Seen some basses on eBay I may want to purchase but they ship from Japan. Has anyone purchased a bass this way and what was the experience like?
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Has anyone bought a bass from Japan?
- Thread starter GodPlayedBass
- Start date
I haven't, but this comes up here on TB periodically:
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/did-anyone-ever-order-something-from-ebay-from-japan.1568594/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/did-anyone-ever-order-something-from-ebay-from-japan.1568594/
Yes, I've bought several, but using a service called Buyee.jp, which provides a translated "frame" website for Japanese sites, and an expedited packing/air shipping service + insurance.
It gives you access to Japan's Yahoo Auctions, Rakuten and Rakuma (their flea market), and via Yahoo Shopping, many Japanese music stores like Ishibashi. The packing is immaculate, and I've never had any issues.
The UI is a little temperamental (esp on the mobile app, you often have to click through categories multiple times to get to the correct subcategory, and it doesn't always translate every word so you sometimes have to memorize) but there are lots of cool items and deals.
It gives you access to Japan's Yahoo Auctions, Rakuten and Rakuma (their flea market), and via Yahoo Shopping, many Japanese music stores like Ishibashi. The packing is immaculate, and I've never had any issues.
The UI is a little temperamental (esp on the mobile app, you often have to click through categories multiple times to get to the correct subcategory, and it doesn't always translate every word so you sometimes have to memorize) but there are lots of cool items and deals.
I bought a bass off of Reverb.com where the seller was from Japan. Maybe I got lucky, but it was the easiest transaction I’ve ever made. My bass arrived in less than two weeks and the condition was even better than the description.
PM me if you’d like the name of the shop that sold the bass to me.
PM me if you’d like the name of the shop that sold the bass to me.
Like Whale I recently had a very pleasant experience buying a G&L from a Reverb seller in Japan. Generally they seem to take pride in good customer service (fast, secure shipping).
Even with the high shipping costs and the estimated taxation (it's important you do your homework, here), the deal was sweet for me. And I lucked out on the taxation: payed 'one digit' less than expected.
Even with the high shipping costs and the estimated taxation (it's important you do your homework, here), the deal was sweet for me. And I lucked out on the taxation: payed 'one digit' less than expected.
I bought a lefty jaguar bass (not available lefty in the states) from a shop in Japan a while back - I waited until the dollar was strong against the yen, called the shop in the middle of the night to reach them during business hours, and got passed around on the phone until I got in contact with somebody that spoke english well enough to get the transaction rolling. I was super nervous about it but everything went pretty smoothly at that point. Definitely one of my more memorable purchasing experiences and I still love and play the bass to this day.
would recommend Geek in Box. they have quite a large selection, list the weight and possible defects if used, have a video demo on youtube under " Bass Sound Maniac "of every bass they have for sale, and shipping takes a week from purchase.
I bought a bass from Ishibashi Music via Reverb. I had no problems and also did not encounter any duty or import fees.
Smooth_bass88
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Check the link in my sig. There's a small (n=15) bunch of us who have purchased the MIJ Junior Collection Jazz Bass from Japan. (OK, there's one exception of an Aussie who got his in a store). 
I purchased mine directly from Ikebe Music, and had a fabulous transaction. Top notch in every way.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/nb...-collection-jazz-bass-30-short-scale.1598411/
I purchased mine directly from Ikebe Music, and had a fabulous transaction. Top notch in every way.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/nb...-collection-jazz-bass-30-short-scale.1598411/
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I've purchased a number of basses and guitars through JAUCE.com from Japan. Always excellent transactions, and Jauce handles the shipping. You win the auction, the bass is shipped to their warehouse, and is then shipped to you. My current #1, a Greco PMB-800, came from them.
I have better luck ordering from Japan than I do from the US.
My most recent purchase from Japan is a 93 Aria SB 025 5string thats an absolute unicorn
Every order from Japan has arrived promptly and extremely well packaged with no damages or surprises.
My most recent purchase from Japan is a 93 Aria SB 025 5string thats an absolute unicorn
Every order from Japan has arrived promptly and extremely well packaged with no damages or surprises.
I bought two new Fender Japan basses direct from Ikebe Music in Japan. Absolutely flawless and simple transaction. The basses arrived to me in Tennessee more quickly from Japan than a body that shipped out from Warmoth on the same day.
