Shopping · Buying from abroad
How to buy from Japan online: shops that ship abroad, proxy buying, package forwarding and what each one costs
Plenty of Japanese web shops deliver only within Japan, and many of their checkouts are in Japanese. You can still buy from them without making the trip. This guide sets out the three routes, the fees the services themselves publish, the things Japan Post will not carry and the 2026 rules for parcels to the United States.
Last checked · Sources
In short
Yes. If a Japanese shop ships abroad, order from it directly. If it delivers only inside Japan, use a proxy service such as Buyee or ZenMarket, which buys the item for you and posts it on, or a forwarding service such as tenso, which gives you a Japanese address to order to. On 13 November 2026 Buyee charged a flat 500 yen per order and ZenMarket 300 to 800 yen per item, before shipping and any import duty.
Three ways to buy from Japan online
Whatever you want from Japan, the first thing to find out is whether the shop will post it to your country. Open its delivery or shipping guide and look for the word kaigai, meaning overseas. Pokémon Center Online, for example, has a heading in its delivery guide that asks what to do if you want something sent abroad, and the answer under it is that it does not take such orders.
If the shop ships to you, buy from it the normal way. If it does not, you have two other routes. A proxy service buys the item in its own name and then posts it to you. A forwarding service gives you an address at its warehouse in Japan; you place the order yourself, and it sends the parcel on.
The three routes
- The shop ships abroad: you order and pay on its own site, and it posts the parcel to your door
- Proxy buying: a company such as Buyee or ZenMarket orders, bids or pays for you, then ships from its warehouse
- Package forwarding: a company such as tenso lends you a Japanese address, and you buy from the shop yourself
The routes cost different amounts because they do different work. A proxy handles the purchase as well as the parcel, so it charges a fee for each order or item. A forwarder only handles the parcel, so its fee depends on the weight. Either way, the price on the Japanese site already includes consumption tax: ZenMarket's fee summary describes the product cost as including Japan's 10% VAT. Tax-free shopping is a different thing, and only works in person at a shop in Japan; our tax-free guide explains how it works for visitors.
How proxy buying works
Proxy services are built for the shops and marketplaces that a buyer abroad cannot easily use. Buyee lists JDirectItems Auction, JDirectItems Fleamarket, Mercari, Rakuten, Rakuten Rakuma and Amazon among the sites you can search from its own pages, and it also takes a request based on the address of any product page you paste in. ZenMarket lists Rakuten, JDirectItems Auction, Mercari, Rakuten Rakuma and Amazon, along with a list of recommended shops that includes BOOKOFF, Lashinbang and Toranoana.
You pay twice. Buyee's usage guide sets out the order: the first payment covers the item, the purchase fee and a protection plan, and is made when you bid or ask for the purchase. The second comes after the item reaches the warehouse, when you arrange the international parcel, and covers shipping inside Japan, international shipping and any taxes.
Buying through a proxy, step by step
- Find the itemby searching on the proxy's site, or copy the address of the product page from the Japanese shop
- Pay the first time: the price with Japanese tax, the proxy's fee and, at Buyee, the plan you choose
- Wait for the warehouse: the seller posts the item to the proxy's warehouse in Japan
- Combine your parcelsif you bought from more than one seller, and add protective packing if you want it
- Pay the second timefor shipping within Japan and abroad, then choose how the parcel travels
- Receive the parcelat home, where your country may charge duty or tax on arrival
Buyee also offers a one-payment option, Ship Directly, for some auction items. You pay everything at the time of bidding, including a shipping cost that Buyee estimates, and the item leaves as soon as it reaches the warehouse. There is no combining or extra packing, and the estimate is final: "Even if the actual shipping fee differs to Buyee's estimations, refunds will not be accepted."
