perhaps! I only own a Switch lite right now so I don't have too many accessories or controllers atm. But I'm looking to upgrade to an OLED model so I may have to pick up more accessories in the near future :)
@@orbalology Its all good if you don't, I still have the normal Switch lol. The OLED does have a beautiful screen though, and the white joycons are cool.
Most of the large Japanese shops can ship within Japan which makes them easy to buy from using proxies. And even if a store doesn't offer domestic shipping you can often find a lot of things on those secondary flea market sites :)
I prefer to collect only NA versions of games and if the Canadian version is different from USA (ie. have French words), I would skip on that too. But if there are certain releases in Japan that are more valuable or only ever released in Japan then I would want that. I think there is a Japanese version of BOTW that has the game and dlc all on cartridge which is pretty nice. I am going to Japan in a few months and I need to do research on what games are worth picking up for my collection. I think the Genesis mini 2 is Japan only so I will look to get that and save on shipping. I can’t think of what else may be worth picking up in Japan
There are a lot of Asian exclusive physical titles so definitely look over PlayAsia's Asian-English page like I showed before your trip to figure out which games don't have NA or PAL options available that interest you.
I know everyone does this but it would also be cool if you could show your complete collections, your system setups, how everything is organized, etc...game room tour type thing
Yup, lots have people have requested this but it'll have to wait until after my upcoming move. Unfortunately I don't really have a nice setup in my temporary space atm 😅
So when I first started using a proxy in the 2000's I used rinkya, although they are a bit high they would deal with large items like displays. Since I travel a lot to japan now i buy direct mostly but my biggest challenge is with pop-ups. Often birthday events,limited or launch events I miss. Sometimes i get lucky. I do have some local friends i use very sparingly but only in extreme want circumstances. Have you found a good service for these types of purchases. I realize I can wait for an auction or reseller but usually at a higher cost if at all.
I haven't found a solution to the pop-up shop event items unfortunately. I usually resort to finding it on the auction or flea market sites second hand. Which sometimes can work in your favor if the pop-up has a lottery event and people are selling off excess items they don't need for a discount.
I actually in japan at the moment. Went to a yodabashi in osaka. Got clanned for 3346, Phoenix for 2964 and radrigy for 3700. Also they had a qrc to give language support that sent me to a nintendo japan site. This was with duty free.
@orbalology sorry with all the replies , just FYI though since you mentioned one piece odyysey in a previous post. Im Back in us now but in japan I came across a one piece odyssey limited gashapon of all things. Was huge with a ship steering wheel and gave out 4 characters. Luffy, the 2 new and the penguin. Anyway things like that and the trails of cold steel popup I found in 2019 is the kinda stuff I have trouble with. Although these to me are casual pickup, the ones I hunt for are related to snk games.
I was just curious if you had an idea about how long it takes for a playasia order to be received in the US. I'm thinking making a order from them. Thanks if you can.
In my experience it takes about 1.5-2 weeks to arrive shipping from Hong Kong. They're usually quick to ship out as long as they have the items in stock, but if not it can take awhile for them to ship out your order. I've heard of some US folks having it take up to a month if the package gets stuck in customs or there are specific international shipping delays, but I don't think you have too much to worry about that right now.
I'll post a video when I get around to it, but I might have spent about 600$ on sendico last month. Mistakes were made. But I'll be selling a lot of it.
The US doesn't have VAT charges for personal packages, custom fees don't come into play unless a package is valued over $800 at this point in time. Though I'm not sure about commercial sellers, they may have other fees to consider.
@@orbalology if you like SRPG's absolutely, also they mix in loads of different anime characters from different show,s you might recognise some of them 😅 I have two on the vita that are super rare and 1 on the switch.
Do you have to pay import tax when your ordering stuff from Japan if you live in the us? I used to buy stuff from Japan directly but since the import tax to order to Sweden is steep it usually never was worth it.
The US has more flexibility with import fees compared to other countries. We usually don't have to worry about them unless a parcel's value is over $800 USD.
Cant you make offers on Mercari? How does that work if you want to try and haggle with the seller? Do you just leave it in the notes or can you only do the buy now option on zenmarket
So I don't know of any proxy service that will negotiate for you on Mercari. You can maybe find a very small proxy that can assist but most of the larger, more reputable places avoid placing orders on listings that require commenting to keep their fees low.
