Has anyone bought a Japanese Metanium or Chronarch from Japan on Ebay?

shipped from Japan

need some advice or thoughts...

notices they are allot less money...

Only advice is to check ratings and pay with paypal to get buyer protection

yes, I have purchased several Shimano JDM's from Japanese sellers in e-bay.

Are the reels themselves different? And would it hurt the resale value if I decide to re sell in a year or so ?

JDM is gonna typically hold its value better than USDM

 

Just be wary of too good deals

A bunch. No problems at all. Last one I got from Japan to Oklahoma in 6 days. 

Thanks.. Appreciate the help

When I buy a Japanese reels I buy from these people & have never once had a problem.

https://www.digitaka.com/

2 hours ago, CapeCodSox said:

Has anyone bought a Japanese Metanium or Chronarch from Japan on Ebay?

shipped from Japan

need some advice or thoughts...

notices they are allot less money...

Oh yeah, last one was a Bantam. Pretty much start with the Japanese tackle sites or eBay first. And if it’s from Japan, you’re probably gonna sign for the package which protects you and the vendor. Congrats on the new reel btw

Reel arrives in a few days from Japan Tackle.  Got a Bantam MGL on the way from 'asianportal'.  Ordered 02/08.  Expected delivery on or before 02/21.  This is about twice what I normally expect when ordering from Japan.  But who cares at this time of year in this part of the country.  Over $100 less than normal price. 

Yup 

Just be aware that parts replacement may be  a problem depending on the reel.  Notice I said "may be a problem"

16 hours ago, CapeCodSox said:

Are the reels themselves different? And would it hurt the resale value if I decide to re sell in a year or so ?

There may be differences, some models are only available in Japan, for example the Calais 100A in America was only available right hand retrieve, JDM was available in both or like the Chronarch 200B/Metanium XT, the Chronarch ( american version ) had better finish and was available in 3 models while the Metanium ( JDM ) was only available in one model, so you will have to check. As long as you purchase from a reliable seller ( specially a RECOMMENDED one ) you shouldn't have any problems. JDM hold better their resale value if you maintain them in good condition.

I like buying my reels from Japan lure shop. The shipping is crazy fast and they always toss in a gift plus saving a bunch of money, it’s a no brainer. 

oops. Replied to wrong thread. Ignore. 

11 hours ago, new2BC4bass said:

Reel arrives in a few days from Japan Tackle.  Got a Bantam MGL on the way from 'asianportal'.  Ordered 02/08.  Expected delivery on or before 02/21.  This is about twice what I normally expect when ordering from Japan.  But who cares at this time of year in this part of the country.  Over $100 less than normal price. 

I bought two from there on thursday and they got here today.

On 2/11/2020 at 7:31 PM, CarpCasey said:

I bought two from there on thursday and they got here today.

Reel was waiting for me when I got home tonight.  So 5 days from time I ordered.  Way short of the possible 2 weeks.

No experience with Ebay, but I had no problem with it on Amazon, other than the arrival dates are generally way before the latest expected date. My Antares DC 16 was given a month at latest to arrive here in NC, but it was here within days.

Just got my bantam from Japan and it is money. I got a great deal on it and it showed up surprisingly fast. 

Question, this may be a stupid question, but here it goes. If you buy a JDM version and want parts or don't know what parts you need replaced and need it serviced, do you have to send it to Japan or will the US-based shimano companies service them?

10 hours ago, shimmy said:

Question, this may be a stupid question, but here it goes. If you buy a JDM version and want parts or don't know what parts you need replaced and need it serviced, do you have to send it to Japan or will the US-based shimano companies service them?

Plenty of people here in the US will be able to service them unless it's one of those crazy one off JDM only models.

On 2/10/2020 at 11:31 PM, BaitFinesse said:

Yup.  They are significantly cheaper than the US market reels due to exchange rates.  You will not have a US warranty with the reel but you can always send it in for repair and pay out of pocket. It's a small risk to take.

IMO, the warranty is why they sell for less. Though, also IMO, the chances you’ll need a warranty on a major Japanese brand reel is like 1:1,000,000.