OK, so we all enjoyed looking at Yahoo Japan Auctions?
What about the Japanese Disney store?
Here's the current top link:
http://www.disneystore.co.jp/shop/top.aspx
Whoa! OK, I'll wait a bit for you to quit imitating Keanu Reeves.
If you just wanna zero in on our fuzzy blue alien friend, they have some categories devoted to popular characters, like the inevitable Disney Princesses, and NBC. Here's the current shortcut:
Stitch stuffs
Now, I say "current," because like anything, they redesign and reshuffle this stuff all the time.
Here's some stuff I think is true about the Japan Disney Store online: it represents a selection of what's available in the bricks and mortar Disney Stores in Japan. This is mostly different from what you can find at Tokyo Disney Resort, and a lot of it (though not all) is exclusive to the Disney Stores there, meaning you can't find it at other toy retailers.
One drawback: they only seem to reserve a sample of any particular good to sell online, so stuff often gets sold out quickly (even when you can still find it at the stores). The other negative, if you don't happen to live in Japan: they don't ship overseas. Meaning, in order to buy something here, you either have to go through a buying agent (remember, like we discussed for Yahoo Japan buying?) or you have to have a very, very, VERY patient friend in Japan who doesn't mind storing a lot of Stitch crap in his or her tiny Tokyo apartment.
Some good news! They seem to refresh stuff very often, like at least once a week. And, they'll often put stuff on sale, including some stuff that had disappeared from the site. Another plus, even if they have sold out on the piece you want (which happens when you have the added delay of telling a third party to purchase something for you) descriptions tend to be much, much better and more complete than on Yahoo Auctions, so you'll at least be able to tell the dimensions and weight of an item (and thus can make a guess as to shipping costs). (I really don't know what the deal is with Yahoo Auctions, because sometimes I almost suspect they charge sellers by the word in their descriptions: even if you run it through a translation program, all you're gonna get is "It is lovely. Please no returns," and estimated shipping costs to Yokohama.)
I wanted to show some links for Yahoo Japan Shopping as well, but I think this has gotten long enough for now.
Showing posts with label shopping expeditions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping expeditions. Show all posts
Friday, March 12, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Wonderful World of Stitch
So, I said I'd write a bit about buying Japanese Stitch toys.
I'm gonna start out with no buying but just looking at stuff. And specifically, looking at Yahoo Japan auctions. This is how I started out finding Stitch stuff from Japan, though recently, I've begun to use other sources more and more.
First, a couple of warnings: there is a lot of Stitch stuff in Japan. More than any one sane human being could ever want. I know - I went from being a "completist" to severely limiting my collecting areas. And I'm still running out of room in my (not small) house!! ALSO, this stuff can be expensive. Very, very, very, very expensive. Especially if you figure in shipping costs and fees to an agent. I DID NOT MAKE IT THIS WAY, COMPLAINING TO ME WILL HAVE NO EFFECT.
Just, before you get started, make sure your rent is paid, OK?
So, Yahoo Japan auctions.
Here is one Lilo & Stitch category:
Lilo & Stitch 1
And here is another:
Lilo & Stitch 2
I've never been 100% certain about the distinction between them. If you have other good categories, feel free to mention them in the Comments.
Now, these aren't the actual links I use. Like eBay, Yahoo Japan auctions has ways to sort, by time left or price, and also different display options. But, they also seem to love to tinker with the site, so as soon as I get a new lists of clever links sorted out just how I want, they change things around, and I have to start over.
If you want help with the various bells and whistles, you might wanna just run the page through a translator program. I've been having pretty good luck lately with Google translate:
Google Translate
Though, don't be surprised if you have to run things through a couple different machines, and sometimes even then it doesn't make much sense. I think maybe it's a combination of translation software still being new, and the fact that people who write auction descriptions might tend to use a lot of jargon or slang.
