How do I bid on Japanese auctions? What are the costs?

[@JimGardner]

A friend of mine spent a billion million ordering a bootleg recording of a gig he was at in the 1970s. This was in the dial-up days before online video streaming (the gig in particular is now widely available on KZbin). It had sentimental value and was, at the time, a very rare performance. It came all the way from Japan even though the gig itself was recorded at Newcastle City Hall. He waited for weeks and weeks for it to arrive, having blindly sent off a cheque, and when it eventually arrived he put it in the video, exicitedly pressed Play, and reaslied to his horror the whole thing was ruined by some arse hole in the audience, next to the person recording it, singing along to every song at the top of his voice. My friend then realised that person was himself.

[@josephpickard3108]

This has genuinely made my day. Laughed at this for nearly 20 minutes 😂

[@FranssensM]

I had some idiot dancing on a speaker tower when I went to see Stone Roses. It was my friend. We’d bought vodka in the offy, got the bus. Large orange from McD’s. Combined them and bingo. He was plastered. Reminded me of Quadrophenia.

[@dr_jaymz]

Seems like a great deal for everyone except the seller and buyer!

[@drmr_music]

JFTR: "Junk" (ジャンク) in Japanese store terminology means: untested (or at the most given a quick power-on test), unrefurbished, and uncleaned -- basically "as-is", usually with a no-return policy. It is for items where the cost of labour to test, repair, and clean would outweigh the resale value. It distinctly doesn't mean "garbage," rather it is an easily pronounceable English word they repurposed. Another term that is good to know is "wake-ari" (訳あり or わけあり), which in meaning roughly translates to "there is a reason this thing is so cheap." Those are functionally intact goods with only cosmetic faults, either from production or wear over time, and they usually come with a return policy. Japan has a distinct "second-hand culture" and an accompanying ecosystem. By and large, they are very honest and extraordinarily specific about the cosmetic and functional state of second-hand items, and also their return policy (or lack thereof.) Even with heavily used or broken items they still want you to have a good customer experience, and they want you to know exactly what you are getting into. [Edit: removed a paragraph that can be easily misunderstood, and is not really pertinent to the topic anyway.]

[@ActionHeinz]

Okay, so smiley face, broken chopsticks, cyclops and half of an antenna means the item is as it is... makes sense somehow... :D Jokes aside, thanks for the explanation!

[@RichHomieBodhi]

I bought a “Junk” super famicom from Japan for $20 shipped. Item came in looking mint and worked without any issues.

[@muddyducker3336]

Having recently returned from Japan...I am jealous of your ability to live there. What an amazing place with amazing people.

[@SkeleCrafteronYT]

Damn son, that’s a whole new level of materialism. Not that I’m complaining Edit: this comment was regarding said paragraph that was misunderstood :P

[@AttilaTheHun333333]

SkeleCrafter You can see it that way, or just appreciative. After all we all worked for the money we spend.

[@VeraTR909]

Having worked in an air freight warehouse, you definitely need that kind of packaging. Boxes are tossed in huge crates, so they must survive a drop and there might be another ~1.5 meters of boxes on top of it which could be very heavy. And workers don't get enough time to do things gently, or else the conveyor belt will fill up, it's tough work (that's awful for your back).

[@muhammadislam0000]

@@craigjensen6853 🤨

[@alexeveryman5080]

Parcelforce Coventry, I remember seeing guy throwing parcel so they would bounce of front wall of a trailer. It was his workout I guess.

[@tonymontana897]

@@alexeveryman5080 That is the kind of thing that would anger me if I witnessed that. I'd bounce his head off a wall to see how he'd like it. Stupid Fucking Apes. People pay a lot of money for items plus horrendous shipping only to have some Moron exercise his biceps with other's property. The Shipping and freight industry needs a proper shake up !

[@tonymontana897]

@@craigjensen6853 Amazon are the worst !.. Poorly packaged and items always arrive damaged. I stopped using Amazon over 10 years ago. Never again. That douche Bezos only cares about filling his bank vault than customer quality satisfaction. Fuck you Bezos. You'll never get another cent from me asshole !

[@DarthRevan961]

@@alexeveryman5080 It really is. I lost almost 10 pounds working at a FedEx hub in a month.

[@dokols]

I've bought some things from japan on regular ebay and I must say the packaging I've received have been pieces of art. Packing peanuts lined up individually and everything neat to perfection. So pleasant to unpack 😀

[@DEMENTO01]

We really need to step up our game at packaging lol

[@th-fb1nl]

You don't leave behind anything and respect everything along the way including intros of your video. Your are one of the treasure of KZbin's community. I have always awaited for your video. I feel some kind inner happiness watching those, which i cannot explain you in words. You are a great human being.

[@SwitchAndLever]

The tape is actually the same kind of tape that Amazon uses, it's basically a woven paper strip that has glue applied to the strip just before they put it on the package. Makes a really strong bond and is really durable, and if you have the system much easier to deal with than sticky tape, and if you go through a lot of it it ends up being cheaper as well.

[@wal]

I was considering doing a video on a Japanese only product, so this is extremely helpful. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@mariofanalex4455]

Did you do the video?

