Buyee purchases 6 - Free international shipping haul (One Spo, Liz Lisa, My Melody)

For customers with both a Tenso and a Buyee account, there was a "coupon" for free (up to 10,000yen equivalent) international shipping with Buyee. I didn't even need any additional excuses to start bidding up a storm. Even if the shipping cost ended up exceeding 10,000yen (and it did because I chose EMS), I didn't even care because that's such a steal! International shipping is practically the bulk of the cost of buying secondhand items from overseas online, and all (if not most) of it would be taken care of? Ummm hello, yes please?
P.S. This post is organized in the order I won the listings/purchased the items, so if it seems really hammajang, that's why lol.

Yahoo Auctions purchases
One Spo anchor dot sandals in black; Condition: New -

I had long admired these shoes in various One Spo coordinates when they were first released but never had any reason to buy them because where am I actually going to wear them? I really like nautical/marine/sailor/navy themed items and clothes though lol. I was super excited to find them on Buyee in new condition after all this time at a price that wasn't particularly ridiculous. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to just try them since I wouldn't have to worry about the international shipping cost too much.

I was SO nervous about the fit of these. The size was listed as "1" and it was under the "23.5cm" category on Yahoo Auctions, but I'm a little closer to a 24cm I would guess? And 23.5cm is definitely more like a Japanese size M which I sometimes fit depending on the brand but just don't fit for Liz Lisa where I'm almost exclusively size L. Thankfully, these fit almost perfectly except maybe they need a little breaking in because there's some slight tightness in the front strap. But in terms of length, it couldn't be better. There seems to be some minor discoloration with the white spots on the shoes, but the soles do look unused so it probably just has to do with age and I don't mind it for the price.
with "Navy girl" costume that I purchased for Halloween my freshman year in college lmao -

with Liz Lisa plain browsing top and Swankiss denim skirt -

I decided to take the shoes a little literally and pair it with the Halloween costume, but I think it pairs well even though I'm probably not going to wear it out any time soon lol. I definitely also wanted to show a slightly more casual/everyday outfit as well and it still works! I don't really have a plan for what to wear these with, but I'm just excited to have them. I have nowhere to go in them and the heels are really high but they are reasonably comfortable. I'm just not too sure I want to deal with wearing them out lol. Definitely cute though!

One Spo Napoleon set up; Condition: Used -

I bid on this kind of just on a whim because it was pretty cheap and I had just come back from the trip and wanted more One Spo things lol. (This was back in December lol.) I kind of just bid on whatever wasn't priced horribly. This set up also seemed really familiar to me for some reason, but I couldn't find any exact shop staff photos from the obvious places on Tumblr so I'm not exactly sure what I recognize it from. Maybe an earlier issue of Jelly Magazine? (That magazine and style used to be a favorite of mine in high school.) Anyway, whether or not I had actually seen this set up somewhere before, it really reminded me of that and I figured eh, why not bid on it? Lol.

Tbh I thought these items were khaki based on the photos, but I was actually pleasantly surprised to find that they're dark grey! I would have been happy with khaki / dark green as well, but I really enjoy the grey. (Now that I'm looking at the listing photo again, I see that it's clearly grey but I guess in my mind, I thought it was green and just continued to convince myself of that wtf.) I'm still not 1000% sure about the validity of this item and what year and season it's from exactly, but I do like them for what they are and it kind of reminds me of why I became interested in gyaru in the first place.
with Nine West ankle boots -

with Guess? mary jane pumps and illusion tights -

Sorry these coordinate examples aren't very varied, but this (as a set up) is how I think I want to wear them lol. The sukapan is definitely on the short side but I was expecting that and it does cover my butt at least. Both the jacket and the bottoms do fit very well on my body though - not too tight or too loose! I don't have a clear of idea of where I will wear them at this point in my life, but I'm still glad I purchased them and was able to remind myself what initially interested me in Japanese fashion.

