Yahoo Japan Auctions

Yahoo Japan Auctions

Why do use it?
I mentioned it previously in my tips section but I feel like this warrants it's own little sub-section. Years ago, this was in my opinion one of the best places to score deals on vintage Transformers. However in more recent years, I would say starting around 2008, prices and bids have increased significantly to the point where we are looking at almost eBay level of pricing for our beloved Transformers.

Keeping that in mind, the two reasons why I continue to frequent the site in search of figures is that occasionally you can come across deals. For example I was able to acquire an almost complete, boxed G1 Overlord D-307 for a little over 30,000 yen after shipping which in my opinion was a great deal.

The other reason is the frequency of auctions. Now don't get me wrong, you aren't going to see a MIB Battle Gaia each and every week, but I have noticed that you do see rare Japanese Transformers available for auction more often then eBay. One pass through eBay you will notice week after week it's normally the exact same auctions for the same figures because the sellers have set a insane Buy it Now price. On Yahoo Japan Auction however, you'll notice that often times they aren't set with a buy out price but instead left to a bidding war. This can be advantageous as you may get lucky from time to time.

How do I use it?
Firstly, Google Chrome browser is your friend, with a built in translator it allows you to navigate the website easily. However, you can just click the following link to get directly to the Transformers section: Yahoo Japan Auction - Transformers

How do I bid?
Now once you've found a figure that you're interested in, you're most likely going to need to use a proxy service. There's a few different ones and I have tried most of the main ones however I have to say my favourite to use is FromJapan. Here's a quick good/bad rundown just so you get the whole picture.

Pro's:
1. Cheaper fees compared to many others. They have a 200 yen commission fee and system usage fee of 5% vs others who run about a 10% fee which can really be costly for large ticket items.

2. They have a lot of shipping options and don't require everything to be sent to you via EMS. Again this can cut down on your costs.

3. Very accurate real time bidding system.

4. Allows you to set e-mail alerts of your auctions ending. I find this very helpful when you're dealing with bidding on items in a different time zone.

5. You can adjust the declared value of the item you are shipping.

6. Options, they provide a good amount of options from if you want them to check the contents to if you want them to ship it in the original packaging or not. It really gives you control over the cost of your purchase.

Con's:
1.  Their website isn't the greatest. Lots of information everywhere and a bit too cluttered. So for first time users, it's a little intimidating and not easy to navigate. They really need to develop a more streamlined website in my opinion.

2. The deposit system can a little confusing at first, but again once you get the hang of it, then it's not an issue.

3. More or less a sum of the previous 2, the initial learning curve can be a bit difficult but they have a good FAQ section and you can always feel free to contact me for help.

If you are interested in using FromJapan, then feel free to click the link below or on the side bar.



Auction Tip
Really standard auction practices should be used here but just as a reminder, don't chase a bid. Set a price you are willing to pay and if you don't get it, then walk away. There will almost always be another one.

Also, remember to incorporate all fees associated with buying it when you are deciding on your bid price. You might want to put a bid in for say 20,000 yen ($200 CDN) but remember you have to factor in the buying fee, system fee, the cost to ship it to FromJapan and then finally the cost to ship it to you. This can easily tack on an additional 5,000 - 6,000 yen..