[@ezg8448]

The wording on the packing material means it can be burnt in an incinerator. Those UK import taxes are crazy!

[@Chi_Vid1]

Import taxes should drop now that we are leaving the EU

[@E_Europe]

@@Chi_Vid1 thank God !!!!!!!

[@richardsinger01]

Cheryl Davies don’t hold your breath. But £13 import duty seems reasonable to me.

[@ezg8448]

@@richardsinger01 - you're still missing $30 for import vat and $13 for the clearance fee, $55 total pounds total.

[@gvr4747]

@@Chi_Vid1 based on what? Now we will get the privilege of paying import taxes on European goods too.

[@philweight3480]

I've bought and had shipped (via Buyee) two great classic 70s hifi items including a large JVC turntable, at ridiculously cheap auction prices, and paid a little extra for the full protective shipping - perfect results both times and the result was huge savings. Couldn't be happier. No pre-depositing of funds either.

[@mikeselectricstuff]

That foam stuff crushes really easily to get it down to bin size. Just jump on it.

[@MonsieurAuContraire]

Looks like you bought £80 worth of packing materials.

[@Linkale_]

It would be a good idea to save it for later, you've paid a lot for it xD

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Clippy, go home. ;)

[@ooHotcooleRoo]

Yeah those bags akin to Instapack go for up to 5$ a pop.. and there are plenty on them in there

[@rkan2]

Air freight over a continent or over a major ocean is always going to cost a pretty penny... Too bad the trains running from China to the Europe can't do this readily. I could wait a month for 1/4 the shipping costs.

[@karelpipa]

@@Linkale_ i save them even if i paid non for it..am i crazy? :D

[@Northern5tar]

Could have just dropped it out of the plane above your house the way it was packed.

[@TheLexiconDevils]

Yeah but locally in Japan it was wrapped in paper.if at all

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

Would've saved him a fair bit of customs too. ;)

[@RCAvhstape]

And if it's Delta Airlines, you'll get a dousing a of free jet fuel along with it!

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

@@RCAvhstape Handy for lighting the BBQ. 😁

[@pmgodfrey]

I've shipped probably 28 very expensive rack mounted synthesizers with tons of bubble wrap. If you want it to arrive in perfect condition, it's going to cost a bit more due to materials and the size because I've protected it well. I would never stick something in a box without protection and call it done. I'd always be willing to pay more for someone who can pack well versus someone who doesn't care.

[@danieldc8841]

pmgodfrey I guess it is a balance though. I do feel like that packaging was excessive but the company would rather be safe than sorry, especially if they’re not paying for it.

[@AttilaTheHun333333]

Daniel DC88 Imagine that HiFi equipment costs ten times that much.

[@AttilaTheHun333333]

gower1973 Those 132 pounds weren’t just for packaging, but also for shipping and probably storage time. He got the item pretty fast too, so shipping definitely wasn’t cheap. But I agree, it still looks very expensive and too much frankly.

[@lowdefal6306]

Absolutely, but all of that in the video is overkill and has unnecessarily increased the price. I've paid the same to ship 20kg boxes, including entire 80/90s pc formats from Japan all with superb per-item packaging that didn't also force an increase in postage prices beyond sensible levels. All arrived intact.

[@peterjf7723]

I have in the past charged about £60 for packaging of some fragile collectable items. They were not a standard size so I had to make custom boxes for the items. Of course I made those costs clear in the description and gave the option for the buyer to collect from me in person.

[@pongusikya]

Shipped from Yonago! A lovely city on the Japan Sea cost in Western Tottori. There's a quality hot spring in the city. Great off the tourist map place to visit. "Medical grade tape" is just normal tape that you can get at the Japanese Poundland. Haha!

[@Charky_Creations]

... are you telling me there are 100 yen stores? I *really* need to go to Japan...

[@pongusikya]

@@Charky_Creations there are many different 100 yen stores. Daiso: biggest and most general many +100 yen things Seriya: is a bit more fancy, has better crafting supplies and table ware. Flets: has the best selection of food stuff CanDo: is probably the most disappointing but I've been told they stock more made in Japan goods Lawson 100: is a 100 store conbini. Sometimes you get the weirdest stuff there also good for limes and avocados. I bought a beanie at one of these Thursday.

[@k3ntris]

So happy to see Techmoan almost close to 1 million subscribers without begging people to like and subscribe.

[@MickeyD2012]

That thing was packed with love and care. It makes me happy.

[@dsandoval9396]

I can tell you from personal experience as someone who worked at FedEx Ground (at a main Hub, not the small terminals) that also did Air, you can put all the "Fragile" stickers you want on it, they don't give half a 💩 what is carries as long as they can kick, push, shove, your package in an already full container. They make money filling their containers past capacity. This means getting packages in there by any means necessary, and if they have to pay for property damage it's still well worth it to them. This packaging they gave you...? Damn worth it. This is the kind of packing I'd gladly pay for every time.

[@WanJae42]

I use Celga to buy from Japan (Yahoo Japan auctions or otherwise). They're a very small outfit, but you get personal service. If you're comfortable with it, they can even set you up with your Yahoo Japan account so you can do the bidding yourself, and anything you win goes straight to their warehouse.

