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Thank you Jenebi,

Things make more sense now. I could not understand why, for example, there is no interface set up to handle retain orders on Cresent. You just e-mail and ask for what you want. It's a turn of the 19th century system, but using the internet. After buying the Elizabeth box and the Total Collection 2006 and pretty much everything with Osa-san in it from TCA-hankyu through Crescent, I discovered Rakuten. It seemed like a no-brainer to buy from them. But, the difference in response from Crescent to the Rakuten orders was really puzzling.
Best
Laura


> jenebi:
> Just a couple little notes to add to what others have said:
>
> - In addition to Crescent, I've also used Celga. I found Celga more complicated to work with - harder to tell what was going on with my stuff - and just less professional overall. I've always had good experiences with Crescent, but it's definitely true that it's way faster to order auction items through them than regular retail "store" stuff. Pretty much all of the shopping services are primarily setup to assist with auctions, and only do retail assistance as an "extra."
>
> - About Rakuten - I actually have a regular Rakuten account, because I've ordered direct through them when I had an address in Japan someone was letting me use. Their site is membership based, which adds a level of complication, plus they'll often have limited quantities at the advertised price and so on. I can see how it would take the folks at Crescent a little longer to figure out Rakuten orders than other types. It certainly took me longer to order from Rakuten than it did from Quatre Reves or Takarazuka-an.
>
> Just my opinion. - Gen

Just a couple little notes to add to what others have said:

- In addition to Crescent, I've also used Celga. I found Celga more complicated to work with - harder to tell what was going on with my stuff - and just less professional overall. I've always had good experiences with Crescent, but it's definitely true that it's way faster to order auction items through them than regular retail "store" stuff. Pretty much all of the shopping services are primarily setup to assist with auctions, and only do retail assistance as an "extra."

- About Rakuten - I actually have a regular Rakuten account, because I've ordered direct through them when I had an address in Japan someone was letting me use. Their site is membership based, which adds a level of complication, plus they'll often have limited quantities at the advertised price and so on. I can see how it would take the folks at Crescent a little longer to figure out Rakuten orders than other types. It certainly took me longer to order from Rakuten than it did from Quatre Reves or Takarazuka-an.

Just my opinion. - Gen

Thank you Zephy!

I'll be looking out for the Osa-san's Sky Stage boxsets after she retires.



> Zephy:
> > Thanks
> >
> > P.s. Rakuten has Haruno 1 and 2, etude and the 2007 TCA special for 26% off! Yeah! Of course if Mr. Masamichi doesn't send the quote....
>
>
> Just to let you know, I've observed that Rakuten's 26% off is usually also available for the first month or two that the item is released, in the event that you aren't able to snatch it up during the time that their discounted preorders are offered. (I'm guessing that are only allowed a certain number of reservations).
>
> The only time where the time issue becomes a problem is on limited-issue items, such as the Sky Stage boxsets released when a sienne retires. The DVD boxes ( those like Haruno I and II) sell out , but not nearly as quickly as the Sky Stage boxes.

> Thanks
>
> P.s. Rakuten has Haruno 1 and 2, etude and the 2007 TCA special for 26% off! Yeah! Of course if Mr. Masamichi doesn't send the quote....


Just to let you know, I've observed that Rakuten's 26% off is usually also available for the first month or two that the item is released, in the event that you aren't able to snatch it up during the time that their discounted preorders are offered. (I'm guessing that are only allowed a certain number of reservations).

The only time where the time issue becomes a problem is on limited-issue items, such as the Sky Stage boxsets released when a sienne retires. The DVD boxes ( those like Haruno I and II) sell out , but not nearly as quickly as the Sky Stage boxes.

Well. personally I believe that you can't have cheap, fast and excellent all in one. It's simply not possible. If I want to deliver a certain quality, I need time to do it, and if I have to do something quick, then it won't always be the best quality.

And with regular requests I mean general questions about the service, shopping, payments, shipping...

I got two estimates so far, one for takarazuka-an (where I assume they had to ask if the items are available at all) and one for QR and hankyu communications, where they got back to me with the question in which size I want my photos, which of course also took time.

Both estimates didn't take long, although I don't remember how long, but I never thought it was outrageous or inacceptable.