Proxy fees: Buyee and ZenMarket compared
Both companies publish their fees in English. The table below sets the main ones side by side as they stood on 13 November 2026. The biggest difference is how they count: Buyee charges per order, while ZenMarket charges per item.
| Fee | Buyee | ZenMarket |
|---|---|---|
| Service fee | 500 yen per order; an order is one auction win or one flea-market purchase, or one order from one shop | 300 to 800 yen per item: 500 for Amazon, Rakuten and most shops, 300 for its recommended shops, 800 for anything from Mercari and for each JDirectItems Auction bid |
| Protection | Optional plans: Standard 500 yen (insured delivery plus inspection), Insured Delivery 500 yen, Inspection 300 yen, Lite free | The service fee includes shipping insurance on parcels worth less than 5,000,000 yen |
| Payment | Settled in the currency of your card's issuing country, or of your PayPal account | Funds deposit fee from 1%, to cover payment gateways such as PayPal and Alipay |
| Shipping inside Japan | Usually 150 to 1,500 yen, charged for each order | Charged when the shop does not include it |
| Combining parcels | No fee since 21 December 2022 | First consolidation included |
| Storage | Not on the fees page | 60 days free, then 50 yen per item per day |
| Photos of the item | Optional service | 500 yen per item |
Two details change the sums. At Buyee, the seller may be asked to switch to a tracked delivery method, so shipping inside Japan can appear even on an item marked as sent free. At ZenMarket, three identical T-shirts are one item, but the same shirt in three sizes or colours is three.
Combining is final once you ask for it. Buyee's consolidation terms are blunt: "The consolidation process cannot be cancelled for any reason, even if you have applied for the wrong packages by mistake." The same page warns that a combined parcel whose contents are worth more than 200,000 yen is likely to be returned.
Package forwarding: a Japanese address for your orders
With a forwarding service you are the buyer. You sign up, get an address at the company's warehouse, type it in as the delivery address at the Japanese shop, and pay the shop yourself. When the parcel arrives, the forwarder weighs it and posts it on to you. tenso is one such service, and its site lists Buyee as its related proxy service.
tenso's handling fee starts at 50 yen and rises with the actual weight of the parcel. International shipping comes on top. For Japan Post and EMS it is worked out on the actual weight; for DHL and the ECMS courier, tenso uses the actual weight or the volumetric weight, whichever is heavier. Volumetric weight in kilograms is length times width times height in centimetres, divided by 5,000.
tenso's handling fee by weight (13 November 2026)
- Up to 50 g: 50 yen
- Up to 500 g: 530 yen
- Up to 1 kg: 600 yen
- Up to 2 kg: 1,020 yen
- Up to 5 kg: 1,820 yen
- Up to 10 kg: 3,600 yen
- Over 13 kg: 5,000 yen, however heavy
Extras are listed on the same page. Combining several parcels into one costs 200 yen to apply plus 300 yen for every package added, and a styrofoam case for a bottle is 300 yen a bottle. Parcels sent by Japan Post with a declared value above 200,000 yen also pay a 2,800 yen customs clearance commission, the same charge Buyee lists for its Japan Post services.
There are three more conditions to read before you order. Spray cans and other pressurised containers cannot go abroad at all. tenso refuses frozen goods that need cold storage, because "All packages shipped overseas are stored at room temperature." It will forward chocolate and other things that melt, but neither tenso nor the shop is responsible if heat spoils them. Finally, Japanese law has required forwarders to verify each customer's identity since 1 April 2013, so tenso checks your name, date of birth and address. You can start shopping before that check is finished; your parcels wait at the warehouse until it is done.
Proxy or forwarding: which one to use
The choice comes down to who has to deal with the Japanese shop. With forwarding, you do: you need to find your way through the checkout and pay with a method the shop accepts. With a proxy, the company does that part for a fee per order or per item.
Choosing between the two
- Auctions and flea markets: use a proxy, which bids and buys for you on JDirectItems Auction, Mercari and Rakuma
- A shop that only takes Japanese payment methods: use a proxy, which pays the shop itself
- A shop that takes your card but only delivers in Japan: forwarding works, and its fee follows the weight of the parcel rather than how many items it holds
- Second-hand goods you cannot inspect: use a proxy that offers photos or inspection before the parcel is shipped
Whichever you choose, customs is your responsibility at the other end. tenso warns that its fees do not include customs duties or taxes and that the person receiving the parcel must pay them; Buyee says the same of any duty charged when the parcel clears customs in your country. Both also add GST where it applies to parcels for Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, and SST to parcels for Malaysia.
