Thread: buyer beware. iida tool declares bankruptcy. No tool. No refund.

Yeah, I was almost hoping it was just me…I'm that this is turning into a common problem.

Is he a known scammer or did he have a really tough downturn? Because even with delays, he did ship me 95% of all of my orders.

I too want to hold out hope but given what I have had on order I'm much more interested in a refund.

Originally Posted by thumbsucker

This website YAMASUKE Japanese Tools SHOP – YAMASUKE KurashigeTools Was mentioned before in this thread as a source of Japanese tools I just happen to find this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBoNdIgpZK8 It is an amazing tour of this kurashige tool shop. Enjoy

I must apologise for not posting this myself - that video is exactly where I found this shop from.

The channel has other videos of timber suppliers that make my mouth water too...

Originally Posted by jefrba

Yeah, I was almost hoping it was just me…I'm that this is turning into a common problem.

Is he a known scammer or did he have a really tough downturn? Because even with delays, he did ship me 95% of all of my orders.

I too want to hold out hope but given what I have had on order I'm much more interested in a refund.

hi, i've sent him money 4 times 1220e through wise from feb. 2022 to august 2022

i trusted him as i've bought from him since 2000's : i have faith in the japanese law system so i'm flying there soon.

also to try and meet the makers to explain them my story.....

This reminds me of wiktor Kuc, who seems to have made an art of providing expected delivery dates that are later than paypal's dispute deadline.

And a custom guitar maker in the states who almost got me, but I was loud and belligerent enough because I was upset with him (didn't think he was going out of business). he went out of business not long after I got my order, but he ended up selling instruments that had been sent to him for repair and keeping the money, and took custom orders from overseas and didn't fulfill any of them. His was a story of having a business that was barely able to pay the employees but he also wanted to spend the same money on toys for himself (the owner) because his dad was semi-famous and I guess he thought he was too good to not put on a show. In the end, spending the same money in two different places led to a lot of angry customers. And similar to some of the other small makers, there were "friends" of the guy or past customers who were quick to tell anyone who had been stood up that they should just wait and pipe down because maybe there were circumstances they didn't know about it and ____ is generally a good guy and will do the right thing.

most of us not involved (e.g., wiktor has nothing I'd spend money on) are surprised to find when the deliveries stop, just how many people have been quiet and had good manners probably thinking that they don't want to create conflict or that if they complain publicly, they'll definitely never get what they ordered.

I'm a little surprised here, but it looks like the iida page is actually gone.

Whatever was going on that caused someone selling tools at often double the going rate in japan - whatever caused that setup to go out of business, it seems like a missed opportunity.

Much different than Stu Tierney, who was the guy selling catalog list stuff at half the iida/japan woodworker/hida tool US price - and trying to provide service and personal advice at a level suitable for double his prices.

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

Whilst we're on the topic of tool shops for Japanese tools, I found this one a while back whilst perusing YouTube videos (it was noted by a visitor to the physical store): YAMASUKE Japanese Tools SHOP – YAMASUKE KurashigeTools

Has anyone any experience with this store?

I'm from the states and I have shopped on the YAMASUKE website 10+ times. Shipping to my doorstep in California usually takes ~3-4 days and the process has always been seamless for me. No issues with shipping, stock, or payments.

Originally Posted by D.W.

Much different than Stu Tierney, who was the guy selling catalog list stuff at half the iida/japan woodworker/hida tool US price - and trying to provide service and personal advice at a level suitable for double his prices.

Stu's online shop and service is sadly missed.

Just want to add I'm also going through this. Was supposed to have a Tasai 42mm, he said he received it but couldn't send it due to Covid restrictions. Hasn't replied to me in over a year now. I noticed his website is down now, and and the e-mails i sent today get bounced back. Oof.

Originally Posted by ddstr

. Was supposed to have a Tasai 42mm, .

The waiting times on Tasai were always very long. Unfortunately too long and you have been caught up with this 'agent' going to ground!

