From Japan · To your home
Japan, made easy.
A proxy buying service in Japan, for people living overseas.
I'm in Tokyo. Tell me what you want and I'll buy it for you — online, or from the shop itself — then send it to your door.
What I do
Run into any of these?
I can help with all three.
“Sorry, we don't ship outside Japan.”
Buying online
Most Japanese shops only deliver inside Japan. I buy it on your behalf, and handle getting it out to you.
See how it works →
Service fee¥1,000 + 5% of the items
02Solution“It isn't online anywhere.”
Buying in person
Store exclusives, pop-ups, gachapon — things that never make it online. Anywhere in Tokyo's 23 wards, I go to the shop on your behalf, and handle getting it out to you.
See how it works →
Service fee¥3,000 + 5% of the items
03Solution“I left it in a hotel in Japan.”
Lost property
Hotels here will keep your things safe for months. What almost none of them will do is post them abroad. I deal with the hotel in Japanese, have them send it to me, and handle getting it out to you.
See how it works →
Service fee¥3,000 + ¥3,000
Browse by category
What are you looking for?
Pick a category to see which Japanese shops sell it, and what it actually costs to send.
Sound familiar?
“I want something that's only sold in Japan.”
“This shop won't ship to my country.”
“It's store-only. You can't buy it online.”
“The site's in Japanese and I can't read a word.”
“They want a Japanese card and a Japanese address.”
If it's for sale in Japan, I can get it for you.
How it works
Eight steps, two payments. Here's exactly when.
I can't work out the shipping until your item is here on my scale. That's the whole reason for the split.
- 01
Send me a request
A link, a photo, or just a description — any of those works.
- 02
I send you a quote
Within two business days, itemised, with a payment link in the same email. Nothing is charged until you use it.
- 03Payment 1
Items, domestic shipping, service fee
I only buy once this clears. Never before.
- 04
I buy it
You get the order receipt.
- 05
It lands — I weigh and measure it
Photos of the real thing, plus its actual weight and size.
- 06
I email you the shipping cost
Not an estimate — the real number, with a few shipping options to pick from.
- 07Payment 2
International shipping and packing
I send you the weight, the number, and a second payment link.
- 08
I pack it and ship it
Within two business days, with packing photos and your tracking number.
- Every parcel is tracked. I won't use untracked shipping, even when it's cheaper.
- Customs duties and import taxes aren't included. You pay those to the carrier on delivery.
- Shipping goes on whichever is bigger: actual weight, or volumetric weight (L × W × H ÷ 5000). Light but bulky things cost more than you'd think.
Hello
I'm Natsumi. Born and raised in Tokyo.
I buy things in Japan for people overseas — from Japanese websites, and from actual shops here in Tokyo.
Ask me to track something down in a shop and I know which part of town, which floor, and which shop keeps what. I know how to ask the staff. When a listing is vague, I can read the fine print and check.
Don't know what it's called, or where to find it? Send it over anyway. Tracking things down is half the job.
What it costs
A base fee, plus 5% of what the items cost. That's it.
I don't count items. One thing or twenty, the fee for an order works out the same way.
Item price
At costExactly what the shop charges. Japan's 10% consumption tax is already in it.
AlwaysMy service fee
¥1,000 + 5%¥1,000 online, ¥3,000 in person, plus 5% of the items. This is the only part I keep.
AlwaysPayment fee
3.6%Stripe's own rate, passed on unchanged. Billed in yen, so no currency conversion fee.
AlwaysShipping in Japan
At costFrom the shop to me. Plenty of Japanese shops ship free.
SometimesShipping to you
Set on the scaleThat's Payment 2. Packing, from ¥300, is added here.
AlwaysThe item price, the payment fee, and both shipping costs are money that passes straight through me to the shops and the carriers. None of it is mine. The service fee is the only part I earn.
| What | Base | On item cost |
|---|---|---|
| Buying online | ¥1,000 | +5% |
| Buying in person, Tokyo 23 wards | ¥3,000 | +5% |
| Lost property | ¥3,000 + ¥3,000 | — |
Worked examples
Here's what the bill actually looks like, for all three services. The international shipping figures are Japan Post's published EMS rates.
Example 1 · Buying online
A ¥15,000 item, going to the USA. 600 g once packed.
Payment 1
| Item | ¥15,000 |
| Domestic shipping, at cost | ¥800 |
| Service fee · base | ¥1,000 |
| Service fee · 5% | ¥750 |
| Payment fee, 3.6% | ¥632 |
| Payment 1 | ¥18,182 |
Payment 2
| International · EMS to USA, under 1 kg | ¥5,300 |
| Packing | ¥500 |
| Payment fee, 3.6% | ¥209 |
| Payment 2 | ¥6,009 |
Total¥24,191
Example 2 · Buying in person
An ¥8,000 store exclusive, going to the UK. 1.2 kg once packed.