[@carolineleonard8214]

It's the packaging that does it for me. Superb. I've bought from Japan in the past, not as large as yours though, and the attention to detail in packaging has been fantastic.

[@Ultravox5600]

Ive used Buyee before and it went incredibly smoothly.. In fact the only thing i wasn't quite prepared for was the shipping cost (it was a very rare 80s motorcycle helmet, so not so small/light) but everything else was very reasonable. They also had a much slower ship-travel option that was a lot cheaper, but would be considerably slower. Worth noting that I'm on the west coast of America.

[@ryaneickmeyer6191]

The filming on this video is really great. Great job with audio and lighting specifically.

[@Theracles]

You must be new here! ;)

[@EposVox]

This was interesting to learn about!

[@mariofanalex4455]

Yes it was!

[@beanbandit495]

This is the EXACT video I needed to help me start my Laserdisc collection. Thank you Techmoan!

[@beanbandit495]

@@mattsephton Oh? What would be the proper or better way to do it?

[@generikz]

Studied the market for a while and decided that BUYEE was better. They made custom request harder these days but lowered fees on high priced items recently. Bought TONS from them over the years. Nearly no issue.

[@liucyrus22]

generikz fees are still expensive, not that much of a rip off fortunately. The 10% auction fee is just ridiculous.

[@liucyrus22]

The other ripoff would be the clearance fee. Heck why does customs clearance gets charged extra?

[@generikz]

@@liucyrus22 Not 10% auction. Buyee is 300 flat fee on auction and 200 payment fee. You can opt for "no plan/check/insurance" so it's 500 + shipping to Buyee and then I recommend buying more (30 days free storage) and consolidate for 1,000 before shipping. buyee.jp/help/yahoo/guide/fees?lang=en

[@NaieraDK]

I use Tenso to buy used anime Blu-rays from Amazon Japan. These aren't auctions of course, but I thought I'd mention it because it's a very good site, simple and fairly cheap to use. They're affiliated with Buyee.

[@YdenMk-II]

Same. I've had good experiences with Tenso.

[@etmccaus]

Found this rather interesting, as I've been using Jauce for about a year now - initially to collect automobilia, but have also expanded into attaining random small parts for a Japanese project car of mine that are either difficult or impossible to find stateside. As you note, it adds up - especially if you keep items warehoused in order to combine shipments - but the packaging they provide is nothing short of an artform.

[@JonnBlanchard]

I prefer Buyee, you don't have to preload your account. Although that can be dangerous in it's own way, once service charges and delivery charges are added. But i've had a lot of stuff delivered (anyone who's looked at my re-enthused channel will have seen the vast number of unboxings) and it's been a very positive experience (except for my bank balance).

[@MichaelYates]

OUCH ! , when i have bought some items from Japan in the pass i look for an eBay seller that ships to UK that sells a lot of similar items that i am looking for and ask if he can get hold of an item i want that he has not got listed, sometimes these sellers can get hold of it for you and saves a lot of shipping costs - another very informative video

[@JohnJames0204]

@@mattsephton Techmoan is just giving an example, not a guide on how to buy things for cheap. If you can do better then shut up and do it. He's sharing his experience and you gotta shit all over it like he murdered your girlfriend jeez.

[@TheLexiconDevils]

A lot of those ebay sellers don’t own what they’re selling they’ll just go buy them from a store after you win. Often at a much higher price than what you could get it from Japan service directly

[@TheLexiconDevils]

No. It’s called being a price gouging prick.

[@rutgerb]

@@TheLexiconDevils welcome in the world of 'trade'.

[@Jimmy_G412]

This was packed very soundly. We use those expanding foam inserts at the company I work for and the machine to do this is not cheap. Basically it's a computer with a touchscreen that allows you to select how large the "bag" is and what percentage you want it filled with foam. It takes a bit of practice to get right.

[@blvtzpk]

I've been living in Japan for over 20 years. Resellers will pack your items VERY WELL - it's what Japanese customers expect. I've worked with people from delivery companies (takkyubin) who have told me how incensed Japanese customers are when a product is not delivered in a pristine fashion, hence the caution in packing. I even had a takkyubin delivery person this week apologize to me that the package he was delivering to me (from Amazon Japan) was slightly dented. There was even a message attached TO the box written in English apologizing! Yes, the packaging can be excessive (we gaijin always go on about the packaging in Japan, especially boxes of biscuits (cookies?) in a box that sit in a plastic and are which also individually wrapped in plastic). However, I love getting items like CDs from resellers in Japan. They (nearly) always have products that are in far better condition than they list (e.g. good = like new!) and make sure little or nothing can happen to your item when it's mailed to you.

[@EvertGuzman]

Heh, I’ve gotten a cd before that was packed in nothing more then a bubble mailer.

[@stargasior]

Japanese post and delivery companies tend not to throw packages either.

[@MousePounder]

I'll probably never do this but I still enjoyed learning about the trials of international purchasing.

[@rich1051414]

There are also a lot of things in South Korea you can't buy anywhere else, including a lot of new electronics that are only on the korean market(atm). However, ordering from korea is usually easier than japan, but pretty much the same problems sometimes applies(people not wanting to ship internationally leading to expensive reshipping options, and/or limited payment options).

