This information applies to audio/visual items only that you've bought through my proxy service.

Many companies in Japan still offer inspection and servicing for their older eletronic items.  Owners are able to send equipment to companies such as Pioneer and Luxman where they check out the performance of the item and offer to make any necessary repairs.  They also sometimes offer an extended warranty on the inspected item.  Mostly people use this service for laserdisc players, audio/visual items, and microscopes.

I'm able to send your Yahoo items out for inspection for a fee.  Each company is different in terms of cost and level of service, but just about every company offers some kind of inspection.  That should give you peace of mind that the item is in good working order before you pay for international shipping.  You'll also get a document from the company showing it's been inspected which should help the resale value in the future.  The fee I change for handling this for you is 4,000 yen over cost.

Before buying you should send me an email so I can confirm that the item is still available for inspection.  Companies change their policies all the time so information contained in this page can become outdated.

Pioneer Laserdisc Players

Pioneer offers inspection of their laserdisc players.  Most people use this for the LD-S9 and HLD-X9 players.  I've sent about a dozen players to Pioneer and they certify that it's in good working order, clean the inside of the player, and (usually) change the belt.  The cost of the service is 7,000 yen and takes about one week from the day it's mailed until the day it's returned.  A 3-month warranty is added to the item after it's been inspected.  You receive a document from Pioneer referencing the serial number and date of inspection. In the unlikley event that the player needs more than just the regular belt change, they'll give you details of the necessary repairs and you can choose to have it repaired or not.

Audio Items

Things become more complicated with high end audio items since each company has their own inspection procedure.  They all have different costs, they all inspect different items, some offer warranties, some don't, etc.  It varies not only by company but by product as well.  When you call to ask about inspection they don't have one policy, they want you to give them a model number and they give you information about what they can or can't do.  Obviously I can't ask about every model number, so I mostly got generalized answers.

Most of the time older audio items can be inspected and certified to be in good working order, but the company lacks replacement parts to fix some problems that they might find.  It's best to ask me about specific items before you buy so I can call the company and find out what level of service they're able to provide for that item.

Luxman

Inspection services range from 6,000 yen to 8,000 yen depending on the item. Shipping is an additional 3,000 to 5,000 yen depending on the size of the item. You should expect to pay about 10,000 yen total for the inspections.  Many of the older items cannot be repaired.  They offer a 30-day warranty on any item they they repair.

Yamaha

Yamaha's inspection service varies substantially by item type.  CD players such as the GT-CD1, GT-CD2, CDX-1000 cost 6,000 yen to inspect plus shipping.  Preamps like the C-1 and C-2x also cost 6,000 yen plus shipping.  The same goes for the GT-2000 turntable.  They generally do not have replacement parts and cannot fix junk items.  They offer no warranty.  The inspection time takes about 1 week and the average cost of a typical repair (if needed) is 8,000 to 10,000 yen.

Sony

Sony's inspection service also varies substantially by product type.  The inspection prices are generally cheaper, from 1,000 yen to 4,000 yen plus shipping.  They're able to inspect older items but most likely will not have replacement parts, especially for CD players older then 6-8 years old.  They offer inspection of their TA-Exx amps.  They offer a 3 month warranty for any problem that they fix.  The average cost of fixing an item that needs repair is about 13,000 yen.

Marantz

Marantaz offers an inspection service with the average price being 7,000 to 8,000 yen depending on the item.  If an item needs repair the average cost is about 12,500 yen.  They offer a 30-day warranty for any problem they fix and the inspection takes about 1 week.

Sansui

Sansui is a bit vague about their inspection service, but it runs about 2,000 to 3,000 yen for the inspection plus shipping.  They say that a "usual" charge for an item that needs repair is 20,000 to 30,000 yen.  The service takes about 2 weeks and they offer a 30-day warranty on any parts they've fixed.

Optics

Both Olympus and Nikon offer inspection services for their microscopes.  The level of inspection they're able to provide varies by product type, but items like BH and SMZ microscopes shouldn't be a problem.  It's best to contact me before bidding if you have a spefic model in mind so I can contact the company and confirm that inspection is possible.  Prices vary depending on the item and inspection takes about one week.  I was given a general price of "around 3,000 to 6,000 yen" by Olympus depending on the hardware.  I don't have a price from Nikon, but if you're interested in having a Nikon microscope inspected I can call them.