"Sukura Trading"

[SliceOfLife]

Is anyone familiar with a seller going by "Sakura Trading"? I've gotten texts and emails from DHL on a package arriving tomorrow from Sakura trading and can't figure out what the heck it is.

The only thing I can think of is a purchase from a knife/stone vendor in Japan on eBay "iikyujapanavenue". They shipped me something DHL today... but economy... tracking number says arriving in mid-June.

Possibly a DHL system mix up? Maybe DHL site hacked and someone got my email and its some kind of fishing attempt?

I have a brush coming from the UK as well... but no clue why that would be "Sakura trading".

 

[SliceOfLife]

Ok, so back referenced the tracking number DHL sent me... which is the same as the one the eBay seller sent me... looked it up on DHL site and it's coming from OSAKA Japan and was accepted today and being delivered tomorrow...

But eBay's tracking info for the same number shows it as economy shipping arriving mid June.


So it looks like DHL screwed up and is overnighting my economy package?

A 1kilo package overnight from Osaka to Phl for $24? I'm not gonna complain.

 

[Aldwyn]

Yep, Sakura Trading is JapanAvenue. And it appears that during the pandemic, they have started shipping express for the same price as economy. They same happened with me with a Nakayama I bought from them a week or two ago.... nice of them to do that to avoid 30+ days shipping time of economy from Japan these days.

He shipped it "economy" on Friday, and I had my stone on Monday!

 

[SliceOfLife]

Very awesome.

How's your experience with the seller? He's listing a ton of knives lately that he says are from a culinary academy or something and were used for sharpening practice. Some look pretty decent, other's pretty junky... but overall his prices seem pretty good.

 

[Aldwyn]

I have only bought the one Nakayama kiita from him. Not the best stone, but I think it's purdy, and it cuts. It has a couple of hard lines which cause me to have to lap a few times in a session to keep them down. And, like you said, the price is right.

You are going to get better quality from tomonagura or japanstones for sure, but at a higher cost. You know the old adage... you get what you paid for! And while I have spent more money with these guys, they stones I got from them were top notch.

I would buy from iikyujapanavenue again for the right stone and the right price. But I would do so knowing it may be a gamble.

Here is the Nakayama I got from him before her first lapping.

 

[SliceOfLife]

That looks huge... what is it 10x3?

Did he warn you about the hard lines in the listing?

 

[Aldwyn]

Its about 8 x 2.75. Great sized stone for bench or hand holding.

No, no warning. He wouldnt have known, I assume. Since the stamps were on it, it was never lapped... and therefore never used! (so not sure how he can get a description of 4.5 hardness and 10K grit, which is what he had in the listing...)

 

[SliceOfLife]

My shipment took two days to arrive. I'm thinking I might report him.




Seriously though. Nice surprise getting here that fast.