Yahoo Japan for Americans?

I've seen folks mentioning Yahoo Japan as a place to get good deals on Plarail. What should I know about Yahoo Japan? I was wondering about issues like reliability and safety, shipping, and any other advice folks would have, especially pertaining to ordering from America.

Thanks!

[Super]

I was enlightened about Yahoo Japan from some of our members here. There is no Ebay in Japan anymore only the Yahoo Auctions. However they don't necessarily ship to the rest of the world and the site is in Japanese. I have found tons of stuff that I only had heard of or dreamed about there. There are a couple of Auction Agent sites that you can check out that work for you in the auctions and they cover most languages. You can browse the Yahoo Auctions in your language much like you do with Ebay and place bids through their site. Of course they charge commission and fees. They will have the item shipped to their warehouse and when you are ready they will then ship to you. You do end up paying double for shipping as you pay for the seller shipping to the warehouse and then from there to you. But the extra fees don't mean much if you have found something you have always wanted but never available in you part of the world. I love them and have spent way too much LOL.

I don't know if there are more agents but these are the two I was told about...

http://www.jauce.com/index.php
http://japamart.com/index.php

Super pretty much covers it.

As for reliability, safety etc.
I haven't had troubles at all but I did cause my own problem by not being aware of shipping methods and weight limits etc. I got stung with a $70aud shipping invoice as the package exceeded weight limits and defaulted to a more costly method. You have to be aware of all costs involved when browsing the cheap prices. If not you could be in for a shock when it all adds up. Also the international shipping method you choose will be a considerable part of your total cost. So that needs to be thought about carefully if trying to reduce costs.

Accuracy of description can be awkwardly converted to English. EG: Item condition can be secondhand with marks from play or not working and the listing title will translate to 'junk' so it can be tricky to determine.

I think it goes without saying that there are no returns. You buy it, you own it regardless.

I look at it as a bit of fun. If it goes a bit wrong and I burn a few dollars, so be it. I was in it for the variety available and accept the risks involved.

I think it is worth noting japamart (not sure about Jauce) require a deposit of money to shop with so they and the seller are covered if try to back out or something.