If you just want to run a search, here's another useful thing:
リロ＆スティッチ
That's Lilo & Stitch in Japanese. Of course, Stitch has gone on to other things, so if you just wanna limit it to him, try:
スティッチ
The down side of this search, of course, is that it's just a phonetic way to spell the English word, "Stitch," so you'll turn up lots of stuff you don't want, like designer purses or blue jeans.
As a last resort, you can usually actually type what you're looking for in English, and that will generate at least a few hits!
As to why Japanese people tend to use Yahoo instead of eBay, I don't know. I will tell you about a few differences I've found: last I checked, once you bid, you CAN'T CANCEL IT. They also have what's known as "going-going-gone" auctions. That is, if you try to snipe, it will add on time to the auction end time! I found this one out by accident, and it was quite annoying, especially since I'd gotten up at 3 am to bid. Speaking of which, remember, they're on a different time cycle than we are, so a lot of stuff will finish up while you're asleep! They also don't really seem to have an equivalent of "eBay Stores," so if you keep looking day after day, you'll see a lot of stuff come up in auction results that will just stay up for months and months and months (auctions themselves seem to be limited to 7 days, but what I mean is, a thing will go right back up automatically after the "auction" has finished).
Oh, and there's also a Buy It Now option. You can usually tell when you look at the auction page, because the Bid button has a gavel, but the BIN button has a little shopping cart.
But here's the big distinction, and why I tend to use an agent to actually purchase my stuff, even though that adds and extra layer of complication and cost: Japanese sellers don't like shipping overseas. This fact used to be written on the auction pages IN ENGLISH, though the latest iteration has changed that. And the sellers don't tend to have Paypal accounts - instead, they want you to transfer money directly from your bank account to theirs.
As I've said before, I've long since decided to just go through an agent to do my Yahoo Japan bidding, and, in fact, most of my online shopping from Japan. In fact, I've just noticed that if you go to sites like eHow, they'll tell you to go through an agent. HOWEVER, I know that some folks insist on doin' it for themselves, and if so, here is the best page I've found for suchlike:
Daryl's Library
Please note, THIS GUY IS NOT A MIDDLEMAN!!!! He's just written a very helpful page. If you want a shopping service, there are tons of them, and he's got a great list on the site. PLEASE do not write him and bother him about buying your crap for you! But, it's a very, very helpful site. Even if you've already decided not to try and bid on your own, it would probably do you a lot of good to click the link and poke around his site for a bit.
As I said above, there is a lot of Stitch stuff in Japan. It is cute. It is weird. You will want it all. You cannot have it all. But, used in moderation, Yahoo Japan can make your life more awesome. And, aren't we all due a little more awesome?
I'm gonna start out with no buying but just looking at stuff. And specifically, looking at Yahoo Japan auctions. This is how I started out finding Stitch stuff from Japan, though recently, I've begun to use other sources more and more.
First, a couple of warnings: there is a lot of Stitch stuff in Japan. More than any one sane human being could ever want. I know - I went from being a "completist" to severely limiting my collecting areas. And I'm still running out of room in my (not small) house!! ALSO, this stuff can be expensive. Very, very, very, very expensive. Especially if you figure in shipping costs and fees to an agent. I DID NOT MAKE IT THIS WAY, COMPLAINING TO ME WILL HAVE NO EFFECT.
Just, before you get started, make sure your rent is paid, OK?
So, Yahoo Japan auctions.
Here is one Lilo & Stitch category:
Lilo & Stitch 1
And here is another:
Lilo & Stitch 2
I've never been 100% certain about the distinction between them. If you have other good categories, feel free to mention them in the Comments.
Now, these aren't the actual links I use. Like eBay, Yahoo Japan auctions has ways to sort, by time left or price, and also different display options. But, they also seem to love to tinker with the site, so as soon as I get a new lists of clever links sorted out just how I want, they change things around, and I have to start over.
