Buy Online in Japan and annoy lots of people!

When we last left our hero. . .

As you read in the previous post, I am exploring the joys and sorrows of buying stuff online, while in Japan. Why Bother? I should just get out and do tourist stuff!!!! Well; my friend is preoccupied with emergency family matters, and my back is killing me. And I am still getting over that nasty case of bronchitis that almost killed my chances at a visit (Don't worry, I was loaded up with antibiotics before I left - Not contagious at all, yup!)

So time to learn to buy stuff online in Japan!

We'll start with the easiest: Amazon.co.jp and your new friend, GOOGLE CHROME.

Nice thing about Chrome, it keeps asking if you want to translate the page you are viewing.

A little auto-translation is a dangerous thing. (more on this later!!!) Fortunately, Amazon.co.jp offers its own "See this page in English" feature. A lot of stuff is sold with free shipping. And it takes Canadian credit cards! (wow! this will be a problem later, with other sites)

So Time to pick up a replacement cell phone battery for 800Y.

That was easy.

In the previous post I mentioned Rakutan, Here you get English pages that are brief machine-translated versions of the original pages. I didn't try using a Canadian credit card here - most of the stuff offers C.O.D shipping

Before you mention exchange and other fees on your credit card, let me say that fees of some kind are unavoidable. Wait until you try to change your Canadian cash at the Airport! YIKES!

Bloodsuckers!! You just have to put up with it.

So, emboldended by my Amazon and Rakutan experience, I should be ready for Yahoo Auctions, right?

HA! Behold the pit of gaijin despair! ! ! So much neat stuff, so hard to get your paws on it ! ! !

I won't even go into the hell of trying to buy stuff while OUT of Japan. Having a nice stable address in a good neighborhood is just the beginning.

Sign up, cruise some auctions, whack the TRANSLATE button often, and find that treasure you have been looking for! Well, kind of. . . First, no paypal! Something called Yahoo Settlement, also xlated as Yahoo Phlegm A good description....

Then multiple shipping options, few C.O.D options, and multiple banks to transfer to listed.

Seems that Japanese online auction folks like bank xfers!! They really, really like them. They like them better than cash! And a bank account is what YOU as a visiting furreigner aint getting!

Besides, even if you got one, the fee you pay to xfer will be between Y300 -Y550.

Unless you do it by card/ atm from Japan Post savings to Japan Post savings account, (of which you will not get, of one) (ooops there goes my syntax!)

So Time for Yahoo Phlegm!

You BID! You Win! you go to pay up! Yahoo Phlegm's nice little online form refuses to take your

damn foreign devil credit card!

OH Shit!

(continued next post.....)