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BIDDING
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INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY
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TRANSLATION
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OTHERS
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| Is a deposit required to bid? |
In order to offer our service at the lowest possible prices, we have to minimize our risk. That's why our software doesn't allow to place a bid until you have deposited the full bid amount into your account.
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| How can I deposit money into my account? |
At present, we only accept PayPal. You can deposit through PayPal using your account or credit card. PayPal supports most of the commercial globe, so no hassles of currency conversion and exchange regulations are involved in your transactions.
When depositing funds in your account, please go only through the "deposit button" in the member area.
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| How is your exchange rate determined? |
We don't have our own exchange rates. To avoid exchange rate hassles, we accept your bid amount only in Japanese Yen. When you send us money, it will be exchanged by PayPal at their own exchange rate.
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| When do I pay for my auction items? |
Before you place a bid, you will have to deposit the full amount of your bid into your account. You are not allowed to place a higher amount than you have in your account.
You are expected to pay other fees and commissions ASAP. When your payment is received, we will ship your item to you. We recommend you to deposit larger funds than your estimations in order we can ship your items as soon as they arrive to us.
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| What if I win the auction at a lower price than my bid? |
While we are procesing your won auctions, our system will automatically add the rest of your money back to your account. You can request a refund for the rest of your deposit, or leave it in your account for future auctions.
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| How do I make a larger deposit? |
We strongly recommend that you deposit your maximum bid amount immediately, in order to avoid having to make a deposit at the last moment. However, you can increase your deposit amount any time you want to, simply by sending money to your account through PayPal.
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| What if I do not win the auction? |
You can request a refund and withdraw your deposit, or you can leave it in your account to fund future auctions. We try to immediately handle your refund requests in our office hours. However transfering your funds back to your PayPal account can take some few days. Thank you for your patience.
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| Can I retract or cancel my bid? Or withdraw my deposit before the auction ends? |
Once it's placed, you won't be able to cancel or retract your bid . You can withdrawal your deposit only if you are outbid.
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| How can I get a refund? |
You may receive a refund within 60 days of the PayPal transfer date. After 60 days, you may still receive a refund, but you will have to pay PayPal a commission. If you want a refund, please go through the "refund" button in the member area. We try to immediately handle your refund requests in our office hours. However transfering your funds back to your PayPal account can take some few days. Thank you for your patience.
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| Do you bid on behalf of me or do I bid myself? |
We offer "real time" bidding feature which allows you to bid on auctions yourself. This way, you can bid anytime you want and adjust your bid amount as you want.
If for any reason, you don't want to bid yourself, we can gladly assist you and place your bid on your behalf. To do this, please go through the contact us form because the "bid" button in your account area is to place bids in "real time" only.
Important: We are not able to place "last moment bids" on your behalf. Thank you for your comprhension.
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| Can I order you goods from any online shop in Japan? |
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Sure. Please feel free to order us goods from any online shop in Japan. You should use our contact us page to do this and not to use the bid button in the member area. Because the bid button is created only for placing "real time "bids.
For your orders from online shops in Japan, our pricing is same as auctions but there are some differences when you buy multiple items from the same shop:
If you purchase more than 1 from exactly the same item, the flat service fee applies only once.
If the items you buy from the same shop are different as model name, size, color etc., we'll take them as different orders and service fee will apply for each.
