Overview
Auction buying is different from fixed-price shopping.
The two most important decisions are:
- Is this listing worth bidding on?
- What is the highest winning price you can justify?
1. Save the exact auction
Record:
Auction search results and prices change constantly.
- auction ID
- source URL
- seller
- title
- photos
- current bid
- Buy It Now price if available
2. Read the full seller description
Check:
Do not bid from the title alone.
- condition
- missing parts
- tested/untested status
- junk/as-is wording
- seller rating
- domestic shipping
- return restrictions
3. Set the maximum from total delivered value
Start with the maximum total amount you are willing to spend.
Reserve money for:
The remaining amount is your bid ceiling.
- ¥300 JPS purchase fee
- Japan domestic shipping
- warehouse services
- packing
- international shipping
- import charges where applicable
- condition risk
4. Understand auction mechanics
Useful terms:
Automatic extension can push the closing time later.
- 入札 — bid
- 即決 — Buy It Now
- 自動延長 — automatic extension
- 早期終了 — early end
- 落札 — winning bid
- 送料 — shipping
- ジャンク — junk/as-is
5. Check domestic freight
For bulky items, Japan domestic shipping can be significant.
Look at:
A cheap winning bid can become expensive before the item even reaches JPS.
- seller-paid vs. buyer-paid shipping
- shipping method
- oversized freight
- remote-area charges
6. After winning
The order moves through:
Winning the auction is only the middle of the transaction.
- auction settlement
- seller domestic shipment
- warehouse arrival
- storage
- optional photos
- consolidation
- packing
- international shipping
7. JPS warehouse and shipping terms
- 60 days free storage
- basic receiving check included
- photos ¥500/item
- free consolidation
- packing from ¥500
- actual carrier international shipping
- no JPS shipping markup