Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[sqidd]

4 hours ago, Metaphor322 said:

Is this worth the price? been wanting a Bandai VF-1 DX Chogokin movie edition for so long (hopefully will find movie super parts somewhere). I'm new here and new towards the buying market for Macross merchandise, so I'm looking for tips too. Thanks.

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEODAI-57289?s_ssid=e35865627a0ca13cb9

I'm here in Toronto Canada so I'm wondering if that makes it anymore difficult to buy. Was hoping for something below scalper prices.

IDK what your exchange rate against the Yen looks like right now but in dollars that's a very fair deal ($303.36US).

The last one out of Mandrake went for 32,000Y ($246.27US). No telling what the next one they list will go for though. Mandrake Link.

Looks like the least expensive one on Yahoo Auctions is 44,000Y ($348.48US).

I can't remember the last time I saw a DX VF-1 on here, Facebook, etc going for $300ish.

So your choice is to get the one out of CD Japan or roll the dice one will come up for less money on the open market or Mandrake in the future. One in the hand vs two in the bush and all that.

[Metaphor322]

2 hours ago, sqidd said:

IDK what your exchange rate against the Yen looks like right now but in dollars that's a very fair deal ($303.36US).

The last one out of Mandrake went for 32,000Y ($246.27US). No telling what the next one they list will go for though. Mandrake Link.

Looks like the least expensive one on Yahoo Auctions is 44,000Y ($348.48US).

I can't remember the last time I saw a DX VF-1 on here, Facebook, etc going for $300ish.

So your choice is to get the one out of CD Japan or roll the dice one will come up for less money on the open market or Mandrake in the future. One in the hand vs two in the bush and all that.

5 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Maybe? If it's worth it to you, then it's worth it to you.

Cheapest would be to find someone here to buy from.

Next would probably be from Mandarake.

Thanks for the information. I think I will hold off for now because of shipping restrictions. only FedEx and DHL are available. Make's the price shoot up $100+ CAD just for shipping so I would rather wait on a Mandrake listing or hopefully find someone selling one here for a reasonable price.

[Angesdad]

56 minutes ago, Metaphor322 said:

Thanks for the information. I think I will hold off for now because of shipping restrictions. only FedEx and DHL are available. Make's the price shoot up $100+ CAD just for shipping so I would rather wait on a Mandrake listing or hopefully find someone selling one here for a reasonable price.

Hey @Metaphor322 welcome on board! Great to see another member from GTA.

As for tracking down VF-1S Hikaru, Mandarake may be your best bet in terms of $$, and yes you have to check the site religiously to snag one if it ever comes up for sale. Happy hunting!

[sqidd]

1 hour ago, Metaphor322 said:

Thanks for the information. I think I will hold off for now because of shipping restrictions. only FedEx and DHL are available. Make's the price shoot up $100+ CAD just for shipping so I would rather wait on a Mandrake listing or hopefully find someone selling one here for a reasonable price.

 

25 minutes ago, Angesdad said:

Hey @Metaphor322 welcome on board! Great to see another member from GTA.

As for tracking down VF-1S Hikaru, Mandarake may be your best bet in terms of $$, and yes you have to check the site religiously to snag one if it ever comes up for sale. Happy hunting!

You can sign up for alerts from Mandrake.

[F360]

9 hours ago, Metaphor322 said:

Is this worth the price? been wanting a Bandai VF-1 DX Chogokin movie edition for so long (hopefully will find movie super parts somewhere). I'm new here and new towards the buying market for Macross merchandise, so I'm looking for tips too. Thanks.

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEODAI-57289?s_ssid=e35865627a0ca13cb9

I'm here in Toronto Canada so I'm wondering if that makes it anymore difficult to buy. Was hoping for something below scalper prices.

Not sure if EMS shipping is available to Canada yet, But CDJapans FedEx and DHL Shipping is very expensive, you might want to try somewhere else.

