Guides - Shopping & Collecting
I wrote these guides because I am a Horrible Enabler ™ who must spread the problem joy of the collection hobby to everyone I know in fandom.
If you find the info useful, feel free to leave a comment in my cbox, I'd greatly appreciate the feedback!
Disclaimer: All if this info is from personal experience, none of these reviews or descriptions are sponsored in any way. Also, I am based in the US, so shipping costs will vary for other regions.
The Basics of Shopping from Japan
Hello there! I'm Myst, a hobby collector who has been importing goods for 10 years. Buying fandom and hobby goods from Japan has become much, MUCH easier than it used to be, and I'm hoping that I can shed a little light on the process for people new to merch collecting.
Searching: This is probably already obvious, but the most important thing to note is that when searching for items on Japanese storefronts is that you're going to have to search in Japanese! If you're not used to using the Japanese keyboard, be prepared for a lot of copypasting of stuff from google searches. This goes for the type of item, too, so have a translation site ready! A few common examples are ぬいぐるみ (nuigurumi / plush toy), キーホルダー (key holder / keychain), or フィギュア (figure). Go on, feel free to copypaste those, I won't judge!
Doujin (同人) Goods: "Doujin" is a Japanese term that is often used to describe self-published works by independent creators. The term covers both fan-derivative and original works, and can be created by either individuals or "circles" - creative groups that collaborate on projects. This covers everything self-published: from comics (doujinshi), to music CDs, to garage kits and collectible goods like keychains or acrylic stands. Think of purchasing doujin goods as akin to buying something from a convention artist alley or etsy, or a fandom zine project.
Proxies & Forwarding
Proxy: A shopping service that buys items on your behalf. Typically, you pay a service fee per item, upon purchase of that item. Most large proxy services have websites that translate major storefronts and allow you to easily make a direct purchase from those sites. There are also independent proxy shoppers, who are individuals who will contact sellers on your behalf or attend events to buy things in person, such as doujin markets or themed pop-up cafes.
Forwarding Service: A shopping service that provides you with a Japanese address to shop with. The address typically goes to the service's warehouse, where you would then pay the service fee and shipping to "forward" your items to your home country. Forwarding addresses are most useful on sites that let you purchase multiple goods together.
Package Consolidation: Combining multiple separate packages from separate orders together into one larger package for a single shipping fee. Most proxies and forwarding services have this as an option.
Storefronts
Here, I've listed several of my favorite storefronts for finding Japanese goods. I've used each of these at least once myself and I've included as much info as I can about each one.
I've also included store-specific purchasing tips. If you find goods on a site NOT listed below, then you may want to resort to using a proxy service to check and buy those items for you.
For Secondhand & Vintage Goods: Surugaya | Mercari Japan | Yahoo Auctions | Mandarake
For New Goods: CDJapan | AmiAmi | Kinokuniya | Tokyo Otaku Mode | Amazon Japan
For Doujin (Self-Published) Goods: BOOTH.pm | Alice-Books |Melonbooks
Secondhand & Vintage Goods
Surugaya (駿河屋)
The Basics: A shop that specializes in buying and selling used media and goods in Japan.
What You Can Find: A little bit of everything! CDs, books/magazines/manga, anime goods, even doujinshi!
How to Shop: To purchase from Surugaya, it is recommended that you use a forwarding address through a service such as Tenso or Big In Japan. This is because unlike most other used storefronts on this list, Surugaya typically (with few exceptions) houses all their goods in store/warehouse and they are shipped out together from one storefront. Using a forwarding address makes it easy to place a domestic order yourself with multiple goods, avoiding the commission fees that would compound by buying individual items on a proxy service.
For a step-by-step guide on the Surugaya account creation and purchasing process, click here.
Surugaya is at the top of this list because overall, it is the most cost-effective way of purchasing multiple small goods.
Mercari Japan (メルカリ)
The Basics: A storefront similar to Poshmark, Depop (or Mercari.com, hah) that allows users to sell their own items.
What You Can Find: Pretty much anything!
