Japanese proxy - an individual

[greenc]

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all happy and well and that you had a terrific holiday if you celebrated. I found a jacket on a Japanese site but the seller doesn't want to use a proxy service like Buyee.

Does anyone have a workaround to this? Has anyone here experienced this?

Additionally, are there any forum members living in Japan that could possibly help with this? I'm happy to make the purchase if it can be sent to you and then sent to me - of course more than happy to pay shipping each time.

Looking forward to everyone's thoughts, thank you. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Chris

 

[jchance]

Juno@bidservice, I believe he charges 15%

 

[TartuWolf]

Juno@bidservice, I believe he charges 15%

10% + 4% if you use PayPal goods and services.

 

[greenc]

10% + 4% if you use PayPal goods and services.

Thank you @jchance and @TartuWolf I Appreciate the information. How do I reach this person. Are they on the forum?

 

[TartuWolf]

http://www.bidservice.jp/mobile/services/

 

[greenc]

http://www.bidservice.jp/mobile/services/

Thank you @TartuWolf much appreciated, I've just sent Juno an email and will wait to see what he says. Are you currently in Japan jacket shopping? I thought I saw a response from you on another topic that you were there.

Have you found any must-have items? Do tell...

Chris

 

[TartuWolf]

Thank you @TartuWolf much appreciated, I've just sent Juno an email and will wait to see what he says. Are you currently in Japan jacket shopping? I thought I saw a response from you on another topic that you were there.

Have you found any must-have items? Do tell...

Chris

I've never been to JP and likely never will, but I'd love to. I've purchased most of my jackets 2nd hand from JP though so I have some experience with that

 

[thenillplaydirty]

Hi Chris (greenc) and everyone,

I’ve been reading this thread and noticed the difficulties you're facing. Since I know it can be hard for overseas members to even create an account to ask questions, I’d like to offer my help.

To be honest, as an individual, I’m not comfortable handling payments or international shipping. However, I’d be happy to act as a "communication bridge" by asking questions to sellers in Japanese on your behalf.

I have some free time right now since Japan is in the middle of the New Year holiday season. If you have a specific item you're looking at and need someone to "knock on the seller's door" for you, let me know!

Best regards,

 

[greenc]

Hi Chris (greenc) and everyone,

I’ve been reading this thread and noticed the difficulties you're facing. Since I know it can be hard for overseas members to even create an account to ask questions, I’d like to offer my help.

To be honest, as an individual, I’m not comfortable handling payments or international shipping. However, I’d be happy to act as a "communication bridge" by asking questions to sellers in Japanese on your behalf.

I have some free time right now since Japan is in the middle of the New Year holiday season. If you have a specific item you're looking at and need someone to "knock on the seller's door" for you, let me know!

Best regards,

@thenillplaydirty that is so nice of you, thanks very much for being so generous, I really appreciate that. I’ll message you separately about it but I want to let the group know that @TartuWolf’s contact is a really nice guy - we’ve spoken on WhatsApp and he advised me not to purchase the jacket in question as the website isn’t reputable and in his opinion was more than likely a ****. It was already feeling kinda too-good-to-be-true and his suspicions confirmed it. Nice to have that put to bed from a local and someone who has seen a lot of product. He and I are in touch on something else so fingers crossed. Enjoy the week everyone!

 

[TartuWolf]

@thenillplaydirty that is so nice of you, thanks very much for being so generous, I really appreciate that. I’ll message you separately about it but I want to let the group know that @TartuWolf’s contact is a really nice guy - we’ve spoken on WhatsApp and he advised me not to purchase the jacket in question as the website isn’t reputable and in his opinion was more than likely a ****. It was already feeling kinda too-good-to-be-true and his suspicions confirmed it. Nice to have that put to bed from a local and someone who has seen a lot of product. He and I are in touch on something else so fingers crossed. Enjoy the week everyone!

Juno is great to deal with, I can vouch for him! Send him my regards from "that guy in Estonia" haha.

 

[greenc]

Juno is great to deal with, I can vouch for him! Send him my regards from "that guy in Estonia" haha.

Will do @TartuWolf.

By the way, have you - or any other forum members - had any experience with Second Street in Japan?

I know it's a very large store - two stories and a basement, I believe - of vintage and used clothing, but I've had mixed results. One jacket was fine, the other smelled very strongly of mold when I opened the box. Had to send it for an ozone treatment and then still wait it out while the smell dissipated.