Shipping Method	Shipping Charge
DHL 2-3 days / Full Online Tracking	19281 yen (US$ 148.01)
FedEx Priority 2-3 days / Full Online Tracking	12989 yen (US$ 99.71)

 

 

[Special Sauce]

On 5/9/2022 at 12:24 PM, sqidd said:

With the economy going the way it is and Macros stuff more plentiful I think their crack budgets will diminish. They may need to switch over to huffing glue.

 As long as they stay away from the Macross toys 

[Metaphor322]

8 hours ago, Angesdad said:

Hey @Metaphor322 welcome on board! Great to see another member from GTA.

As for tracking down VF-1S Hikaru, Mandarake may be your best bet in terms of $$, and yes you have to check the site religiously to snag one if it ever comes up for sale. Happy hunting!

8 hours ago, sqidd said:

You can sign up for alerts from Mandrake.

Alright, all set on Mandrake, now for the waiting game... Thanks a ton!

7 hours ago, F360 said:

Not sure if EMS shipping is available to Canada yet, But CDJapans FedEx and DHL Shipping is very expensive, you might want to try somewhere else.

Shipping Method	Shipping Charge
DHL 2-3 days / Full Online Tracking	19281 yen (US$ 148.01)
FedEx Priority 2-3 days / Full Online Tracking	12989 yen (US$ 99.71)

Unfortunately EMS is unavailable. Airmail services from Japan went down for Canada last year so I'm a couple months late to the party  (Hikaru VF-1S DYRL edition from CDJapan)

Not expecting them to reopen anytime soon either after some investigating. 

The available shipping options from cdjapan are rather expensive and not worth it. With either FedEx or DHL, The totals are comparable to Kijiji and Ebay scalper prices in my area.

USD: 

CAD:

Now I'm wondering, if I even snag a good price from Mandarake, will I still have to go with the overpriced shipping options?

Edited May 10, 2022 by Metaphor322

[Angesdad]

16 minutes ago, Metaphor322 said:

Now I'm wondering, if I even snag a good price from Mandarake, will I still have to go with the overpriced shipping options?

The answer is No, Mandarake does not charge such an extravagant bs amount for shipping.

You are interested in a DX VF-1S Hikaru, correct? That box fits perfectly in their shipping box#12 for 5,090 yen via DHL currently.

Then once the parcel makes it across the border, DHL will charge you 13% HST + $19.21 processing every. single. time.🤣

 

[Metaphor322]

1 hour ago, Angesdad said:

The answer is No, Mandarake does not charge such an extravagant bs amount for shipping.

You are interested in a DX VF-1S Hikaru, correct? That box fits perfectly in their shipping box#12 for 5,090 yen via DHL currently.

Then once the parcel makes it across the border, DHL will charge you 13% HST + $19.21 processing every. single. time.🤣

Well after calculating, including a new buyers discount code that takes off 500 yen + that shipping box price + the HST + $19.21 (assuming this is CAD)
That gives me a total of $465.45 CAD / 357.21 USD. 

Is this a price you would jump at for this figure?

EDIT: Misread that. Will wait for Mandarake with their reasonable shipping box. Thanks
 

Edited May 11, 2022 by Metaphor322

[Angesdad]

You got it. If it was available today and I was in the market for one, It would cost me approx. $445 CAD everything in from Mandarake for their unopened, package damaged. It certainly isn’t cheap but what can I say? - VF-1S Hikaru is a must!

and don’t forget the SSP.

[Lolicon]

This Mandrake place sounds interesting. Are they a legit shop?

[sqidd]

9 hours ago, Metaphor322 said:

That gives me a total of $465.45 CAD / 357.21 USD. 


 

If I were looking for a VF-1S Hikaru I would be very surprised if I had to pay less than that.

[wm cheng]

@Lolicon yep Mandrake is definitely legit and have gotten a few good things from them in the past.  They are also very picky at their condition descriptors, often I can't find the "slightly package damage".

