Melonbooks is one of the largest doujinshi stores in Japan, famous for selling manga, anime-related goods, and fan-made works. With more than 30 stores nationwide, including its biggest location in Akihabara, it’s a paradise for fans of Japanese pop culture.
However, Melonbooks does not ship internationally and does not accept non-Japanese payment methods. So, how can you buy doujinshi from Melonbooks if you live overseas?
In this guide, we explain step by step how to purchase from Melonbooks (and its sister site, Fromagee) using a proxy service like ZenMarket. With this method, you can safely order doujinshi, anime goods, and exclusive items from Japan and have them delivered worldwide.
Read down below to find out how!
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Why You Need a Proxy Service for Melonbooks
Since Melonbooks only caters to domestic Japanese customers, overseas fans need a proxy service to:
- Access the Japanese-only website
- Place orders on your behalf
- Handle payments in yen
- Ship items internationally
ZenMarket is one of the most popular proxy services that supports Melonbooks. You simply paste the product link into ZenMarket, and they handle the rest.
Step-by-Step: How to Buy from Melonbooks
We’re going to talk as if this was a guide for Melonbooks alone but keep in mind the process is almost identical if you want something from Fromagee too.
Step 1: Go to Melonbooks’s website
First and foremost make sure you are on the right website! You want to visit Melonbooks.co.jp and not Melonbooks.com. The former is the one you want, the latter is for digital media only.
If you try to visit Melonbooks.com, you might be blocked from doing so – but it’s not your fault; a lot of non-Japanese IPs have been blocked lately.
Don’t worry, though: Melonbooks.co.jp (the one you want to visit) hasn’t blocked anyone.
Since the site is only in Japanese, use Google Translate or your browser’s translation tool to navigate.
If you have a specific question, please contact us at ZenMarket, our multi-lingual team will be more than happy to help you with any issue you have.
Step 2: Search For Your Items
Browsing Melonbooks's site is pretty straightforward.
If you already know what you want, write it down on the site’s search bar. Remember you can send us a message at ZenMarket and our team will help you find what you want.
If you want to browse the site and see what they have in-store, take a look at the website's menu bar, where you’ll find plenty of categories such as:
- 新着作品 – New releases.
- ランキング – Top-selling works.
- オリジナル同人誌 - Original pieces of work.
- サークルで探す – Search by circle
- (Circles are akin to publishers, a group of people, or an individual who publishes doujin).
If you look around, you’ll find plenty of new terminology.
Doujin terminology can be a little hard to grasp at first – but no worries, here’s a little cheat sheet to help you get started:
- 一般向け (Ippan muke): Doujinshi for all audiences
- R18 (Rated 18): Adult content
- 男性向け (Dansei muke): Doujin made mainly for a male audience. This genre often includes explicit works, but you’ll also discover many that are not.
- ⼥性向け (Josei muke): Doujin made mainly for a female audience. More often than not, it’s BL-related.
- BL (Boys’ Love): Stories of male love mainly for a female audience. Similar content aimed at gay men is called Bara or ML (Men’s love)
- ⼩説 (Shosetsu): Novel or fan fiction doujin.
- サークル (Circle) – Circles are individual or group publishers.
Step 3: Check Item Information
Before you make an order with ZenMarket, make sure you take a look at your desired item’s details.
Here’s what you need to look for:
- 発売日 (Release Date): Check the release date to make sure you’re not pre-ordering something
- 一般 (Suitable for General Audiences): This will let you know what you’re buying is suited for all audiences. If it has an R18 rating, it’s explicit material.
- 価格 (Price): The final price with tax included.
- 在庫 (Stock): Whether the item you want is available or not.
When it comes to 在庫 (Stock), there are three stock options:
- 在庫あり – In Stock
- 好評受付中 – Taking Pre-orders
- 売り切れ – Sold Out
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Step 4: Add to cart
Once you made sure everything is okay with the details of your item, look for the ZenMarket banner (usually near the bottom of the page) and simply click or tap the “Add to Cart” button.
Your item will be automatically added to your ZenMarket cart. If you are not logged in, you may be asked to sign in to your ZenMarket account to proceed.
You can also copy the item’s page URL and paste it into ZenMarket’s search bar, but the Add to Cart button is the fastest and easiest way.
Step 5: Submit Your Order via ZenMarket
After you’ve submitted the item through the ZenMarket website, you will be presented with an input box where you can write any specific information with regard to the item you have submitted.
Please be as thorough as possible. Write down the item’s name, how many of them do you want, and any detail you can think of. Any additional comments are welcome!
Providing additional details will allow us to process your order as quickly as possible. Check and double-check the details and make sure everything is okay before you proceed.
When we receive the item request, one of our team members will confirm the item details and then provide you will a final quote.
Once you’ve paid for it, the items you bought will be shipped to our warehouse center.
Step 6: Choose International Shipping
When we have the items and are ready to send them to you, we will ask for your preferred international shipping method from the options available.
Once supplied, we will pack and weigh the items you want to ship internationally and then provide you will a quote for your chosen shipping method.
When that’s done and out of the way, all you have to do is wait for your items to arrive! We will make sure your doujin arrives at your doorstep as quickly as possible.
Happy Shopping!
Important Notes (Especially for Overseas Buyers)
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Adult items (R18): Export is possible but depends on your country’s customs. Some countries may refuse entry.
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Stock changes fast: Popular doujinshi often sell out quickly, so order early.
ZenMarket has no jurisdiction over your country's customs laws and regulations. Please always confirm first that items you plan to buy from Japan can be imported to your country.
Final Thoughts: Get Your Favorite Doujinshi from Japan
Buying from Melonbooks Japan may seem complicated at first, but with a proxy service, the process becomes simple. Follow the steps above and you’ll be able to get exclusive doujinshi and anime goods shipped directly to your doorstep.
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