[@81pieda]

Like e.g. a Samsung DCC recorder? 😁

[@rich1051414]

​@@81pieda A lot of LG things, too.

[@rich1051414]

@@mattsephton There are a few. I think Avecko is a popular one. Assuming you are talking about reshipping services.

[@81pieda]

@@rich1051414 did LG make any dcc recorders?

[@rich1051414]

@@81pieda I know nothing about DCC recorders :P

[@chrisw443]

I speak japanese and english I can tell you one thing, you hit the nail on the head, after a few years they totally forget what anything they own does. lol. That whole new tech phases out all tech ALWAYS mentality. lol.

[@RetroCore]

Hi Techmoan. Fellow Northen Brit here who has been a follower of your channel since the beginning. Anyway, don't normally comment but I'm wondering why you have to pay Auction Win fees? (unless you mean commission for the middle man?) I've been living in Japan since 1998, yep, half my life and been a seller and buyer on Yahoo Auctions since around 2005 (actually sold a FM Towns to a Middle man yesterday) so I know the system very well and can tell you that we in Japan don't pay a special win an auction fee. Also, free delivery is kind of rare unless its a really cheap item. Also, in Japan people pack stuff extremely well, I mean way over done. So no idea why you think they don't pack well. I wonder if that's something the middle man company says so you pay them more for better shipping? Saying that, the packing on the item you bought is well done. I would imagine that the bubble wrap and brown cardboard around the item was original packing from the seller. That's standard. Then they'd put it in to another box with more packing. The FM Towns I shipped yesterday is packed to Japanese standards and would easily survive a trip overseas. I'm kind of annoyed if someone has to pay more for a middle man to re-wrap something in a probably worse state. Anyway, just thought I'd mention that. Looking forward to the next video 👍

[@jungha496]

The "Auction Win fees" are commission or service fees, which is stated on the website: "Jauce commission: When you win an auction, JPY 400 + 8% per item will apply over the auction item’s closing price."

[@astrotrance]

We appreciate you taking the gamble and making the effort for us. Can't wait to see this player in action!

[@Badutspringer]

I just use a VPN; change my address to local; and ask nicely for international shipping to your account. Works 4/5 times.... you should try. Gotten loads of Laaserdisc stuff that way.

[@DEMENTO01]

tho i would feel bad for the seller but idk if the seller sold it as international the shipping price would have been like 1/3

[@ZekeGraal]

I live in the US and I have used White Rabbit Japan. I've not bought anything large with them yet, but they are good people with great customer service and communication.

[@fab1604]

2 big videos in 5 days, you're spoiling us, Mat! 😊

[@HolowatyVlogs]

I bought my Apple Pippin on eBay from a guy in Japan. He happened to have a lot of them and sold it for $290 USD, which is insanely cheap in rare vintage standards. It arrived meticulously packed and with a beautiful hand written card. To this day, which is like over 5 years now, we’re still friends.

[@S0N1Cua]

I do something similar with shipping from the US to Ukraine, only I bid myself and use forwarding company, it can ship by air or sea, shipping by sea is much cheaper and similar size and weight box would be about $30-40 plus local tax

[@mapesdhs597]

One reason why the shipping cost may have been more than you expected is possibly the volumetric weight of the parcel, ie. L*W*H/5000 (dims in cm, result in Kg) for where I am (UK). If this is higher than the real weight then the cost is based on the volumetric weight. The formula varies but this is fairly typical. Hence, that box may have a volumetric weight of 20 to 25kg even though the real weight might only be 10kg or less. This is why, when shipping the kind of items I often post abroad (SGI Indigo2 or Fuel systems), I use a box which is designed to be just under the usual max cutoff volumetric weight of 30kg, namely 67x67x33cm (outer dimensions), ie. above 30kg and most couriers will charge a lot more. I order custom size boxes from DavPack since standard sizes are no good, but I buy them as 67x67x67cm so that I can have the flexibility to send bigger items if necessary. I cut them down to size each time I send something which must be below 30kg. Some couriers have slightly higher cutoff weights (I think UPS might be 32kg, not sure), while ParcelForce at post offices is I believe quite a lot lower, only 20kg. Better to use online brokers like Interparcel and parcel2go who also offers PF services that post offices lack (such as Euro Priority), though typically I use DPD, UPS, Fedex or DHL. I'd never normally send anything large at a PO though, they can cost more than twice as much.

[@mrarcadia]

I couldn't stop thinking about how cold your coffee was at the end of the video.

[@Seiskid]

Thanks for the rundown. In this case it didn't work out financially but that actually made the story more interesting.

[@ge200099]

The "Junk" section in japanese secondhand stores is my favourite. Japanese kinda got the attitude to pay somebody to do something, than to do it themselves. Most of the time they just buy something new and throw away the old stuff. I bought nearly all my electronics there and most of them are working fully, they were just dirty or maybe too old and too "outdated". I bought a printer for 500¥ (3£) with a clogged nozzle. I soaked the printhead in warm water and that made it work again. New price is about 25000¥ (maybe 175£). Heaven on earth for people like me, who have a free weekend from time to time. Well, most other people here don't, so that explains a lot 😁

[@thienpham9629]

Listen to your story is really fascinating. I'm sorry if I'm harsh or something but can i send you email to discuss more about it? Sorry if my Eng is bad. I'm currently a college student and it's hard to get new devices though...

