Japan proxy & forwarding services, explained
Last updated September 3, 2026 · we re-check the fees, links and rules on this page rather than leaving it to go stale.
Most Japanese online stores ship only within Japan. Two kinds of service bridge the gap, and knowing which is which — and what each actually charges — is the difference between a sensible order and an expensive surprise. All figures below were checked against the companies' own fee pages on September 3, 2026.
Type 1 — Buy-for-me proxy (easiest)
You paste a product link; the service buys the item in Japan and ships it abroad. No Japanese account or card is required, which matters because plenty of Japanese stores decline foreign cards outright. Best for one-off orders, and the only workable route for Mercari and Japanese auctions.
- Japan Rabbit — cart-based, priced in US dollars, good for official web stores.
- Buyee — the usual pick for Mercari and auction aftermarket buying.
- ZenMarket — flat per-item fee, widely used.
All three buy from ordinary Japanese retail sites. None is affiliated with Sanrio, Chiikawa Market or with us.
Type 2 — Forwarding service (your own JP address)
You register, verify your identity, and receive a personal Japanese address. You order on the Japanese store yourself using that address, then pay international shipping when the parcel reaches the warehouse. Cheaper per item than a proxy, and the better choice when you are consolidating several orders — but you need a card the Japanese store will accept.
What it actually costs
Three separate charges land on top of the item price: the service fee, shipping from Japan, and import duties or tax in your own country. Here is where each one stood on September 3, 2026.
Service fees
| Service | Type | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Buyee | Buy-for-me proxy | ¥500 per order purchase support fee (raised from ¥300 on April 1, 2026), plus domestic shipping to their warehouse, typically ¥150–¥1,500. |
| ZenMarket | Buy-for-me proxy | ¥300 basic service fee per item for most shops; higher for some marketplaces and auctions. The fee covers purchasing, the first consolidation and insurance. |
| Japan Rabbit | Buy-for-me proxy | Sliding service fee from 9.9% (orders under $80) down to 1.2% (over $880), minimum $5, plus about $1 per item from most shops. Charged in US dollars. |
| tenso.com | Forwarding address | Handling fee by parcel weight: ¥530 up to 500 g, ¥600 up to 1 kg, ¥1,320 up to 3 kg. Consolidation costs ¥200 to apply plus ¥300 per added parcel. |
| Blackship | Forwarding address | Free plan with a $1 receiving fee per parcel and $3 consolidation; 45 days of free storage. Ships by EMS, FedEx or DHL. |
Shipping from Japan (EMS)
EMS is the usual express option. Rates are per parcel, by billed weight, and include Japan Post's temporary surcharge for these zones.
| Parcel weight | Europe, Canada, Australia | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 500 g | ¥3,150 | ¥3,900 |
| 1 kg | ¥4,400 | ¥5,300 |
| 1.5 kg | ¥5,550 | ¥6,600 |
| 2 kg | ¥6,700 | ¥7,900 |
A single plush in a box is commonly 500 g to 1 kg once packed, so budget roughly ¥3,000–¥5,500 of shipping for one, and consolidate orders when you can — one 2 kg parcel costs far less than four 500 g parcels.
Duties and import tax
- United States — the $800 de minimis exemption has been suspended indefinitely, so parcels are dutiable whatever they cost, and postal items now go through a new entry process. Japan Post resumed US-bound service on April 14, 2026 on the condition that duties are prepaid, so expect to pay them up front rather than on delivery.
- European Union — from July 1, 2026 a flat €3 customs duty applies per item on consignments worth €150 or less, and VAT applies from the first euro. A per-consignment handling fee is planned from November 2026.
- United Kingdom — customs duty applies above £135; import VAT applies from the first pound, and couriers add their own clearance fee.
Declared value is the item price, and proxies declare what you paid. Under-declaring is customs fraud and we will not help you do it.
