Aoi Art

[Stu W]

Pricing aside, does anyone have any concerns regarding the noted dealer? I don't stray far from gunto mounted gendaito so am not really familiar with the seller.

 

Thank you

 

Regards,

Stu

[Curran]

Generally respected.

 

They do a lot of volume. Lower margins. You get part of the savings, though sometimes he totally misprices things on the high side.

Sometimes he slips you a surprise or a dead fish, but mostly it is the sort of thing that is simply a mistake or oversight of him doing high volume.

By the same token, once in a while you will get a screaming bargain.

 

FYI. He's posted to this board before and sometimes gives NMB members a 10% discount on non consigned non auction things.

[Mark]

I have visited Mr Tsuruta's shop and he treated me kindly and I bought items. I also bought items online. That being said he is a dealer and very knowledgeable so you should expect him to be accurate but ask questions and understand the item clearly. That way you will be satisfied.

[Stu W]

Thanks to you both.

 

Regards,

Stu

[Kai-Gunto]

Beware , when You get an item on hold , they still sell it to others.

[muromachiman]

I've bought a couple of pieces from them before. Not your typical Japanese dealer.

There lacks some honesty and honour there that I would expect from a Japanese dealer.

My last experience did not go well (this is going back a little while), I wanted to buy an item and suddenly when it came time to finalize they jumped the price up by 30%. Maybe an internal error but no effort was done to soften the situation. Left a bitter taste in my mouth and since there are plenty more dealers out there I'll test the waters elsewhere next time.

 

Good luck with your next purchase!

[Brian]

They do a HUGE volume of sales to the Western market, and I would say that most are very happy with the service.

Yes, they have made a few mistakes, but no more than any business. In general, if you search the forum, they have great feedback. I also note the fact that when I contacted many Japanese dealers asking for a small contribution for the yearly prize draw (ending soon....see http://www.militaria.co.za/Draw2014/Draw2014.html ) and mentioning the huge exposure and publicity they all get daily from here...Aoi was the ONLy ones to bother replying and donated a nice prize.

 

Brian

[Marius]

  muromachiman said:

I wanted to buy an item and suddenly when it came time to finalize they jumped the price up by 30%. Maybe an internal error but no effort was done to soften the situation.

 

That is odd and sounds very unlike Aoi Art. I am not saying that this could not have happened, but it is strange. Have you committed to the item? Have they acknowledged?

 

Accusing them that they are not honest is not fair. Your statement makes them look like some cheap crooks, which they are certainly not. Tsuruta- san runs a serious business and he and his staff are very friendly and very good at communicationg with clients from the West. And they have some really good swords. A top source when buying on the internet.

 

They deal with many clients and have a huge inventory, so errors can happen. The best thing to do if you really want to buy, is to agree on a down payment. That shows committment and they would never change the price (not that I have ever seen any price hikes on their site and I am a regular visitor of their site for some years now).

 

My communication with Aoi Art was always excellent. They respond very quickly and are very forthcoming.

[sohei]

I have bought several items from them, and never had a bad experience. Fast shipping, well packed, answers questions promptly & in English. Sometimes Mr Tsuruta has given me more info on the smith or artist than was posted. Like many have said, they have a large inventory that turns over fast, if you want something, I would not wait. I have seen items sell in one day. I have not put anything "on hold', so if you plan on doing that, you might want to ask him how long he will keep an item "on hold". Thanks, Mike

[cabowen]

I have been there many times and bought from them, though never over the net. I can say that they are not the most organized, perhaps because of the volume and limited number of staff. I would guess that any issues are a result more of oversight due to them being harried than anything else...

[Blundemo]

Mediocre quality swords at a high price. Often, swords auctioned on that site were purchased much cheaper from a different vendor. Example: an 80,000 yen tanto that ends up selling for 500,000 on aoi-art. The dealer is a nice guy, but has your typical salesman behavior. Descriptions of swords are not very accurate at times.

[Marius]

Branson.

 

Wasn't the tanto a consigned item? I don't expect bargains from dealers (or anyone) but what I usually see are fair prices. What lacks in the description your opinion?

[pcfarrar]

My biggest gripe with Aoi Art is the naff Aoi Auctions thing. Would be better off going back to how they used to operate and just sell at a fixed price.