[@fireaza]

I once found a gold Nintendo 64 in the junk section at Hard-Off for 300 yen! You better believe I took that one home!

[@TheLexiconDevils]

Yeah those Japanese pawn shops. I bought so many guitars from them $10,20.

[@thienpham9629]

@@TheLexiconDevils you found those when you were living in Japan?

[@TheLexiconDevils]

No they have stores on yahoo auctions

[@bartmaster1234]

I ordered a center console for my 1986 Nissan 300zx, which is called the Fairlady Z in Japan. This thing is large and bulky and cost me $80 to get to the United States. ($20 to ship to the broker, and $60 to ship to me in California) I felt the postage was pretty reasonable considering how large and bulky the thing was. I used Buyee, and was very satisfied with how quick it got here. They actually shipped it USPS Express.

[@Oldgamingfart]

I used one of these intermediaries (Shopping Mall Japan) quite regularly over ten years ago to fill in the blanks in my games collection. The exchange rates were much more favourable back then, and going with SAL shipping over EMS could save you quite a bit (the wait wasn't that much longer to be fair). On saying that, sometimes they didn't give you a choice and billed you for EMS especially if the item(s) were high in value. During that whole time, I never had a single item damaged or go missing (easily +100 items) - it was always the UK side of things that held things up considerably. Oh, and that 'medical grade' parcel tape smells wonderful! xD

[@MrHack4never]

Not that you should test it, but *some* electronics use standard modular PSU's that happily takes 240 volts despite the label saying "100 v only" or similar In a nutshell, they might use a standard PSU which is already a tested and ready for use, instead of having to make a custom supply that only takes, say 90-130 V and turns it into +5V, +12V, -12V, 3.3v etc.

[@lcalvom]

That's one expensive cheese sandwich there!

[@grantersg]

Luis Calvo Mayo lol

[@Spindash54]

Always used Buyee when buying to the USA various toys and collectible items. Never had a negative experience. What techmoan said is true though, when the ship box is unexpectedly large, the shipping cost can rapidly expand.

[@CK-ceekay]

You won, but at what cost?

[@paulsmall5122]

badum tss

[@U014B]

About 350 quid, ya dingus.

[@RingoYote]

Everything.

[@anonymoususer4937]

Pyrrhic auction?

[@imho4990]

After Brexit you will pay same absurd amount of money even if you buy something in France. ;)

[@WelshDdraig]

That expanding foam packing is actually quite expensive (much more than some scrunched up newspaper and bubble wrap like you'd get if it was shipped from the UK 90% of the time). But, on the other hand, its nice to see a shipping company taking such care (even if it is going half way around the world).

[@williamtaylor9546]

Great vid an a really useful primer for what to expect with non-EU transactions (currently) in the UK. The customs charges are what annoy me, as the tax will have been paid in two countries.

[@CraigSteelyard]

The stupid £15 limit to import things from America before paying customs fees and tax etc. really bothers me.

[@darkdoescosplays]

I dread to imagine the process of buying things from the EU after we leave. Realistically I doubt it'll be as complicated as this, but being hit by extra fees for basically no reason is frustrating

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

@@darkdoescosplays especially the fees added by shipping companies can add up quickly. The import charges themselves are usually tot that big. I got a couple of times that import was like 3 euros or something and dhl charged almost 30 clearance and prepayment fee on top of that. On small or cheap items this can really be a bitch. When buying something more expensive this is of less importance offcourse, but how often do you buy expensive stuff from half way around the world. With aall the risks involved and all.

[@trondmm]

That depends on the seller. It'll be true on auctions, of course, but if you buy new items from stores that are used to shipping goods out of the country, they can deduct the local tax before shipping it to you.

[@video99couk]

Then Parcelforce slap their bit on too, and since there's no competition, they can charge whatever they like.

[@Quebecoisegal]

In the last week I have seen MD's described as "junk" and coming from Japan. Now this has clarified the use of the word junk.

[@alexanderpowell1528]

Yeah, I've been through all this in the past (2003) as I used to buy toys from Japan and import them into South Korea. After a while I noticed the Japanese wanted certain South Korean items relating to K-wave film stars. So, I begen sending posters & photos etc and my buyer/seller in Japan began selling the stuff. It was all good as I'd use my Yen profits to buy more Japanese stuff. Anyway, it all went to crap when I sent a wall sized poster (7ft wide) to the Japanese facilitator via fedex as it was too large for regular post, and he went beserk in an email reply telling me I didn't understand how small Japanese apartments were. Oh well, was fun while it lasted.

[@Gabez82]

I buy and sell vintage cameras shipped from Japan to here in California. Japanese items are always meticulously shipped. I’m always grateful for that.

[@G1itcher]

Sitting at home taking a forced day off work, then Techmoan releases a video and suddenly the day is a bit better

[@versaleyang]

Don't be a workaholic, enjoy your day off :)

[@Danny-wv8ec]

Last week i e-mailed Techmoan with a question about HiFis and he replied right away. He’s an amazing KZbinr and a great chap!