Figures verified on September 3, 2026 against each company's own fee page and Japan Post's published EMS rates. Fees change — check the current figure before you order.
Which should I use?
Buy-for-me proxy
- Paste the product link to the proxy
- They buy it (no Japanese card or account)
- They ship it to your country
Forwarding service
- Get your own Japanese address
- Order on the JP store, ship to that address
- They forward the parcel to you
- One item, or the store rejects your card? Buy-for-me proxy. The fee is small relative to the hassle it removes.
- Several items, or several stores? Forwarding address. You pay the Japanese shelf price, consolidate into one parcel, and pay international shipping once.
- Mercari, auctions or a sold-out item? Buy-for-me proxy — a forwarding address cannot bid or negotiate for you.
- Something heavy or bulky, like a large plush? Compare shipping first, not the fee. Volumetric weight can push a light but bulky parcel into a much higher bracket than its actual weight suggests.
Whichever you pick, compare the total — item, service fee, domestic shipping, international shipping and import tax — rather than the headline fee. The fee is rarely the number that decides it.
Mistakes that cost people money
- Shipping items one at a time. Four separate 500 g parcels to Europe cost ¥12,600 in EMS charges; the same goods in one 2 kg parcel cost ¥6,700. Consolidation is the single biggest saving available to you.
- Ignoring volumetric weight. Plush are light and bulky, so the billed weight is often far above the scale weight. Get a quote before you commit.
- Assuming duty-free. The old assumption that small parcels arrive untaxed no longer holds in the US, and stops holding in the EU from July 2026. Budget for it.
- Asking for a lower declared value. Proxies declare what you paid, and under-declaring is customs fraud. We will not help with it, and a seized parcel costs more than the duty would have.
- Leaving parcels in storage. Free storage is generous — 45 days at both Japan Rabbit and Blackship — but daily fees start after it, and they add up.
- Missing the JST deadline. Pre-orders and lottery windows close on Japan time. A proxy needs lead time on top of that.
FAQ
What's the difference between a proxy and a forwarding service?
A buy-for-me proxy purchases the item for you and ships it abroad, so you need no Japanese account or card. A forwarding service gives you a Japanese address to order to yourself, then forwards the parcel.
Which is cheaper?
Forwarding is usually cheaper per item because you pay only a handling fee — ¥530 for a 500 g parcel at tenso.com, for example — but you need a card the Japanese store accepts. A proxy adds a service fee of ¥300 to ¥500 per item or order and removes that requirement.
How much does shipping from Japan cost?
By Japan Post EMS, about ¥3,150 for 500 g and ¥4,400 for 1 kg to Europe, Canada or Australia, and ¥3,900 and ¥5,300 respectively to the United States, as published by Japan Post in September 2026. Consolidating orders cuts the per-item cost sharply.
Do I have to pay customs duty on parcels from Japan?
In most countries now, yes. The US suspended its $800 duty-free allowance indefinitely in June 2026, the EU applies a flat €3 duty per item on consignments of €150 or less from 1 July 2026, and the UK charges duty above £135 with import VAT from the first pound.
Can Japan Post still ship to the United States?
Yes. Japan Post resumed US-bound service on 14 April 2026, on the condition that customs charges are prepaid through a certified provider before shipping, and electronic advance data is mandatory. EMS to the US was listed as available on Japan Post's own service chart in September 2026.
Do I need a Japanese credit card?
Not with a buy-for-me proxy — they pay the store for you. With a forwarding service you pay the store yourself, and some Japanese stores decline non-Japanese cards.
Is using a proxy service legal?
Yes. These are ordinary licensed Japanese businesses buying retail goods on your behalf. What is not acceptable is using them to get around a shop's purchase limits or to under-declare a parcel's value.
How long does the whole process take?
Typically one to three weeks: a few days for the store to ship to the proxy's warehouse in Japan, your consolidation and payment step, then international transit — a few days by EMS or courier, longer by surface mail.
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