console game importing

kidneythief · Post by **kidneythief** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:17 pm

Mint imports are extremely overpriced.

Im thinking it would be cheaper to go to japan on vacation, buy a large supply from a bin somewhere, come home and make back the money selling extras at the incredible price that western folk are accustomed to. Theres no way some of these games sell so high in their homeland.

Post by **Icarus** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:24 pm

I beg to differ. Some of these games are highly priced even in Japan. For example, the limited edition Border Down with the soundtrack disc can retail for around 15,000Y (£80-90), Silvergun still reaches 20,000Y, Recca on the NES is about 14,000Y - which isn't bad for an ancient scoreattack cartridge - and ZanacXZanac is about 10,000Y.

These are just the really popular, sought after stuff though. Regular games go for peanuts. And of course, if you have patience, you can score bargains. I recently picked up ZanacXZanac off Yahoo Auctions Japan for about 4,900Y (£25-30)

Besides, the cost of going to Japan for a few days, spending ages bargain-hunting, and then carting the stuff over to where you live either via post or in a big bag (with the subsequent customs costs) isn't really worth it. I'd rather go for the sightseeing.

kidneythief · Post by **kidneythief** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 7:48 pm

Oh yeah sure there are games that are expensive there as well but a lot of popular imports seem like bargain bin kinda games.

not that I've been to japan or anything, but for some reason I don't see psikyo collection and best of re releases retailing at 40 USD in japan

well i can still afford to import 2 or 3 per month and thats probably more than i need

Tychom · Post by **Tychom** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:23 pm

kidneythief wrote: not that I've been to japan or anything, but for some reason I don't see psikyo collection and best of re releases retailing at 40 USD in japan

Seems you're not totally aware of japanese prices then, knock yourself out.

Course it's variable, but generally new games are higher priced than US new releases, just like in Europe. It's just the US prices that are low & not other countries prices that are particularly high.

visuatrox · Post by **visuatrox** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:30 pm

Even though I'm not really an expert on this, but as far as I know Japanese are used to paying much for their entertainment. Not only are Japanese games expensive, so is also their CD's and DVD's. Kind of like here in bad ol Sweden, console games retail here for around $80 in stores. But then you also have to consider that the USD is not so strong either.

I guess you could get slightly better deal if you went to Japan, but don't count on seeing any $15 price tags on shmups like you would in US. If you want cheap then you should look at other Asian countries (for example Chinese and Korean entertainment is generally much cheaper, but when it comes to games still not cheaper than US).

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:35 pm

You are about 5 years late with this idea. You could make a few bucks indeed if you did it, but there's no way you could finance a trip. Those golden days are over, and only a few very lucky people were actually in Japan to reap the most benefits when it happened (1999-2000... 2001 is when it started to became a buyers market, not a sellers).

not that I've been to japan or anything, but for some reason I don't see psikyo collection and best of re releases retailing at 40 USD in japan

I've never bought a best of, but they retail cheaper than a new price. Probably around 3000 yen or so...maybe 3500 yen, in which case they're sold through import stores for $40. In a nutshell, those import shops are not ridiculously over priced.

For the most part, you could do maybe a 10-20% increase for used games... assuming you're able to sell ALL the games you pick up, and 10-12% (some 0%) for most new ones.

Remember your ticket will cost you easily $600, maybe $800 or $1000, and the cost of being there will easily cost you $100 per day if you live on a super tight budget and don't do any sight-seeing.

IlMrm · Post by **IlMrm** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 8:45 pm

GaijinPunch wrote: if you live on a super tight budget and don't do any sight-seeing.

Capsule hotels, and udons at the train stations where standing only.

But as mentioned before in other threads, it is so hard not to spend while in Japan.

The cheapest games I found in Japan was Resident Evil(Biohazard) CV for 400 Yen new, and Grandia II for 200 Yen new. I also picked up Zero Gunner 2 new for 2600 Yen.

Giga Wing 2 used set me back for 4800 Yen.

kidneythief · Post by **kidneythief** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 9:47 pm

Taking the price of a ticket into consideration, I would never go to japan for the sole purpose of buying videogames unless I was running a business related to that (starting an import shop for example), but if I was there on vacation anyway theres no reason I would take advantage of domestic prices. Import shops are basically the middle man, and some are more honest than others, However theres a place I've been to down town where even US releases of say dreamcast games have risen over 90 USD, which is just absurd. The 2 titles that were that high were US releases of bangai-o and Gigawing 2. GigaWing 2 when it first came out, was very very cheap ;;

Alske · Post by **Alske** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:15 pm

I don't find import stores to be overpriced for new Japanese games. As for used, I found that unless you where willing to really shop around then you wouldn't get a much better deal on the streets of Japan than on Ebay.

Stuff I bought:
Gigawing 2: 4400 yen used.
Daioujou: 3500 yen used.
ESP Galuda: 7000 yen new.
Zero Gunner 2: 3500 yen new.