How to Shop: Registration not required, just use a proxy with auction bidding capabilities. I recommend Buyee since it autotranslates the site and allows you to search listings via their own website. Buyee's translator is also very good about noticing common phrases used to describe used item status, and will warn you if the item is damaged or if it's not guaranteed to function properly.
Buyer Beware: Mercari is a storefront for third-party sellers, so carefully check item listings and seller ratings. Also, Mercari.jp will not allow account creation outside of Japan. To contact a seller for splitting a lot of items or other questions, you must have a proxy shopper message on your behalf.
Yahoo Auctions (Yahuoku / ヤフオク)
The Basics: An auction site, or Japan's answer to eBay.
What You Can Find: Pretty much anything!
How to Shop: Registration not required, just use a proxy with auction bidding capabilities. I recommend Buyee since it autotranslates the site and allows you to search listings via their own website. Buyee's translator is also very good about noticing common phrases used to describe used item status, and will warn you if the item is damaged or if it's not guaranteed to function properly. They also have a "snipe bid" option that will place a set bid within the last 5 minutes of auction, and warn you via email if you are outbid.
Buyer Beware: Yahuoku is a storefront for third-party sellers, so carefully check item listings and seller ratings. Also, a rather annoying quirk of Yahuoku is the fact that auctions can extend their countdown timer if there is a bid war at the end of the auction, so be vigilant!
Mandarake
The Basics: A localized storefront for shopping anime/game/fandom goods in Japan.
What You Can Find: Primarily fandom goods: general merch, doujinshi, cels, etc.
How to Shop: Sign up and shop like a regular online store. Just be aware of the various shipping choices.
New Goods + Preorders
CDJapan
The Basics: A music, media & goods store.
What You Can Find: CDs, books, various anime/game merch.
How to Shop: CDJapan has an English storefront, and honestly some of the best prices for most goods, as well as a fantastic selection of music and media.
Buyer Beware: CDJapan preorders sometimes have store-specific preorder bonuses.
AmiAmi
The Basics: An anime/game hobby goods store.
What You Can Find: Figures, plushies, model kits, keychains & other small goods, etc.
How to Shop: AmiAmi has an English storefront, so the only things to keep in mind are 1) they don't charge upfront for preorder items, but will send a payment request including shipping once the items arive in stock, and 2) too many item cancellations (which must be done via messaging manually) will result in an account ban.
Buyer Beware: AmiAmi preorders sometimes have store-specific preorder bonuses.
Kinokuniya
The Basics: An import books & media store.
What You Can Find: Manga, light novels, art books, CDs, etc.
How to Shop: Kinokuniya has an English storefront, HOWEVER: do your searches in Japanese! You'll thank me later!!
Buyer Beware: Haven't really run into any noticable issues yet haha.
Tokyo Otaku Mode
The Basics: An anime/game hobby goods store.
What You Can Find: Figures, plushies, apparel, etc.
How to Shop: TOM has an English storefront. Their prices can be hit or miss from experience, but they often get exclusive merchandise.
Amazon Japan
The Basics: It's Amazon, but in Japan.
What You Can Find: Pretty much anything *
How to Shop: The * is there because while Amazon JP has an English storefront, not all items have International shipping. For items that won't let you ship them natively from the Amazon site, you can use a proxy such as Zenmarket or Buyee, or (for multiple items that would arrive in a single shipment) a forwarding service such as Tenso or Big In Japan.
Doujin Goods
BOOTH.pm
The Basics: A digital doujin market. Think of it like a virtual artist alley! You can also support creators by adding extra tips to your orders.
What You Can Find: Doujinshi (comics, light novels), small goods like acrylic charms and buttons, CDs, even clothing and tote bags and jewelry. Digital items such as comic PDFs, MP3s, 3D models... the list goes on!
How to Shop: Make an account on Pixiv to properly use the site and add items to your bag. You can use a proxy service (Buyee is widely advertised) but I would personally recommend forwarding if you want to get multiple items from one person's shop, as proxy service fees can add up per individual item.
Alicebooks
Melonbooks
Proxies
Buyee
How It Works: Buyee autotranslates the storefronts of several common stores, such as Mercari, Yahoo Auctions, Rakuten and others. It also has snipe bid options for Yahoo Auctions in particular. Simply make an account, and shop!
