Selling Kimonos

The kimonos that I sell on the secondary market through the Facebook Group and Instagram Page: SYR Drama Free are guaranteed 100% authentic. I know the difference between the real deal and the many fakes that are out there. Plus I tend to avoid buying from questionable sources. Regardless, when buying from me I guarantee the item is original and authentic.

Inventory List

If you have a specific gi (batch, size and condition) that you are looking for, just let me know and I'll tell you if I have it or not. And if I don't have it, I might be able to suggest other sources for you.

Also, I keep a detailed inventory list that is updated regularly. If you'd like to check that out, PM me on Facebook or email me (click here) and I can provide a list of all of the gis that I own in your size. I can also break them down by colorway, price, etc., so just ask. It's all in a spreadsheet.

Pricing

Because I am constantly in the market looking for kimonos to purchase and chatting with buyers for the inventory that I have, I am very much in tune with the market. Spending 4 to 10+ hours a day for the past 5+ years at this activity may not make me an expert, but it has allowed me to become well informed as to the value of the kimonos that I do have. And while my prices may not be the cheapest that you might find if you also spent 4+ hours a day looking, they are not the most expensive either. That being said, I encourage everyone to look around before buying from me or anyone else for that matter. Do your due diligence before you buy, not after. If you can find the same kimono for less, then grab it. Just make sure you trust the source and the kimono is authentic.

From time to time people ask for a discount from the prices on my inventory list, or simply want to negotiate. And without exception let me say now that I do not do that. And that policy is for many reasons. Including:

• I know the market value of every kimono that I have, and as stated before mine are priced in the range of market value. I'm not gouging and I can often point to other sources for the same kimonos where the prices are higher, sometimes much so.

• If I discount for one person but not others, is that fair? No. So to be fair to everyone, I don't discount or negotiate. And that goes for multiple kimono purchases also. I've sold +/- 20 kimonos to one gentleman, and over 30 to another. They got the same answer and deal as the scores of people who have bought just one kimono.

• What many people do not understand is that the profits in buying and selling kimonos are not all that spectacular. I do this primarily for fun, but I'm not going to do it to lose money or break even either. Sure, sometimes I sell a kimono for a loss, but that's when I've bought something from the brand owner that didn't do well in the market (e.g., Shoyoroll Absolutes). It happens. And if the market has gone down, so do my prices. And vice versa.

So the bottom line is that the price the I give you is the price that I will sell the gi for. No more, and no less. Also, buyers pay shipping and PayPal/Credit Card fees.

Shipping & Fees

I will ship anywhere in the world. Recently that has included: Turkey, Russia, Australia, Mexico, Singapore, the UK, and even Afghanistan. Traditionally I use the United States Postal Service (USPS), but am open to using FedEx, DHL or other service if the buyer desires.

Shipping via USPS within the USA. I use a medium-sized, flat-rate box is best for most kimonos (size A4 and under), and a large-sized flat rate box for larger kimonos. That larger box is often necessary so that I don't smash the kimono into the box. The cost for a medium box sent via Priority Mail is $15, and it's $20 for a large box. And for those larger kimonos, that extra $5 is worth it.

It is important to note that the USPS charges the same rates through all of the states and territories. So shipping from Guam to Florida is the same price as shipping from Florida to nearby Georgia. I ship from Hawaii (where I live) and the cost is the same to Guam, California, New York and Florida. There is no penalty from USPS for shipping across the Pacific Ocean.

Using those same boxes for international priority mail also works very well. A medium box can be shipped for around $64, with the large box at $82. Please note it is slightly cheaper to Canada, at around $43 for the medium box.

Prices can be estimated on the USPS.com website.

There are express services available also, for approximately $20 more if you are in a hurry. That service is called: Priority Express (for international it's International Priority Express).

Finally, if you purchase multiple kimonos the economy of scale is quite noticeable. A large USPS box can usually hold two kimonos, and I have shipped 5 or 6 kimonos to the UK for about $100 in a single, large box (non-USPS box) that I had at home. So when buying one or 10 kimonos I will seek out the most economical method to ship to you.

And of course, all shipping costs are incurred by the buyer; but that doesn't mean that I don't try and find the best rate. I do. Always.

Insurance

USPS offers a small amount of insurance, with additional amounts available for purchase. If you, as a buyer, desire insurance above the standard $50, please let me know in advance so I can include that along with the purchase of the postage.

Internationally this becomes a delicate balancing act. Most buyers want to avoid the customs fees as much as possible, so they ask me to ship as a "gift" with a value of $40 to $50. And I will and have done that. Problem is, if I ship a $200 or $2,000 kimono as a "gift" with a value of $50 and it gets lost or stolen, there is no way to recover that loss. You can't ask me to ship with a $50 value and then insure it for $2,000. That won't work. So you really need to know and trust your local postal service and customs before you make a decision to dramatically reduce the declared value of the kimono for shipping and customs purposes.

No kimono has ever been lost in transit from me. I have heard a few horror stories about shipping to certain parts of the world, but hopefully we can avoid that by having the item tracked. And all USPS priority mail includes a tracking number that you'll receive either directly by PayPal, or from me, or both.

