12.27.06
Posted in Games, Importing at 4:40 pm by Meier
So the game I ordered from videogames plus (see a couple of posts ago) arrived. The packaging was a fairly standard bubble wrap envelope and the game was in excellent condition. I didn’t have to pay any customs but I am not entirely sure whether this was because of the low value of the game or because there are no charges from Canada. If anybody knows any more about this then please use the comments section fill me in. One slight peculiarity was the lack of any invoice form or shipping note - the only thing in the envelope was the game. While this does not bother me as I generally keep all of the emails associated with the order, I can see that this might be a problem for some.
Overall I am pleased with the transaction and I will definitely use the site again when in search of a US game.
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12.25.06
Posted in Games at 4:49 pm by Meier
Hope you all grabbed some good swag felt the joy of giving. Now to Boxing day and all the football it entails!
Cheers
Meier
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12.21.06
Posted in Games, Importing at 7:07 pm by Meier
Another website test. This time I am ordering a game from videogame plus - a Canadian website which offers some good prices on US games and also features a nice second hand section. The site is a fairly standard e-commerce template but it works well and the ordering process was pretty smooth. My only complaint would be that the categorization and lack of ‘highlighted’ products within each section made it difficult to browse around if you didn’t know exactly what you were after. This could be a problem if you looking to buy a game as a gift for someone. Though the site doesn’t give details of stock levels (a pet peeve) I ordered a ps2 game that I had previously had trouble getting hold of and it shipped the next day. This is hopefully an indication of good stock levels overall. When the game arrives I will give my verdict on packaging and shipping time but so far videogame plus has been a fairly enjoyable shopping experience.
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12.01.06
Posted in Games, Importing at 4:35 pm by Meier
One area of games particularly associated with imports are dojin games. Centered mainly on fighters and shmups (sorry to those who hate that expression) there are some real gems to be found among these homebrew creations. In fact some (such as the recently released melty blood) have made the transition to professional games. The problem people in the UK who are interested in these games often have is finding somewhere that sells them. Below I have compiled some links that may help out:
HimeyaShop - a little bit on the pricey side but well known and reliable - look for the dojin link on the left.
Akibado - a personal shopper site that will find items in japan and buy them for you. Will also handle yahoo japan auctions for you.
PaletMail - never actually used this one and the website looks a bit cheap but it may be worth checking out.
Hendane - doesn’t seem to be up right now but also worth checking out.
Ebay - as always ebay is a good place to find just about anything.
Games forums where more obscure titles are often up for discussion (such as TGQ and where ever the insertcredit forums end up) can also be good places to source dojin games.
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11.30.06
Posted in Games, News, Importing, Site at 5:39 pm by Meier
Well, this hasn’t been updated in ages! I have been very busy with Uni stuff (and subsequently short on funds to buy imports) but will hopefully have more time to post now. Obviously the big news since my last post is the closure of lik-sang. I feel bad about this particular event because lik-sang was the first import site I ever used and though I felt it was beginning to lag behind a bit on prices compared to the other stores it always provided a fast and friendly service. The closure also sets a rather worrying precedent and may offer Sony further encouragement to go after stores it has issues with in the future.
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04.12.06
Posted in Games, Importing at 3:54 pm by Meier
Lik-Sang are having a “spring clearout” with a number of items on sale. Not much happening on the game front but a good chance to pick up cases for your handhelds and other peripherals.
The sales page can be found here.
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Posted in Games, Importing at 2:31 pm by Meier
My last post talked about the discovery of this site and promised a review of the ordering process. I ordered japanese copies of both a saturn and n64 game as well as an n64 converter. The prices were all very good and this is a definite plus point of the store.
The online ordering system is fairly standard and easy, making use of worldpay for transaction handling. However when I came to the shipping costs I encountered the only negative point in the whole thing - for the UK there was only one shipping option for my order, the rather costly special delivery. While this did mean that my items arrived the very next day and were fully insured it would have been nice to have the option of first or second class postage. Of course shipping from within the UK meant no customs at the door and the items were very well packed.
Overall the transaction was a very pleasant experience and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the store to others.
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04.08.06
Posted in Games, Importing at 6:20 pm by Meier
I recently stumbled onto a site that was recommended to me in the distant past. At the time I went online to check it out but it was down for some reason or another and I just forgot about it. Well, going back to it I’ve got to say it looks really nice. The prices are very competitive considering it is in the UK (saving you the cost of import tax). I am planning on making a few orders and finding out what the service is like and will report back on my findings.
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03.28.06
Posted in Games, News, Importing at 9:17 pm by Meier
Just saw this article and thought it was worth spreading. Xbox 360 games for half the price we pay over here - sounds good to me. It is pretty interesting to note that us europeans get a raw deal anyway in comparison with america and japan.
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03.15.06
Posted in Games, General at 7:07 pm by Meier
I’m planning on writing some stuff about finding import games on ebay later on but for now this is something more general. I have been using ebay for quite a long time now and have in the main had very positive experiences. There are a number of things to bear in mind when buying from ebay that will hopefully keep this positivity flowing.
First of all there is the obvious issue of feedback. Always make sure to check what kind of feedback rating sellers have. If they have a relatively low number of feedback (ie. <10) I generally check what type of items this feedback has come from. This is to ensure that someone has not just bought a number of very low cost items in order to quickly build up feedback. As a side note, if you have a good/bad transaction taking the time to leave feedback can encourage/protect others.
The next thing to check is payment methods. If the option is available I would generally advise the use of paypal for transactions. This ensures that not only do you get your items sent more quickly than you would when sending a cheque or cash but that the ebay system is aware of the payment being made. This means that sellers cannot accuse of not paying. Also, paypal offers enhanced protection from fraud with cover up to £500 compared to the ebay protection cover of around £120. A final advantage is that if paypal cannot help with a problem you can get your credit card company involved as well as the transaction goes through them.
If something does go wrong I strongly advise checking out the ebay help pages to find out what you can do about it. One thing I would emphasise is that communication really is key. I have had several ‘problem’ situations that were quickly resolved with a few emails.
Although most of the above seems to paint a bad image of ebay I’ve gotta say again that I have found it to be a really incredible tool in finding games and other items and the vast majority of my dealings on there have gone through without a hitch. Happy bidding!
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