The Energon Pub

There is a cycle that repeats for every non exclusive Masterpiece release from Takara.

A toy is announced at a show
Early preorders from importers show a high price (since the price is inferred)
The official preorders in Japan come out with official images and a lower price

We are in between the second and third step right now for the MP-46 Blackarachnia release with fans debating if they should preorder now from a stateside vendor or wait for Amazon Japan.

The ability for international fans to order toys from Amazon Japan is still recently new in the grand scheme of the online market so it has yet to be a norm. However, with the toys being priced higher now, there is a greater incentive to go buy from Amazon Japan since prices there are more indicative of the actual Japanese retail market where toys are sold between at 70%-80% of the MSRP issued from Takara and the shipping is both quick and inexpensive.

That being said, this article is to show fans both the pros and cons of ordering from Amazon Japan and with the pros stated above (price and quick shipping), it's time to look at the potential negatives.

What local vendors lack in price competitiveness, they make up in the simple fact that they are local and thus ease the return process if anything goes wrong. Amazon Japan will of course be very helpful with returns as well, just as Amazon is in general, but the experience can leave a lot to be desired simply on a practicality basis.

With the recent flaw of Beast Wars Megatron, where we are still getting reports of broken pelvises today, several fans had to send them back to Amazon Japan. And now we have a much better idea of what is in store if you have a problem on your toy from Amazon Japan.

Godimus Prime over at TFW2005 wrote a very detailed description of their return process with Amazon Japan and it helps us see what is involved which I will sum up for you now.

Firstly, returns can only be done through DHL. So you need to go to a DHL (or affiliate) station to ship back your item.
Secondly, you pay the shipping cost up front and Amazon Japan will reimburse you later. In the case of Megatron, that was $228 USD.
Finally, depending on how you paid for Megatron, the return may come to you in a method you do not want. For instance, in the example from Godimus Prime, since they initially paid for their item with a gift card, the return shipping expense was refunded on an Amazon giftcard. So while everything was repaid, the fan didn't really get their money back, they got $228 worth of credit. Now they have to buy from Amazon Japan again and the same cycle can happen once more if anything goes wrong.

So there you go. Some may feel the hassle involved in the chance that you have to return an item is worth the savings and some may not. Hopefully this helped, let us know what you think!

So, I guess it depends on how a person views this, and whether they will accept what could happen and the outcome.

If I could afford to get into this hobby, I would probably still go ahead and buy from Amazon Japan. If something happens to my product, I might accept the refund in credit.

In the end, I would say just go with what you would trust the most and works best for you

Hi everyone,

Hey WJ, who are the TF in the thumbnail? I can't figure out the white one (Movie Toy?), and the navy blue one (diaclone toy?)?

Thanks

TK415 wrote:Hi everyone,

Hey WJ, who are the TF in the thumbnail? I can't figure out the white one (Movie Toy?), and the navy blue one (diaclone toy?)?

Thanks

the white one is jetfire, the silver one is sideswipe and the other bot is a diaclone toy I think (don't know).

I preordered MP44 and MP45 from amazon.jp when they were discounted. I have bought alot of Macross stuff from them as well. It is kind of a surprising how cheap the shipping is. The 1/100 Bandai Macross stuff is generally about $10 and takes 2-3 days through DHL.

Not sure what I would do if MP44 or 45 arrive broken.

hausjam wrote:I preordered MP44 and MP45 from amazon.jp when they were discounted. I have bought alot of Macross stuff from them as well. It is kind of a surprising how cheap the shipping is. The 1/100 Bandai Macross stuff is generally about $10 and takes 2-3 days through DHL.

Not sure what I would do if MP44 or 45 arrive broken.

Which 1/100 bandai macross toy that is currently available on amazon Japan would you recomend?

I’ve been very happy with Amazon Japan. Of course I haven’t had breakage on my MP-43, so I have also NOT had to return anything.

Having had some experience with Hobby Link Japan, AmiAmi and Amazon.jp.... I think Amazon is my new favorite. I haven't had to return any items to any of the vendors.... but I have had items lost from Goodsmile's online store... and I never bothered to follow up (T_T). Like was mentioned in the article most folks who venture into MPs... I don't sweat the smaller 20-30 range... but when almost $100 came off for Megatron(s) or the upcoming Prime... it really takes some of that sting off.

Having plunged into a lot of the diaclone reboot I will say that short of the pre-order windows amazon.jp can be a "buyer beware" when it comes to prices. Much like "regular" amazon, the lines of the marketplace are blurred a bit, and mark ups happen.

I will say amazon.jp has the fastest (and usually free) shipping that the other importers don't often have.

william-james88 wrote:

hausjam wrote:I preordered MP44 and MP45 from amazon.jp when they were discounted. I have bought alot of Macross stuff from them as well. It is kind of a surprising how cheap the shipping is. The 1/100 Bandai Macross stuff is generally about $10 and takes 2-3 days through DHL.

Not sure what I would do if MP44 or 45 arrive broken.

Which 1/100 bandai macross toy that is currently available on amazon Japan would you recomend?

I too have been interested in the newer Marcross runs (not to derail the thread)….