Fees: Flat service fee of 300 yen per item on most stores. Then, optional insurance/inspection plans available, costing up to 500 yen.
Package Consolidation: Free!
Shipping Options: DHL, EMS, Buyee Air Delivery (FedEx), AIR, Japan Post Seamail, UPS
Storage: Free for 30 days, then afterwards 100 yen per day for items under 10,000g weight. Maximum of 90 days.
Pros:
Cons:
Zenmarket
How It Works:
Fees: Flat service fee of 300 yen per item.
Package Consolidation: Covered by service fee (free, essentially.)
Shipping Options: DHL, EMS, Buyee Air Delivery (FedEx), AIR, Japan Post Seamail, UPS
Storage: Free for 45 days, then afterwards 50 yen per day for a maximum of 90 days total.
Pros: Very easy to use website,
Cons:
VVJapan
How It Works: VVJapan is a one-on-one proxy service. You will be contacting the faciliator directly for orders.
Fees: Variable, 3-5% of total order. Min 500 yen, max 3000 yen.
Package Consolidation: Free!
Shipping Options: Variable, though usually EMS, Air or Surface
Storage: Free for 45 days, then afterwards 50 yen per day for a maximum of 90 days total.
Pros: No registration needed, they can order from pretty much any store.
Cons: Fees can sometimes be higher due to the one-on-one nature of the service.
Forwarding Services
Tenso
How It Works: As a forwarding service, Tenso provides you with a Japanese address when you make an account. Simply make an account on the store you wish to purchase from, and add your given address. Make sure your name matches between accounts so they can track your items properly.
Fees: A variable service fee of 50 yen and up based on volumetric weight and size of packages.
Package Consolidation: 200 yen application fee, 300 yen for each additional package.
Shipping Options: DHL, EMS, ECMS, Airmail, Surface Mail
Storage: Free for 60 days, however consolidation must be done within the first 30 days of the item arriving. Package disposal after 60 day period.
Pros: Excellent customer service!
Cons: Requires address verification for first purchase. Have a scan of a valid photo ID and proof of address (such as a recent bill) on hand. Also, when shipping via DHL, they will require you to create a highly detailed invoice with store URLs for any merchandise.
BigInJapan
How It Works: As a forwarding service, BigInJapan provides you with a Japanese address. Simply make an account on the store you wish to purchase from, and add your given address. Then go to the BigInJapan website and purchase a Forwarding Ticket. In the "additional comments" area, list the items you are expecting so that they can match your package(s) to your ticket. You will receive a paypal invoice for the ticket and shipping payments once the items arrive.
Fees: A 500 yen service fee for original packaging.
Package Consolidation: A 1500 yen service fee for consolidation/repacking.
Shipping Options: DHL, EMS, ECMS, Airmail, Surface Mail
Storage: Up to 10 packages stored free for 30 days. Items disposed/sold afterwards.
Pros: No address verification requirement, no special invoicing for DHL.
Cons: You have to make sure to request storage or consolidation very clearly upfront or else they will paypal invoice you shipping the INSTANT your package arrives.
PLEASE NOTE: As of writing this guide, Japan SAL shipping services are still blocked. I will only be listing currently functional services.
Shipping costs are always the bane of international shopping. When it comes to purchasing items overseas, I typically recommend coordinating a group buy with friends to split shipping costs. It helps a LOT.
DHL
Cost: .
Pros: Fastest shipping EVER. Like seriously, it's like they use a teleporter. Solid tracking system.
Cons: Gets real pricey real quick for large goods (but usually comparable to EMS for small stuff). Difficult customer service.
EMS
Cost: Pretty much 2000 yen and up.
Pros: Usually about a week turnaround, good tracking, handled in the states by USPS.
Cons: Pricey for heavy items (but usually comparable to DHL for small/light stuff).
FedEx (aka Buyee Air Delivery)
Cost: .
Pros: Fast turnaround, handled by FedEx in the states.
Cons: Typically pricier on average than EMS or DHL.