[Marius]

Well, I never bid in their auctions But you are right, these auctions are unnecessary.

[Stephen]

x3

[Blundemo]

  mariuszk said:

Branson.

 

Wasn't the tanto a consigned item? I don't expect bargains from deers (or anyone) but what I usuLly see are fair prices. Whatlacks inthe descriptionin your opinion?

 

I have seen some consigned, others without "consignment sale". I don't know how many blades are resold from a much cheaper price because I only research those that interest me, but it could be more than I expect. There is nothing wrong with making money, but from a buying viewpoint, it is better to look elsewhere.

 

Almost every single description of the swords are described as "well grained, jinie attached", even if it is not so. I have seen him list swords with a dark hamon and say "this kind of dark hamon makes cut well sword". Which is untrue and confusing to beginners who might believe it. Other times the information is technical where he might have not inputted the correct era and that sort of thing. Probably lack of time from the amount of sales he's pumping out.

[Marius]

  Stephen said:

x3

 

Sorry guys trying to write using a smartphone (I'm off skiing)

 

:D

 

And no, I don't think that deers have any deals for me

[Marius]

  Blundemo said:

I don't know how many blades are resold from a much cheaper price because I only research those that interest me, but it could be more than I expect. There is nothing wrong with making money, but from a buying viewpoint, it is better to look elsewhere.

 

And where do you buy? It is always good to have many sources

 

BTW, a dark hamon can indicate softer and less brittle steel. Better to take on armor, especially when combined with niku. But the colour is also a function of polish...

[drbvac]

I have no idea how they work in any event :lol:

 

However - has anyone got any ideas how the selling price of nihonto is calculated relative to each other / other collectibles. Usually it is rarety and condition but the original prices are usually decided by auction - worth what they can get - so it is odd to see blades from 2G to 65 G on teh same site and I have no idea what level of comparison to base any of it on.

 

Actually I may have hijacked this thread for which I apologise and it can be stuck somewhere else as I would like to know"

[Blundemo]

  mariuszk said:

  Blundemo said:

I don't know how many blades are resold from a much cheaper price because I only research those that interest me, but it could be more than I expect. There is nothing wrong with making money, but from a buying viewpoint, it is better to look elsewhere.

 

And where do you buy? It is always good to have many sources

 

BTW, a dark hamon can indicate softer and less brittle steel. Better to take on armor, especially when combined with niku. But the colour is also a function of polish...

 

Various places, depends what I'm looking for or if I happen to stumble upon something at a good price while I'm looking for a said sword. Japanese dealers are a little more pricey but obviously have better stuff. Western dealers tend to have lower quality items and with high prices but can be bargained with. However, Western dealers tend to exaggerate the descriptions more or include unnecessary info to help it sell.

 

Regarding point #2, this is why I said Mr. Tsuruta's description of a "cut well sword" is wrong and misleading. Dark hamon means a tough blade, not an extremely sharp one.

[Blundemo]

  drbvac said:

I have no idea how they work in any event :lol:

 

However - has anyone got any ideas how the selling price of nihonto is calculated relative to each other / other collectibles. Usually it is rarety and condition but the original prices are usually decided by auction - worth what they can get - so it is odd to see blades from 2G to 65 G on teh same site and I have no idea what level of comparison to base any of it on.

 

Actually I may have hijacked this thread for which I apologise and it can be stuck somewhere else as I would like to know"

 

If Japanese swords were priced solely on the merits of their quality, it'd be a much easier marketplace to understand. This is not the case when provenance, age and name recognition come into the picture. A smith like Kiyomaro shouldn't be worth more than a masterpiece of Ko-bizen or Ichimonji. But that's what the market decides.

[Darcy]

Well, about him buying the tanto for cheaper and selling it for more...

 

That is true of every sword sold by every sword dealer! Otherwise they can't exist.

