Japanese Retro Video Games

Last blog was far too long ago, but i have been working harder than ever. I have many plans for this year for both the webstore, eBay and other means.

I am selling more all the time via Facebook, many new arrivals are offered there first, esepcially higher end rare items. Invite me to be a friend and join in the retro buying fun. You can message me there privately if you do not want your buys made public.

On eBay i am listing itmes that i have found to be best sellers and give me the fastest turn around. I will mainly be concentrating on 16,32bit and DC items. 

On the webstore i am also concentrating on best sellers but other stuff will also be listed and the popular bargain bundles section will have a lot of new listings shortly.

Have been working hard on sourcing the best value quality games and passing on the savings to buyers. The quality of the games is the highest ever and will continue to get better as time goes on.

In 2012  will be listing 60-100 items weekly on eBay and 20-40 in the webstore.

Back Soon

Steve

Massive gap since last blog, this is mostly due to my massive workload.  More sales than ever on all venues which is not surprising considering the quality of gear i am finding lately. All these sales mean i am working harder than ever and that includes finding new stock.

Many sellers have jacked in this business and i cannot blame them, especially thosethat only use eBay. Too many middle men thes days. If i sell cheaper items on eBay i can end up pay over 28% in Bay and Paypal fees. This cannot make that venue a good place to sell certain items. My own eBay store is down from 1,300 items to about 700. Less variety and value all due to excessive fees.

Well, i have to go, so busy but so glad my stuff is so popular.

Back soon

Steve

Back again after more hard work, great sales and more top buys. Business is going far better than planned with best  ever sales continuing. Am starting to put more work into website now, especially regarding the store with lots of great retro bring listed and there will be more bargain bundles soon which have proved to be the stores best seller.

Continuing to work hard find new stock and sources and it is going well even though there are less places selling retro now, bloody hard work though.

Still too hot for me here, looking forward to Autumn and being able to have no ac and cheaper electricity bills.Don`t know why some people pay to go on holiday to hot places, i feel like paying to go somewhere much cooler.

As for everything else, it is all going well. Looked like life would be very hard after earthquake and  nuclear problems but for me the year is turning out great. Made lots of new friends who like similar things to me and i am loving it.

Back to work.

Gaming;  PCE and MCD,

Listening; Hardcore EBM.

Back soon

Steve

Been a little while since the last blog. Celebrated my birthday, great wins for Crystal Palace, excellent sales and some great new stock. Have again been far too busy to do much work on website. I have over 500 items ready to list on this site, as much time as possible will be devoted ro this site and that includes promoting it. I have many new items to add to the bargain bundles section of the webstore, so keep a look out please.

The summer has again been really hot here and hayfever combined with the heat has made work doubly hard. Has been cooling down lately and have felt much better. Thankfully Japan has many air conditioners providing relief for people The as myself. The best thing for me lately has been my growing retro collection. Have bought some great stuff lately and being a skinflint, i make sure i got my moneys worth.

Time to retire for the day.

Back soon gamers.

Steve

Last blog i was writing about buying games but this is about how i sort out the games that i buy. First thing i usually do is seperate peoples orders from the rest of the games. I get many requests for items and am of course always on the look out for those at the best prices. Next i select games in three ways, the largest section will be for eBay, next is for webstore and then games i may like for myself. Somtimes i buy other stuff unrelated to gaming, maybe foodstuffs or toys that i may have requests for. Japanese sweets and snacks seem very popular these days. Sometimes i buy multiples of the same item and i have to decide whether to list all or put some in storage.There are other things to think about also, like will the items keeps its value or maybe lose or increase. As a one man business this involves a lot of my time.Being forever busy limits the amount of work i can do on this site such as listings and writing blogs. Wish there were more hours in the day to get more done.

Playing- Crest Of Wolf - PCE DUO-R.

Watching- Ci Channel - Sky.

Listening - No Comment - Front 242.

Back soon...........

Writing this blog before i go out on a very long trip to buy more retro.Usually i spend a lot of time buying tons of stock in the summer. Because of this i have less time to work on website and also but i put in as much time as possible on both.

