Trusted Japan stores/sellers for USA ukulele purchasers? Suggestions (pro and con)?

[llwalsh]

I've taken a deep dive into Japanese retailers online and found some "interesting" ukuleles at decent prices, on top of that no tax and most offer free shipping; however my spider senses tingle whenever something seems too good to be true. Out of curiosity, for those who've delved into ukulele purchases directly from retailers in Japan, who are considered trustworthy and who aren't (if any)?


At the moment i've looked at: Sound House, Dolphin, MPC (Ukulele Colors?), and Miki Gakki. I'm certain their are others but these popped up in my latest searches, are there others worth looking into i've missed?

Thanks!

 

[man0a]

I have been to the Kiwaya and Ukulele Mania stores in Tokyo. Both have friendly and knowledgeable customer service and great products on display. The manager of the Ukulele Mania store is an American if you have trouble speaking Japanese.

 

[badhabits]

Are you buying direct or through a service? There have been a number of threads on buying from Japan recently. My recent purchase came from Ukulele Bird via Buyee, a service that several have used. I can't imagine any Japanese shops being untrustworthy. You might be interested in the links in this post:

more Japan shops

Japan ukulele/music shop links from ads in Rolling coconuts magazine- https://rollingcoconuts.com/newmagazine/ . These were the ones with English links, mixed in with the ads for music schools, festivals, shows and albums. You may have already seen some of these shops doing reviews and sound...

forum.ukuleleunderground.com

 

[llwalsh]

Are you buying direct or through a service? There have been a number of threads on buying from Japan recently. My recent purchase came from Ukulele Bird via Buyee, a service that several have used. I can't imagine any Japanese shops being untrustworthy. You might be interested in the links in this post:

more Japan shops

Japan ukulele/music shop links from ads in Rolling coconuts magazine- https://rollingcoconuts.com/newmagazine/ . These were the ones with English links, mixed in with the ads for music schools, festivals, shows and albums. You may have already seen some of these shops doing reviews and sound...

forum.ukuleleunderground.com

I think they are direct sales, thanks for the link. Looks like i'll go diving even deeper now!

 

[mountain goat]

having dealt w/ Dolphin several times now, I have found them to be people of their word,
exceptionally prompt in their responses to emails. when shipping internationally
they always use the quickest and most reliable method and so it is expensive
- but then, all overseas shipping is expensive -
their broad range of quality string instruments is a treat to behold
and they're quality people.

 

[TerryM]

I agree with everything mountain goat said about Dolphin. Easier to deal with than a lot of US stores. Prompt and clear.

I've also bought from Ukulele Gallery/Basis Records and, although not quite as easy as Dolphin, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again.

Clear and quick communication with White Guitar via Reverb as well, but I haven't bought anything from them, so can't speak to their shipping, etc.

 

[uketorik]

I've bought several ukes directly from Japan, always selecting the store that's offering the uke at the lowest price on Yahoo Shopping (Japan). Each uke was shipped fast and packed well, zero problems so far.