/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

I use both Tenshi and kairai. I've used kairai since the LJ days but some sellers will deny sale noticing that they are an SS. In those cases, I use Tenshi.
I like both and flip flop between.

question: does anyone have experience getting an SS to buy something for you from a small biz/indie jfash market, like a la mode market and such?
I'm obsessed with a bonnet maker that does not have an online store and I've been considering having an SS attend a market and snag a bonnet for me but I'm wondering if that would just be super extra and expensive...

>>10162366
Can you speak Japanese or know someone who does? You could try messaging the bonnet maker on Twitter. Or ask an ss to. I know a lot of Japanese girls sell this way.

>>10162366
I assume it would be the same price as in-store SS unless you have to pay entrance fee to attend the market

>>10162426
>ask an ss to message the designer
why didn't I think of this, oh man. thank you so much!!

>>10162442
No problem and good luck anon! Hopefully it works out for you!

First time using vv.japan for mercari, do they actually notify you when they have purchased a listing or only when it arrives to them? The listing I sent them and paid for is already marked as sold, but there hasn't been any confirmation yet. I just hope I didn't get cucked by gemgem or rainies or whatever

For auction and online shopping ZenMarket and Buyee.

Buyee has not many shipping choices and has a habit of overpacking which add a lot of weight to packages.

Zenmarket has a flat 300 yen and free consolation. I also like the many shipping choices they have. I used them for higher prices items.

>>10164327
Also I use a forwarding service most of the time if I can as it’s not that hard to navigate jp websites with google translate extension

My SS still doesn't offer SAL because of ""airport issues"" or whatever so I want to switch

>>10164329
Is a forwarding service much cheaper than zenmarket?

I've started using Zenmarket recently. I used to use Japonica Market but somehow always felt like I was in an argument with them. They advertised as having SAL available, but when it came to shipping time they'd heavily advise me to use EMS because of insurance etc. 'OK' I thought, 'They're just doing their part to let me know about insurance and EMS' and then tell them 'Thank you, but no thank you, I understand the risks of SAL and wish to continue'.

They really kept insisting I use EMS, I found this strange as I'd never seen this amount of pushiness in Japan. I ended it by saying 'Please, just ship it with SAL' which while not explosive is much more of a terse tone than I'd like to have used.

Zenmarket so far have been great, especially with how easy it is to use, how responsive the support is and how versatile you can be with customizing the customs declarations, removing mentions of Zenmarket etc. I messed up once trying to make sense of the declared value. I was buying something for £350 and after I lowered the value (to dodge customs fees) they told me adding insurance for just 50 yen would cover the cost in the event it was lost. It sounded like a good deal until I realised too late that by applying for the insurance they'd crank the declared value back up to its actual amount. I ended up paying £80 in customs fees thanks to that.

I've got some jewellery I've priced down on its way to me via SAL, hopefully it'll arrive safely and without an extra financial lashing.

>>10164333
I use Jpndepot which is only 200 yen per package. So if you're not consolidating and buying multiple items, yes.

>>10164340
Maybe they are worried you'll force a refund with PayPal if the package gets lost.

>>10164333
It can be because you are doing the work but just understand you are on your own with communicating with vendors,

>>10164340
An update from ZenMarket, apparently they won't let me ship silver items over SAL. It has to be DHL, FedEx or UPS. The lowest of which was about £15

>>10164340
I thought SAL doesn't ship to Europe anymore and that's why they kept changing my preference to EMS

>>10164327
Is buyee any good? I’ve seen reviews say they lose shit

>>10165328
I personally haven’t had any bad experiences but I stopped using them after like 2 orders and some people say they eventually scam regular customers.

>>10165328
They totally inflated their shipping with over packing which weighs higher so you pay a lot more for shipping. There r cheaper service

Mercari services that charge less than ¥400 per item? I’m willing to test out some of the lesser known services if it comes to it.

>>10164340
Weird, I've been using their insurance service when lowering the value and never noticed such a problem ? But I've also never made such a big purchase, and I live in a country where the post service is kinda lax so that might be why.

>>10165322
SAL definitely does. That might be UK specific or exclude your country but it's still available.

>>10165804
Could be. All I know is that when I chose the insurance they asked me what I'd like to set the value of the item to be. I gave them the actual item value as I thought this value was different from the declared value but I guess either they're the same or customs sees both and charges for the highest.

