ガイド · Guide · updated 2026-07-10
Buyee vs ZenMarket vs FromJapan: Which Proxy Should You Use?
Every overseas buyer on Japanese marketplaces ends up asking the same question: which proxy service? The honest answer is that all three majors will get your package home safely — they differ in fee structure and in what they're best at. Experienced buyers often hold accounts at two and route each order through whichever is cheaper for that purchase.
Fee schedules change, so treat the numbers below as mid-2026 ballparks and check the current pages before a big order.
The short version
- Buyee — the biggest of the three; roughly a flat few-hundred-yen fee per order. Its automatic auction bidding on Yahoo! Auctions (set a max, walk away) is the best reason to use it.
- ZenMarket — around ¥300 per item flat, which wins decisively for multi-item hauls of inexpensive things (ten ¥2,000 items = ¥3,000 in fees, period). Strong consolidation tooling.
- FromJapan — per-item fee plus a percentage on some plans; often the right call for single mid-to-high-value items and Amazon Japan orders. Long track record with auctions.
How to actually decide
Match the service to your buying pattern rather than hunting for a universal winner. Bulk-buying cheap retro games or manga? Flat per-item fees (ZenMarket) dominate. Sniping Yahoo! Auctions in a timezone where auctions end at 4 AM? Automated bidding (Buyee) is worth more than any fee difference. One expensive grail a month? Compare the all-in quote on both — the difference is usually shipping options, not fees.
Whichever you pick, the proxy is the second half of the pipeline. The first half is finding the listing before everyone else — proxies don't help you there, and neither marketplace offers saved-search notifications. That's the half Japan Alerts handles: instant notifications across all four Japanese marketplaces, with the listing URL ready to paste into whichever proxy you choose.
Fees are not the whole cost
Two line items matter more than the service fee on most orders: international shipping method (EMS vs airmail vs surface — spreads of thousands of yen) and consolidation (shipping five purchases as one box). A proxy with a ¥200-cheaper fee but weaker consolidation loses on any multi-item month. All three majors support consolidation; their storage windows and repacking quality are what forums argue about.
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