You should set up a fundraiser or something to allow us to donate some money for a good microphone. I would donate in a heartbeat to hear you even better and I think it would help you gain even more subscribers as well!
@@orbalology Glad to hear! Love these wholesome, cozy videos where you talk with such passion. Hate to see it get lost in less than ideal sound quality. Please keep doing you 🙏
I think you can find a lot of great deals on most of the sites I covered. I see them pop up all the time on Mercari, Rakuma, Yahoo Japan Auctions, and Rakuten. There are a lot of listings to shift through but you can end up finding some awesome deals.
I hear a lot of people like to buy the 'junk' listings which are usually a little dirty for Japanese standards and/or untested systems and refurbish them themselves. Something to maybe look into, and they tend to be super cheap! And thanks, I'm excited to see the what the watch looks like in person :)
Orbalogy ty!!!; where I live,you can hardly get Shumps games like Raiden 5 and anything RType,I'll try some of the web sites you tryed..ty for your work 👍
As someone that has had 0 knowledge when it comes to stuff like this (and others you had mentioned prior to this video) videos like this are super helpful as it provides not just knowledge, but insight and further information needed when it comes to wanting to save, or just get products elsewhere, truly these videos are appreciated, thank you for what you do Emily :)
I'm glad to hear these types of videos have been useful! I haven't heard many others talk about importing in this particular way much so I was more than happy to help fill in this bit of the knowledge gap 😊
A lot of collector channels recommend buying japanese versions of games to save money, but this is the first channel I've seen make a tutorial about the process. Great job
Thank you so much! 😊
This is great! I order a lot from Japan but this opened up a lot of new possibilities, so cheers for that!
Also, you gave me the final push I needed to pre-order the Altina watch, I realised that I would be kicking myself if I missed out on it.
Thanks! Ah gosh the watch lineup was just too good to pass up despite the hefty price tag 😅 Hope you enjoy Altina's & I'm looking forward to hearing how it looks in person if you plan to cover it 😄
Emily, you're the best! I've been eyeing some really niche merch on another proxy site but I was nervous to use it because it seemed a little sketchy (and I wasn't 100% sure about how it all works), but after watching your video I was able to find what I wanted on Zenmarket and I feel much more comfortable ordering now! Thanks a bunch 🥰
Oh I'm glad I was able to help! You'll have to share what you picked up once it arrives :)
Your videos are getting better and better each week! keep it going!
Thank you so much!
This is GREAT! I have purchased many items from Japan totally unaware of the possibilities and strategies you presented in this video. Moving forward I will definitely be applying this new found knowledge. Thanks!!!
I'm glad you found some of these tips helpful!! 😊
love your videos very informative, and thank you for sharing your passion of collecting
Thanks! I really enjoy making these videos & am always happy to hear when others find them helpful and enjoyable too 😊
Keep the quality content coming!
Will do :)
Thank you so so much for mentioning Neokyo! Tried zenmarket and buyuu to no avail for a Keitai phone but got one immediately after seeing your video 🎉🎉🎉
Your videos always pop up and the ones I catch are always interesting. Subscribed.
Thanks! I'm glad to hear you find the videos interesting so far :)
Wow, thanks, I didn't know about this, I feel like this is much better and more complete than those lists you can find on the internet. I've been ordering from Japanese stores through zenmarket for a while, but I only recently started collecting some games again. Very helpful :)
Thanks for covering this topic, been looking forward to it 😊
My pleasure! Hope you found this guide helpful & worth the wait 😄
Hi Emily! I appreciate you making this video showing all the different proxy services you can use! I only knew of Buyee lol. I also want to say that your recent haircut looks really nice on you! I hope you have a great week Emily! :)
Thanks Olivia! I was due for a haircut and it feels so much lighter now, haha 😊
Great video! These are my favorite types of videos because I’ve always needed to find good proxy’s for purchases such as figures. Thanks for the useful information ❤
My pleasure! Very happy to help 😊
Also as a sidenote I hope you'll share your figure collection on your channel someday 😄
@@orbalology I think I most definitely will but more so once I move and have an actual game room. Most of our figures are in the closet in storage due to lack of space to display them ☹️.
I really enjoyed this video. I had no idea this was possible!
I'm glad you enjoyed! These proxy services can be a really great alternative to the more popular way to import :)
Very informative, good vid 👍
Thank you! 😄
Really appreciate you going into deep detail on these sites to help us with our imports definitively gonna be picking up some games in the next couple of weeks 😎
My pleasure! Hope you can find some cool things for great prices 😄
This is so cool. I've never seen anyone else talk about proxy sellers.
