It isn’t, correct. Usually it’s in the ballpark but it pays to look around.
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I found I was able to haggle a slightly better price with ishibashi.
That was on used equipment, im not sure if the same holds for new instruments.
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It’s generally not a thing here, including getting places to match prices. One time I was able to get Ishibashi to match a price at one of their other stores (i.e. two of their stores had the same instrument at different prices) but it took considerable effort.
If you got them to move the price at all it is pretty awesome.
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I have negotiated with Ikebe on a new bass, and they did come down a bit off asking. Not a crazy amount, but worth asking.
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OK, this is the one I want ….
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This thread should be subtitled Howard enables GAS for everyone
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What I find interesting is that there are several listings on the same bass, ranging from (for example) $500 free shipping to $900 free shipping and every combo in between, lol. It’s almost like they are getting the bass from a central place and people just list it on their own and determine their cut.
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I ran across this on one of my Aerodynes and I asked each seller what the deal was. They all explained the same thing…
There are “agents” over there who are allowed to sell the same bass and set a price. Most of those are very negotiable. Whoever sells it gets a cut, snd they all have their strategies on selling.
It’s an interesting selling model, albeit quite odd.
But having a bunch of people selling for you seems like a good idea (at least on paper).
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Choice is never bad, yeah. A little more legwork but in general I like it.
Another interesting thing here is that shop and store loyalty can be kind of a thing. I don’t get it but it happens.
If you’re local, each shop has different incentives as well. Ikebe has a points system that can be actually lucrative, for example; they kick back a reasonable amount in points. But this is locals-only.
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It’s not bad when one agent takes turn and put one at highest price then the rest has a chance. I just picked up a motion bass that listed as high as $970 for $450, them minutes ago.
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Sorry this is late to the party.
Ya, I have been messing around with flipping instruments for a long time. I lived in Japan between 2005-2010ish. I got into blues guitar while living there. Long story. I hadn’t really played music before. So… I discovered that you could pick up a Fender Japan strat (at that time) for peanuts. Especially so when it needed a bit of work. So, I started buying, fixing and selling.
I left Japan, attended law school, and did a lot of life before picking up a bass for the first time at the very beginning of covid. Amazingly, I have bought (I think) about 45 basses in that time. Flipped a bunch and have about 20 I could sell pretty easily. The rest were projects that I hope to get to. I have to pare down the numbers significantly in 2023.
That said, I just bought my first Dragonfly (a old and early one) for what I consider a good deal. It doesn’t need any work but I really wanted to try one. I have heard great things.
Heading back to Japan this week for 3 weeks. Can’t wait to hit Ochanomizu.
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the site is blazing fast now, slowness is gone
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Hmm, it looks like Ikebe took down their language selection button. The pages still translate well with either Google or Apple translation (built in to Chrome and Safari respectively). And they still have their overseas customers link in clear English.
Basically, on their new page, click “Online Store”
Search for what you want in the search box, and then on the product page click on this:
The pages translate well in most browsers too.
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You ARE on their payroll after all 
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If only the money flowed in that direction…
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I’ll be arriving in Japan in less than two weeks.
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Look forward to it. Any idea when you’ll be in Tokyo?
I might be heading to Sydney mid-Nov but not sure yet.
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The weekend of November 11-12. I’ll DM you next week to set something up.
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