I buy most of my stuff through auctions, the items I got were all in very good/near mint condition (some shops also sell new item through YJA, much like ebay shops, I think), the fee is smaller and you can bid directly.

Maybe there is room for improvement, but right now... from all I've heard, Crescent is still the fastest and most reliable. What's the point if I can quickly buy stuff for 25% less but can't be sure I'll actually get it? *shrug*

Hey KyaniteD:

Yes, I did google "shopping service Japan" and what I got back was pretty discouraging about all the services including Crescent. Anime buyers seemed to have a lot of trouble with Cresent. But, because folks on this site seemed to have good experiences with Crescent and I am only ordering zuka DVD's , I chose them. I am not sure what you mean by a "regular" request. Do you mean an auction request? This is faster? I haven't tried the auction. Now, I am waiting for the quote for Haruno 2, Etude, and Rose of Versaille-Haruno version and the Mon Pari TCA 2007 special. Crescent has been fine, but I think there is room for someone to come along and do this a lot better, cheaper, faster etc...especially the simple ordering of new DVD's. And I am puzzled by the difference in waiting time for quotes for items from TCA Pictures hankyu and Rakuten. I could do the math easily for both in a heartbeat, so it's not the math. So, I was wondering if there were any new options.
Thanks

P.s. Rakuten has Haruno 1 and 2, etude and the 2007 TCA special for 26% off! Yeah! Of course if Mr. Masamichi doesn't send the quote....





> KyaniteD:
> There is also
>
> http://www.akibado.com/
>
>
> Basically, you can just search google for the key words 'shopping' 'service' 'japan'.
>
> I did not order anything through Akibado, I only sent them a message with a simple question regarding their system, and it took more than 1 week to get a response.
>
> My experiences with Crescent Shop are all excellent, they've handled trouble I wouldn't have been able to handle alone and that other services might not have handled so well or at all.
> Yes, they are expensive, but the service one gets is solid. Regular requests are always answered within 24 hrs, sometimes even on the same day, even on weekends and sometimes even during holidays. And the shopping estimates naturally take a little more time because they're all individual calculations and may involve contacting the respective shop, which also needs some time to answer.
>
> That's the 'price' you pay for being unable to contact/shop directly. I don't think other services can be much faster.

There is also

http://www.akibado.com/


Basically, you can just search google for the key words 'shopping' 'service' 'japan'.

I did not order anything through Akibado, I only sent them a message with a simple question regarding their system, and it took more than 1 week to get a response.

My experiences with Crescent Shop are all excellent, they've handled trouble I wouldn't have been able to handle alone and that other services might not have handled so well or at all.
Yes, they are expensive, but the service one gets is solid. Regular requests are always answered within 24 hrs, sometimes even on the same day, even on weekends and sometimes even during holidays. And the shopping estimates naturally take a little more time because they're all individual calculations and may involve contacting the respective shop, which also needs some time to answer.

That's the 'price' you pay for being unable to contact/shop directly. I don't think other services can be much faster.

Thank you.
Crescent shop was good until I started ordering some things from Rakuten when I could get them on sale. I am currently not in control of my desire to own everything Osa-san ever appeared in and I need to save a little where I can. The response time for these requests is 4 to 5 days just for the quote. Given that sale items often sell out in this period of time, this could be a problem.
Best
Laura




> These are the ones I've heard friends talk about:
> http://www.celga.com/
> http://www.shoppingmalljapan.com/
> http://www.rinkya.com/
> I've heard complaints about all of them, and this is the first time I've heard a complaint about Crescent (which is the only one I've personally used). I mean, for me I've always gotten a response within 24 hours from them, which I consider fine given the time difference. Anyway, all three of the above are reputable places and you might have better luck with them.

I think I was trying to be too polite. I feel like the service is slow and expensive especially for simple orders of new DVD's. I want to be really fair here. My items have always come eventually and my questions are eventually answered, but it sometimes takes a few tries at communication. One time, I just gave up and didn't place the order. I am guessing that Mr. Masamichi has more requests than he can handle. According to most folks on this forum, Crescent shop is the best that there is. Are there any new services out there? Or has anyone had good luck with another existing service? I get the feeling he doesn't need my business even though I have ordered a good portion of the available Hanagumi shows. And there is still a huge backlog of things I plan to order from other Troupes. I need to slow down a little though to make time for things like sleeping.

Thank you for any suggestions!