spacemanoeuvres

Watch out nah (canonical)

There were predictions going both ways last year. Some folks thought the exchange rate would be at 125JY to 1USD by Christmas, but it's trending in the other direction. Just a few weeks ago we were close to 115. Whish I had paid for my VF-2 at NY last month lol. I'm just waiting for it to nudge over 110 to pay for a couple of POs

Ooo nice in for a couple VE-1. Any word on the pre order date?

Arcadia site says shipping is free. My quote from From Japan indicated domestic shipping would cost 400 JY which is a little strange. At any rate, From Japan is the cheapest option (only 300 JY in fees using basic plan) at around $550-555 shipped. That's assuming 5900 JY for EMS. The only issue is you have to pay up front and can not cancel. Still too spendy

NY isn't too bad. Only about $20 more than proxy service. Still hemming and hawing about this figure but I'm sure pretty sure it's a pass for me.

Yeah I'm not biting. Still undecided on this figure; I can buy a lot of toys for $550-$600

Copy the arcadia link and paste it into their search box, click "Search", click, "request a quote".

Because folks are having a tough time with fees and math (my estimates): From Japan Zen Market List Price 53784 53784 Proxy Fee 300 300 Domestic Shipping Free per Arcadia Free per Arcadia EMS International Shipping 5900 5900 Total 59984 59984 Exchange Rate 109 105.73 Total Shipped USD 550.31 567.33

I mentioned this in my previous post. I've purchased from them a number of times with no issues. Received a refund on my deposits with no issues either. From Japan is typically cheaper but their customer service isn't as responsive as Zen Market.

From Japan will be 3% cheaper because they don't charge a currency conversion fee.

Yeah take a look; they just charge by weight. No mark up.

If this is true then it should be close to 550 USD shipped from From Japan: (list price + proxy fee + EMS) / rate = total (53784 + 300 + 59984) / 109 = 550 Guess it may not be too bad that some folks missed the PO at HLJ after all lol we shall see

In my experience there is no markup on shipping with From Japan or Zen Market. You will be charged for whatever the package actually weighs. I'm guessing it will be around 1500 yen domestic and 5900 yen EMS. According to Hobby Search the toy itself weights about 1750g so if the package weighs less than 2500-3000g it's 5900 yen for EMS shipping.

Relatively well. Yes. https://zenmarket.jp/help.aspx

Yeah Arcadia seem to be making bizarre choices with regard to products and release dates.

It also clutters up the forum. Please be respectful of other members and ask in the appropriate thread. It may not be as quick as you like but I'm sure everyone would appreciate your patience.

Apologies I misunderstood what I read on their site. I believe you're correct, that 5000 fee is for items you can't find online. It should be the standard 300 or 700 JY plan fee plus list price plus domestic and international shipping. With no conversion fees it should work out to be around 570 USD shipped; less than or equal to list price at HLJ before shipping.

I requested a quote from From Japan as well but haven't heard back yet. I'm curious as to what their quote will look like because they don't charge a conversion fee and I've had good experiences with them, though their customer service isn't as quick or thorough as Zen Market.

You have to pay the list price and commission straight away. Domestic and international shipping costs are paid when the item actually ships.

Yeah it's a very reasonable commission and the customer service is top notch. If only they didn't charge that pesky conversion fee! But I can't complain too much as it will work out to around $585 usd shipped which is slightly more than HLJ before shipping.

Got a quote back from Zen Market: 54084 plus domestic and international shipping. They also charge a 3% currency conversion fee but will still work out to less than HLJ before shipping. ...still don't know if I want it lol

Which service did you use? I'm waiting on quotes from From Japan, and Zen Market.

Yeah it's a steep markup at HLJ. I'm going to get quotes from a couple proxies and see what they look like. May get a quote back before it shows up on NY since they have been 1-2 days late lately.

Dang missed HLJ; quite a markup though. Hopefully NY will be cheap enough to offset their jacked up EMS prices haha