If you want help with the various bells and whistles, you might wanna just run the page through a translator program. I've been having pretty good luck lately with Google translate:
Google Translate
Though, don't be surprised if you have to run things through a couple different machines, and sometimes even then it doesn't make much sense. I think maybe it's a combination of translation software still being new, and the fact that people who write auction descriptions might tend to use a lot of jargon or slang.
If you just want to run a search, here's another useful thing:
リロ＆スティッチ
That's Lilo & Stitch in Japanese. Of course, Stitch has gone on to other things, so if you just wanna limit it to him, try:
スティッチ
The down side of this search, of course, is that it's just a phonetic way to spell the English word, "Stitch," so you'll turn up lots of stuff you don't want, like designer purses or blue jeans.
As a last resort, you can usually actually type what you're looking for in English, and that will generate at least a few hits!
As to why Japanese people tend to use Yahoo instead of eBay, I don't know. I will tell you about a few differences I've found: last I checked, once you bid, you CAN'T CANCEL IT. They also have what's known as "going-going-gone" auctions. That is, if you try to snipe, it will add on time to the auction end time! I found this one out by accident, and it was quite annoying, especially since I'd gotten up at 3 am to bid. Speaking of which, remember, they're on a different time cycle than we are, so a lot of stuff will finish up while you're asleep! They also don't really seem to have an equivalent of "eBay Stores," so if you keep looking day after day, you'll see a lot of stuff come up in auction results that will just stay up for months and months and months (auctions themselves seem to be limited to 7 days, but what I mean is, a thing will go right back up automatically after the "auction" has finished).
Oh, and there's also a Buy It Now option. You can usually tell when you look at the auction page, because the Bid button has a gavel, but the BIN button has a little shopping cart.
But here's the big distinction, and why I tend to use an agent to actually purchase my stuff, even though that adds and extra layer of complication and cost: Japanese sellers don't like shipping overseas. This fact used to be written on the auction pages IN ENGLISH, though the latest iteration has changed that. And the sellers don't tend to have Paypal accounts - instead, they want you to transfer money directly from your bank account to theirs.
As I've said before, I've long since decided to just go through an agent to do my Yahoo Japan bidding, and, in fact, most of my online shopping from Japan. In fact, I've just noticed that if you go to sites like eHow, they'll tell you to go through an agent. HOWEVER, I know that some folks insist on doin' it for themselves, and if so, here is the best page I've found for suchlike:
Daryl's Library
Please note, THIS GUY IS NOT A MIDDLEMAN!!!! He's just written a very helpful page. If you want a shopping service, there are tons of them, and he's got a great list on the site. PLEASE do not write him and bother him about buying your crap for you! But, it's a very, very helpful site. Even if you've already decided not to try and bid on your own, it would probably do you a lot of good to click the link and poke around his site for a bit.
As I said above, there is a lot of Stitch stuff in Japan. It is cute. It is weird. You will want it all. You cannot have it all. But, used in moderation, Yahoo Japan can make your life more awesome. And, aren't we all due a little more awesome?
Monday, February 22, 2010
More Official Stitch of the Vancouver Olympics
So, then, we continued down the street (in case you're going to be visiting Vancouver in the near future, I believe the specific street was Cambie, which, if you know Vancouver, is ABSOLUTELY NO HELP AT ALL, as it seems you can't go anywhere in the Vancouver metropolitan area without being more than 2 blocks from Cambie Street, it's like Omnipresent Street or something), and we came to ANOTHER shop that, typically, seemed to have been overrun by kawaii Olympic mascots.
HOWEVER, Mr. Tikistitch, who has a bloodhound's sense for the scent of Stitch collectibles, suggested we nose inward. We saw nothing at first, until I peered around a narrow corner and detected this Stitch solar nodder. As it happens, I have several of these cute items (they seem to issue one or two new ones every year), but NOT the one with Stitch holding his tummy, so SCORE!
