Experience with Buying from Kyoei-Osaka (1 Viewer)

[gmkirk130]

At the suggestion of another member, I’m putting up this post. K-O is a large retailer in Japan that offers impressively low prices for many of the binoculars, telescopes, and cameras. I had a great experience ordering a Nikon WX 10x50 from them last May and estimate I saved about $1800 over what I would have paid a US retailer for the same binoculars. This retailer is used fairly often by members of the astronomy website, Cloudy Nights.

Have others had good experiences? Any bad experiences? Issues that required sending equipment back for warranty coverage? Any experience you can share may be valuable to others.

Thank you in advance,
Gary

 

[tenex]

I got an EII 8x30 from K-O this spring and it went very smoothly. You can't order on the website but can view prices (without VAT) and contact Tsutomu Sakabe with your request. If you don't have a Paypal account yourself, ask him to email you a "Payment request" and that works. Letting your own credit card do the currency conversion will cost less.

 

[gmkirk130]

I haven’t tried it but you may be able to order directly on the website - kyoei-osaka.jp - now. If you go to the website, scroll all the way down and click on “FAQ about international orders” it describes the process. With any questions, however, I’d definitely contact Tsutomu, as noted. Also, as tenex notes, NOT letting PayPal do the currency exchange is important, even though it defaults to that and you’ll need to decline it if paying by PayPal. Their exchange rates are terrible.

Last point: Shipping is via DHL only. A good service but pricier than UPS or FedEx. DHL also charged me almost $45 for a “customs-related administrative fee” since my order exceeded $2500 USD. A totally bogus charge they couldn’t explain the rationale for and wouldn’t remove the charge. It had nothing to do with customs duties since, in the US, binoculars are exempt from them. You’ll see mention of this in the FAQ section I mentioned above on K-O’s website.

 

[wdc]

Egad, the price of bins overseas, perhaps because of the current US dollar value, is pretty astonishing. I was looking at Finland (varuste.net) but K-O is even better. The SFL 8x40, for example, is currently more than $500 less on the K-O website than what is offered in the US.

 

[MiddleRiver]

Of course buying local has advantages too. I ordered SFL's yesterday from B&H midday and had them in-hand by 10:30 this morning. Free shipping and pretty much no-questions-asked-returns.

 

[lilcrazy2]

I haven’t tried it but you may be able to order directly on the website - kyoei-osaka.jp - now. If you go to the website, scroll all the way down and click on “FAQ about international orders” it describes the process. With any questions, however, I’d definitely contact Tsutomu, as noted. Also, as tenex notes, NOT letting PayPal do the currency exchange is important, even though it defaults to that and you’ll need to decline it if paying by PayPal. Their exchange rates are terrible.

Last point: Shipping is via DHL only. A good service but pricier than UPS or FedEx. DHL also charged me almost $45 for a “customs-related administrative fee” since my order exceeded $2500 USD. A totally bogus charge they couldn’t explain the rationale for and wouldn’t remove the charge. It had nothing to do with customs duties since, in the US, binoculars are exempt from them. You’ll see mention of this in the FAQ section I mentioned above on K-O’s website.

I'm curious how much total shipping is since it seems that all have to use DHL and pay the $45 admin fee?

 

[gmkirk130]

I’ve found shipping fees are generally dependent on the value of the item (for insurance), the weight of the item, the dimensions of the box that contains the item, and the carrier itself. These fees, of course, can and do change over time.

Not all pay the $45 DHL administrative fee, just those, as I wrote, and as explained to me by a DHL employee, who have items valued in excess of $2500 USD (at least at the time I bought my binoculars). The shipping and insurance for my Nikon WX 10x50 binoculars was ~ $250 USD. But it’s important to know that Nikon WXs are large binoculars to start with (they weigh 5.5 pounds), come inside their own large rectangular aluminum carrying case (with a tripod adapter), and that box is placed inside a cardboard box. This is an estimate but I’d guess the whole thing weighed between 12 and 15 pounds.

For the other binoculars that have been mentioned here (and in the thread on the Nikon forum that was started yesterday) and that cost less than $2500 USD, there should be no $45 fee, and the shipping and insurance should be less because the insurance will be less, they won’t weigh as much, and the dimensions of the shipping box won’t be as great. In fact, when I looked into purchasing a Nikon EDG 8x32 from Japan this summer from a different company, DHL shipping was $20-25 more than UPS and FedEx. If I recall correctly, UPS and FedEx were around $40-45 and DHL was around $65 for shipping and insurance from Japan to my home in Wisconsin.