Liz Lisa Web/EST-limited pom pom pumps in pink; Condition: New -

I was really surprised to find these on Yahoo Auctions for a tempting price. I wasn't overjoyed at the fact that there weren't any personal seller photos of the product, but it claimed to be new in box, so I decided to trust it. These were still available from TKL at the time of the auction but with free international shipping deal with Buyee, I decided to set a max bid for myself after figuring out what amount would cancel out that benefit when I calculate in the fees and held my breath lol. I told myself that I will no longer wake up in the middle of the night for Buyee auctions since most end at around 02:00-03:30am HST and I just value my sleep too much. If I don't win it after setting my max bid, it wasn't meant to happen. But I got them!

I was a bit surprised when I opened the shoe box to see that the pom poms were pink. Stock photos aren't known for their accurate color representation but it definitely seemed more off-white in the photos on my laptop and the poms on these are definitely pink. I think it might just be me though lol. I was a bit worried I got replicas for a second, but compared to my white pair, they seem really similar + it came with a shoe box and a tag. The only difference is that the straps are really hard to adjust to get the shoes on and off because the back tab is a little tight? Not sure if they need a little breaking in or if it's just this pair in particular.
with Liz Lisa floral shirring OP and Samantha Thavasa handbag -

with Liz Lisa x My Melody 4th collab OP -

I do like the style of my white pair, so there weren't too many surprises in terms of design, but this specific color is really great. The shade of pink for my other pairs of shoes are a little more dusty but this is a bit more "true pink". Prior to getting this pair, I didn't have a pink shoe that matched well with my MM 4th collab pink OP, but these really fit the bill. I really enjoy the flexibility that the removable pom pom allows and definitely look forward to using these in outfits in the future.

Liz Lisa (Chambre a Couche) Winter Rose bath mat; Condition: New -

I was so surprised to see this and wasn't even searching for it in particular! I'm so lucky I just happened upon it when I was doing a "lizlisa" keyword search and sorted by "ending soon". I honestly can't believe no one else bid on this considering it's in new condition and the seller doesn't have any negative feedback! But it's good for me lol.

The Liz Lisa Chambre a Couche line ended a couple years ago and I just never felt it was worth the money (because international shipping and how bulky some of the items are), but now that it's gone, I have huge regrets about not buying it in multiples wtf. Thank you Yahoo Auctions for my second chance. I really don't own much of anything from Chambre besides a lip gloss and a roomwear set, so this is essentially a first for me! I absolutely love the print and the color and see this easily being very useful! Because there's no rubber on the bottom, I think this is likely going to be more like a room/floor mat than a bath mat, but I'm still super happy with it.

Liz Lisa novelty floral slippers; Condition: "Used" -

This ended up costing a bundle to ship domestically for some reason. Literally 1180yen wtf. The item price was cheap and I just thought this would be fun to own for that price, but if I had known that the domestic shipping would end up coming out to be that much, it would have been a hard pass. I think the listing said the shipping would be 400yen but when I questioned Buyee about it, they said I had to pay more for tracking. I don't know what kind of shipping was used but I've had bigger and heavier items ship for a lot less.

There really wasn't a reason to buy this, but I do like the floral and I might just end up using it as a display piece? The slippers are a little small for me and I think that the bag and outline look a bit silly without them in place, so may as well just keep it in tact! This was entirely frivolous and ended up costing me a lot more than I anticipated but at least I really like the shape and the floral print lol.

Liz Lisa duffle carry bag; Condition: "Used" -

There are no reasons for this. I just saw it for a not-so-bad price and I wouldn't have bid on it if I had to pay for shipping so I used that as an excuse. This bag (but not this listing) was one of the first things I was intrigued about when I first started browsing Yahoo Auctions. Now I finally know what it's like. I have the FAINTEST memory of this being a novelty item for one of the stores but it wasn't widely distributed and I can't remember what year it was or what store location it was wtf and if that's even true haha. Like, I browse through so many blogs and listings that I wouldn't be surprised if I just accidentally blended the two. I actually found a few rakuten listings for this bag while waiting for the package to arrive and realized the bag is actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be! http://item.rakuten.co.jp/kiiroya-due/liz-l-a-24-005/ , http://item.rakuten.co.jp/vectorpremium/010-201511123296/ (Yes, fabulous idea to figure it out after you've already purchased it, I know.)

