How to Buy Japanese Products from Overseas: Proxy Services vs Shipping Direct from a Tokyo Shop

Short answer: there are two ways to buy Japanese products from abroad. A proxy or forwarding service buys almost anything in Japan on your behalf (auctions, flea-market apps, any store) and you pay its service fees plus international shipping separately. A Tokyo online shop like Eurasia Japan sells from its own catalog with one checkout, a price shown upfront in your currency, no per-item service fee, and shipping by Japan Post with tracking.

Which one is better depends on what you want to buy. This guide explains both models neutrally, shows when each one makes sense, and walks through how ordering from Eurasia Japan works step by step.

Two ways to buy from Japan

Model 1: proxy and forwarding services

A proxy service acts as your buyer inside Japan. You send it a link to an item on a Japanese website, an auction or a flea-market app; it buys the item, receives it at its warehouse, and then ships it to you. A forwarding service is similar, except you buy the item yourself and use its Japanese address for delivery.

How you pay with this model usually looks like this:

• the item price set by the original seller;
• a service or handling fee charged by the proxy, often per item or per order;
• domestic shipping inside Japan to the proxy's warehouse;
• international shipping, paid separately once the parcel is weighed;
• sometimes optional extras such as consolidation, photos or extra packing.

Fees and rules differ between companies and change over time, so always check the current price list of the service you are considering before you order.

Model 2: a Japanese online shop that ships direct

A direct shop sells products it carries itself. You pick items from its catalog, pay once at checkout, and the shop packs and ships the parcel from Japan. There is no middle step: the seller and the shipper are the same company.

Eurasia Japan works this way. We are Eurasia Japan Co., Ltd., an online shop in Tokyo. We buy from Japanese manufacturers, their distributors and Japanese retail stores, check the JAN barcode, packaging and expiry date before dispatch, and ship from Japan ourselves.

When a proxy service is the better choice

A proxy is the right tool when the item you want is not sold by any shop that exports. For example:

• Auctions and flea-market apps. Used items, rare collectibles and one-off listings on Japanese auction sites or flea-market apps can only be bought through someone inside Japan.
• Items no exporting shop carries. Limited editions, store exclusives, event goods or products from a specific small retailer.
• Mixing many different stores in one parcel. If you want items from ten different Japanese websites, a proxy or forwarder can collect them and ship them together.

If any of this describes your purchase, a proxy service is the practical option, and a shop like ours cannot replace it.

When a direct shop is the better choice

A direct shop makes more sense when you are buying everyday Japanese products in new, sealed retail packs:

• You see the full price before you pay. Product prices are shown in your currency (USD, EUR and others), and the checkout shows products, shipping and, where applicable, duties as separate lines before you pay. There is no per-item service fee.
• One checkout, one parcel. You do not wait for a seller to ship to a warehouse and then pay a second time for international shipping.
• Single retail packs with JAN codes. Every listing is one retail pack from a Japanese manufacturer, with composition and directions on the product page.
• Tracking from Tokyo. Parcels go by Japan Post, and the tracking number appears in your account as soon as the order ships.
• Cashback. Registered customers get 5% of every delivered order back as store credit; the rate rises to 7% once paid orders reach ¥500,000 and to 10% from ¥1,000,000.

What a direct shop cannot do

To be clear about the limits of our model:

• We sell only what is in our catalog. We cannot buy items for you on auctions, flea-market apps or other stores.
• There is a minimum order. It is ¥8,000 in products (shipping is not counted). For the United Kingdom and nine EU countries (Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Luxembourg, Portugal and Finland) the minimum is ¥30,000, because of how customs in those countries handle low-value parcels.
• Some items are sourced to order. Product pages show whether an item is in our warehouse or sourced to order from a Japanese supplier. Warehouse items usually ship in 3-5 business days, items sourced to order in 7-10. These are estimates, not guarantees.
• Some products cannot fly. Aerosols, flammable liquids such as alcohol-based perfumes and nail polish, and loose batteries are not accepted by Japan Post and air carriers, so we do not sell them for shipping.

