this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2023
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I've seen the same item (same pictures etc) on Alibaba, AliExpress and Amazon, each time with a 100-200% markup. It's insane how the exact same item is $10 shipped from AliX but $30 on Amazon. Obviously the greater trust in Amazon vs AliX allows for greater markup when selling on that platform.
I bought 6 pairs of ear buds from Ali express. 2 of them aren't great, cheap sound, bad charge, etc. The other 4 are nice, not quite as good as my wife's airpods, but I can't really tell without doing a side by side. A few are airpod design knock off, one set are loop buds, the other are nicer gel plugs. All of that cost me $38 shipped, and there is no rhyme or reason to the pricing. The best pair was $7, the worst $8, there is a $3 pair I really like and keep as a backup at work. I look at any of those on Amazon and the cheapest is $30 LOL.
Haha, and you know that Amazon seller is either the same AliX seller or some idiot who bought a book on how drop shipping can make them millions.
AliX can be amazing quality sometimes but like Yahoo Japan you need your hand held at bit. I use AliX for watches and watch parts, but use reputable Youtubers to crossref the stores and parts. I also don't buy from stores that have no photos in reviews etc. It can take me an hour or two to find the right store for a $2 part, but I know that in 2 weeks I'll have the correct part etc rather than junk. I haven't tried them for electronics, but those retro Gameboy emulators are tempting.
Can you elaborate?
How much are they going for? That's a tempting gift idea I know for someone
You can get a whole bunch of Japan only or JDM items on Yahoo Japan via intermediaries (Buyer, ZenMarket, etc). But the purchasing process can be confusing at times and you are relying on Google translate as Yahoo.jp isn't designed as an international facing marketplace.
Miyoo is $80-90 AUD ($50ish USD) on Choice deal at the moment and is the best quality one (can play up to PS1 games). Is pretty much a portable RetroPi that can be loaded with ROMs easily. There are numerous models less than that though with a fair few at the $15 AUD mark, but with lower grade hardware and thus only emulate early Nintendo/SEGA and can only play the preloaded games.
Can you give me an example on some of the price discounts you have gotten specifically from Yahoo.jp? Is it only specific to some niche things like watches, or are there all sorts of great deals?
Trying to figure out if I need/want to dive into this.
Yeah it's mainly good for niche JDM items, and you really have to know what you are looking for, it's not discounted per se but generally items are cheaper by virtue of being purchased from country of origin or being more common in that market vs your own domestic market. For example I bought a 2nd hand JDM only watch via Rakuten (a Yahoo competitor) using ZenMarket. The normal rrp was like $250 AUD, I got it for $50 AUD. You do have to factor in fees, tax and shipping though so final price was closer to $70 AUD. Buyee is the biggest platform but I like ZenMarket too.
I do know from travelling to Japan that their electronics can be a lot cheaper too.