Shopping Service FAQ
Q. What kind of items do you sell?
A. See this page.
Q. Can you get me concert tickets?
A. Yes! I am still offering the concert ticket proxy buyer service as of April 2016, with no plans to stop in the near future. Please see this page, then contact me for details.
Q. What are your fees?
A. For concert tickets and web shops, I charge an administration fee of 20% of the cost of the item. Convenience charges, sales tax, shipping charges, and PayPal's currency fee (5%) are borne by the customer.
Q. What kinds of shipping options do you offer?
A. In principle, I offer two shipping options: EMS and SAL (though I can also send packages by Registered Air Mail if specifically requested to do so.) EMS is an international courier service that delivers items around the world within a week. It includes a tracking number to allow you to monitor the progress of your package as it travels closer to you. SAL mail is a much cheaper option, but it may take up to a month for delivery in some cases, and as it does not come with tracking, there is no way to locate lost SAL post items. The exact cost of shipping for a given parcel depends on the weight of the parcel and country in which the customer is located.
Q. What if my package gets lost in the post?
A. If you're worried about a package being lost in the post, I recommend you opt for EMS shipping or Registered Air Mail, which includes a tracking service to locate lost items. If an item shipped by SAL mail is lost in the international post, there is nothing I can do about it, so I cannot offer compensation for lost items. In three years of running this service, only one item has been reported lost to date, but if you are concerned or lack confidence in the postal system in your country, I recommend you go with EMS shipping or Registered Air Mail.
Q. How quickly can you find me an item?
A. That depends on the item. If the item is one I have already posted for sale, I can ship it to you right away and it will most likely reach you within three weeks, or sooner if you select a faster shipping option. If the item is one you have requested me to find for you, it depends on whether or not one of the Tokyo second-hand retailers has it in stock, so finding it might take a few weeks, or longer if you’re looking for something really rare.
Q. Are the used items in good condition?
A. Generally, yes. Secondhand stores in Japan don’t usually stock items that aren’t in good condition, though older CDs especially are often missing their obi strips. I have noted the condition of all the items for sale on my page. If you ask me to find something for you, you can specify whether or not you’ll accept less than perfect condition (e.g., missing obi) and I will abide by your specifications.
Q. Can you buy me new CDs or magazines that have just been released?
A. Absolutely. My commission fees are 300 yen for new magazines and 700 yen for new CDs and DVDs. I will also send you any special stickers, postcards, posters, or other promotional items that come with new releases.
Q. If I decide I don't like an item I bought, can I send it back for a refund?
A. Sorry, but we do not accept returns.
Q. I’m trying to collect Buck-Tick’s entire discography but I don’t even know where to start. Are the older CDs more expensive and harder to find than the newer ones?
A. Actually, with Buck-Tick CDs, in general the older ones are cheaper and easier to find than the newer ones. More recent Buck-Tick CDs tend to be more expensive even when bought used, though they are usually slightly cheaper used than they were new.
Q. What’s the difference between a first press and a regular press?
A. First presses are also available for only a limited time when a CD or DVD is first released, so by and large, they’re out of print by definition. First presses often have special packaging and sometimes come with photobooks, bonus tracks, bonus discs or bonus DVDs. It’s generally quite easy to find first-press Buck-Tick items, especially if they were released within the past 10 years. First presses tend to be slightly more expensive than regular presses. N.b. not all CDs were released in first press editions.
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