Digmac
Leona's Therapist
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2016
- Posts
- 1,966
Thankfully I typed this out on my computer, not just on the forum, so it's back with some added information. I'm now posting this in the market FAQs section now due to it answering questions members might have when it comes to this topic, dealing with purchasing items from Japan.
I've had this idea kicking around for a while, to help out the members of this community who aren't as familiar to importing things from Japan using a proxy company. Here I'll detail how I go about importing using my proxy of choice, FromJapan. I'll be referring to them as "FJ" from now on in this guide.
I've been buying items through FJ since 2017 and have gotten hundreds of items from them with no issue. I started using them since they were one of the cheapest proxy companies fee wise, but they've been absolutely rock solid and reliable with their service. Their site is easy to use, fully in English, and has very minimal downtime. Their customer service is quick to respond and if something has happened with an item, you'll be notified on site and via email.
With that intro out of the way, let's start by learning how to use the FJ service.
Part 1: How to use FromJapan
First you'll need an account. Go to the FJ website here, https://fromjapan.co.jp, and click on "Create Account" in the top right corner of the site. Enter your email, password, and region, clear the captcha, then click on "Create Account" below. Once done, you'll be brought to a page prompting you to complete your account information. Click on the link to enter the rest of the info required to use the service, then click on "Save Changes" at the bottom. Now you're ready for the next step.
FJ works on a "Charge 1, Charge 2" system. Charge 1 is the initial purchase cost of the item, the price you see on Yahoo Auctions or Suruga-ya. Charge 2 is everything else, and you pay that once the items are at the FJ warehouse. Charge 2 payment includes international shipping costs, domestic shipping costs, payment fees, the "plan" fee, which is just a 300 yen fee per item that FJ charges, and any other costs not covered in Charge 1.
Paying for things is really simple, and it works by depositing money into your account. Hover over your name in the top right corner and click on "Add Deposit" under "Payment History". You'll be brought to a page where you can put money into your FJ account. This can be used for Charge 1 and Charge 2. They accept PayPal payment which is what I use, but you can also add a credit/debit card to your account and add money from there. Deposits are held for a max of 20 days before they get automatically refunded if there's unused money left. You can also get the deposited money released sooner as well if you so choose. Now that you have money in your account, let’s scoop some items!
FJ can buy items from multiple sites in auction format on Yahoo Auctions, or “buy it now” format sites such as Suruga-Ya, Amazon, Rakuten, and others. When you have an item you’d like to purchase, copy the link and paste it into FJ’s search bar. If the item is an auction from Yahoo it’ll bring you to the bidding page. Here you can place a “Real-Time” bid, which is placed automatically as soon as you confirm it. A “Sniper” bid is placed when there’s 10 min left on the auction, however if your sniper has been outbid, the auction got ended early, or the seller doesn’t work with proxy bidders, it won’t be placed. Some listings on Yahoo Auctions also have a “buy it now” feature, so you can choose that if you like as well. If you’re buying from a site FJ is programmed to order from like Suruga-ya, Amazon, or Rakuten, you’ll be brought to a general order screen to purchase the item, just like a “buy it now” listing on Yahoo. If you want to purchase from a site that FJ isn’t programmed to order from, such as Tops-Game, you’ll be taken to an order form to request a “price quote”. This is a form so FJ can confirm the item you want to order and add it to Charge 1 for you. Just enter the name of the item as it appears on the site you’re buying from, enter the quantity, and any other info you want to add, then click “Request a price quote”.
Now comes the waiting game, waiting for your items to arrive at the FJ warehouse. The nice thing about FJ is that they will consolidate packages for free, so if you order a massive lot of items everything will be packed together for shipment and you’ll save by not having things shipped separately. Once items have arrived, you’ll see the number of items ready to ship next to a little shipping box on the top bar, or next to “Shipping instr.” depending on what page you’re at on the FJ website. Here you can select which items you want to ship together, confirm your address, confirm your shipping service, and then pay the Charge 2 payment. I’m located in the USA, and Japan Post isn’t shipping out with EMS anymore, so your options are FedEx Priority, DHL, or Japan Post Surface mail. FedEx Priority is the best shipping method with the most competitive pricing and the fastest service since the pandemic started. Even when EMS was available, FedEx Priority was only slightly more expensive and was faster, so that’s my go to. Once everything has been confirmed and Charge 2 is payed for, you’ll be set and your items will be shipped out in usually one to two business days. They do not operate and ship on Saturday and Sunday, however you can still bid on Auctions and place orders on those days.