[@pancudowny]

He's gonna cover the subject of MiniDisc again, so I'm happy! And this time, it'll be about making a 5-hour compilation on a single disc.

[@G1itcher]

@@versaleyang normally I would, but it wasn't planned, and I work freelance; don't get paid for days off/sick days :(

[@adrianomaganini]

The scenario you have in England is a "paradise" compared with what we have in Brazil. In Brazil, for ANYTHING that you buy from ANY country in the world you will have to pay, at least, 60% (sixty percent) on import taxes. If you choose a courier service (FedEx, DHL) as the shipping method instead of the brazilian postal service (CORREIOS) the amount on taxes can be up to 100%. Also, just to let you know, these taxes are calculated INCLUDING the freight (the shipping cost) in the base amount. Yes, in Brazil we pay taxes for a service provided by another company in another country !

[@PhantomHarlock78]

Feels like being in Brazil and buying anything from any other country.

[@ReinaldoRauch]

Pretty much, 60% import fee is just ridiculous

[@netsfera]

Yes. I'm from Brazil and here the taxes are outrageous. In the end, you pay for almost two products!

[@sugaryhull9688]

Or Australia

[@imho4990]

Feels like after Brexit.

[@ДэнаунНовиньо]

In Brazil, the final price would be around 600 ponds, and it would be delivered by July. And you will always have the risk of losing the object to the BR customs, because a employee liked the item and declares it "lost". By the way, the mailman won't deliver the box, you will have to go to the Mail office and search for it, and if they give you your package it will state that the mailman tried three times the delivery but noone was at the address.

[@kernelzechs]

You are a lifesaver. I have an actual need to get some stuff off of Yahoo Auctions and you came through. As always, excellent content. Thanks

[@McRocket]

Very interesting and informative. Thank you for making this video.

[@kleinstarnull]

"Municipal waste energy facilities" is almost certainly referring to the incineration plants much of the garbage in Japan goes to (at least in urban areas but likely most of the country). They feed incinerators with certain pre-sorted garbage, which is used, among other things, to run electrical power generators. There's a video on KZbin called "Trashopolis - Tokyo" which is really fascinating and goes into great detail on how trash is handled there, including the incineration plants and recycling.

[@simonbeasley989]

Can't wait for the next video when you review the CD/MD!

[@dogcowrph]

Thanks. I bought a two DVD set from Japan for about $75 per disc twenty years ago. Yes at QPR in 1975 on Panasonic label.

[@luxembourger]

100 Volts is really low, when I think about it. Significantly more loss caused by the higher currents in the house wiring.

[@81pieda]

And thicker cables, hence more copper, more expensive installation

[@Richardincancale]

They use 3 phase 200 volts for higher powered devices like cookers...

[@SometimeWoodworker]

Mostly water heating for the bath showers and kitchen use are gas not electric, at least in all the houses I visited and apartments I lived in.

[@UtkarshAmitabhSrivastava]

@@bunnymaid microwoofer? that sounds like some sort of futuristic HiFi equipment.

[@thelight3112]

@Lassi Kinnunen I've never seen an electric shower heater in a 120v/100v country. In the US and Canada water heaters are big tanks heated either by gas or 240v 50A.

[@Gamer1st1]

I save most of the packing materials I get for future use when I ship something. But that’s not always an option depending on whether you have the room to store it. I keep it for financial reasons and convenience not environmental.

[@TomGreen99]

*1:30am time for bed* _Technomoan uploads_

[@O.G.LIL-MAN]

Lol... Same thing happened to me!!!

[@pywaketpilot]

5 am here!

[@NomadOfNorad]

@@pywaketpilot Yup, was 5am for me too. >>giggles

[@7JANEWAY]

"Technomoan"??? It's Techmoan, my friend.

[@kalilsuyan871]

7pm here in Malaysia

[@damianp564]

Impressive packing quality. A lot of individual sellers have no clue how to pack electronics. I used to unload trucks for UPS. That first layer of boxes against the door usually comes falling out on the belt. That's a heavy hit. And that's only part of its journey. For various reasons I stopped selling items overseas but a main one was I grew tired of people not understanding how customs, fees, and taxes worked in their own country. They'd blame me for the costs and want me to pay them. Hopefully this video will help more people understand what may be involved.

[@righthandofdoom77]

The last thing I bought from Japan was Super Mario themed Uno. The sender sent a thank you card with a sweet attached to it.

[@the_trash_mane5875]

I bought an MD-RZ30 from Japan and a Christmas card was sent with it, pretty wholesome man

[@positivemasculinity42]

The Japanese are a special kind of people

[@QuestionBlockGaming]

I buy a lot of second-hand video games from japan, and every single time I've ordered them it's been an overwhelmingly pleasant experience. I ordered a box of dagashi/cheap snacks and candy once, it cost me about $12 for 40 pieces. But the seller included a letter thanking me for buying and included an extra 10 pieces since it was a holiday. Absolutely magnificent.

[@gavincurtis]

Whoever packaged that was good. Very good and done right.