Yeah I'm surprised you don't see as many people mention this option for gaming related items compared to other popular Japanese hobbies on here.
This was so helpful and has opened another portal for me for Japanese games collection
I hope you can find some awesome stuff! 😄
@@orbalology am already on play-asia following your filtering steps haha.. this is not good for your wallet, I ended up ordering Metroid prime Japan variant because of the different box art (cant get enough of this game)
I'm binge watching your videos, just found your channel and it's amazing. Love the vibe and great recommendations. I've used proxy services to buy a lot of artbooks from Japan, and i've gotten great deals on books that are now impossible to find anywhere. I had to start selling some because I got too many lol, so I'm not sure if I should be watching this video 😅
My friend does this a lot. I haven't done it yet. Thank you for the info!
Happy to help! :)
Great guide
Thanks! 😄
i am happy you made this video. my friend had a proxy and I had to have them get me the three houses tea cup. but thanks to this video i might be able to order stuff myself. thank you!
You're welcome! Proxy shopping can really open up the merch possibilities, though it can also be quite dangerous 😂
Thank you so much for this video! It’ll be super helpful in my pursuits of Japanese merch
You're welcome! I hope you can find some great deals on some awesome items 😄
Such an informative video. Thanks for the info Emily! I'm really enjoying your videos 🤙💯
Thank you! I'm glad to hear you found this informative 😄
This was an awesome walkthrough the process and I appreciate you showing it in a natural way, super easy to follow! I've only used a proxy once for some artbooks, but seeing how easy it is to use Mercari Japan makes me excited! Thanks again!
Oh I hope you can find some cool things! And I'm glad to hear you found this video easy to follow 😊
Big fan of your videos - doing some awesome work. Keep up the great stuff!👍🏻 All best from Munich 😃
Thank you so much! 😊
Interesting you mentioned that watch. Currently thinking about buying the Persona 3 watch. Also super beautiful.
Keep up the good work. Always looking forward to your hauls.
All the video game inspired watch designs are so cool, just wish they weren't so expensive 😅 And thank you!
Great video and super interesting actually! I've never used any of these sites before but I'm a bit more curious now!
Thanks! Once I discovered how to use proxy services it really opened up another can of worms collecting-wise lol. But so far I have no regrets 😅😂
I only learn of the games when they appear on sale tbh😅
& btw you suit your wavy hair, and you blessed with they pretty pair of hazel peepers👀 😍 hazel eyes are rare where im from, we all mostly have blue...
subbed anyway, will tune in for the content, best wishes 👍
Thank you so much for this video, this is great! You will hear this a lot but I learned so much and am excited to try this out. I’m especially glad you showed the Xenoblade search since I also want to snag a physical copy of the XC2 soundtrack. 👍
I'm glad you found this helpful! I've been trying to get ahold of the XC2 OST for a long time now and glad to find it substantially cheaper on these Japanese sites than what you see on Amazon or eBay.
This is a good amount of information Thank you.
I'm glad you found this informative! :)
Dude I love your channel, I just got into switch collecting summer 2022, and I find your videos very helpful and insightful. The collection is currently 80 games strong
I'm glad to hear you found these videos helpful! And nice - glad to hear you've been able to snatch up a nice amount to releases this past year :)
I didn’t know any of them came with an English option. Good to know.
I was surprised by how many Japanese games support English text! I have a few more I want to get on various systems someday haha.
Thanks for the class! I thought that I had learned Japanese until you mentioned that chrome translated the websites. That gutted me. Btw, do that watch vid!
Haha, the auto translate sometimes gets to me too 😂
Omg, those Legend of Heroes watches are beautiful! I was not aware that they did those kind of collaborations with clothing brands i Japan; that is so cool!
Agreed! It's always a treat to see these cool collabs, especially when they release so many great designs :)
10k subs soon 👀 any special planned ?
I have a few ideas! But still deciding :)
I joke about how you're always giving me new ways to spend my money, but in all seriousness, you do a fantastic job of explaining these complicated processes. (And hey, as a bonus, you can probably use anything you buy as a result of one of these as a tax write-off!)
