Japonica Market review- positive

So, I have purchased my Christmas treat for myself and it has arrived! This was my first time buying something off Yahoo Japan Auctions and I used the Japonica Market shipping service. I found an auction that I liked the look of, and I felt the Buy It Now price was reasonable enough, so I decided to ask Japonica market to buy the item straight away instead of bidding. I first contacted Japonica on the 14th of November and my package arrived on the 28th, so overall, the process is quite quick.

Communication

I found the Japonica website very easy to read and I fully understood every message that was sent to me. Yoshiyuki (the name of the person I dealt with) spoke very good English. Yoshiyuki kept sending me emails so that I knew what was going on at every stage and I felt very informed. Yoshiyuki was very polite and friendly.

Ease of use

The reason I chose Japonica is because I had read that Japonica were known "to hold your hand" during every step. The website is very informative, especially when paired with the email updates as well. I found all the answers to any questions I had on the website. There are lots of easy to read pictures and the website gives example transactions. In fact, I was able to work out the final cost of my order because the website explains the charges very well. All I had to do was fill in the order form and the rest was easy!

Charges

All charges were clearly explained on the website, so there were no nasty surprises. Considering the service I received, I think Japonica's charges are very reasonable. I was willing to pay for 'peace of mind', knowing that my order was going to be stress-free.

Shipping

As I mentioned above, the entire process from first email to receiving my package took 2 weeks. That included the time it took the auction seller to send it to the Japonica office and then to here in the UK. All things considered, I think 14 days is very quick. I put a note on my order form to mark the package as a gift, so I didn't need to worry about a nasty custom fee.

This photo shows the box that my items arrived in (minus my address, of course!). The box was very sturdy and all the edges were well taped up. There was definitely no danger of my items getting damaged. As you can see, there was also a 'fragile' sticker placed on top of the box!

Inside there was a generous amount of bubble wrap.

So overall, I would give Japonica Market 5/5 and I would highly recommend them. In fact, I have already used the service again! (more on that when the item arrives).

And so, on to the dress, head bow and socks I ordered...

Yes, I got Angelic Pretty's Starry Night Theater! I know a few people will be surprised, because I told people I was saving up for Melty Chocolate! I have wanted SNT for a long time and the price was good. All the items were like new and I think they could have only been worn once or twice. The original owner was obviously very gentle and takes great care of their wardrobe. The dress was just as described, although I did have to look up the dress on Hello Lace for the measurements. I would have loved to get SNT in blue but I know how popular that colour is and that doesn't mean I wont ever get it in the future. The dress is a little short on me (I am 5'4'') but as this is AP, I was expecting this. The items smelt fresh and looked like they had been cleaned. It does need a bit of an iron, but that is to be expected. I would definitely buy from this seller. The seller ID was Nabechan_Yo in case you were wondering.

And so, on to some close-up photos! I know there are loads of SNT photos out there, but I could never get sick to death of SNT photos...

The bodice with card suit and star buttons and the gold trim. The brooch was included, which was in good condition and not fuzzy or damaged.

The print. Marionette Girl and the bunny.

Horse and bear.

The gold trim and AP lace on the bottom hem. I forgot to take more photos, but the dress is fully lined. I have fallen in love with this dress. I can't wait to wear it out somewhere nice!

I got a little surprise when I found a strange lumpy bit on the dress. It turned out that the seller had put the fabric swatch and spare button in the dress pocket! It was wonderful that the seller included this.

The headbow (sorry about the poor photo). The brooch and little star charm are perfect.

Finally, here are the socks. I don't think these had been worn at all. They still had the little clips that AP put on to keep the socks neat and tidy.

The logo on the sock.

I would give the seller 5/5 as well.

And so, this has been a very successful order and I am very ecstatic right now. I am already planning what outfits I can make with these items.