Jump to content

Proxy Services In Japan


mke

Recommended Posts

As someone living in Japan, I don't need a proxy service for myself. However, occasionally, I buy stuff for other people. At the moment, without EMS to many countries, I could only send by DHL. Fees are extreme because I don't get the reductions e.g. zenmarket gets. If I could send it via zenmarket, that would dramatically reduce the shipping fee.

 

If someone wants to buy something in Japan, do they need to ask the proxy service to buy it for them? Or could they buy it for themselves and just give the proxy service address as receiving address?

How does such a proxy service work?

 

Cam someone give me an example? Example zenmarket.

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 21
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • mke

    4

  • A Smug Dill

    3

  • Penguincollector

    3

  • mongrelnomad

    2

If you go to Yahoo Japan you will see a banner above each page inviting overseas buyers to click here to buy the item. Service is through company named Buyee. You register with them and provide your credit card information and bid through them for your item.

 

You can bid as many times as you like. There are no restrictions except for certain sellers with dubious track records. if you win, Buyee will receive your items, store them for up to one month (90 days during COVID-19), and send to you when you request shipment. You re charged two times. First, when winning the auction. Second, when shipping. The second fee includes domestic shipping to Buyee and international shipping.

 

Buyee's fee is about 10%. Varies with auction price. They occasionally have sales with lower fees and offer coupons with discounts.

 

I use Buyee and also bid directly on Yahoo. Bidding directly on Yahoo Japan is possible if you have either a Japanese credit card or Japanese bank account. Some overseas credit cards may be accepted to establish an account. The problem will be payment to the seller. It is usually done through bank transfer and payment is made almost immediately after purchase. I've not used cards so don't know more of this option. You should be able to arrange a bank transfer if your bank has a branch in Japan. However, it is pricey and cumbersome.

 

Alternately, find a friend in Japan who is willing to assist you for a fee. You might be able to reduce your cost to 5% plus shipping costs.

 

You are in Japan so the banner will not be shown. Go to their website buyee.jp.

stan

Formerly Ryojusen Pens
The oldest and largest buyer and seller of vintage Japanese pens in America.


Member: Pen Collectors of America & Fuente, THE Japanese Pen Collectors Club

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the case of Zenmarket, you would send a link (ex. Amazon) and it will either be automatically be purchasable or be reviewed. In the case of Yahoo auctions purchasing, bidding is real time if you don't use a sniping call.

 

So yes, you can have Zenmarket send to another address.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used Buyee many times for Yahoo Auctions. They bid on your behalf and then forward it on two you. There are stages: 1. You connect your Paypal so they debit you as the bid goes in, and then 2. when you win, you select from various services: local shipping to warehouse -> item verification -> forwarding. Each stage has different options and associated costs. There are limits as to how much you can bid (you can petition them to increase this each auction if necessary) and there are also a few restricted items, but generally it's pretty simple.

For non-auction purchases I prefer to use White Rabbit Press, Though they're slightly more expensive, they are native English speakers, have much better customer service, and will approach sellers on your behalf. Among other things they've managed to buy me hand-carved netsukes from artisans in the middle of nowhere, all without a hitch...

Too many pens; too little writing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can anyone make a fee calculation of a recent Zenmarket buy open or send me by DM (I will anonymize it and add to this thread) ?

 

Details like

  • Price at amazon/rakuten/... plus some details (free shipping or not)
  • Handling fees, detailed
  • Storage fees
  • Shipment inside Japan
  • International shipment details are not needed, that is well explained at their site

They make a big mystery out of it, instead of showing some examples.

 

Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve used Zenmarket to ship out dozens of items and the fee structure is very simple. There is a 3.5% fee for adding money into Zenmarket from PayPal or any other payment sources (you can pay in USD and Zenmarket automatically converts to yen, sans a 3.5% standard PayPal fee). They also charge 300 yen per item you buy through them. You will also have to pay Japan domestic shipping to their Osaka warehouse. Other than that, Zenmarket charges no other fees - ex: no fee for consolidating multiple items into one package, no fee for shipping out a package (other than you being responsible for the cost of the actual international shipping obviously), and free storage within 60 days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...

I once argued about the Japanese not being interested in selling goods to other places, but now I partly agree with the other answerers - Japan is indeed exporting a lot of goods.
However, it's important to note that this is about the "international trade" or "commercial wholesale" level of things. Since, as soon as we are talking about pure retail... then the answer is a big, fat, "no".
Sadly, 95 out of 100 online shops in Japan are neither interested nor willing to ship anything to overseas addresses.
This is precisely why all the many "proxy shipping" services such as fromjapan.com or Noppin thrive. Plus few other Lowest priced private proxies.

Edited by randyisscott
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, randyisscott said:

I once argued about the Japanese not being interested in selling goods to other places, but now I partly agree with the other answerers - Japan is indeed exporting a lot of goods.
However, it's important to note that this is about the "international trade" or "commercial wholesale" level of things. Since, as soon as we are talking about pure retail... then the answer is a big, fat, "no".
Sadly, 95 out of 100 online shops in Japan are neither interested nor willing to ship anything to overseas addresses.
This is precisely why all the many "proxy shipping" services such as fromjapan.com or Noppin thrive. Plus few other Lowest priced private proxies.