I found a jacket on Buyee at a nice price at Second Street but I'm concerned about making the purchase for fear of another jacket that I then need to clean.

If you have thoughts - or if the forum has anecdotal information - I'd appreciate it. Perhaps I just got a bad one but everyone else's experience has been good?

Looking forward to hearing from everyone, thank you.

Chris

 

[Unsubscr1ber]

Will do @TartuWolf.

By the way, have you - or any other forum members - had any experience with Second Street in Japan?

I know it's a very large store - two stories and a basement, I believe - of vintage and used clothing, but I've had mixed results. One jacket was fine, the other smelled very strongly of mold when I opened the box. Had to send it for an ozone treatment and then still wait it out while the smell dissipated.

I found a jacket on Buyee at a nice price at Second Street but I'm concerned about making the purchase for fear of another jacket that I then need to clean.

If you have thoughts - or if the forum has anecdotal information - I'd appreciate it. Perhaps I just got a bad one but everyone else's experience has been good?

Looking forward to hearing from everyone, thank you.

Chris

That sounds like a very unpleasant surprise. Second Street is a large, highly reputable, international chain with shops throughout Japan, primarily. It’s a very different animal in the US, of course. I browsed many locations when I visited Japan and the selection varies but the condition of the clothing is typically very good, from what I saw.

I haven’t ordered from them online through a proxy but I have asked local friends to reach out by phone to confirm measurements from local shops where items of interest were located. I don’t know if this is something they’d do as a rule. I have found that their posted jacket measurements aren’t accurate (or that I don’t know their measuring standards) so best to be familiar with the item’s sizing. Also, the product images are limited, low-resolution, and pretty terrible overall. Since online items are located in retail locations, often in touristy spots, I suppose there’s a risk that the pictured condition differs from actual. People seemed pretty respectful of the clothing but certainly these aren’t shops where you’re asked not to bend your elbows when trying jackets (though I think higher value items are kept apart and require staff assistance to handle).

Would I feel comfortable ordering a leather jacket from them based on the information they provide in a listing? Probably not but I’m particular about knowing exactly what I’m getting…

 

[TheOldFashioned]

Will do @TartuWolf.

By the way, have you - or any other forum members - had any experience with Second Street in Japan?

I know it's a very large store - two stories and a basement, I believe - of vintage and used clothing, but I've had mixed results. One jacket was fine, the other smelled very strongly of mold when I opened the box. Had to send it for an ozone treatment and then still wait it out while the smell dissipated.

I found a jacket on Buyee at a nice price at Second Street but I'm concerned about making the purchase for fear of another jacket that I then need to clean.

If you have thoughts - or if the forum has anecdotal information - I'd appreciate it. Perhaps I just got a bad one but everyone else's experience has been good?

Looking forward to hearing from everyone, thank you.

Chris

My sample size is small at only two, but I personally wouldn't hesitate at buying from 2nd Street again via proxy. I used Buyee to purchase a Blue Trick shirt and a Style Eyes leather and wool cross zip jacket from 2nd Street. Both listings are no longer active since it's been several months, so I can't compare in hand to what was advertised, but there were no issues regarding sizing, smell(s), etc. As always, however, YMMV.

 

[Matsumoto]

Will do @TartuWolf.

By the way, have you - or any other forum members - had any experience with Second Street in Japan?

I know it's a very large store - two stories and a basement, I believe - of vintage and used clothing, but I've had mixed results. One jacket was fine, the other smelled very strongly of mold when I opened the box. Had to send it for an ozone treatment and then still wait it out while the smell dissipated.

I found a jacket on Buyee at a nice price at Second Street but I'm concerned about making the purchase for fear of another jacket that I then need to clean.

If you have thoughts - or if the forum has anecdotal information - I'd appreciate it. Perhaps I just got a bad one but everyone else's experience has been good?

Looking forward to hearing from everyone, thank you.

Chris

Not sure if you're still looking for information about 2nd street but I've shopped in person and always found them to be a pleasant company to buy from. They're not the cheapest, and are probably better for more fashion oriented brands (especially local brands like Evisu/Undercover etc.). I'm sorry to hear about your experience with them, it's unusual that your jacket wasn't clean as they've almost always got the online stock on sale at a physical store (you can check which store they've got it at on the website I think). Hope this helps!