I bought a very nice Suhr directly from Ishibashi in 2020 (just before COVID), no problems at all. It helped me a lot that a nephew of mine lives there so he stopped by the store and checked the instrument prior to the transaction. Was packed perfectly and arrived less than 2 weeks, they even contacted me via email upon receipt to check how was the experience.
Yes. Just a couple months ago bought a Fender MIJ off ebay from Samurai Music Tokyo. Easy transaction, and light speed delivery! It shipped from Japan to the U.S. in only 2 days!! The packing was amazing - the bass arrived in perfect condition.
In 2015 I purchased a MIJ Fender Classic 70’s Jazz from Tokyo Wax, in Tokyo. It too arrived to me in 2 days. Crazy fast, I couldn’t believe it. Bought it off eBay.
Pic for reference.
I got a Bacchus from Japan. Used bassjapandirect.com….Danny. Nice guy. He’s good if you find something listed in the local classifieds in Japan, thats not a dealer or reverb. He handled getting me a beautiful Bacchus…took care of inspection, setup, delivery, for like $99 upcharge. Bass got here to Cincinnatti area for around $600. Very nice bass for a really good price.
At the beginning of 2023 I bought a lovely Momose ‘70s-style J bass off Reverb from Kurosawa Music, a major retailer. They were responsive to questions, packed it very well. No surprises on tax or customs, which was about 5% of total. Got from Japan to California within a few days by Fed-Ex, then it actually sat in a warehouse 10 miles from my house for longer than that trip across the ocean due to the “atmospheric river” super-rainstorms we had.
I would absolutely buy from Japan again, and IMO modern high-end Japanese basses are some of the best values for money anywhere (even if they're not cheap). I played several remarkable Dragonfly, Atelier Z, Moon, and Xotic basses at BassFreaks in Brussels this April, and all were very impressive.
Also, I wish everyone followed the convention Japanese sellers often employ for used instrument descriptions (details on wood, electronics, hardware, weight, truss health, action at 12th fret, overall letter grade, % of frets left, etc.)
I would absolutely buy from Japan again, and IMO modern high-end Japanese basses are some of the best values for money anywhere (even if they're not cheap). I played several remarkable Dragonfly, Atelier Z, Moon, and Xotic basses at BassFreaks in Brussels this April, and all were very impressive.
Also, I wish everyone followed the convention Japanese sellers often employ for used instrument descriptions (details on wood, electronics, hardware, weight, truss health, action at 12th fret, overall letter grade, % of frets left, etc.)
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A topic near and dear to my heart.
I have this info posted on several guitar forums but not here.
In regards to eBay sellers, I recommend people do not use them. I would suggest avoiding them like the plague. 99% of the eBay sellers do not actually own the gear they are selling. They steal the photos from the actual stores that have the item for sale and make the eBay ad. If you win the auction or buy from eBay, they take the money and then go to the store and buy the item and then send it to you. If the store has already sold the item, they make up some excuse to cancel the sale. The price is usually significantly marked up from the retail price in Japan. 30%-60% is not uncommon. For low price items, they sometimes have a better price but I still advise against using them.
If you want something from Japan, I recommend first checking digimart.net. This is the big musical instrument site in Japan where dealers list many of their instruments. Foreigners, unfortunately, cannot buy directly off digimart but it is a good resource to see what is available. For the savvy, it is also good to check the websites of the individual stores because some items are not listed on digimart.
The best way to buy is if the gear you are interested in is being sold by a big dealer. Most of the big dealers in Japan ship internationally. The only caveat is that all have restrictions on selling certain brands new overseas. (i.e. Fender, Gibson, PRS, etc.) No issues with used gear or Japanese brands. It is usually ok for European brands but some restrictions may apply.
You then just need to contact that dealer. The big stores like Kuroasawa, Ikebe, Ishibashi, Shimamura, have a contact page for overseas sales. Just use the form to tell them what you want to buy and they will contact you by e-mail with pricing and availability. This is the preferred method because as a foreigner, you do not have to pay Japanese sales tax (VAT) and can take 10% off the listed price. The price listed in Japan includes tax. They will send you a Paypal invoice and you will have the gear very quickly. Shipping is 2-3 days via commercial carrier with time added for packing.