Haha, I'm happy to help enable. Also not too sure how to go about the tax write off stuff yet, you have to be careful about what is and isn't eligible 😅
@@orbalology Lol yeah, and honestly you'd have to have SO many write-offs before it would even be worth taking that over the standard deduction 🙃
Great info!
Thanks! :)
I had no idea this was a thing. Really great walkthrough of these sites and I will definitely be using them soon. It's so hard to find good Trails merch here in the US.
I hope you can find some awesome Trails merch! I've been browsing through some myself and there are so many great options!
I have Clannad and the side story games and can highly recommend them or the anime if you feel like sobbing like a baby. it is such a great story.
Thank you so much for this, ur great💜
Fantastic video! I've not done proxy shipping but defo gonna try to do it soon! Thanks for this excellent guide.
I have a few addendums that would help others:
For bundles, depending on what is in the bundle you could sell what you don't like or need to help make some of the money back. it'll probably be sitting on eBay for a bit (especially if the game does not contain english text and/or is localised physically), but people will definitely pay money for it evantually. i say that from experience.
Customs very much depends on the country. In the UK right now customs charges are almost always non-existent cause of brexit, so it's quite easy to get away with paying them like in the US. But budgeting in advance customs fees is essential, and if you don't get your package checked, that's a nice bonus :)
Also the katakana for soundtrack is " オリジナルサウンドトラック ." "bgm" and "ost" also works too, as well as "OP" and "ED" if you're looking for opening and ending themes.
Thanks! I hope you can find some cool things!
And thanks for adding the extra info :)
Great video! I never knew there were so many different ways to buy games from Japan. I've only ever used Play-Asia for my PS3 and Switch physical copies of Okami, and my physical copy of I Am Setsuna. I still need to play my copy of Chrono Trigger DS. I think I got it around 10 or so years ago, but I still haven't gotten around to playing it for some reason. I've thought about getting various Japanese games over the years such as a real copy of Mother 3, so I'll definitely try and check out the websites.
Thanks! Finding an official copy of Mother 3 should be easy using the proxy method, good luck on scoring a great deal! :)
Great guide Emily. I hope it gives people the confidence and knowledge to try proxy shopping. Being a big fan Touhou project and its doujin music I have used Proxy shopping more than I would like to purchase cd's and collectables. I just try to avoid it because everything is always so expensive! I am not as good as finding the deals like you are 😮💨. I will definitely try out the auctions next time I get the itch for some Touhou or switch items. It looks like the correct way to go.
Thanks! I've used proxy services for a lot of music buying in the past too haha. But I hope the tips I shared help with your deal finding! :)
When it comes to the sleekness and soft gold tones of the 'Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Original Soundtrack' bundle, I'm really feeling it!
For about $30, to receive just under 8 hours worth of tunes on 5 discs is a pretty good deal. Before I purchase anything I always ask myself "what if it's fake?", and if the possibility is high, I then ask myself "how close is it to the real thing?" and if it's within range I proceed. I'm not saying the soundtrack bundle is fake, but if it was a copy, it wouldn't matter to me because: the price reasonably reflects direct materials and labor, the quality looks acceptable for the purpose of use (listening or collecting), and there are no indications its trying to be something it isn't (Nintendo seal of approval).
Orbalology: the study of low prices orbiting highly desired items, lol.
In my experience you don't see too many fakes on the Japanese sites actually. They of course do come up but most sellers make it clear when something isn't authentic because of how strict Japan is when it comes to bootlegs. With Japan still deeply into physical media you see a lot of it circulated for cheap in the secondary market so the chances something being fake is fairly low. And any fakes you do see tend to be really obvious when you compare it to other listings.
Haha, that could be a cool alternative definition :)
I actually just used my first Proxy Service (buyee). I really wanted that Rixia Mao Figure and I bought one from Rakuten. The shipping with EMS would cost 45 euros, but I found those "Character clear poster set" that came with the japanese limited edition of Hajimari no Kiseki for just 1000 yen. I thought it cannot increase much in shipping cost if I just to add those. Ofc the shipping cost went up to 65 Euros and I went with normal Sea Parcel for 30 Euros.
Now I want to get the limited edition of the Trails in the Sky games on PC, they are much cheaper then the evolution editions. My Trails in the Sky collection is pretty thin compared to my Crossbell and Cold Steel collection sadly. Its probably gonna have cheapest shipping if I buy all 3 games together on the same listing, so buyee dont have to put my stuff in 1 more box lol.
