Amazon Japan -- Amazon Prime bonus

[Drax]

I don't know how recent this change is, but I thought I would share it for those of you who are interested.

If you're looking to buy something on Amazon Japan, check out the "available from other sellers" links (either new OR used). If the seller has it linked as Amazon Prime, then you can buy it! Normally you wouldn't be able to order the item, because the sellers ship only within Japan, and the checkout would stop you, but if it's marked as Amazon Prime, then you can (I think it must go to one of the local Amazon distribution centers, and thus it becomes available internationally).

You can potentially find really great deals on books and such. Just be sure to read the descriptions carefully about the state of the item. For example, you might want to stay away from 可 (passable) items.

Also, if you haven't ordered from Amazon Japan before, setting up an account is not difficult. Just be aware that certain items have restrictions (it'll tell you when you go to check out), and shipping goes via EMS, so to the US, each order has a minimum ~$30 shipping fee, plus $3-4 for *each* book.

[MEversbergII]

Well, I'll take a look but I don't read Japanese anywhere near well enough to make use of it I think.

M.

[Drax]

I recently discovered 2 things.

My above statement is not 100% correct, as I found one PRIME item that could not be delivered. Unfortunately I could not understand why. There may have been some description somewhere that restricted it from overseas shipment.

The second thing is that if you buy books in a SET, you do not end up with a massive per-book charge. For example, I recently bought a 17-book set, and I did not have the $3-4 charge per book tacked on. I realize that most people here probably don't care or don't have use of such knowledge, but you never know.

I also recently ordered a couple of CDs, and the shipping charge was only $14, so they've possibly changed something in their general international shipping policies.

The other reason I bring up the topic of ordering from Amazon Japan is that, as the company continues to grow, it may be easier to get access to various products from Japan. As many of you are aware, the "eBay" of Japan is actually Yahoo Japan Auctions. And you typically have to have a proxy to bid for you (most of the people do not ship internationally, and you usually have to have an account with a bank in Japan), which adds on a LOT of money to any purchase. We may see some interesting tea-stuff migrate to Amazon Japan over time, which again has fewer buying restrictions. Of course, both run the risk of "buyer beware."

Meanwhile, the Amazon Japan site usually has a "click to see in English" button somewhere on the various pages, which can help in translation. I realize that most might not be interested, but if anybody is interested in a particular topic, let me know and I can help search if there's anything relevant or interesting.