Gifts in Japan?

[Limewater]

I know a few people who live in Japan or have lived in Japan read this board, so I was hoping to get some advice.

I am in the US, but one of my brothers has lived in Japan for a little over a year. Birthday and Christmas gifts are a bit of a challenge, given the outrageous shipping prices from here to Japan. It seems silly to buy him something for ten dollars and then spend thirty getting it to him.

Last Christmas, we got him some games on Steam, and that actually worked. He was able to download and run all but maybe one game in the Orange Box.

So, I was wondering if any of you who have been in by brother's shoes had any cool ideas for things I and my family could do to give him gifts.

He has a PS3. Can I, as a non-PS3 user here in the States buy him any credits on PSN in Japan?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

[jp1]

You could always find an online retailer based in Japan or an ebay seller based in Japan and ship the items you purchase directly to your brother to avoid the high costs of shipping.

[Limewater]

You could always find an online retailer based in Japan or an ebay seller based in Japan and ship the items you purchase directly to your brother to avoid the high costs of shipping.

Any suggestions for online retailers? I tried looking last year and had no success. It is my understanding that online shopping has not really caught on in Japan the way it has here, and that people over there still generally make purchases in cash rather than using credit or debit cards.

[Inazuma]

Another solution is to use PayPal to send him money.

[Anayo]

On eBay I buy things from the Japanese seller Yamatoku. You could try him.

[Inazuma]

On eBay I buy things from the Japanese seller Yamatoku. You could try him.

So you're the one who always outbids me. Yamatoku on Ebay is the main source of my games. Awesome seller.

[jp1]

I don't know of any retailers, sorry. Of course both dealextreme and focalprice have a wide range of products and free worldwide shipping. The only problem is it can take some time, so you would have to order early.

[MrPopo]

Amazon.co.jp has flexible shipping options and a link that turns the site into an English translation.

[BoringSupreez]

Another solution is to use PayPal to send him money.

That would be a good idea. Just give him some money and tell him to buy something he likes there. Or send him some cash in an envelope, so he can spend it offline if he wants.

[fingersmaloy]

I'm pretty sure playasia.com ships to Japan for free and you can pay in dollars with no fuss. http://www.play-asia.com/

But a single PS3 game probably won't actually cost that much to ship from overseas, unless you're going for overnight shipping or something. I once sent a CD from US to Japan and it was like five bucks. Only took a week to arrive too.