I've had this idea kicking around for a while, to help out the members of this community who aren't as familiar to importing things from Japan using a proxy company. Here I'll detail how I go about importing using my proxy of choice, FromJapan. I'll be referring to them as "FJ" from now on in this guide.
I've been buying items through FJ since 2017 and have gotten hundreds of items from them with no issue. I started using them since they were one of the cheapest proxy companies fee wise, but they've been absolutely rock solid and reliable with their service. Their site is easy to use, fully in English, and has very minimal downtime. Their customer service is quick to respond and if something has happened with an item, you'll be notified on site and via email.
With that intro out of the way, let's start by learning how to use the FJ service.
Part 1: How to use FromJapan
First you'll need an account. Go to the FJ website here, https://fromjapan.co.jp, and click on "Create Account" in the top right corner of the site. Enter your email, password, and region, clear the captcha, then click on "Create Account" below. Once done, you'll be brought to a page prompting you to complete your account information. Click on the link to enter the rest of the info required to use the service, then click on "Save Changes" at the bottom. Now you're ready for the next step.
FJ works on a "Charge 1, Charge 2" system. Charge 1 is the initial purchase cost of the item, the price you see on Yahoo Auctions or Suruga-ya. Charge 2 is everything else, and you pay that once the items are at the FJ warehouse. Charge 2 payment includes international shipping costs, domestic shipping costs, payment fees, the "plan" fee, which is just a 300 yen fee per item that FJ charges, and any other costs not covered in Charge 1.
Paying for things is really simple, and it works by depositing money into your account. Hover over your name in the top right corner and click on "Add Deposit" under "Payment History". You'll be brought to a page where you can put money into your FJ account. This can be used for Charge 1 and Charge 2. They accept PayPal payment which is what I use, but you can also add a credit/debit card to your account and add money from there. Deposits are held for a max of 20 days before they get automatically refunded if there's unused money left. You can also get the deposited money released sooner as well if you so choose. Now that you have money in your account, let’s scoop some items!
FJ can buy items from multiple sites in auction format on Yahoo Auctions, or “buy it now” format sites such as Suruga-Ya, Amazon, Rakuten, and others. When you have an item you’d like to purchase, copy the link and paste it into FJ’s search bar. If the item is an auction from Yahoo it’ll bring you to the bidding page. Here you can place a “Real-Time” bid, which is placed automatically as soon as you confirm it. A “Sniper” bid is placed when there’s 10 min left on the auction, however if your sniper has been outbid, the auction got ended early, or the seller doesn’t work with proxy bidders, it won’t be placed. Some listings on Yahoo Auctions also have a “buy it now” feature, so you can choose that if you like as well. If you’re buying from a site FJ is programmed to order from like Suruga-ya, Amazon, or Rakuten, you’ll be brought to a general order screen to purchase the item, just like a “buy it now” listing on Yahoo. If you want to purchase from a site that FJ isn’t programmed to order from, such as Tops-Game, you’ll be taken to an order form to request a “price quote”. This is a form so FJ can confirm the item you want to order and add it to Charge 1 for you. Just enter the name of the item as it appears on the site you’re buying from, enter the quantity, and any other info you want to add, then click “Request a price quote”.
Now comes the waiting game, waiting for your items to arrive at the FJ warehouse. The nice thing about FJ is that they will consolidate packages for free, so if you order a massive lot of items everything will be packed together for shipment and you’ll save by not having things shipped separately. Once items have arrived, you’ll see the number of items ready to ship next to a little shipping box on the top bar, or next to “Shipping instr.” depending on what page you’re at on the FJ website. Here you can select which items you want to ship together, confirm your address, confirm your shipping service, and then pay the Charge 2 payment. I’m located in the USA, and Japan Post isn’t shipping out with EMS anymore, so your options are FedEx Priority, DHL, or Japan Post Surface mail. FedEx Priority is the best shipping method with the most competitive pricing and the fastest service since the pandemic started. Even when EMS was available, FedEx Priority was only slightly more expensive and was faster, so that’s my go to. Once everything has been confirmed and Charge 2 is payed for, you’ll be set and your items will be shipped out in usually one to two business days. They do not operate and ship on Saturday and Sunday, however you can still bid on Auctions and place orders on those days.