I brought the item over to the register, and the sharp-eyed shop lady, looked at this, and my already bulging shopping bags, and inquired as to whether I liked this specific character. Suddenly, she was pulling little fuzzy blue genetic mutations out of every corner of the little shop.
The sparkly Stitch plush (one of Mr. Tiki's finds) is especially fun: the label says Sega, and it appears to be licensed, but you might notice the tag is for Winnie the Pooh, which is something I'd expect from a bootleg.
Oh, and the teensy paw pen is a story in itself. I used it to sign the credit card receipt, and then must have unthinkingly left it on the desk. We were halfway down the block when the shop owner came running up behind us with my pen! People in Canada are just so darned NICE.
SO IN CONCLUSION: Stitch is everywhere. Yes, EVEN CANADA.
HOWEVER, Mr. Tikistitch, who has a bloodhound's sense for the scent of Stitch collectibles, suggested we nose inward. We saw nothing at first, until I peered around a narrow corner and detected this Stitch solar nodder. As it happens, I have several of these cute items (they seem to issue one or two new ones every year), but NOT the one with Stitch holding his tummy, so SCORE!
I brought the item over to the register, and the sharp-eyed shop lady, looked at this, and my already bulging shopping bags, and inquired as to whether I liked this specific character. Suddenly, she was pulling little fuzzy blue genetic mutations out of every corner of the little shop.
The sparkly Stitch plush (one of Mr. Tiki's finds) is especially fun: the label says Sega, and it appears to be licensed, but you might notice the tag is for Winnie the Pooh, which is something I'd expect from a bootleg.
Oh, and the teensy paw pen is a story in itself. I used it to sign the credit card receipt, and then must have unthinkingly left it on the desk. We were halfway down the block when the shop owner came running up behind us with my pen! People in Canada are just so darned NICE.
SO IN CONCLUSION: Stitch is everywhere. Yes, EVEN CANADA.
Vancouver Olympics Shopping Report: Store #1
So, Mr. Tikistitch (our ace Stitch spotter) and myself were basically bobbling along the main drag of Vancouver's awesomtacular Chinatown district. A lot of the shops there (as, basically it seemed, EVERYWHERE in the city) had been turned over to the purveyance of Olympic memorabilia, but that did not dissuade. Finally, we wandered by a shop that seemed to contain the requisite threshold of kawaii, so, we ventured in.
This Stitch bobblehead frame was one of the first items we spotted. I was double chuffed to see the Hong Kong Disneyland logo - though I long ago gave up any hope of being a Stitch completist, I do like to pick up Disney park toys of any stripe, and Hong Kong Disney items are often the most elusive. Best of all, if you'll notice the multiple price stickers, nearly everything in this shop had been discounted a number of times.
This dealer had a couple of other interesting items, all on sale. The pencil box set is something I've seen many iterations of. The little Stitch riding the surfboard is a jewelry holder. Not sure why the Japanese think a genetic mutation who likes to eat left shoes would be a fine guardian of family heirlooms, but there ya go.
Here's my favorite piece: it appears to be a ceramic knick knack box, but the markings are from Tokyo Disney Resort. Not sure how a retailer in downtown Vancouver is reselling Disney park exclusives but these were pretty keen finds, and at fairly decent prices, even considering how weak the dollar has been against the Canadian dollar. (Yeah, they use a different currency up in Canada. It's like a whole different country!!!)
To be continued....
This Stitch bobblehead frame was one of the first items we spotted. I was double chuffed to see the Hong Kong Disneyland logo - though I long ago gave up any hope of being a Stitch completist, I do like to pick up Disney park toys of any stripe, and Hong Kong Disney items are often the most elusive. Best of all, if you'll notice the multiple price stickers, nearly everything in this shop had been discounted a number of times.
This dealer had a couple of other interesting items, all on sale. The pencil box set is something I've seen many iterations of. The little Stitch riding the surfboard is a jewelry holder. Not sure why the Japanese think a genetic mutation who likes to eat left shoes would be a fine guardian of family heirlooms, but there ya go.
