Step and Go Release Info

[hontowa.livejournal.com]

Johnny's web will be selling an exclusive limited edition box set called "Special Cu[9]bic Box" that includes:
* 2 CD tracks: Step and Go + COOL & SOUL for DOME07(tentative title)
* A Step and Go schedule notebook
* Original eco pencil
* Original wall pocket

...which will all come in a cubic box for 2400yen (~US$22). Unfortunately this version is only available for order to Johnny's web members, but you may eventually be able to find it through auctions or through fans in Japan trying to rip you off.

Also, covers for the versions you can buy from the usual online sellers are up at the official site here.

Comments

[hungry-worm.livejournal.com]

*wants it badly* D:

Thanks for posting the information! Man. And I like the second cover better. ♥

[melirose.livejournal.com]

OOh that would be nice to have, oh wellXD

The covers are so colorful *__*

[honooko.livejournal.com]

fans in Japan trying to rip you off.

Amen. Please, PLEASE everyone be aware of the actual price of these things. Someone is doing pre-orders here on LJ for $50; ask them about their markup. Don't get scammed out of your money for the sake of Arashi!

[hontowa.livejournal.com]

That was exactly who I was referring to (though I've seen plenty of others in the past). $30 more than the item costs, then shipping on top of that? No thanks.

[arrowofpain.livejournal.com]

There's somebody on LJ who does that every concert season and seriously charges 100-200% markup on everything! (Sidenote: I've seen Chinese/Asian fans actually AT the Yokohama Arena buying a bijillion posters and stuff too!) I think that's absolutely ridiculous; I wish I had J-Web again right now so I could get this! ;_;

[okenakab.livejournal.com]

DDDDDDDDDD:

WHY JOHNNY WHY

Thanks for telling us the actual price...although, the only thing I'd really want is the extra CD track. What the heck is a wall pocket, anyway?

[hontowa.livejournal.com]

Good question XD It was written in katakana, so I left it in engrish XD It made me think of like...those things you can hang on the back of your door with pockets for your shoes, but I doubt it's something that big.

[genshoku-gal.livejournal.com]

I want this. T___T
but i don't think i'd be willing to be tooo much more than the listed price.

[dreaming-nagi13.livejournal.com]

i'd kill for the cool & soul for dome07!!! XDDDD

thanks for this one!

[subakusaku.livejournal.com]

ooh thanks for info <3! I was sooooo confused about it and now it`s finally cleared up.. and yea i saw that announcement $50 way to much..

[bakushou.livejournal.com]

Ehhh.
It's actually only $22?
-_- Thanks for the notice...

[saturn-necklace.livejournal.com]

It looks like that person who was charging so much canceled the orders because people were saying it was too much.

I'm just glad my sister can get it for me at the regular price ^^;;

[hontowa.livejournal.com]

I saw that - I don't see why she couldn't have just reduced the price to something more reasonable. I'm sure plenty of people would have been willing to pay if she'd only marked up by $10 or something instead of 30. I also read that J-web is only allowing each person to place 5 orders though so that kind of ruins her plans.

You're lucky to be able to get it though! :)

[queencoc.livejournal.com]

Hello, you girls must have dropped by my selling journal. First, I must admit that I have marked the price up a little too much; I apologise.

I don't wanna explain too much, but would like to clarify about some things, which are commented here. It's untrue, and being unfair to me. I only received comments/feedback from 2 persons. One from someone who didn't place an order, and another from someone who ordered. That's all. And after which, after giving it much thought and deciding that it's kinda pricey, I just decided to cancel it. And, I actually ordered more than 5 cubic boxes, so... I don't know where you read your info from...................... so it obviously can't ruin my 'plans'.

From a business person's POV, and the current USD value now.. $10 is alittle....... Of course, I can definitely understand. Who doesn't want to get goods at a cheap(er) price? I'm a consumer myself.

Once again, I am sincerely sorry about matter, and the disappointment caused, espcially to the girls who have placed an order.

[hontowa.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind, you are not running a legitimate "business" - if Johnny's Entertainment knew that you were selling their items for a markup, they would shut you down. This is why at some Johnny's concerts, they now check to see if you are in fact the person who's name is on the ticket, since so many fans sell tickets at an extreme markup on yahoo auctions - that means some fans are making a bunch of money off of "products" (in this case tickets) that Johnny's themselves should be getting the money for as they manufacture them.

