Anyone have a japan source for games?

[shateredsoul1979]

I was wondering, most imports are probably cheaper to buy in Japan, right? but is the price a lot cheaper? I have no sense as to whether game collecting is big in japan.

I'm looking for

Saturn Shmups and Fighting Games
Dreamcast games
Snes games

are these cheaper to get from Japan? So, would it make sense to try to find someone in Japan who would be willing to buy me some stuff rather than doing ebay?

[Franco B]

Check out [JAPANAMUSMENT]

They are a trusted searcher, seller and shipper of games etc from Japan

[SavannahLion]

Thanks Franco, I'd like to check it out myself.

To OP. Generally speaking, I've had good experiences with dealing with individuals in Japan for my collecting needs. I used to get all sorts of stuff, not just games. My ex and I were always getting compliments and questions about our acquisitions. I quit for several reasons but the primary one was;

Customs starting tearing into about a 1/3 of my shipments not labeled as gifts. Even before 9/11, Customs doesn't give a rats ass about your stuff so my things were coming in torn, dirty or missing parts. If it was food, forget it. It's an empty box at that point. No thanks to those morons at customs I've lost quite a bit of money.

[amendonz]

has anyone ever tried one of the proxy services for yahoo jp? i know they knock a good chunk on for commission but even then still works out ok.

umm.. www.celga.com for example?

[shateredsoul1979]

Thanks Franco! I'll give that a try

I've never tried the proxy services at yahoo jp, not even sure what that means. Is it sort of like hiring someone to do an errand for you?

[amendonz]

kind of, you credit an account with them and pay to bid on japanese auction sites since most don't allow foreign bidders... they take a cut for the service and shipping..

[gabe]

I'm assuming ebay.com is too obvious? I source 90% of my import games there. I've found that it's usually cheapest... Especially if you have some patience.

The remaining 10% comes from random places around the net. No single outlet has won my loyalty, but lots of folks use Play-Asia and GameBaz (the latter offers a proxy service). Both boast a large selection, but I've found their prices to be a bit high.

Deals are rare (it's a global economy)... Especially when you tack on proxy fees, and (reliable) shipping from Japan.

[shateredsoul1979]

yeah, I was hoping to to find a kind Japanese guy or gal who would be selfless enough to go to a local shop and buy me a used saturn, and a bunch of games, for much less than ebay. lol. I can dream right?

For some reason I thought selling used games was illegal in Japan, but seems like a lot of people are doing it on ebay.

[Blanka]

Arent SNES and Dreamcast titles region specific?

[gabe]

Arent SNES and Dreamcast titles region specific?

Yes, but neither system requires a mod chip. The Dreamcast can play imports with a boot disc and the only region protection on a SNES comes in the form of two small plastic tabs that physically prevent you from inserting a Japanese Super Famicom cartridge. These tabs can be easily snapped off, or circumvented with an adapter.

[shateredsoul1979]

Yeah, I feel bad snapping the tabs off the snes I just found.  I did it to my old snes as a kid, I was really excited to play dragon ball z. Oh, well, gotta do what you gotta do.