Here's my favorite piece: it appears to be a ceramic knick knack box, but the markings are from Tokyo Disney Resort. Not sure how a retailer in downtown Vancouver is reselling Disney park exclusives but these were pretty keen finds, and at fairly decent prices, even considering how weak the dollar has been against the Canadian dollar. (Yeah, they use a different currency up in Canada. It's like a whole different country!!!)
To be continued....
Going for the Gold
So, you may be asking, Why the picture of the ultra-cute Vancouver Olympic mascots, Tiiiiikiiiiiiiiiii???? You said this blog was gonna be ALL STITCH ALL THE TIME, with none of those needless digressions about Jedi underpants and stuff like that there....
Well, listen closely, my young padawan learner, of the tale I shall tell. First off, these Olympic mascots have names, respectively, they are Muk Muk, Quatchi (who does not like to be confused with a Yeti) and Miga. AND Muk Muk, as it turns out, is not an Olympic mascot at all, but rather an OLYMPIC MASCOT SIDEKICK. Because, celebrity being what it is nowadays, evidently even Olympic mascots don't go anywhere without their posse.
We picked up these impossibly cute little spuds this weekend, in Vancouver, where we were, in fact, attending a number of Olympic events. AND HERE THE TALE TAKES A TURN! For the first event was a hockey match, where, in a vivid recall of the events of 1968, some Czech players were enjoying a peaceful early springtime until being overpowered by a bunch of Russians. But! Whilst on our somewhat circuitous route to the entrance of aforesaid Canada Hockey Place (yes, that's really what they called it. like "Canada Airport," only no joke), we wandered through a neighborhood where we noticed the signage sported quite a lot of kanji. Now, class, what does it mean when you are in The Land of Canada and you see signs translated NOT into Quebecois French but Chinese? EITHER ONE OF TWO THINGS: you have entered a casino parking lot, OR you are approaching CHINATOWN.
As it happened, it was the latter. And Chinatown means KEWL STUFF DUDE. So, we immediately proposed to Mr. Tikistitch a quick canvass of the surrounding neighborhood, once we'd finished witnessing a few peace-loving Eastern Europeans being battered into submission by a gang of former Soviets wielding hockey sticks.
To be continued....
Well, listen closely, my young padawan learner, of the tale I shall tell. First off, these Olympic mascots have names, respectively, they are Muk Muk, Quatchi (who does not like to be confused with a Yeti) and Miga. AND Muk Muk, as it turns out, is not an Olympic mascot at all, but rather an OLYMPIC MASCOT SIDEKICK. Because, celebrity being what it is nowadays, evidently even Olympic mascots don't go anywhere without their posse.
We picked up these impossibly cute little spuds this weekend, in Vancouver, where we were, in fact, attending a number of Olympic events. AND HERE THE TALE TAKES A TURN! For the first event was a hockey match, where, in a vivid recall of the events of 1968, some Czech players were enjoying a peaceful early springtime until being overpowered by a bunch of Russians. But! Whilst on our somewhat circuitous route to the entrance of aforesaid Canada Hockey Place (yes, that's really what they called it. like "Canada Airport," only no joke), we wandered through a neighborhood where we noticed the signage sported quite a lot of kanji. Now, class, what does it mean when you are in The Land of Canada and you see signs translated NOT into Quebecois French but Chinese? EITHER ONE OF TWO THINGS: you have entered a casino parking lot, OR you are approaching CHINATOWN.
As it happened, it was the latter. And Chinatown means KEWL STUFF DUDE. So, we immediately proposed to Mr. Tikistitch a quick canvass of the surrounding neighborhood, once we'd finished witnessing a few peace-loving Eastern Europeans being battered into submission by a gang of former Soviets wielding hockey sticks.
To be continued....
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