These trips involve a lot of planning, Japan is easy to travel by car but things must be considered ie; How quicker is the highway than normal roads and is that particular highway toll value for money.I always take a flask of tea (milk tea) with me, Iphone for listening to LBC radio in the car and sometimes PSP for gaming and maybe watch a UMD. For food we are spoilt for choice, 24 hour convinience stores are all over Japan, selling alcohol, Japanese hot and cold snacks and even fried chicken and fried potatoes. The prices are reasonable and food is of pretty decent quality. If i feel like a sit down it may be a burger or pizza place. Quite often it is a Japanese burger joint named Mos Burger, freshly made burgers that taste excellent, little more expensive than the others but worth the extra.

As for getting to the shops well i have to consider many things; peoples wants lists, fast selling stock, bargain stock and of course anything for my own collection. When confronted by hundreds or thousands in some cases of games for sale you must really keep a cool head and know your stuff. I regulary check the current value of retro games and keep a mental note to help me find the best bargains. Even to this day i may find a title i never knew before and may take a risk in buying, 90% of the time my judgement is right and i have usually found a great deal.

I'd better get ready and hit those game shops.:D

Back soon

Steve

Been away from writing for far too long. The weather here has been far too hot for comfort and gard work is a struggle.

There have been problems with the site and especially with images. Hopefully this has now been fully resolved, it has been very frustrating and annoying for me.I  wasted a lot of time trying to sort out the site when i could have been busy working on it. I haven`t listed as much as planned but i am now making up for that with some good stock going instore almost daily. 

Apart from working i have spent quite a bit of time gaming, mostly on my PCE DUO-R. Some great titles and i am building me collection up even more all the time.

Short blog, but will be back to making more regular ones now the site is sorted.

Playing- PCE CD- Forgotten Worlds.

Watching- Retro action films on DVD.

Back soon gamers

Steve

Been busy, really busy. Sales continue to be really good and the work is keeping me very busy. Been pretty hot here the last two weeks but has thankfully cooled down the last couple of days.

I ahve been getting in quite a bit of gaming lately, mostly PCE,CD ROM stuff but also some DC. wish i had more spare time, but you can't have everything. Quite addicted to Cyber Core on PCE at moment and also Daisenpu Custom on PCE CDRom. I do have "modern " console;, PSP and 360 but i don't use as much as the retro stuff. Funny thing is i get bored of most modern games quite quickly but there are always some retro games i always go back to even after 20+ years,

I have also been working hard to find new sources for games to sell and have been doing very well. This part of the job takes a lot of hours each week which are much more than many would realise. Average time spent sourcing games is about 15 hours but i have spent about 50 before which eats into time i can spend listing etc..

Better go, more work ahead of me today.

Playing- Cyber Core - PC Engine.

Watching- Mostly Sky CI channel.

Back Soon.

Steve

Summer greated us with a typhoon and a tree in the garden being blown down. Time for big electricity bills as i will be using the AC a lot of the time, still can`t stand the heat of the Japanese summers.

Been working very hard to source new games and i am indeed finding many rarities these days. The better the price i pay the cheaper i charge instore. Also been doing a of of private deals and now every month my outside eBay sales are higher than those on the site and long may that continue.

With better sales and of course a bit more cash in my pocket i am building up my own retro collction quite well.Always on the look out for decent 16 and 23 Bit stuff and my PCE collection especially is coming along nicely. After all this time into retro gaming and being here for so long, i still come across games i never knew existed.

Back to work, lots of packing to do.

Watching- various horror and Sci- fi retro films.

Playing - PCE - Shooters and puzzle games.

Back Soon.

Steve

Yet again summer hits and the hot weather gives me the usual problems. I am not a hot weather person and i am glad that Japan has air con almost everywhere. Travelling is pretty good here especially public transport which is clean, on time and apart from the bullet trains are cheap. already been having some trouble with sleeping due to the heat, hope this year isn`t like last year when thousands died from the hottest summer ever.

Will continue growing this site and spending a lot more time doing so. The webstore is becoming very popular and this is the right time to greatly increase the stock. 

