Buying from Japan (2nd hand)

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Has anyone purchased 2nd hand gear from Japan - I just wondered about the pros and cons, plus import costs etc.

I have seen some kebses listed on Ebay but they are from Jspan. The sellers have 100% feedback but I am not sure what to expect regarding additional costs.

I would prefer to buy from the UK but I have limited funds so unfortunately I am struggling with prices here.

Any feedback will be welcome.

Many thanks.

Mick
 
I have bought a couple of things from Japan and it all went smoothly. The thing that really grated was the Royal Mail admin fee, not the customs, I was expecting that, but then the Royal Mail stick somehting like £15 on top for themselves and its not like you have any choice of carrier.

But don't let that put you off my experience has been positive
 
I bought a LF lens from this ebay seller in Japan:-

Security measure

www.ebay.co.uk www.ebay.co.uk
It was as described, better than I expected if anything. Well packaged as well.
I paid £226 for the lens and received (and paid, just for purposes of clarity) a vat/import duty/courier fees invoice from FedEx of around £55.
Everything went smoothly with no issues.
What I bought wasn't available from a UK retailer at the time I bought it so I had to import it from Japan and I was only too pleased to pay the customs/vat costs which was done online via the FedEx website.
All very simple and above board.
 
Raincloud said:
I would stick with buying from the UK. Keep saving up.
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Nice in theory but sometimes the kit I've wanted has been hard to find or just not available in the UK so sometimes if you want the kit there's really no option but to import it.
 
I've bought from Japan many times over the last twenty years and their prices are better than the UK for sure, so well worth it in my opinion. (y)

I always add thirty percent to their prices for the costs already mentioned and have always ended up with change.

Everything I have bought has been in the advertised condition or better, and the service has always been excellent.
 
woof woof said:
Nice in theory but sometimes the kit I've wanted has been hard to find or just not available in the UK so sometimes if you want the kit there's really no option but to import it.
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Then thats a risk one should be willing to take and understand the pitfalls of doing so.
 
Hi bought a second hand 600mm mark III from a reputable established Japanese trader on EBay. I got it for £5800 plus taxes and charges which were a smidge over £1200 so £7000 in total and it was immaculate.
 
corny said:
Hi bought a second hand 600mm mark III from a reputable established Japanese trader on EBay. I got it for £5800 plus taxes and charges which were a smidge over £1200 so £7000 in total and it was immaculate.
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You are a lot braver than I am
 
I've bought a few things off Japanese eBay sellers and had great experiences..... Delivery has been quick,, condition better than described and have had great communication with the sellers. With my purchases, if item cost was below £135, including shipping, there was no import duty to pay and VAT had been charged by eBay on the transaction.
 
I have travelled all over the world and studied and experienced dozens of cultures. Although not fluent in all of them, I have a good grasp of eight different languages.

The Japanese are the most honest and honourable people I've ever met. While there is always a slim chance of getting caught out by the criminal element (as there is anywhere), I'd rather trust them over anyone from this country.

Just sayin' . . . :whistle:
 
Raincloud said:
Then thats a risk one should be willing to take and understand the pitfalls of doing so.
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These days there's often some protection available at least in theory and depending how you pay and lets be honest buying in the UK has its risks too.
 
I bought a lens for my RB67 - the UK copy wasn't coming up on Ebay so looked at Japan based sellers. I calculated the taxes before bidding so no surprises. It was well described and shipping didn't take look - paying the taxes via the courier was smooth too. I didn't feel brave or stupid
 
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woof woof said:
These days there's often some protection available at least in theory and depending how you pay and lets be honest buying in the UK has its risks too.
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But, its a long long way away. I just couldnt part with a substantial amount of money buying that way...i be too nervous.
 
Raincloud said:
But, its a long long way away. I just couldnt part with a substantial amount of money buying that way...i be too nervous.
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As above, if the kit isn't available in the UK it could be an option.

If the kit gets lost in transit the supplier will need to send another or issue a refund and if you have a problem and want a return or refund you'll have Paypal or your credit card or whatever you use to turn to. I use Paypal. I've had kit from grey sellers based in the far east and from Aliexpress without losing money.

Just as there are recommended and not recommended UK suppliers you could buy from there are also suppliers abroad who have good reputations and good feedback... and bad of course :D You just need to be careful who you deal with.
 
Unfortunately I missed the Japan one. I have ordered one from a UK seller and hope it's OK.
Just for information, I have ordered things from Ebay before that turned out to be from scam sellers and I was refunded on each occasion.
 
DHL or FedEx tried doing this to me once and I made it very clear I wasn't paying any admin fee, I hadn't agreed to one, and if they wanted to take it up with the shipper (whom they had the contract with) then that's their perogative. They stopped trying to claim any fees from me at that point - there used to be some template letters online for this sort of thing, as far as I could surmise it's complete money grabbing and they don't have a leg to stand on when challenged.
 
corny said:
It was a self deprecating comment about myself Lindsay. Thanks for having my back though!
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My bad too, I forgot that you were the OP for the observation! I blame my wife. (she's not on the site!)
 
I used to buy and sell STAX stuff a good few years ago buying from Japan and selling in the UK
even then there was import duty at about 20%plus the usual small charge for admin.
 
At the weekend I ordered another lens from a Japanese seller on ebay, it was priced at £115 including free delivery...... Was dispatched from the seller in Tokyo on Monday an delivered to me within 48 hours of being picked up....
 
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