Payment 1
| Item | ¥8,000 |
| Service fee · base | ¥3,000 |
| Service fee · 5% | ¥400 |
| Payment fee, 3.6% | ¥410 |
| Payment 1 | ¥11,810 |
Payment 2
| International · EMS to UK, under 2 kg | ¥6,700 |
| Packing | ¥500 |
| Payment fee, 3.6% | ¥259 |
| Payment 2 | ¥7,459 |
Total¥19,269
I buy it and carry it home myself, so there's no domestic shipping.
Example 3 · Lost property
A camera left in a hotel, going to India. 800 g once packed.
Payment 1
| To start | ¥3,000 |
| Payment fee, 3.6% | ¥108 |
| Payment 1 | ¥3,108 |
Payment 2
| Once it reaches me | ¥3,000 |
| International · EMS to India, under 1 kg | ¥3,150 |
| Packing | ¥500 |
| Payment fee, 3.6% | ¥239 |
| Payment 2 | ¥6,889 |
Total¥9,997
The ¥1,200 the hotel charged to post it to me isn't billed — it's inside the first ¥3,000, which covers up to ¥1,500. If the hotel can't find it, Payment 1 is all you ever pay, and there's nothing to refund.
- The 5% applies to the item cost only — not to shipping or packing.
- Asking for both online and in-person buying? Each base fee applies, but the 5% is charged once, on the total.
- There's a 3.6% payment fee — exactly what Stripe charges me, so I can't discount it.
- Item prices and domestic shipping inside Japan go through at cost. No markup.
- Everything is billed in Japanese yen. Your own card issuer converts it, so their exchange rate and any foreign transaction fee are between you and them.
- International shipping follows my rate table, and I confirm it once your item lands.
- This is a launch period: these rates hold for the first 50 orders.
What shipping costs
These are Japan Post's own published EMS rates.
Not my numbers — you can check them on Japan Post's own site. For heavier or bulkier parcels, courier is often cheaper, so I'll compare both and tell you which wins.
| Weight | India | UK | USA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 g | ¥1,900 | ¥3,150 | ¥3,900 |
| 1 kg | ¥3,150 | ¥4,400 | ¥5,300 |
| 2 kg | ¥4,550 | ¥6,700 | ¥7,900 |
| 3 kg | ¥5,750 | ¥8,800 | ¥10,300 |
| 5 kg | ¥8,150 | ¥13,000 | ¥15,100 |
| 10 kg | ¥13,350 | ¥23,500 | ¥27,100 |
- Shipping goes on whichever is bigger: actual weight, or volumetric weight (L × W × H ÷ 5000). Light but bulky things cost more than you'd think.
- Packing starts at JPY 300. Reinforced packing is JPY 1,000 per box if you want it.
- Customs duties and import taxes are on top of this. You pay those to the carrier on delivery.
- Not in one of these three countries? That's fine — I'll look it up when I quote you.
What I can't send
Better you know before you ask.
Some of this is my own policy. The rest is banned outright as dangerous goods on aircraft.
My policy
Banned as dangerous goods
These can't go by sea freight either.
And in general
Please check your own country's import rules — I can't do that part for you.
I do handle these
Cosmetics can only travel by post. Mix them with anything else and the whole parcel has to go that way.
Where people get caught out
Spelled out up front, so nothing surprises you later.
Customs
Duties and import taxes are yours to pay. The amount is decided by your country's customs, so I can't quote it. If you refuse the parcel or don't pay the duties, there's no refund — and the return and re-shipping costs land on you too.
Storage
Free for 30 days, then JPY 50 per item per day. After 60 days I treat items as abandoned and dispose of them — but I'll chase you three times first.
Declarations
I won't change declared values, mark things as gifts or used, or fiddle with HS codes. Please don't ask.
Damage & loss
Get in touch within 14 days. Keep every bit of packaging and send me photos of the box, the damage and the labels.
FAQ
Questions I get
Why do I pay twice?
Because I genuinely can't work out the shipping until your item is in my hands and on the scale. Charging up front would mean either overcharging you, or coming back to ask for more.
What if I don't pay the second one?
Your item sits with me. Free for 30 days, then JPY 50 per item per day, and after 60 days it becomes eligible for disposal. If it's the cost that's the problem, just tell me — cheaper shipping and split parcels are usually an option.
How do I pay?
By card, through Stripe — I email you a secure payment link. Everything is billed in Japanese yen, so no conversion markup is added on my side.
How long does it take?
Two business days for a quote. Anywhere from a few days to two weeks for the item to reach me. Two business days from your second payment to dispatch. After that it's down to the shipping method.
Can you bid on auctions?
Not yet. I'll say so here when that changes.
Do you handle second-hand items?
New items only for now. Second-hand is coming as soon as my licensing is sorted.
Ready?
A quote costs you nothing.
Two minutes on the form, a reply within two business days, and nothing charged until you say yes.
Request a quote