MiniDisc Equipment Shipping, Direct from Japan

Nic Boyde, based in Tokyo, will ship MiniDisc equipment abroad.
He provides the following information.


Prices: Last Updated 10 March 1997

Here are prices for several popular MiniDisc units. Please note that these prices are updated weekly, and are therefore good until 17 March 1997. Items are domestic models, unless marked ``/I'' (international). Manuals are in Japanese, unless marked ``E'' which means that I have personally vouched for the fact that it has an English section. All prices are in Japanese Yen, unless otherwise indicated.

All taxes, customs duties, import charges, brokerage and the like in your own country are excluded from these prices, and you should make your own enquiries as to how much these are going to cost you. In some countries these are immaterial, in others they are very significant.

It is most unlikely that my prices are going to be cheaper than retail prices in your own country. Japan is a very expensive place! The service I offer is essentially to source models that are not yet readily obtainable in your own country, but are already available on the market in Japan. Do you want to get ahead? Read on.

Portable MD Players and Recorders

Sony PortablesForeign Prices Including Shipping
UnitMan.JPY PriceWeight in KgsUSDGBPCHFAUD
MZ-E50E45,3200.375406252602514
MZ-E30E35,0200.400319198473403
MZ-R30E43,7750.900413255610514
MZ-R4STE62,4181.720597373890746
MZ-R30/I (silver only)E50,9850.900474293700591

Sony 100V-240V 50-60Hz battery chargers
ModelBattery charged/machineJPY Price
NH-9WM: MZ-E50, MZ-E303,000
LIP12: MZ-R30, MZ-R4ST5,000

SharpForeign Prices Including Shipping
UnitMan.PriceWeight in KgsUSDGBPCHFAUD
MD-MS100E 31,9300.900313193462386
MD-MS200E 42,2300.920400247590497
MD-ST60  36,0500.755348215513431
MD-SS70  27,810<1Kg278172410342

JVC - Victor Portables
UnitManPriceWeight in Kgs
XM-R2J.48,4101.1Kg

Kenwood Portables
UnitPriceWeight in Kgs
DMC-G539,140<1Kg

Pioneer
UnitPriceWeight in Kgs
PMD-R245,320N/A

Decks

I have received several enquiries for the Sony MDS-JA50ES. This top line model is very hard to come by, and not many retailers are discounting it. I can place an order with a supplier with quota at a cost to you of JPY179,000. In view of its weight (in the order of 18-20Kgs I think), shipping it is prohibitively expensive for most people. UPS charge for 20Kgs: JPY32,000 in Asia, JPY36,400 to North America, JPY53,400 to Europe and JPY66,800 to Central and South America.

I used to quote prices for other decks and car equipment etc. but have received few serious enquiries. If you are interested, Email to: [email protected]

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Blank Disks

Blank Recordable Minidisks
MakerModelSize and typePrice
Sony MDW-74CES74 x108,652
Sony MDW-60CES60 x108,034
Sony MDW-74AL/AR/AN/AYColour x105,974
TDK XG74Standard x105,974
Maxell Standard x105,800

10 Disks weigh 0.5Kg

Shipping costs:

Destination 0.5Kg 1.0Kg 2.0Kg 10.0Kg
UPS to North America 2,600 5,000 8,000 24,400
UPS to Europe 2,800 5,000 8,800 35,400
UPS to Australasia 2,500 4,000 7,000 24,200

Domestic models usually come with adequate if rudimentary English sections to the manuals (I have personally verified the ones marked "E" above). NB The JVC XM-R2 does not, despite the case being labelled in English. All models display English (Roman) letters, and all the recorders permit MDs to be labelled in Roman letters as well as Japanese. Adaptors and chargers may not work properly outside Japan which uses 100V electricity. Warranties are only valid in Japan, and foreign ones cannot be obtained.

Any domestic machine incorporating a tuner will not work properly outside Japan. The wave bands assigned to AM and FM in Japan are different from the bands used in most other countries.

International versions are made for very few models. If they are not listed above, they are not available on the street in Japan. When they are available, they have English manuals, warranties valid outside Japan, and have 100-240V adaptors and/or battery chargers. Choice of colours etc. is limited, and they are significantly more expensive. Most clients buy the domestic version and use adaptors bought at home.

Please contact me at [email protected] for quotes in foreign currencies, or quotes for equipment (MD or otherwise) not shown above). If you are requesting a quote, please specify the complete make and model of the unit(s) you wish to buy, and whether you require the International version if available.

Nic Boyde
Work: +81-3-5203-3070

Terms:

  1. You (the customer) pay C&F (cost and freight) from Tokyo, Japan.
  2. Insurance covering normal shipping risks is automatically provided by the shipper [UPS]. This is limited to coverage of:
    1. loss during shipping.
    2. theft during shipping.
    3. damage during shipping.

    If you need more insurance, consider buying your own.

  3. Once you accept my quote, I will need payment in advance. You can make payment to my own bank accounts in any of USA, Canada, UK, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Singapore and Australia in those countries' currencies, and in any other hard currency (including ECU) to Hong Kong. I can quickly detect whether I have been paid (usually by the next day). This saves international transfer costs for most people. I am an individual, not a business - I can't take credit cards no matter how gold they are. This saves you money too.
  4. If you want a quote in foreign currencies (foreign meaning not Japanese), then quotes are good only for a week and are in any event automatically invalid if exchange rates move more than 1% within that week. For big orders I can arrange to quote firm rates.
  5. Customer Comments:


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