A recollection of the most expensive ZOIDS you might have won for the past 5 years.

My heart ached as I was that silly cow who bought the Deathpion in 2002 that attracted 17 bidders. Now, if you think the prices are crazy (well, after TDP's reissues), take a look at Yahoo Auctions.

I have been using Abidko to help me bid for items off Japan Auction for quite a while. In the process, many have asked me about the hidden charges incurred. So here are some actual pricey examples of the items I have bidded through Abidko for you to draw your own conclusions:

How much will it cost to bid from Japan Auction through a 3rd party?

Item 1 (Gungyalado)
Winning Bid: 40,000yen
Domestic Shipping within Japan: 800yen
Transfer Fee: 500yen
Admin Fee: 1000yen
Commission: USD40 (4400yen) (please refer to Abidko's commission stated in its website)
Total Payable: 46,700yen

Item 2 (Descat)
Winning Bid: 40,000yen
Domestic Shipping within Japan: 800yen
Transfer Fee: 500yen
Admin Fee: 1000yen
Commission: 4360yen
Total Payable: 46,660yen

Item 3 (IceBlazer)
Winning Bid: 40,000yen
Domestic Shipping within Japan: 1000yen
Transfer Fee: 500yen
Admin Fee: 1000yen
Commission: 3370yen
Total Payable: 45,770yen

Abidko only ships by EMS from Japan to Singapore because it is trackable and fast (within 2-3 days). I usually will combine my purchases before shipping to Singapore. EMS Shipping to Singapore for Items 1, 2 and 3 is 3500yen (actual shipping cost)

Grand Total Payable for the 3 items: 46,700yen + 46,660yen + 45,700yen + 3500yen = 142,560yen (S$2067)

Grand Total Payable for actual Winning Bids: 40,000yen x 3 = 120,000yen (S$1740)

Total Payable for Commissions, Shipping (domestic and International), Admin/Handling Fees = S$2067 - S$1740 = S$327 (about 18.8% more than your winning bid)

So, in general remember to factor in 20% more in your winning bid for your Japan Auctions. This is comparable with many other 3rd party bidding aides. Hope this helps you to make a sound decision. However, one should not try to bid for common cheap items unless you are willing to accept paying an equivalent or even higher cost for shipping/ commission. Let me illustrate with an example:

So I am paying 4,123yen (S$59.37) for a Part 4 Zoids Gashapons (excluding EMS shipping to Singapore).

That is about 75% more than your actual winning bid of 1500yen. Bid smartly and learn from my mistake.

TOMY released a series of 16 SD (Super Deformed) Zoids in Japan.

These miniature zoids are pullbacks that will move forward after being released. And that's not all - TOMY's great toy engineers even designed them to have some side movements when they rolled forward. Some will flap their ears, nod their heads up and down, mouth movements etc etc.