[@camrowdrone6497]

English man in Japan watching enjoyed, Japan very expensive, but you get the best 👍🏻

[@KomradeMikhail]

Beware that fact, these intermediary companies like to open and repackage... If you are specifically collecting something in it's original vintage box, this can burn you. They are known for throwing away rare original packaging to send you the worthless item from inside. This notoriously happens often with retro computer collectors trying to get 1980's MSX Computers.

[@RingoYote]

Techmoan is the James May of Technology. who is the Jeremy Clarkson of Technology?

[@SuicideNeil]

AvE perhaps?...

[@LeftoverBeefcake]

Electroboom? ( kzbin.info )

[@burtobm]

Big clive

[@ezedjay]

Nah - not AvE, Electroboom or Big Clive are total cocks like Clarkson.

[@fuelvolts]

Linus. For sure.

[@charlesjmouse]

Thank you, most helpful. A random observation: I've taken to politely asking people not to label packages as fragile - I get the impression "fragile" is too often interpreted as "give me a darn good kicking."

[@DEMENTO01]

true

[@Johann52005]

"Waste to energy facility" is an incinerator. Apparently this plastic can be burned... nice as always

[@davidjgomm]

Also known as an "energy recovery facility".

[@sepruecom]

"thermal recycling", as it is known in Germany

[@rich_edwards79]

"Waste to energy facility" here in Leeds. We're currently powering and heating something like 10,000 homes with it via a district heating system, with more coming on line this year, and ours has some pretty serious particulate scrubbers, but yeah, it's incineration, when all is said and done.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I had assumed it was one of those biofuel anaerobic digesters, so.. good to know.

[@bilkyasko]

Depending on the area, it may be that all waste that can't be reused or recycled goes through waste to energy, or all still going to landfill, or a mixture of the two. The HWRC you take it to should indicate the disposal method.

[@Kochiha]

Thanks for the pointers, my friend in Japan who used to ship stuff out to me is a bit down on his luck so this will help me out.

[@omegalord]

High customs charges really hamper international purchases. This is why I only buy from China, as they usually always let them pass without question.

[@melmaciandissenter2324]

Isn't that funny ! I'm in Belgium and I bought an old camera lens from Switzerland. The custom charges were higher than the lens. Meanwhile the custom scammers let everything from China come in free of charge, including drugs and even Humans (!) in containers. Europe is committing suicide ... :(

[@melmaciandissenter2324]

@Florian Held Ah, but Belgium in a clown Country ! ^^

[@davidrasthammar1057]

@@melmaciandissenter2324 Of Course it is, it's the home of the EU.

[@sjames5027]

Another reason things from China are so cheap, which most people don't realise, is that China subsidises export shipping. The government pays for the item's shipping charges. And again Europe doesn't question this, even though it's blatantly unfair subsidised competition.

[@anononomous]

Gotta hate all the custom charges you get ordering from one country to another within the EU...

[@SarahLJP]

2:36 Zen Market is great because you can bid on something without needing to have the right amount. You can go into the negative or into debt. Initially you can't bid on anything else until you get your balance into the positive. But once you've sent a few packages you can get credit. So you can go into the negative a certain amount while still being able to bid on other items. Of course, you can't pay for shipping fees on packages with credit. So, there's an incentive to pay off your debt. If you want your items.

[@RyuHayabusa06]

Shipping from Japan used to be cheap. I used to buy games and consoles from Japan often. Then somewhere around 10 years ago things changed and now it's outrageous to buy anything big like boxed electronics.

[@wagmiorngmi]

Exchange rate is what happened.

[@tiborklein5349]

@@wagmiorngmi I'm sure the increase in demand had a lot to do with it as well...

[@wagmiorngmi]

@@tiborklein5349 Not really. Put the exchange rate back to what it was and stuff becomes cheap again.

[@Ultrajamz]

John Doe The Yen got stronger is what ur saying?

[@AfferbeckBeats]

Japanese shipping is better than many places, like from the US. I buy a lot of old records from Japan, even when I don't have to. Because buying a record from the US to Australia costs about $25 USD, usually without much of a discount on additional records. From Japan starts around $14 with about $3 for each additional. So I can sometimes buy 4 or 5 records for the same shipping cost from Japan as one from America. New records I tend to buy from the UK and Germany as they can ship a record for about 5 EUR! About half the cost of local shipping somehow...

[@DJGeorgeDisco]

Techmoan = one of my favorite youtubers

[@naota3k]

4:58 the Japanese post measuring things by their "length + girth" made this American chuckle.

[@BoxxArt]

That's the only thing they measure like that!

[@joshuarosen6242]

It’s big and it’s stiff.

[@markbajek2541]

Mat, if you are ever in a position where you need to open the plastic style banding and you don't have scissors or a box cutter to do so , look at where the banding is joined on the bottom side of the band (generally it's connected by melting the bands together) and simply grab the loose end of the piece of banding, pull on the banding towards /at the join. this will generally separate the join., no cutting tool needed. (still in your case you needed to cut through the medical grade tape, but in some cases things like very large boxes i.e. major appliances etc simply have their overboxes banded and almost no tape is used to secure the outer packaging just pull on the band ends and viola it separates.)

[@dcflake5645]

I have no interest in this service yet still watched the entire video. Dunno if that says Techmoan is really interesting or that I am just really dull.

