Thanks to everyone who replied saying they wanted to get a taste of Japanese convenience stores, conbini, in their own home. The poll finished up with most people wanting a US$50 box inclusive of postage.
I have checked prices at the post office and been through all of the snacks again to put together a Conbini Box that works out to US$50. Depending on where you live the postage may be slightly more or less. For this first Conbini Box we will have to go a bit on trial and error. I hope it works out close enough.
I have organized for 15 Conbini Boxes to be available in total. 10 of the small USD$50 Boxes and 5 of the larger USD$75 Boxes.
Please keep in mind the important points outlined below as to the conditions for this Conbini Box service.
Conbini Box USD$50 selection
To order the USD$50 Conbini Box please click the Paypal button below. You can pay with credit card or Paypal account through this system. Credit card payments are handled by Paypal on a secure server.
By clicking on the “Pay Now” button and placing an order you are agreeing to the conditions outlined below
Conbini Box USD$75 selection
To order the USD$75 Conbini Box please click the Paypal button below. You can pay with credit card or Paypal account through this system. Credit card payments are handled by Paypal on a secure server.
By clicking on the “Pay Now” button and placing an order you are agreeing to the conditions outlined below
Please take note of these important points
- The Conbini Box is offered in a spirit of friendship for those who can’t buy the goods themselves. If there is a problem with the Box when it arrives let me know, but I can’t guarantee the safe condition through the postal system direct to your home. Once I pack the Box and pay the postage it is physically out of my hands, although not my thoughts.
- The items in the Conbini Box have been selected to fit into the budget and try to give some variety. We cannot ship certain types of foods, like eggs, meat and bread to many countries, so these have been left off the list.
- We are conscious of the weight allowance in the Conbini Box. To get the best postal rates we have to keep the Box under 2kg. To keep the price down as much as possible, lighter is better. The Conbini Boxes currently on offer here weigh about 1.1kg and 1.6kg respectively. This includes the weight of the Box itself which was a separate cost from the Post Office.
- If you buy the goods yourself in Japan it will be cheaper. You won’t have to pay for postage or for the box. You can also make your own selection of goods. For those who can’t buy goods themselves in Japan, the Conbini Box is available
- The items cannot be returned. I have tried to make sure items included will not go off or melt, but can’t be 100% sure of the condition after postage. If there are problems please let me know and we can do things differently next time, but we can’t exchange items that have already been bought and sent.
- I have chosen a postage system for small packets that does not include insurance and does not include tracking. If the postal service in your country is not reliable, then you can ask to use a trackable and insured service. It will cost more than just the US$50 or US$75 Box but you will have the guarantee of delivery. I can check prices for your location on request.
- I have been quoted the postal prices on paper, but have yet to actually take a box for delivery to them. If for some reason postage prices change dramatically, I will have to review the procedure and get back to you with an alternative solution.
- Postage delivery times may vary on your location. The postage chosen is the cheapest one to try and keep costs down and the number of items up. I would expect the postage to take at least 1 week and possibly upto 3 weeks. In the past I have sent items and they have arrived under 1 week, but there is no guarantee this will be the case. The only way to find out how the system works is for us to try it and see.
- I have organized payment to be received by Paypal. Once payment is received the Conbini Box will be sent. I can’t offer refunds once the goods have been purchased.
- I am not a nutrition expert, but my guess is if you eat the entire contents of the Conbini Box in one sitting you may not feel well after it. Please treat all items with respect ^^. If you have allergies please check the contents carefully. Ask me if you want some explanations. I will try to help.
- I can’t substitute certain items for individual members in the Conbini Box. The Boxes are offered as set packages.
- Convenience stores change out products every day. New products may only be in the store for 1 week. If they do not sell they will get replaced with other products. During the time I have posted the sample items for the Conbini Box and actually making the purchases, if items are no longer available I will switch them with a similarly priced item. Please understand, if the item is not available from the convenience store it will not be included in the Conbini Box. Another item available from the convenience store will take its place.
- I am open to all suggestions as to how to improve things in the future.
