Despite the bleak outlook suggested by this article’s headline, we have to acknowledge that this recent development does mean greater access to a lot of Japanese import games and anime & manga products, so our glass isn’t completely “half-empty” here…
However, Super Potato‘s NEW International eBay Store looks to cut out the middle-man reseller by marketing the island nation’s import games and anime & manga products directly to weebs across the world. Not only does this mean that even more of what’s left will be leaving Japanese shores, but that the days of finding a “good deal” may be numbered…
In recent years, we’ve already seen prices on import Saturn games go up as interest in the console has increased and domestic game prices have soared well out of reach of most folks new to collecting for the console. The situation is similar when it comes to anime figures as well…
For years, there have been numerous resellers basically planted overseas, scouring the local shops for deals and then passing those deals on to international buyers at a marginal markup for profit. This in itself has contributed over time to the increased scarcity of such “deals”, but with Super Potato reaching out directly to international buyers, with prices listed in dollars and direct shipping, the market for each item and listing becomes exponentially greater…
Super Potato has also opened a new corresponding Twitter account, informing the world of their new offering and gaining over a thousand followers within just a few days…
This action may set a precedent that other Japanese shops might follow, but only time will tell how this plays out. In the meantime, you might want to pull the trigger on that import game you’ve had on your wish list for a while now, as it may soon be a bit more… out of reach…
A massive Saturn fan since Christmas ’96, Dave is enthusiastic about growing the community and spreading Saturn love and knowledge to fans old and new. Co-founding the SEGA SATURN, SHIRO! podcast back in 2017 and creating the SHIRO! SHOW in 2020, he seeks to create interesting and engaging Saturn-related content for the community. Dave’s interests circle around game preservation, and he is a huge fan of game magazines and developer interviews.
I was quite disappointed with the selection on offer, so far it’s strictly games. No hardware or accessories.
But most critically; no sign that you can combine shipping in multiple products.
That will most certainly change… The shop has only been open for a few days. They’ll likely be updating inventory on an on-going basis…