 

Yep Canadians are dinged every time on FedEx, Purolator or DHL badly.  EMS is the best option as I get a 75% success rate of no customs but that has ended temporarily and is not an option in the near future for Canadians.  It has added about $100cdn to the cost of all our Pandemic Valks recently I found.

[no3Ljm]

I believe everyone is referring to MANDARAKE, right? The Rulers of Time.   

[Special Sauce]

3 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

I believe everyone is referring to MANDARAKE, right? The Rulers of Time.   

If they rule time can I blame them for things taking so long? 😄

[no3Ljm]

14 minutes ago, Special Sauce said:

If they rule time can I blame them for things taking so long? 😄

Nah. Blame that to your local post office.   

[Metaphor322]

Does this seller look legit? Claims to have both the VF and the Movie Superparts. Hoping I don't fall into a gullible trap. 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Metaphor322

[no3Ljm]

53 minutes ago, Metaphor322 said:

Does this seller look legit? Claims to have both the VF and the Movie Superparts. Hoping I don't fall into a gullible trap. 

It's hard to tell if they're legit or now. But it's also good to check their reputation by checking their rating. It's says 1582 Good against 2 Bad. By clicking those you can see the actual page. You can use Google Translate to see the 2 negative comments in there. But seeing his percentage at 99.9%, then I think the seller is ok. Also, Buyee can actually check your stuff to confirm once it gets there for a certain amount. Not sure how much. Browse more of Buyee's FAQ to know more of their services as your proxy.  

[Metaphor322]

30 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

It's hard to tell if they're legit or now. But it's also good to check their reputation by checking their rating. It's says 1582 Good against 2 Bad. By clicking those you can see the actual page. You can use Google Translate to see the 2 negative comments in there. But seeing his percentage at 99.9%, then I think the seller is ok. Also, Buyee can actually check your stuff to confirm once it gets there for a certain amount. Not sure how much. Browse more of Buyee's FAQ to know more of their services as your proxy.  

Upon checking the reviews. it seems that the "good reviews" are all duplicates? Possibly bot reviews? (translated to English and scrolled down a bit)

Does anyone recognize this auction as a scam? Could other experienced buyers please have a look at the other items under the seller. I have no experience in this hobby so it would be a huge help as this is a first for me. Thanks. 

Edited May 12, 2022 by Metaphor322

[no3Ljm]

To be honest, it's really hard to tell if the auction is a scam or not. I've been buying stuff using Buyee before. And just like eBay, I always go to sellers that has high percentage of ratings because there's no way for me to know if they're legit or not since they're halfway across the globe. Same goes with eBay. Some sellers used the same image on their listing and I still select the ones that has high ratings as a basis. I know this is your first time of doing this, and it's scary at first. So I suggest you reach out to Buyee and see how they can protect you if the seller happens to be a scam even though they have high rating on Yahoo Japan Auction.

I'm going to pretend that this is my first time on using them, even though it's scary and I'm not sure of the outcome, I'm going to treat this as a gamble. You bid on the item and let Buyee do the rest. My advice is read all FAQ available out there. That way, you know what you're going into and what to expect of it.

The seller has some listings too other than the Valk. So why not buy a cheaper item first just to get the hang of it. I'm pretty sure once you succeed, it will get addicting because now you will be able to buy stuff only available in Japan.

Anyways, that's just my 2 cents. Good luck on the hunt.  

 

Edited May 12, 2022 by no3Ljm

[ValkAddict]

Caution @Metaphor322 when using Buyee. They have many, many surcharges.

I've used Buyee twice to buy small items. And the handling and shipping costs were pretty expensive. So overall I don't think it was very cost efficient to use Buyee IMHO.

[Metaphor322]

42 minutes ago, ValkAddict said:

Caution @Metaphor322 when using Buyee. They have many, many surcharges.

I've used Buyee twice to buy small items. And the handling and shipping costs were pretty expensive. So overall I don't think it was very cost efficient to use Buyee IMHO.

