A small box from Japan

[kgallen]

I thought I’d try an Amazon.co.jp purchase. Look, I know I’m way behind all you chaps… this is new territory for me!

 

 

 

My first new-new minidiscs 😁

£3.70 ea delivered (which is a little over the £3 I try to pay for NOS) - and arrived in just a few days.

Now I know this works and I don’t get scammed I might go again! 😎
 

Oooops…

[BearBoy]

Nice 🙂

 

I've bought a few (non-MD) things from Amazon.co.jp before and it's always been really easy (and no additional taxes when they reach the UK). Whenever I've put MD stuff in my basket though, it always seems to be from an Amazon Marketplace seller and I've always worried that I might get hit for taxes/admin fees upon delivery.

 

Did you buy these from Amazon themselves, Kevin? Any additional taxes when they were delivered?

[kgallen]

Yea just a vanilla Amazon order. No other charges - order said ‘taxes included’. The box doesn’t have a customs label so they must bulk ship the parcels by Amazon and UK customs must trust them!

 

I just ordered one pack of 10 because I thought UK customs and ‘brokerage charges’ might get added but no. 
 

So I just ordered another 30 🤣 now I’m happy with the process. They’ll come out at £3 a piece.

 

UK eBay for NOS is no cheaper at the moment. I’ve got a decent stock of discs although I’ve gone through quite a few recently copying CDs and recording radio programmes.

 

😊

[BearBoy]

You're a bad, bad influence @kgallen 🤦‍♂️

[Richard]

Nice - always good to get some nice new discs in the mail. I can't remember the exact threshold for VAT on items from Japan, but I believe it changed in early 2021 as up to around 60 or 80 GBP you should not get charged anything I think. I have had quite a few packages flying in via Fedex and the only ones since January 2021 I have been charged VAT on were ones with a declared value nearer to the 100 GBP mark.

[BearBoy]

That's useful to know @Richard

 

In my experience, if you order anything from any of the international Amazon sites that is shipped by them, they take care of all of the relevant taxes so you don't get a nasty surprise when the postman/courier turns up at your door.

[kgallen]

35 minutes ago, BearBoy said:

That's useful to know @Richard

 

In my experience, if you order anything from any of the international Amazon sites that is shipped by them, they take care of all of the relevant taxes so you don't get a nasty surprise when the postman/courier turns up at your door.

I hope so, I just spent £92! 😆

[BearBoy]

Yeah, I hope that if there is any VAT to be applied then the limit is quite a bit over £60 as I spent £66 earlier 🤣

[kgallen]

4 hours ago, BearBoy said:

You're a bad, bad influence @kgallen 🤦‍♂️

What did you do…? 😁

 

20 discs I’m thinking 🤔 

[BearBoy]

Spot on. 

[kgallen]

47 minutes ago, BearBoy said:

Spot on. 

Sorry 🥸🤣

 

You’ve done pretty well over these years though, this is the first ‘success’ I’ve had! 😆

[BearBoy]

🤣

 

Whilst this site was "off-air" I don't think I purchased anything MiniDisc related. It's been back, what, a week? and I've bought 20 blanks I don't really need 😆

 

Not to mention that my watchlist on eBay seems to have grown...

 

I'll try to do a "stock take" tomorrow and see how many blanks I've actually got. Last time I checked I had about 300 sealed ones. Realistically, that's probably more than I'll ever need.

[kgallen]

I’ve got nuthin’ on you @BearBoy.

 

Just had a count: 86 x 74 mins and (72+40) x 80 mins. 

[BearBoy]

I've used quite a few since I last counted them up so you're probably not too far short @kgallen

 

That's not intended as an incentive for you to buy any more though... 😆

[Richard]

Just checked and the threshold should be £135 / 20,000 yen (at current exchange rates). My package last week was the equiavlent of about 170 GBP so that explains the VAT charge. 

[BearBoy]

Thanks @Richard Worth bearing in mind for things more expensive than a few blank discs.

 

Were you buying MiniDisc related stuff? If so, anything interesting?

[Richard]

5 minutes ago, BearBoy said:

Thanks @Richard Worth bearing in mind for things more expensive than a few blank discs.

 

Were you buying MiniDisc related stuff? If so, anything interesting?

 

I'm always buying MD stuff..  🤣 Actually this last one was 37 CD's and the 10 Pack box of Axia J'z I posted in the pictorials the other day. I do have another Victor player arriving soon - an XM-C17. Prior to Christmas I did have various blanks arrive and a few small Daiso storage boxes. 

[BearBoy]

11 minutes ago, Richard said:

I do have another Victor player arriving soon - an XM-C17.

