Q: Should I post this (eBay or Yahoo Japan auction)?

A: Is the auction over? If the answer is yes, post it. If the answer is no, we suggest that you don't.

Q: Why?

A: Because it will make you unpopular. Skullbrainers bid on those items. When the auctions get more publicity, more people bid on them. When more people bid, the ending price gets higher. Helping contribute to this phenomenon will only make people angry at you.

Q: What if I just rehost the images?

A: Even if you do this, and even if you change the names of the image files so that the seller's identity is removed, you will still be raising awareness that a particular item is currently up for sale. Again, you won't be helping things.

Q: How do I find out about bidding on Japanese auctions?

A: You can start here: http://www.collectiondx.com/node/801

Now let's just hope people read this.
Good post.

Except for the last part. Which should read:

Q: How do I find out about bidding on Japanese auctions?

A: You don't wanna do that. I mean, you don't wanna waste all your money on toys, do you?

Q: How can I get more money?

A: Sell some toys on eBay and Yahoo Japan Auctions.

Ooooo. Fancy new orange usernames for mods and admins.

Thank you for posting this fantastic info! Very useful.
I'm using a PC and running XP Pro--I can see some JP characters displayed, but most of the time, I'm seeing little square boxes (substitution for missing typeface). Can you please tell me how to fix this or how to download the JP character set? Thanks for all the great info, and ESPECIALLY the search words!

This is how I do it: Every time I reformat my PC, I upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer, then navigate to Yahoo.co.jp. If the characters aren't displaying properly, I go to View > Encoding and select a Japanese font. IE will then prompt you to download the font set. After it's installed, it seems to work properly in all other browsers, too.

Thanks for the update, Roger

How about this situation? You see a toy being auctioned, you like it, but you lack some essential knowledge that would influence you one way or the other to bid, or not. You know you can get your questions answered if you post your question here, but by doing so, you may flag the auction, an auction you too may want to bid on and would rather not bring attention to. I have seen people ask questions about auctions, too, when the facts or description of the auction seemed to be either incorrect or misprinted.

How do you weigh in on these two situations?

Nothing wrong with talking about it, just don't post a live link.

Most everyone here is pretty resourceful. Gotta figure if you ask about something, especially rare or soughtafter, others will track it down and become competition. And believe that someone here is probably already watching.
Guess you just have to weigh if tapping in to the wealth of knowledge on this board is worth possibly drumming up some competitors.

If the auction is still live, I would refrain from posting a live link or photos. Instead I would find one or two knowledgeable people and send them PMs.

Maybe but if they are interested in those items, then they must bid against your or give you false info. So who can you really trust when it comes down to evil toys.

Let's rephrase it, then: find a knowledgeable person that you trust and send them a PM about it.

(For the record, you can't trust Mike. ;p)

Are there board members here who don't mind receiving a PM about price checks? If so, can you please volunteer here?

I am reluctant to just bombard someone's mailbox if they don't know me, and I'm still trying to learn more about pricing. I have a burning question about an auction item right now, and I don't know what to do Thanks!

I'll help if I can.

Yay! Thanks for the help!
Just heard from toy guru "M", and PM sent to akum6n to confirm the appraisal.
You guys rock!