Dec04

Lucky Packs 2017

Hi all! I have just returned from a long holiday abroad and while I was gone, the wind-up to Lucky Packs for the 2017 New Year’s season has begun! I need to get this info out there as soon as possible, but please bear with me when it comes to answering requests and mails about lucky packs. I am going to be working hard to catch up from the backlog that grew during my holiday, your patience is appreciated 🙂

1. Q. What is a Lucky Pack?

A. A lucky pack, also known as an LP, Happy Bag, or Fukubukuro (the Japanese word) is best described as a “grab bag.” Traditionally, you buy items in a bag which you cannot see before purchasing. The items are deeply discounted, but you don’t know what you are going to get. More often, with a lot of lolita fashion and other J-fashion brands, they give you a pretty good idea of what you will get, however you might not get to choose color, cut, etc. Other times you can. Size is generally one size fits all, although some brands do sized LPs. Each brand is a little different!

2. Q. When do Lucky Packs go on sale? How do you buy them?

A. Traditionally, January 1st or 2nd, depending on the area, stores open very early to start New Year’s sales- depending on the store, the first day/opening hours may be dedicated solely to LP sales. You must go early in the morning and wait in line for some time to be let into the department store in small groups. Later in the day the stores will transition into discounts on in store stock if they run out of their LPs.

In the past years, many brands have started do reservations weeks before the new year for the LPs. These are not delivered until after the new year, but if you can get spot in the reservation then you don’t have to worry about getting one in the crazy New Year’s Day/day after lines. Several brands have already started their reservations, and some have already even sold out!

Regardless if the LPs are reserved in store or online in advance, the LPs do not actually arrive or ship until after the New Year. They might not arrive until a few weeks later in some cases, and as I usually have quite a lot of LPs to process and ship post New Year, it can take me 2-3 weeks to get them all shipped as well.

3. Q. How much do LPs cost? What about your fees?

There is no easy answer to how much LPs cost. There are usually several price points even within one brand. Please check out the LPs of the brands you are interested in.

My fee for LPs is something I determine each year, although I will not change my fees from last year’s system. LPs are a lot of work but priced cheaply, which makes my commission lower despite the all extra work that goes into the LP shopping process. My commission fee for LP shopping will be 10% or $10 per pack ordered, whichever is the greater value. Other non commission related fees are as usual: with online orders, as always, there may also be domestic shipping and ATM/COD fees, where as with in-store LP shopping there will be the usual transport fee.

4. Q. I want an LP!! How do I request one?

Just like any other claiming, such as with original print releases, before you can claim a spot for LP shopping, you must be able to tell me what LP you want me to try for. Depending on the brand, this will mean that I need a price point/type cut/style and color. PLEASE DO NOT CLAIM SPOTS LIGHTLY. If you are unsure you want an a certain LP, please wait to contact me until you are sure.

I take LP requests in the order that I receive them. If more than one person wants the same LP, the first person to contact me has priority, and other people wanting that pack will have to line up in order after that. Some shops have no limit to the amount of LPs you can buy or reserve, although there are a limited number of LPs for sale of course.

You can use the Shopping Forms under In Store and Online Shopping to find the form used to request shopping (not just LPs, but all shopping!)

5. How much will an LP cost to ship to me?

I am sorry, I cannot tell you in advance how much shipping will cost from Japan to your home country. LPs come in all different sizes with all different kinds of contents. Remember, LPs are usually packed with clothes or other items, and so can be both heavy AND bulky, which means it is not possible to send full LPs via Airmail or SAL, leaving EMS shipping only in many cases. Please leave plenty of buffer room in your LP budget to accommodate international shipping costs.

Here is a list of some LPs I have been getting requests for!

Angelic Pretty

Baby the Stars Shine Bright/Alice and the Pirates

Liz Lisa (No information yet)

Metamorphose (No information yet)

Swimmer (these are usually in store only and not sold online, but are generally 3,000 yen)