japanese business

[almondcookie]

i'm not japanese and my coworker is only 1/2 japanese ... is it accepted in japanese business to barter? i know in HK you everyone's looking for a good deal and all the businesses know it and want a good sale. not sure if it was the same in japan.

just wanted to know .. thanks

[Keiko]

Not so often will you find bartering here. Some places which are privately owned might knock a little off the price of used goods but it's not hard bartering.
The most popular option for people wanting used car parts or accesorys in Japan is yahoo auctions.
http://search.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/search?sb=desc&desc=%a5%ec%a5%ac%a5%b7%a1%bc%a1%a1%a3%e7%a3%f4&auccat=0&acc=jp&apg=2&f=0x52&o1=a&alocale=0jp&mode=1
for legacy GT stuff for example.

[almondcookie]

japanese versus chinese business culture i guess then. i was just asking because i was thinking of getting some people that live in japan (citizens and military) to buy some stuff and ship it to the US. it wouldn't all about the money, just a friend helping out a friend.

[Keiko]

I could help you out with finding legacy parts etc. However I wouldn't want a profit but I also wouldn't want to be out of pocket.
Edit* if you are in HK that is... I think the sending fees to the US etc would be very expensive on large / heavy parts.

[almondcookie]

I think the fact that having or knowing people in Japan will sometimes override the cost of shipping. It really boils down to what you're buying too. If you're buying an exhaust, then it better be the best darn exhaust in the entire world to make up for the price and the shipping. Also the fact that in the US, there's alternatives. Instead of an HKS exhaust you can do a custom build or pick one of the vendors here. But say I wanted a box of Dorimons ... there's no where else in the world to get it so if it costs some money to ship it over, there's no other alternative.

Also, there's the friend factor. For me, I'd send a little more money because someone is taking their personal time on a weekend to find whatever I want instead of relaxing. There's no business involved either so I don't have to pay the middleman. Everyone that touches the product ultimately makes the price go higher to get their slice of the profits. If it's a friend, there's less people involved so hopefully the price is more realistic.