Although the listing had this item identified as "used", I'm pretty sure it's never been used based on the description. Additionally, there's no signs of use on the wheels or on any part of the outside or inside of the bag. There's also plastic still on the handles to protect the metal buckles. However, there's no tag on it and I think the seller was just being careful about defining the condition. In person, the bag is really cute. I love the embossed detailing and it does roll and function as a rolling bag as needed. S said it looked like a bowling bag to him, and yeah it does to an extent, but it's a really cute bowling bag??? A nice size for quick overnight stays or just transporting something small and heavy that you don't want to carry (like a bowling ball I guess lmao). Not 100% sure how or if I will actually use it but I'm glad I finally satisfied my curiosity about this item.

Liz Lisa 15th Anniversary room mat novelty item; Condition: New -

I was coming close to completing my haul but I wanted to add something reasonably priced that I wouldn't usually get because of the potential international shipping cost. This room mat was just the thing. I wanted a new mat for OOTD pictures in my room and it was especially good that this was one was from Liz Lisa and I wouldn't have been able to get it otherwise.

The colors are a little on the muted side, but I really don't mind that. Unlike the Chambre mat, this one does have the rubber bottom and could actually be used as a bath mat imo (since the rubber helps prevent slipping/movement of the mat). I will be using it as a replacement OOTD floor mat though. Probably TMI but let me try and explain this anyway. In Hawaii (like a number of places around the world), we don't wear shoes in the house. For my coordinate photos, I take the time to scrub and clean my shoes before I use them in blog posts and then I also clean the limited area where I was standing after and don't tromp around in them beyond necessary. For simple OOTD photos however, I don't often want to make the effort for that since it's just one outfit and it's just a mirror picture where I can only really be standing in one place anyway, so I just use a floor mat so my shoes don't touch the flooring. (I don't do this for blog post photos because I feel like it would be distracting, but if I get lazy one day, I will probably start.) Anyway, this mat will be replacing what I used to use which I actually had to kidnap when I wanted to use it from our back entryway lol.

Liz Lisa shorts "set"; Condition: Used -

I've been wanting shorts with a small ruffle lace detail on the hem but haven't found a listing I was satisfied with in the past. This listing has so little information (in fact, all it said in the description was "cute". Literally.) but I figured I couldn't go too wrong for the price. I'm not interested in the white pair but I definitely wanted to try the pink because of the lace and the bows on the back pockets. I know from past experience that Japanese denim shorts fit me snugly in the butt and hip area but loose in the waist. I wasn't sure what it would be like for these but I was willing to chance it.
the pink bow back pocket shorts -

with Liz Lisa sheer lace shoulder knit, Liz Lisa (pom pom) pumps and Liz Lisa x My Melody 6th collab floral bow -

with Liz Lisa web-limited bow peplum top and Tralala pearl strap sandals -

the white bubble drawstring shorts -

with Liz Lisa floral collar open back blouse and Tralala bow wedge sandals -

with Liz Lisa floral sweaterdress and Liz Lisa ankle boots -

As it turns out, as I feared, because of the denim material of the pink shorts, they technically fit, but it's an inch+ big on my waist and, in comparison, quite snug on my hips. It's not necessarily uncomfortable, but it just feels a bit weird because it's just not right for my body type. I'm really particular about how I like shorts to fit, and this type isn't high on my list. That being said, the style is absolutely adorable and I just wish the material was a little less stiff so it might "mold" to my body a bit better.
On the other hand, the white shorts, which were kind of just along for the ride, fit really well! The material is thinner (not denim) and the cut is different. It fits really well on my waist and there is also enough room for my hips and thighs. I don't actually own any white shorts, so I guess it works out well. Due to the thinness and design of the material, I don't see myself wearing these out a lot just because I feel like if there was a hard rain or something, they could become see thru lol. And also I'm just not big on bubble hem shorts because it ends up looking like a diaper or bloomer-style undergarments to me. They're comfortable enough to wear around the house or just casually to the beach though!