The example below may be helpful to understand how we price such orders
| Example order 1 |
1 pair of Adidas Stan Smith sneakers Size: US9 Color: White |
| Price |
10000yen |
| Service fee (flat) |
1000yen |
| Commission (8%) |
800yen |
| Domestic handling |
1000yen (any excess will be charged) |
| Total |
12800yen |
| International delivery fee and any other fee that may be charged by the seller are to be borne by you. |
| Example order 2 |
2 pairs of Adidas Stan Smith sneakers Size: US9 Color: White |
| Price |
20000yen |
| Service fee (flat) |
1000yen |
| Commission (8%) |
1600yen |
| Domestic handling |
1000yen (any excess will be charged) |
| Total |
23600yen |
| International delivery fee and any other fee that may be charged by the seller are to be borne by you. |
| Example order 3 |
2 pairs of Adidas Stan Smith sneakers Size: US9 and US10 Color: White |
| Price |
20000yen |
| Service fee (flat) |
2000yen |
| Commission (8%) |
1600yen |
| Domestic handling |
1000yen (any excess will be charged) |
| Total |
24600yen |
| International delivery fee and any other fee that may be charged by the seller are to be borne by you. |
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| How old must I be to use your service? |
You must be at least 20 years of age to place bids using our service.
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| Can I bid if I am not from the US? |
If you are able to send us money through PayPal, you can bid from anywhere in the world.
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| How does "Maximum Bid" work? |
When you enter a bid significantly higher than the current high bid, then the system will automatically bid for you up to the point of your maximum bid. This makes it less necessary to be online at the time the auction ends.
The amount of the bid will be the minimum needed to outbid competing bidders.
For example, if the current high bid is 1000 yen, and you bid 2000 yen, then a bid of 1100 yen will be automatically placed for you. If someone else bids 1500 yen, then a bid of 1600 yen will be placed for you - and so on.
If someone bids 2100 yen, then an email will be generated to you that you have been outbid.
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| Do I have to pay you a fee for each item I bid on, even if the items are from the same seller? |
You don't have to pay the flat domestic handling fee (1000 yen) for additional items bought from the same seller at the same day.
However, since we must still handle and process separately for each auction listing, you will still be charged a commission of 1000yen + 8% for each auction even if you bid on multiple items from the same seller.
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| What if I realize I've made a mistake? |
Immediately contact us then we will do our best to help you. Please note that you'll be charged a fee of 5000yen + 10% over the auction closing price if a cancellation is needed. Because it requires making reasonable efforts for negociating with the seller to have the auction cancelled. However we can not guarantee a cancellation anyway... That's the reason why you must be very careful when you place a bid. More than 2 auction defaults may result in a loss of bidding status.
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| What do I do if I need help? |
Please email to us through the "contact us" form with all auction questions then we will try get back to you as soon as possible.
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| Can I receive any size item? |
We use EMS and SAL of Japan Post to ship items. You can find the size and weight limitations in our services page.
If you think that the item you want to bid on maybe over-sized, please contact us before you place a bid. We can also try to use other delivery services such as Fedex but the delivery fees are quite high and we do charge a extra fee of 50% (over the international delivery) for this service. |
| What if I want to change my maximum bid? |
You can increase your bid amount at a later time but you can't decrease a maximum bid.
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| Can I have my own auction ID? |
Unfortunately, we don't support auctions won with a different user ID. Since we offer you the opportunity of placing your bid in real time, you probably won't need to use your own ID.
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| How much should I bid? |
One benefit of the auction format is that you can see what other people are willing to pay for an item. The best strategy is probably to bid the maximum amount you are willing to pay, and let your proxy enter bids as necessary.
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| Can I bid on an auction if another JapanAuctionCenter.com user has bid on it? |
If more than one member bid on the same auction, our system will only place the highest bid and others will automatically be cancelled. If you are outbid by another member don't worry, you can still try to increase your bid amount to outbid others.
Note that we only set proxy bids and try to keep your maximum bid amount as high as you can afford. Read the example below to find out our bidding system.
Example:
Member A bids 5,000yen.
Then member B bids on the same auction 7,000yen.
So the bid of member A is automatically cancelled by our system and an email is sent.
In other words, this is a kind of auction inside JapanAuctionCenter.com which allows only the highest amount to bid on Yahoo Japan Auctions. And others are eliminated.
Please note that since this is a proxy bidding system, member B may win the auction for a price lower than 7,000, or even lower than 5,000...
That's why we always suggest to place the maximum amount you are willing to pay for an auction.
