GuideAug 28, 2026 JST

Buyee vs ZenMarket: Proxy Services for Japan-Only Figures

Fees, storage, consolidation and US duty handling at Buyee and ZenMarket, compared for buying Mercari, auction and Premium Bandai figures from overseas.

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Some of the figures you want never leave Japan: Premium Bandai exclusives, event items, anything on Mercari or the auction sites, and the secondhand stock that fills Nakano Broadway. A proxy service buys them with a Japanese address, holds them in a warehouse, and forwards them to you. Buyee and ZenMarket are two of the most widely used, and they price the same job differently: Buyee charges ¥500 (about $3) per order plus an optional guarantee plan, ZenMarket charges ¥300 to ¥800 (about $2 to $5) per item depending on where you buy. For US buyers the bigger difference in 2026 is how each one handles import duty, because neither can send a normal-value parcel to the US by Japan Post anymore.

Everything here was read from both companies’ English help pages and notices on August 28, 2026. Both change fees with a notice on their sites, so check the fee page before a large order.

The comparison

Prices in dollars use ¥150 to the dollar and are rounded.

What you actually pay: three orders

One Mercari figure, ¥8,000 (about $55). At Buyee: ¥500 fee plus the plan you choose (¥0 to ¥500), plus domestic shipping if the seller does not include it (Buyee says ¥150 to ¥1,500 is typical). At ZenMarket: ¥800, and the same domestic shipping. Buyee on the Lite plan is cheaper by ¥300; Buyee on the Standard plan costs ¥200 more than ZenMarket. Either way the service fee is a rounding error next to international shipping.

Three items from three Rakuten shops, consolidated. Buyee: ¥500 per order, so ¥1,500, plus a plan on each, and free consolidation. ZenMarket: ¥500 per item, ¥1,500, free consolidation, and 60 days to wait for the slowest shop instead of 30. If one shop is on ZenMarket’s Recommended list the fee drops to ¥300 for that item.

A Premium Bandai pre-order that ships in March 2027. This is where the storage clock matters. Both proxies place the order now and receive the box when Bandai ships it; the free storage period starts when the box arrives at the warehouse, not when you order, so a long pre-order does not burn storage days. What does burn them is waiting to combine it with something else: Buyee gives you 30 days, ZenMarket 60. Our P.O.P Luffy 10th LIMITED story is a typical case: a Premium Bandai exclusive, one per order, so a proxy has to place separate orders if you want two.

Shipping to the US in 2026

This is the section that decides it for American readers. Since the US ended duty-free entry for low-value parcels in August 2025, both proxies moved to prepaid duty on courier shipments.

Buyee switched all US shipments to duty-paid in August 2025 and from September 2025 charged a flat 15.5% of the invoice. From April 21, 2026, it charges the actual duty for the item’s category instead, shows an estimate on the order page where it can, and bills the customs clearance fee as its own line when you pay for shipping. The methods are Buyee Air Delivery (its house label on FedEx, DHL or UPS for parcels of 30 kg or less), DHL, UPS for special cases, and ECMS for parcels worth less than ¥201,000 within US size limits. Buyee posted a suspension of Japan Post services to the US in 2025 and, as of August 28, 2026, no resumption notice, so plan on a courier.

ZenMarket runs DDP as an option you select at parcel payment for DHL and FedEx, and as a requirement for ECMS, UPS and FedEx LowCost. (Its shipping FAQ, dated 2022, does not list ECMS for the US; the 2025 duty notice does. Check the calculator with a US address before counting on it.) Its blog describes the estimate as the duty for the item’s HTS code plus the carrier’s processing fee, notes that ECMS has been the cheapest carrier on those fees, and says duties are refunded if customs rejects the parcel. ZenMarket does still offer Japan Post to the US, but only for parcels whose total item value is above $800; it applies a currency buffer, so in practice the parcel has to reach about $820. That is aimed at high-value orders, not a single Nendoroid.

What the estimate should look like: under the USTR’s Section 301 notice, the duty on a product of Japan whose base tariff is free, which covers figures, is 12.5% of its value from July 24, 2026, plus whatever the carrier charges to process it. ZenMarket’s blog still quotes “roughly 15%”, the rate in force when it was written. Our import duty guide covers the rate and the July 2026 postal changes. If a proxy’s estimate is well above that, ask support for the breakdown before paying; ZenMarket’s blog says it cannot change an item’s category, but it will explain the charge.