So in other words, it's a gamble. You either take the insurance option and pay the customs hit, or you luck it and hope it doesn't get lost. I think they only ask you about insurance when you go above 10 or 15K yen. My purchase was 40K so I took the full kick in the nads. UK customs are the worst for excess charges though, other countries probably won't have the same issue.

>>10165849
SAL stopped shipping to France, Belgium, Netherlands and a bunch of other countries in 2017 I think. They said because of a problem with KLM (which KLM denied).

>>10165854
Oh right, interesting. I bet that sucks, Mercari/CC bargains feel pointless when you know you're going to be forking out for the delivery.

>>10165856
>>10165854

Why does literally no one on this board seem to ship things with small package airmail?
It's generally pretty cost effective and it usually takes between a week and two to get to Europe.

>>10166462
If I have just a few items I ship like this but I kinda gave up lolita for the moment and I don't know if it is still availble

>>10166462
Because my packages aren't usually small enough

>>10166462
I do too. I miss SAL, but Small Packet Airmail isn't that much and since I mostly buy merch I never have issues with the weight. And if you don't mind waiting for-fucking-ever, Surface Mail is dirt cheap.

>>10162360
I used fromjapan until early 2017 when they started raising their fees really high (don't know if they've gotten better), now I use zenmarket
>>10164333
yeah it's often cheaper but the reason i opt for SS instead of FS is usually because the item I want is on a website that doesn't take foreign cards

>>10166470
Where do you live? I sometimes split my purchases over a few packages as I've always felt having one massive box probably looks pretty suspicious to customs.

>>10166759
How long have you had to wait for surface mail, usually?

I really wonder what the cheapest/best option is since there seem to be many

I've been using Dejapan which works fine but I'm cheap/poor and would really like to know which one is the cheapest.

>>10166765
The Netherlands. I've never been caught by customs.

>>10165849
I hate UK customs/ VAT, and especially parcelforce because they charge extra on handling but deliver a poor service. I paid over £20 to release a necklace I paid £12 for and they missed the scheduled delivery slot and didn't do anything for a few weeks until I had to contact thier customer service to ask the depot where the hell it was. I then paid a £90 fee on a £230 dress I won using Buyee which they then failed to deliver on time and I had to contact customer service yet again so they could tell the depot to deliver it.

I decided to start using fril/yahoo auctions because gulls are always talking about how much cheaper it is, but honestly I've been very underwhelmed. Probably because the market is fairly dry and overpriced atm but also, once you add on fees and shipping, it's usually around the same price if not more expensive for a similar sized order than I'd usually make off CC or WW. Plus, I recently moved house and wasn't aware I hadn't changed my paypal address until a package was sent to my old address, so I updated it, but because I'm in the middle of a new order, my SS said they had to make sure the address was the same on both the deposit and my final invoice and they want me to resend the deposit, then they'll refund me the original deposit. I've contacted them about sending another invoice (because I don't wanna just send them money as gift or have to pay fees for their issue) and they haven't responded in a few days. I've been waiting over a week and a half since they said my parcel was ready to ship and this is such a hassle.

>>10167478
>their issue
It's for insurance, it's for your sake too. I agree fril and mercari are not as cheap as some gulls like to make it sound. Even compared to lacemarket.

>>10164340
>>10165849
>I gave them the actual item value as I thought this value was different from the declared value but I guess either they're the same or customs sees both and charges for the highest.

You can only be insured for what the value of the package is. If you want it to be insured for the whole amount, that's what they have to put in for the value.

>>10165849
the declared value and the insurance value are the same

Is it normal for FromJapan to take several days to buy a dress? This isn't some cheap dress either, so I'm kind of surprised they haven't purchased it already when I've already paid up.

>>10164329
How does a fowarding service actually work ? I never heard of it

>>10164332
I don’t know which country you are in but SAL is still suspended to a few European countries, including the one I live in. I would check the Japan Post website first, there is a chance other shopping services aren’t sending to your country with SAL as well.