Very helpful again, I've never tried the proxy service route. I've always wanted Japanese copies of all the old final fantasy and dragon quest games, I'm gonna see if I can find a better deal than on ebay
Good luck! Oftentimes the popular older games like FF and DQ can be found for super cheap! Especially when buying in bulk 😄
Are you ever going to do any PC content? I love PC gaming, and being able to emulate and mod is so awesome on PC!!
I've been thinking of getting a PC after my move actually. Not just for emulation but also to stream and record footage through capture cards :)
This is a very insightful helpful video. But that is a LOT go through and remember just in order to import stuff. I don't think someone like me has patience to deal with that. I just want to buy and not deal with it. 😅 Great video nonetheless I'm sure people who want to go through all that will find it useful. ❤️
Like with anything new it can be overwhelming at first but not too bad after you give it a go! Yes there are a few extra steps but I find it worthwhile to find great deals on unique items.
A rabbit hole, indeed! It's already dangerous for me to search a topic in Etsy and American Mercari. Expanding that to Japan, I'd be playing a risky game! I should try it at some point. I've never had someone break the process down so well, so this was really enlightening.
Haha yup there are some months were I can go a bit overboard using this route 😅 But it's nice to have more options especially when Japan releases so many cool things!
ordered a radio from japan...now i'm playing the waiting game
This is unrelated to the video but I was wondering, would you be interested in doing a Switch accessory/controller video? Just curious cause I love collecting cool controllers along with obviously collecting games lol
Perhaps! I only own a Switch lite right now so I don't have too many accessories or controllers atm. But I'm looking to upgrade to an OLED model so I may have to pick up more accessories in the near future :)
@@orbalology Its all good if you don't, I still have the normal Switch lol. The OLED does have a beautiful screen though, and the white joycons are cool.
It’s funny that I knew about like half of these stores from watching TH-camrs in Japan but had no idea you could buy from them like surugaya
Most of the large Japanese shops can ship within Japan which makes them easy to buy from using proxies. And even if a store doesn't offer domestic shipping you can often find a lot of things on those secondary flea market sites :)
I prefer to collect only NA versions of games and if the Canadian version is different from USA (ie. have French words), I would skip on that too. But if there are certain releases in Japan that are more valuable or only ever released in Japan then I would want that. I think there is a Japanese version of BOTW that has the game and dlc all on cartridge which is pretty nice. I am going to Japan in a few months and I need to do research on what games are worth picking up for my collection. I think the Genesis mini 2 is Japan only so I will look to get that and save on shipping. I can’t think of what else may be worth picking up in Japan
There are a lot of Asian exclusive physical titles so definitely look over PlayAsia's Asian-English page like I showed before your trip to figure out which games don't have NA or PAL options available that interest you.
I know everyone does this but it would also be cool if you could show your complete collections, your system setups, how everything is organized, etc...game room tour type thing
Yup, lots have people have requested this but it'll have to wait until after my upcoming move. Unfortunately I don't really have a nice setup in my temporary space atm 😅
@orbalology You said you wear glasses for work...what do you do? Not trying to be nosy...just curious
I teach kids. They're into free games...crap mostly...fortnite, apex, cod...they're up all night playing then sleeping in class...lol
I'm a researcher who does quantitative epidemiology/biostatistics. I talk more about my profession in my Q&A vids :)
Ive bought Fire Emblem Engage ive really looking foward to play the game!
Great, I hope you enjoy it! I've been having a blast with it :)
Hey Emily, just curious about the name orbalology.
Hi! I've explained the origins of my channel name in my previous Q&A video specials :)
So when I first started using a proxy in the 2000's I used rinkya, although they are a bit high they would deal with large items like displays. Since I travel a lot to japan now i buy direct mostly but my biggest challenge is with pop-ups. Often birthday events,limited or launch events I miss. Sometimes i get lucky. I do have some local friends i use very sparingly but only in extreme want circumstances. Have you found a good service for these types of purchases. I realize I can wait for an auction or reseller but usually at a higher cost if at all.
I haven't found a solution to the pop-up shop event items unfortunately. I usually resort to finding it on the auction or flea market sites second hand. Which sometimes can work in your favor if the pop-up has a lottery event and people are selling off excess items they don't need for a discount.