Important:
When you win an auction, the amount you have to pay is the auction closing price and we don't charge you any kind of extra fees for these "Bid wars"
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| Do you still charge a flat handling also for free delivery auctions? |
Even if you win a "free delivery auction", we unfortunately have to apply the same handling fee.
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| How will you notify me when I have won an auction? |
You will be notified by email so make sure your email address is up to date.
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| How will I know if someone is outbidding me? |
In case you are outbid, our system automatically informs you by an email and your bid amount is automatically returned to your account. So if you want, you can still raise your bid amount to win the auction.
When you receive an email from us saying that you are outbid, please go the auction page to check the current bid amount. If this amount is lower than your bid, it means that you are outbid by another JapanAuctionCenter.com member.
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| Can I place a last minute bid (snipe)? |
Technically, yes.
However, there is a seller option which extends the auction for an additional 5 minutes in case there is a new bid in the last five minutes. That's why "sniping" is not easy in Japan, especially for items which many bidders want to buy.
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| How do Yahoo! Japan Auctions "Buy It Now" auctions work? |
On Yahoo! Japan, a seller can choose to set a "Buy It Now" price on an auction. This means that if someone bids that price or more, the auction is closed immediately and that bidder wins the auction. If, for any reason, you do not want to buy the item now, you must bid below the "Buy It Now" price. Please note that, unlike on Ebay, the "Buy It Now" price does not go away if someone places a lower bid. It stays in place until the auction ends or someone meets the price, which means that even if you place your bid early, someone else can still come along, use the "Buy It Now" price, and win the auction.
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What is the reason for the error message "Probably
this is not a kind of auction we can support..."? |
Our system doesn't automatically support "Dutch auctions" (an auction where more than 1 item are listed).
However, if you send us the auction URL, your bid amount and the quantity you want to purchase, we will gladly try to place your bid on your behalf (manually).
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| How can I avoid being swindled? |
Just like on Ebay and other auction sites, you need to be aware of who you are buying from. Examine seller feedbacks carefully and try to avoid sellers with few transactions or too much negative feedbacks.
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| Can I bid on items from any auction site in Japan? |
At the moment, we can only offer our service for Yahoo! Japan Auctions. We'll be able to expand our services very soon, please stay tuned.
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| Any tip to win an auction? |
We strongly recommend you to learn how "proxy bidding" and "bid extension" works in Japan.
Proxy bidding: When you place a bid, you enter the maximum amount you'd be willing to pay for the item. Your maximum amount is kept confidential from other bidders and the seller.
The system compares your bid to those of the other bidders.
The system places bids on your behalf, using only as much of your bid as is necessary to maintain your high bid position (or to meet the reserve price). The system will bid up to your maximum amount.
If another bidder has a higher maximum, you'll be outbid. BUT, if no other bidder has a higher maximum, you win the item. And you could pay significantly less than your maximum price! This means you don't have to keep coming back to re-bid every time another bid is placed.
Bid extension: Unlike Ebay,if a bid is placed during the last 5 minutes of an auction, the auction will be automatically extended to 5 minutes left. The auction will close once all bidding activity has stopped for a period of 5 minutes.
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| What if JapanAuctionCenter.com never receives my item? |
We will treat this situation as a "fraudulent auction" and file a complaint with the auction Web site. We will keep you informed of the results of the complaint. This, however, is the extent of our responsibility. We do not issue refunds, nor will we initiate a judicial proceeding on your behalf. If you wish to pursue you claim further, we can put you in contact with a local attorney (Note that all legal disputes due to an auction transaction will be in a court located in Japan and all costs of such a process will be borne by you).
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| When will you ship my items? |
If you don't have any other pending bids, we try to ship your items as soon as they arrive to us. If you have bids coming soon and want to have them sent to you all together, please use the "hold my shipment" buttont "my won bids" page; then we will wait until you tell us to send them.