What you pay when you order from Eurasia Japan

Your total at checkout is made of:

1. The product price shown on the product page.
2. International shipping, calculated by the actual weight of the parcel and the destination. Every parcel is insured for the full value of the goods, and the insurance is included in the shipping cost.
3. For the United States only: prepaid import duty. Parcels to the US must arrive with duty prepaid, so we calculate the US import duty (12.5% of the goods value) and the customs clearance fee at checkout. Nothing is due on delivery.

For other countries, import taxes, if any, are handled by local customs and are usually paid by the recipient. Payment is by Visa, Mastercard, JCB or American Express through Stripe. Prices are displayed in your currency for convenience; the charge itself is made in Japanese yen, and your bank converts it at its own rate.

How to order from Eurasia Japan, step by step

1. Choose products in the catalog. You can order a single item as long as the order reaches the minimum.
2. Check your cart. It shows how much is left to reach the minimum for your country.
3. Sign in or create a free account at checkout. The account keeps your order history, tracking and cashback.
4. Enter your delivery address and choose the shipping method. The checkout shows the shipping cost and, for the US, the prepaid duty.
5. Pay by card. The order is confirmed immediately. You can cancel within 48 hours of payment while the order has not shipped.
6. Track the parcel. Once it ships, the tracking number and a direct Japan Post tracking link appear on your account page. EMS parcels usually arrive within 5-14 days after dispatch, depending on the country.

Unopened items in their original sealed packaging can be returned within 14 days of delivery; opened cosmetics, supplements and food cannot be returned for hygiene reasons. Full terms are on the Returns & Claims page.

Country notes

We ship from Tokyo to more than 100 countries. We do not ship to Russia or Belarus. The full list and customs notes are on the Delivery page. Some countries have their own guides:

• United States: duty is prepaid at checkout, nothing to pay on delivery. See shipping to the United States.
• European Union: VAT rules and minimums are explained on each country page, for example Germany, France, Italy or Spain.
• Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan: local duty-free limits and payment notes are on the pages for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
• United Arab Emirates and Asia: see United Arab Emirates, Philippines and Vietnam.

Customs rules belong to each country and can change; the figure set by your local customs is always the final one.

Popular products our customers order

These are products customers have recently ordered from us:

• Dear-Natura Calcium & Magnesium with vitamin D, 120 tablets
• DHC EPA Premium, 30-day supply
• DHC Perfect Supplements Multivitamin & Minerals
• DHC Glucosamine 2000, 20-day supply
• SAVAS Whey Protein 100, Vanilla Ice Cream Flavor, 980 g
• Curél Intensive Moisture Care Face Lotion III (Very Moist), 150 ml
• MINON Whole Body Moisture Milk, 200 ml

Supplements and cosmetics are products of the Japanese market, not medicines. Follow the manufacturer's directions and talk to your doctor before use if you are pregnant, take medicines or have a medical condition.

FAQ

Is Eurasia Japan a proxy service?

No. Eurasia Japan is an online shop in Tokyo, not a proxy or forwarding service. You order from our own catalog in one checkout, and the total is the products plus international shipping (and, for the US, the prepaid import duty). There is no per-item service fee. Because we are a shop, we cannot buy items for you on auction sites, flea-market apps or other stores.

Do I pay customs on delivery in the US?

No. For the United States we calculate the import duty (12.5% of the goods value) and the customs clearance fee at checkout and include them in your payment, so there is nothing to pay when the parcel arrives.

Which countries do you ship to?

More than 100 countries, including the United States, Canada, all EU countries, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. We do not ship to Russia or Belarus. The full list is on the Delivery page.

What currency will I be charged in?

Prices are shown in your selected currency, such as USD or EUR. The card payment is made in Japanese yen through Stripe, and your bank converts it at its own rate.

Is there a minimum order?

Yes: ¥8,000 in products. For the United Kingdom and nine EU countries (Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Luxembourg, Portugal and Finland) it is ¥30,000. Shipping does not count towards the minimum.

Can you buy something for me from Mercari or Yahoo! Auctions?

No. We sell only the products in our catalog. For auctions and flea-market apps, a proxy service is the right choice.

Questions before ordering? Write to info@eurasiajp.com or call +81 70-2286-8185, and see the help page for more answers.