SUPERDENIM SMALL QUESTIONS THREAD (Use instead of making new threads)

[space_cowboy]

I really like the offerings from Boncoura, but is there any reason why they're priced more expensively than other premium Japanese brands? 

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Without knowing any details but have owned the 66 model at one point, I'd guess they see themselves rather as a fashion brand and just have higher margins. It's not like the jeans feel 10k ¥ better. But maybe smaller runs with special fabrics also contributes to the higher prices? Who knows?

But between Boncoura or Freewheelers I would chose the latter and it feels also better. But of course, in the end you have to take what you like better and what fits better. 

[ATWM]

My perception (which is just that, and nothing more) has always been the same - looks very much like a marketing move. I’ve only seen a pair in person once but I couldn’t discern any quality difference. Lots of brands will use a pattern as a selling point. At some level cost of materials is ancillary and brands use prices to position themselves in certain ways.

Boncoura has the makeup of a brand that looks to care about that more than most repro brands. Wasn’t the brand started by a former white collar guy who wears Rolex and collects designer furniture? Those things sort of point me further towards the perception that they believe a strong brand is a sort of luxury marker worth a percentage of the margin on its own. 

Edited Monday at 03:53 PM by ATWM

[space_cowboy]

I thought as much. I'll probably keep an eye for something on the secondary market rather than paying full price. 

[Talan]

I had a pair of Boncoura 66s, and I had mixed feelings about them. On the one hand, they had a good cut and an interesting, deep color. But at the same time, something felt off. In the end, I found a simple resolution — I sold them, and managed to get a pretty good price.

[AnOldFolkSong]

Anyone know where I can see Yawara Miura's denim collection?

Edited Tuesday at 08:24 PM by AnOldFolkSong

[MJF9]

Anyone used Japan Rabbit as a proxy?  Views on their service?

[Double 0 Soul]

Someone suggested them here recently.. noting that they would mark down value, I read the T&Cs, customer reviews.. ect and they don’t. 

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Damn...I was hoping they still would

[Double 0 Soul]

You could always ask? .. but see below

Who pays for import tax?

Edited 3 years ago

As the importer, you are fully responsible for covering any customs tax or duty incurred by your shipment.

The international shipping fee you pay does NOT include customs duties or import taxes.

Before ordering anything online from a different country, we recommend researching your country's import and customs laws. Doing so will prevent any surprises further down the road!

If you're confused about any law, you can always contact your country's nearest customs office for more information.

To customers in the European Union: Our business is based in Japan with a global client base and is not VAT registered. We can't pay or provide VAT invoices for taxes that are incurred by the importation of products bought through our service.

[Double 0 Soul]

Based on personal experience from 15yrs ago 

SuToCorp are probably the last.. but they're only geared towards shop buying.. realtime auction bidding is impossible with the service they provide.

[Double 0 Soul]

There was always Jonathan aka, Bandana Almanac but from memory, he charged 15% which is only 5% less than VAT.

[MJF9]

I thought I read you can alter the declaration value (at your own peril) on Japan Rabbit... maybe I dreamt it

[Double 0 Soul]

The fees are reasonable and the reviews are excellent so it wouldn’t hurt to just give them a whirl, take some screenshots of the checkout process and let us know the results.

What I posted above is pasted from their FAQs but all proxy services used to claim ‘we will not lower value for shipping’ in their index but they still would.. 

Edited Wednesday at 03:11 PM by Double 0 Soul

[beautiful_FrEaK]

This FAQ text is a bit more...open to interpretation let's say

https://help.japanrabbit.com/en/articles/5299521

[Double 0 Soul]

Hmm.. yes, that’s a little more ambiguous. 

Try it.. it must be at least a couple of days since your last purchase.. 

[beautiful_FrEaK]

For scientific reasons, right?

[Double 0 Soul]

Yes.. research purposes 

[MJF9]

Good enough a reason to justify a purchase that

[Double 0 Soul]

If you need an excuse @MJF9

https://zenmarket.jp/en/auction.aspx?itemCode=x1185970895

O/W .. Golden denim, golden size, golden price..

[MJF9]

Nice them!!

[MJF9]

It's like 'feederism' on Sufu, only with jeans... 'jeanserism' maybe?? 😉

[space_cowboy]

TCB is starting to offer some "pre-vintaged" items, starting with overalls, and now a 40's jacket. I personally think they look really good for processed denim, but would YOU ever consider wearing them or do you consider it "cheating"? I'm sure this question has been asked before, but I'm curious to hear people's thoughts on it.

[Double 0 Soul]

Nope.. I’d rather be waterboarded

[Maynard Friedman]

I wouldn’t buy them but I don’t think it’s ‘cheating’ unless you’re trying to sneakily use them in a contest and pass off the ‘wear’ as your own. Wearing denim in general isn’t a competitive thing so the idea of ‘cheating’ doesn’t make sense, it’s about what you like or don’t like.

[ATWM]

Nope. 

I'll buy used denim on occasion. But processed, no. Idk about "cheating" - I don't like how it wears differently than on ones body and I don't like the fact that it's usually a whole bucket (extra) of environmental ick just to make it look worse than it would. Call me ridiculous but it's enough for me that if a brand offers a used wash it usually starts to sour me on the whole brand a little bit. 

[Broark]

Yeah I have zero interested in pre-distressed denim regardless of brand.

[theguywhoknewthatguy]

I would consider it if the fading looked natural. The TCB jacket looks pretty nice. I work a desk job and it takes me forever to fade a pair of jeans. By the time they're starting to look more faded usually my body or preferences for cut has changed and I find myself wearing them less. This means that since I got into raw denim in 2010 I've almost never been able to enjoy wearing jeans in a more faded state. Each new pair of jeans I buy I swear that these will be the ones that last forever and alas at the 2 - 3 year mark I find myself moving on from them 🤷‍♂️

[UkeNo]

1 hour ago, Double 0 Soul said:

Nope.. I’d rather be waterboarded

I love statements like this, because I almost guarantee that in reality you wouldn’t prefer that. Not at all.

[Double 0 Soul]

Waterboarding is like bodyboarding .. right?