Forms Of Payment

The following forms of payment are acceptable.

Cash

In person or via the mail cash is always king. And yes, one gentleman did send cash in the mail to purchase a kimonos. No games are played and if you wanted to do this, rest assured that as long as the cash is received, the kimono will be shipped. Sure it is dangerous and not recommend. But it works if that is your preference. No games will ever be played with your money or the purchase. Simply, if I get the money, I will ship the kimono. No questions. Not only would doing anything to the contrary be abhorrent to my way of life, I am far to visible to play games of any kind.

PayPal

This is the most common way to take payment when someone is not local. In doing this I will ONLY do so if I send the buyer an invoice and it is paid via "Goods & Services." Yes there is a fee associated with that process, but it is safer for everyone involved than the alternative of "Friends & Family." I've written an entire blog post on this subject if you want to know more about PayPal. And you can jump to that post here:

http://bjjnewgear.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-paypal-experience-you-must-readand.html

Venmo

This is something new to me, but I like it. And unlike the DAYS and DAYS it took to set up and verify my PayPal account, I was able to set up Venmo in literally 2 minutes. And if you link your Venmo account to a debit card or bank account, there is NO FEE for using the service. How is that!!!!

So I now use Venmo whenever I can. But please note there are no "buyer protections" with Venmo like there are with PayPal's "Gifts & Services" option.

Go to: https://venmo.com/

Credit Card

I've recently signed up with a credit card service. So we can go that route if you desire. All credit card fees will be payable by the buyer.

Layaway/Payment Plan

As a final topic of this blog I wanted to let you know that I do quite a bit of kimono sales via layaway or as some would call it, a payment plan. I came up with this idea because I have had several people look at my list of kimonos and express an interest in one specific gi, but not have all the money available at that time. Then days, weeks or even months later they come back to me and say, "I am ready to buy the XYZ kimono, I have all of the money now." Only for me to have to tell them that it's been sold already. I really hate disappointing people. Fortunately in many instances I've been able to find another one for them within days or weeks. But still, I'd rather not do that. 

So, I came up with a layaway/payment plan that I have used a number of times with people buying one or up to 30 kimonos at a time.  And here is how it works:

• Using PayPal's Invoice System (under their "Goods & Services" format), I send you an invoice that includes all the details of the item being purchased and financial aspects (price of gi, shipping and PayPal fees). This Invoice allows for "partial payments," keeps track of all payments made and the balance due. It works great for all parties. 

• Per the Invoice the Buyer puts down 20% of the purchase price (approx.) as a non-refundable deposit. That will hold the kimono(s) for 60 days. 

• During these 60 days there is no interest and there are no other fees due other than the normal costs associated with purchasing the kimono, those are shipping and PayPal fees. And that shall all be detailed on the original invoice. 

• During that 60 day period, the buyer can make as many payments as he desires toward the purchase price in any amount, be it $1 or $100 or more.  

• The kimono is mailed as soon as the final payment is made. 

• If by chance it takes longer than 60 days to pay off the purchase entirely, there is a 3% per month (or portion thereof) interest payment applied on the outstanding balance. 

This works for me, and it seems to work for everyone that I've done it with. The only pain is keeping track of who is buying what and when the payments are due. But that is what a calendar and contact management software do for me.

Disclaimers

Being brought up in the finance and legal world of business, I have to finish this off with some basic disclaimers so that there is less of a chance for a misunderstanding between us should you purchase a kimono from me. Those are as follows:

Buyer understands, agrees and acknowledges the following:

• That seller is an individual and any damage or loss suffered during shipping is not the responsibility of the seller. (That is what insurance is for).

• Once the item is picked up by the USPS and the tracking is active on the USPS.com website (tracking number or link shall be provided to buyer by seller), all liability passes from the seller to buyer in the event of damage, loss or theft. (That is also what the insurance is for). (Note, if a service other than USPS is used, the same applies).

• Buyer has seen photographs of the kimono (or one exactly like it) as well as a size chart and is fully aware of what he is purchasing. 

• If purchasing a BNIB (brand new, in bag) item there are no cancellations, exchanges, returns or refunds once the item is shipped and a tracking number has been provided. 

• Any damage occurring during use of the kimono (rips, stains, fading, shrinkage, etc.) are not the responsibility of the seller and the seller is not the manufacturer or brand owner of the kimono.

• If you prefer a "signature required" delivery you must tell me prior to payment because USPS charges about $3 extra for that service and that option needs to be selected prior to printing the postage. The default is to NOT require a signature for delivery, but in that case you risk the package being left at your door by the postman, subjecting it to theft. Either way is fine with me, I just need to know from you which you prefer. And finally,

• Unless otherwise instructed the item(s) will be mailed to the address in buyers PayPal account. So either (a) make sure that address is complete and correct, or (b) provide me with the address you would prefer to use prior to payment. 

That is about it I think. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Via email by clicking here.

Via Facebook by clicking here.