Aside from the big stores, many smaller stores also ship internationally. Just ask the store. The fore mentioned Geek in Box in Yokohama is a good example for basses. They ship internationally and even sell on Reverb.
If the store that has the gear does not do international shipping or you want to buy a new bass from a brand with restrictions, then you will need to use a proxy service. These have been mentioned in several posts above. These are services that are based in Japan that will buy things for you. You tell them what to buy and they go buy it and have the item sent to their warehouse. They can store items and group them for a single shipment. They then will ship the item for you. There are fees involved but significantly less than the eBay sellers. Each proxy service has their own fee structure, policies, pros and cons. Buyee, Jauce, Zenmarket, Rabbit Japan, etc. are examples of such proxy services. There are dozens and dozens of such services. You could also use re-shippers like Tenso or Black Ship.
The proxy services also allow you to buy from Japanese auction sites like Yahoo Auctions Japan (eBay quit the Japanese market in the early 2000's). You also buy from used goods stores like Hardoff and buy from marketplace sites like Mercari. This is where you can find some bargains. I just won an auction for a guitar last night and I feel guilty how low a price I paid.
Do expect to pay duty if the item is priced higher than $800USD and shipped via commercial carrier. You can avoid duty if the item is shipped EMS but EMS is kinda of slow now and even slower for items like a bass.
I have this info posted on several guitar forums but not here.
In regards to eBay sellers, I recommend people do not use them. I would suggest avoiding them like the plague. 99% of the eBay sellers do not actually own the gear they are selling. They steal the photos from the actual stores that have the item for sale and make the eBay ad. If you win the auction or buy from eBay, they take the money and then go to the store and buy the item and then send it to you. If the store has already sold the item, they make up some excuse to cancel the sale. The price is usually significantly marked up from the retail price in Japan. 30%-60% is not uncommon. For low price items, they sometimes have a better price but I still advise against using them.
If you want something from Japan, I recommend first checking digimart.net. This is the big musical instrument site in Japan where dealers list many of their instruments. Foreigners, unfortunately, cannot buy directly off digimart but it is a good resource to see what is available. For the savvy, it is also good to check the websites of the individual stores because some items are not listed on digimart.
The best way to buy is if the gear you are interested in is being sold by a big dealer. Most of the big dealers in Japan ship internationally. The only caveat is that all have restrictions on selling certain brands new overseas. (i.e. Fender, Gibson, PRS, etc.) No issues with used gear or Japanese brands. It is usually ok for European brands but some restrictions may apply.
You then just need to contact that dealer. The big stores like Kuroasawa, Ikebe, Ishibashi, Shimamura, have a contact page for overseas sales. Just use the form to tell them what you want to buy and they will contact you by e-mail with pricing and availability. This is the preferred method because as a foreigner, you do not have to pay Japanese sales tax (VAT) and can take 10% off the listed price. The price listed in Japan includes tax. They will send you a Paypal invoice and you will have the gear very quickly. Shipping is 2-3 days via commercial carrier with time added for packing.
Aside from the big stores, many smaller stores also ship internationally. Just ask the store. The fore mentioned Geek in Box in Yokohama is a good example for basses. They ship internationally and even sell on Reverb.
If the store that has the gear does not do international shipping or you want to buy a new bass from a brand with restrictions, then you will need to use a proxy service. These have been mentioned in several posts above. These are services that are based in Japan that will buy things for you. You tell them what to buy and they go buy it and have the item sent to their warehouse. They can store items and group them for a single shipment. They then will ship the item for you. There are fees involved but significantly less than the eBay sellers. Each proxy service has their own fee structure, policies, pros and cons. Buyee, Jauce, Zenmarket, Rabbit Japan, etc. are examples of such proxy services. There are dozens and dozens of such services. You could also use re-shippers like Tenso or Black Ship.
The proxy services also allow you to buy from Japanese auction sites like Yahoo Auctions Japan (eBay quit the Japanese market in the early 2000's). You also buy from used goods stores like Hardoff and buy from marketplace sites like Mercari. This is where you can find some bargains. I just won an auction for a guitar last night and I feel guilty how low a price I paid.
Do expect to pay duty if the item is priced higher than $800USD and shipped via commercial carrier. You can avoid duty if the item is shipped EMS but EMS is kinda of slow now and even slower for items like a bass.