I actually in japan at the moment. Went to a yodabashi in osaka. Got clanned for 3346, Phoenix for 2964 and radrigy for 3700. Also they had a qrc to give language support that sent me to a nintendo japan site. This was with duty free.
@orbalology sorry with all the replies , just FYI though since you mentioned one piece odyysey in a previous post. Im Back in us now but in japan I came across a one piece odyssey limited gashapon of all things. Was huge with a ship steering wheel and gave out 4 characters. Luffy, the 2 new and the penguin. Anyway things like that and the trails of cold steel popup I found in 2019 is the kinda stuff I have trouble with. Although these to me are casual pickup, the ones I hunt for are related to snk games.
I was just curious if you had an idea about how long it takes for a playasia order to be received in the US. I'm thinking making a order from them. Thanks if you can.
In my experience it takes about 1.5-2 weeks to arrive shipping from Hong Kong. They're usually quick to ship out as long as they have the items in stock, but if not it can take awhile for them to ship out your order. I've heard of some US folks having it take up to a month if the package gets stuck in customs or there are specific international shipping delays, but I don't think you have too much to worry about that right now.
@@orbalology Ok thanks for telling me
I'll post a video when I get around to it, but I might have spent about 600$ on sendico last month. Mistakes were made. But I'll be selling a lot of it.
Oh wow, I've never used Sendico but hopefully you can sell some items to help recoup some of your expenses.
@@orbalology well, I'm sitting about double, but my wife is still not happy 😅.
If you are from EU you must add VAT (21%) to the price. Americans do not?
The US doesn't have VAT charges for personal packages, custom fees don't come into play unless a package is valued over $800 at this point in time. Though I'm not sure about commercial sellers, they may have other fees to consider.
A thought I had today, have you any interest in the super robot wars games?
I've been eyeing some of those games actually! I hear they're pretty good SRPGs. Would you recommend them?
@@orbalology if you like SRPG's absolutely, also they mix in loads of different anime characters from different show,s you might recognise some of them 😅 I have two on the vita that are super rare and 1 on the switch.
Do you have to pay import tax when your ordering stuff from Japan if you live in the us? I used to buy stuff from Japan directly but since the import tax to order to Sweden is steep it usually never was worth it.
The US has more flexibility with import fees compared to other countries. We usually don't have to worry about them unless a parcel's value is over $800 USD.
Cant you make offers on Mercari? How does that work if you want to try and haggle with the seller? Do you just leave it in the notes or can you only do the buy now option on zenmarket
So I don't know of any proxy service that will negotiate for you on Mercari. You can maybe find a very small proxy that can assist but most of the larger, more reputable places avoid placing orders on listings that require commenting to keep their fees low.
What's your most anticipated game for Switch this year aside from TOTK?
I'm most excited for all the Trails localizations, will be playing those on the Switch along with Atelier Ryza 3.
You should set up a fundraiser or something to allow us to donate some money for a good microphone. I would donate in a heartbeat to hear you even better and I think it would help you gain even more subscribers as well!
I'll most likely invest in one along with some other equipment after my move.
@@orbalology Glad to hear! Love these wholesome, cozy videos where you talk with such passion. Hate to see it get lost in less than ideal sound quality. Please keep doing you 🙏
Shoutout to orbalology (thank glob I only have to type that and not say that) for teaching me how to shop smarter
What site would you recommend for small hardware like gameboys?
I think you can find a lot of great deals on most of the sites I covered. I see them pop up all the time on Mercari, Rakuma, Yahoo Japan Auctions, and Rakuten. There are a lot of listings to shift through but you can end up finding some awesome deals.
@orbalology Thanks I'll give them a look. I like getting GBs a little beat up and fixing them up. That watch you ordered is pretty cool BTW.
I hear a lot of people like to buy the 'junk' listings which are usually a little dirty for Japanese standards and/or untested systems and refurbish them themselves. Something to maybe look into, and they tend to be super cheap!
And thanks, I'm excited to see the what the watch looks like in person :)
This is next level collecting shit :) The thrill of the hunt lives on! Alive and well.
Great video but update your browser, it pains me to watch, LOL 😅
lol yeah I only noticed halfway into my filming and updated right after finishing up 😂
Emily, you're really beautiful. I hope your channel succeeds. Awesome content.
google says dejapan is the cheapest
Orbalogy ty!!!; where I live,you can hardly get Shumps games like Raiden 5 and anything RType,I'll try some of the web sites you tryed..ty for your work 👍