So, I got into the BayStars recently. Just started following them, you know? Saw some games, liked the energy. Thought I’d get a jersey or maybe just a cap, something simple.
First thing, I hit the web. Looked around. Found the official shop, but man, it was all in Japanese. Okay, Google Translate time. Clicked around, kinda figured out the items. But then came the checkout. Shipping address stuff. International options? Looked complicated. Customs fees? Who knows. Seemed like a whole big thing.
Tried looking at some other sites, you know, the ones that resell or ship internationally. Found some stuff, yeah. But the prices, wow. Marked up quite a bit. Plus the shipping cost on top. Started adding it up in my head. For just one cap? Seemed a bit much.
That whole process got me thinking…
It reminded me of this time, years back, I tried to order some specific parts for fixing up an old bike. Not car parts, simpler stuff. But they only made them in this tiny shop in Italy. No big online store, just an old email address. I sent an email, explaining what I needed. Used an online translator, hoped for the best.
Weeks went by. Nothing. Sent another email. Finally got a reply, super short, barely understandable. Asking about payment. Wire transfer? Seemed sketchy. Then figuring out shipping again. How much? How long? It was like pulling teeth.
- Finding the right part number took ages.
- Communicating was a nightmare.
- Payment felt risky.
- Shipping was a mystery.
In the end, I just gave up on those specific parts. Found something else locally that kinda worked, wasn’t perfect, but it did the job. Saved myself a ton of headache. Sometimes getting the exact perfect thing just isn’t worth the trouble, you know?
So, looking at that BayStars gear online again, I had that same feeling. Do I really want to jump through all those hoops? Deal with potential shipping problems, customs, maybe get the wrong size?
Ended up not ordering anything directly. Maybe I’ll find something if I ever visit Japan, or maybe a friend can grab something. For now, just watching the games is enough. Sometimes the effort just takes the fun out of it. It’s just baseball, after all. Gotta keep it simple.