 

I'm not really very familiar with any non-Sony machines but just Googled that one and it's a lovely looking device. Look forward to seeing some pictures when it arrives.

[Richard]

16 minutes ago, BearBoy said:

 

I'm not really very familiar with any non-Sony machines but just Googled that one and it's a lovely looking device. Look forward to seeing some pictures when it arrives.

 

I have the very similar XM-B22P as well and I have been so impressed with it. The sound quality is very, very good, and the battery lasts an absolute eternity in these things.

[BearBoy]

Would like to see some pictures of the XM-B22P if you get a chance @Richard. Seem to recall you got it when the site was having issues with uploading photos?

 

That seems to be fixed now given @kgallen's photos above.

[Richard]

5 hours ago, BearBoy said:

Would like to see some pictures of the XM-B22P if you get a chance @Richard. Seem to recall you got it when the site was having issues with uploading photos?

 

That seems to be fixed now given @kgallen's photos above.

 

Your wish is my command sir! Please refer to this newly created topic 😊

 

[BearBoy]

Thanks for taking the time to do that @Richard  It’s a fantastic looking player. 
 

in other news, my own “small box from Japan” is in transit. Currently predicted to be here next Friday. 

[kgallen]

Wednesday for me. But if the last order is anything to go by it might be sooner. Initially on this first JPN purchase the bank blocked my credit card, but once that was resolved it was shipped on 18/Jan and I received it on 20/Jan!

 

I notice the price went up. Hopefully @BearBoy I didn’t cause too much inflation on your purchase! 🥸

[BearBoy]

A sudden increase in demand from the UK is pushing MD prices up! 😃

 

The prices seem to fluctuate a bit. When I purchased mine on Thursday, the initial quoted price was ￥3,760, although this went up to ¥4,102 when I checked out. Not sure if this was Amazon factoring in the taxes?

 

Just looked now and the price is showing as ¥3,600, although this goes up to ¥3,928 if I proceed to checkout. This is from a different seller to the one I purchased from but still shipped by Amazon.

 

I had a similar thing with my credit card initially blocking the purchase but once I confirmed to them it was legitimate things seem to go through okay. I seem to recall the last things I bought from Amazon.co.jp arrived sooner than their quoted delivery date so maybe they'll turn up before next Friday.

[BearBoy]

On 1/22/2022 at 8:27 AM, BearBoy said:

In other news, my own “small box from Japan” is in transit. Currently predicted to be here next Friday. 

 

Well, it turned up early! Not such a "small" box either 😆

 

[kgallen]

Snap! Mine came today too 😀

[Richard]

9 hours ago, BearBoy said:

 

Well, it turned up early! Not such a "small" box either 😆

 

 

 

That is quite a big box isn't it?

[kgallen]

He’s hiding 60 discs in there not the 20 he said he’d bought 😆

[BearBoy]

Haha. I wish.

 

No, it is just an unnecessarily large box for 20 MiniDiscs.

 

Very painless process tbh and works out cheaper than any of the eBay sellers I have seen with these particular discs.

[kgallen]

@BearBoy are your discs boxed? What specific model are they? They look different to my original batch at least in the packaging.

 

Will open my new ones shortly…

[BearBoy]

Yeah, they are individually wrapped in cardboard boxes of 5. All my MDW80Ts have come like this (I've bought 50-60 of them, I think, over the past few years).

 

Yours looked like they weren't in cardboard boxes?

[kgallen]

@BearBoymy second batch are boxed like yours.

 

So whilst these aren't decorative discs like we've seen from the past, these are a subtly different model, MDW80T, from the "Basic" range, MDW80BC, that we thought were the only discs still made and "bulk" packed in the boxes of 25.

 

Maybe they are the same inside (as in disc caddy and slip case). I don't have any of the "Basic" range to compare.

 

I can't find a manufacture date code on the box, but I presume these are all new-new. The box packaging doesn't look aged in any way, it's still crisp in colour and form.

 

My previous batch of 10 (from the same seller, although his "last 10") were lose packed in a plastic bag, not in boxes. But they were MDW80T too and the wrappers are also crisp and seem new-new.

[BearBoy]

1 hour ago, kgallen said:

So whilst these aren't decorative discs like we've seen from the past, these are a subtly different model, MDW80T, from the "Basic" range, MDW80BC, that we thought were the only discs still made and "bulk" packed in the boxes of 25.

 

Maybe they are the same inside (as in disc caddy and slip case). I don't have any of the "Basic" range to compare.

 

I can't find a manufacture date code on the box, but I presume these are all new-new. The box packaging doesn't look aged in any way, it's still crisp in colour and form.

 

My previous batch of 10 (from the same seller, although his "last 10") were lose packed in a plastic bag, not in boxes. But they were MDW80T too and the wrappers are also crisp and seem new-new.