Originally Posted by ddstr

Just want to add I'm also going through this. Was supposed to have a Tasai 42mm, he said he received it but couldn't send it due to Covid restrictions. Hasn't replied to me in over a year now. I noticed his website is down now, and and the e-mails i sent today get bounced back. Oof.

he got you with the discussion of covid restrictions. I continued to buy stuff out of japan during covid, but here in the states (we were on japan's blacklist bigtime), we used DHL instead of the EMS. which results in higher price and lower service, but the price for something small wouldn't have been a big deal in the scheme of a custom chisel.

As I recall, Japan didn't want airplanes going in and out to some western countries - some - including us in the US - were on the list long past a point where it made any sense, but DHL and other commercial services seemed to be exempt. I got three guitars by air from Japan through DHL without a hitch.

Lower service meaning, though, packages generally look a little more beat up, and DHL loves to open packages and assess customs so that they can charge a service fee on top of that. Customs doesn't do it here to individuals on stuff like that, even though they technically should - so stuff coming through EMS gets here faster, in nicer shape, doesn't go around the country in error before finally coming back to you, and no customs for tariff taxes applied - they seem to save that effort for businesses and not harrass us. DHL gets it every time and applies a separate fee supposedly for looking up the customs fee - must equate to about a thousand dollars an hour for the person doing the fee application. Or more.

Actually, I forgot- the tax isn't supposed to be applied to instruments below a dollar threshold, which all of my DHL shipments have been. So they charged me for import tax plus a fee and shouldn't have. But that's DHL "service". what looks like a forklift tine hole in a guitar box is at no charge.

At any rate, sorry to hear you got stuck on the chisel.

Originally Posted by NeilS

The waiting times on Tasai were always very long. Unfortunately too long and you have been caught up with this 'agent' going to ground!

Indeed. I have about 4 Tasai chisels from him that took a fair amount of time but at least I got them.

Iida said that he had received the Chisel from Tasai and attempted to send it to me (I'm in Jersey Channel Islands, South of UK, near France.) The covid restrictions seemed legit from when I did my own research - he did offer to send it over sea but I said let's wait a bit, I'm patient. So who knows? Did he have it? Possibly. Wonder where it is now? I don't expect to see the chisel or a refund unfortunately.

I did however e-mail the entrustee in bankruptcy lawyer enquiring if there is anything I can do. I doubt it though.

I dislike how he just ignored everyone but I suppose we can't know what was going on in his head at the time. Depression, anxiety and other unknown life issues. I assume he is going to lose his home re: the bankruptcy document.

I'm also a bit anxious whether or not what I received in the past was even Tasai. I have never seen any before and I'm an amateur so for all I know they are fake.

Originally Posted by ddstr

Indeed. I have about 4 Tasai chisels from him that took a fair amount of time but at least I got them.

Iida said that he had received the Chisel from Tasai and attempted to send it to me (I'm in Jersey Channel Islands, South of UK, near France.) The covid restrictions seemed legit from when I did my own research - he did offer to send it over sea but I said let's wait a bit, I'm patient. So who knows? Did he have it? Possibly. Wonder where it is now? I don't expect to see the chisel or a refund unfortunately.

I did however e-mail the entrustee in bankruptcy lawyer enquiring if there is anything I can do. I doubt it though.

I dislike how he just ignored everyone but I suppose we can't know what was going on in his head at the time. Depression, anxiety and other unknown life issues. I assume he is going to lose his home re: the bankruptcy document.

I'm also a bit anxious whether or not what I received in the past was even Tasai. I have never seen any before and I'm an amateur so for all I know they are fake.

Fake chisels aren't as common as people like to claim they are. Fake stamps on sharpening stone are common, but the difficult part of premium chisels is the aesthetic part. If the technical part is done improperly, it's maker's indifference or unwillingness to cull an error. But it's a constant thing to hear on forums that there are fake kikuhiromaru, for example. I think it's just making excuses for chisels that aren't tempered right as there's nothing really special about kikuhiromaru chisels or their finish level.