Digmac
Leona's Therapist
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2016
- Posts
- 1,966
I'm doing this write up because I know there are members here who have ordered from, or are have considered ordering through Suruga-Ya. I feel like there's a lot of "baggage" when it comes to buying games, especially Neo Geo AES games, through Suruga-Ya.
For those who don't know, Suruga-Ya is a very large chain of hobby type shops in Japan with stores nationwide. They sell all generations of video games, manga, DVDs, CDs, figures, model kits, general consumer electronics, and porn. They started in 1998, and have quickly grown to be one of the largest online retailers in all of Japan.
I'm going to be talking in terms of Neo Geo games, but the following good and bad points apply for every console they carry games for.
What's good about them? Their prices are pretty fair for common games. You can find great deals *IF* the condition is nice. I've gotten some great prices on games in excellent condition, cheaper than anywhere outside of Japan. The selection of games that they have in stock is massive. When it comes to Neo Geo AES some games can be tough to track down. Suruga-Ya has most games that one would want, having most of the AES library in stock, ready for purchase. They also have good stock of MVS and Neo Geo CD games as well.
What's bad about them? A lot. A lot more than the good, that's for sure. Condition is a big one. Suruga-Ya doesn't ever post pictures of the actual item with the online listing. It's always a stock photo. You don't know what condition the item is in when you purchase it. For some consoles, game condition doesn't mean a difference of hundreds of dollars in value. For the Neo Geo AES, it can.
I have personally seen missing manuals, ripped inserts, water damaged inserts, noticeable yellowing on the insert, serious sun fade to where most color was gone, tears in the soft case, cracks/missing pieces in snaplock cases, mold damage to where the insert and manual had to be thrown away, ect... Most of these examples were close to full retail prices.
Another gripe is the serious wait time from ordering to receiving the item. Whether you're in Japan or ordering through a proxy, the wait can be the same. You can normally expect two weeks to over a month before you or your proxy gets the item you ordered. This can be really annoying, especially with expensive orders. When shopping online, you can see the stock that their physical retail stores have. You can cut down on the wait time if you order your item from the stock of one of their stores. When ordering from a physical store location, it normally takes two days to a week at most for you/your proxy to receive the item.
The last gripe I have with them is the problems in ordering. I have had several orders canceled due to the items being out of stock and them not having updated their site. I have also been sent the incorrect game and lost good money with no ability to return the item or get any refund.
Basically, you can get royally screwed when buying from Suruga-Ya, or you can get a great deal. It's like playing the lottery: You can win big for what you paid, or your money can be long gone. I've been getting items from Suruga-Ya for nearly six years now, and I can say all of their issues have gotten extremely worse in the last couple years. Now you can make an informed decision when ordering, with my experience of buying hundreds of games through them. (multiple platforms, not just Neo.)
For those who don't know, Suruga-Ya is a very large chain of hobby type shops in Japan with stores nationwide. They sell all generations of video games, manga, DVDs, CDs, figures, model kits, general consumer electronics, and porn. They started in 1998, and have quickly grown to be one of the largest online retailers in all of Japan.
I'm going to be talking in terms of Neo Geo games, but the following good and bad points apply for every console they carry games for.
What's good about them? Their prices are pretty fair for common games. You can find great deals *IF* the condition is nice. I've gotten some great prices on games in excellent condition, cheaper than anywhere outside of Japan. The selection of games that they have in stock is massive. When it comes to Neo Geo AES some games can be tough to track down. Suruga-Ya has most games that one would want, having most of the AES library in stock, ready for purchase. They also have good stock of MVS and Neo Geo CD games as well.
What's bad about them? A lot. A lot more than the good, that's for sure. Condition is a big one. Suruga-Ya doesn't ever post pictures of the actual item with the online listing. It's always a stock photo. You don't know what condition the item is in when you purchase it. For some consoles, game condition doesn't mean a difference of hundreds of dollars in value. For the Neo Geo AES, it can.
I have personally seen missing manuals, ripped inserts, water damaged inserts, noticeable yellowing on the insert, serious sun fade to where most color was gone, tears in the soft case, cracks/missing pieces in snaplock cases, mold damage to where the insert and manual had to be thrown away, ect... Most of these examples were close to full retail prices.
Another gripe is the serious wait time from ordering to receiving the item. Whether you're in Japan or ordering through a proxy, the wait can be the same. You can normally expect two weeks to over a month before you or your proxy gets the item you ordered. This can be really annoying, especially with expensive orders. When shopping online, you can see the stock that their physical retail stores have. You can cut down on the wait time if you order your item from the stock of one of their stores. When ordering from a physical store location, it normally takes two days to a week at most for you/your proxy to receive the item.
The last gripe I have with them is the problems in ordering. I have had several orders canceled due to the items being out of stock and them not having updated their site. I have also been sent the incorrect game and lost good money with no ability to return the item or get any refund.
Basically, you can get royally screwed when buying from Suruga-Ya, or you can get a great deal. It's like playing the lottery: You can win big for what you paid, or your money can be long gone. I've been getting items from Suruga-Ya for nearly six years now, and I can say all of their issues have gotten extremely worse in the last couple years. Now you can make an informed decision when ordering, with my experience of buying hundreds of games through them. (multiple platforms, not just Neo.)