That's a good question. 

For the record, when I asked about Yahoo Japan a few days ago, I HAD ALREADY BEEN IN CONTACT WITH MR. SATO. I stumbled
onto his site about a month ago. 

I also emailed several dealers in Japan, including one that was willing to bid for me, except they had already put in a
bid for someone else on the same cel and therefore declined
my offer. So that dealer chose aethel's solution B.

I was doing research on this subject by asking the question, just hoping to find out a little more about the practice of using a middle man. What I found is that Deputy Service may be the best way to go. Hopefully, whatever happens, Mr. Sato
will be pleased with his new business and if successful,
more people may be willing to provide such a service. Good
luck to all and happy bidding!!!