Where to buy
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Buying Japanese model kits from overseas: a total-cost checklist
A practical checklist for buying Japanese model kits abroad: choose direct or proxy, check contents and preorder terms, price shipping, and clear customs.
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Solaris Japan review: when the direct figure route makes sense
A terms-based Solaris Japan review covering who it suits, shipping, pre-owned grades, preorders, cancellation risk and the checks to make before paying.
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Buying Nendoroids from Japan: preorders, parts and the real shipping cost
A practical guide to buying Nendoroids from Japan: direct shops versus proxies, preorder and rerelease timing, checking small parts, used condition and delivered cost.
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Pre-owned anime figures from Japan: condition grades, missing extras and total cost
A used figure can be the sensible route to a sold-out release, but only if you separate figure condition, included extras, box damage and delivered cost before paying.
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Ichiban Kuji and gashapon from overseas: the routes and what they cost
Ichiban Kuji and gashapon are built to be drawn in a Japanese shop, not shipped abroad. The four routes overseas buyers actually have, and what each really costs.
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Bootleg figures from Japan: the checks that catch one before you pay
Bootlegs concentrate in cheap marketplace listings. The practical checks — does the product exist, who is selling, what the box carries, what the price says.
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Japanese preorders from overseas: deposits, delays and what you owe
How Japanese preorders work when you are not in Japan: when payment is taken, why release dates slip, what cancellation actually costs, and how storage clocks eat the saving.
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Used cameras and lenses from Japan: batteries, grades and total cost
Japanese used camera gear looks cheap until the battery rule, the shop's own grading key and the shipping bill get involved. What each step really costs.
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Japanese trading cards from abroad: sealed boxes, singles and what each route costs
Japanese cards are cheap to buy and awkward to get hold of. Which route suits sealed product, which suits singles, and where the cost actually lands once the box leaves Japan.
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Japanese video games from abroad: region locks and what they cost
Which Japanese consoles and games actually play outside Japan, why a modern disc is fine and a 3DS cartridge isn't, and how the total cost of importing games really breaks down.
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Yahoo! Auctions Japan for overseas bidders: sniping, fees and duds
Yahoo! Auctions Japan holds the deepest pool of rare Japanese goods, but it needs a proxy to bid. How bidding, deadlines, fees and duds actually work.
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Ordering anime figures from Japan without paying twice for shipping
Figures are bulky, fragile and often preordered months ahead. How to buy them from Japan on total cost, avoid double shipping, and clear the restricted-item traps.
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Buying from Mercari Japan when you're not in Japan
Mercari Japan blocks foreign accounts, cards and addresses, so a proxy is the only realistic route. Here's how it works, what it costs, and the traps.
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Japanese shops that ship overseas directly — no proxy needed
Some Japanese retailers post worldwide themselves, so you skip the proxy fee entirely. Here's how to spot them and when buying direct genuinely wins.
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Japanese CDs, vinyl and first-press editions, ordered direct
Japanese CDs, vinyl and first-press editions are mostly in-print retail goods you can buy direct — no proxy fee. How to order them and what shipping really costs.
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Reading Japanese secondhand condition grades before you bid
Japanese secondhand grades are more consistent than most buyers expect, but only if you know the terms. What the grades mean, and how to read a used listing.