You are expected to pay all fees and commissions before we ship your item to you. We recommend you to deposit larger funds than your estimations in order we can ship your items as soon as they arrive to us.
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| When will I receive my items? |
When the shipment is done, we send you an email with your Japan Post tracking number. Then you can check the status of your consignement from Japan Post Website.
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| Do you charge a commission or handling fee on international delivery? |
We don't charge commission or handling fee on international delivery in case we send items as they are (or as the seller sent them to us) If a packing or re-packing is needed, you'll be charged an extra fee depending on material and labour we used.
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| Will my money be refunded if my item arrives damaged, or never arrives? |
We are in no way responsible for damaged or missing items. All auction items will carry postal insurance, and any problems should be addressed to the Post Office. We will gladly provide you with the necessary information to begin your insurance claim.
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| How much the international delivery fee would cost if I buy this item? |
The international delivery fee is based on the weight of the item and we can not tell you how much it would cost before the item arrives to us.
However, you can roughly estimate the international delivery fee from Japan Post web site.
If you need a quotation for an item of a size which is not listed in Japan Post Website (generally an over-sized item), so please send us your estimations for weight (kg) and volume (as cm "lenght * width * depth" after packing).
Then we can give you an approximative idea about the international delivery fee.
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| Can you translate the Japanese pages for me? |
Since millions of auction items are listed, this would be next to impossible. That's why we DO NOT translate pages for you. We just link them to a Web translator. You can also use other Web translators and compare translation results to avoid mistakes. Some Web translators that we can recommend you are
-Google Language Tools
-Babel Fish (Alta Vista)
-Excite
These sites are translating through URL; which means that you only need to copy and paste the URL of the page you want to translate and then submit.
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| Is it possible to mark a low value on the post label when sending my items? |
Unfortunately we can NOT do this. Please check the duties and taxes you have to pay before bidding on an item.
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| Can you ask to the seller a question for me? |
Unfortunately we don't offer this service. Please try to bid on an auction only if you think that everything is well explained in the auction page.
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| How do I display the Japanese characters on my computer? |
You probably won't have to do this. Web translators translate through a URL. That means that if you copy and paste the URL of a Japanese page, you'll have it translated into Western characters. But if you do need to translate a piece of text and not a whole page, you will have to download and run a Japanese IME on your computer. If you are using MS Windows, you can find a Japanese IME on the Microsoft Web site. Click here to go to the Japanese IME download page.
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| I can't read Japanese! How will I find what I'm looking for? |
Searching a Japanese Web site is not easy for a non-Japanese speaker; there are 3 different alphabets in Japanese, and often you need to use a combination of them and latin characters, too! To help you, we have compiled a list of past searches (in English) in the search directory on our front page. If you can't find exactly what you are looking for in the search directory, please don't hesitate to send us a search request and a JapanAuctionCenter.com representative will gladly assist you.
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| I am a new bidder and I just won an auction. What should I do now? |
If you want to bid on other auctions and have them sent to you all together, just click "Hold my shipments" button; we won't ship your items untill you click the same button to have your shipments released.
You don't have to deposit money until your items arrive to our warehouse in Japan. We will inform you about the international delivery fee, as soon as they are ready to ship.
Always keep your profile updated and make sure that the delivery address is correct. We send items only to member profile address.
Keep tracking your auction status from "My won bids" page in the account area.
It will be changed respectively for:
- PENDING: You won the auction we are trying to contact the seller now. Your auction status won't be immediately changed to "PENDING", because we process auctions in the next business day.
- PAID: We sent the payment to the seller and we are waiting for your items arrive to us
- ARRIVED TO US: Your items arrived to our warehouse in Japan.
- READY TO SHIP: We created documents needed for the shipment (such as invoices and post labels) and your items will be sent to you very shortly.
Please note that once your items are at "Ready to ship" status, we won't be able to receive any changement request such as holding or combining your shipments.
- SENT TO YOU:Your items are now in the way to your home. An automatized email will be sent to you for the tracking information.
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