Stuff I didn't:
Metal Black: 5800 yen used.
Border Down: 8000 yen used.
Thunder Force Gold Pack 2: 12,000 yen used.

Then there is the "interestingly" priced non-shooter stuff:
Comix Zone: 30,000 yen used.
Soul Hackers Extra Dungeon: 50,000 yen used.

Jaguar stuff is also absurdly expensive.

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:19 pm

kidneythief wrote:well i can still afford to import 2 or 3 per month and thats probably more than i need

Then what is this topic for, exactly? To discuss whether or not it's worth travelling overseas for video games?

Oh, please. How many americans do you see hiking to gaming stores in europe of all places, just to pick up Guilty Gear XX #Reload? Nobody.

The moral of the story is, if it's a game that you want bad enough, you'll pay the price.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:35 pm

Soul Hackers Extra Dungeon: 50,000 yen used.

How many years ago was this? Even Medialand had it for well under 20,000 yen at one point. O_o

kidneythief · Post by **kidneythief** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 10:36 pm

Elixir wrote:
kidneythief wrote:well i can still afford to import 2 or 3 per month and thats probably more than i need
Then what is this topic for, exactly? To discuss whether or not it's worth travelling overseas for video games?

Oh, please. How many americans do you see hiking to gaming stores in europe of all places, just to pick up Guilty Gear XX #Reload? Nobody.

The moral of the story is, if it's a game that you want bad enough, you'll pay the price.

nah I should think not~!

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 11:17 pm

I think GaijinPunch pretty much covered everything, but... yes, games are expensive here. The prices go up 10 to 20 percent when you leave Japan, but this is a small margin and really unreliable. Not counting the cost of a plane ticket, tou might make some money, you might not - ebay is fickle. Counting the cost of a plane ticket (or even a hotel room for one day...) you'll lose money.

On another note, Zanac x Zanac has gotten more expensive recently - it's going for 10000 to 12000 yen now. I've got a feeling it'll fall back down to 8000 yen again, but for now it sells for a premium.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Mon Jul 11, 2005 11:25 pm

kidneythief wrote:
Elixir wrote:The moral of the story is, if it's a game that you want bad enough, you'll pay the price.
nah I should think not~!

As per usual, Elixir isn't really right. The moral of the story is that if something is too good to be true (making enough money on selling games to finance a trip to Japan) then it probably is.

Capt. Takehiko · Post by **Capt. Takehiko** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 1:32 am

I pick stuff up there when I go for a more important reason but you know in Australia that idea isn't so far-fetched. Look no further then here.

SAM · Post by **SAM** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 10:50 am

I guess it would be a great oppontunity to picking up some Dojin games during a visit. But does anyone know where to get them. I really don't think a ordinary Games store nor department stores would carry Dojin games.

P.S. - Resin kits is also a good idea. But if you want Dojin Kits you would have to play your visit during WF.

kidneythief · Post by **kidneythief** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 1:39 pm

***As per usual, Elixir isn't really right. The moral of the story is that if something is too good to be true (making enough money on selling games to finance a trip to Japan) then it probably is.***

Yeah it wouldn't finance the trip but it might finance the cost of the games themselves, retroactively.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 2:13 pm

Games are more expensive in their homeland than in the US, but many import stores are fairly priced and you can find some good deals from reliable sellers on ebay. Believe it or not, there is a variety of trustworthy Japanese sellers on ebay with great feedback and reasonable shipping. Also, some older games are actually very cheap. Re-release import games in are usually inexpensive.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:16 pm

BrianC wrote:Games are more expensive in their homeland than in the US

dczx · Post by **dczx** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:22 pm

From what I've heard, most import games that we buy do fetch a high price even in Japan. (neo geo cd titles, for example)

captain ahar · Post by **captain ahar** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:02 pm

Capt. Takehiko wrote:I pick stuff up there when I go for a more important reason but you know in Australia that idea isn't so far-fetched. Look no further then here.

that website is hilarious!

Capt. Takehiko · Post by **Capt. Takehiko** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:57 am

And the best thing is they BUY THOSE GAMES. Climax Landers for 145$, I still cannot get over how amazing that is.

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:24 am

dczx wrote:From what I've heard, most import games that we buy do fetch a high price even in Japan. (neo geo cd titles, for example)

High price in Japan yes, higher than in the US, the UK, Australia, etc... generally no.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 2:20 am

High price in Japan yes, higher than in the US, the UK, Australia, etc... generally no.

Never, unless it's something that just doesn't sell well in America. Rare mahjong and pachinko crap comes to mind.

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 4:29 am

GaijinPunch wrote: Never, unless it's something that just doesn't sell well in America. Rare mahjong and pachinko crap comes to mind.

Yeah, adventure games generally fall in there too. RPGs have just as much of a language barrier but people buy 'em up anyways.