Back soon

Steve

The title of this blog is about my aims regarding retro. I aim to offer the best value in the world for retro gamers and also a great variety with a constant stream of new additions. Things are going to paln and all selling venues are doing well and repeat buyers are increasing all the time. I am putting in even more effort to find great retro bargains and pass the savings on to buyers. There are less retro game stores all the time as gaming becomes bland and predicatble with 3 major players none of which are real concentrating on the hardcore gamer. I suppose video games have gone the same way as popular music and movies, exploit to the max the current trend and put  creativity and inspiration in the background.

As others move away from retro and turn to the new "trendy" systems i will increase my stock and try my very best to show why retro gaming is the most fun and the best value.

Watching- The Running Man DVD.

Playing- Far too busy!!!!

Back soon gamers

Steve

As the title states i am very busy with my retro selling. On eBay privately and from this site business is booming. I ahve been very busy over the last few months thinking of new things to sell such as bragain bundles and also which games are best to sell on eBay or website. I have also checked up on which items sell best and try to make sure i always have in stock in the webstore and on eBay. The work slowly but surely pays off and i can work out ways to continually improve stock, give better deals and most important concentrate on the retro that most gamers favour.

The most important recent change is one enforced on me by ebay and its new max shipping rates and increases in fees. This means that heavier itme slike sticks, AES and consoles will hardly ever or maybe never sold eBay anymore, instead either on this site or by private deals.

Back to work now, onwards and upwards.

Playing; Dreamcast - Daytona USA 2001,

Watching; Comic Strip DVD Boxset.

Back Soon

Steve

As the title states there are more problems with eBay UK. Last week without warning category changes were made to video games and new maximum shipping fees were introduced. For retro games the maximum for games is now 3.50  and accessories 5.50 GBP.  These maximum amounts make it no longer vialble to sell heavier items suchs as AES carts, boxsets and joysticks. The increase in fees due to the maximum shipping fee and the introduction of higher Final Value Fees in May make eBay a much worse place to sell. Obviously the increases will be felt be the buyers as i think many now do as prices on eBay rise as of late, mostly due to eBay fee increases. Items no longer viable to sell on eBay are now being moved to the webstore and will be sold at a cheaper price.

I haven't been able to spend as much time as i wish on this site over the last week as i am revising and removing large amounts of eBay stock daily. I do get very frustrated  with eBay but i will make sure they lose out as far as i am concerned by selling more and more elsewhere.

Playing- Puyo puyo 4- Dreamcast .

Watching-  Ci Channel on Sky.

Listening - Hardcore retro.

Back Soon.

Steve

Two weeks after the main disaster, we have an ongoing one with the Fukushima power plant.What is the truth? Is there a massive melt down happening or about to happen, or is i t all quite fine as some claim? Being a long distance away, i am do not have the fears of those close to the plant. many people though have moved from the area to this and other parts of Japan. A lot of foreigners have even left Japan. I will of course stay on whatever as i have family here and they cannot leave at this time.

I have had a large amount of support  from friends, family and customers and thanks to many who have bought from me from this site, eBay or privately, i have not suffered too much financial hardship due to recent events. life goes on as normal in this and most parts of Japan and i guess that is the best way to be.

Watching- Only Fools And horses - DVD's.

Playing - PCE - Gunhed, Paranoid and Image Fight.

Back Soon

Steve

The chaos caused by the recent earthquake, tsunami and later nuclear power plant leaks continues. many people here are questioning the government response mostly to the radiation situation. The response to the quake and tsunmai was fast and handled much better than Kobe was.An earthquake was bad, but a tsunami and possible nuke meltdown are hard for anyone to manage well.

My sales of course fell drastically for a while, but after some promotion i managed to get some cash in. Thanks to all of those who have bought from me.

Went to Osaka on Thursday and things were are normal. Trains on time, shops full of food etc, but was more wuiet than usual. Hopefully the situation at Fukushima nuclear plant will be resolved soon. It is about 350 KM from here, maybe more and i doubt we will be affected. Business is as usual and i will continue with providing as good deals and service as possible.

Back Soon

Steve

This week has of course been terrible for Japan. The earthquake and tsunami that have caused thousands of deaths have been world news. Here in Japan there is less panic and concern than i would expect. Where i am is untouched by the devastation yet with more aftershocks occuring hourly and nuke power plant problems, anything could happen.