 

Swords are art objects with fairly arbitrary values that fluctuate based on the knowledge of the seller, the need of the seller to sell fast, the state of the economy, the fluctuation of currency markets, the state of the stock market, and the desire of a buyer to have a particular item (i.e. competitive bidding for a rare thing). It is an illiquid market which means that there can be very large discrepancies in price if someone is a motivated seller. If he snagged a tanto for cheap from a motivated seller, he was smart. It's fairly rare for an art object to sell for the exact same price twice in a row, it will go up or down based on the above criteria. Much like stocks, it's not really worth what you paid for it, it's worth what you can sell it for (I thought it was smart to sell my Facebook stock I bought at $26 when it hit $33... was it worth $26 because I bought it at $26 or $33 because I sold it at $33? Neither, NASDAQ tells me it will cost $67 if I want to replace it now ...)

 

The dealers perform a service by holding inventory for buyers to pick over, and being a liquidation depot for collectors.

 

Sometimes you can get lucky and be the guy to buy an item cheaply, sometimes you are not so lucky and if it's a one of a kind item (like that Sadakatsu posted from a Japanese auction site a month ago or so at like 17 million yen?) then you get to be the guy who sets the market.

 

So that said... the business model at Aoi is volume, and because of that the information can be a little bit "loose" at times, so you need to make sure you know what you're doing (again, like buying a stock). With Aoi sometimes you can really get a great piece for a bargain price (defined by what you would expect to have to pay if you do a hunt and found equivalent pieces with other dealers... and the fact that swords priced like that go up and are immediately put on hold and sold within days sometimes). But sometimes... there is a reason for that seemingly bargain price and you need to be a bit more of an advanced and careful buyer in order to know what you are getting yourself into. They will not hold your hand through this.

 

Like anything then it is buyer beware.

 

I kind of look at the site like a combination of scratch-n-dent and end-of-season blowout type of specials mixed in with normal inventory. The blowout specials, I feel like often times it's someone who just needs cash fast and consigns their blade, and Aoi I think probably takes a smaller percentage than other dealers and so flips it fast to the benefit of all three parties. The scratch-n-dent specials you need to be a bit careful on and make sure you know what you're doing.

 

When you stick your hand into that dark box there might be a diamond in there or a rattlesnake. So you can't just grab blindly, but sometimes you will get the diamond.

 

I myself have only had good experiences with Tsuruta san and Aoi Art and I often recommend the site to people who come by my page.

 

And that said, for every dealer everywhere there is someone who had a bad episode with that dealer, and for every buyer everywhere there is a dealer who had a bad episode with that buyer. Some are worse than others, some dealers are to be avoided and some buyers, the mention of their name can make eyes roll instantly haha... well only one really that I can think of.

[Antti]

I've bought two tsuba from them. Service was always helpful and quick. They speak pretty good english. Items were shipped quickly and were packaged well. No complaints whatsoever regarding my purchases. I've paid with PayPal.

 

They have huge volume indeed. I check out their website every morning, and usually there are 2-5 new items every day.

[Brian]

Well said Darcy.

 

Brian

[Marius]

Also, keep on mind that they publish an oshigata with every sword they sell. That helps the buyer who cares to look at them.

[drbvac]

I agree Darcy - put it in perspective but it really is a crap shoot at some point especially for rarer smiths - if none anywhere else the price could be scary - but in the end I would thing Tsuruta san being where he is and how long he has been in business would have a pretty good hand on the market and price accordingly - even that is a good thing.

[Stu W]

That you gentlemen. I believe I have a sufficiently clear view of the seller and his site now. I appreciate your input.

 

Regards,

Stu

[remzy]

Ive bought a nice Tadakuni Wakizashi from Aoi Art about 4 years ago, no problems with getting it shipped to Canada.

[Pete Klein]

Be aware that if you by via the auction there is NO RETURN GUARANTEE. That is only for regular sales. If it does not sell via auction and is then listed, the guarantee is in effect.

[Alex A]

How can one not like Aoi art. Do your homework and ask all the necessary questions, if your not happy then send it back. Ive dealt with them three times, found them to be very helpful, no problems getting more close up pictures and more info. I once bought a Tadakuni wakazshi, they thrown in a "touch up polish"?, was very pleased. There is a dealer out there that makes Tsuruta san look like a saint, they never seem to get mentioned here, so best i dont mention it either. Seems a shame that some dealers can get more bad publicity then the ones who really deserve it. Running a business like Aoi, its impossible to please all customers all of the time.