For the UK, Canada and Australia the proxies do not prepay duty (ZenMarket prepays Australian GST on parcels of AUD 1,000 or less, as the law requires). You pay the carrier or postal service on arrival, exactly as with a direct shop order.

Where each one is stronger

Choose Buyee when the order is a single auction win or a Mercari purchase and you want the Lite plan at ¥0, when you want an inspection plan on a used item, or when you are shipping to the US and would rather have one fixed set of courier options with duty handled the same way every time. Buyee also staggers shipments when your packages total ¥200,000 or more on one day, which is a sign it is used to expensive figure orders.

Choose ZenMarket when you buy from many small shops and need time to collect them (60 days), when several of your shops are on its Recommended list at ¥300, when you want shipping insurance included without choosing a plan, or when you are outside the US and want the full Japan Post menu including surface mail for heavy boxes. The ¥800 fee for Mercari (since April 1, 2026) and auction bids (since May 1, 2026), both up from ¥500, is the one place ZenMarket is clearly the pricier of the two.

For a secondhand hunt like the one in our Nakano Broadway route, where you might buy five items from five sellers over a month, ZenMarket’s longer storage is worth more than Buyee’s cheaper single-order fee.

Step by step: your first proxy order

1. Register and add a deposit or card. ZenMarket works on deposited funds (with a fee from 1%); Buyee charges the item and its fee at purchase.
2. Paste the product URL from Mercari, the auction site, Premium Bandai or a shop. Both proxies let you search inside the site as well. For Mercari and auction items, expect the ¥800 (ZenMarket) or ¥500 plus plan (Buyee) fee per item.
3. Pay the first bill: item price, service fee, and any domestic shipping the seller charges.
4. Wait for the “arrived at warehouse” email. This is when the free storage clock starts: 30 days at Buyee, 60 at ZenMarket.
5. Order photos if it is a used item and you did not pick an inspection plan. Buyee’s Inspection plan (¥300) is chosen at purchase; ZenMarket photos (¥500) are ordered after arrival.
6. Request consolidation once everything is in. Both are free. Neither lets you undo it.
7. Pick the shipping method. US buyers: choose a courier and accept the prepaid duty; check that the estimate is near 12.5% of the item value plus a carrier fee. Everyone else: compare EMS against the couriers in the calculator.
8. Pay the second bill (international shipping, duty prepayment where it applies, any storage extension) and track the parcel.

FAQ

Can a proxy buy from AmiAmi or HobbyLink Japan for me? You do not need one. Both ship overseas directly; see how to buy figures from Japan. Proxies are for Japan-only channels: Premium Bandai, Mercari, the auction sites, Rakuten shops that refuse overseas cards, and event goods.

Which is cheaper overall? For one item from a shop, ZenMarket (¥300 or ¥500) versus Buyee (¥500 plus ¥0 to ¥500 plan) is close either way. For one Mercari or auction item, Buyee on the Lite plan is ¥300 cheaper. For a long collecting window, ZenMarket’s extra 30 days of free storage usually saves more than the fee difference. International shipping, which both quote from the same carriers, dwarfs all of it.

Do I pay Japanese consumption tax? Yes, both proxies pay the shop’s price including Japan’s 10% tax and pass it on. Neither refunds it as tax-free shopping; that is only for in-person purchases.

What happens if I forget a package? Buyee charges ¥100 per day after 30 days and disposes of packages after 90 days, and you still owe the accumulated fees. ZenMarket charges ¥50 per day per item after 60 days. Set a reminder when the arrival email lands.

Can I cancel after the proxy has bought the item? Rarely. ZenMarket charges ¥1,000 and only when the seller agrees, and never for Mercari, Rakuma or auction items. Buyee’s consolidation and shipping steps are likewise final once paid. Treat a proxy purchase as committed the moment you pay the first bill.

Links

📦Proxy parcels ship from the proxy's Japanese warehouse by courier or Japan Post. US courier shipments include prepaid duty; elsewhere duties and taxes are collected on delivery.

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