Amazon JP purchases
Buyee has somewhat recently changed their service fee pricing for sites like Rakuten and Amazon Japan. I figured that while I'm at it, I may as well look for a few things from Amazon as well. (I didn't want to cross into Rakuten and get tempted to buy more.) I've never ordered from Amazon JP using Buyee before. In the past, I've made orders and shipped directly internationally or I shipped to my Tenso address. Using Buyee is actually a really easy alternative. You have to be using a particular browser in order to use the extension they developed, but that includes mainstream ones like Google Chrome and Firefox and it's not troublesome imo. Install the extension then browse Amazon JP for an item you're interested in. Click on the listing and then use the extension to add it to your Buyee cart (not your Amazon cart). When you're done browsing, you check out with Buyee and they will make the order for you within 2 business days. The items will be shipped to Buyee and then you continue with the process as you would for any other order.

iDress iPhone 6s My Melody trunk style phone case (new) -

I wanted an alternate phone case for my iPhone 6s besides just the clear one I have now. When I first got the phone, I just wanted a quick, cheap and simple phone case before I went on my trip to Japan in November and I needed it to arrive quickly, so I had ordered my clear case from Amazon US. I figured it would be easy for me to find a cuter case I would like during the trip. Well, that's likely, but I completely forgot to look for something. Months later, I still haven't really found anything that I'm particularly fond of, so I decided to go with what I know. I had ordered an iDress trunk style phone case for my iPhone 5s from Strapya but I didn't see any available for iPhone 6s through their website. However, I was able to find it on Amazon for a pretty good price imo. And without having to worry about international shipping.

This one is very similar and has My Melody theming but it is a little different. I no longer have the iPhone 5s version to compare it to since I'm no longer using that phone and felt no obligation to keep it. It now has a new owner somewhere in the UK lol.

I was hesitant to get a flip case for my phone because I wasn't really fond of it for my old phone and didn't use the 5s version very much tbh. It adds a lot of extra bulk and I don't have easy access to the screen. However, I feel like these are the cutest cases and it does technically add protection in a way, so I ended up just giving in and getting it. It doesn't fit in my pocket, but it does have a mirror! I'm still adjusting to using it and trying to make sure it doesn't get dirty, but meanwhile the design is really cute :)

Larme 020 (new) -

I wanted to buy more than just the phone case and even though I can order this and ship it directly to me, if I can avoid paying international shipping, might as well? Even though I don't consider myself a "Larme kei girl", I do enjoy browsing the magazine and sharing scans, so I didn't mind spending a little money on this. (A selection of scans were published in an earlier blog post. Click here!)

Sanrio My Melody ice cream tote (new) -

I really imagined myself using this with a poofy pink skirt but I think I was fancying myself as I was a sweet lolita or something?? It was probably too soon after going to see Misako at the Honolulu Museum of Art and I was delusional lmao. That being said, I do really like it but since I'm supposed to be on this wardrobe slimdown kick, I may look to see if someone else can better use this purse. I purchased this before I started downsizing but obviously am receiving it after.

It's a little smaller than I thought it would be even after looking at the listed measurements? I think maybe I'm just not great at picturing these things in real life. However, the design is still really cute and would make a reasonable statement bag for OTT coordinates. Not 100% sure what I'm going to be doing with this but I have a small idea that maybe will come to fruition within the next couple months.

Shipping info

I requested for the original packaging from each order to be disposed when I consolidated all 12 packages. This didn't exactly eliminate a lot of weight, but I think it made a difference in bumping the package down one or two weight ranges. I also requested for items to be packed inside the carry bag if possible but due to the size of it, they didn't do that I guess. I ended up only having to pay 2900yen to ship all of these items internationally via EMS. Not bad imo.
I paid for my consolidation, domestic fees and the remainder of my international shipping on Feb 12. It shipped out with EMS on Feb 14, and there was attempted delivery on Feb 19 but I missed it because I was at work. I received the package on Feb 20.

Did you sense a trend of me bidding on things simply because I didn't have to worry about international shipping? Lol wtf. What a terrible reason to go on a small spending spree, but I had to take advantage when I could! I don't really have any particular need for most of these items, but I'm glad to have them. I am particularly happy with the Liz Lisa Chambre mat and the One Spo shoes which I was really excited to get since they haven't been sold by their original retailers for some time now and both were in new condition. I'm definitely willing to scour Yahoo Auctions for items like this, but I'll probably be cooling it on the secondhand side for the next couple months at least since there's so many current season things I'm interested in and this was a huge frivolous spree lol!