That being said, I understand the desire to make a little extra money by selling off your stuff - I even understand wanting to make a little money for going to the Johnny's Shop, a place you'd already be going for yourself anyway. So if you had charged $32 for the boxes, I probably would have ordered one myself. But charging $49 for an item that costs $22? That means you are charging people $27, more than the item itself costs, for you to place an order and walk to the post office. Wow.

If you're going to argue that you're a business person trying to make a profit, you should know general business practices. Most companies only mark up about 30-40%. You're marking up over 100%. If you had a good business sense, you'd have put the item up for a low markup - say $32, and you probably would have gotten a lot more customers ordering the item. If 5 people place orders at $49, you make $135. If 15 people place orders at $32, you make $150.

Also, you may feel like this post was an attack at you, and while your journal was in mind, it was also a comment in general how fans do this all the time. I just saw an ad in a LJ community the other day for uchiwa at $25 and I know damn well they only cost 800yen (less than $8). I personally find it disgusting that fans who are lucky enough to be able to live in Japan and attend Johnny's concerts, go to the Johnny's shop, and subscribe to J-web, are using this luck to make tons of money off of the less fortunate fans who don't have the money to go to Japan and see their favorite artists in concert and buy these goods. Of course this is partly the fault of the buyers - if want to waste their money in that way, thats their business. That still doesn't make it fair of the seller.

[queencoc.livejournal.com]

I wasn't trying to say that $49 is fine (in case you got the wrong idea). The US dollar is in a very bad shape now. From my previous pre orders, I have actually lost $100++ due to its fall. Please don't use the currency/exchange rate stated in most websites. I have to withdraw the money from USD to JPY into my account and Paypal gives a pretty bad rate. I don't just walk to the post office. It's not just ordering, stuffing the goods in an envelope, and carrying it in a small little bag to the post office which is just down the street. I hope you don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to justify why it was at $49. My point is that, it's not as simple and easy as it seems. Reconsidering, I would want to sell the cubic at $39; $32 is a little too low.

I have learnt that it's not legitimate a few days ago thru Johnnys net, thanks for the reminder. Regarding tickets, isn't it a good thing that the Japanese are selling it online? I know it's at a high price, but at least, it provides foreign fans a way to get the tickets. Those Japanese are most probably not fans. They just specialise in making money through these means. And about "Johnny's themselves should be getting the money for as they manufacture them", I think that they have already earned their fill by setting it at the stipulated amount?

I don't know why you mentioned the Johnnys Shop. Anyway, several girls requested, thus I decided to go with it. And the plus point is that by purchasing more, the shop will get the idea that their photos are in demand, and they might come out with more.

Yes, I am indeed thankful and fortunate that I can be in Japan. However, please do not have the wrong impression that everyone who is able to come to Japan, is well off, or is able to attend a concert whenever it's on. There is no need to hold pre orders if I had the money. In my previous comment, I mentioned unfair because of some wrongly written comments, not because of the markup. Again, I hope you didn't get the wrong idea.

All in all, I'm glad I had cancelled the pre order. I urge all fans, to check out the goods' original prices, before ordering them online. Then decide, how much you are willing to pay for the item.

[hontowa.livejournal.com]

I mentioned the Johnny's Shop as a reference to online sellers in general, not to you specifically.

I understand that the dollar is not very valuable right now - my personal belief though, is that fans should not try to make money off of other fans. Selling items you don't want anymore or that you have extra copies of through ebay or yahoo actions is one thing, but regularly selling JE goods to people for the purpose of making money instead of just to do a nice thing for foreign fans, to me is wrong. It's not just because it's JE, I feel this way about all money made in this way.

I'm well aware that not everyone who is able to be in Japan is well off. I know plenty of people have lived in Japan that had to be very conservative about their spending. I just feel that if a person needs to earn money to support themselves, they should do it by getting a part time job, selling goods they actually make themselves, applying for scholarships or loans, and managing their budget (i.e. not spending on unneeded things), etc.

Obviously we disagree on this, so I'm not going to argue further, I was just putting my opinion out there.