I'm going to choose Fromjapan as the proxy service. I would just like to know if members think the auction is legit. If so, I'm going for it 100% Can't miss out on the dream toy

[no3Ljm]

19 minutes ago, Metaphor322 said:

I'm going to choose Fromjapan as the proxy service. I would just like to know if members think the auction is legit. If so, I'm going for it 100% Can't miss out on the dream toy

I see that some listing has some buy out price from Y53800 to Y66000 that also includes the VF-1 Missile Set. Anyways, curious to see how much this VF-1S/Strike combo is going to go for after 3 days.

Again, good luck. Let us know how it goes.  

[Metaphor322]

On 5/11/2022 at 11:46 PM, no3Ljm said:

I see that some listing has some buy out price from Y53800 to Y66000 that also includes the VF-1 Missile Set. Anyways, curious to see how much this VF-1S/Strike combo is going to go for after 3 days.

Again, good luck. Let us know how it goes.  

Won the VF-1/Strike Parts combo at the base selling price just at Y45000. Nobody else placed a bid on the item.  

[sqidd]

4 hours ago, Metaphor322 said:

Won the VF-1/Strike Parts combo at the base selling price just at Y45000. Nobody else placed a bid on the item.  

IDK how the CAN dollar is trading against the Yen but the US dollar to yen makes that a darn good price.

[Angesdad]

5 hours ago, Metaphor322 said:

Won the VF-1/Strike Parts combo at the base selling price just at Y45000. Nobody else placed a bid on the item.  

😄

[Lolicon]

45000 yen for the bundle is not a bad price at the current rates.

Because of the favorable exchange rates I went ahead and ordered a few high yen items that I've been wanting but was on the fence about. Now's the time!

[Metaphor322]

On 5/11/2022 at 11:46 PM, no3Ljm said:

I see that some listing has some buy out price from Y53800 to Y66000 that also includes the VF-1 Missile Set. Anyways, curious to see how much this VF-1S/Strike combo is going to go for after 3 days.

Again, good luck. Let us know how it goes.  

On 5/15/2022 at 6:09 PM, sqidd said:

IDK how the CAN dollar is trading against the Yen but the US dollar to yen makes that a darn good price.

On 5/15/2022 at 7:22 PM, Lolicon said:

45000 yen for the bundle is not a bad price at the current rates.

Because of the favorable exchange rates I went ahead and ordered a few high yen items that I've been wanting but was on the fence about. Now's the time!

Couldn't be happier! Though, I was hit hard by shipping and duties but it's worth every penny!

[Chronocidal]

Careful about using rubber gloves rather than cloth, since I've had those actually stick to things and strip paint before, depending on the type of rubber.  

[Sanity is Optional]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

Careful about using rubber gloves rather than cloth, since I've had those actually stick to things and strip paint before, depending on the type of rubber.  

Nitrile (preferably powder-free) is the best type to use.

[no3Ljm]

2 hours ago, Metaphor322 said:

Couldn't be happier! Though, I was hit hard by shipping and duties but it's worth every penny!

Congrats! Glad it worked out well. 

Time for swoosh-swoosh.  

 

[Chronocidal]

1 hour ago, no3Ljm said:

Congrats! Glad it worked out well. 

Time for swoosh-swoosh.  

 

I believe you mean "Kyun-kyun!"  

[chriswoo]

3 hours ago, Metaphor322 said:

Couldn't be happier! Though, I was hit hard by shipping and duties but it's worth every penny!

Yeah DX chogokin VF-1 series is a solid release. Love every one of it

 

[no3Ljm]

3 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I believe you mean "Kyun-kyun!"  

My bad.  

[Lolicon]

7 hours ago, Metaphor322 said:

Couldn't be happier! Though, I was hit hard by shipping and duties but it's worth every penny!

Awesome that you got one! The iconic Skull 100!