Although Japan is a wealthy nation the situation is becoming a humanitarian disaster. Thousands are without a roof over their head, food or water and temperatures are unusually low for this time of year.essential foods are running out in some areas. Unlike the Kobe earthquake in 1995 the Government has been quick to respond and help those in need. Media coverage is of course intense though i usually find the information is more up to date from watching the BBC news channel or Sky News. I never realsied how bad thses disasters were until seeing almost at first hand, it is all rather shocking to say the least.

Many people have emailed and  i am gratefull for their concern. Business goes on as usual and 2011 has so far been my most succesfull ever and i hope that continues.

Back soon

Steve

Been away from writing a blog for a long time. Had so many sales that i haven't had any spare time. Business is growing and becoming more successfull all the time. I intend to keep this going and keep bringing the cheapest Japanese video games to the world. The volume of slaes has increased massively on this site, also on eBay and private sales are at an all time high.

I am working to travel farer and wider to bring the best games online at the best prices. Seems like interest in  retro is increasing in Europe, especially for 8,16 and 32 bit systems.Long may the trend continue.

Since starting this site my sales outside of ebay are becoimg less and less relevant. The  less i have to use ebay the better for all of us.  Including listing , end of items  and paypal fees, i pay an average of 18% fees on each item. This is far too high for a middle man and totally undeserved.

Time to get back to work.

Playing - SS = Fighters Megamix.

Watching - Various Sci-Fi and horror films on UMD.

Listening - EBM

Back Soon gamers.

Steve

The title says it all really as far as the last couple of weeks go. Had nasty flu last week that really knocked me down for a few days. Barely managed to keep up with the work, could only manage packing, no listing for a few days. Japanese cold and flu  medicines are very expensive and make being ill and extra burden. A simple pack of ibuprofen costs almost 10 times the price of the UK.

We had very heavy snow last weekend, on Monday we were even snowed in for a while which has never happened before. Forcasts are for another 2 weeks of cold weather, not looking forward to it, been one of the coldest winters in Japan ever recorded.

Still been trying to get as much gaming in as possible, had a bash on the Game Gear earlier in the week and have have been spending quite a lot of time playing the PSP. Been doing a lot of handheld gaming lately, something i neglected for a while.

Lots of work going on in the site and lots of sales from here and private outside of eBay, great, let's cut out the middle man.

Playing- PSP - Mega Drive Collection.

Watching - Movies on Sky Player.

Listening - Not a lot.

Back soon gamers

Steve

The title says it all and that is why i am starting to do for 2011. As i am doing this website, eBay and nearly all other things by myself, it takes time. I have already started spending more time in picking and listing new stock in the webstore and making sure the prices are always the best. I am also growing the stock in my eBay store to provide more variety for buyers.

With X Mas over i can get down to the business of hard work and trying to locate more goodies to sell and some to keep for myself of course.

Weather has turned really cold here and we had heavy snow on New Years Eve and were snowed in for a day. first time the weather has been so cold for a couple of years and i am dreading my electricity bill, the Japanese companies charge a hell of a lot for power.

Looking forward to growing my collection and helping other grow theirs over the year.

keep the retro alive8)

Playing - PS1 Wipeout XL and Wipeout 3.

Watching - Various retro comedy shows.

Back Soon

Steve

It's that time of year again, when we over indulge in things otherwise known as Christmas.I have been very busy here doing the usual business of buying, selling and packing and also making loads of festive dinners. it is a lot harder to do than back home, i even have to order frozen brussel sprouts online and travel to Osaka to find a Christmas pudding.

Sales continue to be good, which means less free time, but is also good as no sales is the worse thing that can happen to me. Weather forcast here predicts snow later this week, we had a few flurries on Christmas day but nothing compared to Europe as of yet. Been doing some gaming when i have the time and hope to do some more over the next week or so.

I have acrried on listing as much as time permits on eBay and on this site and will continue to do so. I want to have about 2,000 items in stock in the web store and 1,500 on eBay. Takes time to do though, soon as i list things they sell quickly, the time consumed by packing and posting etc means it takes  a while to increase inventory.

Back to work, lots to pack.

Listening to; Sex pistols - never mind the bolocks.

Watching - various films (mostly sci-fi).

Playing - The King of Fighters 2000- dreamcast.

Back soon