Which shopping service do you use?
I use JPShopping/Japan Shopping Service for Mercari and Frill and such. They are always really fast, so they were able to snatch me quite a few good deals. For webshops that accept payment by PayPal or CreditCard I use Tenso, as their fees are a lot less than of I would use a shopping service.
I am still struggling with Yahoo Auction as some Lolita sellers refuse my shopping service. However JPShopping does offer a service were you can have your own Yahoo Auction account. I think I might try that out the next time I get kicked out of an auction. The last few times went alright. I wonder if making a personal account with a Lolita profile picture would work.

Which one would you recommend?
I would definitely recommend my SS, you can fill in your own customs declaration form, they always reply really fast if you email them during the day, and the costs aren’t that high. Some pf my friends do complain that they are hard to use, but I blame that on the fact they are atechnical as fuck.

>>10169743
If you don't mind the 10% fee you can use momoirokumasan, she wears lolita herself and she never gets refused.

>>10174944
>some my friends died.
>Instead of houses, there is many sands now.
damn what a depressing blog post

>>10169739
Works for stores that don’t ship internationally. You use forwarding company address but you buy and navigate process yourself (not recommended if you have trouble communicating in Japanese or timid if there are issues), once company receive items, you ask them to ship to you.

>>10175109
thank you for your answer !

Has anyone used the "None (free)" packaging option with DeJapan?
Does it mean they just send you your items as-is, no wrapping of any sort (so, you'd end up getting a bare shirt or dress in the mail)? Or, do they just stick everything into a package that's simply not as sturdy as the rest and go? They don't explain what "none" means on their FAQ, only minimum and above.
The "free" part is tempting to me, but I don't want to sign up for something that might damage my clothes and make my soul cry.

I'm having some problems with Japonica. I'm a return customer and often spend at least 450,000 yen per order.
Theyreceived all my items, then said "We will make packing/invoice within a few days.
Now we are overworking for rush of orders.
Please wait your turn."
That was on the 11th. I emailed them on Friday to check what the status of my order was, but I haven't received a reply. Is it time to open a paypal dispute?

>>10174944
Is this person still active? I tried looking for them and they seem vanished

>>10179276

Was this during their golden week holiday or something? I would maybe send them another message.

Recently ordered with jpshopping on a whim since tenshi is away right now for a couple of Baby items on Fril. I will only be using them for Fril now, they charged me for the items and shipping nothing else. My fee from ordering a 3900 yen item on yjp auctions was like 1000 yen iirc. I dont know if it was an error or what but I just placed another fril order with them to see if it is as cheap again. But I think I found my new favorite ss!

It's my first time using Japanese shopping service, is it safe to use jpndepot for preorders? Or is it better to use other service?

If you do sailor or school girl type outfits, conomi ships internationally. I went to the physical shop, and it was amazing.

>>10183471
do they do mercari?

>>10185677
Yes, they even have mercari integrated in their website, so it is easier for you to put stuff in your shopping card.

>>10183471
Did you mean 100 instead of 1000? 1000 for a 3900 yen item doesn't seem too good when Japonica would've charged 500/600 for the same thing...

>>10185873
A 3900yen item has a 10% commission fee at JPShopping, so the service fee would be 390yen. The OP probably meant the total of extra fees with acquisition costs and such.

Is there a master list of shopping services out there somewhere? I felt like I saw one for taobao a while back but is there one for Japanese shops?

Can anyone help me out? I bought something from the Violet Blue shop on Rakuten and chose the lump sum credit card payment but didn't have to input any credit card information during checkout. I emailed the company but have really limited understanding of Japanese. They've sent me an invoice without any links to pay. Anyone know how this goes down? Do I have to confirm the amount first?

>>10193027
Sorry, I meant the Maiden Clothing website, not Violet Blue/Rakuten.

>>10193027
https://maidenclothing.net/contents/oversea_mailorder_en.html

Is it frowned upon to haggle on fril/mercari? Has anyone successfully actually negotiated a new price using their SS?

>>10194219
Most are wary about doing it, as SS are technically against the rules and can get their account banned

I've only asked an SS to haggle if other not-SS interested buyers requested a discount, and the seller already agreed to lower the price (so another interested party asks to pay 9000yen instead of 10,000yen, the seller agrees to that lower price, but the interested party doesn't actually go through with buying)

>>10194219
My Shopping Service always seems very willing to it. But it really depends on the situation and context. Some sellers will mention if they are willing to drop the price or not.

