costco shopping service
The Hokkaido Insider has decided to offer a shopping service so that you can take advantage of the great discounts offered by COSTCO in Sapporo.
- Do you live too far away to get to COSTCO?
- Are you too busy to find time to shop there, or can only go on weekends when it is crowded, and there is no place to park your car?
- Perhaps you don't own a car and cannot carry heavy items?
For those of you who are unable to take advantage of the discount prices offered at COSTCO, you can now order many of your favorite products through the Hokkaido Insider Shopping Service*, and the Hokkaido Insider will do your shopping for you. In addition, Costco offers a shipping service which costs only 1,000 yen per box (30kg maximum) anywhere in Hokkaido. Delivery right to your front door makes shopping easy. Refrigerated items ship in a smaller box with a maximum weight of 20 kilograms.
BENEFITS: What are the benefits of shopping with the Hokkaido Insider?
- You are unable to get to Costco because you live too far away.
- You don't want to pay for an annual Costco membership.
- You don't need to spend time and gas money going to Costco.
- You can order products that you can't find anywhere else.
- You can take advantage of the volume discounts offered by Costco.
The service charge will be much lower than your total savings, especially considering the cost of gasoline, if you went yourself.
PRODUCTS: What products are available?
Costco sells hundreds of products and I am not planning to handle all of them. Initially, I am going to set up a system whereby you can order food products and other popular goods. The products currently being sold can be viewed along with images at the following link.
A separate list of these products, typically available at the Sapporo store, indicate the name, packaging, size and estimated price. I have tried to break things down into many categories, so that you can find what you are looking for quickly. I do plan to add more items for the categories that you indicate you are interested in having me purchase, such as personal care, vitamins, cleaning products, etc. This is a personal service, so I plan to maintain a relationship with each customer in order to serve them the best way possible. In general, communication will be by email, and orders are to be placed by email or through the online shopping website when it is ready.
If you know of other products sold there, but currently not on the inventory list, which you would like me to purchase for you, please let me know. I will do my best to buy whatever you need, and will let you know the cost of the items requested. Large items may require special handling and extra costs for shipping.
RETURNS: How about product returns?
In general, Costco guarantees the products they sell, and if there is damage or some other problem with the shipment, a system will be implemented to deal with such returns. Since I am the member of Costco doing the purchasing on your behalf, it seems most likely that I would have to return the items to Costco, or at least deal with the replacement or refund. I plan to talk to Costco about this situation and ascertain the procedure that must be followed.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Who can place orders?
Anyone can place an order, but I expect those who live outside the Sapporo area, in places which are too far from the local Costco store, such as Niseko, Asahikawa, Kitami, Obihiro, Kushiro and Hakodate will benefit the most. Naturally, it would be foolish to handle orders for one or two items, so I would expect people who are interested in a number of products that will fill up at least one box will be more likely to benefit from this service, or groups of friends or neighbors who want to put an order together and share the shipping costs involved. Of course, individuals or businesses in Sapporo may wish to use the service because they are simply too busy to bother with going to the store, and for them I will most likely deliver their orders directly to them.
OTHER ONLINE SERVICES: Can’t I do this already through online shopping services?
Before Costco came to Sapporo, I would order their products through an online service out of Fukuoka called The Flying Pig. There is also a well-known service called the Foreign Buyers Club (FBC), and now another online service called Yoyo Market in Honshu handles Costco goods. These independent companies handle a broad range of products and currently mark up the prices from 25% to even 100% with the typical price of goods 50% higher than our local Costco store. One reason for this is that they are actually resellers who stock their own inventory and they have large overhead costs. In the end, overhead costs are passed on to the customers and often result in much higher prices.
COSTS: How much will it cost to use the Hokkaido Insider Service?
My plan is to add a 15% service charge to the actual cost of the items purchased. The prices indicated in the list will give you an idea as to the cost of each item with the 15% included. Since Costco often changes prices up or down by small amounts, the price you see is an estimate of what you will pay. I will try to keep my eye on prices to ensure that what I am showing is fairly accurate. However, it is impossible to keep checking the prices of all products. The list of products is going to grow and grow, so the task will become more difficult. However, when purchases are made, I will try to compare the prices charged at the register with the prices in my database. Any Costco shipping fees will be added to the total of all goods actually purchased on your behalf.
SHIPPING: How do I estimate the cost of shipping?
I am considering the personal delivery of items to customers in the Sapporo area, however Costco has their own shipping service that will send a large box with a maximum weight of 30kgs (non-refrigerated items) to any place in Hokkaido for only 1,000 yen. The fee to other locations in Japan is slightly higher, and I can communicate that cost should you wish to have products shipped elsewhere. How much can actually fit within a box is a little difficult to calculate. However, the typical box can hold 10 to 15 small to medium sized items. I will let you know the number of boxes required. Once you start shopping it will be fairly easy to learn about how much can fit within a box. There is also a smaller box with a 20kg limit that is intended for refrigerated or frozen items. If it appears that you have underestimated the number of boxes required, I will do my best to contact you before actually making the purchases, so that the order can be adjusted if necessary.
CASH OR CREDIT: How is the money to be paid?
In general, the customer is expected to deposit the total cost of the items ordered and estimated shipping when the order is placed. This can be done through a transfer of funds to our Hokkaido Bank account, Japan postal savings account transfer, or via PayPal (which also allows you to use your credit card for purchases). I plan to maintain an accounting record for each customer, so that adjustments can be made after all purchases have been shipped or delivered. It is possible that some products ordered were not available. This can result in a return of funds overpaid or the establishment of a credit account balance to be used for future purchases. Because this system might be too troublesome, I may simply make the purchases for you and immediately let you know the total cost when they are ready for delivery. A copy of the receipts will be included in the shipping box.
ORDER SYSTEM: How does the system work?
I am currently in the design stage of the website which will be a completely automated system that will allow you to place an order and pay for your order online. You will be able to view the list of products by category and also see images of the actual products offered for sale at Costco. I plan to pilot the testing of the system via email and telephone communication.
CONTACT: How do I join this service?
If you have any questions or wish to establish a customer relationship with the Hokkaido Insider, please click on the CONTACT link at the bottom of this page. It should open up your email program so that you can write me a message. Please include your full name, address (English and Japanese if possible), telephone contact numbers. If you have any trouble contacting me this way, simply write to me at info@hokkaidoinsider.com
Disclaimer
As the sole owner of this service, I reserve the right to decide what I am able to do on your behalf, and to make decisions for you when the price is not exactly as listed in the inventory. In general, common sense will be the basis for all decisions. I accept no financial responsibility for dissatisfaction with products you receive. However, in general Costco guarantees 100% satisfaction and will take back any faulty products for replacement or a full refund. Since I am making the purchase, the return will probably be required to be handled by me. We will work together to find the best way to deal with such product returns.