Mercari, Rakuma and Japanese auctions
Japan's flea-market apps are full of second-hand and hard-to-find goods, and buyers abroad have more ways in than they used to. In May 2025 Mercari said that, through partnerships with 79 cross-border e-commerce companies, listings on its Japanese app could be bought in roughly 120 countries and territories. It has since opened its own Mercari Global App, which launched in Taiwan and Hong Kong on 30 September 2025 and reached the United States on 17 June 2026.
Mercari from abroad
- 79cross-border partners in May 2025
- ~120countries and territories where Japanese listings could be bought through them
- 3regions with the Mercari Global App by June 2026: Taiwan, Hong Kong and the United States
With the Global App, someone in one of those regions buys straight from Japanese sellers on Mercari and Mercari Shops, "without having to go through a third-party proxy crossborder service". Mercari says it now checks every item before shipping, and that a shipping protection service comes with every purchase. Its target for 2028 is over 50 countries and regions. If you live anywhere else, a proxy is still the way in.
Through a proxy, flea-market and auction purchases have stricter rules than shop orders. ZenMarket's answer on cancelling an auction bid or a purchased item is short: "You can not cancel your bid or the purchased item for any reason." If a seller sends the wrong item or a damaged one, ZenMarket says compensation depends on the seller agreeing to it, and that for used goods bought on JDirectItems Auction, Mercari or Rakuma it usually cannot offer any. It suggests paying for photos to check that a used item matches its description before it leaves Japan.
Can you buy from Pokémon Center Japan online?
Not directly. Pokémon Center Online, Japan's official Pokémon web shop, ships only to Japanese addresses, and its delivery guide says in Japanese that it does not accept orders to be sent abroad. Inside Japan, delivery costs 550 yen with tax for an order under 6,000 yen and is free from 6,000 yen, though some products have different charges.
That leaves the two routes above. A proxy can place the order for you, and you pay the 550 yen domestic delivery as part of its shipping-within-Japan charge unless the order reaches 6,000 yen. Forwarding works only if the shop accepts a way of paying that you have, so check its payment page before you sign up with a forwarder. New ranges can appear on the web shop before the shops: our Pokémon Center Tokyo guide has the dates and the prices of the latest goods.
Shipping methods from Japan and how long they take
Proxies and forwarders send parcels with Japan Post or with a courier, and you choose the method when you pay for international shipping. Japan Post describes EMS as its fastest international mail service: it carries documents and goods of up to 30 kg to more than 120 countries and territories, with tracking, and its rates start at 1,450 yen. Buyee recommends it over the slower Japan Post services.
The days below are the typical delivery times Buyee gave for each method on 13 November 2026. Actual times vary with the destination, customs and the local post.
Typical delivery times quoted by Buyee
- Couriers: DHL 1 to 4 days, UPS 1 to 3 days, FedEx 2 to 7 days
- EMS: 4 to 8 days, with tracking, up to 30 kg
- Airmail parcel (AIR): 6 to 12 days, with tracking
- Airmail Small Packet: 6 to 12 days, small items only, no tracking
- SAL economy airmail: 12 to 26 days, marked as suspended at Buyee
- Seamail: 1 to 3 months
Saving money with a Small Packet has a catch: it has no tracking, and Buyee says that loss or non-delivery of a parcel sent that way is not covered by its Standard or Insured Delivery plans. tenso lists EMS, airmail, SAL and surface mail among its Japan Post options. Japan Post also runs Cool EMS, which keeps frozen and chilled goods cold, but only to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
What you can't send from Japan
Some of the most popular things to buy in Japan are the ones that cannot travel by post. Japan Post points out that "perfume cannot be sent to any country", and its list of dangerous goods barred from planes and ships goes much further.
