Are the items at BiG approximately what you'd pay to have them purchased in japan and shipped here, or do they charge a significant premium for their stuff?
I believe they are fairly comparable. The bit more that they do charge is entirely worth it for the ability to return though.
Well, to convert the yen to US dollar, multiply by .01 For example, the Samurai S5000VX I recently bought are 24,740 yen or approx $247. I bought these from BIG for $285. You'll pay at least this much for a buying service so I wouldn't consider the markup too extreme. Plus, you can always send them back to BIG if you get the wrong size.
Well, to convert the yen to US dollar, multiply by .01 For example, the Samurai S5000VX I recently bought are 24,740 yen or approx $247. I bought these from BIG for $285. You'll pay at least this much for a buying service so I wouldn't consider the markup too extreme. Plus, you can always send them back to BIG if you get the wrong size. 24 740 Japanese yen = 207.916632 U.S. dollars Estimate about a charge of 10 bucks per item, for shipping / -30 bucks (probably more) for wholesale, and I'd say their markup is decently higher than the 247 to 285 you propose. You'd pay for convenience and the ability to return, but it seems to come at a hefty premium.
The conversion multiplier is actually closer to 0.0083. So, an item that costs 24,740 Yen would be around $207 USD if you were buying it from a store in Japan. It will obviously cost a bit more from the US through a delivery service once you add in all of shipping and service charges. Like PG2G said, the advantage of buying from BiG is that you can return items if you order the wrong size, which (especially with items like jeans) is definitely worth the extra cost over using a bidding/delivery service. Edit: Looks like kronik beat me to the post.
24,740 yen is only $207 nowadays. I forget how much the buying services charge, but they aren't cheap. I ended up paying more for my PBJ than they are on BiG. I'm sure they have to pay whatever import fees/taxes on this stuff so its not like they are overcharging. Look at the markup of a lot of the other foreign brands. 45rpm, for example. Or maybe Nudie.
the only case i'd say it isnt worth it is if you can buy from the company directly like when samuari used to sell directly.... but with middleman makeups and shipping, it almost identical. someone paid $309 shipped for a pair of samuari black to their house. thats exactly what i paid including tax from BIG. ny tax is so fucking much though, better off mailordering from BIG next time
ny tax is so fucking much though, better off mailordering next time Now thats smart! Duh, why didn't I think of that? Is tax more than the shipping costs though? I'm assuming it is, but by how much, I wonder. I haven't registered so I can't login to find out for myself. Anybody know?
Now thats smart! Duh, why didn't I think of that? Is tax more than the shipping costs though? I'm assuming it is, but by how much, I wonder. I haven't registered so I can't login to find out for myself. Anybody know? i corrected myself in the above incase you got confused about what i was trying to say....i'd go for BIG
Well, I live in Jersey, so by mailordering from BIG rather than purchasing in store, I'd avoid the NY sales tax. Not sure how the shipping costs compare though.
Well, I live in Jersey, so by mailordering from BIG rather than purchasing in store, I'd avoid the NY sales tax. Not sure how the shipping costs compare though. ha, never even considered that...back to square 1...
WIld style, good point. Obviously I bought from him directly in the store, so I didn't have to pay shipping either. the only case i'd say it isnt worth it is if you can buy from the company directly like when samuari used to sell directly.... but with middleman makeups and shipping, it almost identical. someone paid $309 shipped for a pair of samuari black to their house. thats exactly what i paid including tax from BIG. ny tax is so fucking much though, better off mailordering from BIG next time