Last June 2020, I ordered Gunpla kit for my birthday through a Filipino proxy in Japan. I ordered a pair of Gundam Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics kit. The Filipino proxy sells it for 1,300PhP per kit (2,600PhP total). After I placed my order and paid half of the items, he confidently affirm that the arrival of the kits will be on the second week of July. As the month of June ends, he informs me that the arrival of the kits will be moved to End of July. But after days of follow up, it was moved again to August, and moved again to September. According to the proxy, the boxes was apprehended by the Japanese Customs because of vast number of toys inside the box and they have to pay penalties, otherwise, those boxes will be confiscated. It finally arrived in our office this October after 4 months of waiting.
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| The GunPla kits I ordered through a Pinoy Proxy |
Filipino residents in Japan are considering it as a sideline on top their work and I believe it does earn a lot, as they convert 1 yen as 1 peso. Meaning a 1,300JPY Gunpla kit is 1,300PhP! A 100 percent profit! By the way, they don't limit in selling toys and collectibles, they also sell branded goods and beauty products as well. These Filipino proxies are using the Balikbayan boxes in sending the items to the Philippines. As every OFW knows that they can squeeze items inside the box regardless of size and weight, as long as the goods can fit inside with a fixed shipping fee. I think there are some Pinoy proxy is having a hard time in filling up the boxes, deferring deliveries as supposed to be.
My advice to collectors in the Philippines is to check the reviews of the proxy. Some of them might be a bogus proxy and putting up bogus social media page. Check the prices online such as Yodobashi and BicCamera. Some proxy may overprice the items by more than 100 percent, Google is your friend! And a lot of patience in waiting as there might be logistic difficulties during transit, especially at this time of pandemic. This will be my first and last transaction with a Pinoy proxy, I would rather buy thru Mandarake's online shop or Buyee, as they are more faster than Pinoy proxy.