Items Japan Post will not send to any country
- Sprays and cosmetics: spray cans, perfume, sunscreen, nail polish and hair tonic
- Batteries: portable battery chargers and electronic cigarettes
- Alcohol: anything containing more than 24% alcohol
- Fireworks: including firecrackers
A device with a lithium battery inside can go only if it meets the conditions in Japan Post's international mail regulations, and only to countries on its list; the list for airmail, SAL and EMS includes the United States, and the list for sea mail includes the United Kingdom and Canada. Each country also has its own banned items. Japan Post's guide gives liquor, tobacco, and meat, vegetables and fruit as things people often try to send, and warns that where a country bans beef, instant cup noodles, curry and instant consommé may not be sent either.
For snacks and sweets, our guide to Japanese snack boxes compares the subscription companies that post them abroad, and explains who pays the import charges in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
Buying from Japan to the USA in 2026
Parcels from Japan to the United States work differently from parcels to anywhere else, and the rules changed several times between 2025 and late 2026. It began with a US executive order of 30 July 2025, which ended duty-free treatment for goods sent by international mail from 29 August 2025, apart from documents and genuine gifts worth 100 US dollars or less.
How Japan Post's US service changed
- 27 August 2025: Japan Post stops accepting goods for sale and gifts over 100 dollars for the United States
- 14 April 2026: acceptance resumes, on condition that the sender prepays US duty through an approved provider's app
- 15 October 2026: parcels for the US are taken at almost every post office, no longer only at designated ones
- 23 October 2026: for documents, and for gifts of 100 dollars or less between private individuals, advance registration becomes optional until 19 January 2027
A purchase is not a gift between individuals, so the strict rule applies. For contents worth up to 2,500 dollars, the sender in Japan has to register the parcel in advance with one of the two providers Japan Post recommends, Zonos or SafePackage, and prepay the duty; the label then carries DDP and a 13-digit declaration number. The provider charges its own service fee, even when no duty is due. Above 2,500 dollars, the parcel goes through a formal entry in the US instead, and the duty is collected there from the importer.
UGX, the courier service Japan Post has offered since 27 August 2025 as an alternative to international mail, is still available. Remember the rule about game cards, books and calendars from the Pokémon section above: they must travel as Small Packets or EMS for merchandise.
If something goes wrong
Most problems are handled by the proxy or forwarder first. Buyee's Standard Plan refunds, up to the cover Buyee sets, if the item is damaged, lost, a different item or in a different quantity, and its Insured Delivery Plan covers damage and loss in transit. Either way, you must apply within 14 days of the parcel reaching you.
If a Japanese business itself will not respond, the Cross-border Consumer Center Japan (CCJ) can help. It was set up in November 2011 by Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency, and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has run it since April 2015. One of its two jobs, in its own words, is resolving disputes "between consumers outside Japan and Japanese businesses".
Some of the CCJ's partner bodies (March 2026)
- BBB: the Council of Better Business Bureaus, for the United States, Canada and Mexico
- CTSI: the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, for the United Kingdom
- Asia: the Korea Consumer Agency, the Consumer Association of Singapore, the Consumer Council of Hong Kong and two bodies in Taiwan
The CCJ works with consumer bodies abroad, translating and passing on information about a complaint between the two sides. Its partner list, dated March 2026, shows which body it works with in your country or region.
Frequently asked questions
How do I buy from Japan online?
Check whether the shop delivers to your country. If it does, order directly. If it delivers only within Japan, use a proxy service, which buys the item and ships it to you, or a forwarding service, which gives you an address in Japan to send your order to.
Can you buy stuff from Japan online if the shop won't ship abroad?
Yes, through a proxy or a forwarder. A proxy also works for auctions, flea-market apps and shops that take only Japanese payment methods, because the company pays the seller itself. A forwarder suits a shop whose checkout accepts your card.
Proxy or package forwarder: what's the difference?
A proxy buys the item in its own name and then posts it to you, charging a fee per order or per item. With a forwarder you buy the item yourself and have it delivered to the forwarder's warehouse, which then sends it on and charges by weight.
How much does a Japanese proxy service cost?
On 13 November 2026 Buyee charged 500 yen per order plus an optional protection plan of up to 500 yen. ZenMarket charged 300 to 800 yen per item, with insurance included, plus a deposit fee from 1%. On top of either come shipping within Japan, international shipping and any duty in your country.