The nice thing about K-O is that they’ll let you know the exact shipping costs before you need to commit with a payment. Only the $45 fee charged by DHL, in addition to the shipping and insurance charge, was a surprise.

 

[Ted Y.]

Of course buying local has advantages too. I ordered SFL's yesterday from B&H midday and had them in-hand by 10:30 this morning. Free shipping and pretty much no-questions-asked-returns.

And with a USA warranty.

 

[Paultricounty]

And with a USA warranty.

Yeah with Nikons I’d agree , having that US warranty would be nice, other than EDG because it seems they don’t service them here. But I think with the Zeiss shouldn’t be a problem getting warranty service in the states if bought from outside.

Interesting to note those lower prices don’t seem to be on the Swarovskis.

Anyway Christmas is coming and a new $1200 SFL is starting to sound real good!

Paul

 

[has530]

Yeah with Nikons I’d agree , having that US warranty would be nice, other than EDG because it seems they don’t service them here. But I think with the Zeiss shouldn’t be a problem getting warranty service in the states if bought from outside.

Interesting to note those lower prices don’t seem to be on the Swarovskis.

Anyway Christmas is coming and a new $1200 SFL is starting to sound real good!

Paul

Do you know what the Zeiss warranty is in Japan? Is it 10 years like in Europe?

 

[Scott98]

I've dealt with Tsutomu and Kyoei many times over the years - highly recommended. Very classy operation in every way. Ordered a few expensive telescopes and accessories from them that were unavailable from US dealers. When the US dollar is high, as it is now, there are some amazing deals. I just ordered Nikon EDG through Kyoei and I may pick up some EII's soon - these binos are not available at all from within the USA.

The downside, as others mention, is of course that you're not supporting your local retailer, and there could be warranty issues or difficulties - some US dealers/companies will refuse to honor the warranty on items ordered from offshore. My plan is just to ship the binos back to Nikon Japan if it becomes necessary.

I found the DHL shipping very reasonable on smaller items. I'm not surprised at a surcharge on expensive items - usually that fee is intended to cover the additional hassle of shepherding items through the customs process. So that your item passes though customs in one day instead of being held up for weeks. I've experienced similar charges when ordering Altberg boots from England.

 

[tenex]

Prices have actually gone up recently. My EII was about $450, now it's $500. But that still beats most online options.

 

[Binocollector]

Too bad the Euro is weak . The EII would be about the same as in Germany when including shipping and import tax.

 

[Samolot]

I reached out to K-O to inquire about buying some HG 8x42's (much cheaper) - they declined to sell them because they are available in the states - citing logistical hassles with warranty claims which is true. Seems like they only sell at least Nikon glass not available in the states. With Zeiss it may be different because they can punt you over to Germany for warranty work.

 

[Scott98]

I reached out to K-O to inquire about buying some HG 8x42's (much cheaper) - they declined to sell them because they are available in the states - citing logistical hassles with warranty claims which is true

Why not spend a few more bucks and get the 8x42 EDG. Amazing price for what you get. Focuser, eye placement, and edge sharpness are much improved over the Monarchs IMO - like a quantum leap better for only 40% more money.

 

[Samolot]

Haha, I hear ya. Always wanted to try them. Sadly that financial hurdle is too much to overcome. One day...

Either way - K-O was quick to respond so I did appreciate that.

 

[Scott98]

I was hoping they'd offer the MHG 8x30's, for some reason they don't stock the 30's. The MHG have their own plusses compared to all the uber-expensive ones...lighter and smaller, the 42mm is almost like a 32mm. I should support the local shop which stocks them.

 

[4th_point]

At the suggestion of another member, I’m putting up this post. K-O is a large retailer in Japan that offers impressively low prices for many of the binoculars, telescopes, and cameras. I had a great experience ordering a Nikon WX 10x50 from them last May and estimate I saved about $1800 over what I would have paid a US retailer for the same binoculars. This retailer is used fairly often by members of the astronomy website, Cloudy Nights.

Have others had good experiences? Any bad experiences? Issues that required sending equipment back for warranty coverage? Any experience you can share may be valuable to others.

Thank you in advance,
Gary

Gary,

Thanks for your post. I made my first purchase a few weeks ago from K-O and am very happy with the service and price. No issues with DHL either.

Jason

 

[gmkirk130]

Gary,

Thanks for your post. I made my first purchase a few weeks ago from K-O and am very happy with the service and price. No issues with DHL either.

Jason

That’s great, Jason. I’m glad it worked out for you. Thank you for sharing.

Gary