A Guide to Buying From Proxy Services
UPDATED 22nd March 2021
This is just an overall guide of how to use proxy services, however I would say it's best suited for non-North Americans. North America, primarily the USA, is fortunate enough to have many anime/manga shops which can make using a proxy service more expensive than simply buying domestic. However, this is not so much the case in other countries. THAT DOESN'T MEAN USAmericans CAN'T USE PROXY SITES!!! I just recommend comparing it against domestic alternatives and weighing up costs first.
Please note that I am from the UK. My advice is best suited for Europe; I cannot tell you if my advice is suitable for North America, Central America, South America, Oceania, Asia, or Africa because I do not know if it is. I would recommend using this guide as a starting point, but it's important you do your own research too.
For non-North Americans, I do not recommend US-based sites as alternatives to Japanese proxy services, as you will run into the same customs fees, often the products are more expensive anyway, and international shipping from the USA is very expensive.
THIS GUIDE IS NOT AND NEVER CAN BE FULLY COMPREHENSIVE. YOU MUST DO RESEARCH ON SHIPPING COSTS AND CUSTOMS FEES YOURSELF BEFORE YOU BUY. THIS GUIDE IS SOLELY TO HELP NAVIGATING FROMJAPAN AND SIMILAR PROXY SERVICES.
To start off my guide, I detail the pros and cons of proxy services. I'll then go on to show you how to search proxy sites, explain international shipping costs, and then discuss customs fees. If you intend to use proxy services, I recommend you read all of these.
Get 300 Yen in Points After Your First Purchase With FromJapan When Registering With This Link!
Pros:
Prices are often cheaper from proxy services.You're less likely to be sold a bootleg, especially compared to eBay or Amazon. NEVER buy from eBay or Amazon unless you are absolutely certain you're buying something legit and at market price.You can purchase Japan-exclusive products that you would otherwise not be able to buy.You can combine orders to make shipping cheaper.You have a range of shipping options, which can help if you're on a budget.FromJapan offers two main ways to lower customs fees, which I detail below.
Cons:
You may run into customs fees. I detail this further below because this is a complex issue.Currently, due to coronavirus restrictions, some shipping methods are unavailable for certain countries. This could increase your wait time.Not every shipping service is available for every country. Check shipping options for your country here (List updated 8th October 2020; USA, UK, and Canada are not listed.)Proxy services require you to search in Japanese. Everything on the site will be in English. I detail this below.
The Site Itself
The proxy site I use the most, and the one I base this guide on, is FromJapan. Here are the basics for FromJapan:
You can order from almost any Japanese site. It has a range of auction/shopping services by default, but if you want something more niche, you can contact them to have them purchase it on your behalf.Each item you purchase incurs a 300yen fee, which will serve as your insurance fee. This is for if your item gets lost in the mail, so you can get a refund.Bank transfer costs an additional 200yen. Paying by card payment or PayPal is free.Your items can be stored for a maximum of 45 days before you must ship them. This can allow you to purchase multiple items and combine them into one order.You must search for your item in Japanese.
Searching the Site
As I've said, you must search in Japanese. The easiest way to do this, if you are searching for a specific character, is to find their name on their Wiki page. For my example, I'll be searching for the Risotto Nendoroid. Copy his name from the JoJo Wiki, and then copy the Japanese for 'Nendoroid' from Wikipedia.
Alternatively, you can find character names on their MyFigureCollection pages.
Combine these on FromJapan to search for all their listings of Risotto Nendoroids. Note that for any characters with a "・" in their name, you should delete the "・", as it limits search results. Our searched term can be seen highlighted in yellow, and our results below.
If you're unsure what to search, just comment on one of my vids asking, I don't mind ☺️!
International Shipping
Congratulations! You've found the item you want to buy. But before you buy, you have to think about two things: international shipping, and customs fees. Let's look at international shipping first. Make sure you know a rough estimate of the dimensions and weight of your item when you use this. Click on the "International shipping estimate" button, as shown below.
Now, input the weight and dimensions of your item in its box (if it has one). For Nendoroids, this should be about 18cm x 8cm x 21cm and 0.40kg per Nendoroid in box.
By the way, I absolutely do NOT recommend spending 10,000 yen on a Nendoroid.
After clicking "estimate" you will be given the estimates of what you'll need to pay. Please note some shipping services that show up for me may not show up for you, as currently (as of 22/03/2021) global travel restrictions are causing postage by air to be unavailable to some countries. Mostly, this means AirMail is currently unavailable for some countries.
EMS, AirMail, and FedEx Intl Priority are all by air and take the shortest time but cost the most. Surface is cheaper, but can sometimes take months to arrive. However, Surface may be the only service available to some nations.
REMEMBER TO CHECK SHIPPING OPTIONS FOR YOUR COUNTRY HERE
Customs Fees
So we know roughly how much it'll cost to buy your item and get it to your country, but that may not be the end of what you'll have to pay. As I have earlier outlined, I cannot tell you what your customs fees will be. They differ from country to country, and you MUST do your own research here. I will explain how proxy fees work in the UK as my example, because it is all I know. In general, however, the UK is unfortunate in that it has a higher VAT rate relative to many other nations, and I believe has a lower threshold before items are taxed.
In the UK, customs fees are split into VAT and customs duty. VAT is paid for items worth more than £15, and gifts worth more than £39. It is 20% of your total value. If you purchased an item for the equivalent of £40, you will pay £8 customs. If your item is in a large box, Parcelforce will deliver your item and they charge a £12 handling fee, so your customs total will be £20. If it's a smaller item, Royal Mail will handle it, and their charge is £8, so your total will be £16.
If your item does not incur any VAT charges, you will not have to pay the handling fee. The handling fee is ONLY included if you are charged for VAT.
International delivery costs are sometimes included in contributing to customs fees, but since it is sometimes not included I can't tell you how it will affect you. If you're lucky, customs will forget and you pay less.
Customs duty is a little more complex, and I'm afraid my inexperience with them means I cannot be of help here. According to the UK Gov, gifts worth £135-£630 are charged customs duty at 2.5% of their value, but for other items worth more than £135 and gifts worth over £630, the rate varies from country to country and you're better off calling the helpline on the website.
Lowering Customs Fees
Customs fees can be expensive, but there are ways of lowering them.
As a general rule, if FromJapan offers you the option to mark your item as a gift when you pay for international shipping, then mark it as a gift. This gives you an extra bit of room before customs charges hit you for most countries.
Additionally, when on the Charge 2 page to ship your item internationally, you will have the option to lower the value of your item that is displayed on the invoice. There is a limit to how low it can go depending on your item, but no matter what it will somewhat lower customs fees. The only downside with this is that if your item is lost in the mail, You can only be compensated for the money of the value listed on the invoice. However, in my 3 years of using FromJapan, I have never lost anything in the mail. But, if you do choose to lower the invoice value, remember you are taking a risk.