Buying from Japanese web stores that wont ship to the US but you live in the US?

[savageone]

Not sure what the best forum for this would be.

I've found an item I'd like to pick up from a Japanese web store but they do not ship to the US. Of course the problem is that I live in the US.

Does anyone know a way to get this done? A middleman service maybe or some sort of service that could provide a Japanese shipping address which would then forward the package to me? A really trust worthy member here that lives in Japan.

Also I'm not sure if I can pay for the item myself, the middleman service would need to do that for me.

Any information would be helpful. Hopefully some one has experience with this.

[kosko99]

Maybe this would help you:
http://www.tenso.com/en/

A friend uses this (besides buyee) and zero problems.

[tbone3969]

Doesn't using a middleman get expensive?  I would think you could find a store that shipped to the US cheaper than adding a middleman no?

[dshadoff]

Doesn't using a middleman get expensive?  I would think you could find a store that shipped to the US cheaper than adding a middleman no?

It does, but there's often no other way (unless you have a REALLY good friend in Japan).

People who live in the contiguous 48 states of the USA tend not to know about "will not ship to" limitations, but as a Canadian I am acutely aware that a lot of shippers just don't want to be bothered doing something like going to a post office to put the extra documents on it.

So yeah... sucks but that's life.

-Dave

[IvanBeavkov]

Maybe this would help you:
http://www.tenso.com/en/

A friend uses this (besides buyee) and zero problems.

I have used Tenso and can vouch for it being a reliable service. It is more useful if you buy a bunch of things form different sellers because they offer a consolidation service. Shipping can take a couple of weeks though unless you want to pay a lot for shipping.

[Vimtoman]

I've used Noppin who are reliable.
They obviously charge for their service and also abide with custom laws so you will pay full custom charges of what you are importing.

[toktogul]

I used to offer that kind of service, but people on a different forum I wont name resold the games or consoles I got for them on the cheap. I was trying to help fellow collectors to get good prices in Japan, but people took advantage of me to make money. That made me sick. If you really want something, let me know what you want and I will see what I can do for you, but I am no longer buying 15+ games for any individual without asking 10-15% money. It sucks, but there are a lot of jerks in this world

[Trenton_net]

I used to offer that kind of service, but people on a different forum I wont name resold the games or consoles I got for them on the cheap. I was trying to help fellow collectors to get good prices in Japan, but people took advantage of me to make money. That made me sick. If you really want something, let me know what you want and I will see what I can do for you, but I am no longer buying 15+ games for any individual without asking 10-15% money. It sucks, but there are a lot of jerks in this world

I have that same feeling. I used to be super keen on helping people out (random things), but now I limit myself to the pcenginefx forums. One of the few places where raffles seem to be more popular than sales!

[stinkoman]

I used to offer that kind of service, but people on a different forum I wont name resold the games or consoles I got for them on the cheap. I was trying to help fellow collectors to get good prices in Japan, but people took advantage of me to make money. That made me sick. If you really want something, let me know what you want and I will see what I can do for you, but I am no longer buying 15+ games for any individual without asking 10-15% money. It sucks, but there are a lot of jerks in this world

I assure you if I ever sell my dracula X you hooked me up with ,it will be here for the price I paid.

[toktogul]

I used to offer that kind of service, but people on a different forum I wont name resold the games or consoles I got for them on the cheap. I was trying to help fellow collectors to get good prices in Japan, but people took advantage of me to make money. That made me sick. If you really want something, let me know what you want and I will see what I can do for you, but I am no longer buying 15+ games for any individual without asking 10-15% money. It sucks, but there are a lot of jerks in this world

I assure you if I ever sell my dracula X you hooked me up with ,it will be here for the price I paid.

I trust you. The people on this forum are worth the effort, but outside this little safe zone, its wild and not worth taking the chance to help.

[PunkCryborg]

I use Goody Japan. Their fees aren't too bad and everything arrives safe and well packed. It's never cheap using a middleman but sometimes that's the only option. You will be paying a fee for them to buy it, shipping within Japan, sometimes a bank tranfer fee, then domestic shipping. The double shipping is the real deal killer. Check with the site you buy from, sometimes there's offers like free shipping in Japan if you spend a certain amount.

[Arkhan Asylum]

FromJapan is pretty good.   

Celga used to be great but they've gone downhill.