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Filling the Lik-Sang Void
Written by Philip Jones on Wednesday, November 1, 2006
With Sony having squeezed Lik-Sang out of business, where should importers turn? We take an in-depth look at the pros and cons of the alternatives...
...Continued From Page 2
Imported Benefits
A common problem with these online exporters my friends and I have encountered is that little bit of text on the product page, you know, those little words "in stock". With new games it's usually true, but if you're looking for something oooooh, more than a few months old? There's a chance that those words are a big fat LIE! As you go ahead and order, thinking '"woo gamez!" to yourself in a happy little voice in your head, only to sit by your doorstep, morning after morning, crying, as the postman doesn't deliver. So you head back to the website to check your order and it NOW says "item on backorder", next thing you know you're throwing a fit of rage and knock all the toys off the top of your monitor.... (Not that this has ever happened to me... honest!)
YesAsia's tax free scheme for the UK and Germany has also been a godsend for many of us, after being stung very heavily by items from both Lik-Sang and Play-Asia. Not a problem for other places in the world generally but just as an example, I pre-ordered a PSP via Play-Asia, their price was very good for the time, I received it promptly and spent my Xmas indulging again in Ridge Racer, only to have a small letter from the courier plop on my doormat. "Hi there! On behalf of her majesty's customs and excise service, you must pay us ooooh, 80 pounds, uh... RIGHT now too. Thanks!" Needless to say my jaw received carpet burns that day as it hit the floor and remained there most of the day. My PSP had just seen a one third price increase, money that I kinda hadn't budgeted for. It was like seeing my next three videogame purchases placed into a small basket, attached to a helium balloon and floated away while i was tied to a chair, watching helplessly, screaming...
There have been, of course, more extreme examples of shoddy service but it's difficult to say any one of the companies I've mentioned has more issues than any other. They're businesses, customer service issues will naturally occur. They can't all afford an Amazon.com size team of monkeys endlessly updating their databases. Now, I've had problems, friends of mine have had problems, but I honestly believe the benefits far outweigh the really quite infrequent service problems. Shopping at these sites is as easy as shopping anywhere else, I'm currently in the process of locating the Famicom mini series, tracking down as many music games as I can, generally enjoying unique titles not available over here. If it weren't for the likes of Play-Asia, YesAsia and NCSX, my handheld life would be a considerably duller fare, I can't imagine life without the likes of Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and Band Brothers!
Lik-Sang is going to be missed by many of us, and other companies are bound to step into their shoes, but you have to wonder how long is it gonna be before our friends in suits ruin the fun by closing them down too. The time is now, support your local importer!
posted November 2, 2006