Overall experience: CrescentShop v. Rinkya?

I've used both Crescent and Rinkya -- I started out using Crescent because their fees were better for small items, and used Rinkya when I bought my Unoa off Y!J because they LOOKED like a better deal for more expensive items. I ended up fairly frustrated with the way Rinkya handled their fees, though.

Crescent, in general, charges you the amount they pay for domestic shipping, and a fixed 250-yen bank transfer fee on top of their deputy fee.

Rinkya, on the other hand, charges you their deputy fee (which turns out slightly less than Crescent for the 55,000 yen range where I was because of the flat-rate sale they had on), plus a $15 handling fee, plus any fees other than bank transfer and domestic shipping that the seller charges them. This worked out to be FAR more than Crescent charged me for these fees, and made the cost of the two about equal. Rinkya also only ships on certain days of the week, so you can end up waiting quite a while for them to ship your items after you request it -- sometimes it takes them as long as a week to get your package in the mail after you request shipping.

Both companies packed my items securely and I received them in good condition, but I felt like Crescent was much more upfront with its fees, and relied on their deputy fee to make a profit as opposed to tacking on handling fees everywhere. I haven't used Rinkya other than that first time.

 

Here's a thread evaluating/discussing Y!J shopping services (not just Crescent and Rinkya, but others as well): http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164344

 

Which Service did you use?- Crescent.
How long have you used it?- Herm... For a while now. Maybe half of an year.
Did you use automatic bidding?- Yes and I find it REALLY useful.
How easy was it to use (if you used Auto-bid)? Very easy actually! It's too easy that I sometimes find myself lurk on Y!J more than I should. 8D;;
How was the communication? Hmm... It was ok I guess. They do take couple days to reply though. =/
How long did it take to get the item(s) after you won the auction?- It depends. With EMS you can get the package as soon as 3 days. 8D SAL... it could take up 2 weeks. ._.
How was the packaging when you received said items?- VERY well packed!
Anything Else?- Overall I like Crescent. Although they do take some times to reply you but other than that I don't have any problems with them. =3 My roommate is also using the same service but recently they ordered the wrong color wig for her and it took them foooooooorever to reply. (We didn't know why it took so long and only found out it was the wrong color wig A WEEK AFTER the con's over. FAILS. =/) Oh and the fees do add up so be careful when you use an online service.

I hope this makes any senses. Let me know if you have any questions concerning Crescent Caffeine! I'd love to answer them to my best ability~!