Can you buy from Pokémon Center Japan online?
Not directly. Pokémon Center Online delivers only within Japan, so buyers abroad use a proxy or a forwarder. Delivery inside Japan is 550 yen for orders under 6,000 yen and free above that.
Can I buy from Mercari Japan from abroad?
Yes. In Taiwan, Hong Kong and the United States the Mercari Global App sells listings from Mercari Japan directly. Elsewhere, Mercari works with cross-border partners, and proxies such as Buyee and ZenMarket buy Mercari items for you.
Can I get perfume or a power bank shipped from Japan?
No. Japan Post will not send perfume, spray cans or portable battery chargers to any country, and tenso will not ship spray cans either. A device with a built-in lithium battery can go only under Japan Post's conditions and to countries on its list.
Do I have to pay customs duty when I buy from Japan?
You may. Buyee and tenso both say any duty charged in your country is the buyer's to pay, and neither includes it in its fees. For the United States, the sender in Japan now prepays the duty on parcels of goods worth up to 2,500 dollars.
Can I still buy from Japan and ship to the USA?
Yes. Since 14 April 2026 Japan Post has accepted goods for the US again, provided the sender prepays the duty through an approved provider such as Zonos or SafePackage; parcels worth more than 2,500 dollars go through a formal entry in the US instead. Since 15 October 2026 almost every post office takes them.
What is the fastest way to ship from Japan?
A courier such as DHL or UPS, at one to four days in Buyee's estimates. Of Japan Post's services, EMS is the fastest, at four to eight days, with tracking.
Who can help if a Japanese online shop does not respond?
Try your proxy or forwarder first. If the problem is with the Japanese business, the Cross-border Consumer Center Japan, run by the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, works with partner bodies abroad to help resolve disputes.
Sources
Official and primary sources used for this page. Checked November 13, 2026.
- Buyee: Fees and Payments — purchase fee per order, plans, shipping within Japan, settlement currency, Ship Directly, GST and SST, the 2,800 yen clearance fee and customs duty
- Buyee: About Plan — what the Standard, Insured Delivery, Inspection and Lite plans cover, and the 14-day limit
- Buyee: Shipping Methods — methods, typical delivery days and Small Packet cover
- Buyee: Package Consolidation — no fee since 21 December 2022, no cancelling, and the 200,000 yen warning
- ZenMarket: Fees — service fee per item, what it includes, deposit fee, storage, photos, cancelling and compensation
Show all 18 sources
- tenso: Usage Fee — handling fee by weight, volumetric weight, consolidation, bottle packing and the clearance fee
- tenso: Conditions — no cash on delivery, spray cans or frozen goods, heat-sensitive items, customs and identity checks
- Japan Post: How to send packages overseas — items that cannot be sent anywhere, items often refused, and packing
- Japan Post: Items prohibited by the UPU — lithium batteries in devices and the countries that accept them
- Japan Post: EMS — speed, weight limit, reach, starting rate and Cool EMS
- Japan Post: Resumption of Acceptance of Mail to the United States — the 2025 suspension, prepaid duty from 14 April 2026 and UGX
- Japan Post: Expansion of acceptance of mail to the United States — almost all post offices from 15 October 2026, Zonos and SafePackage
- Japan Post: Follow-up notice of 23 October 2026 — conditions by value, DDP labels, provider fees and game cards
- Mercari: crossborder transactions, May 2025 — 79 partners and about 120 countries and territories
- Mercari: Mercari Global App launch, September 2025 — the app's start in Taiwan and Hong Kong
- Mercari: Mercari Global App in the United States, June 2026 — US launch, inspection, shipping protection and the 2028 aim
- Pokémon Center Online: delivery guide (in Japanese) — delivery within Japan only, and delivery charges
- National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan: overview (PDF) — the Cross-border Consumer Center Japan, its history and partner bodies
Related guides
To cite or link to this page: How to buy from Japan online: shops that ship abroad, proxy buying, package forwarding and what each one costs — Japan Pocket Guide, https://japanpocketguide.com/shopping/buy-from-japan-online/