[@FreihEitner]

Maybe it's 70/30. Techmoan is really interesting.

[@digiowl9599]

10 minute distraction. Perfect while grabbing a bite etc.

[@jamespaddick244]

Techmoan read my mind! I only asked for some tips on buying from Japanese auction sites on the MiniDisc group on Facebook last week. Thanks so much for the information. Much appreciated!

[@mikeb8638]

So you're the one who won the Rare Sony Johnnie Walker MD Walkman bid , btw I use Jauce aswell , here in the U.S. delevery usaually takes 3 days all the way from Japan .

[@fernarias]

I usually use sal shipping and it's 3 weeks to california.

[@CraigSteelyard]

5-6 weeks from China.

[@fernarias]

@@CraigSteelyard In CA it's 4 weeks from china and two weeks from Hong Kong. It's also much cheaper to ship from china than it is from japan.

[@edbadyt]

Japan isn't too far from the US but it's the other side of the globe for the UK

[@sirflimflam]

Gotta say, I've had a lot of stuff imported from Japan via various retailers and what have you, and I love how they pack boxes. Everything always seems so much more secure than what I get domestically.

[@MrPaukann]

But that increases the weight and thus the price of shipping.

[@RichardDzien]

Yo dawg, i heard you like packaging, so i got you some packaging with your packaging!

[@MrDavidfball]

as someone who's worked in the waste/recycling sector energy from waste means its burnt but can be used in foundry's or industral heating units or kilns

[@pizhma69]

I've been using Remambo shopping service for several years, no need to deposit money for bidding on auctions too. Best service for my wallet!

[@remambojp]

Remambo rulez! Why pay more to other proxies!?

[@epicmemevideos]

@@remambojp 5$ per order and 3.6% payment fee?, i paid cheaper on other proxy

[@DriveCancelDC]

I live in Japan and I love it for old tech. I bought a like-new VHS player (multi-region so I can digitize old home movies) for 3000 yen ($28) and it has not a scratch on it, original remote and cables. I often buy laserdiscs for 100 yen or less in great condition too, I got the Twin Peaks box set for about 4000 yen which weighs a LOT! (15 discs). I'm planning to buy a used set of bookshelf speakers to go with the retro corner I am building (Sony CRT, VHS player, laserdisc player, PS2, Dreamcast etc) in my new apartment. :P

[@15fakeaccount]

2KG is usual limit when international shipping gets expensive.

[@TheLexiconDevils]

They go by cubic weight not deadweight

[@MrPaukann]

@@TheLexiconDevils, it depends on the company shipping.

[@DrekiTech]

New Zealand Post has a similar service in the US and UK called YouShop and it lets us buy things internationally. But the price is in general fairly reasonable and they'll include all the customs fees in the shipping info. Kinda cool that there's an official service for importing goods from other countries we can't get here. But there's not one for Japan.

[@randomnickify]

I wonder whatever "Techmoan Effect" will cause JAUCE webpage and business to explode :D

[@XANApwns]

Suddenly all their rates skyrocket from increased demand

[@pe1etr]

More like implode, as this video is not exactly an endorsement for them. ;)

[@moroit1]

@@pe1etr Eh, that's great packing and huge packet. I'd say that it's worth it. I've had stuff costing nearly that to ship WITHIN Europe

[@Jako1987]

I have a sudden tingling and urgent feeling to buy minidisc players... 😜

[@MoultrieGeek]

@@pe1etr I got just the opposite impression, seemed to me that Mat was very happy with their service.

[@KakerMix]

Since I import cars and trucks from Japan to the USA this video is neat in how there are a lot of similarities. The scare words (junk) which only look like that because of the English translation that don't actually mean what a native English speaker would think it means, the major costs above the cost of the item, etc. When I order parts from Japan they arrive in similar packaging, packed extremely well with that medical-type tape over every seam.

[@t8757]

A Japanese cheese sandwich video 😋

[@Tim_3100]

I was a customs clearance advisor for ups and I saw loads of things from Japan auctions coming through "immederaties" and that's about right for clearance fees

[@nzjustin8420]

Those foam things are bloody expensive. I've investigated using them in my own business and I'm amazed at the number which they've crammed in there.

[@lowdefal6306]

Use Zenmarket. Only 300yen per item fees, a small fee on your balance addition rather than per item bank charges, a range of shipping(UPS are great for Uk as you can prepay customs during shipping and its cheaper than EMS when you start getting past a few kgs) options and you can lower the declared customs value to whatever you want, which again is very useful in the UK. And none of the delay associated with waiting for customs clearance and the letter if you do use UPS. they also do in-line translation of the description so you don't need to with with google translate separately.

[@videodoodler]

13:07 - I miss the scrolling Patreon credits. It was more cinematic :(

[@stevew8513]

You always have to appreciate when electronic items are shipped with quality packing. I bought a used "Nuon-enhanced" DVD player years back and the unit was packed so well I think it could have been dropped out of a cargo plane above my house from a cruising altitude and it would have survived the impact perfectly fine. It's great when people understand that if somebody wants to buy your old stuff, they want it intact when they receive it, so maybe don't throw it into a flimsy shoebox with a bit of wadded up newspaper filler and say "good enough".