Reviews J-Subculture
4★ - Giving them another try after the system overhaul
I'm working off what I remember about using these guys for over 300 shipments back when they had absolutely free commission fees, which was a crazy blessing in itself--alas, all good things come to an end some day. Since then, it has been over a year since I have used their service, so I will need to update this review as I start collecting more experience with them again from here on.
First and foremost, these guys by far have impressed me with their PACKING above ANY other online shop I've been with, be it Japan-wise or even domestic US. In terms of light-but-effectively-PROTECTIVE packaging, these guys do it so well and I've learned a lot about packing from them myself for my reselling processes. The boxes they use are durable but LIGHT unlike many other shops which use grossly heavy boxes that really aren't that much better. Boxes have the potential to get punctured, regardless of how thick they are, and in my experience, lighter boxes actually get treated better by mail carriers anyway. J-sub is also generous in using bubble wrapping to protect your items, unlike many other shops that will use inefficient (and heavy) paper as "padding". Finally, they have managed to send some soft items (especially plush, clothes) in PAPER BAGS which may sound scary, but actually it works SUPER WELL and reduces shipping costs dramatically compared to boxes. I've suggested that they use polymailers instead of paper bags--they responded thanks for the suggestion, though I don't think they'll implement it. That's the final touch to make their shipping methods actually perfect, imo.
Customer service-wise, they do operate in Japan time zone so my questions get answered late at night, like almost any other proxy. Even so, their response has been faster than other proxies I've dealt with (Zenmarket, FromJapan).
Anyway, after not using them for a full year, and using Zenmarket and FJ instead on a less frequent basis (my needs have been reduced since then as well), I believe I'm finally ready to take on J-sub's revamped services... Even by going with their Business User status which requires a wire transfer of 50,000 yen (~$500 USD) to initiate. I would love to know if anyone else has had experience with them in the past year, and I hope they are still the same awesome service (aside from their fees) after this time I was absent from them.
SAL Small Packet UNREGISTERED packaging, for the win and this is one of the few proxies that still offer that reasonably (FJ still does but they are VERY stupidly inflexible with how they will handle your items to meet the requirement). Zenmarket does have the excellent DHL Economy shipping method to their arsenal, which is great for bulkier purchases, but for various small purchases that I tend to do more often, Unreg SAL Small Packet is still what I desire the most.
First and foremost, these guys by far have impressed me with their PACKING above ANY other online shop I've been with, be it Japan-wise or even domestic US. In terms of light-but-effectively-PROTECTIVE packaging, these guys do it so well and I've learned a lot about packing from them myself for my reselling processes. The boxes they use are durable but LIGHT unlike many other shops which use grossly heavy boxes that really aren't that much better. Boxes have the potential to get punctured, regardless of how thick they are, and in my experience, lighter boxes actually get treated better by mail carriers anyway. J-sub is also generous in using bubble wrapping to protect your items, unlike many other shops that will use inefficient (and heavy) paper as "padding". Finally, they have managed to send some soft items (especially plush, clothes) in PAPER BAGS which may sound scary, but actually it works SUPER WELL and reduces shipping costs dramatically compared to boxes. I've suggested that they use polymailers instead of paper bags--they responded thanks for the suggestion, though I don't think they'll implement it. That's the final touch to make their shipping methods actually perfect, imo.
Customer service-wise, they do operate in Japan time zone so my questions get answered late at night, like almost any other proxy. Even so, their response has been faster than other proxies I've dealt with (Zenmarket, FromJapan).
Anyway, after not using them for a full year, and using Zenmarket and FJ instead on a less frequent basis (my needs have been reduced since then as well), I believe I'm finally ready to take on J-sub's revamped services... Even by going with their Business User status which requires a wire transfer of 50,000 yen (~$500 USD) to initiate. I would love to know if anyone else has had experience with them in the past year, and I hope they are still the same awesome service (aside from their fees) after this time I was absent from them.
SAL Small Packet UNREGISTERED packaging, for the win and this is one of the few proxies that still offer that reasonably (FJ still does but they are VERY stupidly inflexible with how they will handle your items to meet the requirement). Zenmarket does have the excellent DHL Economy shipping method to their arsenal, which is great for bulkier purchases, but for various small purchases that I tend to do more often, Unreg SAL Small Packet is still what I desire the most.
2★ - NO. JUST NO.
I was under recommendation from fellow MFC users that J-Sub is a really good proxy especially ordering stuff from Tora-no-Ana. My first time with them wasn't so bad. Everything went smoothly. The only downside was that it can take up to one whole day for them to respond. However, in March, they decided to revamp everything and that's how they went downhill. They took the "whole revamp" idea directly from "FJ" and even charges "A LOT" more than FJ. Not to mention you can only devalue your items 30% off. I'd recommend you just go for FJ instead of J-Sub. They are cheaper and better.
Bubblepuff BUBBLEPUFF THE SUPREME
5★ - Good
I had a few good experiences and bad experiences with J-sub. For the most part they are pretty good.
3 reviews