 

I quite like the minimalist design of the MDW80Ts 🙂 but I imagine some might find them rather dull compared to the more colourful discs from the past (especially some of the more exotic ones @Richard has in his collection).

 

I seem to recall someone posting up the differences between the MDW80T and MDW80BC discs at one point. From what I remember, I think you may have got fewer stickers with the "Basic" ones but aside from that, and the printing on the disc caddy, they were pretty much identical.

 

I don' have any of the MDW80BCs but I do have some of the later Neige discs (MDW80NED) and they are, Neige logo aside, identical to the MDW80Ts.

 

The MDW80Ts are the only normal MDs still listed on Sony's Japanese website (https://www.sony.jp/rec-media/products/MDW80T/) but interestingly they also still have the MMD-140B MD Data discs for sale (https://www.sony.jp/rec-media/products/MMD-140B/).

[BearBoy]

There are photos of all three types (MDW80T, MDW80BC and MDW80NED) on this site: https://juri.su/minidisc.htm

 

Shows the packaging, discs and stickers.

 

Given that it looks as though Sony are still making/selling the MDW80Ts, I wonder if there is any chance of them releasing any 30th Anniversary specials this year?

[kgallen]

@BearBoy Those links are great, thanks!

 

it appears Sony still has the MDW80T as current product then, that’s comforting… and that we shouldn’t be bullied by those eBayers charging silly prices for new discs (or even 2nd hand ones!).

 

Someone on Taoeheads was suggesting recently Sony had stopped disc production. Their site would suggest not. (Possibly the thread that gave me the link for these disc purchases).
 

I wonder how interested these big corporations are in anniversaries when they don’t really have an active product line to promote. Sony electronics is nothing it used to be so I wonder how interested they even are with exploiting it for a generic promotion of the Sony brand?

[BearBoy]

1 hour ago, kgallen said:

It appears Sony still has the MDW80T as current product then, that’s comforting… and that we shouldn’t be bullied by those eBayers charging silly prices for new discs (or even 2nd hand ones!).

 

Someone on Tapeheads was suggesting recently Sony had stopped disc production. Their site would suggest not. (Possibly the thread that gave me the link for these disc purchases).

 

I suppose the fact that they have them on their website and they're readily available from Amazon.co.jp doesn't necessarily mean they're still in production. Might just have some existing stocks still available? Did the person at Tapeheads have a source for Sony stopping production?

[BearBoy]

1 hour ago, kgallen said:

I wonder how interested these big corporations are in anniversaries when they don’t really have an active product line to promote. Sony electronics is nothing it used to be so I wonder how interested they even are with exploiting it for a generic promotion of the Sony brand?

 

When it was the 40th anniversary of the original Walkman (i.e. the cassette one), Sony released a special edition network Walkman styled like the original.

 

 

I suppose it's possible that they might do something similar for MiniDisc? Although I am not sure MiniDisc, at a global level at least, would be considered as iconic as the Walkman. The format seems to be viewed as a failure by many people so maybe not something 2022 Sony would necessarily want to make a big thing of...

[kgallen]

So that "Walkman" above is not a cassette deck then? It's a solid-state MP3 player?

 

The equivalent would make no sense at all for MD!

 

To do anything new for MD they would have to resurrect their old chip designs and they will probably be on a technology node that has long since been decomissioned in the wafer fabs (for anything but military and space applications that tend to use older technology).

 

They aren't going to spend the money it would take to port their designs to a more recent node, the costs are just too astronomical for the likely return.

 

However I'm waiting to be proven wrong.

 

Re TH: No it was just an off-the-cuff comment/hearsay/gossip. No reference given.

 

ps - SIF has stopped loading on Chrome on my iPhone. Still OK here on Firefox on the Win10 PC...

[BearBoy]

2 hours ago, kgallen said:

So that "Walkman" above is not a cassette deck then? It's a solid-state MP3 player?

 

Correct. It was just one of their standard solid state MP3 players with a case that was styled like the original cassette Walkman:

 

I think the "app" on the player could also show a picture of a cassette tape whilst it was playing:

 

 

[BearBoy]

2 hours ago, kgallen said:

To do anything new for MD they would have to resurrect their old chip designs and they will probably be on a technology node that has long since been decommissioned in the wafer fabs (for anything but military and space applications that tend to use older technology).

 

They aren't going to spend the money it would take to port their designs to a more recent node, the costs are just too astronomical for the likely return.

 

Oh, I completely agree. I wouldn't expect them to release any new MD hardware at all. Just wondered if they might do some commemorative blanks (if they are still making them).

 

Alternatively, they could release a solid state player that looked a bit like a classic MiniDisc player.