I hope you like the selections made for this first round of Conbini Box. If response is positive and feedback is good then I will make another selection for the end of January 2010.
Order, Payment Review
To order the USD$50 Conbini Box please click the Paypal button below. You can pay with credit card or Paypal account through this system. Credit card payments are handled by Paypal on a secure server.
By clicking on the “Pay Now” button and placing an order you are agreeing to the conditions outlined above
To order the USD$75 Conbini Box please click the Paypal button below. You can pay with credit card or Paypal account through this system. Credit card payments are handled by Paypal on a secure server.
By clicking on the “Pay Now” button and placing an order you are agreeing to the conditions outlined above
Awesome Alan!!
Will have to wait a couple of days (until I get paid) but hopefully I will be able to get a box this round!
Still reckon you should put together a pocky box!!! (LOL)
That’s a nice assortment. I hope you get some positive feedback for your efforts. I can vouch for the “Cube” brand gum (it’s my favorite), Bakauke sembei, and wasabi sembei. All are quite yummy!
Good luck!
Thanks. Appreciate your comments, particularly the words of advice the other day. 🙂
When is the deadline to buy these combini boxes? Hopefully one of those 75 usd boxes will still be available when my pay day comes.
when is payday? i will try and hold one back for you 🙂
I still choose the 75$ box. Mostly because of Meltykiss, it looks so tasty. =) But first I need to ask, will you be able to send a box to Russia? Probably, I should ask it earlier, so you could check the postage there too. As far as I know, we are usually placed among the countries with the most expensive delivery, so the final box price can go a little up.
I never ordered anything from Japan, but I suppose as long as the parcel passes customs and is handed to our post, it doesn’t matter, where it came from =) And as I said, I got all my previous orders safe and in one piece %)
I will check and let you know. Probably I can go to the post office tomorrow.
Oh my this is excellent ! Great selection for both boxes. And thank _GOD_ you didn’t include Pepsi Azuki in there *lol*
And how lucky for me pay day in Holland comes a week earlier in December for pre-x-mas shopping so.. I’m looking at YOU 75$ box ! Mhahahaha ! I’ll purchase when i’m at home. I don’t trust my computer at work for payment related stuff 🙂
Nice one. I am making a note to keep Pepsi Azuki off the list for good 😉
Wow. I’m so happy I started reading your blog. I think I’m going to get one of these. I so adore Japanese snacks, and there is no Japanese market near me anymore. Thanks so much for offering these!
RT @tweetmeme Conbini Box 1, Japan Conbini | Shibuya246 http://bit.ly/5cqVln A great selection of snacks Wish i could get 1 but due to very very short funds situation will have to pass. Isee you included Evangelion Cards in the boxes, it was my first big anime that I saw, and made me even more interested in amime and manga. May be in the future I can get 1.
Sounds good. Anytime you are ready, the conbini’s will be there 🙂
Conbini large order placed :-] Let the patient waiting begin 🙂
I’ll let you know when it arrives in my part of the world (Amsterdam) so you can note for future reference for other customers (which should be the same as for the UK,Belgium, Germany and France – _max_ give or take 1 day diff)
On a personal observation note: It is great to see that you have a good community growing here; I was half-expecting there would be 1 person that would raise the point of “This is a fraud ! He just wants money” etc. etc.
And now i’m off to cook a non Japanese dish. Wish I could make okonomiyaki at home >_> Proper Tepan Yaki table is way too big for my house tough. Up ! Up ! and away !
Thanks. I see your order and am filling the box up now. 🙂
P.S A big thanks again for setting this up out of good will and sacrifice of personal free time ! The effort is very much appreciated.
[img]http://shibuya246.com/wp-content/upload/Hipster Shroom.JPG[/img]
My “Hipster shroom” says thanks too !
(sorry don’t have Rilakkuma yet so this will have to do haha)
Wow ! I’m not interested in such a combini box right now (I still haven’t eaten or drunk all the stuff I brought back from Japan – Pepsi Azuki included) but I applaud your idea !
May the heavenly father receive your soul in peace my son ( For being brave to try pepsi azuki ) ^_^ Let us know what you tought of it ! I’ll tell you my toughts after you’ve tried it 🙂
Pepsi Azuki is actually kind of nice as a very sweet fizzy drink.