 

I wonder how much of that is due to the pen companies themselves? I presume the Japanese shops can't sell internationally as Sailor/Platinum/Pilot stop them as it'll be treading on the regional distributor's toes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How does Zenmarket (or any of the others actually?) deal with collecting sales tax?  Hopefully they are assuming that I'll take care of it myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Ste_S said:

 

I wonder how much of that is due to the pen companies themselves? I presume the Japanese shops can't sell internationally as Sailor/Platinum/Pilot stop them as it'll be treading on the regional distributor's toes?

 

Sailor replied to one of my queries ages ago that the company recommends that I buy from its authorised retailers overseas, but I don't think it actively forbids Japanese retailers from taking orders with overseas delivery addresses. Nagasawa Stationery Centre has accepted my orders through its (now defunct) Rakuten Global Market shopfront and shipped Sailor pens and inks to me directly to me in Australia in the past. It was Rakuten that eventually stopped sellers on it from shipping orders overseas directly, because it was pushing its Rakuten Global Express forwarding service business.

 

From Nagasawa Stationery Centre's independent online shop's web pages, it seems shipping directly is still possible.

https://www.nagasawa-shop.jp/html/info.html

Quote

海外へのお届けはお買い上げ金額に関わらず実費となります。


 

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

amazon.jp ships outside japan too, when you go to site it asks if you want to change shipping location if it detects your location isn't inside japan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, LiquidInk said:

amazon.jp ships outside japan too,

 

Yes, but alas, not to delivery addresses in Australia. I've had to use a forwarding (as opposed to proxy) service to receive goods I ordered from Amazon Japan.

I endeavour to be frank and truthful in what I write, show or otherwise present, when I relate my first-hand experiences that are not independently verifiable; and link to third-party content where I can, when I make a claim or refute a statement of fact in a thread. If there is something you can verify for yourself, I entreat you to do so, and judge for yourself what is right, correct, and valid. I may be wrong, and my position or say-so is no more authoritative and carries no more weight than anyone else's here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@XYZZY

> collecting sales tax

 

Typically, it is the shipper (UPS, Fedex, DHL, whatever - but not postal services) who informs the customs office by mail or fax, that the following shipment will arrive - they add scans of the papers attached to the parcel.

The custom office then checks the documents. If they have questions they can flag the shipment for further inspection after it has landed or give the OK to proceed.

They also inform the shipper to collect any tax required. The shipper then charges the receiver for the cost of this procedure.

 

The mystery starts why sometimes you don't have to pay taxes even if the declared worth is way above the threshold for paying import taxes etc.

 

I don't know how this works in reality in other countries than Japan where I live.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Hi all,

  I just bought a used grailfrom Kingdom Note through Buyee, and so have opted for the protective packaging service, as I couldn’t really tell how if it had any original packaging or something from the store. However, this being the first time I’ve bought anything by proxy, I was wondering if the extra protective packaging was necessary for any new pens I may buy in the future? 
  Also, how do shops package their wares for these situations? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

Hi all,

  I just bought a used grailfrom Kingdom Note through Buyee, and so have opted for the protective packaging service, as I couldn’t really tell how if it had any original packaging or something from the store. However, this being the first time I’ve bought anything by proxy, I was wondering if the extra protective packaging was necessary for any new pens I may buy in the future? 
  Also, how do shops package their wares for these situations? 

Change the language in the upper right corner, then scroll down. Oh, the language type is displayed in Japanese... click on "英語".

There is an "inquiry" section, so you can ask them directly from there.

https://www.kingdomnote.com/

 

P.S.

We figured if the store's package is secure, it's safe to put your package directly into Buyee's package. If you buy even more it could be a different story.

 

Edited by Number99
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have used DeJapan and Blackship. They basically just put your mailing label onto the seller’s package. I’ve done this 2-3 times and never got the extra protective packaging. They’ve all turned out fine. Things I considered: 

- Seller having good reviews about the item being received safely. 

- I got gold nib pens that cost gold nib money. Related to the previous point, I can’t imagine any non-Amazon seller that would put it into a plastic bag/padded envelope and call it a day. All of mine were packaged in a small cardboard box with a bit of newspaper stuffing.

- I knew the pen would come in a hard plastic box (Platinum and Pilot).

- I got EMS/FedEx/DHL shipping. I don’t have any evidence but I suspect the cheapest shipping method (SAL? The one that goes by boat and takes weeks) will have rougher conditions. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Number99 said:

Change the language in the upper right corner, then scroll down. Oh, the language type is displayed in Japanese... click on "英語".

There is an "inquiry" section, so you can ask them directly from there.

https://www.kingdomnote.com/

 

P.S.

We figured if the store's package is secure, it's safe to put your package directly into Buyee's package. If you buy even more it could be a different story.

 


Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...