Looks freaking beaut. Can't wait to order my copies at the end of next week.

[quote="Mafu"]Not sure how forwarding services operate and if they reinforce the packages for overseas shipping or not.[/quote]
Generally, they won't do any extra reinforcing unless you pay extra for it. They usually just ship the parcel in the same state that they received it (some of 'em open up the parcel when they receive it to inspect the goods, but I think they just put it back together as they found it afterwards).

However, in a lot of cases, customers will ask for all the different parcels they ordered thru the proxy/forwarding service to be "consolidated" into a single parcel. In those cases, the handlers will enforce the consolidated parcel in their own way; they usually do this pretty well, using bubble wrap and/or tons of those little plastic pouches filled with air.

If no one minds, could they share what proxy service they use and how much it comes to? I used SMJ last time and didn't mind it, but it ended up coming to about $100 when all was said and done for both vinyl. If there's a cheaper way I'd be into it.

The OP has links to From Japan and Zenmarket, which I've recommended time and time again. Both charge very little in service fees (FJ - 300 yen per single order from each store; ZM - 300 yen per item); ZM charges their service fee at the time of the initial order, and FJ doesn't charge it until the international shipping stage. Both companies offer the Airmail Small Parcel shipping method which doesn't have end-to-end tracking, but is pretty cheap, fast and reliable (I've used that method to ship to Australia countless times and my parcel never fails to arrive within the week). ZM also has an even cheaper shipping method called DHL Direct that's about as fast as Airmail Small and has end-to-end tracking; I've tried it once and it seems super reliable; however, I don't think it's offered for every country so you'll have to check.

[quote="dimsim3478"]The OP has links to From Japan and Zenmarket, which I've recommended time and time again. Both charge very little in service fees (FJ - 300 yen per single order from each store; ZM - 300 yen per item); ZM charges their service fee at the time of the initial order, and FJ doesn't charge it until the international shipping stage. Both companies offer the Airmail Small Parcel shipping method which doesn't have end-to-end tracking, but is pretty cheap, fast and reliable (I've used that method to ship to Australia countless times and my parcel never fails to arrive within the week). ZM also has an even cheaper shipping method called DHL Direct that's about as fast as Airmail Small and has end-to-end tracking; I've tried it once and it seems super reliable; however, I don't think it's offered for every country so you'll have to check.[/quote]

Yeah sorry we were talking about this on Discord and I was asking there if anyone had experience with Zenmarket. The last time I did this I used Celga but their fees were always pretty rough.

The DHL option they offer seems a little too good to be true, half the cost of EMS for the same delivery window + tracking, and I haven't heard a lot of great things about DHL. I don't mind waiting for airmail but the no tracking thing kind of worries me, what if it gets lost?

[quote="Spike"]Yeah sorry we were talking about this on Discord and I was asking there if anyone had experience with Zenmarket.[/quote]
To address your question directly, I've had no bad experiences with ZM in the two years that I've used them. However, I've never been in a situation where a parcel's been lost, so I don't know how they cope when problems like that emerge. The only compliant I have about ZM so far is that they can occasionally be a bit slow to get back to you when you send them a link to what you wanna buy (this has meant that a couple really limited items have sold out before ZM got back to me).

[quote="Spike"]The DHL option they offer seems a little too good to be true, half the cost of EMS for the same delivery window + tracking, and I haven't heard a lot of great things about DHL.[/quote]
I was really satisfied with the [i]one time[/i] that I used DHL Direct (that was my last shipment from ZM; haven't had the opportunity to try it again yet). I had one bad experience with DHL in the past where my parcel disappeared for three weeks with no tracking updates (the shipping method was DHL Packet Plus, and the parcel was from ZM), and I've also read that their non-courier services can often suck (haven't read anything about DHL Direct yet, though). But I'm hoping that DHL Direct is a reliable improvement over Packet Plus; I think it ships straight to the destination country, at which point it's passed over to the local postal service, thus minimising the amount of time that it's in DHL's unreliable hands.

[quote="Spike"]I don't mind waiting for airmail but the no tracking thing kind of worries me, what if it gets lost?[/quote]
Honestly, I've never lost a parcel with Airmail Small Packet, so I don't know what proxies do when parcels shipped via that method are lost. Certainly a risk on my part, but I've used that method so frequently with a 0% fail rate so far, so I'm probably gonna keep risking it. Also Airmail is pretty much just as fast as EMS for deliveries to Australia (EMS is ~5 days whereas Small Packet is ~7); don't know about US, though.

You can always go with EMS which is fast, insured, and has end-to-end tracking, but if you import fairly frequently, I think you'll save more over time if you just keep using Small Packet (or possibly DHL Direct); even in the unlikely event that you lose a parcel, the loss will probably be less than what you woulda lost over the years if you used EMS for every parcel outta Japan.

P.S. if you're considering proxies, From Japan is also worth a look. If you're going after both the [i]Runners[/i] and [i]Bivouac[/i] vinyl, for example, FJ will only charge a 300 yen service fee, whereas ZM will charge 600.

I used ZenMarket and paid about $97 in total this time around.

[quote="rockman240"]I used ZenMarket and paid about $97 in total this time around.[/quote]

Yeah my order from SMJ will probably be around $100 including shipping since I always use EMS.

Yeah I paid about that for PML and LB, just was curious if there were any cheaper. But that's the cost to be the boss I guess lol

Vol. 3 just confirmed by Mafu in the general thread. Chances of SMILE and TWILIGHT vinyl just dramatically increased. Even though I'm hoping the whole discog comes out on vinyl eventually, I'll be happy if they stop there. "Konoyo no Hate Made" and "White Summer" on wax, baby!!!

Testing, testing, 123. I'm back, bitches!!

TYMT will sound excellent on vinyl.

Heyyyy somebody got their account back.

[quote="dimsim3478"]Vol. 3 just confirmed by Mafu in the general thread. Chances of SMILE and TWILIGHT vinyl just dramatically increased. Even though I'm hoping the whole discog comes out on vinyl eventually, I'll be happy if they stop there. "Konoyo no Hate Made" and "White Summer" on wax, baby!!![/quote]

I'm holding out for Penalty Life wax

2021...Wake Up!x3 on vinyl, can finally hear Serious Plan as it was meant to be heard

Real talk, I'm ready for TYMT on vinyl, abso-fucking-lutely.

[i]SERIOUS PLAN [size=50]SERIOUS PLAN[/size] SERIOUS PLAN [size=50]SERIOUS PLAN[/size] SERIOUS PLAN [size=50]SERIOUS PLAN[/size] SERIOUS PLAN [size=50]SERIOUS PLAN[/size][/i]

real talk can Vol.3 just be TYMT and AMAP instead? AMAP 2xLP when?

No one is really talkin' about it, but vol.3 also means Smile. I'm down with some Smile.
Hearing the title track and Good Morning Good News performed live would be the highest level of pillows euphoria.