JAPANESE AUCTION AND INTERNET SHOP WORLDWIDE SHIPPING SERVICE.


(Dog ate your password?)
Auto? or Register


kuboNAVI

The kuboTEN FAQ

kuboTEN Basics

kuboAUCTION Bidding and Delivery

kuboSHOP Ordering and Delivery

kuboTEN Basics

What is kuboTEN?

We are a Japanese deputy and shipping service that helps you get awesome stuff that is only available in Japan, or that is much cheaper when purchasing from Japan. You can use our search and translate tools to help you find great auctions and shops to buy your stuff from. We are also extremely otaku and are complete Japanophiles, so feel free to have a chat with us in our community forums (if you dare)!

Where does your exchange rate come from?

Our exchange rate is derived directly from our credit card processors rate, which typically is about 3% under the actual rate you'd see in the newspapers. Your exchange rate will lock in on the day your item appears in the "Pending Bids & Orders" page. The exchange rates provided by the Dukascopy exchange rate tool should be used only as a guide.

Auction Bidding & Delivery

How do I find stuff to bid on?

The Japanese language can be tough to decipher without any training, so we at kuboTEN have assembled an easy to use search system that spits out automatically translated English results. Often times, you'll get more results if you search using Japanese terms -- and so we've also got a handy terms translator that you can use to copy and paste into the search form. We've also hand-picked a bunch of pre-defined searches and categories that you can browse from. If you're still having trouble finding what you need, give us a shout over at our forums and you may get just the help you need!

What are the full costs involved?

You will be responsible for paying:

  • The ending price of the auction if you are the winner.
  • The cost of shipping for sending the auction goods to our offices in Fukuoka, Kyushu.
  • Any other auction charges the seller has provisioned. These rarely come up, and are usually against Yahoo! Japan Auction's terms of service, but you should be aware that they do exist. Some examples of these charges are things like sales tax (legal) and Yahoo! listing fee recovery (illegal). Please read the description thoroughly and ask in our forums if you have any questions.
  • The cost of shipping from our kuboTEN offices to you.
  • Our kuboTEN fees, which are a flat rate $10 + 10%* commission on any auction, per auction.

When will my bid be posted?

Your bid will be reviewed, processed, and posted within 24 hours of reception. We are considering allowing real-time bidding in the future for established members.

How and when do I pay for my auction?

If you are the winner of an auction, we will send you an e-mail notification with a link to your payment processing page. Alternatively, you can also login to kuboTEN and click on "Pending Bids & Orders" in the member window in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. Payment is due within 5 days of the close of the auction. Failure to pay within this time period will result in your account being closed and you will be banned from the site. This may seem a bit harsh, but winning an auction is the same as purchasing something from a store, and we expect prompt payment for your items.

Can I combine shipments to save on shipping?

Yes! You will be initially charged as our checkout system is currently only working on an item by item basis, but we will refund you the difference in shipping cost. kuboTEN does not profit on shipping expenses.

What if another kuboTEN member is bidding on the same item as me?

In the event that there are two or more kuboTEN members bidding on the same item, kuboTEN will place bids on behalf of all of the prospective buyers.

kuboSHOP Ordering and Delivery

How do I find stuff to buy?

There are literally thousands of Japanese internet shops which we would be happy to help you obtain goods from. We've assembled a list of some of our favorite shops, but really anything you can paste a URL to we would be more than happy to order from. It is helpful to have the kuboTEN order page handy in another window or tab while you are shopping so you can quickly paste in the information you need to place an order. For those who can't read Japanese, there are many tools you can use to help you translate websites and words. Following are some of our favorites:

  • Google Translations - English interface with good translations that keep getting better.
  • Nifty Translations - All Japanese interface with good translations.
  • Rikaichan - A superb FireFox plugin. It's free, too!
  • HanziBar - A superb FireFox and Internet Explorer plugin. Costs $10.

And if you still can't find what you're looking for, try asking in the community forums and you might get some useful advice on where to look!

What are all the costs involved?

You will be responsible for paying:

  • The cost of the actual item.
  • The cost of shipping to our offices in Fukuoka.
  • The cost of sales tax from the vendor, if necessary.
  • The cost of shipping from kuboTEN to you.
  • Our fee, which is a flat rate $10 + 8% commission on the price of the item, per item.

How and when do I pay for my order?

After we have received your order request, we will check to make sure everything is in order and will send you a final quote with all costs included. This process will usually be done within 48 hours of the request. Once you receive the final quote, you can click the link in the e-mail or login to kuboTEN and click on your "Pending Bids & Orders" page to proceed to our payment area.

Can I combine shipments to save on shipping?

Yes! Our checkout system is currently only set up for item by item transactions, but we will refund you the difference in shipping costs. kuboTEN does not profit from shipping expenses.

Still Have Questions?

Please visit our community forums and feel free to post a question! We can also be reached at support@kuboten.com.