Can I sell stuff on Game Swag? (link)
Not yet, but maybe sometime.
I’d like to have something like a classified ads system on Game Swag at some point, but first I’ll need to do a lot of coding and also probably get a lot of business stuff sorted out. It’s something I’ll probably do, but for the time being there’s no way to list items you want to sell.
I want to buy something from Japan, but I don’t live there or speak Japanese. What do I do? (link)
Don’t fret! There are many options available to you! To explain things more easily, I’ll list a few of the most popular Japanese shopping sites:
- Amazon Japan
Amazon Japan is great – if you find something you want, there’s very little hassle to get it. There are no bid wars or sniping or anything like that. You just pay for the item and shipping and that’s it.Paying is easy, you just use a regular ol’ credit card. There’s even an option on the site to turn a lot of text into English, which makes browsing it much easier.
Of course, there are some downsides too. A good while back, Japanese game companies started putting things like “For sale in Japan only!” on the boxes. I’m not 100% sure why, possibly some law or act or something. I don’t think many people take it seriously, otherwise a lot of companies would be out of business. But Amazon Japan abides by this, so you can’t buy games – not even used games – off of Amazon Japan if you don’t live in Japan. It sucks. But everything else – books, guides, figures, music, all that good stuff – is A-OK.
Another downside is that shipping costs from Amazon Japan are pretty crazy, unless you have a big order. That said, the items get shipped to you insanely fast. One time I ordered something and got it there the next day somehow!
If you’re scared of the shipping charges or if you really want a game from Amazon Japan, you can always go through a go-between service, more details below.
- Yahoo! Auctions Japan
Yahoo! Auctions Japan is awesome. It has so much stuff that’s hard to find elsewhere. The problem is it isn’t very outside-Japan-friendly. Luckily, Game Swag makes it easier to find specific items on YAJ!The biggest downside of Yahoo! Auctions Japan is that most sellers don’t speak English, won’t bother with people who don’t speak Japanese, and won’t ship outside of Japan. Unless you know someone in Japan who can do stuff for you, you’ll have to use a go-between service to buy stuff off of YAJ.
- Rakuten Marketplace
Rakuten is one of Japan’s biggest online marketplaces. Personally, I find it clunky, cluttered, and poorly organized. But it is what it is, and it’s where you can find a lot of rare stuff.Like with Yahoo! Auctions Japan, you’ll need a go-between service if you want to buy something from Rakuten but don’t live in Japan and don’t know the language.
What are some good go-between services for buying stuff from Japanese sites? (link)
There are a number of companies you can choose from, They all have their good and bad points. I haven’t used them all, so I can’t really comment on their quality. All the ones here are reputable though, so do some research and look into their pricing policies and all that to decide which service suits you best.
- Celga
- Rinkya
- Japamart
- Crescent Shop
- Goody Japan
- Treasure Japan
- Shopping Mall Japan
- Japan Auction Center
When you use these services, they basically do the auction bidding for you then have the item shipped to them. Then, when they receive it, they ship the item to you. They charge a fee for this, and you have to pay for two different shipping costs, so it can get kind of pricey. But if you really want an item from a Japanese auction, it’s really the only option unless you’re in Japan or know someone in Japan.
