In one case upon a time, the only mode for overseas fans to purchase idol music and merch directly from Japan was via CD Japan , Tokyo Otaku Mode or by using a byzantine network of auctions, ownership services and proxy shippers. Information technology was neither unproblematic nor cheap.

Those days accept largely passed. Now, major online Japanese retailers like Amazon.jp and HMV & Books not only have foreign payments and offer overseas shipping, they fifty-fifty accept English-language versions of their sites available to browse. If you can't discover who or what you're looking for at ane of the major retail sites, the vendor options for undercover and contained artists without distribution deals have too greatly increased.

Spending all of your coin on Idol merch has never been easier!! Attempt looking in the following places:

BASE

Base is an e-commerce platform based in Japan that many contained and underground idol units have adopted for their online stores. Stores on BASE have the pick of accepting foreign payment methods such equally PayPal and offering overseas shipping. For those stores that don't have these functionalities enabled, you may all the same demand to use a proxy service.

Many groups utilise BASE including:

  • Yukueshirezutsurezure
  • BURST Daughter
  • Melon Batake a go go
  • Zenbu Kimi no Sei Da
  • Minna no Kodomochan
  • KAQRIYOTERROR
  • The Banana Monkeys

IDOL UNDERWORLD

IDOL UNDERWORLD is an English-linguistic communication site offering goods and CDs from a large number of clandestine idols.

Chaotic Harmony Imports & Events

Chaotic Harmony maintain a web store of Idol and Visual Kei goods and often sponsor special opportunities to purchase autographed merch and cheki.

Bandcamp

Before there was Base of operations, there was Bandcamp, and some artists notwithstanding opt to employ this platform to attain their Western audience.

  • NECRONOMIDOL
  • Okinawa Electric Girl Saya
  • TENTENKO
  • XOXO Farthermost
  • Oyasumi Hologram / Goodnight Records

Proxy Services

If you run into a site that requires a Japanese address, doesn't take foreign payment methods or doesn't offer overseas aircraft, you will need to use a proxy to buy and ship the desired goods. There are essentially two types of proxy services:

Proxy Address and Shipping Services

For sites that don't do international shipping, a proxy like Tenso will provide you with a Japanese aircraft accost. The proxy will so receive the goods for you in Nihon and re-ship them to you lot overseas. Y'all end up paying for aircraft twice, but for some items, information technology'due south worth the price.

Having an address in Japan has some boosted benefits. It will allow you to make donations on a site like Campfire , enter concert ticket lotteries or participate in other activities that require a domestic, Japanese address.

Proxy Ownership Services

Proxy buyers take things one pace farther and both purchase AND ship items to y'all. They are especially useful for auctions, and there are proxies that specialize in concert tickets equally well. Some of the more than popular service providers are:

  • ZenMarket
  • FROM Nippon
  • Remambo

Remambo lets y'all set up customs invoice charges (and may slip sweets into your parcel). This tin be very useful if y'all live in a country with picky customs requirements.  FromJapan will similarly let you set the invoice charges only volition but permit you lot reduce them by xxx%.  Withal they do offer free consolidation of packages and fee free ordering from Amazon and Rakuten.  They also give 5% off all Rakuten orders from Wednesday to Friday (Japanese time).

Here'due south footstep by step guide on how-to apply a proxy buyer from Kerrie:

FromJapan is the primary service I use for ordering items from Japan. At that place'southward two ways you tin apply this:

  • To buy 2d-mitt merchandise and take part in auctions
  • A regular ol' shopping service

FromJapan has a nifty little search bar and so yous don't have to go browsing site-to-site for what yous desire. Just similar eBay, you type in a keyword (and select a category if you desire to narrow it down) and FromJapan will generate links to items related to your search from a variety of sites, including Yahoo! Auctions, Rakuten, Amazon and more. Merely click on whatever catches your centre, and you'll exist taken to a page where you can read more information and the option to buy or bid on the particular. Handy if you are looking for something that'due south not being sold on an idol'south official website!

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From at that place, you can either use FromJapan to buy directly, or to bid on an auction. You have to provide a eolith in order to bid on auctions, but that method is fairly straightforward; y'all add enough coin to your account to encompass the price of the bid or auction. Yous can then use this eolith to buy any you want. Sort of similar adding money to your Paypal rest.

The other option is as a regular shopping service. Say you lot want an detail and y'all know exactly what site to go it from…

NOW WATCH IN WONDER Equally I Purchase MYSELF A NEW SHIRT

Because of course I'm gonna buy that Sis t-shirt. Practice yous know how long I was in mourning when they were brutally murdered by direction? Since I'thousand buying information technology, I thought I might too show you then that you have a better idea of what to exercise.

Okay, so if yous already know where to buy your items from, only go on the webpage with the item you desire…

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(btw, if your Japanese is a chip rusty, I recommend Rikaikun for Chrome, it gives you lot helpful little translations if in that location'southward a term on the site you lot don't understand)

Re-create the URL and paste it into FromJapan'southward search bar, and then click the search button.

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You'll so get an order grade where you can add together more details well-nigh your order. Copy-paste the proper noun of the item you desire, and if needed, put the size/style/etc. yous desire in the comment box. They prefer the orders to be in Japanese, but don't worry if you don't understand it.

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In that location, they will take you to a page where you lot can upload images of your item. This is optional, but it helps to give the service a ameliorate idea of the production you lot want (and for you lot to know what you're getting if you bought lots of stuff in one go and at present take a queue of items waiting to exist ordered).

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Usually, FromJapan automatically picks up the images from the website for you to upload right away, only in this case it but brought up the logo for the SiS moving picture and not the shirt itself, so I'm going to pick the manual upload choice, save the paradigm of the t-shirt from the website and upload that from my computer.

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Click add to cart, and and then all y'all need to do is wait until FromJapan emails you (or you can log in and check) with their payment request. This ordinarily takes between a couple of hours to a solar day or ii, depending on how decorated they are at the time.

Now you've got the request for the first payment, click on that, confirm everything looks good then keep to checkout, where like virtually online stores, you lot'll be given options of payment (and sometimes options regarding the domestic shipping, aka from the seller to FJ's warehouse). Choose whichever you lot adopt and complete your lodge.

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Congratulations, you've only ordered and paid for some shiny new idol trade!

Then, you'll have to wait a little longer for them to order and receive the particular to their warehouse. Once that's sorted and set to send to y'all, they'll contact y'all requesting y'all provide aircraft instructions. Become ahead and fill in your address, and what kind of packaging you'd like your detail to be in.

Here'due south one I fabricated earlier (and past that I hateful as of writing my t-shirt hasn't arrived at FromJapan HQ yet, however I did win an auction on some CDs concluding calendar week that but showed upwardly):

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Then pick which shipping option you'd like. This is mainly for packaging purposes, then you'll exist asked once more once you have to pay the second charge.

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Wait just a little bit longer and you'll be requested for your charge ii payment, which will cover shipping and treatment. Luckily, all of the aircraft options volition evidence the price tag, and some will as well show the estimated delivery time, then if you want to choose the cheapest or the fastest delivery, you'll accept a scrap more of an idea of what pick to choose than when y'all were get-go asked about aircraft.

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Cull how you want your item to exist shipped, pay the shipping fees, and you're done! Depending on what aircraft option you lot chose, you'll have your idol merchandise delivered very soon!

Then I hope this helps you, and if you have options of ordering idol trade from Japan that I didn't cover in this article, please mention it in the comments, because the more options united states of america strange fans accept, the better. Have fun guys!