I’m still LOLing at the mark-up with pricing here but fair play to you if people are prepared to pay this much.
Postage is the main cost. Even trying to keep the weight down and using the cheapest post it still is around 1,350 yen to 1,900 yen including the cost of the box. With the exchange rate at .91 this really bites into the purchasing power of a $50 or $75 package. We have tried to select as many varied and fun items as possible to meet the budget though and think we have a pretty good selection here, including the addition of some Rilakkuma characters.
Thanks.
Payday in a couple of days. Looking forward to making a purchase! Thanks for doing this. Told you you’d make some money! lol
So hopeful I get a box first round, really looking forward to it. This blog is one of my end-of-the-day touchstones to keep me sane after work – throw in some munchies to go with it, and I’ve got a perfect day. Thanks for everything you do!
Thank you. Appreciate the warm comments. All those that have ordered so far are definitely in. I have also added an extra 5 large boxes, so it is 10 small, 10 large. Seems like lots of people wanted to go for the USD$75 option. Thank you all 🙂 Will be sending this out ASAP.
As much as i want to get it, my wallet doesn’t permit. T^T Luckily there are shops in Singapore which sells tidbits from Japan.
Thx. Good to hear you can get your hands on some goodies as well.
setting up a line item for the large combini box in my January budget – looks like Combini Monday has a successful spin-off !! 😀
[img]http://shibuya246.com/wp-content/upload/VID00109r.jpg[/img] A view of the kingdom about a week ago.
Great 🙂 Love that photo. Watch out for skids.
Just ordered mine! Yeah! 😀 Maybe someday you will do a Hello Kitty Conbini set but not too soon, I think I just broke the bank on this one. lol lol lol
Ok, good point. I will have to wait until everyone has eaten the first lot.
*** UPDATE ***
All the orders so far have been received ok and the goods are finding their way into the right boxes.
I will be sending all packages out on Jan 5th. The Post Office is closed until then but I will have everything packaged, addresses written on boxes ready to go straight away. Any others waiting to join need to get their orders in by Jan 4th night time Tokyo time.
I still have 3 of the large boxes and 4 of the small boxes left if anyone else is keen.
Thanks and Happy New Year 🙂
Oh, it seems, I have to hurry, I want any box. I’ve sent you payment just now ^^
It’s good that you’ll send everything on 5th. That means, the package should arrive when I’ll certainly stay at home and be able to pick it up =)
Happy New Year! =)
No problem. I will check that now.
Sent payment yesterday so Im glad about the Jan 5 cut off.
Maybe a good idea to have a cut off date for next round so people know when to get money in by (I thought I had missed it!)
Look forward to getting the box and I’ll post up when it arrives so people can judge times etc (I assume you’ll post up when they go out?)
Thanks again,
Tristan
Thanks. Good idea. will post a deadline up front for next time. I will post a photo of me sending the Conbini Boxes hopefully on Jan 5th 🙂
LOL..thanks!
Hi Alan,
Just writing to let you know that my combini box (literally) just arrived on my doorstep (the postman just knocked on the door to give it to me!)
9:00 am Australian Eastern Standard Time on the 15th of Jan. 2010
Would have hit Australia yesterday or the day before (?) and then through the distribution system .: took about 10 days to get from Japan to Australia!
Going to video/photo the opening and post to my blog as soon as I have breakfast! (on holidays so I slept in……)
Thanks again,
Tristan
Great to see your Conbini Box arrived safely. Thanks for letting me know.
No Problems
Blog up about my combini box at http://www.tristanforsyth.com
Can someone who speaks the language tell me whats what in the box? (via my flickr set which is linked from the blog!)
Just curious!
Hello !!
Just letting you know that my conbini box arrived early this afternoon, January 20th, and all contents were safe and sound. I’m in Pennsylvania, about 2 hours northeast of Pittsburgh. Thanks again, and have a great week!!
Ray
fantastic. great to hear that they are starting to arrive safely. Enjoy 🙂