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BiddersTopics: Auctions, Selling Items This is one of my most recent frugal buys, and I am very happy. I was looking for a very simple sewing machine to accomplish a few basic projects. I hesitated to buy a new machine, knowing that I would rarely use it. I searched high and low for a used machine (called every dealer in town), but none sold any used machines in my price range (3,000-5,000yen). There was, however, a booming market in used commercial sewing machines. No friends living close by had a machine I could borrow, and no local notions or craft stores had a machine available for rent (some, however, do - usually 300 - 500 yen/hour, in store). About to give up, I tried http://www.bidders.co.jp as a last resort. Bidders is my favorite online auction site. I searched through the items on auction, using the Japanese term for sewing machine ('mishin' in katakana) and the Japanese term for used ('chuuko' in kanji). Low and behold, a simple sewing machine, used, was available for 1,000 yen from a reputable auctioneer (you can view past comments to determine their reliability). I won the auction (very few people bid on used sewing machines, apparently), and will pay for the item by postal transfer. With shipping included, it comes to 2,160 yen - well within my initial price range. While there is some risk in buying used and buying online, the same would hold true for using Ebay in the US, or any other auctioneer. WJ << Belle Maison | Index | Birthday Flights >> |