Frequently asked questions
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FAQs
Quick Guide
Q. What is the Japan Direct?
A. Japan Direct is a shopping service. We help you buy from Japanese online marketplaces.
Q. Where is Japan Direct available?
A. Japan Direct is available worldwide.
Q. How much will it cost?
A. It is convenient to know the total cost beforehand, but unfortunately several factors prevent us from having this information available. We don't know: how much your items will weigh, the dimensions of the parcel we ship your items in, where you are going to send your parcel to, which shipping method you are going to choose, and how you are going to pay until after it has been packed, weighed, measured and you tell us the shipping address. You can use the Fee Calculator to estimate the total cost. We recommend adding a bit of extra weight and entering dimensions to account for the packaging materials that protect your item(s).
Q. What doesn't Japan Direct do?
A. - We don't buy in offline shops.
- We don't provide a mail-forwarding service. We ship only items you buy via Japan Direct.
- We don't ship within Japan. We ship only abroad.
- We don't buy batteries, lubricants, sprays and other Forbidden Items
- We don't buy oversize, overweight, and overlength items
- We don't check whether items function properly. - We don't mark items as "gift" in the shipping documents.
- We cannot accept requests on altering the declared name and price.
Q. Can I order pre-order items?
A. Yes, we can order pre-order items as well. Please put the item into your cart and proceed with the payment. Once the item arrives at our warehouse, we’ll register it.
Q. When do I specify my delivery address?
A. After it is ordered, the item arrives at our warehouse in Osaka first. Then you will need to specify the desired delivery method and provide your delivery address from the Parcels tab.
Fees
Q. How much is the Service Fee?
A. We charge only 500 JPY per SKU.
Q. What about customs duties when shipping to Europe?
A. As of July 1st, 2021, a new European Tax legislation came into effect, customers may optionally select to pay VAT in advance on any parcel sent to Europe with a total item value of 150 EUR or less. Please note that VAT will be applied to parcels shipped from September 22nd onward. In cases where it applies, the tax will be charged at the same time as the international shipping cost. For high-value parcels (over 150 EUR), the customs regulations and VAT payment process remain as before, and the applicable tax will be processed and charged by your local customs authority upon the goods' arrival in Europe.
Q. What about customs duties when shipping to Australia?
A. As of July 1st, 2018, a new Australian Tax legislation came into effect and we are required to collect 10% GST for all parcels sent to Australia with a total value of 1,000 AUD or less. Please note that GST will be applied to parcels where the declared value is equal to or lower than 1,000 AUD. If it applies, the tax will be charged at the same time as the international shipping fee. For high-value goods (over 1,000 AUD), customs regulations and the GST payment process remain unchanged and will be processed and charged by customs offices in Australia.
Payments
Q. How do I pay for orders?
A. You may have the option to pay by credit card, debit card, prepaid card, or directly from your bank account.
Q. How is my payment currency decided?
A. The payment currency is decided by the country associated with your PayPal account.
Q. When is the currency exchange rate determined for auctions?
A. The currency exchange rate is determined when the auction closes. When you bid on an auction, there is an estimation of the fee based on the current price in Japanese Yen. Please notice, that this is only an estimated exchange rate.
Shipping
Q. How much does international shipping cost?
A. International shipping fees are calculated based on the weight and size of the packaged items. Please refer to the shipping rate estimate table
-Estimated International Shipping Rates
Q. What international shipping methods are available?
A. We offer you the following shipping methods for international shipping, which can be divided into two categories: Postal Service and Courier. Postal Service: EMS, AVIA, Surface Courier: FedEx, UPS, DHL, SF Express, ECMS Express
- SF Express is available mainly for Asian regions such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc.
- ECMS Express is only available for Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Vietnam & the Philippines.
Q. Which shipping method is the fastest?
A. FedEx/UPS/EMS are among the fastest and Surface is the slowest.
Q. Which shipping method should I choose?
A. For cheap and small items, we recommend using AVIA Small Packet for parcels weighing less than 2kg. For other items, we recommend using EMS as it is the most reliable and most reasonable shipping method.
Q. What will happen if delivery cannot be made due to import regulations of the destination country?
A. We cannot take responsibility for refunds or compensation in cases where items are returned or disposed of due to regulations in each country. Please check the customs duties and shipping restrictions of the recipient country in advance.
Cautionary Notes
Q. What are Prohibited Items?
A. We cannot purchase or export items forbidden by law, dangerous items such as flammable substances and other restricted items. Please make sure to check the regulations set by each delivery company on your own for your area. We monitor items. In case we find prohibited items, we may delete the items on our site without prior notice.
Q. Can I purchase intangible goods (game codes, passwords, accounts etc)?
A. If you wish to purchase intangible goods (such as game codes, passwords, accounts etc), that can not be sent by post, we will charge you an additional fee, which will be 10% of the total cost of the item.
Q. Can you ship within Japan?
A. Yes, we can. When shipping items from our distribution center to a Japanese address, an extra 10% fee calculated from the total cost of the Charge 1 and Charge 2 fees excluding handling fees will be incurred.
Q. Can I cancel my item from Rakuma or Mercari? I changed my mind.
A. After you paid for the online flea market item, it cannot be canceled for any reason. This applies to items both in “awaiting buying” and “awaiting approval” statuses. You are free to delete the item from your cart before payment.
Q. Can I cancel my auction bid or item? Do I have to pay the cancellation fee?
A. You can not cancel your bid or the purchased item for any reason.