Daiwa Zillion at Amazon Japan?

[Fishin Dad]

I think I am finally going to dive into the Japan market for a new reel.   I found the best deal on Amazon Japan.   Has anyone else used them before for a reel purchase?   Digitaka also has them for a bit more.   What are your thoughts on the Japanese market?

 

Thanks

[Tatulatard]

1 hour ago, Fishin Dad said:

I think I am finally going to dive into the Japan market for a new reel.   I found the best deal on Amazon Japan.   Has anyone else used them before for a reel purchase?   Digitaka also has them for a bit more.   What are your thoughts on the Japanese market?

 

Thanks

Doesn't Amazon Japan require a 3rd party like buyee?   I would just get one from the usual suspects. 

[bulldog1935]

The Japanese market is a big discount right now with JY130 to the $. 

I've been shopping Japan for 20 years, and any time it's over JY100 to the $ it's a good buy. 

Amazon should subtract Japan VAT first once you're logged in and have the reel in your cart, which will be about the same amount as the shipping cost.  Amazon.JP  uses their own Customs broker into US, which is faster through Customs than USPS ISC - especially Chicago (which is running about 2 weeks to clear Customs now). 

Upgrade to DHL 4-day express through Amazon is only $5 - DHL clears Customs in the air flying to Cincinnati. 

[JustJames]

I got a couple reels from Amazon, they have been great so far. The shipping cost is about 2000 yens now compare to 1400 year ago. I also got mostly rods from Digitaka, they are pretty comparable price a little bit more but better selection. Good thing about order from Digitaka, you can order dress up part and knob along with your reel order.

[Jrob78]

I've never ordered from Amazon Japan but Digitaka is my first stop for JDM reels. I've placed orders from Digitaka and TW on the same day multiple times and the Digitaka order normally arrives first. Great prices and free shipping on reels, can't beat it.

[newapti5]

I got a few (actually 5~6) reels from Amazon Japan, and it's been great. The price is among the lowest on JDM tackle retailer websites, they don't charge tax, and shipping is pretty fast.  A few things that I've observed: 

 

1. Not all reels listed on Amazon Japan can be shipped to US, mostly just the ones that ship from Amazon. Once you list your shipping address as a US address while setting up your Amazon Japan account, it will automatically filter out some. 

 

2. As mentioned above, the shipping cost is about 2000 yen, but the interesting thing is, once your order price is above certain amount, say $150, Amazon Japan will give you some shipping discount, sometimes almost free shipping. You can see that right before submit order.  I still haven't figured out how they calculated that; maybe you could.   

 

3. If you're using US credit/debit cards like me, you can choose to pay in US dollar or in Japan yen. If you choose pay in US dollar, Amazon will give you a currency exchange rate slightly higher than the current market rate; if you don't like that and want to pay in Japan yen, then consult your credit/debit card bank, as they might as well charge certain exchange fees (I used Wells Fargo, and they charged a $10 fees for over 20,000 yens I think). 

 

4. You can try items that are sold by Amazon itself; that's the safest but not always the cheapest. If you want to choose third party sellers, check their ratings first. On that note, the third party sellers on Amazon Japan don't have crazy amount of ratings/reviews like those on Amazon US. Usually 10~30 ratings/reviews is all you will get. I guess Japanese don't like online shopping much. 

 

5. There are some second-handed reels on Amazon Japan as well, listed by third party sellers. I haven't tried them yet, but the prices are pretty good, like this 14 Calcutta Conquest in great shape for just $180 tyd. 

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

[JustJames]

@newapti5For #2 Amazon Japan using point system, maybe that why you see the discount? I know my friend who ordered a lot got some free shipping.

#5 I didn’t know Amazon got used reels, might have to check them out.

I willing to risk order from Amazon Japan compare to Alixpress or eBay for oversea reels.

 

 

[newapti5]

37 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_SoCal said:

@newapti5For #2 Amazon Japan using point system, maybe that why you see the discount? I know my friend who ordered a lot got some free shipping.

 

Yes there're some reward points from previous orders, but that's a different feature. The shipping discount was automatically applied whether you use the reward points or not. I have been able to use points for some discount, and then on top of that still get free shipping. 

 

 

37 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_SoCal said:

#5 I didn’t know Amazon got used reels, might have to check them out.

I willing to risk order from Amazon Japan compare to Alixpress or eBay for oversea reels.

 

 

 

There aren't many second-handed reels that can be shipped to US, but yes there're some.

 

What I usually do when browsing Amazon Japan for reels, is to find any baitcaster (or spinning reel),   and then click on the "baitcasting reels" category on the top, and then choose only "Daiwa" and "Shimano" from the search filter on the left, and then sort the result by price.