OESF Portables Forum
Everything Else => General Support and Discussion => Zaurus General Forums => Archived Forums => Deals and Great Z Buys => Topic started by: leodegranz on May 26, 2004, 03:44:15 pm
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:idea:
I ordered my C860 directly from a store in Osaka, Japan
http://www.mcljapan.com/ (http://www.mcljapan.com/)
email: sales@mcljapan.com
Here are the specifics for my transaction that ended up as $635 on my credit card:
SL-C860
JPY 65,000
Delivery 2,500
Total JPY 67,500
Handling 3,375
Discount 0
Grand total 70,875
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To where did they ship it to?
Did you get charged import taxes or did they mark it as a gift?
Nigel Bamber
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Hi,
Shipped to California, and I don\'t think they marked it as a gift. In fact, I believe it clearly listed 65000 JPY on the outside, and they just handed it to me when I picked it up at the post office, i.e., no one tried to collect any taxes from me.
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Hi,
Shipped to California, and I don\'t think they marked it as a gift. In fact, I believe it clearly listed 65000 JPY on the outside, and they just handed it to me when I picked it up at the post office, i.e., no one tried to collect any taxes from me.
Did you communicate with them at all (in english) or just buy it over the net without any?
Also - have you anglicised it yet and did you find that quite easy. I am aware of various websites offering advice but it would be good to know from some one who ahs actually done it as to how easy or difficult it really is?!
Thanks
Nigel Bamber
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Hi,
My initial inquiries were performed via email, and at least one person, T. Sunder, understands English. The final order submission was performed via fax.
The english conversion was easy, and I went from Japanese-]English-]Japanese-]bi lingual support-]English in about two hours.
hope this helps
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Hi,
My initial inquiries were performed via email, and at least one person, T. Sunder, understands English. The final order submission was performed via fax.
The english conversion was easy, and I went from Japanese-]English-]Japanese-]bi lingual support-]English in about two hours.
hope this helps
WHat was the final out the door price?
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It was $635 plus change for everything including the EMS shipping to the door (I live in California).
The post office (I had to pick it up at the post office because it arrived a day earlier than expected) didn\'t ask for the import tax referenced by Nigel; I don\'t know if I was just lucky.
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I\'ve been told that the US doesn\'t charge duty on electronics. I have no confirmation on this - US Customs\' website isn\'t comprehendable.
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Hmmm, his price has gone up. My quote from this place came out to 74550 Yen = $676 USD shipped and payable by credit card, 71000 Yen = $646 USD by wire transfer.
Also, he wants a fax of your driver\'s license or Social Security card if paying by credit card. That sounds like a recipe for identity theft.
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I\'ve been told that the US doesn\'t charge duty on electronics. I have no confirmation on this - US Customs\' website isn\'t comprehendable.
As far as I can tell the US does atleast list things like portable computers in a import tax group so it should be taxed. I didn\'t get taxed when I imported mine so ho knows.
for refrence things like portable computers seem to fall under the grouping headed by neucular power devices and equitment. least thats ware I found it.
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Interesting....I got a $685 quote from him...but with no identity checks as wmadan mentioned. I think I am going to wait and see if there are other suppliers I can work with. Price fluctuation is never a good sign.
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I take it back- wrong store.... :roll:
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I faxed my driver\'s license and credit card number. Basically they required the address on your credit card to synch with your driver\'s license. I didn\'t think it was an unusual request given the nature of the transaction (sight unseen), but I would not send anyone my ssn...
I am assuming the price is rising due to supply and demand issues.
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leodegranz,
I, too, live in California. How long did it take to ship from Japan once you faxed over your order? I\'m leaving on a trip and wondering if the post office will hold it until my return.
Bill
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Shipped Monday 20:44 (Japan) / Sunday (USA)
Arrived in SF on Tuesday
Attempted Delivery on Wednesday 14:21
I wasn\'t home because I didn\'t expect it to come so quickly :!:
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Just got word from T. Sunder that he quoted me a higher price. Now the price is back down to 68,000 Yen if funds are wired; 71,550 Yen if paid by credit card.
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I just received my zaurus on 5 June from mcljapan. I paid 61000 yen for a zaurus 760 but was offered a 860 at no extra charge (see below to find out why). There aren\'t any people posting their experiences on this forum regarding mcljapan, as compared to dynamism, japan-direct, shirt-pocket, etc, so, this is my experience with them:
Good Points:
1. Honesty: A day before shipping, they informed me that the zaurus c760\'s package was not good and offered me the c860 instead.
2. Good buisness ethics: They offered me the zaurus c860 at no extra charge. I had already made payment for the zaurus c760 prior to the change.
3. Prompt replies to emails: All my inquiries were answered within a day, within 12 hours on average.
4. Quick and cheap delivery: My purchase was sent for shipping within 1-2 days after payment was made. Shipping and delivery took another 3 days. They used EMS postal service, which is fast and very cheap, compared to DHL, FedEx or UPS.
5. Cheap price of product: I got a quote of 61000 yen for the zaurus 760 in late May (without shipping and other charges). Not exactly Akihabara prices, but well below the recommended sale price.
6. Able to communicate in english: The website is in English, with a Japanese version too. You can email in English to T.Sunder at sales@mcljapan.com
Bad points:
1. Lack of credit card payment options: At least for me in Singapore. I think they accept US credit cards.
2. No formal invoice or order form: Ordering was done through email exchanges.
3. No return, refund, repair or exchange policy: I was afraid that I might receive a defective/scratched/incomplete product. When I asked them what their stand was, their reply was \"DONT BUY FROM US IF YOU ARE DOUBTFUL WHEN DEALING WITH US\". :mrgreen: Some people might find that rude, but I guess it\'s true--the consumer is ultimately responsible for his/her purchase decisions, after considering the risks involved. Luckily, it worked out fine for me.
Overall, my dealings with mcljapan was smooth and uneventful, except when they offered to change the model. Somehow I got the impression that these guys were the utilitarian and no-frills sort, because they only sent me emails when necessary, and all their emails were concise. Maybe I\'m paranoid, but I would have liked it if they gave me a daily update of my purchase. It is unnerving to wonder, after payment is made, whether the seller would be honouring their side of the deal.
Summary of total costs (100 yen = US$0.9105 = EUR 0.7394):
Zaurus c860: 61000 yen / US$555.39 / EUR 451.03
EMS shipping (to Singapore): 2000 yen / US$18.21 / EUR 14.79
Wire transfer charges: 4454 yen / US$40.55 / EUR 32.94
Singapore import tax: 3020 yen / US$27.50 / EUR 22.33
Total: 70474 yen / US$641.80 / EUR 521.32
The total does not include a couple of dollars I lost in the currency exchange and a converter I had to buy to transform 220V to Japan\'s 100V supply.
Of course, don\'t expect to get a zaurus c860 for 61000 yen like I did, if you are buying online. You might get that price if you go to a store in Japan though.
Final words:
Don\'t let my review sway you too much. Just look at what happened to the people who bought their zaurus from K on ebay (search the forums for background). That being said, this posting adds 1 more positive review for mcljapan. Hopefully that number grows to a statistically significant number.