Buying products from Japan is notoriously difficult. Many Japanese websites won’t accept international credit cards and choose not to ship internationally. If they do, the online registration can be a headache for non-native speakers, even with the help of Google Translate. As such, the isolated consumer market has created exclusivity for certain brands and goods. But now, thanks to online proxy services, those Japan-only Red Wing boots, hard-to-find Seikos or pristine Mamiyas are available with relatively little hassle.
Not long ago, the only way you could get exclusive goods from Japan was to travel there yourself or ask someone there to buy it for you. Both were pricey solutions. Now, sites like ZenMarket, From Japan and Dejapan, among others, act as middleman — all you have to do is pay a small service charge and any shipping costs. Though paying a proxy service can seem sketchy at first — you’re paying a company to buy a product — it is secure and protected (and it works with PayPal). Plus, the exchange rate is at an all time low, meaning you’re saving serious money overseas. So, if you’ve been yearning for something from Japan, this is your chance to finally acquire it. To ease any apprehension, the steps below explain how the process works on ZenMarket.
GoogleAssess the Yen’s Exchange Rate
Right now, the Yen (and the Euro) are incredibly weak, economists report, resulting in favorable exchange rates for US shoppers. In the UK, savings are about equal as the Euro approaches the US Dollar in base value. But in Japan, where the Yen is typically equal to .0090 US Dollars, the savings are impressive: The Yen is currently equal to .0075 US dollars, meaning if you spent $500 in 2018, you’d have roughly ¥55,000 to spend. Now, though, you’d have over ¥67,000 in your wallet. It’s high time for savings on select goods — high fashion and faraway collabs included.
Shop on ZenMarket
Use ZenMarket to browse sites like Rakuten, Yahoo Auctions and Amazon, or enter the URL of a site you want to shop.
Get a Quote
If the item is available for purchase, add to your cart and ZenMarket will confirm the price and availability of the item.
Pay or Deposit Funds
If your item is immediately available for purchase, pay the confirmed price. If you are bidding on an auction, you must first deposit funds to your ZenMarket account to place a bid. The ZenMarket service fee is a flat rate of 300 Yen (less than $3).
