how to buy from this site?

[agnostic10]

I come from China,and i want to buy drama cd,manga,novel from rakuten.co.jp but i could not register on it,hmm,it needs the japanese address... how to do?hmm,and how to pay it i also not clearly,my japanese is ....mada mada......OJZ....Onegaishimasu!

 

[Haruspex]

If it needs a Japanese address, you've had it. No way around.

 

[epigene]

Too bad, but many Internet vendors do not ship overseas. If it says you need a Japanese address, you won't be able to buy.

Thread moved to "Japan Practical."

 

[Mike Cash]

Just because somebody in Japan puts something on the "world wide web" doesn't mean they intend to interact with everybody in the world. Most (especially merchants) think they're on the "Japan wide web" and get irked when outsiders try to nose their way in.

It is helpful to imagine the population of Japan all forming a line along the seashore encircling Japan, holding hands and facing inland.

 

[Haruspex]

Just because somebody in Japan puts something on the "world wide web" doesn't mean they intend to interact with everybody in the world. Most (especially merchants) think they're on the "Japan wide web" and get irked when outsiders try to nose their way in.

It is helpful to imagine the population of Japan all forming a line along the seashore encircling Japan, holding hands and facing inland.

I had the pleasure of experiencing that firsthand, when I attempted to buy an item on yahoo auctions that said international shipping available, afterwards I received an email from the seller saying that he flagged it as international because he didn't think an international purchaser would try to buy it. (uuuh? Wha?) Lacking the language skills to formulate some uber polite and complex complaint, I didn't bother complaining to yahoo auctions, since I hadn't paid for the item yet. But yeah, it was a nice, heartwarming experience.

 

[ArmandV]

For CDs, you may want to give CD Japan a try. I've had no problem ordering from them.

CDJapan : Japanese Anime, Jpop, Japanese music, Game music, Japanese movie, CD, DVD

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I don't understand why people try to buy things from websites in languages they don't understand. It just causes problems.

Why not learn the language first, or barring that, travel to Japan to buy these things?

Sorry to be off topic, but this has been bothering me for some time now.

 

[Haruspex]

I don't understand why people try to buy things from websites in languages they don't understand. It just causes problems.

Why not learn the language first, or barring that, travel to Japan to buy these things?

Sorry to be off topic, but this has been bothering me for some time now.

1, They may be collectors.

2, I personally have a few Chinese mates who can in fact understand (I put trust in their claims to this extent) some of what is written in Japanese texts.

3, There is a difference between being unable to understand the whole text or audio stream, and understanding some of it. If people refused to pick up articles difficult for them to understand, that would kill the whole notion of learning stone dead.

 

[Udongein]

The problem with accepting purchases from abroad is the fact that it increases the probability of ~something,anything~ going wrong with the order.

-The buyer and seller may not be able to communicate effectively.
-It can get held up at customs.
-Money can be converted incorrectly.
-Credit cards and bank transfers are different according to country. Although I can use my American Visa card in many places in Japan, there are some places where for some reason it just doesn't process. (I'm not sure why, but it's not a big deal anyhow).

Basically, it's just a lot more trouble for the seller. Just let me give an example.

I bought a bookshelf off of Rakuten last year using above mentioned Visa card. A few days later the retailer e-mailed me any said they can't process the card. I e-mailed them back apologising and sent a bank transfer (furikomi) the next day. My bookshelf arrived fine some days later and all was well.

HOWEVER

If I were doing the same exact order in America and couldn't speak fluent Japanese, there would be 2 large problems.

1. How would I read the mail they sent me explaining the problem?
2. How would I pay for the bookshelf? I can't furikomi from America and Rakuten doesn't use anything like Paypal. (I don't know about China so forgive me here but it's a theorhetical story anyhow)

So it would end with a frustrated supplier and a shelfless me.

That being said, it WOULD be very nice if Japanese online stores would become more open to overseas customers. The person on Yahoo Auctions selected the "Will ship overseas" option should ship overseas too.

 

[Haruspex]

I am of the same opinion, however little our opinions may count for.
Its simply that refusing the cards of overseas customers is a bad business decision. It is laziness, it is lazy because the issue could be solved. A number of emails, letters, phone calls, faxes on the part of the company, and they would have a perfectly working system.
It is the lack of flexibility.

 

[vthanh_88]

i come from china,and i want to buy drama cd,manga,novel from rakuten.co.jp but i could not register on it,hmm,it needs the japanese address... How to do?hmm,and how to pay it i also not clearly,my japanese is ....mada mada......ojz....onegaishimasu!

 

[Haruspex]

That is just such a bloody material contribution.

 

[Putrefaction]

I don't understand why people try to buy things from websites in languages they don't understand. It just causes problems.

Why not learn the language first, or barring that, travel to Japan to buy these things?

Sorry to be off topic, but this has been bothering me for some time now.

Caparison guitars. Look at their prices, then go to Digimart.

If it saves me 1k I'm pretty sure I'm going to try.