How to enter a Japanese Sanrio lottery from overseas
Last updated September 3, 2026 · we re-check the fees, links and rules on this page rather than leaving it to go stale.
Lotteries are how a lot of the most sought-after Sanrio goods are sold in Japan, and they are the single most confusing thing to buy from abroad. Some you can enter, some you genuinely cannot, and the difference comes down to which type you are looking at.
The three kinds of Japanese lottery
“Kuji” covers several different mechanics that get translated the same way in English. Identifying the type tells you immediately whether you have a route.
| Type | How it works | From overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Online lottery | You register an entry in a window; winners are drawn and then buy the item | Sometimes — needs a Japanese address and phone, so a proxy must enter for you where the terms allow it |
| Shop kuji Ichiban Kuji style |
You pay per draw in a Japanese shop and get a prize by rank, on the spot | No — physical presence required. Aftermarket only |
| Pre-order raffle | Demand exceeds stock, so the right to pre-order is drawn | Sometimes — same conditions as an online lottery |
On our drop pages, anything with an entry window is flagged with the closing date, and anything that cannot be entered remotely is labelled in-person only.
Online lotteries
- Find the lotterynote the entry window in JST
- Check if proxies are allowedterms vary — some exclude them
- Enter via proxy, or wait for the aftermarketMercari via a proxy
Most online Sanrio lotteries require a Japanese address and phone number at registration, so entering yourself is usually not possible. Some buy-for-me proxies will register on your behalf, and this is the route that works — with one condition you must check first.
Where proxy entry is permitted, the sequence is: the proxy registers the entry, the draw happens, and if you win, the proxy completes the purchase, receives the item in Japan and forwards it to you. You pay the item price, the proxy's service fee and international shipping — and in most cases the proxy charges for the winning purchase only, not for a losing entry, though this varies by service and is worth confirming.
Entry windows close on Japan Standard Time, which is earlier than it looks from the Americas or Europe. A window closing at 23:59 JST has already closed by mid-afternoon in London and late morning in New York.
In-store-only lotteries
Shop kuji — the type where you pay per draw at a counter and walk away with a numbered prize — cannot be entered remotely by anyone. There is no online equivalent, and no proxy can stand in a queue for you at scale.
If the item you want came from one of these, skip straight to the aftermarket. Prizes from shop kuji reach Mercari Japan within days of the campaign starting, because Japanese players who draw duplicates sell them immediately. That is usually the cheapest moment to buy, before the campaign ends and stock dries up.
If you miss out: the aftermarket
Lottery prizes reliably appear on Mercari Japan after the draw. This is not a consolation prize — for overseas fans it is often the primary route, and the one we would recommend planning around for anything shop-based.
- Search Mercari Japan for the item. Japanese keywords work far better than English ones, and each of our drop pages carries a Mercari search link using the Japanese product name.
- Order through a proxy such as Buyee, which buys the listing and ships it to you — no Japanese account needed.
- Check the photos and the description for condition, and whether tags are still attached. Prize plush are commonly sold unopened, and that is worth paying a little more for.
On cost: as of September 3, 2026 Buyee charges ¥500 per order in purchase support fees plus domestic shipping of roughly ¥150 to ¥1,500 to its warehouse, and international shipping is the largest line — around ¥4,400 for a 1 kg parcel to Europe or ¥5,300 to the United States by EMS. Markups on popular prizes are the real variable, so buy early in a campaign rather than after it ends.
Deadlines are the thing that actually costs you
Almost every lottery failure we see from overseas is a timing failure rather than a rules failure. Entry windows are short, published in Japanese, and expressed in JST.
- Entry opens and closes at fixed JST times, with no grace period.
- Proxies need lead time — they have to register the entry before the window shuts, so asking them on the final day may be too late.
- Winners typically have a short payment window too, often a few days. Miss it and the win is forfeited.
We send a reminder email every Tuesday listing the entry windows and pre-order deadlines closing that week, in both JST and plain terms, for exactly this reason.
FAQ
Can I enter a Japanese Sanrio lottery from another country?
Sometimes. Online lotteries and pre-order raffles usually need a Japanese address and phone number, but some proxies will enter on your behalf where the lottery's terms allow it. In-store shop kuji cannot be entered remotely at all.
What is the difference between kuji types?
An online lottery registers an entry and draws winners who then buy. A shop kuji is paid per draw in a Japanese shop with the prize handed over on the spot. A pre-order raffle draws the right to pre-order. Only the first and third can ever be done remotely.
What if the lottery doesn't allow proxies?
Then the aftermarket is your route: prizes appear on Mercari Japan after the draw and can be bought through a proxy such as Buyee. Entering against the terms risks having the entry voided after you have paid.
How much does winning through a proxy cost?
The item price, the proxy's service fee — ¥500 per order at Buyee, ¥300 per item at ZenMarket as of September 2026 — domestic shipping to their warehouse, and international shipping, which is usually the biggest line at roughly ¥4,400 per kilogram to Europe.
When is the cheapest time to buy a kuji prize on the aftermarket?
Early in the campaign, while Japanese players are still selling duplicates. Prices tend to rise once the campaign ends and supply stops.
Do I pay a proxy if I don't win?
Usually you pay for the winning purchase rather than a losing entry, but this varies by service. Confirm the policy with the proxy before you ask them to enter.
Put it into practice
Ready to shop? Every Japan-only Sanrio drop we flag comes with a realistic “how to get it” plan.
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We track official Japanese sources daily and send two free emails a week — a Friday digest of the best drops and a Tuesday reminder of deadlines closing that week, with exactly how to order from overseas.
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