>>10194535
>>10194544
Which SS are you guys using? There's an item that has lowered its price twice now and it's still way over the actual 2nd hand market value so I figured I'd try haggle with an SS. Compared to the original price the offer I have in mind is a lowball, however it would still be above the price it went for in the past.

>>10162366
Sauce on kairai please

>>10194600
Japan Shopping Service (JPShopping). I always contact them through the contact form. But how lowball is it? There is a chance the seller will counter your offer or decline it if it is too low.

>>10194703
I want to offer 10k which is still more than what the OP with KC (NWOT) went for on multiple occasions. The dress in question is NWT but without the headbow. It started at 30k and since I've made the post here the seller dropped the price again down to 20k. Maybe I should wait some more until it reaches ~10k on its own, but I kinda doubt it'll hit that point this soon.

>>10194841
That’s half the price, so I am not sure if they would do it. Even if it is higher than what it has gone for in the past, it is a low offer.

>>10195281
I know, that's why I consider waiting until it will drop some more so the 10k won't seem too unreasonable, it did drop 10k within a couple of days after all

Can anyone recommend the best shopping service for small, cheap, and lightweight items? I need the shipping options SAL or Air Small Packet, since my shopping service keeps forcing others.

Does anyone know whether Zenmarket actually deals with Mercari? I've been looking for a good proxy service for ages who deals with Mercari and can provide services for marking down package values. I know White Rabbit Express does both, but their fees tend to get kind of ridiculous when Mercari orders are concerned. Zenmarket has replied to me that they -do- make purchases from Mercari, but so far every item from there that I've tried to add to my cart gets an error message stating they won't deal with the seller due to "earlier issues with them". Is this really about the individual sellers or do they just, y'know, lie to their customers?

>log in to FJ after a new item hits my radar
>while requesting a quote, check what else is for sale
>see rare soldout merch (from like February) on auction
>oh shit, the BIN is perfect
>go to immediately buy
>"sorry, another FJ user has put a win bid on this and due to our policy we can't let you place a bid on it, even if the seller has multiple items"
>??????
>check the yahoo listing
>still completely up for grabs with only 1 bid on it
>realize that the "winning bid" is just a regular starting bid from FJ and that error message was just in general so FJ users don't get into bid wars with each other
>just use Buyee BIN
>successfully win the actual items
I feel absolutely no sympathy for the lowball SB that lost out. Yay materialism!

>>10166763
I don't really know if they're better or not either, last time I shopped from them was in 2017 and I bought a mousepad for $54 and they wanted $32 for all fees + EMS shipping.

I heard buying multiple items at a time from FJ became a rip-off due to some fee fuckery they pulled. Apparently they have since removed their shitty 500¥ consolidation fee and tried to unfuck some of their other silly bs after running off so many customers, but honestly I'm open and curious to see who has the best deal for what I was initially looking for. FJ has otherwise been good to me in the past, EMS being extra costly is what sucks.

>>10196540
Probably not helpful but I did a order like that in 2014 through FJ and it worked out really well, they have tried to make buying lots of small things more reasonable after the 2017 fuckups.

I also used FJ in the past for group buying most of my ososan trash. They used to be one of the cheapest services for multiple item orders.

Thoughts on HOYOYO? I've not used them before and reviews seem to kinda fluctuate..

>>10198964
Use jpshopping!

>>10199607
Thank you, kind anon!

What’s the fastest ss after Japonica? FJ seems like taking a full day to reply plus I’ve heard some bad reviews on them. My only experience with them was fine, but maybe it’s just a question of luck.

What are ss alternatives to Japonica?

Saw some recommendations for jpmarket here.

I’m just trying to buy fashion stuff from brands like Ank Rouge, secret honey, etc. should I go with jpshopping or zenmarket?

Any other in store recommendations for Tokyo besides Muuh?

Any Tenso users here? I've been using them for a while to forward Closet Child and Wunderwelt orders but noticed I can never select SAL as shipping method, it's grayed out and unavailable. I looked up the conditions to ship with SAL and the size and weight are fine and the method should be available to my country as well so I really don't understand why I can't choose that shipping method. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me? I wanted to ask here before sending them an inquiry.

Wonder if Tenshi gets as much business nowadays considering her prices are still retardedly high and there are more reliable services like Muuh now.

>>10205215
>reliable
>muuh

>>10205352
nyart but what do you mean? Muuh has always been extremely reliable for me.